USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. I > Part 13
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Not ended, however, were the trials and tribulations of the rangers. Some English captives, at last freed from their savage masters, told Rogers that there was a force of three hundred French and Indians only four miles down the river, while another party of the enemy, numbering two hundred and fifty, had passed up the river looking for him only three days before. The only avenue of escape seemed to
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be through the wilderness to the Connecticut River. Hurrying for- ward as rapidly as possible, Rogers led his men as far as Lake Mem- phremagog. Here the provisions became very scarce. If the rangers should stop to hunt, the enemy would catch up with them. If they should shoot animals found near the line of march, the enemy would know their location. If Rogers kept his force intact he probably could prevent serious defeat at the hands of the French and Indians, but his men would be likely to starve. If he divided his force it would be easier to find food but the rangers would be more exposed to enemy attacks. The danger of starvation being more apparent than the Indian menace, the force was divided into smaller sections, each of which was to look out for itself and assemble at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River.
Some of the rangers were killed and captured; others got lost and died of hunger; still others pressed on over mountains and through swamps, worn out by hunger and fatigue until the meeting place was reached. Here again was disappointment. The expected provisions were not to be found. The officer who was in charge of the supplies had been there but had waited only two days. In fact, he had departed only two hours before Rogers' arrival, and a fire was still burning when the gaunt survivors approached. The rangers fired guns to bring him back without any success, because, although he heard them, he feared they belonged to the enemy.
Rogers and his men were too fatigued to hunt, but by conserving their energy they were finally able to fell enough trees to make a raft. While engaged with this occupation, they lived largely on ground nuts and lily roots. When the raft was completed, leaving most of his men behind until he could secure aid, Rogers embarked down the river. The trip was a dangerous one, and he narrowly escaped being carried over White River Falls. The raft was lost, but Rogers promptly began building another. Since no one was now strong enough to cut down the necessary timber, the trees were felled and divided into the proper lengths by fire. This raft was successfully taken over the Ottaquechee Falls, and finally Rogers reached the fort at Number Four (now Charlestown, New Hampshire). Relief was at once dispatched to the party left behind and Rogers, himself, short- ly set out with canoes and supplies for his stricken followers.
On the return trip from St. Francis a total of forty-nine men had perished. The loss of so many rangers, and the terrible suffering
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endured by the survivors, was a high price to pay, but the destruction of St. Francis was worth it. This scourge of the English settlements was forever removed. Marching through hostile country practically all the way, persistently beset by superior numbers of the enemy, the tired, starving rangers in constant danger of losing their scalps to fresher forces of French and Indians, their destruction of St. Francis remains one of the most glorious episodes of the American wilderness.
In June, 1760, Rogers and his men were on their way north to surprise St. Johns and Chambly, which remained in enemy hands. The rangers' advance was discovered and an engagement was fought with a larger force of the enemy under the leadership of M. La Force. The French were forced to flee and seek refuge in a thick cedar swamp, and their commander was mortally wounded. After return- ing to Isle LaMotte for a breathing spell, Rogers proceeded once more against St. Johns and Chambly. He was unable, however, to surprise either fort and had to be content with the destruction of a small French stockade at St. Therese.
The activities of the rangers continued from this time on, but these movements were so similar to former events that we will pass over them. In parting from this subject, however, it must be said that it is indeed hard to overestimate the value of the services of Robert Rogers and his rangers to the English cause. It is difficult to under- stand how the French and Indians could have been defeated without them. They prevented other English armies from following Brad- dock's poor example. They made it almost impossible for the enemy to surprise British forts. They were the group most capable of suc- cessfully combating the Indian menace. Rogers' name, to the French and Indians, was like the news of a terrible disease. Without our judgment being unduly swayed by the vicissitudes of, and the contro- versy over, his later life, I am certain that it would be difficult to find any other leader in the French and Indian War who had so much to do with the success of British arms.
