HISTORY OF VERMONT. 377 



ped, and re?dy to proceed from fort William 

 Henry. From the best accounts, the force of 

 the French at I'iconderoga and Crown Point, 

 did not exceed three thousand men ; and with 

 this force, they did not appear to be in any de- 

 g»"ee apprehensive of any danger from the Eng-. 

 lish. Nor had they any thing to fear from the 

 British generals, forces, or exertions ; for noth- 

 ing was attempted or effected. Loudon neither 

 made any attempts, nor gave any orders to his 

 troops to move forward, or molest the enemy 

 on lake Champlain. Loudon had his head quar- 

 ters at Albany, Winslow lay with the provincial 

 army at lake George, the season passed away, 

 and all that v/as attempted or performed was to 

 strengthen the forts Edward and William Hen- 

 ry, which Lyman and Johnson had built the 

 year before, 



A party, in some of the colonies, had been 

 extremely active in censuring the measures of 

 general Shirley, and in effecting his removal 

 from the command. They had already discov- 

 ered that he was much better acquainted with 

 American affairs, more judicious in his plans, 

 and more active in executing them, than the 

 British generals who had succeeded him. If 

 Shirley had attempted too much, they had at- 

 tempted nothing ; and if Braddock had lost his 

 life and army by his rashness and confidence, 

 Loudon and his officers had neither ventured, 

 effected, or lost any thing : And it was already 

 apparent, either that they were altogether unac- 

 quainted with the nature of that kind of war, 

 which must be pursued on the American fron- 

 tiers J or else they were disinclined to venture 



