in great disorder, having experienced a signal defeat. The loss of the French was not less than seven hundred killed and three hundred wounded; this loss was rendered still more severe to the French by a mortal wound which Dieskau himself received, and in consequence of which he fell into the hands of the English. The loss of the English did not much exceed two hundred.

Few events of no greater magnitude, leave stronger impressions, than resulted from the battle of Lake George. Following as it did the discomfiture of Braddock, it served to restore the honour of the British arms, and the tone of the publick mind.

At the time it was meditated to send a detachment under Col. Williams, to intercept Dieskau, the number of men proposed was mentioned to Hendrick, the Mohawk chief, ༡ and his opinion asked. He replied, "If they are to fight,) they are too few. If they are to be killed, they are too many." The number was accordingly increased. Gen. Johnson proposed also to divide the detachment into three parties. Upon this Hendrick took three sticks, and putting them together, said to him, "Put these together, and you cannot break them; take them one by one, and you will break them easily.' The hint succeeded, and Hendrick's sticks saved many of the party, and probably the whole army from destruction.*

Early in the action, Gen. Johnson was wounded, and Gen. Lyman succeeded to the command, which he held through the day. To this gentleman's gallant exertions, the success of the day, under Providence, was chiefly to be ascribed. Yet it is remarkable, that Gen. Johnson made no mention of Gen. Lyman in his official letter, announc ing the intelligence of the victory. The ambition of Johnson was too great, and his avarice too greedy, to acknowledge the merits of a rival. Gen. Johnson was created a baronet, and parliament voted him five thousand pounds sterling, in consideration of his success. The reward of Gen. Lyman was the esteem and honor of the people among whom he lived.

* Dwight's Travels.

Among the wounded of the French, as already stated, was the Baron Dieskau. He had received a ball through his leg, and being unable to follow his retreating army, was found by an English soldier, resting upon the stump of a tree, with scarcely an attendant. Dieskau, apprehensive for his safety, was feeling for his watch, in order to give it to the soldier, when the man, suspecting that he was feeling for a pistol, levelled his gun, and wounded him in the hips. He was carried to the camp, and treated with great kindness. From the camp he was taken to Albany and New-York, whence, some time after, he sailed for England, where he died. He was a superior officer, possessed of honorable feelings, and adorned with highly polished manners. One stain, however, attaches to his character. Before his engagement with Col. Williams' corps, he gave orders to his troops neither to give nor take quarter.

Sec. 10. The expedition against Niagara was committed to Gov. Shirley of Massachusetts, whose force amounted to two thousand five hundred men. But the season was too far advanced, before his preparations were completed, to effect any thing of importance. After proceeding to Oswego, on Lake Ontario, the army being poorly supplied with provisions, and the rainy season ap proaching, the expedition was abandoned, and the troops returned to Albany. Thus ended the campaign of 1755.

Sec. 11. In the spring of the ensuing year, 1756, Gov. Shirley was succeeded by Gen. Abercrombie, who was appointed to command, until the arrival of the earl of Loudon, commander in chief of all his majesty's forces in America.

The hostilities of the two preceding years had been carried on without any formal proclamation of war; but this year, June 9th, as already stated, war was declared by Great Britain against France, and soon after, by France against Great Britain, in turn.

The plan of operations for the campaign of '56

embraced the attack of Niagara and Crown Point, which were still in possession of the French. Both these places were of great importance; the former being the connecting link in the line of fortifications between Canada and Louisiana; and the latter commanding Lake Champlain, and guarding the only passage, at that time, into Canada. But important as were these posts, the reduction of neither was this year accomplished, nor even attempted, owing, chiefly, to the great delays of those who held the chief command.

Troops were raised for the expedition against Crown Point, amounting to seven thousand, the command of whom was assigned to Maj. Gen. Winslow, of Massachusetts. But his march was delayed by obstacles ascribed to the improvidence of Abercrombie.

After the mortal wound received by Dieskau, at the battle of Lake George, the Marquis de Montcalm, an able and enterprising officer, succeeded to the command of the French forces. In the month of August this officer, with eight thousand regulars, Canadians and Indians, invested the fort at Oswego, on the south side of Lake Ontario,one of the most important posts held by the English in America,-and in a few days took it. On the receipt of this intelligence, Lord Loudon, who had arrived in Albany, and entered upon the command, dispatched orders to Gen. Winslow, on his march towards Crown Point, not to proceed.

The fall of the fort at Oswego was most unfortunate for the English, and their loss of men made prisoners, and munitions of war, peculiarly severe. By the capture of this post, the enemy obtained the entire command of the lakes Ontario and Erie, and of the whole country of the Five Nations. Sixteen hundred men were made prisoners, and one hundred and twenty pieces of cannon were taken, with

fourteen mortars, two sloops of war, and two hundred boats and batteaux.

After this disastrous event, all offensive operations were immediately relinquished, although it was then three months to the time of the usual decampment of the army. Thus through the inactivity of a man, whose leading trait was indecision, not one object of the campaign was gained, nor one purpose accomplished, either honourable or important.

Sec. 12. Notwithstanding the failure of the campaign of this season, the British Parliament made great preparations to prosecute the war the succeeding year, 1757. In July, an armament of eleven ships of the line and fifty transports, with more than six thousand troops, arrived at Halifax, destined for the reduction of Louisburg. -The Colonies had been raising men for an expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Great was their mortification and disappointment, when they learned from the orders of Lord Loudon, that these troops were to be employed against Louisburg. Such inconstancy and fluctuation appeared beneath the dignity of the commander in chief. But they were obliged to submit, and Lord Loudon proceeded to join the armament at Halifax.

So dilatory were their measures, however, that before they were ready to sail, Louisburg was reinforced by a fleet of seventeen sail, and with troops to make it nine thousand strong. On the reception of this intelligence, it was deemed inexpedient to proceed, and the expedition was abandoned.

Sec. 13. While weakness and indecision were marking the counsels of the English, the French

Montcalm,

continued to urge on their victories. still commander of the French in the north, finding the troops withdrawn from Halifax, for the reduction of Louisburg, seized the occasion to make a descent on Fort William Henry, situated on the north shore of Lake George. The garrison of the fort consisted of three thousand men. With a force of nine thousand men, Montcalm laid siege to it. After a gallant defence of six days, the garrison surrendered, thus giving to Montcalm the command of the lake, and of the western frontier.

The spirited and protracted defence of the fort, against such numbers, reflects the highest honor upon its brave commander, Col. Munroe. Six days was the enemy kept at bay, with unabated resolution, in full expectation of as sistance from Gen. Webb, who lay at Fort Edward, only fifteen miles distant, with an army of four thousand men.

The character of Gen. Webb continues sullied, by his unpardonable indifference to the perilous situation of his brethren in arms, at Fort William Henry. It deserves to be known, that Sir William Johnson, after very importunate solicitations, obtained leave of General Webb to march with as many as would volunteer in the service, to the relief of Munroe.

At the beat of the drums, the provincials, almost to a man, sallied forth, and were soon ready and eager for the · march. After being under arms almost all day, what were their feelings when Sir William, returning from headquarters, informed them that General Webb had forbidden them to march!

The soldiers were inexpressibly mortified and enraged, and their commander did himself no common honor in the tears he shed, as he turned from his troops, and retired to his tent.

The defence of Fort William Henry was so gallant, that Col. Munroe, with his troops, was admitted to an honorable capitulation. The capitulation, however, was most shamefully broken. While the troops were marching out at the gate of the fort, the Indians attached to Montcalm's party dragged the men from their ranks, and with all the inhu manity of savage feeling, plundered them of their baggage,