thousand, Pennsylvania almost three thousand, and Virginia over two thousand. Some came from other colonies. Royal American troops (as they were called) organized in the Carolinas, were ordered to the North; and when Abercrombie took command of the army in the month of May, 1758, he found fifty thousand men at his disposal; a number greater than the whole male population of the French dominions in America, at that time.'

CAMPAIGN OF 1758.

The plan of the campaign of 1758, was comprehensive. Louisburg, Ticonderoga, and Fort du Quesne,' were the principal points of operations pecified in it. This was a renewal of Shirley's scheme, and ample preparations were made to carry it out. The first blow was directed against Louisburg. Admiral Boscawen arrived at Halifax early in May, with about forty armed vessels bearing a land force of over twelve thousand men, under General Amherst as chief, and General Wolfes as his lieutenant. They left Halifax on the 28th of May, and on the 8th of June, the troops landed, without much opposition, on the shore of Gabarus Bay, near the city of Louisburg. The French, alarmed by this demonstration of power, almost immediately deserted their outposts, and retired within the town and fortress. After a vigorous resistance of almost fifty days, and when all their shipping in the harbor was destroyed, the French surrendered the town and fort, together with the island of Cape Breton and that of St. John (now Prince Edward), and their dependencies, by capitulation, on the 26th of July, 1758. The spoils of victory were more than five thousand prisoners, and a large quantity of munitions of war. By this victory, the English became masters of the coast almost to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. When Louisburg fell, the power of France in America began to wane, and from that time its decline was continual and rapid.

LORD AMHERST.

Activity now prevailed everywhere. While Amherst and Wolfe were conquering in the East, Abercrombie and young Howe were leading seven thousand regulars, nine thousand provincials, and a heavy train of artillery, against Ticonderoga, then occupied by Montcalm with about four thousand men. Abercrombie's army had rendezvoused at the head of Lake George, and at the close of a calm Sabbath evening [July, 1758] they went down that beautiful sheet of water in flat-boats, and at dawn

upon an article of luxury, levied without their consent, excited the people of that colony to rebellion. See page 169.

The total number of inhabitants in Canada, then capable of bearing arms, did not exceed twenty thousand. Of them, between four and five thousand were regular troops. 2 Page 229.

3

Page 186.

Note 5, page 137.

Lord Jeffrey Amherst was born in Kent, England, in 1717. He was commander-in-chief of the army in England, during a part of our war for independence, and afterward. aged eighty years.

Note 8, page 200.

[July 6] landed at its northern extremity. The whole country from there to Ticonderoga was then covered with a dense forest, and tangled morasses lay in the pathway of the English army. Led by incompetent guides, they were soon bewildered, and while in this condition, they were suddenly attacked by a French scouting party. The enemy was repulsed, but the victory was at the expense of the life of Lord Howe.' He fell at the head of the advanced guard, and a greater part of the troops, who considered him the soul of the expedition, retreated in confusion to the landing-place.

In the midst of the temporary confusion incident to the death of Howe, intelligence reached Abercrombie that a reinforcement for Montcalm was

approaching. Deceived concerning the strength of the French lines across the neck of the peninsula on which the fortress stood," he pressed forward to the attack without his artillery, and ordered his troops to scale the breastworks [July 8], in the face of the enemy's fire. These proved much stronger than he anticipated, and after a bloody conflict of four hours, Abercrombie fell back to Lake George, leaving almost two thousand of his men dead or wounded, in the deep forest. He hastened to his former camp at the head of the lake, and then, on the urgent solicitation of Colonel Bradstreet, he detached three thousand men under that officer, to attack the French post at Frontenac.5 They went by way of Oswego.

RUINS OF TICONDEROGA.

3

Lord Howe was brother of Admiral Lord Howe, who commanded the British fleet on the American coast, in 1776-77, and of Sir William Howe, the commander of the land forces. He was. greatly beloved by the troops; and Mante, who was in the service, remarks: "With him the soul of the expedition seemed to expire." He was only thirty-four years of age when he fell. The legislature of Massachusetts Bay appropriated one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars for a monument to his memory, in Westminster Abbey. His remains were conveyed to Albany by Captain (afterward General) Philip Schuyler, and there placed in a vault belonging to the family of that officer. They were afterward removed to a place under the chancel of St. Peter's Church, on State-street, Albany, where they remain. At the time of their removal, it was found that Lord Howe's hair, which was very short when he was killed, had grown several inches, and exhibited beautiful smooth and glossy locks.

The diagram (p. 196) shows the genera! form of the principal works. The ground on which Ticonderoga stood is about one hundred feet above the level of the lake. Water is upon three sides, and a deep morass extends almost across the fourth, forming a narrrow neck, where the French had erected a strong line of breastworks with batteries. This line was about a mile north-west of the fortress, which occupied the point of the peninsula. The ruins of the fort, delineated in the above sketch, are yet [1856] quite picturesque.

