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 HISTORIC HANDBOOK 
 
 OF TUB 
 
 NORTHERN TOUR. 
 
 
W O L V E. 
 
 A(;i:u 82. 
 
 
lil8'i*ViaC flAXDb M)K 
 
 •«£ 
 
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 \V u L F F 
 
IIISTOEIC HANDBOOK 
 
 OF THE 
 
 NORTHERN TOUR. 
 
 LAKES GEORGE AND CHAMPLAIN; NIAGARA; 
 MONTREAL; QUEBEC, 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANCIS PARKMAN. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. 
 
 1885. 
 
 li. 
 
Copyright, I8S5, 
 By Francis Parkman. 
 
 University Press: 
 John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 
 
This book is a group of narratives of the most strik- 
 ing events of our colonial history conncctea witli the 
 principal points of interest to the tourist visiting Canada 
 and the northern borders of the tiiitcd States. 
 
 The narratives are drawn, wiih the addition of ex- 
 planatory passages, from « TI:. Conspiracy of Pontiac," 
 " Pioneers of France in the New V\' )rld," « The Jesuits 
 in North America," « Count Frontenac," and " Mont- 
 calm and Wolfe." 
 
 Boston, 1 April, 1885. 
 

 It 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIX. 
 
 Discovery of Lake Ciiamplain . "^^ 3 
 
 Discovery of Lake George 
 
 Battle ok Lake Georoe . . ' i^ 
 
 A \\ixTER Raid . . 
 
 e 40 
 
 biEGE AXD Massacre of Fort William Hexry . 45 
 
 Battle op Ticonderooa . 
 
 . T bo 
 
 A Legend op Ticoxderoga og 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 Siege of Fort Niagara ....... 
 
 Massacre of the Devil's Hole ' " ^^ 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 The Birth of Moxtreal . -,n- 
 
 lOt) 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 IXFAXCY OF QuEnEC .^ 
 
 A Military :Mi,ssiox 100 
 
 Massachusetts Attacks Quebec ....... jo^ 
 
 The Heights of Abraham . .li 
 
 • ° loi 
 
in 
 
!i 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND L^IKE CIIAMPLALN, 
 
•mmmBBBm 
 
DISCOVERY OF LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 T^IIKS beautiful lake owes its luuue to Samuel de 
 Clianii)laiii, the founder of Quebec. In IGO'J, lono- 
 before the rilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth, he 
 joined a band of Huron and Algonquin warViors on an 
 exi)edition against their enemies, the lro(iuois, since 
 known as the Five Nations of New Yoi'k. While grati- 
 fying his own love of adventure, he expected to make 
 important geographical discoveries. 
 
 After a grand war dance at the infant settlement of 
 Quebec, the allies set out together. Champlain was hi 
 a boat, carrying, besides himself, eleven men, chief 
 among whom were one Marais and a pilot named La 
 Routte, all armed with the arquel)use, a species of fire- 
 arm shorter than the musket, and therefore better fitted 
 for the w^oods. 
 
 They ascended the St. Lawrence and entered the 
 Richelieu, which forms the outlet of Lake Champlain 
 Here, to Champlain's great disai)pointment, he found 
 his farther progress barred by tlic rapids at Chamblv 
 though the Indians had assured him that his boat couid 
 pass all the way unobstructed. He told them that 
 though they had deceived him, he would not abandon 
 them, sent Marais with the boat and most of th(> men 
 hack to Quebec, and, with two who offered to follow 
 I'lm, prepared to go on in the Indian canoes. 
 
4 
 
 LAKE GEOKGE AND LAKE CUAMPLAIN. 
 
 I 
 
 n 
 
 The warriurs lifted their canoes from the water, and 
 in lung procession through the forest, under the Ilickei- 
 ing sun and shade, bore them on their shoulders around 
 the rapids to the smooth stream above. Jlere the chiefs 
 made a muster of tiieir forces, counting twenty-four 
 canoes and sixty warriors. All endjarived again, and 
 advanced once more, by marsh, meadow, foi'est, {;nd 
 scattered islands, then full of game, for it was an unin- 
 habited land, the war-path and battle-ground of hostile 
 tribes. The warriors (observed a cei'tain system in their 
 advance. Some were in front as a vanguard; others 
 formed the main body; while an e(iual number were in 
 the forests on the flanks and rear, hunting for the sub- 
 sistence of the whole ; for, tliough they had a provision 
 of parched maize pounded into meal, they kept it for use 
 when, from the vicinity of the enemy, hunting should 
 become im])Ossible. 
 
 Still the canoes advanced, the river wi( ening as 
 they went, (ili-eat islands appeai'cd, leagues in extent : 
 Isle a la ^lotte, Long Island, Grande Jsle. Channels 
 where ships might float and broad reaches of expanding 
 water stretched between them, and Chami)liiiu entered 
 the lake which preserves his name to posterity. Cum 
 bcrland Ilend was passed, and from the opening of the 
 great channcd between Grande Isle and the main, he 
 could look forth on the wilderness sea. Edged with 
 woods, the trancpiil flood sjjread southward beyond the 
 sight. Far op the left, the forest ridges of the Green 
 Mountains were lieaved against the sun, patches of snow 
 still glistening on their tops; and on the right rose the 
 Adirondacks, haunts in those later years of amateur 
 sportsmen from counting-rooms or college halh nay, 
 of adventurous beauty, with sketch-book and jjcncil. 
 Then the Iroquois made them their hunting-ground ; and 
 
DISCOVERY OF LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 5 
 
 Ml, he 
 with 
 id the 
 Green 
 snow 
 ,c the 
 iiateur 
 nay, 
 Dcncil. 
 ; and 
 
 
 I 
 
 beyond, in ilie valleys of the ^Mohawk, the Ononda<ra, 
 and the (Jencsce, stretched the 1 mg line of their live 
 cantons and palisaded towns. 
 
 The progress of tiie party was becoming dangerous. 
 Tlu'V ehang(Hl their mode of advance, and moved only 
 in the night. All day, they lay close in the depth of the 
 forest, sleeping, lounging, smoking tobacco of their own 
 raising, and beguiling the hours, no doubt, with the 
 shallow banter and obscene jesting with which knots of 
 
 Indi 
 
 th 
 
 1( 
 
 At twiliu-ht 
 
 Indinns ai-e wont to amuse their leisure. At iwuigm 
 they embarked again, paddling their cautious way till 
 the eastern sky began to redden. Their goal was the 
 rocky ])r()niontory where Fort Ticondcroga was long 
 afterward built. Thence, they would pass the outlet 
 of Tjake (Jeorge, and launch their canoes again on tluit 
 Como of the wilderness, whose waters, linii)id as a 
 fountain-head, stretched far southward between their 
 thinking mountains. Landing at the future site of Foi-t 
 William Henry, they would carry their canoes through 
 the forest to the River Hudson, and descending it, at- 
 tack, i)erhaps, some outlying town of the ]\Iohawks. In 
 the next century this chain of Inkes and rivers became 
 the grand highway of savage and civilized war, a l)loody 
 debataldc ground linked to memories of momentous 
 con diets. 
 
 The allies were spared so long a progress. On the 
 morning of the twentv-ninth of Julv, after paddlina* all 
 night, they hid as usual in tlie hn^st on the western 
 sliore, not far from Crown Point. The warriors stretched 
 themselves to their slumliers, and Chami)lain, after 
 walking for a time through the surrounding woods, re- 
 turned to take his repose on a ])ile of spruce-boughs. 
 Sleeping, he dreamed a dream, wherein he beheld the 
 Iroquois drowning in the lake; and, essaying to rescue 
 

 ■iti 
 
 If 
 
 6 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 tlicin, lie was told by his AlgoiKiuln fi-ionds that they 
 were good for nothing and had better be left to their 
 fate. Now, he hud been daily beset, on awaivcning, by 
 his superstitious allies, eager to learn about his dreams; 
 and, to this moment, his unbroken slumbers had failed 
 to furnish the desired prognosties. The announcement 
 of this auspicious vision filled the crowd with joy, and 
 at nightfall they embarked, flushed with anticii)ated 
 victories. 
 
 It was ten o'clock in the evening, when they descried 
 dark objects in motion on the lake before them. These 
 were a flotilla of Iroquois canoes, heavier and slower than 
 theirs, for thev were made of oak or elm bark. Each 
 party saw the other, and the mingled war-cries pealed 
 over the darkened water. The Irocpiois, who were near 
 the shore, having no stomach for an aquatic battle, 
 landed, and, making night hideous with their clamors, 
 began to b.Trricade themselves. Champlain could see 
 them in the woods, laboring like beavers, hacking down 
 trees with iron axes taken from the Caiuulian tribes 
 in war, and with stone hatchets of their own making. 
 The allies remained on the lake, a boAvshot from the 
 hostile barricade, their canoes made fast together by 
 poles lashed across. All night, they danced with as 
 much vigor as the frailty of their vessels would permit, 
 their throats making amends for the enforced restraint 
 of their limbs. It Avas agreed on both sides that the 
 fight should be deferred till daybreak ; but meanwhile 
 a commerce of abuse, sarcasm, menace, and boasting 
 gave unceasing exercise to the lungs and fancy of the 
 combatants, — " much," says Champlain, " like the 
 besiegers and besieged in a beleaguered town." 
 
 As day approached, he and his two followers put 
 on the light armor of the time. Champlain wore the 
 
 I 
 
I!: 
 
 
 
 ;- if 
 
 I— I < 
 
DISCOVKKY OF LAKE ClIAMI'LAIN. 
 
 V;^ 
 
 mi 
 
 A. 'ill 
 
 '/J 
 
 1,1 -: 
 
 
 
 doublet nud loiijjj hose then in voguo. Over the doublet 
 he buckled on a breastplate, and probably u back-pieet;, 
 while his thiji'lis were jji-otected by cnin.sfs of steel, and 
 his head by a plumed casciuc. Across his shoulder liun<!: 
 the strap of his bandoleer, or annnunll ion-box ; at liis 
 side was bis sword, and in his hand his arquebuse, wliieli 
 he bad loaded wilh four balls. Such was the (M|uipni(!nt 
 of this ancient Indian-fiuhter, whose exploits date eleven 
 years before the landing of the Puritans at IMynioutb, 
 and sixly-six years before King Pbilip's War, 
 
 Each of the three Frenchmen was in a separate canoe, 
 and, as it grew light, they ke])t tliemselves hidden, 
 either by lying at t'ie bottom, or covering themselv<>s 
 witii an Indian robe. The canoes a[))»roaelu>d the shore, 
 and all landed without opposition at some distance from 
 the lro(|uois, whom they presently could see filing out of 
 their barricade, tall, strong men, some two hundi'ed in 
 number, of the boldest and fiercest warri(U-s of North 
 America. They advanced through the forest with a 
 steadiness which excited the admiration of Chamitlain. 
 Among them could be seen several chiefs, made con- 
 spicuous by their tall })lumes. ?ome bore shields of wood 
 and hide, and some "were covered with a kind of armor 
 made of tough twigs interlaced with a vegetable iibre 
 snp))osed by Chamjdain to be cotton. 
 
 The allies, growing anxious, called witli loud cries 
 for their champion, and opened their ranks that he 
 might pass to the front. He did so, and, advancing 
 before his red companions-in-arms, stood revealed to 
 the astonished gaze of the Iroquois, who, beholding the 
 warlike apparition in their path, stared in mute amaze- 
 ment. But his arquebuse was levelled ; the report 
 startled the woods, a chief fell dead, and another by 
 his side rolled among the bushes. Then there rose 
 
8 
 
 LAKE r.EOnOK ANT) LAKE rilAMI'LAlN. 
 
 II 
 
 from tlu' iillios a yell, wluch, says (1iaini»lain, would 
 Iiave drowned a Uiiiiidcr-cdaj), and tlio fori st was lull of 
 whizzini; arrows. For a moment, tlu; Inxjuois stood 
 firm and sent htuk Ihelr arrows luslily; bnt when mi- 
 otlier and iuiotlier gunsli(>t came from the thiekets on 
 Iheir (liink, Ihey broke and fled in unconlrollahh; terror. 
 Swifter (lum hounds, the allies tore throUL^h the bushes 
 in piMsuit. Some of the Inxiuois were killed; more 
 were itiken. (.^imp, canoes, ])rovisious, all v.cre aban- 
 doned, and many weapons fhrnj;' down in (he panic 
 flight. The aivpiebuse had done its work. The vic- 
 tory was ('omi)lete. 
 
 The victors made a pi-onipt retreat fi-om the scene of 
 their triumjih. Three or four days brought them to 
 the mouth of Ihe Richelieu. Here they separated; the 
 lluroiis and Algonquins mad(> for the Ottawa, their 
 homeward route, each with a share of jtrisoners for 
 future torments. At ])arting they invited (!iiamplain 
 to visit their towns and aid them again in their wars, 
 — an invitation which this j)aladin of the woods failed 
 not to accc])t. 
 
 Thus did New France rush into collision with the 
 redoubted warriors of the Five Nations. Here was the 
 beginning, in some measure doubtless the cause, of a 
 long suite of murderous conflicts, bearing havoc and 
 tlamc to generations yet unborn. Cham})lain had in- 
 vaded the tiger's den ; and now, in smoihered fury, the 
 patient savage would lie biding his day of blood. 
 
DISCOVERY OF LAKE (iEOIlOIi 
 
 <:, 
 
 
 TT wns <liii-h-11ii-('o years siiinc Cliamplain liad first 
 ■*■ attarkod tlio Inxiiicis. Tlicy liad nursed their umth 
 for more llian a n(.,H.rati(m, and at lenii'tli (1,,'ir hour 
 was coni.>. 'J'li,. \)uivh traders at Fort Orai.nv. now 
 Al])any, had suf.plied them with firearms. Tli(> Mo- 
 hawks, the most easterly of 't]i(> Ji-.xpu.is nations, had, 
 anion.ir tlieir seven or ei-lit hundred warriors, no h-ss 
 . .11 three hundred armed Avitli the aniuehuse. Tlujy 
 were masters of flie thunderbolts wJiicli, in the liands of 
 riiamplaln, liad struck terror into tlieir hearts. 
 
 In the early mornino- of the second of Auirust, 10-12 
 twelve Huron canoes were movin,": slowly alonir the 
 northern shore of the expansion of the i<t. LawTcncc 
 known as the Lake of St. Peter. There were on hoard 
 about forty persons, ineludin.tr fo„r Frenchmen, one of 
 thembein.cr the Jesuit, Isaac Jonues. DuriiK^ the Inst 
 autumn he, with Father Charles Raymbanlt, Imd i)assed 
 alonu: the shore of Lake Huron northward, entered the 
 sfrait Ihrou-]) wliicli Lake Superior discharires itself 
 pushed on as far as the Sault Sainte .Afarie, and preached 
 the Faith to two thousand Ojibwas, and ofher Al-on- 
 qnins there assembled, ffe was now on his return from 
 a far more ])erilous errand. The Huron mission was 
 in a stat(^ of destitution. There was need of clothinn- 
 for the priests, of vessels for the altars, of bread and 
 wmc for the eucharist, of writin- materials, - in short 
 
10 
 
 I,AK1', (JKOIJc;!', ANI» I.AKi: (11 A M I'l-AI N. 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 i»r rvorvlhiiiu" ; iunl, ciiily in (lie snmiiicr of (lie jirrsnil 
 yciir, .lo^Mcs liad tlc'srrnilcd (o 'riiirc I{i\(M's ;iii(| (^Miclicc 
 Nvilli tli<> Ihnttii I liiilns, li» |)Vi)ciir(> (lie ikm-cssmiv hii|)- 
 plics. II(> li:i(l iit'*'oiii|>lisIu'«l liis tusk, inul wjis on liis 
 \v;i\ li;n'k It) (lie iiiissioii. N\ illi liiin were w leu Huron 
 conxtMls. ;iM<l Miuonu" (licni m moIimI Cliiisl iiiii cliicr, Miim- 
 liU'Iic Ahiilsislni'i. OMkms dl" (lie |>:irly were in ('(ihi'hc 
 (»!' ills! riH'luMi lor lt;i|i(isiu: Imt llic LTcnlrr |i:irl were 
 lu^alliiMi, w !ios(> «';ino<"s wnr dcrply IjhIcii wiih llic pfo- 
 cvv{\^ iA' llirii- Icu'lijuns willi lln> l«'it>nrli rui-lf;Hlri s. 
 
 •loU'Mcs sal in our <»! Ilir Icadiiiii; cantics. Mr was 
 iwvn a1 Orleans in 1<'»<I7, and was (liiily live years ol" 
 ni!,(V His o\ al lace and lli(> delicale jmrnld of liis Icat- 
 ures indicated a modest, tlionuldlnl, and relined nalnre. 
 lie w as eonstitutionally timid, with a sensil i\e conscience 
 and ureal reliiiions snsoept iltilit ies. Il(> was a linislied 
 seludar, and luiulit have uaiued a lilei'ary repntation ; 
 hut ]\o had idioseu another eaiMMT. and on(> I'oi" wliich he 
 sciMned hut ill litled. iMiysieally, how(>vei', he was well 
 nialcluMl witli his work : lor, thonuh his frame was slight, 
 ho w;is so acii\(\ that uon(> of the Indians could siir|)ass 
 him in running. 
 
 With him W(>re two yonn'j; m(M\, Kent' (loujiil and 
 Ouillanme (.\)ntm\\, (A';<;jf>' of tln^ mission, — that is to 
 say, laymei\ who. from a ndigioi'.s motive and witjiont 
 pay. had attaclu>d themselvi^s to th(> siM'vice of the 
 Jesuit s, rion|>il had formerly entered n|)on the .lesnit 
 novitiate at Talis, hut failing IkmIiIi had ohliuvd him to 
 leave it. As soon as ho was ahlo, he eanu^ to (^uiadn, 
 olTcred his sorvioes to the Superior of tht> mission, was 
 onij)loyeil for a time in the Innnhlost oIVum^s, and after- 
 wards hcoamo an attendant at the hos))ital. At longlli, 
 to his delight, ho roooived jiormission to go np to the 
 llurons, whore tlio surgical skill which ho had acquired 
 
 ^f 
 
DISC'OVKKV <>l" I-AKi; (iKOIKH;. 
 
 11 
 
 \v!iH /i;?T:ill,v rif'cilcil ; jmd lie \v;is now dii lii-^ u;iy lliitlior. 
 IIJM (.'olll|iMllii)|i, < 'olll lire, Wiis ii liiilll ol ililcHiLj'i'lK'c iiixl 
 vip,(»r, ;iiiil '»l ii, clinraflcr ((iimlly disiutcirsliil. Ilolli 
 were, lik<' .loii'ins, in IIm- IoicmkisI cinnM's ; \.iiili' llu; 
 loiiiili l*'r( iii'liiiiiiii w:iN uilii llir iin('iiii\( rh'd lliirnns, in 
 
 TIlC l\V(I\C CMIKH'S lljul IT.'IcIkmI tln' \V<'s(<in ( ll'l ol' lll(! 
 
 liiikc of Si. rdcr, wlicrc il is llllcil wiMi iiiiiiiniiiiil»I<; 
 isliinds. TIh' lurcsl, \v;is close on IIm ir ri^lil, llicy k<|it, 
 ni';ii- Jlic shore lo !i\oi(! llie ciiirenl, jinil llie sliiiMow 
 wilier lielore IImiu was ecncied willi a dense <ji()wfli of 
 tall hnlnislies. Suddenly llie, silence was frii:lil fully 
 Idoken. The war-wliooji rose fioni ainoiiL!; the nislicH, 
 niiiii!'le<l willi (he i«'|»oi1h of ^nins and Hk! whisllinL^ of 
 liiillels ; and several I ro(| in »is canoes. Ii lied u ilh w ariiois, 
 )iuslied oiil from (heir conee;ilineii( , ;iiid hoi'c down ii|(ori 
 .Ioj;iies and his eoni|ianions. 'I'he lliirons in (he rear 
 w(M'c seized willi a, shameful panic. The) Iciipcd !i-,|iore ; 
 left canoes, ha'jiiaL''e, and weapons; and (Nd iiilo (he 
 woods. The I'Veneh and Ihe Chrislian Ilnrons made 
 (i,L>'nl- for a, (inie; hu( when (hey saw anolher Heel of 
 canoes approaehin^ \'yi)\\] the op]io.sile shores or inlands, 
 tlicy losi heai(,an(l lliosc escaped wlio couhl. ^Joiipil 
 was soi/('(l amid trininphant ylls, as were also s<;vr'ra! 
 of Iho llnron conveils. Jo^iies sfd'anL'' info the hijl- 
 nishcs, and niiuhi liave escjiped ; hut when Ik; saw 
 (Joiipil and the neophytes in the clulcdies of (he Iroquois, 
 lie had no liciiii to ahandon them, hut canio out from 
 liis hidinu-place, and pive himself up to the astonishr-d 
 victors. A few of lliem had remained to e-uard the 
 fu'isonci's ; the rest wei"c cliasin^'' the fii^dtives. Jolhics 
 mastered his a,ii:ony, and hcLMii to haptiz(; those of the 
 captive converts who needed hajitism. 
 
 Couture had eluded pursuit ; but when he thought of 
 
-■ i 
 
 K! - 
 
 12 
 
 L.VKE GEORGE AXD LAKE CIIAMPL.UN. 
 
 Jogues and of what perhaps awaited him, he resolved to 
 share his fate, and, turnin«:]f, retraeed his steps. As ho 
 aj)pronched, five Iroquois ran forward to meet him ; and 
 one of them snaj)i)ed his gun at liis breast, but it missed 
 fire. In his confusion and excitement, Couture fired his 
 own piece, and hud llie savage de;id. The remaining 
 four sprang ujton him, stripped off all his chjthing, tore 
 away his ilnger-nails vrith their teetli, gnawed his fin- 
 gers with the fury of famislied dogs, and thrust a sword 
 througli one of his hands. Jogues l^rolvc from his guards, 
 and, rusliiug to his friend, threw his arms about his 
 neck. The Iroquois dragged him away, beat him with 
 their fists nnd war-chibs till he was Fcnseless, and, when 
 he revived, lacerated his fingers with their teeth, as they 
 had done those of Couture. Then they turned upon 
 Gou})il, and treated him with the same feroi'ily. The 
 Huron prisoners were left for the present unliarmed. 
 More of them were brought in every niomeut, till at 
 length the number of captives amounted in all to twenty- 
 two, while three ITunms had been killed in the fight 
 and pursuit. The Iroquois, about seventy in number, 
 now embarked with their ]irey ; but not until they had 
 knocked on the head an old Ilui'on, whom .Jogues, with 
 his mangled hands, had just ba))tized, and who refused 
 to leave the place. Then, under a burning sun, they 
 crossed to the spot on which the town of Soi'cl now 
 stands, at the mouth of the River Richelieu, where they 
 encamped. 
 
 Their course was southward, up the River Richelieu 
 and Lake Champlain ; thence, by way of Lake George, 
 to the ^[ohawk towns. The pain and fever of their 
 wounds, and the clouds of mosquitoes, which they could 
 not drive off, left the pi'isoners no ])eacc by day nor 
 sleep by night. On the eighth day, they learned that a 
 
DISCOVERY OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 13 
 
 large Iroquois war-party, on their way to Cauatla, were 
 near at hand ; and they soon ai)proachcd their cam}), on 
 a small island near the southern end of Lake Chaniplain. 
 The warriors, two luuidred in number, saluted their vic- 
 torious countrymen with volleys from their guns ; then, 
 armed with chibs and thorny sticks, rangi^d themselves 
 in two Unes, between which the cai)tives were compelled 
 to pass up the side of a rocky hill. On the way, they 
 were beaten with such fury, that Jogues, who was last 
 iji the line, fell powerless, drenched in blood and half 
 dead. As the chief man among the French captives, ho 
 fared the worst. Ilis hands were again mangled, and 
 fire applied to his body ; while the Huron chief, Eustache, 
 was subjected to tortures even more atrocious. When, 
 at nldd. the exhausted sufferers tried to rest, the voun<>: 
 
 1 ' %/ CD 
 
 warriors came to lacerate tlieir wounds and pull out 
 their h;iir and beards. 
 
 In the morning thev resumed their iournev. And 
 now the lake narrowed to the sem[)lance of a tranijuil 
 river. Before them was a woody mountain, close on 
 their right a rocky promontory, and between these flowed 
 a stream, the outlet of Lake George. On those rocks, 
 more than a hundred y(>ars after, rose the; ramparts of 
 Ticondero:2:a. Thev landed, shouldered their canoes and 
 baggage, took their way through the woods, passed the 
 S])ot where the fierce Highlanders and the dauntless 
 regiments of England breasted in vain the storm of 
 lead find fire, and soon reached the shore where Aber- 
 cromliie landed and Lord Howe fell. First of white 
 men, Jogues and his companions gazed on the romantic 
 lake that bears the name, not of its gentle discoverer, 
 but of the dull Hanoverian king. Like a fair Naiad of 
 the wilderness, it slumbered between the guardian moun- 
 tains that breathe from crag and forest the stern poetry 
 

 i 
 
 1 ■ 
 
 14 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 of war. But all then was solitude ; and the clang of 
 trumpets, the roar of cannon, and the deadly crack of 
 the rifle had never as yet awakened their angry echoes.' 
 
 Again the canoes were launched, find the. wild flotilla 
 glided on its way, — now in the shadow of the heights, 
 now on the broad expanse, now among the devious chan- 
 nels of the narrows, beset. with woody islets, where the 
 hot air was redolent of the pine, the spruce, and the 
 cedar, — till they neared that tragic shore, where, in 
 the following century. New England rustics baffled the 
 soldiers of Dieskau, where Montcalm ])l:uitcd his bat- 
 teries, Avhcre the red cross waved so long amid the 
 smoke, and where at length the summer morning was 
 hideous with carnage, and an honored name was stained 
 with a memory of blood. 
 
 The Iroquois landed at or near the future site of Fort 
 William Henry, left their canoes, and, with their ])rison- 
 ers, began their march for the nearest ]\Ioha\vk t{nvn. 
 Each bore his share of the plunder. Even Jogues, 
 though his lacerated hands were in a frightful condition 
 and his body covered with bruises, was forced to stagger 
 on with the rest under a heavy load. He with his 
 fellow-prisoners, and indeed the whole party, were half 
 
 I : 
 
 ! t 
 
 ' Lake Goorpc, according to Jogiics. was called hy tlic ^Foliawks 
 " Andiatarocte," or Place where the f.dle closes. " Aiidintaraqiic " is 
 f()\in(l on a map of Sanson. Spofford, Gazetteer of New York, article 
 " Lake George," says that it was called " Canideri-oit." or Tail of the 
 hike. Father Martin, in his notes on Bressani, prefixes to this name 
 that of " Iloricon," but gives no original authority. 
 
 I liave seen an old Latin map on whicli the name " ITori(!oni " is set 
 down as belonging to a neighboring tribe. This seems to be only a 
 misprint for " Iloricoui," that is, "Irocoui," or "Iroquois." In an old 
 English map, prefixed to the rare tract, A Treatise of New Enrjland, the 
 " Lake of Ilierocoyes " is laid down. The name " Iloricon," as used by 
 Cooper in his fxist of the j}fohi<an!i, has no sufficient historical foundation. 
 In 1646, the lake, as we shall see, was named " Lac St. Sacroment." 
 
 3 
 
DISCOVERY OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 15 
 
 starved, subsisting chiefly on wild berrios. They crossed 
 the upper Hudson, and, in thirteen days after leaving 
 the 8t. Lawrence, neared the wretched goal of tlieir pil- 
 gi-iniage, a palisaded town, standing on a hill by the 
 banks of the River Mohawk. 
 
 Such was the (irst recorded visit of wliite men to Lake 
 George. In the Iroquois villages Jogues was subjected 
 to the most frightful sufferings, llis friend (jloupil 
 was murdered at liis side, and he himself was saved as 
 by miracle. At length, with the lielj) of the Dutch of 
 Albany, he made his escape and sailed for France; 
 whence, impelled by religious enthusiasm, lie returned 
 to Canada and voluntarily set out again for the Ii-oquoia 
 towns, bent on saving the souls of those who had been 
 the authoi-s of his woes. Reaching the head of Lake 
 George on Cori)us Christi Day, 1G40, he gave it the 
 name of Lac 8t. Sacrement, by which it was ever 
 after known to the French. Soon after his arrival the 
 Iroquois killed him by the blow of a hatchet. 
 
L'l I 
 
 BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 Ri y 
 
 Hi !' 
 
 I' K 
 
 "POR more than a century after the death of Jogues, 
 -*• Lakes George and Champlain were the great i-oute 
 of war parties between Canada and the British Colonies. 
 Courcelles came this way in 16GG to lay waste tlie Mo- 
 hawk towns; and Mantet and Sainte-IIelciie, in 1690, 
 to destroy Schenectady in the dead of winter ; while, 
 in the next year, Major Schuyler took the same course 
 as he advanced into Canada to retort the blow. When- 
 ever there was war between France and England, these 
 two lakes became the scene of partisan conflicts, in 
 which the red men took part with the white, some as 
 allies of the English, and some as allies of the French. 
 When at length the final contest took place for the pos- 
 session of the continent, the rival nations fiercely dis- 
 puted tlu) nuistery of this great wilderness thoroughfare, 
 and the borders of Lake George became the scene of 
 noteworthv confiicts. The first of these was in 1755, 
 the year of Braddoclc's defeat, wlien Shirley, governor of 
 Massachusetts, set on foot an expedition for the capture 
 of Crown Point, a fort whicli the French had built on 
 Lake C^iamplain more than twenty years before. 
 
 In January, Shirley had proposed an attack on it to 
 the Ministry ; and in February, without waiting their 
 reply, he laid the plan before his Assembly. They ac- 
 cepted it, and voted money for the pay and maintenance 
 of twelve hundred men, provided the adjacent colonies 
 
 *!! 
 
'% 
 
 of Jogiiea, 
 ?roat i-oute 
 1 Colonies. 
 the Mo- 
 , in 1690, 
 ^i' ; wliile, 
 me course 
 ^ AVhen- 
 and, these 
 nflicts, in 
 , sonic as 
 c French. 
 r the pos- 
 !i'celj dis- 
 ouglifure, 
 scene of 
 in 1755, 
 vernor of 
 e caj)ture 
 built on 
 
 on it to 
 ng their 
 They ac- 
 itenance 
 
 colonies 
 
 THE REGION OF 
 
 tiiini Mirvi'vs iiihUp ii 
 
 i7(;2 
 
 ii iUH I 
 
 K(iit\Villmmll.-n 
 
 ■n fv ^ 
 
 
i • 
 
 ■I I 
 
 li I 
 
 Si r 
 
 9 t 
 
 I 
 
 I *; 
 
 ll..'! 
 
 i II 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 IT 
 
 v.-«)iilcl contribute in due j)r(){>ortlon. Maj^sacliusetts 
 showed a military activity worthy of the reputation, she 
 luid won. Forty-live hundred of her men, or one in eiglit 
 of lier adult males, volunteered to light the French, and 
 eidisted i'or the various expeditions, some in the pay of 
 the province, and some in that of the King-. Jt remained 
 to name ii commander for the Crown I'oint enterprise. 
 Nobody had power to do so, for 13raddock, the eom- 
 niandcr-in-chief, was not yat come ; but that time might 
 not bo h)st, Shirley, at the recpiest of his Assembly, 
 took the responsibility on himself. If he had named a 
 Massacluisetts oflicer, it would have roused the jealousy 
 of the other New England colonies ; and he therefore 
 appointed William Johnson, of New York, thus gratifying 
 that important province and pleasing the Five Nations, 
 wlio at this time h)oked on Johnson with even more 
 than usual favor. Hereupon, in re])ly to his request, 
 Connecticut voted twelve hundred men, New Hampshire 
 five hundrc'l, and Rhode ishmd four hundred, all 
 at their own charge ; while New York, a little later, 
 promised eight hundred more. When, in April, Brad- 
 dock and the Council at Alexandria approved the plan 
 and the connnander, Shirley gave Johnson the com- 
 mission of major-general of the levies of Massachusetts ; 
 and the governors of the other provinces contributing to 
 the expedition gave him similar commissions for their 
 respective contingents. Never did general take the 
 held with authority so heterogeneous. 
 
 He bad never seen service, and knew nothing of war. 
 By birth he was Irish, of good family, being nejihew of 
 Admiral Sir Peter Warren, who, owning extensive wild 
 lands on th.c Mohawk, had placed the young man in 
 charge of them nearly twenty years before. Johnson 
 was born to prosper. He had ambition, energy, an active 
 
I'' 
 
 1* 
 
 ;il 
 
 18 
 
 LAKE GKOIIOE AND LAKE CIlAMPr.AIN. 
 
 mind, a tall, stroiit,^ j)orson, a rou^li, jovial tunijMi', ami a 
 quick adiiptalioii to his siirroundiii'^s. Jlu could drink 
 flip with Dutch boors, or Madeira with njyal govui-nor.s. 
 lie liked th(! society oi' the great, would intrigue and flat- 
 ter when he had an end to gain, and foil a rival without 
 looking too closely at the means ; but compiired with 
 the Indian traders who infested thi; bordei-, he was a 
 model of uprightness. lie lived by the Mohawk in a 
 fortified house? which was a stronghold ag-.inst foes and 
 a scene of hosi)itality to friends, both white iind red. 
 Here — for his tastes were not fastidious — presided for 
 many years a Dutch or tJerman wench Avhom he finally 
 married ; and after her death a young ^fohawk squaw 
 took lu.'r jdace. Over his neighbors, the Indians of the 
 Five Nations, and all othei's of their race with whom he 
 had to deal, he acepiircd a remarkai)le induenco. lie 
 liked them, adojited their ways, and treated them kindly 
 or sternly as the case required, but always with a justice 
 and honesty in strong contrast with the rascalities of 
 the commission of Albany traders who had lately man- 
 aged their affairs, and whom they so detested that one 
 of their chiefs called them " not men, but devils." 
 Ilenee, when Johnson Avas made Indian superintendent 
 there was joy throngh all the Jroijuois confederacy. 
 When, in addition, he was made a general, lie assembled 
 the warriors in council to engage them to aid the 
 expedition. 
 
