USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. I > Part 14
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Indelibly written on the battlefields around Ticonderoga is the story of Duncan Campbell, an officer in the famous Black Watch Regiment, which fought so bravely for Abercrombie. He played but a small part in the assault, yet of all the men in the English army his fame was eclipsed by only a few. No discussion of Abercrombie's expedition seems complete without him. The first scene opens in the Scottish Highlands in 1742, when Duncan accompanied an expedition into western Scotland against the followers of Prince Charley. One day he lost his way but finally met a stranger in the darkness who turned out to be his cousin, Donald Campbell. This relative conducted him to camp, gave him food and lodging for the night, and in the morning set him on the proper road to his own home. Duncan expressed his gratitude for the assistance rendered and vowed that he would repay the kindness whenever the opportunity should arrive.
The years passed quietly by and Duncan had nearly forgotten this incident. He was content to enjoy life in his ancient castle of Inver- awe. One evening while he sat alone in the ancient hall, he was startled by the sound of hurried footsteps and a loud knocking at the gate. There had been a party at the castle, but it was now late and the guests had all departed. He undoubtedly thought that one of them, for some reason, was now returning. In any case, when he opened the gate he beheld a stranger with torn and bloody cloth- ing who begged admittance. Panting, he explained, "I have killed a man and I am pursued by enemies, I beseech you to let me in. Swear by your dirk that you will not betray me." Duncan took oath and hid his visitor in a secret place in the castle.
Scarcely had the fugitive been disposed of when a loud knocking came a second time at the gate. This time two armed men appeared with the intelligence that his cousin Donald, who had befriended him years before, had been murdered and that they were looking for the guilty one. This news stunned Duncan, but he remembered his oath to the murderer whom he had concealed, and finally sent the search- ers in the wrong direction. He was sorely troubled by his conscience for his failure to keep the promise he had formerly made to Donald,
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but finally lay down to rest and at length managed to fall asleep. He was not to enjoy the peace and quiet of the night, however, because he was suddenly and rudely awakened. The ghost of his cousin was standing by his bedside repeating in a hollow voice the words: "Inver- awe! Inverawe! Blood has been shed. Shield not the murderer!" In the morning, Duncan went to the hiding-place of the fugitive and told him that he could no longer give him shelter. The murderer reminded him that he had sworn by his dirk to protect him. Perplexed and troubled with the impossibility of keeping both promises, Duncan finally compromised and led the fugitive to a cave on the neighboring mountain, Ben Cruachan, and there left him.
The next night as he lay tossing in fitful slumber, Duncan was again awakened and once more saw Donald standing before him, soiled with blood, his clothing tattered and torn. Once more he heard those hollow words: "Inverawe! Inverawe! Blood has been shed. Shield not the murderer !" In the morning Duncan went to Ben Cruachan, but the fugitive had fled. His responsibility for the escape of the murderer had not vanished, however, and again at midnight as he sat by his fireside reading, his dog began to growl, trembling in every limb, and finally started to howl in a low, dismal tone. Donald, ghastly pale, but less formidable than before, stood once more before him in the sarne bloodstained condition as before. With hands out- stretched, as if beseeching, the apparition dolefully exclaimed in the usual hollow tone: "Farewell, Inverawe! Farewell, till we meet at Ticonderoga !"
This strange name was not forgotten by Duncan, nor was the implied danger. No one in the whole countryside knew of any such place, but the warning of the ghost was widely circulated. Finally the Black Watch regiment to which he belonged was sent across the Atlantic to take part in Abercrombie's expedition. When the soldiers reached America, Duncan learned to his horror that the fort to be attacked was Ticonderoga. His fellow-officers decided to allay his fears and finally told him, untruthfully, that the post they were approaching was not Ticonderoga, but Fort George. This was the night before the battle, and the ghost of his murdered cousin once more disturbed his slumbers. In the morning he approached his friends with haggard looks. In a hopeless voice he said : "I have seen him! You have deceived me ! He came to my tent last night! This is Ticonderoga ! I shall die today !"
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General Abercrombie ordered the Black Watch to storm the French barricades, and the Scotchmen heroically obeyed. The Lord of Inverawe did his part, but the prophecy of the ghost was fulfilled. Major Duncan Campbell's arm was shattered by a bullet and later amputated. He died from the effects of these experiences and was buried between Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. Thus ends the most widely known, as well as one of the most interesting legends ever con- nected with the vicinity of Lake George and Lake Champlain.