CHAPTER VII
The Abercrombie Fiasco
In spite of previous English military failures in North America, the year 1758 seemed to be full of promise. The atmosphere of fatal cynicism changed to one of hope and zeal. Primarily responsible for this great change in psychology, particularly in the colonies, was the appointment of William Pitt as Prime Minister of Britain. For the next four years his imposing figure was to stand high above his com- patriots. His zeal to further the fortunes of the empire was conta- gious. In him all people, both in America and in the mother country, placed their trust. He early won the confidence of the colonists by obtaining from the king an order that every provincial officer, of a grade below that of colonel, should have equal rank with the British regulars, and by dealing justly with them otherwise. As a result the provincial assemblies voted men in abundance. The vigor of Pitt's military preparations and the removal of Loudoun from command certainly did not dim their enthusiasm.
The Prime Minister directed his main attention to the American scene, and soon decided upon a three-fold plan of aggression against Louisburg, Fort Duquesne and Ticonderoga. In command of the expedition aimed against the powerful, grim fortress on Cape Breton Island was none other than Jeffrey Amherst, summoned from the German wars to conquer the "Dunkirk of America." In this effort he was assisted by a fleet under Admiral Boscawen, while his courage, his caution and his tenacity were supplemented by the quickness, the boldness, and the fire of James Wolfe. Louisburg finally fell in the latter part of July, its capture being greeted in England with great rapture and in the colonies with rejoicing, although many of the pro- vincials preferred not to crow over the victory won primarily by Eng- lish regulars, remembering that England had given Louisburg back
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to France without a struggle after the colonists had captured it in the previous war. The expedition against Fort Duquesne was placed in the hands of John Forbes. This part of the campaign was also successful in that this important gateway to the west was surrendered by the French, although so much time was wasted by the English, and Forbes came so close to abandoning the expedition before its comple- tion that there was certainly very little for Englishmen to brag about. The French garrison numbered only about five hundred men and made no effort to defend the post, destroying the fort and fleeing down the Ohio when the enemy approached near the end of November. It was on this occasion that the place was named Pittsburgh, in honor of the Prime Minister.
The most important part of the British plans for 1758, however, centered around the proposed capture of Ticonderoga, which guarded the watery highway to Canada. It was decidedly unfortunate for the English cause that Pitt felt obligated to intrust the command to Gen- eral James Abercrombie who, although a veteran of many years of service, had never accomplished anything of a spectacular nature. He was "an aged gentleman, infirm in body and mind," as one of his soldiers wrote concerning him. To make up for the shortcomings of the commander, Pitt sent Lord Howe along on the expedition, justi- fiably hoping that he would be the real leader. Howe was, in fact, the heart and soul of Abercrombie's army and was described by Wolfe as "the noblest Englishman that has appeared in my time, and the best soldier in the British army." He was not chained to tradition and habit as were most of the regular officers. Most of them were contemptuous of the art of border warfare and made no effort to master its technique, to their eventual sorrow. Howe, on the other hand, joined Rogers and his rangers on scouting trips in order that he might understand wilderness fighting. He made his soldiers throw away useless encumbrances, wear leggings to protect themselves from briars, and wash their clothes. He set his men a good example by going to a brook and washing his own linen. At the same time he had a wonderful personality and possessed rare social accomplish- ments. He was on intimate terms with colonial officers as well as reg- ulars. Characteristic British arrogance was missing and he was extremely popular with everybody. His appointment to Abercrom- bie's army was a tribute to the wisdom of William Pitt. Included in
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this formidable array were many other notable figures. General Gage, of Bunker Hill fame; a son of Benjamin Franklin, who was later to become Governor of New Jersey; the famous ranger lead- ers, Rogers, Stark and Putnam; Duncan Campbell, of Inverawe and the Black Watch Regiment; Philip Skene, the founder of White- hall; Charles Lee, a general in the patriot army in the Revolution, are but a few of the interesting characters acting as satellites of Howe. The army when assembled at the head of Lake George consisted of over fifteen thousand men. It was not only the largest expedition ever to move down the narrow valley of that beautiful waterway, but Bancroft also stated that it was "the largest body of European origin that had ever been assembled in America."