 This meeting took ])lacc at his own lioiise, known as 
 Fort Johnson ; and as more than eleven hundred Ind- 
 ians ap])earcd at his call, his larder was sorely taxed 
 to entertain them. The speeches were interminable. 
 Johnson, a master of Indian rhetoric, knew his audience 
 too well not to contest with them the palm of insuffer- 
 able prolixity. The climax was reached on the fourth 
 
 I 
 
^ I 
 
 BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 19 
 
 duy, and he tlirew down llic wiir-bclt. An Oneida chief 
 took it up; Stevens, the iiitcriu'eter, hcj^jin tlie wjir- 
 danec, and the assembled warriors liowh'd in eliorus. 
 Then a tub of puncli was brouirlit in, and tlu-y ail drank 
 the King's health. They showed less ahierity, however, 
 to fiLdit his batlles, and scarc;'ly three hundred ol" tliein 
 Avoidd take the war-path. Too ninny of their friends 
 and rehitives were enlisted for tiio Freneh. 
 
 Wliilc the British colonists were? prepnrin<j^ to attack 
 Crown Point, tlie French of Canada wei'e j)repai'iu,t!: to 
 (h'fend it. I)u((ucsnc, recalled from Ins post, liad re- 
 siixucfl the irovernment to tlu; Marc^uis do Vaudrcuil. who 
 had at his disposal the battalions of rejruhirs tliat had 
 sailed in the sprinj^ from Brest under Jiaron IMeskau. 
 His first thought was to use thcin b)r the capture of 
 Oswego; but letters of Braddock, found on the baltle- 
 field of the jMonongahela, warned him of llie design 
 against Crown Point; while a reconnoitring party which 
 had gone as far as the Hudson brought Inick news that 
 Johnson's forces were alreadv in the held. Therefore 
 the })la.n was changed, and Dieskau was ordered to lead 
 the main body of his troops, not to Lake Ontario, but 
 to Lake Champlain. He passed up the Richelieu, and 
 embarked in boats and canoes for Crown Point. The- 
 veteran knew that the foes with whom lie had to deal 
 were but a mob of countrymen. He dou])ted not of ])ut- 
 tiug them to rout, and meant never to hold his hand till 
 he had chased them back to Albany. "Make all haste," 
 Vaudreuil wrote to him; ''for when you return we shall 
 send you to Oswego to execute our first design." 
 
 Johnson on his part was preparing to advance. In 
 July about three thousand provincials were encamped 
 near Albany, some on the "Flats" above the town, and 
 some on the meadows below. Hither, too, came a swarm 
 
 :: 
 
fir 
 
 20 
 
 LAKE GEOIIGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 i 1 
 
 I 
 
 of Jolinsoii's Muliawkw, — warriors, H(iuawH, and chiltlron. 
 They adorned tliu CJcncrars I'ucu witli \var-|iaiiit, and liu 
 danced the war-dance; tlieu with liis sword he ent the 
 first slice from Hie ox tliat had been roasted wiiole 
 for Iheir ent(!rtainment. "1 shall be glad," wrote the 
 Bur^^eon of ki New I'Jnj-land regiment, " if they light as 
 eagei-ly as they ate their ox and drank their wine." 
 
 Above all things the ox|)edition needed promptness; 
 yet every! hi iig moved slowly. Five po^mlar legislatures 
 controlled the troops and the supplies, ('ouneeticut had 
 refused to send her men till Shirley promised that her 
 commanding officer should rank next to Johnson. The 
 whole movement was for some time at a deadlock because 
 the five governments could not agree al)out their cou- 
 tril)utions of artillery and stores. The New ITampshire 
 regiment had taken a short cut for Crown Point across 
 the wilderness of Vermont; but had been recalled in time 
 to save them from probable destruction. They were now 
 with (he rest in the camp at Albany, in snch distress 
 for ])rovisions that a private subscription was proposed 
 for their relief. 
 
 .lolmson's army, crude as it was, had in it good mate- 
 rial. Here was Phineas Lyman, of Connecticut, second 
 in command, once a tutor at Yale College, and more 
 recently a hiwycr, — a raw soldier, bnt a vigorous and 
 brave one ; Colonel Moses Titcomb, of Massachusetts, 
 who had fought with credit at Lonisbourg; and Ephraim 
 Williams, also colonel of a Massachusetts regiment, a 
 tall and portly mnn, vvho had been a ca])tain in the last 
 war, member of the General Court, and deputy-sheriff. 
 He made his will in the camp at Albany, and left a 
 legacy to found the school which has since become Wil- 
 liams College. His relative, Stephen Williams, was 
 chaplain of his regiment, and his brother Thomas was 
 
chiUU'oii. 
 b, ami lii5 
 ; cut tlio 
 ed whole 
 ,viotc tho 
 y liglit as 
 
 uc." 
 
 )m[)tucss ; 
 oislaturcrt 
 cticiit luul 
 I that her 
 son. The 
 ck because 
 Iheh" con- 
 ITampslnre 
 oint across 
 Hod in time 
 y were now 
 icli distress 
 is proposed 
 
 rrood matc- 
 icnt, second 
 I, and more 
 io-orons and 
 issachnsctts, 
 md Ephraim 
 
 regiment, a 
 n in the last 
 cputy-slieriff. 
 r, and left a 
 
 become Wil- 
 riUiams, was 
 
 Thomas was 
 
 IJATTLE OF LAKE GEOUGE. 
 
 21 
 
 its surg(M)n. Seth Pomeroy, gunsmith at Northampfon, 
 who, like Titeouib, had seen service at Luuisbourg, was 
 its lieuteuant-culunel. lie had lelt a wile at home, an 
 excellent matron, to whom he was conliuuuUy writing 
 al'leetionute letters, mingling household cares with news 
 oi' the cam]), and chai'ging her to see lliat their ekk!st 
 boy, Seth, then in college at New Haven, did not run oiT 
 to the armv. IVmerov had with him his brother Daniel ; 
 and this he thought was enough. Here, too, was a man 
 wliose name is still a household word in New Eniiland, 
 — the stiu'dy Israel Putnam, private in a Connecticut 
 regiment; and nnothor as bold as he, John Stark, lieu- 
 tenant in the New Hampshire levies, and the luturc 
 victor of Hennington. 
 
 The soldiers were no soldiers, but farmers and farmers' 
 sons who had volunteered for the summer eanipaign. 
 One of the corps liad a blue uniform faced with red. 
 The rest wore their daily clothing. Blankets had been 
 served out to ihem by tlie several provinces, but the 
 greater part brought Iheir own guns; some under the 
 penalty of a fine if they came without tliem, and some 
 under the inducement of a reward. They liad no bay- 
 onets, but carried hatchets in their belts as a sort of 
 sul)stitnte. At their sides were slung powder-horns, on 
 which, in the leisure of the camp, they carved quaint 
 devices with the points of their jack-knives. They came 
 chiefly from plain New England homesteads, — rustic 
 abodes, unpaintcd and dingy, with long well-sweeps, 
 capacious barns, rough fields of punijikins and corn, 
 and vast kitchen chimneys, above which in winter hung 
 squashes to keep them from frost, and guns to keep 
 them from rust. 
 
 As to the manners and morals of the army there is 
 conflict of evidence. In some respects nothing could 
 
1! 
 lil 
 
 111 
 
 22 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 be more exemplary. " Not a cliickeii lias been stolen," 
 8a} s William Smith, of New York ; while, on the other 
 hand, Colonel Ephraim Williams writes to Colonel 
 Israel Williams, then commanding on the Massachusetts 
 frontier: " We are a wicked, ])rofane army, especially the 
 New York* and Rhode Island troojjs. Nothing to be 
 heard among a great ])art of them but the language of 
 Hell. If Crown Point is taken, it will not be for our 
 sakes, but for those good people left behind." There 
 was edifying regularity in respect to form. Sermons 
 twice a week, daily prayers, and frequent jisalm- 
 sinning alternated with the much-needed military drill. 
 " Prayers among us night and morning," writes Private 
 Jonathan Caswell, of Mtissachusctts, to his father. 
 *' Here we lie, knowing not when we shall march for 
 Crown Point ; but I hope not long to tarry. Desiring 
 your prayers to God for me as 1 am agoing to war, 1 
 am Your Ever Dutiful Son." 
 
 To Pomeroy and some of his brothers in arms it 
 seemed that they \rere engaged in a kind of crusade 
 against the mvrmidons of Rome. "As V(^.i have at 
 heart the Protestant cause," he wrote to his friend 
 Israel Williams, "so I ask an interest in your pra}ers 
 that the Lord of Hosts would go forth with us and give 
 us victory over our nnrcasonabl<% encroaching", barbarous, 
 niurdei-ing <'nemies." 
 
 Both Williams the surgeon and Williams the colonel 
 chafed at the incessant delays. "The expedition goes 
 on very nuich as a snail runs," writes the former to his 
 wife ; " it seems we may ])ossibly sec Crown Point this 
 time twelve months." The ('olonel was vexed because 
 everything was out of joint in the dei)artment of trans- 
 portation : wagoners mutinous for want of pay ; ordnance 
 stores, camp-kettles, and provisions left behind. "As to 
 
VTN. 
 
 en stolen," 
 I the other 
 to Colonel 
 bsacliusetts 
 pecially the 
 hing to bo 
 anguago of 
 be for our 
 1." There 
 , Sermons 
 ent ]isalm- 
 litary drill, 
 tcs Private 
 his father, 
 march for 
 . Desiring 
 g to war, 1 
 
 in arms it 
 ol' crusade 
 ^.1 have at 
 Ills friend 
 our praters 
 lis and give 
 :, barbarous, 
 
 the colonel 
 edition goes 
 i-mcr to his 
 L Point this 
 ^cd because 
 ut of trans- 
 ; ; ordnance 
 nd. ''As to 
 
 BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 23 
 
 rum," he complains, " it won't hold out nine weeks. 
 Things appear most melauclioly to me." E\en as he 
 was writing, a report came of the defeat of Braddock ; 
 and, shocked at the blow, his pen traced the words: '' The 
 Lord have mercy on {)Oor New England ! " 
 
 Johnson had sent four Mohawk scouts to Canada. 
 Tlu'V returned on the twenty-lirst of August with the 
 report that the French were all astir with preparation, 
 and that eight thousand men were coming to defend 
 Crown Point. On this a council of war was called ; and 
 it was resolved to send to the several colonies for 
 reinforcements. Meanwhile the main body had moved 
 up the river to the spot called the Great Carrying Place, 
 where Lyman had begun a fortified storehouse, which 
 his men called Fort Lvnian, but which was afterwards 
 named Fort Edward. Two Indian trails led from this 
 point to the waters of Lake Champlain, one by way of 
 Lake (Jeortjje, and the other bv way of Wood Creek. 
 There was doubt which course tlu; army should take. 
 A road was begun to Wood Creek ; then it was counter- 
 manded, and a party was sent to exphnv the path to 
 Lake (leorge. '• With submission to the general of- 
 ticers," Surgeon Williams again writes, '' 1 think it a 
 very grand mistake that the business of reconnoitring 
 was nut done months agone." It was resolved at last 
 to march for Lake Ceorge ; gangs of axemen were sent 
 to hew out the way; and on the twenty-sixth two thou- 
 sand men were ordered to the lake, while Colonel 
 Blanchard, of New Hampshire, remained with five hun- 
 dred to finish and defend Fort Lyman. 
 
 The train of Dutch wagons, guarded by the homely 
 soldiery, jolted slowly over the stumps and roots of the 
 newly made road, and the reiriments followed at their 
 leisure. The hardshii)s of the way were not without 
 
1 
 
 -I < 
 II: 
 
 li 
 
 'Mi 
 
 24 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 their consolations. The jovial Irishman who held the 
 chief command made himscli' verv a<>,recaljle to the New 
 England ollicers. " We went on about four or five miles," 
 says Pomeroy in his Journal, " tlien stopped, ate pieces of 
 broken bread and cheese, and dran]<; some fresh lemon- 
 j)unch and the best of wine witii General Johnson and 
 some of the field-orticers." It was the same on the next 
 day. " Stoi»ped about noon and dined with Ccneral 
 Johnson by a small bi'ook under a tree ; ate a jiood 
 dinner of cold boiled and roast venison ; drank good 
 fresh lemon-punch and wine." 
 
 That afternoon they reached their destination, four- 
 teen miles from Fort Lyman. The most beautiful lake 
 in America lay before them ; then more beautiful than 
 now, in tlie wild charm of untrodden mountains and 
 virgin forests. " I liavc given it the name of Lake 
 George," wrote Johnson to the Lords of Trade, " not 
 only in honor of His Majesty, but to ascertain his un- 
 doubted dominion here." llis men made their camp 
 on a piece of rough ground by the edge of the water, 
 pitching thi'ir tents among the stumps of the newly 
 felled trees. In tlieir front was a fon^st of })itcli-pine ; 
 on their right, a marsh, choked with alders and swamp- 
 maples ; on their left, the low hill where Fort George 
 was afterwards built; and at their rear, the lake. Little 
 was done to (dear the forest in front, though it would 
 give cxc(dlent cover to an enemy. Nor did Johnson 
 take much ])ains to learn the movements of the French 
 in the direction of Crown Point, thougii he sent scouts 
 towards South Bay and Wood Creek. Every day stores 
 and bateaux, or flat boats, came on wagons from Fort 
 Lyman ; and preparation moved on with the leisui'o tliat 
 had marked it from the (irst. About throe hundred 
 Mohawks came to the camp, and were regarded by the 
 
 I 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 25 
 
 icld the 
 
 the New 
 
 ) miles," 
 
 )icccs of 
 
 1 lemon- 
 
 sou and 
 
 the next 
 
 General 
 
 a jrood 
 
 Ilk good 
 
 »n, four- 
 
 fnl lake 
 
 fill than 
 
 lins and 
 
 [)f Lake | 
 
 Ic, "not j 
 
 his un- 
 
 ir camp 
 
 e water, | 
 
 newly ^ 
 
 eh-i)ine ; 
 
 swam})- 1 
 
 George | 
 
 . Little 1 
 
 it would f 
 
 Johnson | 
 
 3 French | 
 
 t scouts 1 
 
 iy stores j 
 
 om Fort i 
 
 uii'c that 1 
 
 hundred 1 
 
 d hy the | 
 
 New England men as nuisances. On Sunday the gray- 
 haired Stephen Williams preached to these savage allies 
 a long Cal\ inistic sermon, which must have sorely per- 
 plexed the interpreter whose husiness it was to turn 
 it into Mohawk ; and in the afternoon young Glia])lain 
 Newell, of Rhode Ishind, expounded to the New l"]ngland 
 men the somewhat untimelv text, " Love vour enemies," 
 On the next Sunday, Se))temher seventh, AVilliams 
 preached again, this time to the whites from a text 
 in Isaiah. It was a peaceful day, fair and warm, with 
 a few light showers ; yet not wholly a day of rest, for 
 two hundred wagons came up from Fort Lyman, loaded 
 Avith hatcaux. After the sermon there was an alarm. 
 An Indian scout came in ahout sunset, and reported 
 that he had found the trail of a hody of men moving 
 from South Lav towards Fort Lvman. Johnson called 
 for a volunteer to cari-y a letter of warning to Colonel 
 Llanchard, the comnuuider. A wagoner named Adams 
 offered himself for the perilous servif-e, mounted, and 
 galloped along the road with the letter. Sentries were 
 })0sted, and the camp fell asleep. 
 
 While Johnson lay at Lake (ieoi-ge, Dieskau prepared 
 a suri)rise for him. The (Jerman IJaron had reached 
 Crown Point at the head of three thousand live hundred 
 and seventy-thi-ee men, regidars, Canadians, and Indians. 
 fle had no thought of waiting there to l»e attacked, 'i'he 
 troops were told to hold themselves ready to move at 
 a moment's notice. Oflicers — so ran the order — will 
 take nothing with them hut one spare shirt, one spare 
 pair of shoes, a hlanket. a hearskin, and |>rovisions for 
 twelve days; Indians are not to anuise themsilves by 
 taking scalps till the enemy is entirely defeated, since 
 they can kill ten men in the time required to seal}) one. 
 Then Dieskau moved on, with nearly all his force, to 
 
 J 
 
.!| 
 
 Hi 
 
 fill!!} 
 
 ill 
 
 26 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CUAMPLAIN. 
 
 Carillon, or Ticoiidcroga, a promontory commanding 
 both the routes by wliicli alone Johnson could advance, 
 that of Wood Creek and that of Lake Ccorgo. 
 
 The Indian allies were commanded by Legardeur de 
 Saint-Pierre. These unmanageable warriors were a con- 
 stant annoyance to Dieskau, being a species of humanity 
 (luite new to him. "They drive us crazy," he says, 
 "from morning till night. There is no end to their 
 demands. They have already eaten five oxen and as 
 many hogs, without counting the kegs of brandy they 
 have drunk. In short, one needs tlie patience of an 
 angel to get on with these devils ; and yet one must 
 always force himself to seem pleased with them." 
 
 They would scarcely even go out as scouts. At last, 
 however, on the fourth of Se])tcmb(M-, a reconnoitring 
 party came in with a seal]) and an English ])risoner 
 caught near Fort Lyman. He was questioned under the 
 threat of being given to the Indians for torture if lie did 
 not tell the truth; but, nothing daunted, he invented a 
 ])atriotic falsehood ; and thinking to lure his captors 
 into a traj), told them that the English army had fallen 
 back to Albany, leaving five hundred men at Fort 
 Lyman, which he represented as indefensible. Dieskau 
 resolved on a rapid movement to seize the place. At 
 noon of the same day, leaving a part of his force at 
 Ticonderoga, lie embarked the rest in canoes and ad- 
 vanced along the narrow prolongation of Lak(! Chaui- 
 plain that stretched southward through the wilderness 
 to where the town of Whitehall now stands. He soon 
 came to a point whore the lake dwindled to a more canal, 
 while two mighty rocks, capped with stunted forests, 
 faCv'd each other from the opposing l)anks. ITerc he 
 loft an officer named Roquomaure with a dotaclimont 
 of troojts, and again advanced along a belt of quiet water 
 
 III 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEOnOE. 
 
 27 
 
 Handing 
 idvunce, 
 
 • 
 
 •deur de 
 ro a cun- 
 umanity 
 ho says, 
 to their 
 
 and as 
 idy tlicy 
 id of an 
 nc must 
 !m." 
 At last, 
 moitring 
 ])nsoner 
 ndcr the 
 f he did 
 
 cntod a 
 
 captors 
 ,d fallen 
 at Fort 
 Dieskaii 
 ice. At 
 force at 
 
 and ad- 
 0, Cham- 
 Idorncss 
 Te soon 
 ro canal, 
 
 forests, 
 ITcre he 
 ficlimont 
 et water 
 
 traced through the midst of a deep marsh, green at 
 that season with sedge and water-weeds, and known 
 to the English as the Drowned Lands. JJeyond, on 
 either hand, ci'ags feathered with bircii and fir, or liills 
 mantled with woods, looked down on tlie long procession 
 of canoes. As they nearcd the site of Whitehall, a pas- 
 sage opened on the right, the entrance to a slieet of 
 lonely water slumbering in the shadow of woody moun- 
 tains, and forming the lake then, as now, called South 
 Day. They advanced to its head, landed where a small 
 stream enters it, left the canoes under a guard, and 
 began llicir march through the forest. Tiiey counted 
 in all two hundred and sixteen regulars of the battalions 
 of Languedoc and La Reinc, six hundred and eighty- 
 four Canadians, and about six hundred Indians. Every 
 olliccr and man carried provisions for eight dnys in his 
 knapsack. They encamped at night by ii brook, nud in 
 the morning, after hearing ^lass. marched again. The 
 evening of the next day brought them near the road that 
 led to Lake George. Fort Lyman was but three miles 
 distant. A man on horseback galloi)ed by ; it was 
 Adams, Johnson's unfortunate messenger. The Indians 
 shot him, and found the letter in his ))ocket. Soon 
 after, ten or twelve wngons a])j)eared in charge of mu- 
 tinous drivers, who had left the English can))) without 
 ordiM's. Several of them were shot, two were taken, and 
 the rest ran off. The two captives declared that, con- 
 trary to the assertion of the prisoner at Ticonderoga, a 
 large force lay encamped at the lake. Tlu> Indians now 
 held a coimcil, and presently gave out that they would 
 not attack the fort, wliich they thouulit well su])plied 
 with cannon, but that they were willing to attack the 
 camp at Lake George. Remonstrance was lost upon 
 them. Dieskau was not young, but he was daring to 
 

 28 LAKE GEOUCiE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 rashness, and inflamed to emulation by the victory over 
 Braddock. The enemy were reported greatly to outnum- 
 ber him ; but his Canadian advisers had assured him 
 that the English colony militia were the worst troojjs 
 on the lace of the earth. '' The more there are," he 
 said to the Canadians and Indians, " the more we shall 
 kill ;" and in the morning the order was given to march 
 for the lake. 
 
 They moved rapidly on through the waste of pines, 
 and soon entered the rugged valley that led to Johnson's 
 camp. On their right was a gorge where, shadowed in 
 bushes, gurgled a gloomy brook; and beyond rose the 
 cliiTs that buttressed the rocky heights of French Moun- 
 tain, seen by glimpses between the boughs. On their 
 left rose gradujj^v the lower slopes of West Mountain. 
 All was red:, ;;i;cket, and forest; there Avas no open 
 space but the road along which the regulars marched, 
 while the Cai, -^ia), ■ and Indians pushed their way 
 through the woods in such order as the broken ground 
 would permit. 
 
 They were three miles from the lake, when their 
 scouts brought in a prisoner who told them that a col- 
 umn of English troops was approaching. Dieskau's 
 preparations were quickly made. While the regulars 
 lialted on the road, the Canadians and Indians moved 
 to the front, whei-e most of them hid in the forest along 
 the slo])es of West Mountain, and the rest lay close 
 among the thickets on the other side. Thus, when the 
 English advanced to attack the regulars in front, they 
 would find themselves caught in a double ambush. No 
 sight or sound betrayed the snare ; but behind every 
 bush crouched a Canadian or a savage, with gun cocked 
 and ears intent, listening for the tramp of the approach- 
 ing column. 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 29 
 
 The wagoners who escaped the cvoiiiiig before had 
 reached tlic camp about midnight, and re})orted that 
 there was a war-party on the road near Fort L\nian. 
 Johnson had at this time twenty-two hundred efi'ectivo 
 men, besides his three hundred Indians, lla called a 
 council of war in the morning, and a resolution was 
 taken Avhich can only be explained by a complete mis- 
 conception as to the force of the French. It was de- 
 termined to send out two detachments of five humlred 
 men each, one towards Fort Lyman, and the other 
 towards South Bay, the object l)cing, according to John- 
 son, " to catch the enemy in their retreat." Ilendrick, 
 chief of the Mohaw-ks, a brave and sagacious warrior, 
 expressed his dissent after a fashion of his own. lie 
 picked up a stick and broke it ; then he i)ickcd up 
 several sticks, and showed that together they could not 
 be broken. The hint was taken, and the two detach- 
 ments were joined in one. Still the old savage shook 
 his head. "If they arc to be killed," he said, "they 
 are too many ; if they arc to fight, they arc too few." 
 Nevertheless, he resolved to share their fortunes; and 
 mounting on a gun-carriage, he harangued his warriors 
 with a voice so animated, and gestures so expressive, 
 that the New England ofTicera listened in admiration, 
 though they understood not a Avord. One difTiculty 
 remained. He was too old and fat to go afoot; but 
 Johnson lent him a horse, which he bestrode, and trotted 
 to the liead of the column, followed by two hundred of 
 his warriors as fast as they could grease, paint, and 
 be feather themselves. 
 
 Captain Elisha Hawley was in his tent, finishing a 
 letter which he had just written to his brother Joseph ; 
 and these were the last words: "I am this minute ago- 
 ing out in company with five hundred men to see if we 
 
} 
 i 
 
 80 
 
 LAKE r.EOIiCJE AND LAKE CIIAMPI.AIX. 
 
 W 
 
 can intercept 'em in their retreat, or lind their canoes 
 in the Drowned Lands; und therefore must eonehide 
 this letter." lie elosed and directed it ; and in un hour 
 received his deatii-wound. 
 
 Jt Avas soon after eight (/clock when Ejthraini "Wil- 
 liams left the canij) with his regiment, marched a little 
 distance, and tlien waiti'd for the rest of the detachment 
 under Lieutenant-Colonel Whitinu;. Thus Dieskau had 
 full time to lay his amltush. Wlien Whiting came up, 
 the wliole moved on together, so little conscious of dan- 
 ger that no scouts were thrown out in front ov ilank ; 
 and, in full security, they entered Ihe fatal snare. J)e- 
 forc they were comi)letely involved in it, the sharp eye 
 of old Ilendrick detected some sign of an enemy. At 
 that instant, whether by accident or design, a gun was 
 fired from the bushes. It is said that Picskau's Jroquois, 
 seeing Afohawks, their relatives, in the van, wished to 
 warn them of danger. If so, tlu^ warning came too late. 
 The thickets on the left Idazed out a deadly lire, and 
 the men fell by scores. In the words of Dieskau, the 
 head of the coliinm "was doul)led up like a pack of 
 cards." Hendriek's horse was shot down, and tlie chief 
 was killed with a bayonet as he tried to rise. "Williams, 
 seeing a rising ground on his rigid, made for it, calling 
 on his men to follow ; but as ho climbed the slope, guns 
 flashed from the bushes, and a shot through the brain 
 laid him dead. The men in the rear pressed forward 
 to support their comrades, when a hot fire was suddenly 
 opened on them from the forest along their right flank. 
 Then there was a panic : some fled outright, and the 
 whole column recoiled. The van now became the rear, 
 and all the force of the enemy rushed upon it, shouting 
 and screeching. There was a moment of total confusion ; 
 but a part of Williams's regiment rallied under command 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 81 
 
 of WliitiiiLsnnd covered the rolreat, li^ditin«v bi'liind trees 
 like Indians, and firing and falling buck by tnrns, bnivclv 
 aided bv some of the Mohawks and by* a detaehmen't 
 whieh Johnson sent to their aid. ^^ And a very hand- 
 some retreat they made," writes Tomerov ; '-and so 
 eontinued till they came within about three (niarters of 
 a mile of our camp. This was the last fire our men gave 
 our enemies, which killed great nund)era of them; Uiey 
 were seen to drop as i)igcons." So emied the fray long 
 known in New England fireside story as the "bloody 
 morning scout." Dieskan now ordered a lialt, and 
 sounded his trumpets to collect his scattered men. J I is 
 Indians, however, were sullen and unmamigeable, and 
 the Canadians also showed signs of wavering. The 
 veteran who commanded them all, Legardeur de Saint- 
 Pierre, had been killed. At length they were jjersuaded 
 to move again, the regulars leading the way. 
 
 About nn hour after Williams and his men had begun 
 their march, a distant rattle of musketry was heard at 
 the cnniji; and as it grew nearer and louder, the lis- 
 teners knew that their comrades were on the retreat. 
 Then, at the eleventh hour, preparations were begun for 
 defence. A sort of bnrricadc was made along the fi'ont 
 f>f the cnmp, jiartly of wagons, and i)nrtly of inverted 
 bateaux, liut chiefly of the trunks of trees hastily hewn 
 down in the neighboring forest and laid end to end in 
 a single row. The line extended from the southern 
 slopes of the hill on the left across a tract of rough 
 ground to the marshes on the right. The forest, choked 
 with bushes and clumps of rank ferns, was within a few 
 yards of the barricade, and there was scarcely time to 
 hack away the intervening thickets. Three cannon were 
 planted to sweep the road that descended through the 
 pines, and another was dragged up to the ridge of the 
 

 32 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CILVMFLAIN. 
 
 [> W 
 
 \>. ( 
 
 : 'I 
 
 hill. The (.Icfoatct] party began to come in; first, scared 
 fii,L?itives botli wiiite and red; then, gangs of men bring- 
 ing the wounded ; and at last, an hour and a half alter 
 the first lire was heard, the main detaehnu'ut was seen 
 marching in compact bodies down the road. 
 
 Five hundred men were detailed to guard the flanks 
 of the camp. The rest stood behind the wagons or lay 
 Hat behind the logs and inverted bateaux, the Massachu- 
 setts men on the right, and the Connecticut men on the 
 left. Besides Indians, this actual fighting force was 
 between sixteen and seventeen hundred rustics, very few 
 of whom had been under fire before that morning. They 
 were hardly at their posts when they saw ranks of white- 
 coated soldiers moving down the road, and bayonets 
 that to them seemed innumerable glittering between the 
 boughs. At tlic same time a terrific burst of war-whoops 
 rose along the front ; and, in the words of Poincroy, 
 "* the Canadians and Indians, helter-skelter, the woods 
 full of them, came running with undaunted courage riirht 
 down the hill upon ns, expecting to mike us flee." 
 Some of the men grew uneasy; while the chief officers, 
 sword in hand, threatened inst:int death to any who 
 should stir fi'om their posts. If Dieskan hnd made nn 
 assault at that instant, there could be little doubt of the 
 result. 
 
 This he well kncw^ ; but he was powerless. He had 
 Ids small force of regnlars well in hand ; but the rest, 
 red and white, were beyond control, scattering through 
 the woods and swamps, shouting, yelling, and firing from 
 behind trees. The regulars advanced with intrepidity to- 
 wards the camp where the trees were thin, deployed, and 
 fired by platoons, till Captain Eyre, who commanded the 
 artillery, opened on them with grape, broke their ranks, 
 and compelled them to take to cover. The fusillade 
 
BATTLK OF LAKE GEOUOE. 
 
 33 
 
 was now general on both sidca, and soon grew fmions. 
 " Purliuius," Sclli PonuToy wrote to his wile, two dayn 
 after, " the hailstones from heaven were never niueh 
 thicker than llieir bullets came ; but, blessed bo (Jod ! 
 that did not in the least dannt or disturb us." Johnson 
 received a flesh-wound in the thigh, and spent the rest 
 of the day in his tent. Lynnin took einnniand ; and it 
 is a marvel that he escaped alive, f<jr lie was four liours 
 in the heat of the lire, directing and animating tlie uien. 
 '■' It was the most awful day my eyes ever beheld," wrote 
 Surgeon Williams to his wife ; '* tiiere seemed to bo 
 nothing but thunder and lightning aud perj)etual pillai's 
 of smoke." To him, his c(*lleague Doctor Pynchon, one 
 assistant, and a young student called " Billy," fell the 
 charge of the wounded of his regiment. ''The bullets 
 Hew about our ears all the time of dressing them; so 
 we thought best to leave our tent aud retire a few rods 
 behind the shelter of a log-house." On the adjacent hill 
 stood oue Dlodget, who seems to liave been a sutler, 
 Avatching, as well as bushes, trees, and smoke would let 
 him, the progress of the fight, of which he soon after 
 made aud published a curious bird's-eye view. As the 
 wounded men were carried to the rear, the wagoners 
 about the cnmp took their guns and powder-horns, and 
 joiuod in tlie fray. A Moluiwk, seeing one of these men 
 still nnarmed, leaped over the barricade, tomahawked 
 the nearest Canadian, smitched his gun, and darted back 
 uuhurt. The brave savage found no imitators among 
 his tril)csmcn, most of whom did nothing l)ut utter a few 
 ■war-whoaps, saying that they had come to see their 
 English brothers fight. Some of the French Ir'i;i.is 
 opened a distant flank fire from the high ground beyond 
 the swamp on the right, but were driven off by a few 
 shells dropped among them. 
 
 3 
 

 34 
 
 LAKE GKOIKJK AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIX. 
 
 Dioskiiu liiid (lii'cctc'J hi.s first uituck a<rainst the loft 
 nnd cciitrc of Joliiison's posit ion. Making no ini|)r(;ssion 
 hciv, lie liicd to forc(! llu; rijilit, wlicn; lay the re;iinicnts 
 of Titconil), Rniij^ios, and Williams. Tlio fire was hot 
 lor about an hour. 'J'itconib was shot dead, u n^d in 
 front of lln' harricade, liring from hcliind a treo like a 
 coinnion soldier. At length Dieskau, o.\j)osing hinis(df 
 within short range of the English line, was hit in the 
 leg. IJis adjutant, Montreuil, himself wounded, came 
 his aid, and was washing tlu; injun^d limb with brandy, 
 when the unfortunate commander was again hit in the 
 knee and thigh, lie seated himself behind a tree, while 
 the Adjutant called two ('anadians to carry him to the 
 rear. One of them was instantly shot down. ^Montreuil 
 took his ])laco ; hut Dieskau refused to be moved, bitterly 
 denounced the Canadians and Indians, and onlered the 
 Adjutant to leave him and lead the regulars in a last 
 effort against the camp. 
 
 It was too late. Johnson's men, singly or in small 
 squads, were already crossing their row of logs; and 
 a few moments the whole dashed forward with a sIk 
 falling upon the eiuMiiy with hatchets and the butts of 
 their guns. The French and their allies lied. The 
 wounded Oencral still sat helpless by the tree, when he 
 saw a soldier aiming at him. lie signed to the man not 
 to fire ; but he pulled trigixor, shot him across the hij)s, 
 lea})cd upon him, and ordered him in French to surren- 
 der. "I said," writes Dieskau, '"You rascal, why did 
 you fire ? You sec a man Iving in his blood on the 
 ground, and yon shoot him! ' lie answered : ' How did 
 1 know that you had not got a pistol ? I had rather kill 
 the devil than have the devil kill me.' ' You are a 
 Frenchman?' I asked. ' Yes,' he replied ; ' it is more 
 than ten years since I left Canada ; ' whereupon several 
 
BATTf^E OF LAKH CEOltGK. 
 
 36 
 
 others icll on mc and stripped nic. I lold them to cairy 
 inc to their ^^oncnil, whieli tlicv did. On l<'arninii' who I 
 was, lio sent for Hiiri^oons, and. thouuh woimdcil hinisoif, 
 refused all assistances till my wounds were dressed." 
 
 It was near i\\i) o'clock when the final rout took placo. 
 Sonu! time hefoi-e, several hundred of tln^ Canadians and 
 Indians had left the field and returned to the seen(s of 
 tho mornini:^ liirht, to pliuider and scalp the dead. Tlioy 
 were resting theuiselvcs near a |iool in tho forest, closo 
 heside tho road, when thoir re|)ose was interru|>ted hy 
 a voll(>v of hidlets. It was fired hv a scoiitinu' pai'ty 
 fi'om Port Lyman, chiefly haidvwoodsnien, under Captains 
 Folsoni and McCinnis. The assailants wore irrcatly 
 outnumhered ; but after a hard fi^'ht the Canadians 
 and Indians broke and lleil. Mc(Jiunis was mortally 
 wounded. lie continued to u'ive orders till the firinjij 
 was over; tlien fainted, and was carried, dyini^, to the 
 cain[). The bodies of the slain, accordini^ to tradition, 
 were thrown into the pool, which bears to this day the 
 name of Bloody Pond. 
 
