Fort William Henry 1755-57: A battle, two sieges and bloody massacre

by Ian Castle, Graham Turner (Illustrator)

Overview

This book details the French and Indian War massacre by Iroquois of British and colonial troops in the Hudson River Valley that was fictionalized in The Last of the Mohicans.

After the British garrison of Fort William Henry in the colony of New York surrendered to the besieging army of the French commander the Marquis de Montcalm in August 1757, it appeared that this particular episode of the French and Indian War was over. The spirited defence by Lt. Col. Munro of the 35th Regiment secured the British and Colonial troops the full honours of war, allowing them to march away with colours flying.
What happened next became the most infamous incident of the war - the 'massacre' of Fort William Henry. As the garrison prepared to march for Fort Edward a flood of enraged Native Americans swept over the column, unleashing an unstoppable tide of slaughter. The incident forms an integral part of James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel The Last of the Mohicans. It is this version, later dramatically reconstructed in the film versions of the story, that has coloured our view of the incident to this day. But what really happened?
As part of a wide-ranging British strategy, Colonial troops were dispatched to the southern end of Lake George in 1755. At the subsequent battle of Lake George, these troops repulsed a French attack before commencing construction of a fort close by: Fort William Henry. Developments on other fronts in 1756 meant little occurred at the fort that year, but in 1757 it became a focal point for French ambition. Its garrison withstood an initial siege in March, but the French returned in August with a large army, and, following a siege conducted along formal European lines, the British garrison surrendered and marched away - only to be swept up in the most infamous incident of the French and Indian War.
Much new research on this campaign - including some fascinating archaeological work - has taken place over the last 20 years and yet, for many, it is still the image created by Cooper's novel that colours our understanding of what happened at Fort William Henry. This new study will update that view.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782002741
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	11/19/2013
Series:	Campaign , #260
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Ian Castle has lived in London all his life and balances writing with work in the advertising industry. He has been writing for Osprey for over 15 years. Ian regularly lectures at the National Army Museum in London and is a member of the Airship Heritage Trust. The author lives in London, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Origins of the French and Indian War

Chronology 7

Opposing Commanders 9

British commanders

French commanders

Opposing Armies 12

British Army

French Army

Opposing Plans 17

British plans

French plans

The Campaign of 1755 19

Johnson prepares - Dieskau strikes

A change of plan

The 'Bloody Morning Scout'

The battle of Lake George

Building the new fort

Fort William Henry - the waiting game

The First Siege of Fort William Henry 41

Rigaud's attack, March 1757

The attack begins

The weather takes a hand

Taking stock

Storm clouds gather

The Second Siege of Fort William Henry 59

Montcalm makes his move

The noose tightens

The siege - Day 1 - the garrison stands alone

The siege - Day 2 - Montcalm's trump card

The siege - Day 3 - Webb waits

The siege - Day 4 -'Relief is greatly wanted'

The siege - Day 5 - the end draws near

The siege - Day 6 - surrender

Abandoning the fort

The 'massacre'

French troops regain control

Aftermath 88

Summary

The Battlefield Today 92

Further Reading 94

Index 95