After Abercrombie's flight up Lake George, Montcalm received reënforcements but was content to confine his activities to the sending out of numerous minor expeditions to molest the English army and to harass its line of communication. Sanguinary conflicts and massacres took place on many occasions. One of the best known of these bloody episodes is concerned with the ravages of about four hundred Canadi- ans and Indians under Saint-Luc de la Corne. They attacked a supply train of sixty carts, which were accompanied by about one hundred and fifty teamsters and soldiers, and which had barely left the rude stockade at Halfway Brook just north of the present city of Glens Falls on their way to Abercrombie's army at the head of Lake George. The thick bushes north of that little stream lining the sides of the old military road constituted an ideal place for ambush and the French had made use of this favorable location on other occasions. Without warning, the much larger force of Canadians and Indians struck sud- denly with all the ferocity of panthers. Death and destruction were swift and complete. Soldiers and teamsters were scalped and their bodies were horribly mutilated. A similar fate also befell twelve females who were on their way to Abercrombie's army. About two hundred and fifty oxen were killed, and even one of these had been scalped. Another was allowed to live after one horn had been cut out by the red fiends, and when the forces of La Corne retired from the scene of destruction he was left behind, his agonized bellowing providing sound effects for the tragic drama. Provisions and stores had been plundered and destroyed while the carts had been smashed into fragments. Boxes of chocolates had been broken into and some of their contents had been spilled onto the ground. The candy soon melted under the heat of the sun and rivulets of chocolate mingled with pools of blood.
Putnam and his company of rangers spent the night before the massacre about four miles north of the ambush on the flats south of
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French Mountain. In the morning they were aroused by the sound of firing to the south and, rolling up their blankets, hastened to the fray, but arrived only in time to gaze upon the desolate scene described above. Putnam immediately set out to pursue the enemy force, and this was an easy task because the trail was littered with fragments of plunder. He failed to catch up with the French, however, arriving on the shore of Northwest Bay on Lake George only in time to find them embarked in their canoes. When La Corne's Indians saw their pursuers, they filled the air with their yells of derision and exultation
(Courtesy of Glens Falls Insurance Co., from painting by Ferris) EMBARKING AT HEAD OF LAKE GEORGE OF ABERCROMBIE'S EXPEDITION AGAINST FORT TICONDEROGA
as they sped away in the direction of Ticonderoga. The rangers then returned to the scene of the massacre where they found a force from Fort Edward burying the dead. The bellowing ox was put out of his misery, while the one that had been scalped was nursed carefully and managed to live. It was an object of great curiosity wherever it went and was finally sent to England.
At about this time there were three stockades along the military road between Fort Edward and Lake George. In addition to the
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one at Halfway Brook there was another farther south capable of accommodating about three hundred men, while the third, which was dignified by the title of Fort Williams, was located on the side of a small brook just south of the Halfway House at French Mountain. These stockaded posts were certainly needed to protect English par- tisans, traveling along the old military road, from the ravages of the bloodthirsty marauders sent out by Montcalm to terrorize them. It was at about this time that the battle took place near Fort Ann between a party of rangers under Rogers and Putnam and a French force under Marin, resulting in Putnam's capture and almost ending with his death at the stake.
Amherst arrived in October with five or six regiments that had participated in the capture of Louisburg. By this time the morale of Abercrombie's army had been improved by the news of Bradstreet's capture of Fort Frontenac. The two generals discussed the question of making another attack on Ticonderoga, but finally agreed that the season was too late. Abercrombie was not the type of commander to adopt aggressive tactics unless pushed, while Amherst, although courageous and able, was entirely too slow and deliberate in his move- ments to start a campaign that late in the year. News came that Montcalm was breaking up camp at Ticonderoga, so the English did likewise, Abercrombie undoubtedly feeling much relieved to abandon the scene of his terrible blunders. The army went into winter quar- ters, leaving the war in the capable hands of the rangers.