 'JMi(> various bauds of fuiritives rejoined each other 
 towards niuht, and encamped in the forest ; then ma<lo 
 their way round the southern shoulder of French ^[oun- 
 tain, till, in the next eveniuir, they reached their canoes. 
 Their pliu'ht was (leploral)le ; for they had left tluur 
 knapsacks behind, and were spent with fatiLiuc and 
 famine. 
 
 Meanwhile their c.iptive preneral was not yet out of 
 danirer. The ^fohawks wer(^ furious at their losses in 
 the ambush of tin; morninu', and above all at the death 
 of Ilendrick. Scarcely were Dieskau's wounds dressed, 
 when several of them came into the tent. There was a 
 louL!- and ansxrv dispute in their own htnu'uaire between 
 them and Johnson, after which tliey went out very 
 
 m 
 
 if 
 
 h: 
 'U 
 
 '\ 
 
 i 
 
 ■'i 
 
 m 
 
\ § 
 
 36 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 ft 
 
 f iiiil 
 
 ^ 
 
 ; 
 
 11 
 
 sullenly. Dicskau asked what tlioy wanted. " What do 
 they want ? " returned Johnson. " To burn you, by 
 God, eat you, and smoke you in their jjijjes, in revenge 
 for three or four of their chiefs that were killed. But 
 never fear ; you shall be safe with me, or else they shall 
 kill us both." The Mohawks soon came back, atid another 
 talk ensued, excited at first, and then more calm ; till 
 at length the visitors, seemingly api»eased, smiled, gave 
 Dicsivau their hands in sign of friendshi}), and quietly 
 went out again. Johnson warned him that he was not 
 yot safe ; and when the prisoner, fearing that his pres- 
 ence might incommode his host, asked to be removed to 
 another tent, a captain and fifty men were ordered to 
 guard him. In the morning an Indian, alone and appar- 
 ently unarmed, loitered al)out the entrance, and the 
 stujiid sentinel let him pass in. lie immediately drew 
 a sword from under a sort of cloak which he wore, and 
 tried to stab Dicskau ; but was prevented by the colonel 
 to whom the tent belonged, who seized upon him, took 
 away his sword, and pushed him out. As soon as his 
 wounds would permit, Dicskau Avas carried on a litter, 
 strongly escorted, to Fort Lyman, whence he was sent 
 to Albany, and afterwards to New York. lie is profuse 
 in expressions of gratitude for the kindness shown him 
 by the colonial ofllcers, and especially by Johnson. Of 
 the provincial soldiers he remarked soon after the battle 
 that in the morning they fought like good boys, about 
 noon like men, and in tlie afternoon like devils. In the 
 spring of 1757 he sailed for England, and was for a 
 time at Falmouth ; whence Colonel Matthew Sewell, 
 feariufi: that he mi<2:ht e and learn too much, wrote to 
 the Earl of Iloldern e : " Tbe Baron has great pene- 
 tration and quickness of a])prehension. His long service 
 under Marshal Saxc renders bim a man of real conse- 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEORGE. 
 
 37 
 
 (luonco, to be cautiously observed. His circumstances 
 deserve compassion, for indeed they are very melancholy, 
 and I much doubt of his being ever perfectly cured," 
 lie was afterwards a lont^ time at Bath, for the benefit 
 of the waters. In 1700 the famous Diderot met him at 
 Paris, cheerful and full of anecdote, though wretchedly 
 shattered by his wounds. Pic died a few years later. 
 
 On the night after the battle the veomcn warriors felt 
 the truth of the saying that, next to defeat, the saddest 
 thing is victory. Comrades and friends by scores lay 
 scattered througli the forest. As soon as he could snatch 
 a moment's leisure, the overworked surgeon sent the 
 dismal tidings to his wife : " My dear brother Ephraira 
 was killed by a ball through his head ; poor brother 
 Josiah's wound I fear will prove mortal ; ])()or Captain 
 Ilawley is yet alive, though I did not think he would 
 live two hours aftev bringing him in." Daniel Pomeroy 
 was shot dead ; and his brother Seth wrote the news 
 to his wife Rachel, who was just delivered of a child : 
 " Dear Sister, this brings heavy tidings ; but let not 
 your heart sink at the news, though it be your loss of a 
 dear husband. Monday the eighth instant was a mem- 
 orable day ; and truly you may say, had not the Lord 
 been on our side, we must all have been swallowed up. 
 My brother, being one that went out in the first engage- 
 ment, received a fatal shot through the middle of the 
 head." Seth Pomei'oy found a moment to write also to 
 his own wife, whom he tells that another attack is ex- 
 pected ; adding, in quaintly pious phrase : " But as Cod 
 hath begun to show mercy, I hope he will go on to be 
 gracious." Pomeroy was employed during the next few 
 days with four hundred men in what he cnlls '"- the 
 melancholy piece of business" of burying the dead. A 
 letter-writer of the time does not approve what was done 
 
 k 
 
^^ 
 
 B 
 
 i 
 
 38 LAKE GEOllGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 I 
 
 on this occasion. " Our i)Coplo," lie says, " not only 
 buried the French dead, but buried as many of them as 
 mip;ht be witliout tlie knowledge ol' our Indians, to j)re- 
 vent their being scalped. This 1 call an excess of civil- 
 ity ; " his reason being that Uraddock's dead soldiers 
 had been left to the wolves. 
 
 The I'^nglish loss in killed, wounded, and missing was 
 two hundred and sixty-two ; and that of the French, by 
 their own account, two hundred and twenty-eight, — a 
 somewhat modest result of live hours' lighting. The 
 English loss was chieily in the aml)ush of the morning, 
 where the killed greatly outnumbered the W(jun<' ', 
 because those who fell and could not be carried a. .ay 
 were tomahawked by Dieskau's Indians. In the fight 
 at the camp, both Indians and (Canadians kept them- 
 selves so well under cover that it was very dilTicult for 
 the New England men to pick them off, while they on 
 their part lay close l)ehind their row of logs. On the 
 French side, the regular olVicers and troo})S bore the 
 brunt of the battle and suffered the chief loss, nearly all 
 of the former and nearly half of the latter being killed 
 or wounded. 
 
 Jolmson did not follow up his success. He says that 
 his men were tired. Yet five hundred of them had 
 stood still all day, and boats enough for their transpor- 
 tation Avero lying on the beach. Ten miles down the 
 lake, a path led over a gorge of the mountains to Soutli 
 Bay, where Dieskau had left his canoes and provisions. 
 It needcnl but a few hours to reach and destroy them ; 
 but no such attempt was made. Nor, till a week after, 
 did Johnson send out scouts to learn the strength of the 
 enemy at Ticonderoga. Lyman strongly urged him to 
 make an efTort to seize that important ])ass ; but Johnson 
 tijought only of holding his own position. " I think," 
 
BATTLE OF LAKE GEOKGE. 
 
 -39 
 
 he wrote, " we may expect very shortly a more foriui- 
 dable attack." He made a solid breastwork to deleiid 
 his camp; and as reinforcements arrived, set them at 
 building a fort, which he named Fort William Henry, 
 on a rising ground by the hike. It is true that just after 
 the battle he was delicient iu stores, and liad not bateaux 
 enough to move his whole force. It is true, also, that 
 he was wounded, and that he was too jealous of Lvman 
 to delegate the command to him ; and so the days j)assed 
 till, within a fortnight, his nimble enemy were intrenched 
 at Ticonderoga in force enough to defy him. 
 
 The Crown Point expedition was a failure disguised 
 midcr an incidental success. 
 
 1 
 
4 
 
 9 
 
 A WINTER RAID. 
 
 I il 
 
 'ITT'IIILE Johnson was building Fort "William Henry 
 ^^ at one end of Lake George, the French bc.i-an 
 Fort Ticonderoga at the other, though they did not 
 finish it till the next year. In the winter of 1757, 
 hearing that the English were making great i)rei)ara- 
 tions at Fort William Henry to attack them, they 
 resolved to anticipate the blow and seize that })ost by 
 surprise. To this end, Vaudreuil, Governor of Canada, 
 sent a large detachment from Montreal, while the small 
 body of troops and provincials who occupied the English 
 fort remained wholly ignorant of the movement. 
 
 On St. Patrick's Day, the seventeenth of March, the 
 Irish soldiers wiio formed a part of the garrison of Fort 
 William Henry were paying homage to their patron 
 saint in libations of heretic rum, the i)roduct of New 
 England stills ; and it is said that John Stark's rangers 
 forgot theological differences in their zeal to share the 
 festivity. The story adds that they were restrained 
 by their commander, and that their enforced sobriety 
 proved the saving of the fort. This may be doubted ; 
 for without counting the English soldiers of the garrison 
 who had no sj)ecial call to be drunk that day, the fort 
 was in no danger till twenty-four hours after, when the 
 revellers had had time to rally from their pious carouse. 
 Whether rangers or British soldiers, it is certain that 
 watchmen were on the alert during the night between 
 
t : i 
 
 f .'J 
 
 A WINTER KAII). 
 
 41 
 
 tlio cighteciitli and nineteenth, and that towards one in 
 the morninijr thev heard a sonnd of axes far down tlic 
 hdve, followed by the faint ghnv of a distant iire. The 
 inferenee was phiin, that an enemy was there, and that 
 the necessity of Avarming lumself had overcome his can- 
 tion. Tiicn all was still for some two honrs, when, 
 listening in the pitchy darlaiess, the watchers heard the 
 footsteps of a great body of men approaching on the ice, 
 which at the time was bare of snow. The garrison were 
 at their posts, and all the cannon on the side towards 
 the lake vomited grape and round-shot in the direction 
 of the sound, which thereafter was heard no more. 
 
 Those who made it were the detachmeni, called by 
 Vaudreuil an army, sent by him to seize the English 
 fort. Shirley had planned a similar stroke against 
 Ticonderoga a year before ; but the provincial levies had 
 come in so slowly, and the ice had broken n|) so soon, 
 that the scheme was abandoned. Vaudreuil was more 
 fortunate. The whole force, regulars, Canadians, and 
 Indians, was ready to his hand. No pains were s]»ared 
 in ccpiipping them. Overcoats, blankets, bearskins to 
 slee}) on, tarpaulins to sleep under, sjjarc moccasons, 
 spare mittens, kettles, axes, needles, awls, flint and 
 steel, and many miscellaneous articles were i)rovided, to 
 be dragged bv the men on light Indian sledues, along 
 with jirovisions for twelve days. The cost of the ex- 
 pedition is set at a million francs, answering to more 
 than as many dollars of the present time;. To the dis- 
 gust of the oflicers from France, the (lovernor named 
 his brother Rigaud for the chief command; and before 
 the end of February the whole party was on its march 
 along the ice of Lake Cbaniplain. They rested nearly 
 a week at Ticonderoga, where no less than three hun- 
 dred short scaling-ladders, so constructed that two or 
 
 J 
 
 i 
 if 
 
 
42 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIX. 
 
 i 
 
 more could be joined in one, luid been made for them ; 
 and here, too, they reecived a reinlorcument, which 
 raised their number to sixteen liundi'ecl. Then, march- 
 ing three days along Lake George, they neared tlie fort 
 on the evening of the eighteenth, and prepared for a 
 general assault before daybreak. 
 
 'J'hc garrison, including rangers, consistent of three 
 hundred and fortv-six eficctive men. The fort was not 
 strong, and a resolute assault by numbers so suj)erior 
 must, it seems, have overpowered the defenders ; but 
 the Canadians and Indians who composed most of the 
 attacking force were not suited for such work ; and, 
 disa])pointed in his ho])e of a surprise, Kigaud withdrew 
 them at davbreak, after ti'ving in vain to burn the 
 buildings outside. A few hours after, the whole body 
 rea})peared, filing off to surround the fort, on which they 
 kei)t \\\) a brisk but harndess lire of musketry. \\\ tlie 
 night they wqyq heard again on the ice, approaching as 
 if for an assault ; and the cannon, firing towards the 
 somid, airain drove them back. There was silence for 
 a while, till tongues of flame lighted u}) the gloom, and 
 two sloops, ice-bound in the lake, and a large number of 
 bateaux on the shore were seen to be on fire. A party 
 sallied to save them ; but it was too late. In the 
 morning they were all consumed, and the enemy had 
 vanished. 
 
 It was Sunday, the twentieth. Everything was quiet 
 till noon, when the French filed out of the woods and 
 marched across the ice in procession, ostentatiously 
 carrying their scaling-ladders, and showing themselves 
 to the best effect. They stop))ed at a safe distance, 
 fronting towards the fort, and several of them advanced, 
 waving a red flag. An olllcer with a few men went to 
 meet them, and returned bringing Le Mercier, chief of 
 
 li- 
 
A WINTER RAID. 
 
 43 
 
 the Canadian artillery, who, being led blindfuld into the 
 fort, annonnced himself us bearer of a message from 
 Rigaud. lie was condueted to the room of Major Eyre, 
 wiiere all the British ollieers were assembled; and, after 
 nintnal eomi)liments, he invited them to give u\) the 
 j)lacc pcaeeably, promising the most favorable terms, 
 and threatening a general assanlt and massaere in ease 
 of refusal. Eyre said that he should d(>fend himself to 
 the last ; and the envoy, again blindfolded, was led back 
 to whence he came. 
 
 The whole French force now advanced as if to storm 
 the works, and the garrison prepared to receive them. 
 Nothing came of it but a fusillade, to which the British 
 made no reply. At night the French were heard ad- 
 vancing again, and each man nerved himself for the 
 crisis. The real attack, however, was not against the 
 fort, but against the buildings outside, which consisted 
 of several storehouses, a lios})ital, a saw-mill, and the 
 huts of the rangers, besides a sloop on the stocks and 
 piles of planks and cord-wood. Covered by the niglit, 
 the assailants crept up with fagots of resinous sticks, 
 j)laced them against the farther side of the buildings, 
 kindled them, and escaped before the flame rose ; while 
 the garrison, straining their ears in the thick darkness, 
 fired wherever they heard a sound. Before morning all 
 around them was in a blaze, and they had much ado to 
 save the fort barracks from the shower of burning 
 cinders. At ten o'clock th(^ fires had subsided, and a 
 thick fall of snow began, filling the air with a restless 
 chaos of large moist flakes. This lasted all day and all 
 the next night, till the ground and the ice were covered 
 to a depth of three feet and more. The French lay 
 close in their camps till a little before dawn on Tuesday 
 morning, when twenty volunteers from the regulars 
 
 ill 
 
 
 I 
 
 AM. 
 
 ji 
 
44 
 
 LAKE GEOIIGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 I 
 
 ■11 
 
 i 
 
 made a bold attempt to burn the sloop (Jii the stocks, 
 with several storehouses and other structures, and 
 several hundred scows and whalebouts which had thus 
 far escsiped. They were only in part successful ; but 
 they fired the bloop and some buildings near it, and 
 stood far out on the ice watching the flaming vessel, a 
 superb bonfire amid the wilderness of snow. The 
 sf>ectacle cost the volunteers a fourth of their number 
 killed and wounded. 
 
 On Wednesday morning the sun rose bright on a 
 scene of wintry splendor, alid the frozen lake was dotted 
 with Rigaud's retreating followers toiling towards Can- 
 ada on snow-shoes. Before they reached it many of 
 them were blinded for a while by the insufferable glare, 
 and their comrades led them homewards by the hand. 
 
 I 
 
SIEGE AND MAS.^ACRE OF FORT WILLIAM 
 
 HENRY. 
 
 TTAVIN(J ftiiloa to take Fort William Henry by siir- 
 -*■ -*• prise, the Freueli resolved to attack it with all the 
 force they eould bring against it, and in the snnmier of 
 17o7 the Man|iiis de Montcalm and the Chevalier de 
 Levis advanced against it with about eight thousand re<>- 
 ulars, Canadians, and Indians. The whole assembled at 
 Ticonderoga, where several weeks were sjjcnt in i)re])a- 
 ration. Provisions, camp equipage, ammunition, cannon, 
 and bateaux were dragged by gangs of men up the road 
 to the head of the rapids. The work went on through 
 heat and rain, by day and night, till, at the end of July, 
 all was done. 
 
 Tlic bateaux lay ready by the shore, but could not 
 carry the whole force; and Ldvis received orders to 
 march by the side of the lake with twenty-five hundred 
 men, Canadians, regulars, and Iro(iuois. lie set out at 
 daybreak of the thirtieth of July, his men carrying noth- 
 ing but their knapsacks, blankets, and weapons. Guided 
 by the unerring Indians, they climbed the steep gorge 
 at the side of Rogers Rock, gained the valley beyond, 
 and marched southward along a Mohawk trail which 
 threaded the forest in a course parallel to the lake. The 
 way was of the roughest; many straggled from the line, 
 and two officers completely broke down. The first des- 
 tination of the party was the mouth of Ganouskic Bay, 
 
 I 
 
 Si 
 
40 
 
 LAKi: v.Konc.]: and lake ciiamplaix. 
 
 now called Ncjrlliwcst Hay, Avlicrc^ Ihcy wci-c tu wait for 
 Aloiilcalin, and kindlt; lliroo liro.s as a .si<;iial that tlicv 
 had reached the rendezvous. 
 
 Montcalm left ii detachment to hohl Ticoudero^a ; 
 and then, on the first of Angiist, at two in the afternoon, 
 he embarked at tlie Btirned Camp with all liis remaining 
 force. Inclndin.ir those with Levis, tlie expedition eonnted 
 about seven thousand six hundred men, of wliom more 
 than sixteen liuudred were Indians. At five; in the 
 afternoon they reached tlie place where the Indians, ^vho 
 had gone on before the rest, were smokint; their jtipes 
 and waiting for the army. The red warriors endjarked, 
 and joined tlu; FrcMich flotilla; and now, as evening drew 
 near, "was seen one of those ^vild pageantries of -war 
 Avhlch l^ake (leorgc has often witnessed. A restless 
 multitude of birch canoes, filled with ])ainted savages, 
 glided by shores and islands, like ti'oojjs of swinnning 
 water-fowl. Two hundred and fifty bateanx came next, 
 moved by sail and oar, some bcai'ing the Canadian 
 militia, and some the battalions of Old France in trim 
 and gay attire: first, La Heine and Languedoc ; then 
 tlic colony regtdars; then La Sarrc and Cuienne; then 
 the Canadian brigade of Courtemanchc ; th<>n the can- 
 non and mortars, each on a i)latform snstainc^d by two 
 bateanx lashed side by side, and rowed by the militia of 
 Snint-Ours ; then the battalions of Beam and Royal 
 Ronssillon ; then the Canadians of Gaspe, with the pro- 
 vision-bateaux and the field-hospital ; and, lastly, a rear 
 guard of regulars closed the line. So, nnder the flush 
 of sunset, they held their course along the romantic 
 lake, to jtlay their part in the historic drama that lends 
 a stern enchantment to its fascinating scenery. They 
 passed the Narrows in mist and darkness ; and whe::, a 
 little before dawn, they rounded the high promontory of 
 
 k 
 
^ 
 
 SIKGE OK FOKT WILLIAM llENUY. 47 
 
 Toiijrtio i\rt)un(ain, tlioy saw, far on tlie rij^lit, thrct' fiery 
 sparks shining tlirough the gloom. 'riii'sc were the- 
 signal-fn'cs of Luvis, to tuU them that he had I'eaehed 
 tlie appointed spot. 
 
 Levis had arrived the evening before, after his hard 
 march through tlie sultrv midsummer forest. His men 
 had now rested for a niglit, and at ten in the morning 
 ho marched again. iMontealm followed at noon, and 
 coasted the western shore, till, towards evening, he found 
 L6vis waiting for him hy the margin of a small hay not 
 far from the English fort, though hidden fi'om it hy a 
 projecting j)oint of land. Canoes and bateaux were 
 drawn uj) on the beach, and the united forces made 
 their bivouac together. 
 
 The earthen mounds of Fort William Henry still 
 stand by the brink of Lake George; and seated at the 
 sunset of an August day under the ])ines that cover 
 them, one gazes on a scene of soft and soothing beauty, 
 where dreamy waters reflect the glories of the moun- 
 tains and the skv. As it is to-dav, so it was then ; all 
 breathed repose and peace. The splash of some leaping 
 trout, or the dipping wing of a j)assing swallow, alone 
 disturbed the summer calm of that unruffled miri'or. 
 
 About ten o'clock at night two boats set out from the 
 fort to reconnoitre. They were passing a j)oint of land 
 on their left, two miles or more down the lake, when 
 the men on board descried through the gloom a strange 
 object against the bank; and they rowed towards it to 
 learn what it might be. It was an awning over the ba- 
 teau that carried Roubaud and his brother missionaries. 
 As the rash oarsmen drew near, the bleating of a sheej) 
 in one of the French provision-boats warned them of 
 danger; and turning, they pulled for their lives towai'ds 
 the eastern shore. Instantlv more than a thousand 
 
 19 ■ 
 

 48 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CILVMPLAIN. 
 
 If'' 
 
 iiuliiins threw tlicmsclvcH Into their ciinocs und dashed 
 in hot pursuit, niakin;^ the lake and tiie mountains rinii: 
 with tlio diu of (heir war-whoops. The I'uiiitives had 
 nearly reached hind when their pursuers oj»ened (ire. 
 Tlu'y repUed ; shot oiu; Indian dead, and wounded 
 another; tlien snatched their oars again, and gained the 
 beach. Hut tlie whole savage crew was upon them. 
 Several were killed, three were taken, and the rest es- 
 cai)ed in the dark woods. The prisoners were brought 
 before Montcalm, and gave him valuable information of 
 the strength and ))osition of the English.^ 
 
 The Indian who was killed was a noted chief of tho 
 Xijiissings ; and his tribesmen howled in grief for their 
 bereavement. They painted his face with vermilion, tied 
 feathers in his hair, hung jiendants in his cars and nose, 
 clad him in a resplendent war-dress, put silver bracelets 
 on his arms, hung a gorget on his breast with a ilamo- 
 colored ribbon, and seated him in state on the top of a 
 hillock, with his lance in his hand, his gun in the hollow 
 of his arm, his tomahawk in his belt, and his kettle by 
 his side. Then thev all crouched about him in luuubri- 
 ous silence. A funeral harangue followed ; and next a 
 song and solemn dance to the thumping of the Indian 
 drum. In the gray of the morning they buried him as 
 he sat, and i)laced food in the grave for his journey to 
 the land of souls. 
 
 As the sun rose above the eastern mountains tho 
 French camp was all astir. The column of Ldvis, with 
 Indians to lead the way, moved through the forest 
 towards the fort, and Montcalm followed with the main 
 
 1 The remains of Fort William Henry are now crowded bef^'- 
 hotel and the wliarf and station ol a railway. A scheme lias .t 
 
 on foot to level the whole for c flier railway structures. Wiiei. first 
 knew the place the ground was in much the same state as hi the tunc of 
 Montcalm. 
 
m 
 
 i 
 
 
 I? i 1 
 
 111 
 
 iiJ 
 

 
 s 
 
 I' i 
 
 'f ' I-.. I 
 
tl 
 
 i li n 
 
 SIEGE OF FORT WII LIAM IIENUY. 
 
 40 
 
 body ; then the artillery boats rounded the point that 
 had hid them from the sight of the English, saluting 
 them as thev did so with niuskctrv and cannon; while 
 a host of savages put out ui»ou the lake, ranged their 
 canoes abreast in a line from shore to shore, and ad- 
 vanced slowly, with measured paddle-strokes and yells 
 of defiance. 
 
 The position of the enemy was full in sight beft^i-e 
 them. At the head of tlic lake, towards the right, stood 
 the fort, close to the edge of the water. On its left was 
 a marsli ; then the rough piece of gi-ound where Johnson 
 had encamped two years before ; then a low, Hat, rocky 
 hill, crowned with an intrenched camp; and, lastly, on 
 the extreme left, another marsh. Far around the fort 
 and i\\) the slopes of the western mountain the forest had 
 been cut down and bmned, and the ground was cumbered 
 with blackened stumps and charred carcasses and liml)s 
 of fallen trees, strewn in savage disorder one upon 
 another. Distant shouts and war-cries, the clatter of 
 musketry, white ])ul'fs of smoke in the dismal clearing 
 and along the scorched edge of the bordering forest, told 
 that Levis' Indians were skirmishing with parties of the 
 English, who had gone out to save the cattle roiiming in 
 the neiirhborhood, and burn some out-bulldinus that 
 would have favored the ()esiegers. Others were taking 
 down the tents that stood on a plateau near the foot of 
 the mountain on the right, and nutving them to the 
 intrenehment on tlu^ hill. The garrison sallied from 
 the fort to support their comrades, and for a time the 
 firing was hot. 
 
 Fort William Henry was an irregular hastioned square, 
 formed by embankments of gravel surmounted by a 
 ram|tr:-t of heavy logs, laid in tiers crossed one upon 
 another, the interstices filled with earth. The lake pro- 
 
 iij 
 
li; ■ 
 
 50 
 
 LAKE GEOIIGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 tcctcd it on tlio north, tlic marsh on the cast, and ditches 
 with rhevaux-dc-frlse on the south and wc^st. Seventeen 
 cannon, great and small, besides several mortars and 
 swivels, were mounted ujion it ; and a brave Scotch 
 veteran, Lieutenant-Colonel Monro, of the thirty-fifth 
 regiment, was in command. 
 
 General Weld) lay fourteen miles distant at Fort Ed- 
 ward, with twenty-six hundred men, chielty provincials. 
 On the tw(Mitv-lii"th of Julv he had made a visit to Fort 
 William Henry, examined the place, given some orders, 
 and returned on the twenty-ninth. He then wrote to 
 the Goveinor of Xew York, telling him that the French 
 were certainly coming, begging him to send up the 
 militia, and saying: " 1 am determined to march to Fort 
 William Henry with the whole army under my command 
 as s<M)n as I shall hoar of the farther aj)proach of the 
 enemy." Instead of doing so he waited three days, and 
 then sent up a detachment of two hundred regulars 
 under Lieutenant-Colonel Young, and eight hundred 
 Massachus(>tts men under Colonel Fryc. This raised 
 the force at the lake to two thousand an i two hundred, 
 iiududing sailors and mechanics, and reduced that of 
 Webb to sixteen hundred, besides half as many more 
 distributed at Albany and the intervening forts. Tf, 
 according to his spirited intention, he should go to the 
 rescue of Monro, he must leave some of his troops behind 
 him to ])rotect the lower posts from a possible French 
 inroad by way of South Bay. Thus his power of aiding 
 Monro was slight, so rashly had Loudon, intent on 
 Louisbourg, left this frontier open to attack. The defect, 
 however, was as nnich in Webb himself as in his re- 
 sources. His conduct in the past year had raised doubts 
 of his personal courage ; and this was the moment for 
 answering them. Great as was the disparity of numbers, 
 
(\ 
 (1 
 
 a, 
 
 ct, 
 
 Irc- 
 
 
 SIEGE OF FORT Vv'ILLIAM HENRY. 
 
 r»l 
 
 the emerjrcncy woiiltl liavc justified an att(Mnpt to save 
 Monro at any risk. That oflicor sent liini a liasty note, 
 written at nine o'elock on the mornint^ of the tliird, 
 telling liini that the French were in sight on the lake; 
 and, in the next niglit, three rangers came to Fort 
 Edward, bringing another short note, dated at six in tlie 
 evening, announcing that the llring had begun, and clos- 
 ing with the words : " I believe you will think it |)roj)er 
 to send a reinforcenient as soon as possible/' Now, if 
 ever, was the time to move, before the fort was invested 
 and access cut off. IJut Webb lay (juiet, sending ex- 
 presses to New England for lielp which could not possibly 
 arrive in time. On the next night another note came 
 from Monro to say that the French were upon him in 
 great numbers, well sui)plied with artillery, but that the 
 garrison were all in good spirits. " I make no doul»t," 
 wrote the hard-pressed olhcer, " that you will soon scFid 
 us a reinforcement ; " and again on the same day : " Wo 
 are very certain that a part of the enemy have got be- 
 tween you and us upon the high road, aud would there- 
 fore be glad (if it meets with your approbation) the 
 whole army was marched.'" But AVc^bb gave no sign. 
 
 When the skirmishing around the fort was over. La 
 Corne, with a body of Indians, occupied the road that 
 led to Fort Edward, and Ldvis encamj)ed hard by to 
 support him. while ^fontcalm proceedinl to examine the 
 ground and settle his [)lan of . ttack. ITe made his way 
 to the rear of the intrenched cam[> and reconnoitred it, 
 hoping to carry it by assault ; but it had a breastwork 
 of stones and logs, and he thought the attempt too haz- 
 ardous. The ground where he stood was that where 
 Dieskau had been defeated ; and as the fate of his pre- 
 decessor was not of flattering augury, he resolved to 
 besiege the fort in form. 
 
 |1 
 
 ii 
 
•t 
 
 .J. 
 
 
 LAKE (JIKOUGE AND LAKE CJLVMPLAIX. 
 
 I \ 
 
 He I'liose for the sito of his optM-al ions the ground 
 now fovorod bv Ihc villii<j;(; of Culdwcll. A litth' to the; 
 nortli of it w;is u iMvinc, beyond whieii h(^ I'ornied liis 
 niiiin (Mnip, while Ldvis oceii|>ied a trnet of dry {rround 
 Ix'side the marsh, whence lie eonld easily move lo inler- 
 cept snceors fi'oni Foit lulward on the one hand, or repel 
 a sortie from Fort William Henry on the oilier. A brook 
 ran down the ravine and entered the \i\kv at a small 
 cove protected from tlu^ lire of tlie fort by a jioinl of 
 hind; and at this place, still calbnl Artillery Cove, 
 Monti'alm j)repared to debark liis cannon and mortars. 
 
 Ilavin,;;- made his jtri'parations, lie sent Fontbrune, one 
 of his aides-de-camp, with a lett(M- to Monro. " I owe it 
 to hiimauitv," lu' wrote, "to summon vou to surrender. 
 At present 1 can restiM' i the savaires, Jind make them 
 observe the terms of a capitidation, as 1 miu'ht not hav(^ 
 power to do under other circmnstances ; and an obstinate 
 defence on your part could only relai'd the caj)tui'e of tlu; 
 place a few days, and endae rer an unfortunate pin-ison 
 which cannot be relieved, in conse(pience of the dis|iosi- 
 tions I have made. 1 demand a ilecisive answer within 
 an hour." Monro replied that he and his soldiers would 
 dtM'end themselves to the last. Whih' the lla.u's of truci>, 
 were tlyinu', the Indians swarmed over the fields before 
 tlie fort; and when they learned the result, an Abenaki 
 chief shouted in broken French : '* Vou won't surrender, 
 eh I Fire away then, and tiirht your best ; for if 1 catch 
 vou, vou shall u:et no (inarter."' ^donro emphasized his 
 refusal by a j:"eneral discharijt^ of his cannon. 
 
 The treiu'hes were oju'iied on the niulit of the fourth, 
 — a task of extreme diniculty,as the jiround was covered 
 by a profusion of half-burned stumps, roots, branches, 
 and fallen trunks. Eight hundred men toiled till day- 
 light with pick, spade, and axe, while the cannon from 
 
If 
 
 SIEGE OF FORT WfLLIAM IIEXIIY. 
 
 53 
 
 
 '^i 
 
 the fort lliisli(!(i tliroiij^li tlu; darkiiuss, and fj^rapn and 
 round-shot whistled and screamed over the'ir licads. 
 Sonio of the Kn^lish halls reached (he camp heyoiid the 
 ravine, and distiirhed <he slumhers of the ollicers off 
 duty, as they lay vvnipped in their hhmkets and hear- 
 skins. Before dayhreak the (irst parallel was made; a 
 hattery was nearly finished on the left, and another was 
 he<ijun on the rii^ht. The men now workiid umhn- cover, 
 safe in their hnrrows ; one ^ang relieved another, and 
 the work went on all diiy. 
 
 Th(^ Indians were far from doing what was expected 
 of them. lnst(^ad of scouting in the direction of Fort 
 Kdward to learn the movements of tlie enemy and pre- 
 vent sur[>rise, they loitered ahout the; camp and in the 
 trenchi's, or amused themselves hy firing at the fort 
 from hehind stumps and logs. Some, in imitation of 
 the French, thig little trenches for themselves, in whi(;h 
 they wormed tiieir way towards the rami)ai't, and now 
 and then picked off an artillery-man, not without loss on 
 their own side. On the afternoon of the fifth, Montcalm 
 invited them to a council, gave them helts of wampum, 
 and mildlv remonstrated with tlnnn. " Whv exijose 
 yourselves without necessity ? T grieve hittei'ly over the 
 losses that you have met, for the least amonir you is 
 precious i6 nic. No douht it is a good thintr to annoy 
 the English ; hut that is not the main |>oint. You ought 
 to inform me of everything the enemy is doing, and 
 always ke(>p ])Jirties on the load hetween the two forts." 
 An«l he gently hinted that theii- place was not in his 
 camp, hut in that of Levis, where missionaries w«M'e 
 provided for such of them as were Christians, and food 
 and ammunition for them all. They promised, with 
 excellent docility, to do everything he wished, hut 
 added that there was something on their hearts. Being 
 
w 
 
 f:t 
 
 ■l ht-^ 
 
 54 
 
 LAKK GKOUGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 ciU'onra<j:<Ml to relievo tlu'ins(;lves of tho bunion, thcv 
 coMiplaiiuMl tliat tlioy luul not boon consultod as to tho 
 niana^oni(!iit, of tbo sioj^o, but woro oxpoctod to oboy 
 orders like slaves. " Wo know more about ligliting in 
 the woods than you," said their orator; " ask our advice, 
 and you will bo the better for it." 
 
 Montoalin assured them that if they had been nog- 
 looted, it was oidy through the hurry and confusion of 
 the time; expressed hiiih ap|)reoiation of their talents 
 for bush-lijihtint^, prouiisod them ani])io satisfaction, and 
 ended by toUinu; them tiiat in the niorniniL>: they shouhl 
 hoar tho big guns. This greatly pleased them, for they 
 were extremely imj)ationt for the artillery to begin. 
 About smiriso the battery of the loft opened with (Mght 
 lumvy cannon and a mortar, joined, on the next morn- 
 ing, by the battery of the right, with eleven pieces 
 more. The fort replied with sj)irit. The cannon thun- 
 dered all day, and from a hundred jxniks and cruus tho 
 astoiiishod wild(M-n(>ss roared back tho sound. The Ind- 
 ians were delighted. They wanted to point tho guns ; 
 and to humor them, thev wore now and then allowed 
 to do so. Others lay behind logs and fallen trees, and 
 yelled their satisfaction when they saw tho splinters 
 lly from tho wood«'n rampart. 
 
