386 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



Monro was ordered with his regiment to rein- 

 force the garrison at lake George. Aware of 

 the sieg-e that was about to comiTience, Putnam 

 advised colonel Monrp not to carry his costly 

 baggage & camp equipage ; but JMonrOjUot ap-. 

 prised of the in.telligence which had been given 

 to Webb, disregardtd the advice and marched 

 on without aiiv apDrehension of immediate dan- 

 ger. t 



The day after Monro had arrived and taken 

 the command, the lake appeared to be covered 

 with boats ; and a large army of French and 

 Indians v/ere swifdy ajiproachins: towards tlie 

 fort. Montcalm effected a landing with but 

 little opposition, and iixunediately began the- 

 siege. A>sr.iall party of the garrison had a 

 skirmish with some of the advanced parties of 

 the enemy, and some that had been taken pris- 

 oners, had been murdered and scalped bv the 

 Indians with circumstances of the m.ost inhu- 

 man barbarity. Montcalm wished to avail 

 himself of this event, and endeavoured to pur- 

 suade the garrison to an immediate surrender. 

 On the day in which he invested the place, he 

 sent a letter to colonel Monro, stating that he 

 thought himself bo^jiid in humanity to urge 

 him to surrender before any of the Indians were 

 slain, & their savage temper should be further in- 

 flamed by a resistance which could "not be avaii- 

 incr. " A detachment of vour f^aiTison, sa.Vi> 

 * he, has lately experienced their cruelty ; I 

 ' have it yet in my power to restrain them, and 

 ^ oblige them to observe a capitulation^ as non'^t 



-f Humphrey'* lii<s of Putnam, p, 5.7.. 