While Abercrombie was preparing to lead this huge army against Ticonderoga, Rogers and Putnam with some of their rangers were sent to the head of Lake Champlain to prevent the French sending scouting parties towards Fort Edward, thus keeping them ignorant of the advance of the English army. The rangers were separated into two groups, the one under Putnam taking a position a short dis- tance north of Whitehall at a sudden turn in the lake called Fiddler's Elbow. High ledges overlooked the water, and on the western side he and his thirty-five men hastily constructed a wall of stone, which was covered by young trees to hide it from view.
It had been expected that a party of Canadians and Indians, num- bering five hundred, which were under the leadership of the famous frontier fighter, Marin, would attempt to pass up the lake from Ticonderoga in canoes. This actually happened. The enemy approached silently, not discovering Putnam's presence until within the trap. The full moon was shining brightly as the rangers opened fire, and the enemy, being in plain sight, were perfect targets. The slaughter of Marin's force was terrific. When morning approached, exposing the small size of the English force, the French commander tried to outflank Putnam. The rangers, however, discovered the attempt and withdrew in the direction of Fort Edward. Only one ranger had been killed, while nearly a half of the enemy had been slaughtered. Putnam and his men had certainly done their duty well. To this day, the position where the American commander fought Marin's force in that moonlight battle is known as "Put's Rock." As Putnam was making his way through the wilderness in the direction
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of Fort Edward he was fired upon, resulting in one of his men being wounded. Thinking that he was caught in an ambush he quickly ordered a charge with bayonets. The leader of the suspected enemy recognized Putnam's voice and, in time, shouted, "We are friends." This was a scouting party which had been sent out to cover the rangers' retreat and had mistaken them for the enemy. The daring Putnam, forgetting his narrow escape and thinking entirely of the poor marksmanship which had not resulted in death, shouted back : "Friends or foes, you ought to be cut to pieces for doing such poor shooting when you had so fair a shot."
Abercrombie's army did not move until July. As preparations continued for the advance of this unwieldly force, the camp at the head of Lake George formed an unparalleled and curious scene. The six thousand three hundred and sixty-seven British regulars offered a distinctly red contrast to the rich green of the surrounding foliage as well as to the blue uniforms worn by the provincial soldiers, numbering over nine thousand men, that had come from New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Small parties of rangers, constantly melting away into the surrounding wilderness and later sliding back into camp without fanfare, while not ostentatious, certainly presented a variation from the display of colors with their subdued and worn uniforms. To this assortment were added haughty Iroquois chieftains, their scalp-locks waving defiantly and their eyes glittering ominously above their hideously-painted bodies. All types of men were represented. Aristocrats from the ruling class of Brit- ain rubbed elbows, although rather disdainfully, with the Mohawk chieftains. English commoners, summoned from the German wars by Pitt, vied with the proud, kilted sons of Scotland belonging to the famed Black Watch Regiment, in attempting to crush French power. Colonists from New York were on their way to drive an unfriendly nation from their back door, while the provincials from New England were wrought up for a holy crusade against an alien civilization. A modern moving picture producer could not have concocted anything more brilliant or picturesque. Meanwhile the calm, pure waters of the lake faithfully reflected the beautiful scene.