 Day aft(>r day th(> woiiry roar of the distant cannonade 
 fell on the oars of Webb in his camp at Fort Edward. 
 " 1 have not yet received tho least reinforcement," ho 
 writes to Loiulon ; ^ this is tho disagreeable situation wo 
 are at present in. The fort, by the heavy fii-ing we hear 
 from the lake, is still in our ))ossession ; but I fear it 
 cannot long hold out against so warm a cannonading 
 if I am not reinforced by a sutVicient number of militia 
 to march to their relief." Tho militia were coming; 
 but it was impossible that many could reach him in less 
 
SIEGE OF FOIiT WILLIAM HENRY. 
 
 55 
 
 than a week. Those; from New York alonu vvcro within 
 call, and two tlioiisand of thcni arrived soon after ho 
 sent London the above letter. Then, by 8tiij)|>ing all 
 the forts below, he could brini^ toj^ether forty-live hun- 
 dred men; while several French des(3rters assured him 
 that Montcalm had nearly twelve thousand. To iidvance 
 to the relief of Monro with a force so inferior, throu.<,di 
 a deliloof rocks, forests, and mountains, mad(; by naturt; 
 for ambuscades, — and this loo with troojts who had 
 neither the steadiness of rey-ulars nor the bush-li<rhtin<r 
 skill of Indians, — was an enterprise for firmer nerve 
 than his. 
 
 He had already warned Monro to exjM'ct no helj) from 
 him. At midni.irht of tlie fourth, (.'iiptain IJartman, his 
 aide-de-cani]), wrote: ''The (Jeneral has ordered me to 
 ac(juaint you he does not thiidv it |)rudent to attem|»t a 
 junction or to assist you till reinforced by the militia 
 of the colonies, for the immediate march of which re- 
 peated exjtresses have; been sent." The letter then 
 declared that the French were in comj)lete possession 
 of the road l>etween the two foi'ts, that a prisoner just 
 broufiht in reported their force in men and camion to 
 be very ^reat, and that, unless tin; militia came soon, 
 Monro had better make what teiins he could with the 
 enemy. 
 
 The chance was small that this letter would reach its 
 destination ; and in fact the bearer was killeil l)y La 
 Corne's Indians, who, in strippini^ the body, found the 
 hidden paper, an<l carried it to the (Jeneral. Montcalm 
 kept it several days, till the Fnulish rampart was half 
 battered down; and then, after saluting his enemy with 
 a volley from all his cannon, he sent it with a graceful 
 compliment to Monro. It was IJougainville who carried 
 it, preceded by a drummer and a Hag. lie was met at 
 
 ^"f 
 
.■■ i* 
 
 56 
 
 LAKE GEOIKJE AND I^VKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 b a \ 
 
 the foot of the ^hicis, hliudloUk'd, ami led tlin)ii;^h tlio 
 fort and ulonj^ tlio cdjii' of the lake to the iuticniohrd 
 cuinp, whcie Monro was at the time. " llo returned 
 many thanks," writes the emissary in his Diary, "for 
 th(! courtesy of our nation, ami protested his joy at 
 liavinjjj to do witii so generous an enemy. This was 
 liis answer to tiie Marquis de Montealm. Then they h'd 
 me hack, alwa\s with eves biinch^d ; and our battcn'ies 
 began to fire again ah soon as we thought tliat the l<]ng- 
 Usli gronadi«Ms wIjo escorted me had had time to re-enter 
 tlie fort. 1 liopc (Jeneral Webb's letter may induce tiie 
 English to surrender tlu; sooner." 
 
 By this time the sappei-s had worked their way to the 
 angle of the lake, where they were stoi»petl l)y a marshy 
 hollow, bevond which was a tract of higii around, reach- 
 ing to the fort and serving as the garden of tiie garrison.^ 
 Logs and fascines in large (piantities were thrown into 
 the hollow, {ind hurdles were laid over them to form a 
 causeway for the cannon. Then the sop was continued 
 n[) tiie acclivity beyond, a trench was oj)ened in the 
 garden, and a battery begun, not two liundred and fifty 
 yards from the fort. The Indians, in great number, 
 crawled forward among the beans, maize, and cabbages, 
 and lav there ensconced. On the niuht of the seventh, 
 two men came out of the fort, a]>parently to reconnoitre, 
 with a view to a sortie, when they were greeted by a 
 general volley ami a burst of yells which echoed amcmg 
 the mountains; followed by responsive whoops j)ealing 
 through the darkness from the various camps and lurk- 
 ing-places of the savage warriors far and ncjar. 
 
 The position of the besieged was now deplorable. 
 More than three hundred of them had lieen killed and 
 
 ' Now the site of Fort William Ilonry Hotel, with its grounds. The 
 hollow is partly filled by the main road of Caldwell. 
 
■•;- 
 
 sie(;k of fort william henry. 
 
 
 woiimlod ; siunll-pox was riiL^iiiLT in tin; fort; the place 
 was a t'uc'us of iiil'cctioii, and llic casemates were crowded 
 with tlu! sick. A sortie i'roiii the intrenched camp and 
 another from tiie fort had hcen repulsed with loss. All 
 their larjxe cannon and mortars had hcen hnrst, or dis- 
 ahled hy shot ; only seven small pieces were left lit for 
 service; and the whole of Montcalm's thirty-on(» cannon 
 and fifteen mortars and howitzers would soon open lii'o, 
 while the walls were already hreached, an<l an assault 
 was imminent. Throuj^h the nijzht of the; eiuhth they 
 fired hriskly from all their remaininir pi(>ces. In the 
 morniiiir the ollicers held a couin il, and all ajrreed to 
 surrender if hoiiorahh; terms could he had. A white 
 tlasi: was raised, a drum was heat, and Ijieutenant-(/olonel 
 YounL^ mountetl on horsehaek, — for a shot in tin; foot 
 liad disai)led him fiMun walkinir, — went, followed hy a 
 few soldiers, to the tent of Montcalm. 
 
 It was a<;reed that the Kniilish trooj»s sliould marcli 
 out with the honors of war, and he escorted i<> Fort 
 Edward hy a detachment of French troops; that tliey 
 should not sei've for eighteen months; and that all 
 French prisoners captured in America since tin; war 
 heiran should he uiveu up within three months. The 
 stores, munitions, and artillery were to he the prize of 
 the victors, except one field-piece, which tlie u'arrison 
 were to I'ctain in I'ecoLniition of their hi-ave defence. 
 
 l>cfoi'e siu'iiinu" the cajtitulation Montcalm called the 
 Indian chiefs to council, and asketl them to (Consent to 
 tlie cididitions, and ])roinise to restrain thrir younjr 
 warriors from any disorder. They iipproved eveiythinir 
 and ))romised everythiuir. Th(> ^^arrison then evacuated 
 the fort, and marched to join their comrades in the 
 intrenchecl camp, wliich was included in the surren- 
 der. No sooner were thev <rone than a crowd of Indians 
 
■!f 
 
 i* 
 
 68 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE ClIAMPLAIN. 
 
 cliimhorcd tliroiiuli the embrasures in search of rinii 
 and plunder. All the sick men unable to leave tluiir 
 beds were instantly butchered, "i was witness of this 
 spectacle," says the niissivjnary Roubaud ; "1 saw one 
 of these barbarians come out of the casemates with a 
 human head in his hand, from which the blood ran in 
 streams, and which he paraded as if Ik; had f^ot the 
 finest prize in the world." There was little left to 
 plunder; and the Indians, joined by the more lawless of 
 the (Canadians, turned their attention to the intrenched 
 camp, where all the Enu'lish were now collected. 
 
 The French uruard stationed there could not or would 
 not keep out the rabble. By the advice of Montcalm 
 the r^njrlish stove their rum-barrels; but the Indians 
 were drunk already with homicidal rage, and the glitter 
 of their vicious eyes told of the devil within. They 
 roamed among- the tents, intrusive, insolent, their vis- 
 ages besmirched with war-[)aint; grinning like fiends as 
 they handled, in smticipation of the knife, the long hair 
 of cowering women, of whom, as well as of children, 
 there were many in the camp, all crazed with fright. 
 Since the last war the Xew England border population 
 luul regarded Indians with a mixture of detestation and 
 horror. Their mysterious warfare of ambush and sur- 
 prise, their midnight onslaughts, their butcheries, their 
 burnings, and all their nameless atrocities, had been for 
 years the theme of fireside story ; and the dread they 
 excited was deepened by the distrust and dejection of 
 the time. The confusion in the cam[) lasted through the 
 afternoon. " The Indians," says Bougainville, " wanted 
 to plunder the chests of the English ; the hitter resisted; 
 and there was fear that serious disorder would ensue. 
 The Marquis de Montcalm ran thither immediately, 
 and used every means to restore tranquillity : prayers, 
 
SIEGE OF FORT WILLIAM IIENRV. 
 
 59 
 
 i ; 
 
 throats, eurcssos, intorposition of the olliccra and iutor- 
 pnjter.s wiio hav*; aonu; inlliiciico over those savages." 
 " We shall be but too ha[»|)y if we can prevent a nius- 
 saere. I)etestal)h; j)osition 1 of which iKjliody vvlio has 
 not been in it can liave any idea, and which makes 
 vietorv itself a sorrow to the victors. The Maniuis 
 spared no efforts to jircvent the rapacity of the savages 
 and, I nnist say it, of certain persons associated witii 
 them, from resultin<]; in somelhini^ worse than plunder. 
 At last, at nine o'clock in the eveninj,^ order seemed 
 restored. The Marcpiis even induced the Indians to 
 promise that, besides the escort agreed upon in tiie 
 capitulation, two chiefs for each tribe should accom- 
 pany the English on their way to Fort Edward." lie 
 also ordered La Coine and the other Canadian oHicers 
 attached to the Indians to see that no violence; took 
 place, lie might well have dcme more. In view of the 
 disorders of the afternoon, it would not have been too 
 much if he had orden.'d the whole body of regular troops, 
 whom alone he could trust for the purpose, to hold 
 themselves ready to move to the spot in case of out- 
 break, and shelter their defeated foes behind a hedge of 
 bayonets. 
 
 IJougainvillc was not to see what ensued ; for Montcalm 
 now sent him to Montreal, as a special messenger to 
 carry news of the victory, lie embarked at ten o'clock. 
 Returning daylight found him far down tlu; lake ; and 
 as he looked on its still bosom flecked with mists, and 
 its quiet mountains sleeping under the flush of dawn, 
 there was nothing in the wild tranquillity of tlu; scene 
 to suggest the tragedy which even then was beginning 
 on the shore he had left behind. 
 
 The English in their camp had passed a troubled 
 night, agitated by strange rumors. In the morning 
 
 '. ), 
 
 i 1. 
 
 k 
 
CO 
 
 LAKP: GEORGE AND LAKE CHAM PLAIN. 
 
 sonictliiiij^^ lilvc a iianic. sri/cd them; for tlioy (liHtru.stLMl 
 not the Iiidiiius onlv, but the Ciiiiii(li;ins. In tlu'ir 
 liiisto to In' ^onv they jrot tojjjotlicr at (laybrcak, luv 
 I'oj'o till' escort of tlirt'(! liiiudrcd rc^^iilarH had arrivccl. 
 They had their niiisUcts, but ii<» ainiiiunitioii ; and few 
 (U' none of the iiroviiicials had bayonets. Earlv as it 
 Wiis, the Indiiins were on the idei't ; iin<l, inder<i, sinee 
 michiit^lit ^nvat numbers of them had been proulini; 
 about the sivirts of tlie eanip, showinir, says Colonel 
 Frye, " more than usual malice in their looks." Seven- 
 teim woinuh'd men of his rei^imeiit lav in huts, nuidde 
 to join the march. In tlie precediuijj afternoon Miles 
 Wliitworlh, the regimental surtreon, had jtassed them 
 over to the care of a French surgeon, accordinj!' to an 
 au'reemeiit niiide lit the time of the surrender ; but, the 
 Frenchman being al)scnt, the other remained with them 
 attending to their wants. The French surgeon had 
 caused special sentinels to be posted for their protection. 
 These wei'c now removed, at the moment when tliev 
 were needed most ; nj)on whicli, about live o'clock in the 
 morning, the Indians entered the lints, dragged out the 
 inmates, and tomahawked and scalped them all, before 
 the eyes of Whitworth, and in presence of La Corne 
 and other Canadian oHicers, as well as of a French guard 
 stationed within forty feet of the spot ; and, declares the 
 surgeon niKh'r oath, " none, either olHcer or soldier, pro- 
 t<'cted the said wounded men." The opportune butchery 
 relieved tliein of a troublesome burden. 
 
 A scene of i»lundering now began. The escort had by 
 this time arrived, and Monro complained to the olheers 
 that tlie eajiitnlation was broken ; but got no other an- 
 swer than advice to give np the baggage to the Indians 
 in order to aj>j»ease them. To this the English at length 
 agreed; but it onlv increased the excitement of the mob. 
 
^^1 
 
 SIEGE OF FOUT WILLIAM IIENKV 
 
 61 
 
 Thov (Ic^innndt'd rum: aiul some of tlio soldicrH, afnild to 
 ivluse, ^'iivc it to tlM'in t'nnu llu'ir Ciiuti-cns, thus uddinu; 
 tut 1 to the llnnu'. Wlicn, td'trr mucli dilliculty, tlic col- 
 unin at last ^ot out of the cauipaud hruau to luovc aloiuj: 
 the road tliat crossed tlu' rou^h p'aiu Itctwui'ii llic iu- 
 tivui'liiucut aud the forest, tlic ludians crowded upon 
 tlicni, inijK'dcd tlicir march, snatched caps, coats, aiul 
 weapons fiom men and otiicei's, tomahawked tliose tliat 
 resistetl, and sci/.inj^ upon shriekhi^" wonu'U ami children, 
 dniiTL^ed them off or nuu'dered them on the spot, it irt 
 said that some of the interpreters secretly fomente(l the 
 disorder. Suddenly there rose the screeeli of the war- 
 whoop. At this signal yf butchery, which was ^iven by 
 Abenaki Christians from the mission of the I'enobscot, a 
 mob of savages rushed upon the New Hampshire men at 
 tlio rear of the cohnnn, and killed or drairu'ed awav eiuhtv 
 of them. A frightful tumult ensued, when Montcalm, 
 Levis, nourlanuKpie, and many other French oHicers, who 
 liad hastened from their Vamp on the first news of dis- 
 turbance, threw themselves among the Indians, and by 
 promises and threats tried to allay their frenzy. ''Kill 
 me, but spare the English who are under iny i)rolection," 
 exclaimed Montcalm. He took from one (d" them a young 
 officer whom the savage had seized ; upon which several 
 other Indians inunediately tomahawked their jiriscmers, 
 lest they too should be taken from them. One writer 
 says that a French grenadier was killed and two wounded 
 in attempting to restore order; but the statement is doubt- 
 ful. The English seemed paralyzed, and fortunately did 
 not attempt a resistance, which, without ammunition as 
 they were, would have ended in a general massacre. 
 Their broken column struggled forward in wild disorder, 
 amid the din of whoops and shrieks, till they reached 
 the French advance-guard, which consisted of Canadians; 
 
62 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 I 
 
 i 4 
 
 I 
 
 and licre tlicv (Icnmiuliul luotcctioii from the oflicors, 
 who refused to jj^ivc it, telling them that they must 
 take to the woods and shift for themselves. Frvo was 
 seized hy a uumlu'i- of Indians, who, hrandishing spears 
 and tomahawks, threatened him with death and tore off 
 his clothing, leaving nothing but breeches, shoes, and 
 shirt. lU'itelled by the oHicers of the guard, he made 
 for the woods. A Connecticut soldier who was present 
 says of him that lie leaped u|>on an Indian who stood in 
 ];'■( „ay, disarmed and killetl him, and tiien escajK'd ; 
 })ut Frye himself does not mention the incident. Cajt- 
 tain Ihiike, also of the Massachusetts regiment, was 
 stripped, alter a vi( lent st'-uggle, of all his clotln^s; tiien 
 broke loose, gaine( vhe woods, spent the night shivering 
 in the thick grass of a marsh, aiid on the next day 
 reached Fort Fdward. Jonathan Carver, a provincial 
 volimteer, declares that, when the tumult was at its 
 lieiuht, he saw ollicers of the French armv walkinir about 
 at a little distance and talki\ig with seeming unconcern. 
 Tlp'ee or four Indians seized him, l)randished their toma- 
 hawks over his head, and tore ot'f most of his clothes, 
 while he vainly claieied protection from a sentinel, who 
 called him an Fug) ish dog, and violently pushed him 
 back among his toimentors. Two of them were drag- 
 ging him towards the neighboring swamp, when an 
 Fnglish oflicer, stripped of evcrvthing but his scarlet 
 breeches, ran by. One of Carver's captors sprang npon 
 him, but was thrown to the ground ; whereupon the 
 other went to the aid of his comrade and drove his 
 tomahawk into the back of the Englishman. As Carver 
 turned to run, an English boy, about twelve years old, 
 dung to him and begged for help. They ran on together 
 for a moment, when the boy wos seized, dragged from 
 his protector, and, as Carver judged by his shrieks, was 
 
 r ' 
 
SIEGE OF FORT WILLIAM HEXKY. 
 
 63 
 
 mur(lero<l. He liimsclf cscapod to the forest, and after 
 three days of famine reached Foit Edward. 
 
 The bonds of disei|»line seem for the time to have 
 been comj)h!tcly broken ; foi' while Montcahn and his 
 chief ollicers nsed everv effort to restore order, even at 
 the risk of their lives, manv other ofVieers, chieflv of the 
 militia, failed atrociously to do their <lnfy. How many 
 Knglish were killed it is impossible io toll with exact- 
 ness. Uoubaud savs that he saw fortv or fiftv corpses 
 scattered about the field. Levis says fifty : which does 
 not incdude the sick and wounded before murdered in the 
 camp and i(jrt. It is certain that six or seven hundred 
 jiersoiis were can-ied olT, strip))e(l, and othei-wise mal- 
 treated. ^Montcalm succeeded in reeoveiiuj^ more than 
 four hundred of them in the course of the day; and 
 many of the French olTiccrs did what they could to re- 
 lieve their wants bv Imvinu' l);iek from their c:ii»tors the 
 clothintr that had been torn from them. M;iny of the 
 fu^ntivcs hiid taken refuse in the fort, whither Monro 
 liimself had jrone to demand protection for liis fcjlhjwers; 
 and here lioubaud presently found a crowd of half- 
 frenzied women, crying in anjiuish for husl)auds an<l 
 children. All the icfugees and redeemed j)risoners were 
 afterwards conducted to the intrenched camp, where 
 food and shelter were pi-ovidcd for them, . ud a stron<^ 
 guard set for their protection until the fifte( aHi, when 
 they were sent under an escoi-t to Fort Edward. Here 
 cannon had been fired at intervals to guide those who 
 liad fled to the woods, wdu_Micc they came dropjdng in 
 from dav to dav, half dead with fiunine. 
 
 On the morning after the massacre the Indians de- 
 camped in a body and sot out for ^^ontreal, carrying 
 with them their plunder and some two hundreil j)ris- 
 oners, who, it is said, could not be got out of their lianda. 
 
64 
 
 LAKE (JKOIIGE AND LAKE Cli.VMlM.AIN. 
 
 The soldiiTs \v(M-(' set to tiio work of (Iciuolisliing tlu« 
 Knulisli loll ; and \\\o task occu|>i(Ml scvcrjil <|jivs. 'J'lio 
 barrncks were (oi-ii down, ami the Inigc |iin(*-lo.i!:s of 
 tlir ranipiu-l thrown into a ht'ap. T\\v (had bodies tliat 
 lilh'd the castMnatcs wcro achh^d to tljc mass, and firo 
 
 was set to (he whoh' 
 
 Th 
 
 rhtv f 
 
 all niLnil, 
 
 T] 
 
 \v nii<riny Inncral pyt 
 
 •(' bla/cd 
 
 icn. on the sixtccntlj, tlio armv rcimbarkod. 
 
 'I'lu' diuof ten tliousand combatants, the ra,u:(\ tho tci-ror, 
 tlic ajxony, were u'onc : and no livint? thinu.- was left bnt 
 the wolves (hat gathered from the monntains to feast 
 upon the ilead. 
 
nmSm 
 
i 
 
 I! 
 
 I 'I 
 
 l:; I 
 
 • 
 
 A., 1. 1. L>il. 
 

 
 '•MV.UP i^;... ., . "' "-Ihh.M „o, f,n hack 
 
 
 » ' >illl ,' J ' • ■■- 1 Mil 
 
 fl 
 
 .11 
 
 fll 
 
 
 ■ t}io S'.-V ;,:U! 
 
 ' • • <i I in r ii:i %.i,, 
 II 
 
 
 
 '.ill 
 
^im 
 
 
 I*' ' 
 
 
 
 'M% ■ . 
 
 1 
 
 •51 
 
 r.n 
 
 \»l\ I «• A f \| 
 
 Ai.il. j!il 
 
lUTTLB OF TICOXDKROOA. 
 
 •""I"' fic^ncral Ai,,.' .If ".'; ''7'' "'' '-'<'^' ''-".Xo 
 
 ''''!''"Tj.,.i„. i,,iv ,,,,,,;''''■•""•' i.ifi.ii,,,,, ,,,,,,, 
 
 Y ''- ^-'aM.^ nn.| ,1,. ,,,,"' " ;/'''';-''l"''Mn- ,1,,. ,s,nv,,,i,| 
 • "-■ I'oa.l „f ,|,„ ,„„,f,,,„; ; "'^'- '■"•Nl.i,,,..,,,,,,., ,„.„,,.,, 
 
 '"'■""'"■ ''f »l"-'''i "f t ,' '""'''■; " '■""""' 1 I" 'i- 
 
 '"""I of Lake Oeor'e cum . 1, , ''.'■""'""""■--- f"»a'-.l.s flu, 
 
 =', came, hack ,„|,„«,e„i,|,„„ 
 
66 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 1^1 
 
 11 15 
 
 I! i 
 I 
 
 
 il} 
 
 n 
 
 that the English were cinharkod in great foree. Mont- 
 cahn Kent a eanoe down Lake Clianijilain to hasten Li^'vis 
 to his aid, and ordeied the battalion of IJerry to begin 
 a breastwork and abatis on the high ground in front of 
 the fort. That they were not begun before shows that 
 he was in doubt as to his plan of defenee ; and that his 
 whole army was not now set to work at thcni shows that 
 his doubt was still unsolved. 
 
 It was nearly a month sin(M; Abcreromby had begun 
 his eanij) at the head of Lake George. Here, on the 
 ground where Johnson had beaten Dicskau, where 
 Montcalm had planted his batteries, and Monro vainly 
 defend(>d the wooden ramparts of Fort William Henry, 
 were now assembled more than fifteen thousand men ; 
 and the shores, the foot of the mountains, and the broken 
 plains between them were studded thick with tents. Of 
 regulars there were six thousiind three hundred and 
 sixty-seven, ()ni«'er8 and soldicjrs, and of provincials nine 
 thousand and thirty-four. To the New p]ngland levies, 
 or at least to their chaplains, the ex])editi(m seemed 
 a crusade against the abomination of Tlabylon ; and they 
 discoursed in their sermons of Moses sending forth 
 Joshua against Aniidck. Abercromby, raised to his 
 place by political inlhu-nce, was little but the nominal 
 commander. " A heavv man," said Wolfe in a letter 
 to his father; "an aged gentleman, infirm in body and 
 mind," wrote William Parkman, a boy of seventeen, 
 who carried a musket in a Massachusetts regiment, and 
 kept in his knapsack a dingy little note-book, in which 
 he jotted down what passed each day. The age of the 
 aged gentleman was fifty-two. 
 
 Pitt meant that the actual command of the army 
 should be in the hands of Brigadier Lord Howe, and he 
 was in fact its real chief ; " the noblest Englishman that 
 
 1 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 07 
 
 has appeared in my time, and the best soldier in 'the 
 Ui'itish arniy," says Wolfe. And lie elsewhere speaks 
 of him as " that great man." Abercromby testifies to 
 the nniversal res[)eet and love with whieh otViecrs and 
 men repirded him, an<l Pitt ealls him " a character of 
 ancient times ; a complete model of military virtue." 
 High as this praise is, it seems to have been deserved. 
 The young nobleman, who was then in his thirty -fourth 
 year, had the (jualities of a leader of men. The army 
 felt him, fi'om general to drummer boy. lie was its 
 soul ; and while breathing into it his own energy and 
 ardor, and bracing it by stringent discipline, he broke 
 through the traditions of the service and gave it new 
 shap«'s to suit the time and place. During the past year 
 he had studied the art of forest warftire, and joined 
 Rogers and his rangers in their scouting-parties, sharing 
 all their hardshi|is and making himself one of them. 
 Perhajts the reforms that he introduced were fruits of 
 this rough self-imposed schooling. He made otlicers 
 and men throw olT all useless incumbrances, cut their 
 hair close, wear leggings to [)rotect them from briers, 
 brown the barrels of their muskets, and carry in their 
 knapsacks thirty [»ounds of meal, which they cooked for 
 themselves; so that, according to an admiring French- 
 man, they could live a month without their supply-trains. 
 "You would laugh to see the droll figure we all make," 
 writes an olVicer. "■ Regulars as well as provincials have 
 cut their coats so as scarcely to reach their waists. No 
 oflicer or private is allowed to carry more than one 
 blanket and a IxNirskin. A small portmanteau is allowed 
 each oflicer. No women follow the camp to wash our 
 linen. Lord Howe has already shown an example by 
 going to the brook and washing his own." 
 
 Here, as in all things, he shared the lot of the soldier, 
 
08 
 
 LAKE GJ:0RGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 m 
 
 W- 
 
 ^ 
 
 aiuf rcquirod IiIh oIIkmm-s to share it. A storv is told of 
 him tiuit hcforo tlio urmy omharkod he invited some of 
 th(Mn to diniior in his lent, wliorc they found no seats but 
 h)^'^s, jind no carpet but bcnrskins. A servant presently 
 ])la('ed on i\w jz:rouud a larue dish of pork and i>eas, on 
 uhieh his lordship took from his poeket a sheath con- 
 taiuinjij a knife and fork and befran to cut the meat. 
 'I'he quests looked on in souk; embarrassment; upon 
 which ho said: "• Js it j)()ssil)le, ^entlom(^n,1iiat yo»i have 
 come on this eampaiun without jU'oviding yourselves 
 with what is necessary ? " And he p^avc each of them 
 a sheath, with a knife and fork, like liis own. 
 
 Yet this riyeurL!:us of the camp, as a contemporary 
 calls him, is described as a man of social accom|»lish- 
 nuuits rari; v.von in his raidc. lie made himself jrreatly 
 beloved by the i)rovineial oflicers, with many of whom 
 he was on terms of iutimacv, and he did what he could 
 to break down the barriers between the colonial soldiers 
 and the Ibitish reiiidirs. When he was at Albany, 
 shai-inii" with other hi<vh olTicers the kindly hosjiitalities 
 of Mrs. Schuyler, Ik; so won the heart of that excellent 
 matron that she loved him like a son ; and, thouuh not 
 given to such effusion, embi-aced him with tears on the 
 moruint^ wlien he left her to lead his division to the lake. 
 In Westminster Abbey may be seen the tablet on which 
 Massachusetts J)ays grateful trilnite to his virtues, and 
 commemorates " the affecticm her ofVicers and soldiers 
 bore to his command." 
 
 On the evening of the fourth of .luly, baggage, stores, 
 and annnunition Avere all on board the boats, and the 
 whole army embarked on the morning of the lifth. The 
 arrangements were ])erfect. Each corps marched with- 
 out confusion to its appointed station on the beach, and 
 the sun was scarcely above the ridge of French Moun- 
 
 i :.. 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEIUXIA. 
 
 09 
 
 tain wlioii all wore afloat. A spectator walchlnj; tluin 
 from the shore says tiiat when the lleet was tiiree miles 
 on its way, tiie sui'lace of the lake at that distance was 
 completely hidden from siuht. 'i'iiere were nine hun- 
 dred bateaux, a hundred and thirty live whaleboats, ami 
 a large number of heavy Hat boats carrying, the artillery. 
 The whole advanced in three divisions, the reundars in 
 the centre, and the provincials on tin; Hanks. Kach 
 corps had its fla<.;s and its music. The day was fair, and 
 men and ofllcers were in the higliest spirits. 
 
 Ileforc ten o'clock tliev hou;an to enter tlu^ Xarnjws; 
 and the boats of the three divisions extended tliemsclves 
 into long files as the mountains closed on either hand 
 upon the contracted lake. From front to rear the line; 
 was six miles long. The spectacle was superb : the 
 brightness of the summer day; tlie romantic beauty of 
 the scenery; the sheen and sparkle of those crystal 
 waters; the countless islets, tufted with pine, birch, and 
 fir; the bordering mountains, with their green summits 
 and sunny crags; the Hash of oars and glitter of wea})- 
 ons ; tlie banners, the varied uniforms, and the notes of 
 bugle, trum|)ct, bagpipe, and drum, answered and pro- 
 longed by a hundred woodland echoes. " I never beheld 
 so delightful a ])ros|»ect," wrote a wounded oflicer at 
 Albany a fortnight after. 
 
 Rogers with the rangers, and Oage with the light 
 infantry, led the way in whaleboats, followed by IJrad- 
 street with his corps of boatnuMi, armed and drilled as 
 soldiers. Then canu; the main body. The central 
 column of regulars was commanded by liOi'd [fowe, his 
 own regiment, the fifty-fifth, in the van, followed by \\w 
 Roval Americans, the twenty-severth, fortv-fourth, fortv- 
 sixth, and eightieth infantry, and the Flighlanders of the 
 forty-second, with their major, Duncan Campbell of 
 
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70 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 hi 
 
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 fll 
 
 Iiivcrawe, silent and gloomy amid the general cheer, for 
 his soul was dark with forcshadowings of death. With 
 this central colunm came what are described as two 
 floating castles, which were no doubt batteries to cover 
 the landing of the troops. On the right hand and the 
 left were the provincials, uniformed in blue, regiment 
 after regiment, from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New 
 York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Behind them all 
 came the bateaux, loaded with stores and baggage, and 
 the heavy flat boats that carried the artillery, while a 
 rear-guard of provincials and regulars closed the long 
 procession. 
 
 At five in the afternoon they reached Sabbath-Day 
 Point, twenty-five miles down the lake, where they 
 stopped till late in the evening, waiting for the baggage 
 and artillery, which had lagged beliind ; and here Lord 
 Howe, lying on a bearskin by the side of the ranger, 
 John Stark, questioned him as to the position of Ticon- 
 deroga and its best points of approach. At about eleven 
 o'clock they set out again, and at daybreak entered what 
 was then called the Second Nar ws ; that is to say, the 
 contraction of the lake where it approaches its outlet. 
 Close on their left, ruddy in the warm sunrise, rose the 
 vast bare face of Rogers Rock, whence a French advanced 
 party, under Langy and an officer named Trepezec, was 
 watching their movements. Lord Howe, with Rogers and 
 Bradstreet, went in whaleboats to reconnoitre the land- 
 ing. At the place which the French called the Burned 
 Camp, where Montcalm had embarked the summer be- 
 fore, they saw a detachment of the enemy too weak to 
 oppose them. Their men landed and drove them off. 
 At noon the whole army was on shore. Rogers, with 
 party of rangers, was ordered forward to reconnoitre, 
 and the troops were formed for the march. 
 
"I 
 
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 ■( ^ 
 
 
 Skictcm or Tin: 
 
 COrXTUY KOLND 
 
 Tycondkuoga 
 
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 li. Rrtriud/imrnt. 
 
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 F l.v/r ail ll/tnitiiii . 
 
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 // / 11 Ij'rnc/iniciit fo (out rii/ Hu/tfrni.'il 
 
 pdf'ii /ii/ I.' h'. Ml i/rrol'ii'iiii"'/{rti^^ 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 71 
 
 ,<A 
 
 Froin this part of the shore ^ a plain covered with 
 forest stretched northwestward half a mile or more to 
 the mountains behind which lay the valley of Trout 
 Brook. On this plain the army began its march in four 
 columns, with the intention of passing round the west- 
 ern bank of the river of the outlet, since the bridge over 
 it had been destroyed. Rogers, with the provincial 
 regiments of Fitch and Lyman, led the way, at some 
 distance before the rest. The forest was extremely 
 dense and heavy, and so obstructed with undergrowth 
 that it was impossible to see more than a few yards in 
 anv di ection, while the firround was encumbered with 
 fallen trees in every stage of decay. The ranks were 
 broken, and the men struggled on as they could in 
 dampness and shade, under a canoi)y of boughs that the 
 sun could scarcely pierce. The Jitficulty increased 
 when, after advancing about a mile, they came upon 
 undulating and broken ground. They were now not far 
 from the upper rai)ids of the outlet. The guides became 
 bewildered in the maze of triniks and boughs ; the 
 marching columns were confused, and fell in one upon 
 the other. They were in the strange situation of an 
 army lost in the woods. 
 
 The advanced party of French under Langy and 
 Trepezec, about three hundred and fifty in all, regulars 
 and Canadians, had tried to retreat; but before they 
 could do so, \\\Q whole English army had passed them, 
 landed, and placed itself between tliem and their country- 
 men. They had no resource but to take to the woods. 
 They seem to have climbed the steep gorge at the side 
 of Rogers Rock and followed the Indian path that led 
 to the valley of Trout Brook, thinking to descend it, 
 and, by circling along the outskirts of the valley of 
 
 1 Between the old and new steamboat-landings, and parts adjacent. 
 
72 
 
 LAK?: GEORGE AND LAKE CnAMPLAIN. 
 
 1 
 
 Ticonderoga, reach Montcalm's camp at tlie saw-mill. 
 Langy was used to bush ranging ; but he too became per- 
 plexed intlu; blind intricacies of the forest. Towards the 
 close of the day he and his men had come out from the 
 valley of Trout Brook, and were ncnir the junction of that 
 stream with the river of the outlet, in a state of some 
 anxietv, for thev could see nothing but brown trunks and 
 green boughs. Could any of them have climbed one of 
 the great pines that here and there reared their shaggy 
 spires high above the surrounding forest, they would 
 have discovered where thev were, but "would have 
 gained not the faintest knowledge of the enemy. Out 
 of the woods on the right they would have seen a smoke 
 rising from the burning huts of the French camp at the 
 head of the portage, which Bourlamacpie had set on lire 
 and abandoned. At a mile or more in front, tl-e saw- 
 mill at the Falls might perhai)S have been descried, and, 
 by glimjjses between the trees, the tents of the neighbor- 
 ing camp where Montcalm still lav with his main force. 
 All the rest seemed lonely as the grave; mountain and 
 valley lay wrai)i)ed in primeval woods, and none coulci 
 have dreanuid that, not far distant, an army was groping 
 its way, buried in foliage; no rumbling of wagons and 
 artillery trains, for none were there ; all silent but the 
 cawing of some crow flapping his black wings over the 
 sea of tree-tops. 
 
