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Fort William Henry was built by the British in 1755 on the shores of Lake George in the northeast of the Province of New York. The Fort was a short distance from the New France border and stood as a threat to Fort Carillon. In August 1757, the French army led by Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm, besieged the Fort. A few days into the siege, the British, commanded by George Monro, were forced to surrender. In the hours following this surrender, the British garrison was attacked by the Indigenous people allied to the French. This has gone down into History as the "Fort William Henry Massacre."
Background
With the Seven Years' War raging on between New France and Great Britain, the 1757 campaign was rather promising for the French in America. To begin with, they had just received reinforcement and supplies from France in Spring. In addition, the country's victories in 1755 (Battle of the Monongahela) and 1756 (Battle of Fort Oswego) gave it an upper hand. Thus in 1757, Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, governor of New France, had one objective: besiege Fort William Henry, built on the shores of Lake George (known as "Lac Saint-Sacrement" by the French) and considered a threat to Fort Carillon.
In July 1757, Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm led his French troops towards Lake George, i.e., more than 8,000 men marched towards Ford Carillon to join this campaign. Some 1,800 were allies – the Indigenous people – "living" in the Saint-Laurent Valley or who hailed from Pays d'en Haut (Up country) (see Seven Nations.) This number turns out to be one of the most significant war contingents of the Indigenous people to join a military expedition during this conflict. (see Indigenous-French Relations.) As for the remainder of the men, they were made up of soldiers and officers from the infantry and the Troupes de la Marine as well as Canadian militias. (see also Militia Captain.)
European-style Siege
The march from Fort Carillon began on 29 July for the detachment led by François-Gaston de Lévis, Commander of the outpost. The troops commanded by Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm left on 1 August and sailed through Lake George. Both detachments converged on 2 August around the Fort, and as early as the next day, deployment and preparation for the siege commenced.
The Fort's garrison, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Monro of the 35th Infantry Regiment, numbered some 2,300 men, excluding women, children, Britain's allies - Indigenous people - and servants. A detachment of this garrison was within the walls of the Fort, while the other was entrenched in camps around the Fort.
On 3 August, Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm sent a proposal for surrender to his British counterpart, Lieutenant-Colonel George Monro. But the latter, who had become more confident following the arrival of reinforcement, responded that he feared not the French army. This marked the beginning of the European-style siege. Although pounded by cannons from the Fort, the French troops went on with digging trenches as early as 4 August. Two days later, the first French cannon battery was already pounding the Fort, followed a day later by a second battery.
British Garrison Surrenders
On 7 August, Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm rushed his aide-de-camp Louis-Antoine de Bougainville to hand a letter to Lieutenant Colonel George Monro. This letter, which had been sent by the latter's superior, Daniel Webb, and intercepted a few days back by the Indigenous people, advised the Lieutenant Colonel to surrender.
Thus on 9 August, the Fort hoisted a white flag to surrender. By dusk, the terms of the surrender had been agreed upon and signed. One of the articles of the surrender agreement established that a French army detachment would escort the British with their belongings to neighbouring Fort Edward. In addition, the soldiers were to refrain from fighting against the French army and its allies for 18 months. All French, Canadians and indigenous prisoners captured at the beginning of the war must be released within 3 months. The terms of the agreement were advantageous for the victors and generous for the vanquish.
Parallel War for the Indigenous people
Although the Indigenous people were allied with the French, their war was however parallel to that of the Europeans. Though their objectives did not run counter to those of the French, they had a more indigenous agenda. (see Indigenous-French Relations.) For them, victory meant four things: take captives, collect hairs or "scalps," seize material - three things that symbolize their role in the military campaign - as well as lose as few men as possible.
In the afternoon of 9 August, some indigenous allies started looting and harassing wounded and sick British soldiers in the Fort.
At dawn on 10 August, a handful of these indigenous allies went to the make-shift hospital in the Fort where they attacked the British who were either wounded or sick. At the same time, another group of these indigenous allies went to the neighbouring cemetery and dug up bodies of those who had died from their wounds or smallpox, mainly for their scalps.
A few moments later, several of these allies witnessed the withdrawal of the defeated garrison. A detachment of French troops who, per the terms of the surrender, were to escort the surrendered garrison from the Fort was not in sufficient numbers to contain the curiosity of the indigenous allies. The latter tried to seize luggage or clothes from British soldiers who were ordered by their superiors to let go. But the lack of resistance led the indigenous allies to attack the defeated garrison. Alerted by the fleeing British, French and Canadian officers, interpreters and missionaries tried in vain to stop their allies.
The outcome was some 50 dead and more than 500 taken captive. Louis-Joseph Marquis de Montcalm bought back some of these captives on the spot, while Governor Vaudreuil did the same a few days later in Montreal. It is estimated that less than 100 British were captured, tortured or enslaved by the Indigenous allies.
By dusk of 10 August, the allies had withdrawn from the shores of Lake George to return to Montreal or the Pays d'en Haut (Up country), marking the end of their military campaign. They carried with them prestigious relics that attested to their bravery.
As for the French army, it brought down the walls of Fort William Henry to ensure that the British enemy would not use it to launch attacks on New France. By the time they withdrew on 15 August, this Fort, built barely two years back, was in ruins.
Consequences
The events of 9 and 10 August 1757 had diplomatic and geopolitical consequences. But most significantly, these events had demographical fallouts. In the months that ensued, the British discarded the terms of the surrender, blaming the French for not having respected it in the first place. Equally, the destruction of the Fort slowed, although momentarily, the march of the British army towards Canada. But as early as the following year (1758), James Abercromby, en route to Fort Carillon, made a stop at the Fort. Eventually, the British, who had been taken captive by allied nations, contributed to spreading the contagious smallpox virus. Weakened, these nations were unable to muster warriors for the 1758 and 1759 campaigns. This will contribute massively to the upper hand that the British will come to have from 1758, during the Seven Years' War. (see The Conquest.)
Days after the attack on the British garrison, British authorities ordered that the events that ensued at Fort William Henry be penned down in History. As such, a sensationalist account of the events was published in colonial newspapers which fueled the fear of the Indigenous people while nurturing the spirit of revenge. In addition, it inspired James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans published in 1826, as well as several film adaptations.