The breast works were nine feet in height, covered in front by sharpened branches of felled trees, pointing outward like a mass of bayonets.

Among the wounded was Captain Charles Lee, afterward a general in the army of the Revolution. See note 4, page 243.

Page 180.

and Lake Ontario, and two days after landing [August 27, 1758], they captured the fort, garrison, and shipping, without much resistance.' Bradstreet lost only three or four men in the conflict, but a fearful sickness broke out in his camp, and destroyed about five hundred of them. With the remainder, he slowly retraced his steps, and at the carrying-place on the Mohawk, where the village of Rome now stands, his troops assisted in building Fort Stanwix. Abercrombie, in the mean while, after garrisoning Fort George,3 returned with the remainder of his troops to Albany.

5

The expedition against Fort du Quesne,' in the West, was commanded by General John Forbes, who, in July, had about nine thousand men at his disposal, at Fort Cumberland and Raystown, including the Virginia troops under Colonel Washington, the Carolina Royal Americans, and an auxiliary force of Cherokee Indians. Protracted sickness, and perversity of will and judgment on the part of Forbes, caused delays almost fatal to the expedition. Contrary to the advice of Washington, he insisted, under the advice of some Pennsylvania land speculators, in constructing a new road, further north, over the mountains, instead of following the one made by Braddock. His progress was so slow, that in September, when it was known that not more than eight hundred men were at Fort du Quesne, Forbes, with six thousand troops, was yet east of the Alleghanies. Major Grant, at the head of a scouting party of Colonel Boquet's advanced corps, was attacked [Sept. 21], defeated, and made prisoner. Still Forbes moved slowly and methodically, and it was November [Nov. 8] before he joined Boquet with the main body, fifty miles from the point of destination. The approach of winter, and discontent of the troops, caused a council of war to decide upon abandoning the enterprise, when three prisoners gave information of the extreme weakness of the French garrison. Washington was immediately sent forward, and the whole army prepared to follow. Indian scouts discovered the Virginians when they were within a day's march of the fort, and their fear greatly magnified the number of the provincials. The French garrison, reduced to five hundred men, set fire to the fort [Nov. 24], and fled down the Ohio in boats, in great confusion, leaving every thing behind them. The Virginians took possession the following day. Forbes left a detachment of four hundred and fifty men, to repair and garrison the fort, and then hastened back to go into winter quarters. The name of Fort du Quesne was changed to Fort Pitt, in honor of the great English statesman.*

1 They made eight hundred prisoners, and seized nine armed vessels, sixty cannons, sixteen mortars, a large quantity of ammunition and stores, and goods designed for traffic with the Indians. Among Bradstreet's subalterns, was Nathaniel Woodhull, afterward a general at the commencement of the war for Independence. [See note 3, page 252.] Stark, Ward, Pomeroy, Gridley, Putnam, Schuyler, and many others who were distinguished in the Revolutionary struggle, were active participants in the scenes of the French and Indian War.

2 Page 278.

Fort George was erected about a mile south-east of the ruins of Fort William Henry, at the head of Lake George. The ruins of the main work, or citadel, are still [1856] quite prominent. * Page 186.

The capture of Fort Frontenac spread alarm among the French west of that important post, because their supplies from Canada were cut off. It so affected the Indians with fear, that a greater part of those who were allied to the French, deserted them, and Fort du Quesne was feebly garPage 195.

risoned.

With this event, closed the campaign of 1758, which resulted in great gain to the English. They had effectually humbled the French, by capturing three of their most important posts,' and by weakening the attachment of their Indian allies. Many of the Indians had not only deserted the French, but at a great council held at Easton, on the Delaware, during the summer of that year they had, with the SIX NATIONS, made treaties of friendship or neutrality with the English. The right arm of French success was thus paralyzed, and peace was restored to the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Virginia.

CAMPAIGN OF 1759.