 Lord Howe, with Major Israel Putnam and two hun- 
 dred rangers, was at the head of the ])rincii)al column, 
 which was a little in advance of the three others. Sud- 
 denly the challenge, Qui vive ! rang sharply from the 
 thickets in front. Franrais ! was the rc])ly. Langy's 
 men were not deceived; they fired out of the bushes. 
 The shots were returned ; a hot skirmish followed ; 
 and Lord Ilowe dropped dead, shot through the breast. 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 73 
 
 All was confusion. The dull, vicious reports of muS' 
 kctry in thick Avootls, jit first few and scuttcrin^', then 
 in fierce and rapid volleys, readied tiie troops beiiind. 
 They could hear, but see nothing. Already harassed 
 and perplexed, they became perturbed. For all they 
 knew, ^lontcalm's Avhole army was upon them. Nothinj^ 
 prevented a ])i\nlc but the steadiness of the rangers, who 
 maintained (lie fight alone till the rest came back to 
 their senses. Rogers, with his reconnoitring party, and 
 the reiriments of Fitch and Lvniiin, were at no great 
 distance iu front. They all turned on hearing the nuis- 
 ketrv, and thus the French were caught between two 
 fires. They fought willi desperation. About fifty of 
 them at length escai)cd ; a hundred and forty-eight 
 were cai)tured, and the rc>st killed or drowned in trying 
 to cross the ra})ids. The loss of tin; English was small 
 iu numbers, but imin(>asurab'e in the death of Howe. 
 '^ The fall of this noble and brave ollicer," says Rogers, 
 " seemed to produce an almost general languor and con- 
 sternation through the whole army." '• In Lord Howe," 
 writes another contemporary, jVIajor Thomas Mante, 
 "the soul of General Abereromby's army seemed to 
 cxi)ire. From the unhappy moment the General was 
 deprived of his advice, neither order nor discipline was 
 observed, and a strange kind of infatuation usurped the 
 place of resolution." The death of one man was tluj 
 ruin of fifteen thousand. 
 
 The evil news was despatched to Albany, and in two 
 or three days the messenger who bore it ])assed the 
 house of Mrs. Schuvler on tiie meadows above the town. 
 " In the afternoon," says her biographer, " a man was 
 seen coming from the north galloping violently witliout 
 liis hat. Pedrom, as he was familiarly called. Colonel 
 Schuyler's only surviving brother, was with her, and ran 
 
 M'' 
 
T4 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 
 
 instantly to inquire, well knowing tliat he rode express. 
 The man galloped on, crying out tliat Lord Howe was 
 killed. The mind of our good aunt had been so en- 
 grossed by her anxiety and fears for the event imi)end- 
 ing, and so impressed with tlu; merit and magiumimity 
 of her favorite hero, that her wonted firmness sank 
 under the stroke, and she broke out into bitter lamenta- 
 tion-i. This had such an effect on her friends and do- 
 mestics that shrieks and sobs of anguish echoed through 
 every part of the house." 
 
 The effect of the loss was seen at once. The army 
 was needlessly kept under arms all night in the forest, 
 and in the morning was ordered back to the landing 
 whence it came. Towards noon, however, Bradstreet 
 was sent with a detachment of regulars and provincials 
 to take possession of the saw-mill at the Falls, which 
 Montcalm had abandoned the evening before. Brad- 
 street rebuilt the bridges destroyed by the retiring 
 enemy, and sent word to his connnander that the way 
 was open ; on which Al)ercromby again put his army 
 in motion, reached the Falls late in the afternoon, and 
 occupied the deserted encami)ment of the French. 
 
 Montcalm with his main force had lield this position 
 at the Falls through most of the preceding day, doulitful, 
 it seems, to the last whether he should not make his 
 final stand there. Bourlamaque was for doing so ; but 
 two old officers, Bernes and Montguy, pointed out the 
 danger that the English would occupy tlie neighboring 
 heights ; whereupon Montcalm at length resolved to fall 
 back. The camp was broken up at five o'clock. Some 
 of the troops embarked in bateaux, while others marched 
 a mile and a half along the forest road, passed the 
 place where the battalion of Berry was still at work on 
 the breastwork begun in the morning, and made their 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 75 
 
 bivouac a little farther on, upon the cleared ground that 
 suj'rounded the fort. 
 
 Tlie peninsula of Ticonderoga consists of a rocky pla- 
 teau, with low grounds on each side, bordering Laivc 
 Champlain on the one hand, and the outlet of Lake 
 George on the other. The fort stood near the end of 
 the peninsula, which ])oints towards the southeast. 
 Thence, as one goes westward, the ground <lecliues a 
 little, and then slowly rises, till, about half a mile from 
 the fort, it reaches its greatest elevation, and begins 
 still more gradually to decline again. Thus a rldgi; is 
 formed across the plateau between the steep declivities 
 that sink to the low grounds on right and left. Some 
 weeks before, a French oflicer nanu'd Ilugues had sug- 
 gested the defence of this ridge by means ot" an abatis. 
 Montcalm approved his plan; and now, at the eleventh 
 hour, he resolved to make his stand here. Tlu; two 
 engineers, Pcmtleroy and Desandrouin, had already 
 traced the outline of the works, and the soldiers of 
 the battalion of Berry had made some progress in con- 
 structing them. At dawn of the seventh, while Aber- 
 cromby, fortunately for liis en<>my, was drawing his 
 troo{)s back to the landing-])lace, the Avhole French 
 army fell to their task. The regimental colors were 
 planted along the line, and the oflicers, stripped to the 
 shirt, took axe in hand and labored with their men. 
 The trees that covered the ground were hewn down by 
 thousands, the toj)8 lopj)e(l off, and the truidvs j)iled one 
 upon another to form a massive breastwork. The lino 
 followed the top of the ridge, along whicli it zigzagged in 
 such a manner that the whole front could be swept by 
 flank fires of musketry and grape. Abercromby describes 
 the wall of logs as between eight and nine feet high ; in 
 which case there must have been a rude banquette, or 
 
76 
 
 LAKE GEOllGE AND LAKE CILVMPLAIN. 
 
 \\m^. 
 
 ill!: 
 
 Ill 
 
 If 
 
 SI. 
 
 pliitlorin to fire from, on tlio inner side. It was cer- 
 tainly so hijj^h tliat notliini'' could be ween over it but the 
 crowns of the soldiers' hats. The upper tier was formed 
 of sinii'le logs, in which notches were cut to sei've as 
 loopholes ; and in some ])laces sods and bags of sand 
 were piled along the top, with narrow spaces to lire 
 through. From the central ))art of the line the ground 
 sl()p(.'d away like a natural glacis ; while at the sides, 
 and especially on the left, it was undulating and l)roken. 
 Over this whole space, to the distance of a musket- 
 shot from the works, the forest was cut down, and the 
 trees left lying where they fell among the stumps, with 
 tops turned outwards, forming one vast abatis, which, as 
 a Massachusetts oHicer Kays, looked like a forest laid flat 
 by a hurricane. IJut the most formidable obstruction was 
 immediately along the front of the breastwork, where the 
 ground was covered with heavy boughs, overla))ping and 
 interlaced, with sharpened points bristling into the face 
 of the assailant like the quills of a porcupine. As these 
 works Avere all of wood, no vestiue of them remains. 
 The earthworks now shown to tourists as the lines of 
 Afontcalm arc of later construction ; and though on the 
 same ground, arc not on the same })lan. 
 
 Here, then, was i, position which, if attacked in front 
 with musketry alone, might be called impregnable. But 
 would Abercromby so attack it ? lie had several alter- 
 natives. He might attemi)t the flank and rear of his 
 enemy by way of the low grounds on the right and left 
 of the plateau, a movement which the precautions of 
 Montcalm had made dithcult, but not impossible. Or, 
 instead of leaving his artillery idle on the strand of 
 Lake George, he might brinsr it to the front and batter 
 the breastwork, which, though impervious to musketry, 
 was worthless against heavy cannon. Or he might do 
 
 i 1 
 
BATTLE OF TICOXDEROGA. 
 
 77 
 
 wliat Burcrovne did with success a scoro of voars later, 
 and plant a ltatt(>ry on tlic lu'i^ihts ol' Ratllcsnaixc Hill, 
 now called Mount Dcliancc, which couuuaiulcd the posi- 
 tion of the FrcJi^'J'i ^iii'l whence the inside of their breast- 
 work could be scoured witii round-shot from end to end. 
 Or, while threatenin<»; the French front with a part of 
 his army, he could march the rest a short distance 
 through the woods or. his left to the road whii-h led 
 from Ticondcroga to (h-owii Point, and which would 
 soon have brought him to the jdace called Five-Mih; 
 Point, where Lake Chaniiilaln narrows to the width of 
 an easy rifle-shot, and where a battery of lield-i)ieces 
 would have cut off all Montcalm's supplies and closecl 
 his oidy way of retreat. As the Fj-ench were jirovis- 
 ioned for but eight days, their position would thus have 
 been desiierato. They plainly saw the danger ; and 
 Doreil declares that hud the movement biM'n made, their 
 whole army must have surrend(n-ed. Montcalm had 
 done what Ik^ could ; but the danger of his ])osition was 
 inevitable and extreme. II is hope lay in Abercroniby ; 
 and it was a hope well founded. The action of tlu; 
 English general answered the utmost wishes of his 
 enemy. 
 
 Abercroml>y had been told by his prisoners that 
 Montcalm had six thousand men, and that three thou- 
 sand more were expected every hour. Therefoi'c he 
 was in haste to attack before these succors could arrive. 
 As was the general, so was the army. '* I believe," 
 writes an ofTicer, " we were one and all infatuated by a 
 notion of carrying every obstacle by a mere cokj) de 
 mousqueterleP Leadership perished with Lord Howe, 
 and nothing was left but blind, headlong valor. 
 
 Clerk, chief engineer, was sent to reconnoitre the 
 French works from Mount Defiance ; and came back 
 
78 
 
 LAKK GKOIUJE AND LAKE ClIAMrLAIN. 
 
 li I 
 
 ' 
 
 li :^i 
 
 with tlio r('[)ort tlitit, to jiid^t' I'rum wliai he could sco, 
 tlicy ini<iht be carried l>y asfsault. Tlien, without wait- 
 ing to i)riiif^ \\[) his canuou, Abercroniby prepared to 
 storm tlie lines. 
 
 The Flench finished their breastwork and abatis on 
 the eveninj^ of <he seventh, encamped behind them, 
 slung their ketth's, and rested after their heavy toil. 
 Ldvis had not yet ai)j)eared ; but at twilight one of his 
 olliccrs, Ca[)tain Toucliot, arrived with three hundred 
 regulars, and announced that his commander would 
 come before morning with a hundred more. The rein- 
 forcement, though small, was welcome, and Levis was 
 a host in himself. I'ouchot was told that the army was 
 half a mile off. Thither he repaired, made his rej)ort 
 to Montcalm, and looked with amazement at the pro- 
 digious amount of work accomplished in one day. 
 Levis himself arrived in the course of the night, and 
 apj)roved the arrangement of the troops. They lay 
 behind tlieir lines till daybreak ; then the di'ums beat, 
 and thcv formed in order of battle. The battalions of 
 La Sarre and Languedoc were posted on the left, under 
 Bourlanuuiue, the first battalion of Berry with that of 
 Royal Roussillon in the centre, nnder Montcalm, and 
 those of La Reine, Bdarn, and Guienne on the right, 
 under Ldvis. A detachment of volunteers occupied the 
 low grounds between the breastwork and the outlet of 
 Lake George ; while, at the foot of the declivity on the 
 side towards Lake Champlain, were stationed four hun- 
 dred and fifty colony regulars and Canadians, behind an 
 abatis which thev had made for themselves ; and as 
 they were covered by the cannon of the fort, there was 
 some hope that they would check any flank movement 
 which the English might attempt on that side. Their 
 posts being thus assigned, the men fell to work again to 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEKOGA. 
 
 70 
 
 stri'iigtlu'ii tlicir (li'f«'ncos. Iiu'ludini; tli(xs<' who ciiinc 
 with Lt'vis, thu total furcu of cri'octivu suhliers was now 
 thhty-six himdivd. 
 
 Soon alter nine o'clock a distant and hannlcss lire of 
 small-arms began on the slopes of Mount Defiance. It 
 came from a party of Indians who had just arrived with 
 Sir William Johnson, and v>ho, after amusin«r themselves 
 in this manner for a time, remained for the rest of the 
 day safe si)ectators of the fight. The soldiers worked 
 undisturbed till noon, when vollevs of musketrv were 
 heard from the forest in front. It was the Knglish li^ht 
 troops driving in the French pickets. A cannon wa.-; 
 tired as a signal to drop tools and form for battle. The 
 white uniforms lined the breastwork in a triple row, 
 with the grenadiers behind them as a reserve, and the 
 second battalion oi j>orry watching the iianks and rear. 
 
 Meanwhih* ^hc English army had moved forward from 
 its canij) by the saw-mill. First came the rangers, the 
 light infantry, and Bradstreet's armed boatmen, who, 
 emerging into the open space, began a spattering lire. 
 Some of the j)rovincial troops followed, extending from 
 left to right, and opening tire in turn; then the regulars, 
 who liad formed in columns of attack under cover of the 
 forest, advanced their solid red masses into the sunlight,, 
 and passing through the intervals between the jn'ovincial 
 regiments, pushed forward to the assault. Across the 
 rough ground, with its maze of fallen trees whose leaves 
 hung withering in the July sun, they could see the top 
 of the breastwork, but not the men behind it ; when, in 
 an instant, all the line was obscured by a gush of smoke, 
 a crash of exploding firearms tore the air, and grapeshot 
 and musket-balls swept the whole space like a tempest ; 
 " a damnable fire," says an otftcer who heard them scream- 
 ing about his ears. The English had been ordered to 
 
pr" 
 
 '^nVPIIIiMH 
 
 80 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 te 
 
 carry the works with the bayonet ; but their ranks were 
 broken by the obstructions througli which they struggled 
 in vain to force their wav. and thev ooon began to lire in 
 turn The storm raged in full fury for an hour. The 
 assailants pushed close to the breastwork ; but there they 
 were stopped by (he bristling mass of sharpened branches, 
 which they could not pass under the murderous cross- 
 fires that swept them from front and flank. At length 
 they fell back, exclaimiug that the works were impreg- 
 nable. Abercromby, Avho was at the saw-mill, a mile 
 and a half in the rear, sent orders to attack again, and 
 again they came on as before. 
 
 The scene was frightful : masses of infuriated men 
 who could not go forward and would not go back ; 
 straining for an enemy they could not reach, and firing 
 on an enemy they could not see ; caught in the entangle- 
 ment of fallen trees; tripped by briers, stumlding over 
 logs, tearing through boughs; shouting, yelling, cursing, 
 and pelted all the while with bul'ets that killed them 
 by scores, stretched them on the ground, or hung them 
 on jagged brandies in strange attitudes of death. The 
 provincials supi)orted the regulars with s])irit, and some 
 of them forced theic way to the foot of the wooden wall. 
 
 The French fought with the intrepid gayety of their 
 nation, and shouts of Vive le Rol ! and Vive notre G-r- 
 ncral! mingled with the din of musketry. Montcalm, 
 with his coat off, for the day was hot, directed the de- 
 fence of the centre, and repaired to any part of the line 
 where the danger for the time seemed greatest. He is 
 warm \x\ praise of his enemy, and declares that between 
 one and seven o'clock thev attacked him six successive 
 times. Early in the action Abercromby tried to turn 
 the French left by sending twenty bateaux, filled with 
 troops, down the outlet of Lake George. They were 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEIIOGA. 
 
 81 
 
 mot by the fire of the volunteers stiitionod to defend the 
 low grounds on that side, and, still advaneinu', eamc; 
 within range of tiie cannon of the fort, whieli sank two 
 of theui and dro\e back the rest. 
 
 A curious incident hapi)ened during one of the attacks. 
 De Bassignac, a captain in the battalion of Royal Rous- 
 sillon, tied his handkerchief to tlie end of a muslvct and 
 waved it over the breastworlv in defiance. Tlie Englisii 
 mistook it for a sign of surrender, and came forward 
 witli all possible s})eed, hoMing their nuisUets crossed 
 over their heads in both hands, and crying Qnartcr. 
 The French made the same mistake; and thinking that 
 their enemies were giving themselves uj) as prisoners, 
 ceased firing, and mounted on the top of the breastwtn'k 
 to receive them. Captain Pouchot, astonished, as he says, 
 to sec them perched there, looked out to learn the cause, 
 and saw that the enemv meant anything but surrender. 
 Whereui)on ho shouted with all his might: '•' Tirez ! 
 Tlrcz! Ne voycz-vous pa^i que ces gcui^-la vont vous en- 
 Icrcr?" The soldiers, still standing on the breastwork, 
 instantly gave the English a volley, which killed some,ol' 
 them, and sent back the rest discomIite(l. 
 
 This Avas set to the account of Oallic treachery. "An- 
 other deceit the enemy put u\Hm us," says a militni-y 
 letter-writer: "theyriiised their hats above the Itreast- 
 work, which our people fire(l at: they having loophohs 
 to fire through, and beirig covered by the sods, we di<l 
 them little damnge, except shooting th(>ir hats to jtieces." 
 In one of the last assaults a soldier of the Rhode Island 
 regiment, Willinm Smith, managed to get through all 
 obstructions and ensconce himself close under the breast- 
 work, where in the confusion he remained for a time 
 unnoticed, improving his advantages meanwhile by shoot- 
 ing several Frenchmen. Being at length observed, a 
 
 § 
 
^^ 
 
 82 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 ■i'Ji 
 
 ri) 
 
 ^,'t 
 
 
 soldier fired vertically down upon him and wounded him 
 sevcri'ly, but not enou^'h to prevent his spriu^in*^ up, 
 striking at one of his enemies over the top of the wall, 
 and braining him with his hatchet. A British officer 
 who saw tlie feat, and was struciv by the reckless daring 
 of the man, ordered two regulars to bring him off ; 
 which, covered by a brisk fire of musketry, they suc- 
 ceeded in doing. A letter from the camp two or three 
 weeks later reports him as in a fair way to recover, 
 being, says the writer, much braced and invigorated by 
 his anger against the French, on whom he was swearing 
 to have his revenge. 
 
 Toward i\xG o'clock two English columns joined in a 
 most determined assault on the extreme right of the 
 F'rench, defended by the battalions of Guienne and 
 Bdarn. The danger for a time was imminent. Mont- 
 calm hastened to the s])ot with the reserves. The 
 assailants hewed their way to the foot of tlie breastwork ; 
 and though again and again repidsed, they again and 
 again renewed the attack. The Highlanders fought with 
 stubborn and unconquerable fury. " Even those who 
 were mortally wounded," writes one of their lieutenants, 
 " cried to their companions not to lose a thought upon 
 them, but to follow their officers and mind the honor of 
 their country. Their ardor was such that it was" difli- 
 cult to bring them off." Their major, Campbell of 
 luverawe, found his foreboding true. He received a 
 mortal shot, and his clansmen bore him from the field. 
 Twentv-five of their officers were killed or wounded, and 
 half the men fell under the deadly fire that poured from 
 the looi>holes. Captain John Campbell and a few fol- 
 lowers tore their way through the abatis, climbed the 
 breastwork, leaped down among the French, and were 
 bavoncted there. 
 
 • 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 !;f 
 
 As tho colony troops and Canadians on the low o-ponnd 
 worn left undistuH.cd, Lovis sent them an order to make 
 a sortie and attack tl.c left flank of the charging col- 
 umns. They accordingly posted themselves amoim tl.c 
 trees along the declivity, and fired npwards at tlie en- 
 emy, who presently shifted their position to the ri'-ht 
 out of the line of shot. The assault still contiuued,"l,ut 
 111 vain; and at six th(3ro was another effort, ef.ually 
 fruitless. From this time till half-past seven a linovr- 
 ing fight was kept np hy the rangers and other provin- 
 cials, firing from the edge of tho woods and from behind' 
 the stumps, l)ushes, and fallen trees in front of the lines 
 Its only oI)jects were to cover their comrades, who were 
 collectmg and bringing off the woun.hMl, and to protect 
 the retreat of the regulars, who fell back in disorder to 
 the Falls. As twilight came on, the last combatant with- 
 drew, and none were left but the dead. Abercromhy had 
 lost in killed, wounded, and missing, nineteen hundred 
 and iorty-four ofTicers and men. The loss of the French 
 not counting that of Langy's detachment, was three hnn' 
 dred and seventy-seven. Bourlamaque was danjieronsly 
 wounded; iJougainville slightly; and the hat of Levis 
 was twice shot through. 
 
 Montcalm, with a mighty load lifted from his soul 
 passed along the lines, and gave the tired soldiers the' 
 thanks they nobly deserved. IJeer, wine, and food were 
 served out to them, and they bivouacke.l for tho nio-ht 
 on the level ground l)etween the breastwork and tho 
 lort. Ihe enemy had met a terrible rebuff; vet tne 
 danger was not over. Abercromhy still ha.l mo^e than 
 thirteen thousand men, and he might renew the attack 
 u-ith cannon. But, on the morning of the ninth, a band 
 ot volunteers who had gone out to watch him brought 
 
84 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CIIAMPLAIN. 
 
 
 1! 
 
 back the report that he was in full reticat. The saw- 
 mill at the Falls was on lii'C, and the last English sol- 
 dier was gone. On the morning of the tenth, Lc'vis, 
 with a strong detachment, followed the road to the 
 landing-place;, and found signs that a panic had over- 
 taken the defeated troops. They had left behind several 
 hundred barrels of provisions and a large quantity of 
 baggage ; while in a marsiiy ])lace that they had crossed 
 was found a considerable number of their shoes, which 
 had stuck in the mud, and which they had not stopped 
 to recover. They had embarked on the morning after 
 the battle, and retreated to the head of the lake in a 
 disorder and dejection wofully contrasted with the pomp 
 of their advance. A gallant army was sacrificed by the 
 blunders of its chief. 
 
 Montcalm announced his victory to his wife in a strain 
 of exaggeration that marks the exaltation of his mind. 
 " Without Indians, almost without Canadians or colony 
 troo}>s, — I had only four hundred, — alone with Levis 
 and Bourlamaque a'd the troops of the line, thirty-one 
 hundred lighting men, I have beaten an army of twenty- 
 five thousand. They rei)asscd the lake })recipitately, 
 with a loss of at least five thousand. This glorious day 
 does infinite honor to the valor of our battalions. I have 
 no time to write more. I am well, my dearest, and I 
 embrace you." And he wrote to his friend Dorcil: 
 "The army, the too-small army of the King, has beaten 
 the enemy. What a day for France ! If I had had two 
 hundred Indians to send out at the head of a thousand 
 picked men under the Chevalier do Levis, not many 
 would have escaped. Ah, my dear Doreil, what soldiers 
 are ours ! I never saw the like. Why were they not 
 at Louisbourg ? " 
 
 ■ 
 
 „ 
 
BATTLE OF TICONDEROGA. 86 
 
 On the morrow of Ins victory he caiKscd a great cross 
 to be i.Ianted on tlio battle-field, inscribed with these 
 lines, composed by the soldier-schohir himself,— 
 
 " Quid (lux 1 quid miles ? quid strata ingentia ligna ' 
 " En Signuin ! on victor! Dous hie, Dcus ipse triumphat." 
 " Soldier and chief and rampart's strcngtli are nougl>t ; 
 i3ehold the conquering Cross 1 'T is God the triumph wrought." 
 
A LEGEND OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 ' 
 
 f 
 
 w 
 
 "IV /TENTION has been made of the death of Major 
 -^'-*- Duncan Campbell of Inverawe. The following 
 family tradition relating to it was told me in 1878 by 
 the late Dean Stanley, to whom 1 am also indebted for 
 various papers on the subject, including a letter from 
 James Campbell, Esq., the present laird of Inverawe, 
 and great-nei)he\v of the hero of the tale. The same 
 story is told, in an amplified fOi*m and with some vari- 
 ations, in the Leijendary Tales of the Highlands of Sir 
 Thomas Dick Lauder. As related by Dean Stanley and 
 approved by Mr. Campbell, it is this : — 
 
 The ancient castle of Inverawe stands by the banks 
 of the Awe, in the midst of the wild and picturesque 
 scenery of the western Highlands. Late one evening, 
 before the middle of the last century, as the laird, Dun- 
 can Cami)bell, sat alone in the old hall, there was a loud 
 knocking at the gate; and, opening it, he saw a stranger, 
 with torn clothing and kilt besmeared with blood, who 
 in a breathless voice begged for asylum. He went on to 
 say that he had killed a man in a fray, and that the 
 pursuers were at his heels. Campbell promised to shel- 
 ter him. " Swear on your dirk ! " said the stranger ; and 
 Campbell swore. He then led him to a secret recess in 
 the depths of the castle. Scarcely was he hidden when 
 again there was a loud knocking at the gate, and two 
 
 \} 
 
 W] 
 
A LEGEND OF TICONDEROGA. 
 
 87 
 
 \9 
 
 
 armed men appeared. " Your cousin Donald has been 
 murdered, and we are looking for the murderer ! " 
 Campbell, remembering his oath, professed to have no 
 knowledge of the fugitive ; and the men went on their 
 way. The laird, in great agitation, lay down to rest in a 
 large dark room, where at length he fell asleep. Wak- 
 ing suddenly in bewilderment and terror, he saw the 
 ghost of the murdered Donald standing by his bedside, 
 and heard a hollow voice pronounce the woids : '' Inver- 
 aive ! Inverawe ! blood has been shed. Shield not the 
 murderer!''^ In the moining Campl^ell went to the 
 hiding-place of the guilty man and told him that he 
 could hai'bor him no longer. " You have sworn on your 
 dirk ! " he replied ; and the laird of Inverawe, greatly 
 perplexed and troubled, made a compromise between 
 conflicting duties, promised not to betray his guest, led 
 him to the neighboring mountain, and hid him in a cave. 
 
 In the next night, as he lay tossing in feverish sliun- 
 bers, the same stern voice awoke him, the ghost of his 
 cousin Donald stood ngain at his bedside, and again he 
 heard the same ap])alllng words: '■'' Inverawe ! Inverawe! 
 blood has been shed. /Shield not the m^irderer !^^ At 
 break of day he hastened, in strange agitation, to the 
 cave ; but it was empty, the stranger was gone. At 
 night, as he strove in vain to sleep, the vision aj)pearcd 
 once more, ghastly ])ale, but less stern of aspect than 
 before. " Farewell., Inverawe ! " it said ; " Farewell., till 
 we meet at TICONDEROaA!'' 
 
 The strange name dwelt in Campbell's memory. He 
 had joined the Black Watch, or Forty-second Regiment, 
 then employed in keeping order in the turljulcnt High- 
 lands. In time he became its major ; and, a year or 
 two after the war broke out, he went with it to America. 
 Here, to his horror, he learned that it was ordered to 
 
88 
 
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 im 
 
 ^. 
 
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 fe 
 
 si 
 
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 >M 
 
 ^^ 
 
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 MM 
 
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 ! 
 
 B 
 
 LAKE GEORGE AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 tlio attack of Ticoiidoroga. His story was well known 
 among his brotlier oHicors. Tlicy c()nil)incd among them- 
 selves to disarm his fears ; and when tliey reached the 
 fatal spot they told him on the eve of the battle, " This 
 is not Ticonderoga; we are not there yet; this is Fort 
 George." But in the morning Ik; came to them witli 
 haggard looks. •' 1 have seen him ! Yon have deceived 
 me! lie came to my tent last night! This is Ticon- 
 dei'oga ! I shall die to-day ! " and his prediction was 
 fulfilled. 
 
 Such is the tradition. The indisputable facts are that 
 Major Duncan Campbell of Inverawe, his ai-m shattered 
 by a bullet, was carried to Fort Edward, where, after 
 amputation, he died and was buried. (^Ahercromhy to 
 Pitt, 19 Ai(</ud, 1758.) The stone that marks his grave 
 may still be seen, with this inscription : " Here lyes the 
 Body of Dmiean Campbell of Inverawe, Eacf^., Major to 
 the old IIi(/hland Reyiment, a(j<'d 55 Years, tcho died the 
 17'^ Jul//, 1158^ of the Woundti he received in the Attack 
 of the lletrenchmeni of Ticonderoga or Carrillon, on the 
 8'^^ July, 1758." 
 
 His son, Lieutenant Alexander Campbell, was severely 
 wounded at the same time, but reachci Scotland alive, 
 and died in Glasgow. 
 
 Mr. Campbell, the present Inverawe, in the letter men- 
 tioned above, says that forty-five years ago he knew an 
 old man whose grandfather was foster-brother to the 
 slain major of the forty-second, and who told him the 
 following story while carrying a salmon for him to an 
 inn near Inverawe. The old man's grandfather was 
 sleeping with his son, then a lad, in the same room, but 
 in another bed. This son, father of the narrator, " was 
 
A LEGEND OF TICOXDEUOGA. 
 
 89 
 
 awakoned," to borrow the words of Mr. Campbell " by 
 some luiaecu.stomed sound, and beliold there was a bri-dit 
 light m tlie room, and he saw a ligure, in full IJi-diland 
 regimentals, cross over the room and stoop down over 
 his lather's bed and give him a kiss. Hq was too frioht- 
 ened to speak, but put his head under his coverlet and 
 went to sleep. Once more he was roused in like manner 
 and saw the same sigiit. In the morning he spoke to' 
 his father about it, who told him that it was Macdon- 
 iiociiie [the Gaelic patronymic of the laird of Inveratrrl 
 whoni he had seen, and who camo to tell him that he 
 had been killed in a great battle in America. Sm-e 
 enough said my informant, it was on the very day that 
 the battle of 1 iconderoga was fought and the laird was 
 Killed. 
 
 It is also said that two ladies of the family of Inver- 
 awo saw a l.attic in the clouds, in which the shadowy 
 forins of I ighlaud warriors were plainly to be descried; 
 and t ha when the fatal news came from America, it was 
 ound that the tin.c of the vision answercl .-xactly to 
 that of the battle in which the head of the family fell 
 
i 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 Ml 
 
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 f: 
 
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 < 
 
 pi 
 
 PS 
 
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 ^IKOl^ OF F<.HT NIAGARA. 
 
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 '■"P^ilE liivfT Niag'ai'a svm^ known (o th(.' Joyiiits a.s 
 •*• farly us IGJO Tlu- Kuils arc iii(iiciit( .! on ''[lam- 
 plaiiiV iiifjp of .l<!'oii, urri ijj UMs Uic' Josuit }t!iv:T!riicau 
 i>}>euks ot Ou.'tu a3^ '* oitaract; of frijjfhUnl ii-'igiu/' 
 
 li< ItiT'S. the V-AU \v<'f" vi.-^itril bv the Ulnv Lnuis 
 llinirn'jtiu, who givo,:^an Cixaggenitci) (icscrijtHoii of llieui, 
 am! illihsl rates it by ' i'itrioii>< j'i<'turi\ 'I'h'- uiinic Xia;^- 
 fivn is ftf Iri»<)V«*Ms «vn'.i:in. aiui in tho ^Mohawk dialect ib 
 pr. r'-v';a<:<"^ N ' iV.' •'■^»b- 
 
 Ivt th.: )•■■■',)• .i* HftMU ju'n's Vlf'it. tifr followtHS of C:lVO- 
 lior <'.^ J,? "^^uH-' b»•«■i^.n a torhficii siurrlioni,!- wIkut- Lrwis- 
 
 above the i-ab-, Lr- ':.'!=• t'uiii t]p< •• (irilhi,;' <hv; Hr^t 
 vcsM'i rluit cTor .-a.ii'.-f Of! !!."• F[.)|ii'r Laki s, Ar the 
 mmo iimt^ ho b»\L''i;u a b:it nt (lie inniiili uf llir* rivor. 
 La Sallr^'s J'on f'-ll U> ruin, aiul another uns built in 
 its ]il:K'e a to>v yt';ir^ aifi r. Tliip, loo, was abanrlnnod 
 to be a;iaiii n*!>ni!t. aii'i ihc post roniaitUMl irt Fi'iicli 
 haiuU more than half a fr'jit'iry. It vas of iiic 'ircalcst 
 iirsportaneo, ainco it .'omruati bnl 11m.' chief route ironi 
 Cannda to the interii'- of tl»e •"oijtiornt. At husxlh, in 
 ITolh the your of "U'..iO''s funjous vi('f(»iy !i{ Qneboc, 
 General Pridennx wu.-n .soe.t i'> reihici' it. 
 
 Pri<leanx safely reaeh-.d N'lugara, and laid r-iepe to it. 
 Fort Niatraia was a stronjj: woik, lately rebuilt in 
 regular form by an excellent ofticor, Captain Fouchot, 
 
 
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 SIEGE OF FORT NIAGARA. 
 
 T^IIE River Niagara was known to the Josuits as 
 -^ early as 1G40. Tiie Falls arc indicated on Cham- 
 plain's map of 16^2, and in 1G48 the Jesuit Riio-ncncau 
 speaks of tliera as a " cataract of frightful height." 
 
 In 1078, the Falls were visited by the fi-hir Louis 
 IIennei)in, who gives an exaggerated description of them, 
 and illustrates it by a curious jiicture. Tiie name Niag- 
 ara is of Iro(iuois origin, and in the Mohawk dialect Is 
 pronounced Nyagarah. 
 
 In the year of Hennepin's visit, the followers of Cavc- 
 licr do la Salle began a fortified storehouse where Lewis- 
 ton now stands, and on Cayuga Creek, a few miles 
 above the Falls, La Salle built the ''Grilliu," the first 
 vessel that ever sailed on the tapper Lakes. At the 
 same time he begnn a fort nt the mouth of the river. 
 La Salle's fort f(dl to ruin, nnd another was built in 
 its place a few years after. This, too, was abandoned 
 to be again reltuilt, and the post remained in French 
 hands more than half a century. It was of the great(>st 
 imi)ortance, since it connnauded th<> chief r-oute from 
 Canada to the interior of the contiueut. At hmgfh, in 
 IToO, the year of Wolfe's famous victory at Quebec, 
 General Prideaux was sent to reduce it. 
 
