In March of 1757, a large body of French regulars, Canadian militia, and Native allies came down Lake George with the intent to raid, and if possible, capture Fort William Henry. The fort was defended by a winter garrison consisting of a few hundred British soldiers of the 44th Regiment, led by Major William Erye, the engineer who had designed the fort.
The 1500-strong French force was led by an experienced officer, Francois-Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, and was very well-equipped. Every man was hand-picked and had heavy winter clothing, weapons, snowshoes, skates, and twelve days’ provisions. However, the raiding force had no cannon, only scaling ladders. They hoped to take the garrison by surprise, and failing that, intimidate the much smaller British garrison into surrender. Despite the cold, poor provisions, and disease, the garrison was alert and detected the advancing French force. Safe behind their strong walls, the defenders of Fort William Henry resisted all French efforts to capture the fort. The French were, however, successful in burning several storehouses outside of the fort, as well as a schooner and several bateaux. While the British gained a victory, a rare thing for them at this stage of the French and Indian War, the French had gained a much better understanding of the fort’s strengths and vulnerabilities. The loss of the boats would also soon prove a problem for the British defenders. It limited their ability to detect the size of the French build-up over the following summer, a build up into a force of 8000 plus massive siege cannon that would descend upon Fort William Henry that August.
Негізгі бет Reenactment of March 1757 French Vaudreuil's Raid on the British at Fort William Henry
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