1757]

FORT WILLIAM HENRY.

55

seen what precautions were taken by the victors, when the hour arrived for them to observe the terms of the capitulation they had granted. The neglect of their obligations to exercise restraint over the Indians can only be remembered to the discredit of Montcalm and the entire force he commanded. This want of good faith was bitterly felt throughout the British provinces: when the hour came for the surrender of Montreal, the memory of it was sternly acted upon.

Monroe answered to the demand for surrender like a gallant soldier, that it was his duty to defend his post, and that he would do so while he had life. On the morning of the 3rd he had sent a messenger to Webb, to say that the enemy was in sight; at nine he asked to be reinforced; at six in the evening he reported that he had been summoned to capitulate, and Montcalm was present with a numerous army and a superior artillery; that his own men were in good spirits. On the 4th of August, at six o'clock, he wrote that he was harassed by Indians, that the regulars were constructing batteries, and "that the enemy is between you and us." In a sortie a prisoner had been made, Jaques Vaudrie de la Chesnay from him he had learned that the enemy had 36 cannon and 4 mortars.

*

William Henry was a square fort with four bastions. It was not far from the water's edge, and occupied the ground in modern times laid out as a garden to the large hotel now erected there; the west side being about 250 yards from the left shore of the lake. It was surrounded by a ditch in the centre of which was a line of pallisades. The sides consisted of framed timber filled with gravel and stone, in the present day known as crib work. It was massively constructed, being thirty feet in thickness, but it did not possess the strength to resist heavy artillery in a regular siege. The troops which could not be included in the fort were entrenched on a rocky eminence to the east, and there was a daily relief of the

Can. Arch., Series A. & W. I., 85.2, p. 393.

+ These intrenchments yet remain, to some extent, and are preserved to satisfy the curiosity of the tourist. It was from this spot the garrison started on the 10th to proceed to fort Edward when the attack was made upon them by the Indians.

defenders of the fort obtained from the force established at this spot. The total number of defenders, including all present, was about 2,450.*

As there was little prospect of aid from Webb in any attempt to drive the French from their trenches, the one hope of Monroe was, that he would be able to defend himself until the provisions of the French were exhausted, and they would be compelled to raise the siege. The force of Webb at fort Edward had been reduced to 1,600 men; six hundred of those under his command being distributed in the small garrisons on the Hudson, keeping up the communication between Albany and fort Edward.

United States writers blame Webb for not immediately marching to Munroe's relief, had he so acted no greater blunder could have been committed. Webb was without the strength to act with any success against de Lévis, and the Indians of de la Corne. He had no means of increasing his force the garrisons could only be partially withdrawn from the forts on the Hudson, for they had been reduced to the lowest limit. It was equally impossible for him to have marched out of fort Edward with every man under his command. If relief had been attempted he must have left a strong garrison behind him to guard against the surprise by which he had been constantly threatened. He was without means of communication with Monroe, so that a

According to a return in the Département de la guerre at Paris, the following is a state of the force on the 9th of August, the day of surrender :Royal 35th regiment, all ranks...

607

113

812

301

New York

57

1757]

WILLIAM HENRY REINFORCED.

57

sortie from the fort could be attempted on an appointed day when firing was heard to the south, establishing that he himself was in the field. The large force under de Lévis, Morein his front, cut off every means of communication. over, as was subsequently shewn, any attack on de Lévis would have brought the whole French army upon him. Webb defeated in the field, fort Edward must have fallen and there would have been nothing to oppose the advance of the French to Albany. Supplies, to a large extent, were found at William Henry, and more provisions would have been obtained at fort Edward. The false position in which Webb was placed was attributable to the tactics of Loudoun, in denuding the frontier of troops for the Halifax expedition, thus making defence against any powerful force impossible. Webb has himself described the position in which he was placed, and he shews the injustice of the blame which has been cast upon him.* After relating Parker's unfortunate expedition on the 23rd and 24th of July, when he was attacked 26 miles down the lake, and 200 men were lost; 50 only escaping by boats and 50 through the woods; he states that he immediately wrote pressing letters to put the militia under arms. On the 2nd of August he reinforced fort William Henry to the full extent he was able lieut. colonel Young being sent with 200 of the Royal Americans, 800 provincials, 6 pieces of cannon and a detachment of artillery. He had only 1,600 troops remaining, exclusive of artificers. Accordingly he called in his several outposts to fort Edward, and on the 6th of August he had 2,500 men, including all who were in the garrison capable of bearing arms. On the day of the surrender there were 2,300 militia under arms at fort Edward, and he did not feel himself warranted in attempting with this number any relief of the garrison.

Much of the unfavourable criticism upon Webb in these circumstances may be attributed to his precipitate destruction of the forts at the carrying-place of the Mohawk when

Can. Arch., vol. military despatches, 1756-1763, pp. 324, 331, col. Webb to lord Barrington, fort Edward, 17th of August, 1757.