 Prideaux safely reached Niagara, and laid siege to it. 
 Fort Niagara was a strong work, lately rebuilt in 
 regular form by an excellent ofilccr, Captain Pouchot, 
 
94 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 :M 
 
 of the battalion of Bdarn, who commanded it. It stood 
 wliere tlie present fort stands, in the angle formed )>y 
 iha junction of the River Niagara with Lake Ontari(j, 
 and was held by about six hundred men, well supplied 
 with provisions and munitions of war. Higher up the 
 river, a mile and a half above the cataract, there was 
 another fort, called Little Niagara, built of wood, and 
 commanded V)y the half-breed ofiicer, Joncairc-Chabert, 
 wdio with his brother, Joncalre-Clauzonnc, and a numer- 
 ous clan of Indian relatives, had long thwarted the 
 efforts of Sir William Johnson to engage the Five 
 Nations in the English cause. But recent English 
 successes had had their effect. Joncaire's influence 
 was waning, and Johnson was now in Pridcaux's camp 
 with nine hundred Five Nation warriors pledged to fight 
 the French. Joncaire, finding his fort untenable, burned 
 it, and came with his garrison and his Lidian friends to 
 reinforce Niagara. 
 
 Poucbot had another resource, on which he con- 
 fidently relied. In obedience to an order from Vau- 
 dreuil, the French population of the Illinois, Detroit, 
 and other distant posts, joined w^ith troops of Westei'n 
 Indians, had come down the Lakes to restore French 
 ascendency on the Ohio. These mixed bands of white 
 men and red, bushrangers and savages, were now gath- 
 ered, partly at Le Bauf and Venango, but chiefly at 
 Presquisle, under command of Aubry, Liguoris, Marin, 
 and other partisan chiefs, the best in Canada. No 
 sooner did Pouchot learn that the English were coming 
 to attack him than he sent a messenger to summon 
 them all to his aid. 
 
 The siege was begun in form, though the English 
 engineers were so incompetent that the trenches, as 
 first laid out, were scoured by the fire of the place, and 
 
 , 
 
 1 
 
SIEGE OF FORT NIAGARA. 
 
 95 
 
 \ 
 
 
 had to be made anew. At last the batteries opened fire. 
 A shell from a coehorn l)iirst prematurely, just as it 
 left the mouth of the piece, and a fragment striking 
 Prideaux on the head, killed him instantly. Johnson 
 took conunand in his place, and made up in energy what 
 he lacked in skill. In two or three weeks the fort was 
 in extremity. The ramj»art was breached, more than 
 a hundred of the gari-ison were killed or disabled, and 
 the rest were exhausted with want of sleep. Pouchot 
 watched anxiously for the promised succors ; and on the 
 morning of the twenty-fourth of July a distant firing 
 told him that they were at hand. 
 
 Aubry and Ligneris, with their motley following, had 
 left Presqulslc a few days before, to the number, accord- 
 ing to Vaudreuil, of eleven hundred French and two 
 hundred Indians. Among them was a body of colony 
 troops ; but the Frenchmen of the party were chiefly 
 traders and bushrangers from the West, connecting 
 links between civilization and savagery ; some of them 
 indeed were mere white Indians, imbued with the ideas 
 and morals of the wigwam, wearing hunting-shirts of 
 smoked deer-skin embroidered with quills of the Canada 
 porcupine, painting their faces black and red, tying 
 eagle feathers in their long hair, or })lastering it on their 
 temples with a compound of vermilion and glue. They 
 were excellent woodsmen, skilful hunters, and perhaps 
 the best bushfightcrs in all Canada. 
 
 When Pouchot heard the firing, he went with a 
 wounded artillery ofTicer to the bastion next the river ; 
 and as the forest had been cut away for a great distance, 
 they could see more than a mile and a half along the 
 shore. There, by glimpses among trees and bushes, 
 they descried bodies of men, now advancing, and now 
 retreating ; Indians in rapid movement, and the smoke 
 
96 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 W 
 
 
 of guns, the sound of wliich reuchcd their ears in heav}' 
 volleys, or a sharp and angry rattU'. Meiuiwhilc the 
 English cannon litid ceased their lire, and the silent 
 trenches seemed deserted, as if their occupants were 
 gone to meet the advancing foe. There was a call in 
 the fort for volunteers to sallv and destroy (he works : 
 but no sooner did they show tli(nnselves along the 
 covered wav than the seeming! v abandoned tnMiches 
 were thronged with men and bayonets, and the attempt 
 was given up. The distant firing lasted half an hour, 
 then ceased, and Pouchot remained in suspense; till, at 
 two in the afternoon, a friendly Ontmdaga, who had 
 passed mmoticed through the English lines, came to 
 him with the animuneement that the French and their 
 {dlies had been routed and cut to pieces. l*ouch(jt would 
 not believe him. 
 
 Nevertheless his tale was true, Johnson, besides his 
 Indinns, had with him about twenty -thi'ce hundred men, 
 whom he was forced to divide into three sei)arate bodies, 
 — onv to guard the bateaux, one to guard the trenches, 
 and (me to fight Aubry and his band. This last body 
 consisted of the provincial 'ight infantry and the pickets, 
 two companies of grr'nidiers, and a hundred and fifty 
 men of the forty-sixth reji-iment, all under command of 
 Colonel Massey. They took post Ixdiind an abatis at a 
 jdace called La Belle Famille, and t\ui Five Nation war- 
 riors ])laced themselves on their fliU'KS. These savages 
 had shown signs of disaffection ; and when the enemy 
 api)roached, they opened a parley with the French 
 Indians, which, however, soon ended, and l)oth sides 
 raised the war-whoop. The fight was brisk for a while ; 
 but at h'^i ' v's men broke away in a panic. The 
 FrencJ ' .•;^ ■ ' to have made desperate efforts to 
 retrieve i.v j;^' ''• nearly all of thera were killed or 
 
SIEGE OF FOIIT NIAGARA. 
 
 97 
 
 captured ; whilo their follovvora, after Iioavy loss, fled 
 to their canoes and boats above the cataract, hastened 
 back to Lake p]rie, l)urned Prcsquisle, Le Banif, and 
 Venango, and, joined by the garrisons of tliosc forts, 
 4-etreated to Detroit, leaving the whole region of the 
 upper Oliio in undisi.uted j.ossession of the Endish. 
 
 At four o'clock on the day of the battle, after a fu- 
 rious cannonade on both sides, a trumpet sounded from 
 the trenches, and an officer a])proached the fort with a 
 summons to surrender. lie brought also a j)aper con'- 
 taiuing the names of the captive French ofiicers, though 
 some of them were spelled in a way that defied recog- 
 nition. Pouchot, feigning incredulity, sent an officer 
 of his own to the English camp, who soon saw unan- 
 swerable proof of the disaster; for here, under a shelter 
 of leaves and boughs near the tent of Johnson, sat Li- 
 gneris, severely wounded, with Aubiy, Villiers, Montigny, 
 Marin, and their companions in misfortune, — in all,' 
 sixteen officers, four cadets, and a surg(>on. 
 
 Pouchot had now no choice but surrender. By tiie 
 terms of the capitulation, the garrison were to be sent 
 prisoners to x\ew York, thougli honors of war were 
 granted them in acknowledgment of their courageous 
 conduct. There was a special stipulation that they 
 should be protected from the Indians, of whom they 
 stood in the greatest terror, lest the massacre of Fort 
 Wdham Henry should be avenged upon them. Johnson 
 restrained his dangerous allies, and, though the fort Was 
 pillaged, no blood was shed. 
 
 The capture of Niagara was an important stroke. 
 Thenceforth Detroit, Michillimackinac, the Illinois, and 
 all the other French interior posts were severed from 
 Canada and left in helpless isolation. The conquest of 
 the whole interior became only a question of time. 
 
 7 
 
iM 
 
 MASSACRE OF THE DEVIL'S HOLE. 
 
 \ FTER the conquest of Cainida, tliero was a j^eneral 
 •*^^ u])rising of the Indian tri])es, led ])y tlie famous 
 Tontiac, against the British forts and settlements. In 
 the war that followijd, a remarkable incident tocjk })laee 
 a little way below Niagara Falls. 
 
 The carrying-place of Niagara formed an essential link 
 
 n the chain of conmiunication between the province of 
 New York and the interior country. Men and military 
 stores were conveyed in boats uj) the river, as far as the 
 present site of Lewiston. Thence a portage road, several 
 miles in length, j»assed along the banks of the stream, 
 and terminated at Fort Schlosser, above the cataract. 
 This road traversed a region whose sublime features 
 have gained for it a world-wide renown. The River 
 Niagara, a short distance below the cataract, assumes an 
 aspect scarcely less remarkable than that stupendous 
 scene itself. Its channel is formed by a vast ravine, 
 whose sides, now bare and weather-stained, now shaggy 
 with forest-trees, rise in cliffs of appalling height and 
 steepness. Along this chasm pour all the waters of 
 the lakes, heaving their furious surges with the power 
 of an ocean and the rage of a mountain torrent. About 
 three miles below the cataract, the precipices which form 
 the eastern wall of the ravine are broken by an abyss of 
 awful depth and blackness, bearing at the present day 
 the name of the Devil's Hole. In its shallowest part, the 
 
 

 MASSACRE OF THE DEVIL'S HOLE. 
 
 99 
 
 
 1(1 
 
 of 
 er 
 lit 
 m 
 
 prccii)iL'C sinks sliocr down to the depth of eighty feet, 
 where it meets a ehuotie mass of rocks, descending witli 
 an abrupt declivity to unseen depths below. Within tiie 
 cold and damj) recesses of the gulf, a host of forest-trees 
 have rooted themselves; and, standing on the })erilous 
 brink, one nuiy look down u|)on the mingled folinge of 
 ash, poplar, and maj)le, while, abovi; them all, the spruce 
 and fir shoot their sharp and rigid sjtires ujiward into 
 sunlight. The roar of the convulsed river swells heav- 
 ily on the ear, and, far below, its hea<llong Avaters may 
 bo discerned careering in foam past the openings of the 
 matted foliage. 
 
 On the thirteenth of September, 1703, a numerous 
 train of wagons and pack horses proceeded from the 
 lower landing to Fort Schlosser, and on the following 
 mo^'uing set out on their return, guarded by an escort 
 r wenty-four soldiers. They pursued their slow ]jrog- 
 .i.j» until they reached a point where the road j)assed 
 alonu: the brink of the Devil's Hole. The gulf vawned 
 on their left, while on their right the road was skirted 
 by low and densely wooded hills. Suddenly they were 
 greeted by the blaze and clatter of a hundred I'ifles. 
 Then followed the startled cries of men, and the l)ound- 
 ing of maddened horses. At the next instant, a host of 
 Indians broke s(;reeching from the woods, and rifle-but 
 and tomahawk linished the bloody work. All was over 
 in a moment. Horses leaped the precipice ; men were 
 driven shrieking into the al^yss ; teams and wagons went 
 over, crashing to atoms among the rocks below. Tra- 
 dition relates that the drummer bov of the detachment 
 was caught, in his fall, among the branches of a tree, 
 where he hung suspended by his drum-strap. Being 
 but slightly injured, he disengaged himself, and, hiding 
 in the recesses of the gulf, finally escaped. One of the 
 
100 
 
 NIAGARA. 
 
 I 
 
 toiiinsters also, who was wounded at the first fire, con- 
 trived to ciiiwl into the woods, where lie lay conei.'uled 
 till the Indians had left the place. JJesides these two, 
 the only survivor was Stednian, the conductor of the 
 citnvoy, who, heinj^ wtdl mounted, and seeing the whole 
 parly forced helplessly towards the precipice, wheeled 
 his horse, and resolutely spurred throuuh the crowd of 
 Indians. One of them, it is said, seized his hridle ; hut 
 he freed himself hy a dexterous use of his knife, and 
 plunued into the woods, intouched by the bullets which 
 whistled about his head. Flvinjj^ at full speed through 
 the forest, he reacluMl Fort Schlosscr in safety. 
 
 The distant sound of the Indian rifles had been heard 
 by a party of soldiers, who occupied a small fortified 
 camp near the lower landing. Forming in baste, they 
 advanced eagerly to the rescue. In anticipation of this 
 movement, the Indians, who were nearly five hundred in 
 number, had separated into two parties, one of which 
 had stationed itself at the Devil's Hole, to waylay the 
 convoy, while the other formed an ambuscade ui)on the 
 road a mile nearer the hmding-jdace. The soldiers, 
 marching precipitately, and huddled in a close body, 
 were suddenly assailed by a volley of rifles, which 
 stretched half their numben dead upon the road. Then, 
 rushing from the forest, the Indians cut down the sur- 
 vivors with merciless ferocity. A small remnant onlv 
 escaped the massacre, and fled to Fort Niagara with the 
 tidings. Major Wilkins, who commanded at this post, 
 lost no time in marching to the spot, with nearly the 
 whole strength of his garrison. Not an Indian was to 
 be found. At the two places of ambuscade, about 
 seventy dead bodies were counted, naked, scalpless, and 
 so horribly mangled that many of them could not be 
 recognized. All the wagons had been broken to pieces, 
 
 
AIASSACUE OF TIIK DKVIL'S HOLE. 101 
 
 
 and such of (he horsus us wciu not driven over tho 
 precii.iee Im.l been carried off, luden, doubtU-ss, witli 
 ilio l»hiiider. Tlie anibuseude of tlie Devil's IJole hus 
 gained u ti-aditionary immortality, addin-r fearful inter- 
 est to a scene whose native horrors need no aid from 
 I lie imagination. 
 
t*^ 
 
 ft" • 
 
 )^ 
 
MONTREAL. 
 
if * 
 
 " i. 
 
THE BIRTH OF MONTREAL. 
 
 TIT'E come now to an enterprise as singular in its 
 cluuacter as it proved important in its results. 
 At La Fleche, in Anjou, dwelt one Jerome le Rover de 
 ia Dauversiere, receiver of taxes. liis portrait shows 
 us a round, bourrfeols face, somewhat heavy perhaps, 
 decorated with a slight musta«_']ie, and redeemed by 
 bright and earnest eyes. On his head he wears a black 
 skull-cap ; and over his ample shoulders spreads a stiff 
 white collar, oi wide expanse and studious plainness. 
 Though he belonged to the noblesse, his look is that of 
 a grave bui-gher, of good renown and sage deportment. 
 Dauversiere was, liowever, an enthusiastic devotee, of 
 mystical tendencies, who whipixMl himself with a scou'rgc 
 of small chains till his shoulders were one wound, wore 
 a belt with more than twelve hundred sharp jwints, and 
 invented for himself other torments, which filled his 
 conl-ssor with admiration. One day, while at his devo- 
 tions, he heard an inward voice commanding him to 
 become the founder of a new Order of hospital nuns ; 
 and he was further ordered to establish, on the island 
 called Montreal, in Canada, a hospital, or irOtel-Dieu, 
 to be conducted by tiiese nims. Hut Montreal was a 
 wilderness, and the hospital would have no patients. 
 Therefore, in order to supply them, the island must first 
 be colonized. Dauversiere was greatly jierplexed. On 
 the one hand, the voice of Heaven must be obeyed ; 
 
I I 
 
 106 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 on the other, he had a wife, six children, and a very 
 moderate fortune. 
 
 Again : there was at Paris a young priest, about 
 twenty-eight years of age, — Jean Jacc^ucs Olier, after- 
 wards widely known as founder of the Seminary of St. 
 Sulpice. Judged by his engraved portrait, his counte- 
 nance, though marked both with energy and intellect, 
 was anything but prepossessing. Every lineament i)ro- 
 claims the priest. Yet the Abb^ Olier has high titles 
 to esteem. He signalized his piety, it is true, by the 
 most disgusting exploits of self-mortification ; but, at 
 the same time, he was strenuous in his efforts to reform 
 the people and the clergy. So zealous was he for good 
 morals, that he drew upon himself the imputation of a 
 leaning to the heresy of the Jansenists, — a suspicion 
 strengthened by his opposition to certain pi'iests, who, 
 to secure the faithful in their allegiance, justified them 
 in lives of licentiousness. Yet Oiler's catholicity was 
 ])ast attaintmcnt, and in his horror of Jansenists he 
 yielded to the Jesuits alone. 
 
 He was praying in the ancient church of St. Germain 
 des Pr(3s, when, like Dauversi^re, he thought he heard 
 a voice from Heaven, saying that he was destined to be 
 a light to the Gentiles. It is recorded as a mystic coin- 
 cidence attending this miracle, that the choir was at 
 that very time ciumting the words, Lumen ad revela- 
 tionem Gentium; and it seems to have occurred neither 
 to Olier nor to his biographer, that, falling on the ear 
 of the rapt worshipper, they might have unconsciously 
 suggested the supposed revelation. But there was a 
 further miracle. An inward voice told Olier that he 
 was to form a society of priests, and establish them on 
 the island called Montreal, in Canada, for the j)ropa- 
 gation of the True Faith ; and writers old and recent 
 
THE BIRTH OF MONTREAL. 
 
 107 
 
 assert, that, while both he and Dauversiere were totally 
 ignorant of Canadian geography, they suddenly found 
 themselves in possession, they knew not how, of the 
 most exact details concerning Montreal, its size, shape, 
 situation, soil, climate, and productions. 
 
 Tlie annual volumes of the Jesuit Relations, issuing 
 from the renowned press of Cramoisy, were at this time 
 spread broadcast throughout France ; and, in the circles 
 of haiLte devotion. Canada and its missions were evcrv- 
 where the themes of enthusiastic discussion; while 
 Champlain, in his published works, had long before 
 pointed out Montreal as the proper site for a settlement. 
 But we are entering a region of miracle, and it is super- 
 fluous to look far for explanations. The illusion, in 
 these cases, is a part of tiie history. 
 
 Dauversiere ])ondered the revelation he had received ; 
 and the more he pondered, the more was he convinced 
 that it came from God. He therefore set out for Paris, 
 to find some means of accomplishing the task assigned 
 him. Here, as he prayed before an image of the Vii-gin 
 in the church of Notre-Daine, he fell into an ecstasy, 
 and beheld a vision. " I should be false to the integrity 
 of history," writes his biographer, " if I did not relate 
 it here." And he adds, that the reality of this celestial 
 favor is past doubting, inasmuch as Dauversiere himself 
 told it to his daughters. Christ, the Virgin, and St. 
 Joseph appeared before him. lie saw them distinctly, 
 Then he heard Christ ask three times of his Virgin 
 Mother, Where can I find a faithful servant? On which, 
 the Virgin, taking him (Dauversiere) l)y the hand, 
 replied, See, Lord, here is that faithful servant! — and 
 Christ, with a benignant smile, received him into his ser- 
 vice, promising to bestow on him wisdom and strength to 
 do his work. From Paris he went to the neighboring 
 
108 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 cliateau of Mcudon, which overlooks the valley of the 
 Seine, not far from St. Cloud. Enterini^ the gallery 
 of the old castle, he saw a f)riest approaching him. It 
 was Olicr. Now we arc told that neither of these men 
 had ever seen or heard of the other ; and yet, says the 
 pious historian, " impelled by a kind of inspiration, they 
 knew each other at once, even to the depths of their 
 hearts ; saluted each other by name, as we read of St. 
 Paul, the Hermit, and St. Anthony, and of St. Dominic 
 and St. Francis ; and ran to embrace each other, like 
 two friends who had met after a long separation." 
 
 "Monsieur," exclaimed Olier, "1 know your design, 
 and I go to commend it to God at the holy altar." 
 
 And he went at once to say mass in the chapel. 
 Dauversiere received the communion at his hands ; and 
 then they walked for three hours in the park, discussing 
 their ])lans. They were of one mind, in respect both to 
 objects and means ; and when they parted, Olier gave 
 Dauversiere a hundred louis, saying, " This is to begin 
 the work of God." 
 
 They proposed to found at Montreal three religious 
 communities, — three being the mystic number, — one 
 of secular priests to direct the colonists and convert the 
 Indians, one of nuns to nurse the sick, and one of nuns 
 to teach the Faith to the children, white and red. To 
 borrow their own phrases, they would plant the banner 
 of Christ in an abode of desolation and a haunt of 
 demons ; and to this end a band of priests and Momen 
 were to invade the wilderness, and take post between 
 the fangs of the Iroquois. But first they must make 
 a colony, and to do so must raise money. Olier had 
 pious and wealthy penitents ; Dauversiere had a friend, 
 the Haron de Fancamp, devout as himself and far richer. 
 Anxious for his soul, and satisfied that the enterprise 
 
 
;allery 
 n. It 
 ic men 
 ys the , 
 1, they 
 I their 
 of St. 
 ominic 
 :r, like 
 
 begin 
 
 ligious 
 — one 
 ert tlie 
 ' nuns 
 I. To 
 )anner 
 unt of 
 ■women 
 tween 
 make 
 }v had 
 friend, 
 richer, 
 rprise 
 
 TnE Burn I of Montreal. 
 
 109 
 
 was an inspiration of (lod, he was eager to b(^ar part in 
 it. Olier soon found three others; and the six t<)g(>tlier 
 formed the germ of the Sjeiety of Notre-Danu! de ^hju- 
 treal. Among them they raised tlie sum of seventy-fivo 
 tliousand livres, equivalent to about as many dollars at 
 the present day. 
 
 Now^ to look for a moment at their plan. Their 
 eulogists say, and uilh perfect truth, that, from a 
 worldly point of view, it was mere folly. The ])artners 
 mutually bound themselves to seek no return for the 
 money ex])ended. Their profit was to be reaped in the 
 skies : and, indeed, there was none to be reaped on 
 earth. The feeble settlement at Quebec was at this 
 time in danger of utter ruin ; for the Iroquois, enraged 
 at the attacks made on them by Champlain, had begun 
 a fearful course of retaliation, and the very existence of 
 the colony trembled in the balance. But if Quebec was 
 exposed to their ferocious inroads, ^lontreal was in- 
 comparably more so. A settlement here would be a 
 perilous outpost, — a hand thrust into the jaws of the 
 tiger. It Avould provoke attack, and lie almost in the 
 path of the war-piirties. The Associates could gain noth- 
 ing bv the fur-trade ; for thev would not be allowed to 
 share in it. On the other hand, danger apart, the place 
 was an excellent one for a mission ; for here met two 
 great rivers : the St. Lawrence, with its countless trib- 
 utaries, flowed in from the west, while the Ottawa de- 
 scended from the north ; and Montreal, embraced by 
 their uniting waters, was the key to a vast inland navi- 
 gation. Thither the Indians would naturally resort ; 
 and thence the missionaries could make their way into 
 the heart of a boundless heathendom. None of the ordi- 
 nary motives of colonization had part in this design. It 
 owed its conception and its birth to religious zeal alone. 
 
I I 
 
 
 F !%; 
 
 110 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 The island of Montreal belonf^ed to Lauson, former 
 president of the great company of the Hundred Associ- 
 ates ; and his son had a monopoly of fishing in the 
 8t. Lawrence. Dauversiere and Fancamp, after much 
 diplomacy, succeeded in persuading the elder Lauson to 
 transfer his title to them ; and, as there was a defect in 
 it, they also obtained a grant of the island from the 
 Hundred Associates, its original owners, Avho, however, 
 I'cservcd to themselves its western extremity as a site 
 for a fort and storehouses. At the same time, the 
 younger Lauson granted them a I'iglit of fishery within 
 two leagues of the shores of the island, for which they 
 were to make a yearly iicknowledginent of ten pounds 
 of fish. A confiriiKition </ these grants was obtained 
 from the King. Damer&iLii; and his com})anions were 
 now sci'i/iieurs of ^lon^i'cnl. They were em})owered to 
 appoint a governor, and to ita.>iiNji courts, from which 
 there was to be an ap})eal to the Supreme Conrt of 
 Quebec, supposing such to exist. They were excluded 
 from the fur-trade, and forbidden to build castles or forts 
 other than such as were necessary for defence against 
 the Indians. 
 
 Their title assured, they matured their plan. First 
 they would send out forty men to take possession of 
 Montreal, intrench themselves, and raise croi)s. Then 
 they Avould build a house for the priests, and two con- 
 vents for the nuns. Meanwhile, Olier was toiling at 
 Vaugirard, on the outskirts of Paris, to inaugurate the 
 seminary of priests, and Dauversiere at La Flechc, to 
 form the community of hospital nuns. How the school 
 nuns were provided for we shall see hereafter. The 
 ■colony, it will be observed, was for the convents, not the 
 convents for the colony. 
 
 The Associates needed a soldier-governor to take 
 
former 
 Associ- 
 in the 
 V much 
 lu.son to 
 efect ill 
 •om the 
 lowever, 
 s a site 
 me, the 
 y- within 
 eh thev 
 pounds 
 obtained 
 )ns were 
 vercd to 
 ni wliich 
 Dourt of 
 xchided 
 or forts 
 against 
 
 First 
 
 ssion of 
 
 Then 
 
 o con- 
 
 iling at 
 
 ate the 
 
 'che, to 
 
 school 
 
 The 
 
 not the 
 
 take 
 
 THE BIRTH OF MONTREAL. 
 
 Ill 
 
 charge of their forty men; and. directed as they sup- 
 ])0sed by Providence, they foimd one wholly to their 
 mind. Tliis was Paul de Ciiomedey, Sieiir de Maison- 
 neuve, a devout and valiant gentleman, who in long 
 service among the heretics of Jlolhmd had i^ept his 
 faith intact, and liad lield himself resolutely aloof from 
 the license that surrounded him. lie loved his profes- 
 sion of arms, and wislied to consecrate his sword to the 
 Church. Past all comparison, he is the manliest figure 
 that appears in this grouj) of zealots. The piety of the 
 design, the miracles that inspired it, the adventure and 
 tlie peril, all combined to charm him ; and he eagerly cm- 
 braced the enterprise. His father ()[)posed his purpose ; 
 but he met him with a text of St. Mark, " There is no 
 man that hath left house or brethren or sisters or father 
 for my sake, but he shall receive an hundred-fold." On 
 this the elder ^Maisoiineuve, deceived l)y his own world- 
 liness, imagined that the plan covered some hidden 
 speculation, from which enormous profits were ex))eeted, 
 and therefore withdrew his o])position. 
 
 Their scheme was rii)ening fast, when both Oiler and 
 Dauversiore were assailed by one of those revulsions of 
 spirit, to Avhich saints of the ecstatic school are natu- 
 rally liable. Dauversiere, in ])articular, was a prey to 
 the extremity of dejection, uncertainty, and misgiving. 
 What hiid he, a family man, to do with ventures beyond 
 sea? Was it not his first duty to support his wife and 
 children ? Could he not fulfil all his obligations as a 
 Christian by reclaiming the wicked and relieving the 
 poor at La Fleche ? Plainly, he had doubts that his 
 vocation was genuine. If we could raise the curtain of 
 liis domestic life, perha{)s avc should find him beset by 
 wife and daughters, tearful and wrathful, inveighing 
 against his folly, and imploring him to provide a sup- 
 
112 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 i 
 
 I ! 
 
 r t 
 I i 
 
 r: 
 
 1 I 
 
 \ I : 
 
 ' I- 
 
 port for them before sqiiandijriiig his money to phant a 
 convent of nuns in u wilderness. How lon<^ his lit of 
 dejection lasted does not appear; but at leni^th lu; set 
 himself ai^'ain to his appointed work. Olier, too, enierg- 
 in<^ from the clouds and darkness, foinid failh once 
 more, and again j)laced himself at the head of the great 
 enterprise. 
 
 "^rhere was imr)erativo need of more money ; and Dau- 
 versierc, nnder judicious guidance, Avas active in obtain- 
 ing it. This miserable victim of illusions had a squat, 
 uncourtly figure, and was no jiroficient in the gra(;es 
 either of manners or of speech: lience his success in 
 commending Ids objects to persons of rank and wealth 
 is set down as one of the many miracles which attended 
 the birlh of ]\Iontreal. I>ut zeal and earnestness aic 
 in themselves a power; and the gi-onnd had been well 
 marked out and jiloughed for him in advance. That 
 attractive, though intricate, sul)jcct of study, the female 
 mind, has always engaged the attention of jiriests, mor(^ 
 especially in countries where as in France, women ex(>rt 
 a strong social and j)olitlcal influence. The art of kin- 
 dling the flames of zeal, and the moi-e dilficult art of 
 directing and controlling them, have been themes of re- 
 flection the most diligent and profound. Accordingly 
 we find that a large proportion of the money raised for 
 this enterprise was contributed l)y devout ladies. Many 
 of them became members of the Association of Mon- 
 treal, which was eventually increased to about forty-five 
 persons, chosen for their devotion and their wealth. 
 
 Olier and his associates had resolved, though not from 
 any collapse of zeal, to postpone the establishment of 
 the seminary and the college until after a settlement 
 should be formed. The hospital, however, might, they 
 thought, be begun at once ; for blood and blows would 
 
THE HinTII OF MONTHKAL. 
 
 113 
 
 plant a 
 Ills fit of 
 tl» lie sot 
 1), emcrg- 
 lilli oiico 
 the j^reat 
 
 an<l Dan- 
 ill obtain- 
 
 1 a squat, 
 ic graces 
 luecoss in 
 11(1 wealth 
 
 attentle(l 
 ;tiicss are 
 boon well 
 30. Tiiat 
 10 female 
 sts, more 
 nen exert 
 , of kill- 
 lit art of 
 los of re- 
 ordingly 
 aiscd for 
 . Many 
 of Mon- 
 forty-five 
 1th* 
 
 not from 
 iment of 
 ittlemont 
 ght, they 
 ws would 
 
 bo the assured portion of the first settlers. At least, a 
 disercot woman ought to embark witii the first colonists 
 as their nurse and housekeeijor. Searcely was thi; need 
 recognized when it was supplied. 
 
 Madcinoisello Jcanue Maiiee was born of an hoiiDrnblo 
 family of Nogent-le-l\oi, and in 1(!4() was thirl, -lour 
 years of age. Those Canadian heroines l)egau their re- 
 ligious ox[)ciMences early. Of Mai'ie de rincarnatiou W(; 
 read, that at the age of seven Christ iii)])eared to her 
 in a vision ; and the biogi'a]»her of Mademoiselle Manee 
 assures us, with admiring gravity, that, at the siinie ten- 
 der ago, she bound herself to God by a vow of i»erj)etual 
 chastity. This singular infant in due time became a 
 woman, of a delicate constitution, and manners graceful, 
 vet diunilied. Thouu-h an earnest devotee, she felt no 
 vocation for the cloister; yet, while still " in the world," 
 she led the life of a nun. The Jesuit Jlclatt'onfi, and the 
 example of Madame de la Peltrie, f)f whom she had 
 heard, inoculated her with the Canndian enthusiasm, 
 then so prevalent; and, under the [jretence of visiting 
 relatives, she made a journey to Paris, to take counsel 
 of certain priests. Of one thing she was assured : the 
 Divine will called her to Canada, but to what end she 
 neither knew nor asked to know ; for she abiindoned 
 herself as an atom to bo borne to unknown destinies on 
 the breath of God. At Paris, Father St. Jure, a Jesuit, 
 assured her that her vocation to Canada was, ])ast 
 doubt, a call from Heaven; while Father Ra})in, a R6- 
 collet, spread abroad the fame of her virtues, and intro- 
 duced her to many ladies of rank, wealth, and zeal. 
 Then, well supplied with money for any ])ious work to 
 which she might be summoned, she journeyed to Ro- 
 chollo, whence ships were to sail for New Franco. Thus 
 far she had been kept in ignorance of the plan with 
 
 8 
 
 Wk 
 
I 
 
 I !' ' 
 
 lU 
 
 WOXTUKAL 
 
 I I 
 
 ivgtard in ^roiitrcal ; hni, now Father La Place, a Jesuit, 
 revealed i< to Iut. Oil (he diiy alter her arrival at 
 Uoehelle, as she eiitend the Church of tin; Jesuits, she 
 met Hauversirre cominij; out. "Then," says lior biogra- 
 })li('r, •' thescf two persons, who had never seen nor hcai'd 
 of eacli otluM', were enlightened su|)(U'natui'ally, whereby 
 th(>ir most hidden thoughts were nuitually made known, 
 as had hai>pened already with M. Olier and this sanit; M. 
 d(i hi Pauversiere." A long conversation ensued between 
 them ; and the delights of this interview were nevci" 
 effaced from the mind of Mademoisidle Mance. " She 
 used to speak of it like a seraph," writes one of lier 
 nuns, "and far better than many a learn(Ml doctor could 
 have done." 
 
 She had f(»und her destiny. The oeean, the wilder- 
 ness, the solitude, the Iroquois, — uolhing daunted her. 
 Sh(.' would go to Montreal with Maisouneuvo and his 
 forty men. Yet, when the vessel was about to sail, a 
 new and sharp misgiving seized her How cotdd she, a 
 woman, not yet bereft of youth or charms, live alone 
 in the forest, among a trooj) of soldiers? Ifer semph^s 
 were relieved by two uf the men, who, at the hist mo- 
 ment, refused to embark Avithout their wives, — and by 
 a young woman, who, impelled by enthusiasm, escaped 
 from her friends, and took passage, in spito of them, in 
 one of the vessels. 
 
 All was ready; the ships set sail; but Olier, Dauver- 
 siere, and Fancamp remained at home, as did also the 
 other Associates, with the exception of Maisonneuvo 
 and Mademoiselle Mance. In the following February, 
 an impressive scene took place in the Church of Notre- 
 Dame, at Paris. The Associates, at this time number- 
 ing about forty-five, with Olier at their head, assembled 
 before the altar of the Virgin, and, b}' a solemn cerenio- 
 
THE lilUTlI OF iMONTliKAL. 
 
 110 
 
 iico, a Jesuit, 
 n* arrival at 
 > Jesuits, she 
 •s her biogra- 
 ^(»n nor hennl 
 ally, wliorcby 
 ma(U' known, 
 ibis sanit; M. 
 isuod bdwoon 
 y were never 
 Glance. " Sbe 
 L>s on(; of Inn- 
 d doeior eould 
 
 n, the wildor- 
 f daunted ber. 
 iieuve and liis 
 hout b) sad, a 
 \v eould she, a 
 jius, live alone 
 Her seruples 
 ; the last mo- 
 ves, — and by 
 iasm, escai)ed 
 to of tbeni, in 
 
 Olier, Dauver- 
 [s did also tbc 
 Maisonneuvc 
 ring February, 
 lurch of Notre- 
 timc number- 
 )ad, assembled 
 lolemn ceremo- 
 
 nial, conseerateil Montre.d to the Holy Family. Ileiiee- 
 t'orlli it was to be called Villtinaric df Montrctil, — u 
 sacred town, reared to tbe honor and under the patron- 
 age! of Clirist, ?^\. Joscj)!!, and tbe \'irgin, to he tspilied 
 )ty tlircc! jtcrsons on eai'tli, founders respeittiveiy of llie 
 three destine(l eKnnnuniiies, — Olier, Danversiere, and 
 a maiden of TroNcs, Marguerite IJourgeovs : tbe semi- 
 narv to be consecrated to Clirist, the Jlntel-Dien to St. 
 Josepb, and tlu; college! to tbe Virgi;.).. 
 