In spite of the great English disaster at Ticonderoga, how- ever, the end of 1758 did not find the French very cheerful. Their precarious state of affairs was gradually growing worse. So far, the great Montcalm had been able to stave off defeat in the face of impossible odds only through the incompetence of opposing com- manders. Such luck in being continually faced by stupid and weak generals could not last forever, especially with Pitt in the English saddle. Heroic fighting by the French troops had repeatedly pre- vented huge enemy armies inundating the road to Canada, but the flood of British redcoats could not be held back forever by the crumbling French dikes without generous help from Europe. Much assistance never came. English ships patrolled the Atlantic and guarded the mouth of the St. Lawrence. Bougainville managed to elude them and sailed to France for aid, but met a chilling reception.
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The government feared that reinforcements would be intercepted by the large English fleets and decided, instead, to concentrate its entire strength on the battlefields of Europe instead of North America, realizing that the king could never send soldiers across the ocean in sufficient numbers to fight the English there on even terms. Thus it was that, except for the sending of supplies and small reinforcements, Montcalm was left to shift for himself. This situation was not improved by the rivalry and fierce hostility between the Marquis and Vaudreuil, which continued with unabated fury, dividing the French partisans when unity and cooperation were most needed. The Gover- nor's lethargy in sending reinforcements to Montcalm at Ticonder- oga would normally have been fatal, while his charges that the gen- eral had mismanaged the entire campaign did not improve their rela- tions. Montcalm and his officers responded to these attacks by pub- licly and forcefully telling what they thought of the Governor.
Although the French had held their ground at Ticonderoga, they had been forced back on both their right and their left by the loss of Fort Duquesne and Louisburg. In fact, their right had been almost cut off by the destruction of Fort Frontenac. Their Indians were now slowly turning against them and committing outrages on French fur traders. The government of Canada was rotten and mismanaged, and the people were depressed. Famine reared its ugly head, and hunger stalked the countryside, the able-bodied males having been plucked from the farms to swell the ranks of the army. In the words of Montcalm, "here all the knaves grow rich, and the honest men are ruined." Thus, at a time when Pitt was goading the British lion into action, the state of affairs was not only wretched from the French point of view, but also, steadily growing worse.
CHAPTER VIII
The End of the Duel for Empire
Pitt's plans for the year 1759 were ambitious. The commander-in- chief was General Amherst, who was to lead an army in person up the historic valleys of Lake George and Lake Champlain with the inten- tion of invading Canada. A second army was to be sent across the Atlantic to attack Quebec by way of the St. Lawrence, the Prime Min- ister defying tradition by passing over the older officers to select James Wolfe to lead the expedition. It was Amherst's intention to divert the enemy from this second force and, perhaps, to eventually unite with Wolfe. At the same time Brigadier Stanwix was sent to reënforce Pittsburgh, while Brigadier Prideaux was ordered to cap- ture Niagara.
Amherst arrived at the head of Lake George in June. Here he set his men to work building forts as was his invariable custom. Under the direction of Colonel Montresor, fifteen hundred soldiers began the building of Fort George on the hill, east of the old fort, where Monro had made his intrenched camp at the time of Montcalm's siege of Fort William Henry. At about the same time, another fortification was erected by Gage on Element Hill, west of the site of old Fort William Henry, but it probably was not of much importance, being used merely as a flank support to the forti- fication at Fort George. It was named Fort Gage in honor of its builder. The army was composed of eleven thousand troops, approxi- mately half regulars and half provincials, the last of the large mili- tary expeditions to make its way over the crystal waters of Lake George. In addition to building forts the men passed away the time with various labors, including the making of spruce beer from the tops of spruce trees. Throughout this period of delay, the French were
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active in a small way. On June twenty-seventh, some English officers, fishing off the shores of Diamond Island, were surprised by the enemy and nearly captured. Again, on July second, a force of two hundred and forty French attacked a party of sixteen provincials who had left Fort George to gather wood, and boldly displayed the scalps they took in plain sight of the English. Finally, on July twelfth, it was necessary for Amherst to send Major Campbell and four hundred men to drive the French from the islands which served as a base for their opera- tions.
