10 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Pakt II. 



FORT WILLIAM HENRY BUILT. 



ASSAILED BY THE FRENCH. 



60 wounded. Among the slain were Col. 

 Williams, Maj. Ashley, and Captains In- 

 gersoll. Porter, Ferrel, Stoddard and M'- 

 Ginnes, and among the wounded was 

 Col. Johnson. Of the [ndians belonging 

 to Johnson's army about 40 were slain, 

 among whom was Hendrick, a distin- 

 guished Mohawk sachem. The loss of 

 the French was about 700 slain, and 

 among these were several officers of dis- 

 tinction. Johnson svas deterred by fear, 

 or some other cause, from pursuing the 

 retreating enemy, or making any attempt 

 upon their works on lake Champlain ; and 

 the remainder of tlic campaign of 1755, 

 was spent in erecting a fort at the soutJi 

 end of lake George, whicli was afterwards 

 called fort William Henry. 



Section VI. 



French and English Colonic s^from 175G 

 to 1758. Fort WiUiiLvi llcnrij surren- 

 dered to the French — Massacre of the 

 garrison. 



In 175G a considerable number of troops, 

 and several distinguished officers arrived 

 from England, and a large provincial ar- 

 my was collected at Albany and at fort 

 William Henry. But while the English 

 officers were deliberating upon the course 

 to be pursued and the troops were lying 

 inactive, the French, under the brave 

 Montcalm, were prosecuting their affairs 

 with energy and success. With scarcely 

 any loss on their part, they succeeded in 

 taking and demolishing the forts at Os- 

 wego, where they took 1400^prisoners, 

 120 pieces of cannon, 14 mortars, and a 

 large quantity of ammunition, military 

 stores and provisions, and also 2 sloop.s 

 and 200 batteaux. The English suffered 

 the season to pass away without any at- 

 tempt to retrieve their loss, or annoy the 

 enemy. 



The command of the English forces in 

 America having been given to Lord Lou- 

 don, he sailed from New York in the 

 spring of 1757, with 6000 men for the 

 purpose of attacking the French fortress 

 at Louisburg. At Halifax his force was 

 increased to 12,000 men, v/ith a fleet of 

 15 ships of the line and a large number 

 of transports under admiral Holburne. 

 But he here received intelligence, that a 

 French fleet of 17 line of battle ships and 

 three frigates had arrived at Louisburg — 

 that their land force amounted to 6000 

 regulars, 3000 natives, and 1300 Indians, 

 and that the place was well provided 

 with ammunition, provisions and military 

 stores. This information, dis.^ipating eve- 



ry prospect of success, the expedition was 

 consequently abandoned. 



During these transactions the French 

 under Montcalm were by no means inac- 

 tive. As earl}' as the 20th of March, they 

 made an attempt to take fort William 

 Henry by surprise, but their object was 

 defeated by the bravery of tJie garrison, 

 and several of their number slain. Tiiey, 

 however, succeeded in burning three 

 sloops, a large number of batteaux, three 

 store houses, and indeed every thing of 

 value, which was not protected by the 

 guns of the fort. 



At the opening of the spring, Col. Par- 

 ker was sent down the lake, with a de- 

 tachment of about 400 men, to attack the 

 enemy's advanced guard at Ticonderoga, 

 but he was decoyed into an ambuscade of 

 French and Indians, who fell upon him 

 with such impetuosity and success, that 

 only two officers and 70 privates of his 

 number escaped. Encourcaged by this 

 success, Montcalm resolved once more to 

 attempt tiie reduction of fort William 

 Henrj'. For this purpose he collected, at 

 Crown Point and Ticonderoga, all his 

 forces, amounting to 1 0,000 men, and con- 

 sisting of regulars, Canadians and Indians. 



General Webb, upon whom the com- 

 ma,nd of tlie English forces devolved on 

 tlie departure of Lord Loudon, wishing 

 to examine the works at lake George, and 

 to ascertain the force and condition of the 

 enemy at their posts on lake Champlain, 

 selected Major Putnam with 200 men to 

 escort him to fort William Henry. Soon 

 after tlieir arrival, Putnam set out with 

 18 men in three boats for the purpose of 

 reconnoitering the enemy at Ticonderoga; 

 but before he reached the northwest bay, 

 lie discovered a body of men on an islapd, 

 and leaving two of his boats to fish he 

 liastened back in the otlier with the in- 

 formation. 



He communicated the intelligence to 

 Webb only, who, with much reluctance, 

 permitted Putnam to return for the pur- 

 pose of making further discoveries and of 

 bringing off the boats. In accomplishing 

 this business, he was observed and pur- 

 sued by the enemy, and, although at 

 times nearly surrounded by their canoes, 

 effected his retreat to the fort. These trans- 

 actions were carefully concealed from the 

 garrison by an injunction of secrecy from 

 Webb, who ordered Putnam to prepare 

 immediately to escort him back to fort 

 Edward. Putnam, wishing to be engaged 

 in surprising the enemy, observed, "he 

 hoped his excellency did not intend to 

 neglect so fair an opportunity of giving 

 battle, should the enemy presume to 

 land." To which the general coldly re- 