 IJnt w(; are anticipating a little; for it was sevei'al 
 yeai's us yet before! Margueirite IJourgeoys tooic an active 
 part in the work of Montreal. Slie was tbe daughter of 
 a I'espectable tradesman, and was mnv twentv-two vears 
 of age. Her jiortrait has come down to us; and her 
 face is a mirror of loyalty and womanly tenderness. 
 Her (puilities W(!re those of good sense, conscientious- 
 ness, and a warm heart. She had known no miracles, 
 ecstasies, or trances ; and though afterwards, when her 
 religions susceptibilities bad reached a fuller develo[)- 
 ment, a few such are recorded of her, yet even the Abbe!: 
 Fail Ion, with the best intentions, can credit her with i)ut 
 a meagre allowance of these celestial favors. Though 
 in tbe midst of visionaries, she distrusted the super- 
 natural, and avowed lier b'lief, that, in Flis government 
 of tbe world, (Jod does not often set aside its ordinary 
 laws Her religion was of the affections, and was mani- 
 fested in an absorbinu' devotion to dutv. She had felt 
 no vocation to tbc cloister, but had taken the vow of 
 chaftity, and was attached, as an externe, to the Sisters 
 ol the Congregation ot Troves, who were fevered with 
 eagerness to go to Canada. Marguerite, however, was 
 content to wait until there was a prospect that she could 
 do good by going; and it was not till the year 1653, that, 
 renomicing an inheritance, and giving all she had to the 
 
IIG 
 
 MONTIIKAL. 
 
 N# 
 
 ! f ! 
 
 I 
 
 
 I '1 
 
 ! i! 
 
 poor, hIio cinharktMl for Uic .siiva<r(^ scone of licp lu))or.s. 
 To this tlay, in crowded seliool-roonis of Montreal and 
 Quebec, lit nioninuents of lier unol)trusive virtue, li«-r 
 «uccess(jrs instruct tlie children of the poor, and embalm 
 tlie pleasant nieniorv ot Mar«nierite IJonrueovH. In the 
 martial li'^iire of Maisonneuve, and the fail" form of this 
 ^n'ulle nun, we find the ti'ue heroes of Montreal. 
 
 Maisonneuve, with ids forty hkmi and four women, 
 reached Quebec too late to ascend to Montreal that 
 season. They encountered distrust, jealousy, and o|>po- 
 sition. The a<i('nts of the Conijiany (»f the llumh-ed 
 Associates looked on them askanc(! ; and the (Jovernor 
 of Quebec, Montmagny, saw a rival governor in Maison- 
 neuve. Kvery means was used to persuade; the advent- 
 urers to abandim their ]»roject, and setth* at Quebec. 
 Moutmau'uy calleil a council of the principal persons of 
 his colony, who gave it as their ojtinion that the new- 
 comers had better exchange Montreal for the Island of 
 Orleans, where they would be in a position to give and 
 receive succor; while, by persisting in their fust design, 
 they would expose th(Mnselv(\s to destruction, and he of 
 use to nobody. Maisonneuve, who was present, ex|)ressed 
 his surprise that they should assume to direct his affairs. 
 " I lni\ e not come here," he said, '" to deliberate, but 
 to act. It is my duty and my honor to found a col- 
 ony at Montreal ; and 1 would go, if every tree were an 
 Iroquois I " 
 
 At Quel)ec there was little ability and no inclination 
 to shelter the new colonists for the winter ; and they 
 would have fared ill, but for the generosity of M. Pui- 
 scaux, Avho lived not far distant, at a place called St. 
 Michel. This devout and most hospitable jierson made 
 room for them all in his rough, but capacious dwelling. 
 Their neighbors were the hospital nuns, then living at 
 
THE niUTM OK MONTHKAL. 
 
 117 
 
 f Ikm" labors, 
 loiitrcal and 
 ,! virtue, Imt 
 antl c'lubalni 
 M)y.s. In Ihr 
 I'oini ol Ibis 
 real . 
 
 four women, 
 lontrenl ilial 
 sy, and oppo- 
 Ibe Ilinidred 
 tlic (lovci nor 
 or in Mais(»u- 
 (• tlie advent- 
 le at Quebec, 
 al persons of 
 tbat tbe new- 
 tbe Isbmd of 
 to jiivo and 
 lirst dcsiirn, 
 )n, and be of 
 nt. (expressed 
 ;l bis affairs, 
 'liberate, but 
 fttund a col- 
 lice were an 
 
 inclination 
 or; and tbey 
 y of M. Pui- 
 ce called St. 
 jierson made 
 )us dwelling, 
 leii living at 
 
 tbe mission of Sillery, in a substantial, l»ut comfortless 
 bouse of stone ; wliere, amidst destitution, sickness, and 
 ii'repressii)le ilisiiMist at tbe liltb of tbe sa\a;j,'es wliom 
 tbev bad in ebarir*-, tbey weri' laboriu^i;' day and ni^'lit 
 witb devoted assiduity. Amon;^' tlu; minor ills wliieb 
 beset liiem were tbe eeeentiieities of one of tbeir lay 
 riisters, crazed witli religious (intbusiasm, wbo bad tbe 
 care of tbeir poultry and domestic animals, of wbicb 
 slie was accustomed to inijuii'e, one by one, if tbey loved 
 C!o(l ; wben, not receiving an immediate answer in tbo 
 allii'mative, sbe would instantly put tbcm to deatb, 
 telling tliem tbat tbeir impiety deserved no better 
 fate. 
 
 Early in Afay, Maisonneuve and bis b)llowers (Mu- 
 barked. Tbey bad .iraini'd an unexjtected recruit diwing 
 tbe winter, in tbe person of Madame dc la I'eltrie, 
 foundress of tbe Ursuliues of (Quebec. Tlie l)iety, tbo 
 ovelty, and tbe romance of tbeir entei'prise, all bad 
 .neir cbarms for tbe fair entbusiast ; and iin irresisti- 
 ble impulse — imputed by a slandering bistoi'ian to the 
 levity of lier sex — urged ber to sliare tbeir fortunes. 
 Her zeal was more admired by tbe Montrealists wbom 
 sbe joined tban by tbe Ursulines wbom sbe abandoned. 
 Sbe carried off all tbe furniture sbe bad lent tbem, 
 and left tbcm in the utmost destitution. Nor did sbe 
 remain quiet after rcacbing Montreal, but was j)resently 
 .seized witli a longing to visit tbe flurons, and preaeb 
 tbe Faitli in person to tbose benigbted beatben. It 
 needed all tbe eloquence of a Jesuit, lately returned 
 from tbat most arduous mission, to convince her tbat 
 the attempt would be as useless as rash. 
 
 It was the ciuhth of Mav when ^faisonneuvo and 
 Ids followers embarked at St. Michel ; and as the boats, 
 deep-laden with men, arras, and stores, moved slowly on 
 
118 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 tlieir way, the forest., willi leaves just opening in llio 
 wiirnitli of spring, liiy on their right hand and on their 
 h't't, in a fiatleiing seniliiiince of trancpiillity and ])eaec. 
 But behind woody ish'ts, in tangh'd tiiiekets and (hinip 
 ravines, and in the shack* and stilhiess of the .eolnmiied 
 woods, hiri\ed every wlierci a danger and a terror. 
 
 On the seventeenth of May, 1G42, Malsonneuve's little 
 flotilla — a pinnaee, a Mat-bottomed eraft moved by sails, 
 and two row-boats — apjtroaehed Montreal; and all on 
 board raised in nnison a hvnni of praise. iMonlniagny 
 was with them, to deliver the island, in behalf of the 
 Comjjany of the Hundred Ass(jeiates, to J^hiisonnenve, 
 representative of the Assoeiates of Montreal. And here, 
 too, was Father Vimont, superior of the missions; for 
 the Jesuits had be(>n prudently invited to aeeejtt the 
 sj)iritual eharge of the young eolony. On the following 
 day, they glided along tiu* green and solitary shoi'es now 
 thronged with the life of a busv eitv, and landed on tin* 
 spot whieh Champlain, thirty-imo years before, liad 
 ehosen as the lit site of a settlement. It was a tongue 
 or triangle of land, formed by the junetion of a rivulet 
 with the St. Lawrenee, and known afterwards as Point 
 C'alliere. The rivulet was bordered by a meadow, and 
 beyond rose the forest with its vanguard of scattered 
 trees. p]arlv sprimr flowers were bloominu' in the voung 
 grass, and birds of varied plumage flitted among the 
 boughs. 
 
 Maisonneuvc sprang ashore, and fell on his knees. 
 His followers imitated his exai 'e ; and all joined their 
 voices in enthusiastic songs thanksgivini!:. Tents, 
 baggage, arms, and stores were landed. An altar was 
 raised on a pleasant spot near at hand ; and Mademoi- 
 selle !Manec, with Madame dc la Peltrie, aided by her 
 servant, Charlotte Barre, decorated it with a taste which 
 
THE BIUTII OF MONTIJKAL. 
 
 119 
 
 liiiu^ ill i\w 
 ind on tlicir 
 f {ind ])euco. 
 s and (iiiinp 
 13 .coliuuiiod 
 rroi-, 
 
 iciivo's liltlti 
 
 vcd l)v isails, 
 
 and nil on 
 
 iMontiuiiij^ny 
 
 •hair of (lie 
 
 [aisoniuMivo, 
 
 And lu'ic, 
 
 issioiis ; for 
 
 accopt tlio 
 
 10 followin<j^ 
 
 shores now 
 
 idfd on tlio 
 
 )(.'for(', liad 
 
 s a toiiirnc 
 
 )f a ri\udet 
 
 s as Point 
 
 cadow, and 
 
 scattered 
 
 1 the voniii^ 
 
 among the 
 
 liis knees, 
 oincd their 
 ••:. Tents, 
 altar was 
 ^fademoi- 
 ~led by her 
 aste which 
 
 was tlie !i(hni ration of the beholders. Now all the com- 
 pany gathered l»eh)r(^ the shrine. Ilert; stood V'iinont, 
 in the ricli vestments of liis oHIcc Hen; were the two 
 ladies, with their servant; Montma«rny, no vei-y willinir 
 spectator; and Maisonnenve, ii warlike li<rure, erect and 
 tall, Ids men clust(!rin<r aronnd him, — soldiers, sailors, 
 artisans, and laborers, — all alike soldiiM's at nee(l. Tliev 
 knecded in reverent silenci; as the Host was raised aloft ; 
 and when the; rite was over, the priest turned ainl 
 addressed them: — 
 
 " Yon are a ^-rain of mustard-seed, that shall rise and 
 grow till its branches overshadow the earth. Vou are 
 few, but your work is tlie work of (Jod. Ilis smile is on 
 you, and your children shall fill the land." 
 
 The afternoon waned ; the sun sank behind the west- 
 ern forest, and twilight came on. Fireflies were twin- 
 kling over tlie darkened meadow. They caught them, 
 tied them with thrciads into shining festoons, and hung 
 them before the altar, where the Host remained exposed. 
 Then they jtitched their tents, lightcfl their bivouac fires, 
 stationed their guards, and lay down to rest. Such was 
 the birth-n'ght of Montreal. 
 
 Is this tnie histoj-y, or a r()mance of Christian chivalry ? 
 It is both. 
 
 A few years later there was another emigration to 
 INIontreal, of a character much like the first. The pious 
 little colony led a struggling and precarious existence. 
 Many of its inhabitants were killed by the Inxjuois, and 
 its escape from destruction was imputed to the interven- 
 tion of the Holy Virgin. The [»lace change(l as years 
 went on, and became a great centre of the fur trade, 
 though still bearing strcmg mai-ks of its pristine charac- 
 ter. The institutions of religion and charity planted 
 by its founders remain to this day, and the Seminary 
 
'^r 
 
 ■4' I 
 
 120 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 of St. Sulpice holds vast possessions in and around 
 the city. During tiie war of 1755-1700, Montreal 
 was a base of military operations. In the latter year 
 three English armies advaneed upon it from three 
 different points, united before its walls, and forced 
 (Jovcrnor Vaudreuil to surrender all Canada to the 
 British Crown. 
 
 
 r W^M 
 
 
 ^y 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and around 
 
 •0, Montreal 
 
 ) latter year 
 
 from three 
 
 and forced 
 
 [lada to the 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 il 
 
 J 
 
s ! 
 
 V 
 
 ! « 
 
IXFAXCY OF QUEBEC. 
 
 r^IIA:MPLAIX was the founder of tliis old capital of 
 French Canada, whoso existence hcsxan in 1008. 
 In tliat year he built a cluster of fortified dwellin-s and 
 storehouses, which he called " The Habitation of Que- 
 bec," and which stood on or near the site of the market- 
 place of the Lower Town. 
 
 The settlement made little progress for many years. 
 A company of merchants held the monopoly of' its fur- 
 trade, by which alone it lived. It was lialf trading- 
 factory, half mission. Its i)ermanent inmates did not 
 exceed fifty or sixty persons, — fnr-trad(>rs, friars, and 
 two or three wretched families, who had no inducement 
 and little wish to labor. The fort is facetiously repre- 
 sented as having two old women for garrison, and a 
 brace of hens for sentinels. All was discord and dis- 
 order. Champlain was the nominal commander; but 
 the actual autliority was with tlie merchants, who held 
 excepting the friars, nearly Q\Qvy one in their pay.' 
 Each was jealous of the otlier, but all were united in 
 a common jealousy of Cliam])lain. From a short-siglited 
 view of self-interest, they souglit to clieck the coloniza- 
 tion which they were pledged to i)romote. Tlie few 
 families wliom they brought over were foi-bidden to 
 trade with the Indians, and compelled to -,oll tlie fruits 
 of their labor to the agents of the company at a low, 
 fixed price, receiving goods in return at an inordinate 
 
124 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 'I i ' 
 
 
 i'^ 
 
 
 1 I 
 
 valuation. Some of the merchants were of Rouen, some 
 of St. Malo ; some were Catholies, some were Huguenots. 
 Henec; unceasing bickerings. All exercise of the Re- 
 formed Religion, on hmd or water, was i)roliibited within 
 th(! limits of New France; but the Huguenots set the 
 prohibition at nought, roaring their heretical psalmody 
 with such vigor from their ships in the river, that the 
 unhallowed strains polluted the ears of the Indians on 
 shore. Tlic merchants of Rochelle, who had refused to 
 join the comi)any, carried on a bold, illicit trallic along 
 the borders of the St. Lawrence, eluding pursuit, or, if 
 hard pressed, showing fight ; and this was a source of 
 perpetual irritation to tiie incensed monopolists. 
 
 Chamjjlain, in his singulurly trying position, displayed 
 a mingled zeal and fortitude. Ho went every year to 
 France, laboring for the interests of the colony. To 
 throw open the trade to all comj)etitors was a measure 
 beyond the wisdom of the times ; and he aimed only so 
 to bind and regulate the monopoly as to make it sub- 
 servo the generous j)urpose to which he had given him- 
 self. He had succeeded in binding tlic company of 
 merchants with new and more stringent engagements ; 
 and, in the vain belief that these might not be wholly 
 broken, he began to conceive fresh hopes for the colony. 
 In this faith he embarked with his wife for Quebec in 
 the spring of 1(320; and, as the boat drew near the 
 landing, the cannon welcomed her to the rock of her 
 banishment. The buildings were falling to ruin ; rrjn 
 entered on all sides ; the court-yard, says Champlain, 
 was as squalid and dilapidated as a grange pillaged by 
 soldiers. JMadame de Chamj)lain was still very young. 
 If the Ursuline tradition is to be trusted, the Indians, 
 amazed at her beauty and touched by her gentleness, 
 would have worshipped her as a divinity. Her husband 
 
)f Rouen, some 
 3rc lIii<j;uenots. 
 isc of the lle- 
 yhibited within 
 :nenots set the 
 tical psiihnody 
 river, that the 
 the Indians on 
 liad refused to 
 nt tralTic along 
 ; pursuit, or, if , 
 ras a source of 
 [)olists. 
 
 ition, disphiyed 
 ) every year to 
 ic colony. To 
 was a measure 
 3 aimed only so 
 
 make it sub- 
 tiad given him- 
 le company of 
 
 engagements ; 
 not be wholly 
 
 1 for the colony, 
 for Quebec in 
 Irew near the 
 
 lie rock of her 
 to ruin ; rrjn 
 [ys Champlain, 
 ge pillaged by 
 [11 very young. 
 I, the Indians, 
 lier gentleness, 
 Her husband 
 
 INFANCY OF QUEBEC. 
 
 125 
 
 had married her at the age of twelve; when, to his 
 horror, he presently discovered that she was infected 
 with Ihe heresies of lici- father, a disu-uised Ihm'ucnot. 
 He addressed himself at once to her conversion, and his 
 pious efforts were somethinu' more than successful. Dur- 
 ing the four years which she })assed in Canada, her zeal, 
 it is true, was chiefly exercised in admonishing Indian 
 squaws and catechising their children; but, on her re- 
 turn to France, nothing would content her but U) become 
 a nun. Champlain refused ; but, as she was childless, 
 he at length consented to a virtual, though not forniiil, 
 separation. After his death she gained her wish, hv- 
 canie an Ursuline nun, founded a convent of tluit order 
 at Meaux, and died with a reputation almost saintly. 
 
 A stranger visiting the fort of Quebec would have 
 been astonished at its air of conventual decorum. Uhiek 
 Jesuits and scarfed oflicers mingled at Chamj)lain\s 
 table. Tliere was little conversaticm, but, in its {dace, 
 histories and the lives of saints were read aloud, as in 
 a monastic refectorv. Pravers, masses, and confessions 
 followed each other with an edifying regularity, and the 
 bell of the adjacent chapel, built by Chami)lain, rang 
 moiiiing, noon, and night. Godless soldiers caught the 
 infection, and wliiiijied themselves in penance for their 
 sins. Dcbauelied artisans outdid each other in the fury 
 of their contrition. Quebec was become a Mission. 
 Indians gathered thither as of old, not from the baneful 
 lure of brandy, for the trafTic in it was no longer tol- 
 erated, but from the loss pernicious attractions of gifts, 
 kind words, and politic Idandishments. To the vital 
 principle of propagandism the commercial and the mili- 
 tary character were subordinated ; or, to speak more 
 justly, trade, policy, and' military power leaned on the 
 missions as their main support, the grand instrument of 
 
THfl 
 
 126 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 . mi 
 
 J I 
 
 A ! 
 
 1 ! 
 
 ilielr extension. The missions were to explore tlio 
 interior; tlie missions were lo win over the savage 
 hordes at onee to Ifeavcn and to France. 
 
 Years ])asscd. Tlie mission of tlie FInrons was es- 
 tablished, and here the indomitable Jjr(jbeul", with a band 
 worthy of him, toih'd amid miseries and perils as fearfnl 
 as ev(!r shook the constancy of man ; while Champhun 
 at Quebec, in a life uneventful, yet harassing and hibori- 
 ous, was busied in tiie round of cares which his post 
 involved. • 
 
 Christmas day, 1085, was a dark day in the nnnals of 
 New France. In a chamber of tlie fort, breathless and 
 cold, lay the hardy frame which war, the wilderness, and 
 tlie sea had buffeted so long in vain. After two months 
 and a half of illness, Champlain, at the age of sixty-eight, 
 was dead. Ilis last cares were for his colonv and the 
 succor of its suffering families. Jesuits, ollicers, sol- 
 diers, traders, and the few settlers of Quebec followed 
 his remains to the church; Le Jeune })ronounced his 
 culogv, and the feeble communitv built a tomb to liis 
 honor. 
 
 The colonv could ill spare him. For twcntv-scven 
 years he had labored hard and ceaselessly for its wcdfare, 
 sacrificing fortune, repose, and domestic peace to a cause 
 embraced with enthusiasm and [airsued with intrej)id 
 persistency. His character belonged partly to the [)ast, 
 partly to the present. The preux chevalier^ the crusader, 
 the romance-loving explorer, the curious, knowledge- 
 seeking traveller, the practical navigator, all claimed 
 their share in him. His views, though far beyond those 
 of the mean spirits around him, belonged to his age and 
 his creed. He was less statesman than soldier. He 
 leaned to the most direct and boldest policy, and one 
 of his last acts was to petition Richelieu for men and 
 
INFANCY OF QUEBEC. 
 
 127 
 
 munitions for roi)R'ssing tlitit standin-i- menace to the 
 col(Miy, the Irociuois. His dauntless courage was matched 
 by an unwearied patience, a ])atience proved hy life-long 
 vexations, and not wholly subdued even by the saintly 
 follies of his Avife. He is charged with credidity, from 
 which few of his ago Avere free, and which in all ages 
 has been the foible of earnest and generous natures, too 
 ardent to criticise, and too honorable to doubt the hcmor 
 of others. P<'rhaps in his later years the heretic might 
 like him more had the Jesuit liked him less. The 
 adventurous explorer of Lake Ilurcui, the bold invader 
 of the Iroquois, befits but indifferently the UKmastic 
 sobrieties of the fort of Quebec and his sombre envii-on- 
 ment of jjriests. Yet Chami)lain was no formalist, nor 
 was liis an empty zeal. A soldier from his youth, in an 
 age of nnbridletl license, his life had answered to his 
 maxims; and when a generation had jjassi'd after his 
 visit to the Uurons, their elders remembered with 
 astonishment the continence of the great French war- 
 chief. 
 
 His b(^oks mark the man, — all for his theme and his 
 purpose, nothing for himself. Crude in style, full of 
 the superficial errors of carelessness and liaste, rarely 
 diffuse, often brief to a fault, they bear on every page 
 the palpable impress of truth. 
 
i 
 
 \\ 
 
 
 ,!;i 
 
 n 
 
 A MILITARY MISSION. 
 
 QUEBEC MiiH without a governor. Wlio should 
 succeed Cliiinij)laiii ? and wonld liis successor 
 be found equally zealous for the Faith, and friendly to 
 the mission ? These doubts, as he himself tells us, 
 agitated the miud of the Father Superior, Le Jcune: 
 but they were happily set at rest, Avhen, on a morning 
 in June, he saw a ship anchoring in the basin below, 
 and, hastening with his brethren to the landing-place, 
 was there met l>y Charles Iluault de Mcmtmngny, a 
 Knight of Malta, followed by a train of officfrs jind 
 gentlemen. As they all climbed the rock together, 
 Montmagny saw a crucifix {)lanted by the path. He 
 instantly fell on his knees before it ; and nobles, soldiers, 
 sailors, and priests imitated his exam))le. The Jesuits 
 sang Te Deum at the church, and the cannon roared 
 from the adjacent foi-t. Here the new governor was 
 scarcely installed, when a Jesuit came in to ask if ho 
 would be godfather to an Indian about to be baptized. 
 " Most gladly," replied the pious Montmagny. He 
 repaired on the instant to the convert's hut, with a com- 
 pany of gayly apparelled gentlemen ; and while the in- 
 mates stared in amazement at the scarlet and eml)roidery, 
 he bestowed on the dying savage the name of Joseph, 
 in honor of the spouse of the Virgin and the patron of 
 New France. Three days after, he was told that a dead 
 proselyte was to be buried , on which, leaving the lines 
 
 1 
 
A MILITAUY MISSION. 
 
 129 
 
 of the new fortificntion lie was Iracinir, lie took in linnd 
 51 toreh, Dc Lisle, liis lieutenant, took anntlier, Repen- 
 ti^ny and St. Jean, gentlemen of his suite, with a hand 
 of soldiers, followed, two ])ricsts hore the eorpse, and 
 thus all moved together in j)rocession to the place of 
 hui'ial. The Jesuits were comforted. Champlain hiui- 
 self had not displayed a zeal so edifying. 
 
 A considerable; reinforcement came out with Mont- 
 magny, and among the rest several men of birth and 
 substance, with their families and dependiints. "It was 
 a sight to thank (Jod for," exclaims Fath(>r Lc Jeune, 
 " to behold these delicate yonng ladies and these tender 
 infants issuing from their wooden prison, like day from 
 the shades of night." The Father, it will be remembered, 
 had for some years })ast seen nothing but stpiaws, with 
 pappooses swathed like mmnmies and strapped to a 
 board. 
 
 Both Montmagny and De Lisle were half chnrchnien, 
 for both were Knights of Malta. More and more the 
 powers spiritual engrossed the colony. As nearly as 
 might be, the sword itself was in ))riestly hands. The 
 Jesuits were all in all. Authoritv, absolnte and without 
 appeal, was vested in a conncll com])osed of the governor, 
 Le Jeune, and the syndic,. an official snjiposed to repre- 
 sent the interests of the inhabitants. There was no 
 tribunal of justice, and the governor pronounced sum- 
 marily on all complaints. The church adjoined the 
 fort ; and before it was j)lanted a stake bearing a placard 
 with a prohibition against blasphemy, drunkenness, or 
 neglect of mass and other religic;is rites. To the stake 
 was also attached a chain and iron collar ; and hard by 
 was a wooden horse, whereon a culprit was now and 
 then mounted by way of example and warning. In a 
 community so absolutely priest-governed, overt offences 
 
•■I'l, 
 
 ■'t'l' 
 
 ! Mi . 
 
 !'■.! 
 
 I 
 
 130 
 
 QUKliKC. 
 
 were, liowi'vcr, rare ; iiiid, cxcciit on the amiual sirrival 
 of tin; .shi|is from Fnuiec, when the roek swarnieil with 
 j(o(llesH sailors, Quel)ec was a UKjdel of decorum, and 
 wore, us its chroniclers lell lis, an aspect unspeakably 
 edify inj^'. 
 
 In the year 1«)40, various new estahlishnients of 
 reliii'ion and charity might have been seen at Quebec. 
 There was the bcginninji; of a college and a seminary 
 for Huron children, an end)ryo L'rsuline convent, an 
 incipient hospital, and a new Algontiuin mission al a 
 l)lace called Silleiy, four miles distant. Champlain's 
 fort had heen enlarged aiul partly rebuilt in stone by 
 !>[ontmagnv, who had also laid out streets on the site of 
 th(! future city, though as yet the streets had no lujuses. 
 Jichind the fort, and very near it, stood the church and 
 a house for the Jesuits. Both were of pine wood ; and 
 this year, 1040, both were burned to tlic gnMuid, to be 
 afterwards rebuilt in stone. 
 
 Aside from the fur trade of the Company, the whole 
 life of the colony was in missions, convents, religious 
 schools, and hosj)itals. Here on the rock of Quebec 
 were the api)endages, useful and otherwise, of an old- 
 established civilization. While as yet there were no 
 inhabitants, and no immediate hope of any, there were 
 institutions for the care of children, the sick, and the 
 decrepit. All these Averc sup})orted by a charity in 
 most cases precarious. The Jesuits relied chiefly on 
 the Comj)any, who, by the terms of their patent, were 
 obliged to maintain religious worship. 
 
 Quebec wore an aspect half military, half monastic. 
 At sunrise and sunset, a squad of soldiers in the pay of 
 the Company })araded in the fort ; and, as in Champlain's 
 time, the bells of the church rang morning, noon, and 
 night. Confessions, masses, and penances were punc- 
 
A MILITAUV MISSION'. 
 
 i:;i 
 
 tiliously ohsci'vcd ; juitl, iVoiii llio governor to tlir nii'iiu- 
 cst laborer, tlu' Jesuit wateluMl ami guided all. The 
 social atinosiihere of New Kugland itself was not more 
 sulVocating. JJy day and by night, at home, at ehureh, 
 or at his dailv work, the colonist lived under the evuH 
 of busy and over-zealous |>riests. At times, the dcMiizena 
 of (Quebec grew restless. In litlJl), deputies were covertly 
 sent to beg relief in France, and " to represent the ladl 
 in which the consciences of the colony were kept by the 
 imion of the tenii)oral and s[)iritual authority in the 
 same hands." 
 
 The very amusements of this jiious connnunity were 
 acts of religion. Thus, on the fete-day of St. Josej)h, 
 the ])atron of New Fi-ance, there was a show of lirewoiks 
 to do him honor. In the forty vohnnes of the Jesuit 
 Relations' there is but one ]»ictorial illustration ; and 
 this re|)resents the pyrotechnic contrivance in (juestion, 
 together with a figui'c of the (Jovernor in the act of 
 touching it off. IJut. what is more curious, a Catholic 
 writer of the present day, the Abbe Faillon, in an elabo- 
 rate and learned work, dilates at length on the details 
 of the dis])lay ; and this, too, with a gravity which 
 evinces his conviction that S(|uil»s, rockets, blue-lights, 
 and serpents are important instruments for the saving 
 of souls. On May-Day of the same year, 1087, Mont- 
 maguy jdanted before the church a ^Iay-|)ole surmounted 
 b\ .( rriple crown, beneath which were three svmbolical 
 circles decorated with wreaths, and bearing severally 
 the imes, lesus, Maria, losrph ; the soldiers drew up 
 before it, and saluted it with a vollcv of musketrv. 
 
 On the anniversary of the Dauphin's birth there was 
 a dramatic i)ei -rmance, in which an unbeliever, speaking 
 Algonrpiin for the profit of the Indians present, was 
 hunted into Hell by fiends. Religious processions were 
 
I 
 
 I' i 
 
 'I .( 
 
 1!1 
 
 132 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 frequent. In one of them, the Governor in a court 
 dress and a baptized Indian in beaver-skins were joint 
 supporters of the canopy which covered the Host. In 
 another, six Lidians led the van, arrayed each in a vel- 
 vet coat (jf scarlet and gold sent tlicin by the King. Then 
 came other Indian converts, two and two ; then the 
 foundress of the Ursuline convent, with Indian children 
 in French gowns ; then all the Indian girls and women, 
 dressed after their own way ; then the priests ; then the 
 Governor ; and finally the whole French population, 
 male and female, except the artillery-men at the fort, 
 who saluted with their cannon the cross and banner 
 borne at the head of the i)roccssion. Wlien all was 
 over, the Governor and the Jesuits rewarded the Indians 
 with a feast. 
 
 Now let tlie stranger enter the church of Notre-Damo 
 de la Recouvrance, after vespers. It is full, to the very 
 porch : olhcers in slouched hats and plumes, nnisketeers, 
 pikemen, mechanics, and laborers. Here is Montmagny 
 himself ; Repentigny and Poterie, gentlemen of good 
 birth ; damsels of nurture ill fitted to the Canadian 
 woods ; and, mingled with these, the motionless Indians, 
 wrapj)ed to the throat in embroidered moose-hides. Le 
 Jeune, not in priestly ves^^ments, but in the common 
 black dress of his Order, is before the altar; and on 
 either side is a row of small red-skinned children lis- 
 tening with exemplary decorum, while, with a cheerful, 
 smiling face, he teaches them to kneel, clasp tlieir hands, 
 and sign the cross. All the principal members of this 
 zealous community are present, at once amused and 
 edified at the grave deportment, and the proraj c, shrill 
 replies of the infant catechumens ; while their parents in 
 the crowd grin delight at the gifts of beads and trinkets 
 with which Le Jeune rewards his most pioticient pupils. 
 
 J 
 
A MILITARY MISSION. 
 
 133 
 
 court 
 joint 
 . Ill 
 a vel- 
 Thcn 
 
 I the 
 il^rcii 
 omen, 
 3n the 
 lation, 
 3 fort, 
 )anner 
 
 II was 
 ndians 
 
 ;-Dame 
 ic very 
 etcers, 
 ma<^ny 
 f good 
 inadiau 
 ndians, 
 Le 
 ommon 
 and on 
 ren lis- 
 leerful, 
 hands, 
 of this 
 cd and 
 , shrill 
 rents in 
 trinkets 
 pupils. 
 
 The methods of conversion were simple. The princi- 
 pal appeal was to fear. " You do good to your friends," 
 said Le Jeune to an Algonquin chief, " and you burn 
 your enemies. God does the same." And he painted 
 Hell to tlie startled neophyte as a place wiiere, when he 
 was hungry, ho would get nothing to eat hut frogs and 
 snakes, and, when thirnty, nothing to drink but flames. 
 Pictures Avcre found iuA'aluable. " These holy re])resen- 
 tatioiis," pursues the Fatlicr Suj)crior, " arc half the 
 instruction that can bo given to the Indians. I wanted 
 some pictures of Hell and souls in ])erditi<m, and a few 
 were sent us on paper ; but they are too confused. The 
 devils and the men are so mixed up, that one can make 
 out nothing without particular attention. If three, four, 
 or five devils were ])ainted tormenting a soul with differ- 
 ^"aL punishments, — one a])i)lying fire, another seijients, 
 another tearing him with jiinceis, and another holding 
 him last with a chain, — this would have a good effect, 
 especially if everything were made distinct, and misery, 
 rage, and des{)eration appeared plainly in his face." 
 
 The })reparation of the convert for baptism was often 
 very slight. A dying Algon<|uiu, who, though meagre 
 as a skeleton, had thrown himself, with a last effort of 
 expiring ferocity, on an Iroquois prisoner, and torn off 
 his ear with his teeth, was baptized aluiost immediately. 
 In the case of converts in health tliere was far more 
 preparation; yet these often apostatized. The various 
 objects of instruction may all be included in one compre- 
 hensive word, submission, — an abdication of will aud 
 judgment in favor of the s|»i ritual director, who was the 
 interpreter and vicegerent of God. 
 
!l 
 
 SSSBS 
 
 'I'M < 
 
 MASSACIIUPETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 
 
 *ii,^ 
 
 T IKE jMontrofil, Quebec transformed itself in time 
 -*~^ lost much of its character of a mission, and be- 
 came the seat of the C(donial government. In short, it 
 became secularized, thoutrh not com])letely so; for the 
 priesthood still held an immense infhience and disputed 
 the mastery with the civil Jind military powers. 
 