When the English Army embarked for Ticonderoga on July twenty-first, the bosom of Lake George was once more covered by a gorgeous array of boats as its last great military pageant was enacted. At ten o'clock the expedition reached the Narrows and paused, but soon moved on with a fresh breeze and a hazy sky. Rapidly, the wind grew into dangerous proportions, forcing Amherst to halt for the night, but the army landed safely in the morning. Rogers and his rangers were then sent ahead, taking possession of the route to the French fort after a minor encounter with the enemy. On the twenty-third the slow English advance continued, Amherst profiting from Abercrombie's blunders and pausing to take his artillery with him instead of leaving the cannon on the shores of Lake George, as was done the preceding year. The English commander then proceeded to raise batteries and make other preparations necessary for the siege of the French fortress.
The commander of the garrison at Ticonderoga was Bourla- maque, with a force of only about two thousand, three hundred men. For once the English attack was in the hands of an able soldier, and as the French peered at the English cannon they knew that all hope was lost. In any case, Vaudreuil had wisely ordered Bourlamaque to abandon both "Ticonderoga and Crown Point and make a stand at Isle aux Noix" whenever the English Army should approach. On the night of the twenty-sixth, French deserters informed Amherst that the garrison was evacuating the famous fort. At eleven o'clock a terrific explosion shook the countryside and fragments of the French works rained down from the sky. Fort Ticonderoga was now in ruins. Gone forever was French power from the southern extremi- ties of Lake Champlain. Gone was the formidable fortress which for so long had served as a base of Indian terrorism and against which
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England had hurled her armed forces since the beginning of the war. Although it was to be rebuilt it was no longer an impediment to an English conquest of Canada. The older fort at St. Frederic was also blown up, Bourlemaque having evidently been pleased with the results of blowing up Fort Carillon.
Just as the French commander occupied himself with the destruc- tion of forts, so Amherst reverted to his old habit of building them. Instead of invading Canada "with the utmost vigor and despatch" as he had promised Pitt, he failed to follow up his advantage. While Wolfe urgently needed his assistance at Quebec, he delayed and occu- pied himself with a wide variety of less important matters. He repaired the damaged works at Ticonderoga and laid out a new fort- ress, called Fort Amherst, to the west of St. Frederic. Although erected at a cost of more than ten million dollars it was to be a waste of time and money because it was never used to protect the Champlain valley against the French. Amherst also sent small parties out to explore the sources of the Hudson, Otter Creek and South Bay. The construction of a naval flotilla was begun, which, however, proceeded under difficulties. Road building was another of his occupations, the old French road between Crown Point and Ticonderoga being improved, while an important military highway was begun connecting Crown Point with Number Four (Charlestown) on the Connecticut River. This eventually was of great value in opening up the territory between the two posts to early settlement. Finally, in September, Amherst issued orders for Rogers and his rangers to destroy the famous Indian village of St. Francis. This expedition, already described in detail, was completely successful so far as the removal of that Indian menace was concerned, although the scouts underwent almost unbelievable hardships. In the meantime, while Amherst loi- tered and delayed, instead of hastening to the assistance of Wolfe, Bourlamaque's forces had been strengthened. He now had thirty-five hundred men and a hundred cannon, intrenched on Isle aux Noix, a position of great strength in the middle of the Richelieu River. Although the French were now prepared to greet the English with a warm welcome, Amherst failed to appear as week after week passed slowly by, and Bourlamaque was consumed with impa- tience. Finally the English made ready to advance, but it was about the middle of October and the usual heavy autumn storms
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made Lake Champlain entirely too dangerous for travel in bateaux. Amherst had waited too long; winter was just around the corner; and the English general decided to revert to his favorite pastime of building forts. In spite of the fact that he had met with no active opposition, Amherst had spent the entire year without reaching Canada.
Meanwhile, the western phase of the English campaign was suc- cessful. Prideaux had ascended the Mohawk with five thousand men as ordered, and after leaving half of his force at Oswego under Colo- nel Haldimand, he continued on to attack Niagara. Although Saint- Luc de la Corne, with a force of one thousand men, attempted to drive the English from Oswego, Haldimand managed to beat off the attack. Prideaux was killed during the siege of Fort Niagara, but the garrison surrendered to Sir William Johnson, who succeeded him. It is interesting to note that, encouraged by recent English successes, nine hundred Iroquois warriors were present at the siege, a situation that was truly indicative of the hopelessness of the French cause in North America. As a result of the capture of Fort Niagara, the French posts farther west were now cut off from Canada and left in hopeless isolation.
