296 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



and having waited till August in hopes of stores 

 and aid from England, the colonies determined 

 to proceed. Massachusetts agreed to fit out the 

 force that was to proceed to Quebec ; New 

 York and Connecticut were to furnish the army 

 that was to advance against Montreal. 



Th e Connecticut and New York troops were 

 put under the command of John Winthrop, 

 Esq. ol Connecticut ; w^ho was appointed ma- 

 jor general and commander in chief. Early in 

 the month of August he arrived with the troops 

 under his command, near the falls at the head 

 of Wood Creek. This was the place appointed 

 for the rendezvous of the Indians of the five na- 

 tions. But instead of finding a numerous force 

 as he expected, there were not more than seven- 

 ty Vv'arriors ot the Mohawks and Oneydoes. A 

 messenger was sent to the other nations to per- 

 suade them to send on their vvarriors, but they 

 did not come for\"iard to join tlie army. When 

 the general had advanced about one hundred 

 miles, he found that there were not battcaux or 

 canoes provided, sufficient to transport one ..alf 

 of the English army ; and that the commissary 

 had not made preparation to supply the aruiy 

 w^ith provisions. The Indians told them it was 

 too late in the year to make caiiocs ; and that it 

 would be best for them not to attem.i^t Montreal, 

 but to direct their attacks against Cham.bly, and 

 the French settlements on this side of th.e river 

 St. Lawrence. Discouraged with the difficul- 

 ties and prospects before him, Winthrop cal- 

 led a council of war ; in which it was determin- 

 ed that the army must return to Albany for 

 subsistence, and to send on about an hundred 