Four years had elapsed since the commencement of this inter-colonial war. The final struggle was now at hand. Encouraged by the success of the campaigns just closed, Pitt conceived the magnificent scheme of conquering all Canada, and destroying, at one blow, the French dominion in America. That dominion was now confined to the region of the St. Lawrence, for more distant settlements in the west and south, were like weak colonies cut off from the parent country. Pitt had the rare fortune to possess the entire confidence and esteem of the Parliament and the colonists. The former was dazzled by his greatness; the latter were deeply impressed with his justice. He had promptly reimbursed all the expenses incurred by the provincial Assemblies during the campaign, amounting to almost a million of dollars, and they as promptly seconded his scheme of conquest, which had been communicated to them under an oath of secresy. The unsuccessful Abercrombie was succeeded by the successful Amherst, and early in the spring of 1759, the new commander-in-chief found twenty thousand provincial troops at his disposal. A competent land and naval force was also sent from England to co-operate with the Americans, and the campaign opened with brilliant prospects for the colonies. The general plan of operations against Canada was similar to that of Phipps and Winthrop in 1690. A strong land and naval force, under General Wolfe, was to ascend the St. Lawrence, and attack Quebec. Another force, under Amherst, was to drive the French from Lake Champlain, seize Montreal, and join Wolfe at Quebec; and a third expedition, commanded by General Prideaux, was to capture Fort Niagara, and then hasten down Lake Ontario to Montreal.

6

On the 22d of July, 1759, General Amherst appeared before Ticonderoga with eleven thousand men. The French commander had just heard of the arrival of Wolfe at Quebec [June 27], and offered no resistance. The garrison left the lines on the 23d of July, and retired within the fort, and three days afterward [July 26] they abandoned that also, partially demolished it, and fled to Crown Point. Amherst pursued them, and on his approach, they took to their boats [Aug. 1], and went down the lake to Isle Aux Noix, in the Sorel

1 Louisburg, Frontenac, and Du Quesne. Others, except Quebec, were stockades. Note 2, page 183. 2 Page 25. 3 The chief tribes represented, were the Delawares, Shawnees, Nanticokes, Mohegans, Conoys, and Monseys. The Twightwees, on the Ohio [page 19], had always remained the friends of the English. Page 195. Page 131.

6 Page 196.

Page 191.
Pronounced O Noo-ah.

CROWN POINT.2

River. Amherst remained at Crown Point long enough to construct a sufficient number of rude boats to convey his troops, artillery, and baggage, and then started to drive his enemy before him, across the St. Lawrence. It was now mid-autumn [Oct. 11], and heavy storms compelled him to return to Crown Point, and place his troops in winter quarters.' While there, they constructed that strong fortress, whose picturesque ruins, after the lapse of almost a hundred years, yet [1856] attest its strength. Accompanied by Sir William Johnson, as his lieutenant, Prideaux collected his forces (chiefly provincials)3 at Oswego, and sailed from thence to Niagara. He landed without opposition, on the 17th of July, and immediately commenced the siege. On the same day he was killed, by the bursting of a gun, and was succeeded in command by General Johnson. The beleaguered garrison, in daily expectation of reinforcements which had been ordered from the southern and western forts, held out bravely for three weeks, when, on the 24th of July, the expected troops appeared. They were almost three thousand strong, one half being French regulars, and the remainder Indians, many of them from the Creek' and Cherokee nations. A severe conflict ensued. The relief forces were completely routed, and on the following day [July 25], Fort Niagara and its dependencies, and the garrison of seven hundred men, were surrendered to Johnson. The connecting link of French military posts between Canada and Louisiana was effectually broken, never again to be united. Encumbered with his prisoners, and unable to procure a sufficient number of vessels for the purpose, Johnson could not proceed to Montreal, to co-operate with Amherst and Wolfe on the St. Lawrence, according to the original plan. He garrisoned Fort Niagara, and returned home.

FORT NIAGARA.

Animated with high hopes, Wolfes left Louisburg, with eight thousand troops, under a convoy of twenty-two line-of-battle ships, and as many frigates

While at Crown Point, Major Rogers, at the head of his celebrated Rangers, went on an expedition against the St. Francis Indians, who had long been a terror to the frontier settlements of New England. The village was destroyed, a large number of Indians were slain, and the Rangers were completely victorious. They suffered from cold and hunger while on their return, and many were left dead in the forest before the party reached the nearest settlement at Bellows Falls. Rogers went to England after the war, returned in 1775, joined the British army at New York, and soon went to England again, where he died.

2 The above diagram shows the general form of the military works at Crown Point. These, like the ruins at Ticonderoga, are quite picturesque remains of the past. A A A shows the position of the strong stone barracks, portions of which are yet standing. W shows the place of a very deep well, dug through the solid rock. It was filled up, and so remained until a few years ago, when some money-diggers, foolishly believing there was treasure at the bottom, cleaned it out. They found nothing but a few scraps of iron and other rubbish.

"Johnson's influence over the Six Nations, made many of them disregard the treaty of neutrality made with Montcalm [note 4, page 192], and a considerable number accompanied him to Niagara.

Page 27.

6

Page 180.

Page 30. Page 199. James Wolfe was the son of a British general, and was born in Kent, England, in 1726. Before he was twenty years of age, he was distinguished in battle. He was now only thirty-three years old.