The most important part of the campaign of 1759, however, was concerned with the operations of General Wolfe on the St. Lawrence. With eight thousand troops, he approached Quebec in June. Pros- trated by sickness, confronted by the steep sides of the heights of Abraham, and receiving no reports of any advance by Amherst, the future looked gloomy. Wolfe, however, was not a man easily over- come by adversity, and in September, while the commander-in-chief was loitering at Crown Point, he finally decided to scale the rugged heights. Every chance was against him. In spite of his feebleness he insisted on leading the attack in person. The result was a sensational success. Quebec fell before the genius of James Wolfe and the Eng- lish flag waved in triumph above the lofty cornerstone of French authority in the New World. The British commander fell mortally wounded during the battle, but lived long enough to learn that his audacious plan had succeeded. On the other hand, while the authority of the French melted away, life was ebbing away from the body of the great Montcalm, who had held back the inevitable for so long. History salutes these two illustrious soldiers and outstanding men who gave their lives on the plains of Abraham.
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END OF THE DUEL FOR EMPIRE
The spring of 1760 witnessed a brave attempt on the part of Lévis to recapture Quebec. At that time the English garrison was under the command of James Murray, who, instead of remaining within the fortified walls, rashly ventured outside to fight his resource- ful enemy, although the French forces were much superior in numbers. Lévis won the battle, but Murray succeeded in retreating to his forti- fication. The siege then continued without incident, with both sides watching the river intently as they hoped and prayed for assistance from across the Atlantic. Finally a British frigate appeared with the news that an English squadron was on the way and would reach Quebec within a few days. Lévis was now compelled to retire, but his operations had temporarily endangered England's possession of the famous city, while the results might have been entirely different had the approaching fleet been French instead of English.
Amherst's plans for 1760 centered around a three-fold campaign to complete the conquest of Canada. Murray was to ascend the St. Lawrence from Quebec; Brigadier Haviland was to make his way down Lake Champlain and the Richelieu; Amherst, himself was to advance from the west by way of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence; and all three were to join forces at Montreal. Murray's mission was the easiest and he was the first to arrive at the meeting place, camping on Isle Ste .- Thérèse to wait for the others. Amherst finally com- pleted his circuitous travel, accompanied by Sir William Johnson and seven hundred Indians in addition to his regular army of ten thousand. After destroying Fort Lévis, he proceeded down the St. Lawrence and camped beneath the walls of Montreal on September sixth.
Haviland possessed a combined force of three thousand four hundred regulars, provincials and Indians at Crown Point when he left for Montreal in the middle of August. This army was the last military expedition to make its way over the broad bosom of Lake Champlain in the French and Indian War. The French had some hope of stopping this phase of the British campaign, for Vaudreuil had stationed a force of sixteen or seventeen hundred men under Bou- gainville at Isle aux Noix, and a somewhat smaller force under Roquemaure at St. Johns, which was not far away. When Haviland approached the French position on Isle aux Noix, he planted his can- non and opened fire. While the forces of Bougainville were being thus entertained, some infantry under Major Darby, together
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with Rogers and his rangers, dragged three light pieces through the forest to the enemy's rear. These cannon were then aimed at the armed ships belonging to the French, which eventually were forced to surrender. This was a fatal blow to Bougainville. His communica- tions with St. Johns were now cut off. At midnight, he was forced to evacuate the island, and, leaving his sick behind, he made his way through the forest with great difficulty, finally arriving at St. Johns safely. The next morning, Haviland took possession of the French fortifications. Bougainville and Roquemaure made no attempt to defend St. Johns, and retreated northward until they joined Bourla- maque on the St. Lawrence. This combined French army at this time outnumbered Haviland, but its strength was more apparent than real, because the hopelessness of the French cause in America had such a depressing influence that the men were whipped psychologically. Pessimism and gloom pervaded the atmosphere of the camp, and desertions were frequent. In the meantime, Amherst, Murray and Haviland had joined forces and the English now had a combined army of seventeen thousand men. The commander-in-chief was also bringing up his cannon to demolish the walls of Montreal. The situ- ation of the French was hopeless. Their Indians had joined the enemy, their militia had melted away, while many of the regulars had also deserted. On the morning of September eighth, Vaudreuil was forced to surrender. Canada was now in the possession of England. The war was practically over so far as America was concerned.
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