A far different picture presented itself at this time at Ticonder- oga. The French commander, Montcalm, had no William Pitt behind him. His army was only one-fourth the actual size of the English force
THE NARROWS IN THE DISTANCE ; BOLTON BAY IN THE FOREGROUND ; NORTHWEST BAY AT EXTREME LEFT ; GREEN ISLAND (SAGAMORE) ON THE LEFT ; DOME ISLAND ON THE RIGHT ; BLACK MOUNTAIN BEYOND AND SLIGHTLY AT RIGHT OF NARROWS
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and rumors arrived that the opposing army numbered twenty-five or thirty thousand. It was doubtful whether it was wise to defend Ticon- deroga at all. Montcalm's relations with Vaudreuil were more annoy- ing than ever. In addition, the latter, instead of strengthening Montcalm until too late, was under the mistaken impression that, by sending Lévis on an expedition into the Mohawk Valley, and compell- ing the Iroquois Confederacy to enter into an alliance with France, he could prevent the English from moving against Ticonderoga. Even after Lévis arrived to reënforce the garrison, the French possessed only about thirty-six hundred effective troops. When it was finally decided to make a stand, the soldiers began the construction of defenses as fast as was humanly possible. Officers threw off their coats and worked along with their men. Trees were chopped down by the thousands to make crude breastworks. To climb over these an assail- ant must first climb over heavy boughs, interlaced, with sharpened points bristling upward in all directions. In spite of all this feverish activity, however, it would seem that the tiny garrison had little chance to survive the attack of Abercrombie's huge army.
By the evening of July fourth, the supplies necessary for the jour- ney down the lake were all loaded on the English boats, while the whole army embarked the next morning. Altogether there were nine hundred bateaux, one hundred and thirty-five whale boats, and rafts for the artillery. When the fleet was three miles on its way the sur- face of the lake was completely hidden for that distance. The day was unusually beautiful and not a cloud obscured the sky. At ten o'clock the rangers, who were in front, entered the Narrows, while the remainder of the army stretched back over the entire width of the lake for about six miles. The sight of this gorgeous array as it sailed to its doom with colors flying and bugles, trumpets, bagpipes and drums playing was one of the most thrilling spectacles ever recorded. The lake looked like a tropical garden in bloom. The British regulars occupied the center under the command of Lord Howe. On both sides of this red phalanx there were wide blue borders consisting of the colonial troops. Behind them all were the boats, loaded with supplies, and the parks of artillery and finally a rear-guard to end the procession. Bayonets glittered brightly in the sunlight, while between the boats could now and then be seen the blue waters of the lake. The bared heads and perspiring backs of the oarsmen methodically moved
C & G-9
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backward and forward. The gray cliffs and sombre green of the towering heights provided somewhat of a contrast to the blaze of color passing by. Meanwhile huge eagles screamed overhead at this intru- sion upon their peace and quiet.
When the main army arrived at Sabbath Day Point, a halt was made to enable the artillery to catch up, and to provide rest and refreshment for the troops. It was on this occasion that brilliant Lord Howe was seen lying next to John Stark on a bear skin, question- ing the resourceful ranger regarding the fortifications and geograph- ical features at Ticonderoga. This incident seems to have been typical of the freedom from tradition, the democratic manners and the wis- dom of this famous English aristocrat in an age when British com- manders seldom condescended to listen to any advice from the colonial officers. Finally, late in the evening, the formidable expedition embarked on the waters of Lake George once more and slowly made its way northward under cover of darkness. When the sun rose over the eastern mountains the following morning, the legions of King George were found approaching the end of the lake and at noon the whole army was on shore.
Bourlamaque had been stationed by Montcalm at the foot of the lake to oppose the landing of the English, but had been forced to retreat without a struggle because of the overwhelming size of his opponents. He did take pains to destroy the bridges across the out- let from Lake George, however, forcing the English army to march through the woods. Abercrombie's men pressed forward as best they could through the dense brush and over the uneven ground in four columns, although they necessarily became much confused and broken up. Rogers, of course, led the way with a force of provin- cials. A considerable distance in back of him was the main column, a little in advance of the three others, and led by Lord Howe, Israel Putnam and about two hundred rangers. The English were not the only ones having difficulties in the almost impenetrable woods, how- ever. An advance party of three hundred and fifty Frenchmen under Langy and Trepezec, attempting to return to Ticonderoga from a post near Rogers' Rock, had lost its way in the dense forest. Ex- hausted at the end of twelve hours of wandering in the wilderness, as it struggled through the dimly lit woods it happened to come into contact with Lord Howe's column of regulars stumbling through
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the underbrush. A bitter but hopeless conflict now took place. Rog- ers heard the firing in his rear and, returning with the regiments of Fitch and Lyman, caught the tired Frenchmen in a vice. Attacked from two sides, Langy and Trepezec did not have a chance and only fifty escaped. In spite of the annihilation of this French force, how- ever, the English loss was greater because this minor engagement resulted in the death of Lord Howe, the idol of the invading army.
When he died any hope of success for the English cause vanished into thin air. The genius whom Pitt had appointed to overcome Abercrombie's weaknesses was now no more. The whole army fal- tered and stopped. So great was the blow that the men were need- lessly kept under arms all night and were ordered to retreat to Lake George the next morning. Bradstreet was then sent ahead to rebuild the bridges Bourlamaque had destroyed and in the afternoon Aber- crombie was marching once more in the direction of Ticonderoga. In the meantime, Montcalm was making good use of the welcome delay in the English attack by strengthening his defenses. Low on sup- plies, beset by an army over four times the size of his, his chances of survival were exceedingly small. In fact his only hope was that Abercrombie would defeat himself-and this is what actually did happen.
Finally, on July eighth, the English assault took place. Time and again Abercrombie's hosts swept forward only to be flung back by the murderous French fire from behind the fallen trees. With great heroism and determination the English repeated their attacks but on each occasion were beaten back with severe loss as the commander ordered the charges from a point of safety two miles away. The vari- ous regiments suffered incredible losses as they repeatedly advanced over the bodies of their dead comrades into the withering fire coming from the French soldiers hidden behind the defenses beyond the sharp- ened branches. The Black Watch, mindful of their well-earned repu- tation and fighting with reckless abandon, were particularly hard hit, six hundred and forty-six being killed or wounded out of a total of eleven hundred. William Johnson's Indians, however, followed the example set by Abercrombie in remaining a safe distance from the fray, and watched the titanic struggle from gallery seats on the slopes of Mount Defiance. Under a competent commander the fort should have been easily captured. It had not been necessary to attack the
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defenses head-on. Abercrombie had transported artillery the entire length of Lake George, but had left it on the shore where the army had landed. His cannon could have barked from the top of Mount Defiance, or better yet could have smashed to pieces the defenses of the French which proved so formidable to infantry attacks. In any case, by simply surrounding the fort, the garrison could have been starved into submission. These ideas do not seem to have made much impression on the commander, however, and he confined his efforts to sending his infantry head-on against the French barricades, needlessly sacrificing large numbers of his men. The bloody day finally drew to a close with Montcalm still holding Ticonderoga, but his position was far from enviable, for Abercrombie, in spite of his losses, had an army of over thirteen thousand with which the attack could be resumed. On the morning of the ninth, however, French scouts brought back word that the English army was in full flight up Lake George, and he must have heaved a deep sigh of relief.
For some reason or other a panic started in the English army after the battle. Under the laws of mass psychology, a feeling of terror spread like wildfire. It overwhelmed practically the entire army including the commander-in-chief. A retreat became a wild flight. Soldiers threw away guns and provisions and deserted the wounded. Many of them failed to take time to recover their shoes which had stuck in the mud in marshy ground. Thus a huge army, for those times, rushed southward throughout the night, fleeing from the presence of a vastly undersized foe, while the French were strengthening their position, little dreaming that their enemy was melting away in front of them. The next morning the English embarked on Lake George and the panic did not cease until the head of the lake was reached. As the soldiers fled up the lake they were a decided contrast to the forces that had so haughtily and merrily sailed down it a few days before. Abercrombie sent an order to Fort William Henry to send the sick, the wounded, and the artillery to New York at once but arrived, himself, before the officer in charge had had time to obey. The inglorious failure of the expedition to capture Ticonderoga, which might have ended otherwise had Howe lived, was a source of great jubilation to the French and cast a dis- mal shadow over the English colonies, while the reports that the
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Mohawks carried home to their council fires certainly did not add to British prestige among the red men. In August, however, the catas- trophe was partially offset by the capture of Fort Frontenac by Bradstreet.
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