 In the be<»:inning of William and Mary's War, Count 
 Frontenac, governor of Canada, sent repeated wai-par- 
 ties to harass the New England borders ; and, in 105)0, 
 the General Court of Massachusetts resolved t^ retort 
 by a decisive blow. Sir Williiim Phii)S was chosen to 
 command the intended expedition. Phips is said to 
 have been one of twentv-six children, all of the same 
 mother, and was l»orn in IGoO at a rude border settle- 
 ment, since called Woolwich, on the Kennebec. His 
 ])ai'ents were ignorant and ])oor ; and till eighteen years 
 of age he was employed in keejting sheep. Such a life 
 ill suited his active and ambitious nature. To better 
 Ids condition, he learned the trade <tf sliip-carpenter, 
 and, in the exercise of it, came to Boston, where he 
 married a widow witli some property, beyond him in 
 years, and muclj above him in station. About this time, 
 he l(»ai'ned to read and write, though not too w(dl, for 
 his signature is like that of a ])easant. Still as|»iring to 
 greater things, he promised his wife that he would one 
 day command a king's sliip and own a " fair brick house 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 
 
 135 
 
 in tlic CiMH'ii Liuio of Xortli Boston," a qiuirtcr then 
 occupied by citizens of the better class. lie kej>t his 
 word at l)otli points. Fortune was imiuspicious to him 
 for scvenil years ; till at leni^th, und<'r the ])ressnre of 
 reverses, he conceived the idea of conciuerinLr fame and 
 wealth at one stroke, by lishing up the """easure said to 
 be stored in a Spauish ;i-alle(m wrecked fifty years b<'f(»re 
 somewhei'c in the West Indian seas. Full of this proj- 
 ect, he went to England, where, through inlhicnces 
 which do not plainly ajtpcar, he gained a hearing from 
 ])ers(ms in high places, and induced the Admiralty to 
 adopt his scheme. A frigate was given him, and he 
 sailed for the West Indies : whence, after a long search, 
 he returned unsuccessful, though not without adventures 
 which ])rovcd his mettle. It was th^ ej)och of the buc- 
 caneers ; and his crew, tired of a vain and toilsome 
 search, came to the quarter-deck, armed with cutlass(>s, 
 and demanded of their ca])tain that he should turn ))irate 
 with them. Phips, a tall and jmwerful man, instantly 
 fell upon them with his fists, knoidved down the ring- 
 leaders, and aw(Ml th«Mn all into submission. Not long 
 after, there was a more* formidable mutiny ; but, with 
 great courage and address, he quelled it for a time, and 
 held his crew to their duty till he had brought the ship 
 into Jamaica, and exchanged th.M: foi- better men. 
 
 Though the leaky condition of the frigate coinpelled 
 lum to abandon the search, it was not till he had gained 
 information which he thought would lead to success; 
 and, on his return, he ins|»ired such coididence that the 
 Duke of Albemarle, M'ith other nobleuieii aud gentlemen, 
 gave him a fr(\sh outfit, and u'spatched him again on 
 his Quixotic errand. Tliis tim* he succeeded, found the 
 wreck, and took from it gold, silver, and jewels to the 
 value of three hinulred thousand pounds sterling. The 
 
136 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 crew now leagued together to seize the ship and divide 
 (lie prize ; and Phi|)s, j)ushed to extremity, was com- 
 jtelied to jjromis(! that every man of them should have 
 a share in the treasure, even it he paid it himself, (hi 
 reaching England, he kept his pledge so well thiit, after 
 redeeming it, only sixteen thousand ])ounds was left as 
 his portion, which, however, was an ample fortune in 
 the New England of that day. He gained, too, what 
 he valued almost as much, the honor of knighthood. 
 Tempting offers were made him of employment in the 
 royal service ; but he had an ardent love for his own 
 country, and thither he j>reseiitlv returned. 
 
 Phips was a rude sailor, hlui., proni{>t, and choleric. 
 lie never gave proof of intellectual capacity ; and such 
 of his success in life as he did not owe to good luck was 
 due probaldy to an energetic and adventurous spirit, 
 aided by a blunt frankness of address that pleased the 
 great, and commended him to their favor. Two years 
 after the expedition against Quebec, the king, under the 
 new chartei', made him governor of Massachusetts, a 
 post for which, though totally unlit, he had been recom- 
 mended by the elder Mather, who, like his son Cotton, 
 expected to make use of him. He carried his old habits 
 into his new office, cudgelled Brinton, the collector of 
 the [)ort, and belabored Captain Short of the royal navy 
 with his cane. Far from trying to hide the obscurity of 
 his origin, he leaned to the opposite foible, and was apt 
 to boast of it, delighting to exhibiv himself as a self- 
 made man. New England writers describe him as hon- 
 est in i)rivate dealings ; but, in accordance with his 
 coarse nature, he seems to have thought that anything 
 is fair in war. On the other hand, he was warmly pa- 
 triotic, and was almost as ready to serve New England 
 as to serve himself. 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 
 
 137 
 
 the 
 a 
 oin- 
 ;on, 
 l)it8 
 of 
 
 lllVV 
 
 y of 
 
 apt 
 self- 
 lion- 
 
 his 
 
 ling 
 |)a- 
 
 aiid 
 
 lieturnlntr from nil expedition to Acadia, he found 
 Boston ahve with martial preparation. Massaelmsctls 
 of her own motion had resolved to attempt tlie eonciuest 
 of Quebec. She and her sister colonics had not yet re- 
 covered from tlie exiuiustion of Pliilip's War, and still 
 less from the disorders that attended the expulsion of 
 tho royal governor and his adherents. The public treas- 
 ury was empty, and the recent ex))editions against the 
 eastern Indians had been suj (ported by j)rivate sub- 
 scription. Worse yet, New England had no competiMit 
 military C(mniiaiider. The Puritan gentlemen of the 
 oriirinal emiirration, some of whom were as well fitted 
 for military as for civil leadership, had passed from the 
 stage ; and, by a tendency which circumstances made 
 inevitable, they had left none beiiind them ecpially (juali- 
 lied. The great Indian coiillict of fifteen years before 
 had, it is true, formed good partisan chiefs, and jtroved 
 that the New England yeoman, defending his family and 
 his hearth, was not to Ite surpassed in stubborn lighting; 
 but, since Andros and his soldiers had been driven out, 
 there was scarcely a single man in the colony of the 
 slightest training or experience in regular war. Up to 
 this moment. New England had never asked lielj) of the 
 mother country. When thousands of savages burst on 
 her defenceless settlements, she had con(|iiered safety 
 and peace with her own blood and her own slender re- 
 sources ; but now, as the i)roposed capture of Qiu.'bec 
 would inure to the profit of the liritish crown, fJov(.'rnor 
 Bradstreet and his council thought it not unfitting to 
 ask for a supply of arms and ammunition, of which they 
 were in great need. The reiiuest was refused, and no 
 aid of any kind came from the English government, 
 whose resources were engrossed by the Irish war. 
 
 While waiting for the rc{)ly, the colonial authorities 
 
138 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 iir^^cd on their preparations, in tlie liope that the plunder 
 of Quebec would pay the ex])enscs of its conquest. 
 Humility was not anionpi; the New England virtues, and 
 it was tliought a sin to doubt that God would give his 
 ch(jsen peojilc the victory over papists and idolaters ; 
 yet no pains were spared to insure the divine favor. 
 A proclamation was issued, calling the people to rejjcnt- 
 ancc ; a day of fasting was ordaiued ; and, as Matlier 
 expresses it, " the wheel of prayer was kept in continual 
 motion." The chief dilhculty was to provide funds. 
 An attempt was made to collect a part of the money by 
 j)rivate subscription; but, as this plan fjuled, the provi- 
 sional government, already in debt, strained its credit yet 
 farther, and borrowed the needful sums. Thirtv-two 
 trading and fishing vessels, great and small, were im- 
 pressed for the service. Tlie largest was a ship called 
 the " Six P^riends," engaged in the dangerous West 
 India trade, and carrying forty-four guns. A call was 
 made for volunteers, and many enrolled themselves ; 
 but, as more were wanted, a press was ordered to com- 
 plete the number. So rigorously was it applied that, 
 what with voluntary and onforcc^d enlistment, one town, 
 that of Gloucester, was deprived of two thirds of its 
 fencil)le men. There was not a moment of doubt as to 
 the choice of a commander, for Phips was imagined to 
 be the very man for the work. One John Walley, a 
 respectable citizen of ]}arnstal)le, Avas made second in 
 command, with the modest rank of major ; and a suffi- 
 cient number of shijMnasters, merchants, master me- 
 chanics, and substantial farmers, were commissioned as 
 subordinate officers. About the middle of July, the 
 committee charged with the preparations reported that 
 all was ready. Still there was a long delay. The ves- 
 sel sent early in spring to ask aid from England had 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 
 
 139 
 
 not returned. Plilps waited for her as long as he dared, 
 and the l)est of the season was over when he resolved 
 to put to sea. The rustic warriors, duly formed into 
 companies, were sent on board; and the fleet sailed 
 from Nantasket on the ninth of August. Including 
 sailors, it carried twenty-two hundred men, with ]tro- 
 visions for four months, but insullicient anununition and 
 no pilot for the St. Lawrence, 
 
 The delay at Boston, waiting aid from England that 
 never came, was not propitious to Phijjs ; nor were the 
 wind and the waves. The voyage to the St. Lawrence 
 was a long one; and when he began, wilhout a pilot, to 
 gr()p(> his way up the unknown river, the weather seemed 
 in league with his enemies, lie appears, moreover, to 
 have wasted time. Wiiat was most vital to his success 
 was I'npidity of movement; yet, whether l)y Ills fault or 
 his misfortinie, he remained three weeks within three 
 days' sail of Quebec. Wiiilc aneiiored off Ta<l(»ussac, 
 with the wind ahead, he i)assed the idle hours in holding 
 councils of war and framing rules for the government 
 of his men ; and, when at length the wind veered to 
 the east, it is doubtful if he made the best use of liis 
 op|)oi-tunity. 
 
 Wlien, alter his protracted voyage, Phij)S sailed into 
 the liasin of Quebec, (me of the grandest scenes (m the 
 western continent opened u])on his sight: the wide ex- 
 panse of waters, the lofty promontory beyoiul, and the 
 ojtposing heights of Levi; the cataract of Montmorcnci, 
 the distant range of the Laurentian Mountains, the war- 
 like rock with its diadem of walls and towers, the roofs 
 of the Lower Town clustering on the strand beneath, 
 the Chateau St. Louis i)erched at the brink of the clift', 
 and over it the white banner, spangled with fieurs-de-Us^ 
 flaunting defiance in the clear autumiud air. Perhaps, 
 
■■■-f " i:. 
 
 140 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 1 f 
 
 I 
 
 i! 
 
 i 
 
 as lie frnzcd, a suspicion seized him that the task he had 
 undertaiveii was less easy than he had thought ; but he 
 had coiKjuered once by a siuij)le summons to surrender, 
 and he lesolved to trv its virtue again. 
 
 The fleet anchored a little below Quebec ; and towards 
 ten o'clock the French saw a boat put out from the ad- 
 miral's ship, bearing a Hag of truce. Four canoes went 
 from the Lower Town, and met it midway. It brought 
 a subaltern oflicer, who announced himself as the bearer 
 of a letter from Sir William Phips to the French com- 
 mander, lie was taken into one of the canoes and 
 paddled to the quay, after being completely blindfolded 
 by a bandage which covered half his face. An ofhcer 
 named Prevost, sent by Count Frontenac, received him 
 as he landed, and ordered two sergeants to take him by 
 the arms and lead him to the governor. Ilis ])rogress 
 was neither rapid nor direct. They drew him hither and 
 thither, delighting to make him clamber in the dark 
 over every possible obstruction; while a noisy crowd 
 hustled him, and laughing women called him Colin 
 Maillard, the name of the chief j>layer in blindman's 
 buff. Amid a prodigious hubbub, intended to bewilder 
 him and imjtress him with a sense of immense warlike 
 preparation, they dragged him over the three barricades 
 of Alountain Street, and brought him at last into a large 
 room of the chateau. Here they took the bandage from 
 his eyes, lie stood for a mouKuit with an air of as- 
 tonishment and some confusion. The governor stood 
 before him, haughty and stern, surrounded by French 
 and Canadian ofTicers, Maricourt, Sainte-IK'lunc, Lon- 
 gueuil, Yillebon, Valrenne, Bienville, and many more, 
 bedecked with gold lace and silver lace, perukes and 
 powder, plumes and ribbons, and all the nlartial foppery 
 in which they took delight, and regarding the envoy 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEIJEC. 
 
 141 
 
 witli kcon, dcliaiit oycs. Aftor u iuoin(>nt, hv rcoovorcd 
 his brcjitli aiul his coniposiiro, saluted Froiiteiiac, and, 
 oxprossiiig' a wish that tlie duty assij^nicd him had hecn 
 of a more airroeabh} nature, handcMl him tlin hHtor 
 of JMiips. Frontonae «j;avc it to an intorproter, wlio 
 read it aloud in Froncli that all might hear. It ran 
 thus : — 
 
 lark 
 owd 
 !olin 
 lan's 
 ilder 
 rlikc 
 ades 
 llarge 
 from 
 (f as- 
 Istood 
 •cuch 
 
 Lon- 
 more, 
 antl 
 Ippcry 
 
 invoy 
 
 " Sir William Phips, Knifjhl, Ginrraf and Commnudpr-in-rhiif in and over 
 their Maji'slli's' Forajs of New Fmjland, hi/ Sea. at.,. Land, to Count 
 Frontenac, Lientenant-Gcneral and (Jorcrnour for tiir Freneh Kin;/ at 
 Canada; or, in his <disrnre, to his Deputij, or him or them in chief com- 
 mand at Quelicrk- : 
 
 " The war between the crowns of En^'land and France doth 
 not only siiffiinently warraTit, hut the destruction made hy the 
 French and Indiaus, under your command and encoura<:c('ment, 
 upon the persons and estates of their Majesties' subjects of New 
 England, without provocation on their part, hath put them 
 under the necessity of this expedition for their own security and 
 satisfaction. And although the cruelties and barbarities uscmI 
 against them by the French and Indians might, upon the present 
 op[)ortunity, prompt unto a severe revenge, yet, being desirous to 
 avoid all inlmmane and uncljristian-like actions, and to prevent 
 shedding of blood as much as may be, 
 
 " I, the aforesaid William Pliips, Knight, do hereby, in the 
 name and in the behalf of their most excellent Majesties, Wil- 
 liam and Mary, King and Queen of England, Scotland, Franco, 
 and Ireland, Defenders of the Faith, and by order of th(!ir said 
 Majesties' government of the Massachuset-colony in New Eng- 
 land, demand a present surrender of your forts and castles, 
 undemolished, and the King's and other stores, unim])ezzled, 
 with a seasonable delivery of all captives ; together with a sur- 
 render of all your persons and estates to my dispose : upon the 
 doing wherc't, you may expect mercy from me, as a Christian, 
 according to what shall be found for their Majesties' service 
 and the subjects' security. Which, if you refuse forthwith to 
 
S3 
 
 142 
 
 C^UEBEC. 
 
 '^ 
 
 <lo, T am coino provided, and uiii resolved, ])y the lielp of Tiod, 
 in wIkjiu 1 trust, by force of anas to revenge all wrongs and 
 injuries offered, and bring you under subjection to the Crown 
 of Kngland, and, when too late, make you wish you had ac- 
 cepted of tlie favour tendered. 
 
 "Your answer positive in an hour, r(!turne(l by your own 
 trumpet, with tlie return of mine, is required upon thi; peril 
 that will ensue." 
 
 Wlion tlu^ r(»adln<? was fmishcd, tlic En|j;lishman 
 ])ulU!d ids watch from his pocdvct, and handed it to the 
 governor. F'lontenac could not, or pretended that he 
 could not, sec the hour. The messenger thereupon told 
 him that it was ten o'clock, and that he must have his 
 answer before eleven. A general cry of indignation 
 arose; and Valrennc called out that Phips was noth- 
 ing but a pirate, and that his man ought to be hanged. 
 Fnmtenac contained himself for a monu>nt, and then 
 said to the envov : — 
 
 "1 will not kee]> you waiting so long. Tell your 
 general that 1 do not recognize King William ; and that 
 the Prince of Orange, who so styles hims(df, is a usurper, 
 who has violated the most sacred laws of Idood in at- 
 tempting to dethrone his father-in-hi ■ . I know no king 
 of England but King James. Your general ought not 
 to be surprised at the hostilities which he says that the 
 French have carried on in the colony of Massachusetts ; 
 for, as the king my master has taken the king of Eng- 
 land under his protection, and is about to replace him 
 on his throne by force of arms, he might have expected 
 that his Majesty would order me to make war on a 
 people who have rebelled against their lawful prince." 
 Then, turning with a smile to the officers about him : 
 " Even if your general offered me conditions a little 
 more gracious, and if I had a mind to accept them, does 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS (QUEBEC. 
 
 143 
 
 OIU" 
 
 that 
 
 )cr, 
 
 iit- 
 
 Eng- 
 
 liim 
 
 }ctcd 
 
 on a 
 
 ICC. 
 
 |liim : 
 
 mttie 
 
 docs 
 
 he suppose that these hrave ^cnth'incii would <^ivo their 
 consent, and advise nie to trust a nuiu wiio hroice his 
 a<j;i'eenient witli tlu; ^i;ovcrnor of Port Uoyal, or a ichel 
 who has hrded iu liis duty to his kiu^r, aud lortrolteu all 
 the favors he luid received ironi liini, to follow a prince 
 who pretends to he the liherator of Mnulaud and the 
 defender of the hiith, and vet destrovs the laws iind 
 privileties of the kinploni and overthrows its reTiLdon ':* 
 The divine justice winch your j^vneral involves in his 
 lett(>r will not fail to ))unish such acts severely." 
 
 The ni(>ssenj!:<'r seemed astonished and startled ; hut 
 he presently asked if the governor would give him his 
 answer in writing. 
 
 " No," returned Frontenac, " I will answer your gen- 
 eral only by the mouths of my cannon, that he may learn 
 that a man like mc is not to he suunnoncd after this 
 fashion. Let him do his Ijest, and 1 will <lo mine;" 
 and he dismissed the Englishman abruptly. Jle was 
 again blindfolded, led over the barricades, and sent back 
 to the fleet by the boat that brought him. 
 
 Phips had often given jtroof of personal courage, but 
 for the ]iast three weeks his conduct seems that of a 
 man conscious that he is charged with a work too large 
 for his capacity. lie had sjient a good part of his time 
 in holding councils of war; and now, when he heard the 
 answer of Frontenac, he called another to consider what 
 should be done. A plan of attack was at length ar- 
 ranged. The militia were to be landed on the shore of 
 Beauport, which was just below Quebec, though sepa- 
 rated from it by the ?^t. Charles. They were then to 
 cross this river by a ford practicable at low water, climb 
 the heights of St. Genevieve, and gain the rear of the 
 town. The small vessels of the fleet were to aid the 
 movement by ascending the St. Charles as far as 
 
14i 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 .Vil 
 
 *i 
 
 the ford, lioldiiiLi: tlic cnoiny in chock hy tlicir fire, and 
 carryinu: provisions, ainmunilion, and intrencliinfi; tools, 
 for tii(3 nso (»t" the land troojts. When these had crossed 
 and were ready to attack Qnebcc in the rear, Phips was 
 to cannonade it in front, and land two hun(h-ed men 
 nnder ('(►v(>r of his ^inis to elTect a diversion hy storm- 
 ing the barricades. Some of tlu; French prisoners, from 
 whom their captors ajjpear to have received a f^reat deal 
 of correct information, told the admiral that there was a 
 place a mile or two above the town where th<i heii^hts 
 mi^ht be scaled and the rear of the fortifications reached 
 from a direction opposite to that pro|)osed. 'I'liis was 
 precisely the movement by which WoU'e afterwards 
 gained his memorable victory ; bnt I'liips chose to abi(hj 
 by the ori<iinal plan. 
 
 While the plan was debated, the oj»portnnity for ac- 
 complishing it ebbed away. It was still early wlicn the 
 messenger returned from Quebec ; but, b' fore Phips was 
 readv to act, the dav was on the wane and the tide was 
 against liim. He lay quietly at his moorings when, in 
 the evening, a great shouting, mingled with the roll of 
 drums and the sound of fifes, was heard from the Upper 
 Town. The English oflicers asked their prisoner, Gran- 
 ville, what it meant. " Ma foi. Messieurs," he replied, 
 " von have lost the game. It is the Governor of Mon- 
 treal witii the people from the country above. There is 
 nothing for you now but to pack and go home." In 
 fact, Calli(^res had arrived with seven or eight hundred 
 men, many of them regulars. "With these Avcrc bands 
 of coureurs de hois and other young Canadians, all full 
 of fight, singing and whooping with martial glee as they 
 passed the western gate and trooped down St. Louis 
 Street. 
 
 Thenextday was gusty and blustering; and still Phips 
 
MASSACllUbETTS ATTACKS gi KlJKC. 
 
 145 
 
 I of 
 
 )[)cr 
 
 Irau- 
 
 !kl ou- 
 tre is 
 In 
 Idred 
 iancls 
 full 
 they 
 iOuis 
 
 *hipg 
 
 lay quiet, waiiinir ou the winds and the wavi.'s. A small 
 vessel, with sixty nicii on Itoanl, under Ciiptain Kpiuaini 
 Sava<re, ran in towards the shore of lleanport ttx'xaniino 
 the lamlinir, and stuck fast in the nuid. The Canadians 
 
 • 
 
 plied her with huUets, and hronuht a cannon to hear on 
 her. They nii,ii:ht have waded out and hoarded her, hut 
 Savage and his men l<e|»t up so hot a lire that they 
 forhorc the atti;mpt; and, when the tidt; rose, she lioated 
 
 again. 
 
 There was another night of tranquillity; hut at ahout 
 eleven on Wednesday morning the FrcMU'h heard the 
 lOnglish liles and drnuis in fidl action, while repeated 
 shouts of "(Jod save King William!" rose from all the 
 vessels. This lasted an honr or more ; alter which a 
 great numher of hoats, loaded with nu'ii, pnt out from 
 the fleet and rowed rapidly towards the shore of Beau- 
 port. The tide was low, and the hoats grounded heforo 
 reaching the landing-place. The French on the rock 
 could sec the troops through telescopes, looking in the 
 distance like a swarm of hlack ants, as they waded 
 through mud and water, and formed in eomj>anics along 
 the strand. They were some thirteen hundred in num- 
 her, and were commanded l)v Major Wallev. Frontenac 
 had sent three hundred sharpshooters, under Sainte- 
 Ilelene, to meet them and hold them in check. A hat- 
 talion of troops followed : but, long hefore they could 
 reach the spot, Saiute-lU'lone's men, with a few militia 
 from the neighboring parishes, aiul a band of Huron 
 warriors from Lorette, threw themselves into the thick- 
 ets along the front of the English, and opened a distant 
 but galling fire upon the compact bodies of the en(Mny, 
 Walley ordered a charge. The New England men rushed, 
 in a disorderly manner, but with great impetuosity, up 
 the rising ground; received two volleys, which failed to 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 cliL'ck lliein ; and drove hack tliu assailants in sonio 
 confusion. They turned, however, and fouj^lit in Indian 
 fashioji with courage Jind address, leaping and dodging 
 anutng trees, roeks, and hushes, firing as they retreated, 
 and MiHicling more harm than (hey received. Towards 
 evening they disappeared; and Walley, whose men had 
 been much se itteied in the desidtory light, drew them to- 
 getlier jk-. - >:i as he could, and advanced towards the St. 
 C-arles, in order to meet the vessels which were to aid 
 iiim in )»assing the lord. Here he posted sentinels, and 
 cncampeil lor the night, lie had lost four killed and 
 about sixty wounded, and imagined that he had killed 
 twenty or thirty of the enemy. In fact, however, their 
 loss was much less, though among the killed was a 
 valuable oHieer, the (,^hevalier de Clermont, and among 
 the woundtnl the veteran caj)tain of IJeauport, Juchereau 
 dc Saint-Denis, more than sixty-four years of age. In 
 the evening, a deserter came to the English camp, and 
 brought the unwelcome intelligence that there were three 
 thousand armed men in Quebec. 
 
 Meanwhile, Phips, whose fault hitherto had not ])ecn 
 an excess of promptitude, grew imi)atient, and made a 
 premature movement inconsistent with the preconcerted 
 plan. He left his moorings, anchored his largest ships 
 befoi'c the town, and prej)nred to caniionade it; but the 
 fiery veteran who watched him from the Chateau St. 
 Louis anticipated him, and gave him the first shot. I'hiits 
 replied furiously, opening fire with every gun that he 
 could bring to bear ; while the rock paid him hack in 
 kind, aiid belched flame and smoke from all its batteries. 
 So fierce and rapid was the firing, that La llr)ntan com- 
 pares it to volleys of musketry ; and old ofiicers, who had 
 seen many sieges, declared that they had never known 
 the like. The din was prodigious, reverberated from the 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEIJEC. 
 
 ]47 
 
 siirroundiivj; licidits, and rolled back from llio dislaiit 
 mouiitaiiis in one continuous roar. On the part of tlio 
 Knulisli, however, surprisinuiy little was accomplished 
 besid(^ noise and s)nok(,>. The practice of their liiinners 
 was so had thai many of their shot struck harmlessly 
 jiuainst the face of the cliff. Thrir uuns, too, were v«'ry 
 light, ;ind apjiear to have heen eharued with a vic'w 
 to the most riu;id economy of ,i>-uiij)()\vdcr ; for the hiilh^ 
 failed to pierce the stone walls of the huildinns. and 
 did so little damiiire that, as the French boasted, twenty 
 crowns would have repaired it all. Night came at length, 
 ami the turmoil ceased. 
 
 I'hips la: «iniet till dayhn^ak, when Frontenac scut a 
 shot to waken him, and th<' cannonade began again. 
 Sainle-lb'h'ne had returned from I>cau|»ort ; and he, 
 with his brother Maricourt, took charge of the two bat- 
 teries of the Lowei" Town, aiming the giius in ptTson, 
 .and throwing balls of eiLditeen and twcntv-four pounds 
 with excellent precision against the four largest shipd 
 of the fleet. One of their shots cut the flagstaff of Hie 
 admiral, and (he cross of St. (Jeorge fell into the river. 
 It drifted with the tide towards the north shore ; wherc;- 
 npon several Canatlians j)addled out in a birch canoe, 
 secured it, and brought it back in triumph, (m i]\o. 
 spire of the cathedral in the I'lipcr Town had I, 'cn 
 Inmg a )>ic(nre <>f the Holy Family, as an invocation of 
 divine aid. Tlu^ l*uritan gunners wasted (heir ammuni- 
 tion in vain aMempts (o knock it down. Thai it escaped 
 (heir malice was ascribed (o miracle, bu( the miracle 
 Avould have been greater if (hey had hit it. 
 
 At length, one o<" the ships, which had suffered most, 
 luiuled ofl' and abandoned (he light. That of the admiral 
 had fai'cd little better, and now her condition grew des- 
 perate. With her rigging torn, her mainmast half ciit 
 
148 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 m 
 
 through, her mizzon-mast splintered, her eahin pierced, 
 and lier liull riddled with shet, another volley seemed 
 likely to sink her, when Phips ordered her to be cut 
 loos(^ from her moorinijs, and she drifted out of fire, 
 leavinj^ eablo and anchor behind. Tiie remaining ships 
 soon gave ovei- tlie conflict, and withdrew to stations 
 where they CDuld neither do harm nor sulTer it. 
 
 Phil)s had thrown away nearly all his ammunition in 
 this futiln and disastrous attack, which should have 
 been deferred till the moment when VValiey, witii his 
 land force, had gained the rear of the town. Walley 
 lay in his camp, his men wet, shivering with cold, 
 famished, and sickening with the small-pox. Food, ai.'d 
 all other sujjplies, were to have been brought him by 
 the small vessels, which should have entered the mouth 
 of the St. Ciiarles and aided him to cross it. Ihit he 
 waited for them in vain. Every vessel that carried a 
 gun had busied itself in cannonading, and the rest did 
 not move. There ap|)ears to have been insubordinati(m 
 among the masters of these small craft, some of whom, 
 iH'ing owners or part-owners of the vessels they com- 
 maudcd, were probably unwilling to run them into 
 danger. Walley was no soldier ; but he saw that to 
 attempt the passage of the river without aid, under the 
 batteries of the town and in the face of forces twice as 
 numerous as his own, was not an easy task. Froutenac, 
 on his ))art, says that he wished him to do so, knowing 
 that the attem})t would ruin him. The New England 
 m(Mi wen; eager to push on ; but the night of Thursday, 
 the day of Phips's repulse, was so cold that ice form(;d 
 more than an inch in thickness, and the half-starved 
 militia sufTered intensely. Six field-pioces, with their 
 ammunition, had been sent ashore ; but they were nearly 
 useless, as there were no means of moving them. Half 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 
 
 149 
 
 lOU 
 
 om, 
 oni- 
 iiito 
 it to 
 tho 
 a« 
 
 MilC, 
 
 \vin<j; 
 l:»nd 
 ^<lay, 
 •nu'cl 
 
 tvofl 
 llieir 
 ri\rly 
 
 llaif 
 
 a barrel of nuiskct j)ow(l('r, and one l)isciiit for each 
 man, were also landed ; and with this niea.ure aid Walley 
 was left to capture Quebec, lie might, had he dared, 
 have made a dash across the fold on the morning of 
 Thursday, and assaulted the town in the rear while 
 Phips was cannonading it in front ; but his courage was 
 not ecpial to so desperate a venture. The firing ceased, 
 and the jxtssible op]»ortunity was lost. The citizen 
 soldier despaired of success ; and, on tin; morning of 
 Friday, he went on board the admiral's ship to explain 
 liis situation. While he was gone, his men |»ut them- 
 selves in motion, and advanced iilong the borders of the 
 St. CliMi'les towards the ford. Fronteuiic, with three bat- 
 talion.s i)i i-eguhir troops, went to rcecivt^ them at the 
 crossing; while Sainte-IIeUiie, with his brother Lon- 
 gueuil, passed the ford with a body 'f (^uiiulians, and 
 ope!ie<i lire on them from the neighboring thickets, 
 Theii i;<lvance [larties were di-iven in, and thei'e was a 
 hot skirmish, the chief loss falling on the New Kugland 
 men. wlio were fully exjiosed. On the side of the Ficnch, 
 Sainte-IIeb'iie was mortally wound(>d, and his bi-otber 
 was hurt by a spent ball. Towards evening, the Cana- 
 dians withdrew, and the Fill irlish encamped for the night. 
 Their eommander presently rejoined them. The admiral 
 had given him leave to withdraw them to the lieet, and 
 boats were acconlingly sent to bring them off; but, as 
 these did not arrive till about daybreak, it was necessary 
 to dell r the embarkation till the next night. 
 
 At dawn, Quebec was all astir with the beating of 
 drums and tlu* ringing of bells. The N\'W Mugland 
 drum« H'plied ; and Walley drew up b's men uinler 
 arms, expecting an attack, for the town was so near 
 that tbe hubbub of voices from within could plainly be 
 heard, Tlu- noise gradually died away ; antl, except a 
 
:: r 
 
 150 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 fuw shots from the i'anij>iirt.s, the invaders were left 
 undisturbed. Walley sent two or three eompanies to 
 beat up the neighboring^ thickets, where he suspected 
 that the enemy was huking. On the way, they had the 
 good hick to find and kill a number of catth^, wliich 
 they cooked and ate on the spot ; whereu|)on, being 
 greatly refreshed and invigorated, they dashed forward 
 in complete disorder, and were soon met by the lire of 
 the ambushed Canadians. Several more companies were 
 sent to their sup|M)rt, and the skirmishing became lively. 
 Three detachments froiu Quebec had crossed the river ; 
 and the militia ol" Beauport and I>eau])re had hastened 
 to join them. They fought like Indians, hiding behind 
 trees or throwing themselves Hat among llu; bushes, 
 and laying repeated ambuscades as they slowly fell 
 back. At length, they all made a stand on a hill behind 
 the buildings and fences of a farm ; and here they held 
 their ground till night, while the New Kngland men 
 taunted them as cowards who would never light except 
 under cover. 
 
 Walley, who wilh his main body had stood in arms all 
 day, now called in the skirmishers, and fell back to the 
 landing-place, where, as soon as it grew dark, the boiits 
 arrived from the fleet. The siek men, of whom there 
 were manv, wen^ s(>nt on board, and (hen, juuid Hoods 
 of rain, the whole foi'ce embarked in noisy confusion, 
 leaving behind them in the nnid live of their cannon. 
 Hasty as was theii- parting, th(>ir conduct on the whole 
 had been credituble; and f^a Iloutan, who was in (Quebec 
 at the time, says of them, '"They fought vigorously, 
 though as ill-disciplined ns m(>n gatb retl together at 
 random could be; for they did not .aek courage, and, 
 if they failed, it was by reason of their entir(» ignorance 
 of discipline, and because they were exhausted by the 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 
 
 lol 
 
 )(lrt 
 on, 
 ion. 
 lolo 
 
 sly, 
 
 ni 
 
 n-l, 
 
 nco 
 
 tlic 
 
 fatigues of the voyjiiic." Of Phips ho sjjoaks with 
 contempt, and says that he could not have serveil tho 
 French better if they liad bribed liiin to stand all tho 
 while with his arms f(jlded. Some allowance should, 
 nevertheless, be made him for tlu? unmanai^eaiile tihar- 
 acter of the force under his command, the constitution 
 of which was fatal to military subordination. 
 
 On Sunday, the morning aft(,'r th(^ re-embarkation, 
 Phi|»s called a council of olTicers, and it was i-esolveJ 
 that the men should rest for a dav or two, that there 
 should be a meeting- for i)rayer, and that, if annnunitioii 
 enough could be found, aiutther landing should be at- 
 tempted; but the rough weather |)revented the prayer- 
 meeting, and the plan of a new attack was fortunat(dy 
 aliandoni'd. 
 
 (.Quebec remaine(l in agitation and alarm till Tuesday, 
 when Phips weighed anchor and disappeared, with all 
 his licet, behind the Island of Orleans, lie did not go 
 far, as indeed he could not, but stopped foiu' leagues 
 below to mend rigging, bu'tily wounded masts, ami stop 
 shot-holes, .^ubercase had gone with a detaclnnent to 
 watch the retiring enemy; ami l'hi|>s w is repeatedly 
 seen among his men, on a scaffold iit the side of his 
 ship, exi'rcising his old trade id' cai'peiter. This delay 
 was turned to good use by an exehanue of |>ris»»ners. 
 Chief among those in the hands of the French was 
 Captain Davis, late connnandei- at C'seo IJay ; and tliero 
 were also two young daughters of Lieutenant Clark, who 
 had been killed at the same pl.ae<\ Frontenae himself 
 had humanely ransomed tlii'se children from the Indians; 
 and Madame de Champigny. wile of the intendant, had, 
 with e(puil kindness, bought fi'om them a little girl 
 named ."^arah (Jerrish, and |)laeed jier in i-haru'c '.>f 
 the nuns at the liotel-Dieu, who ha«l beconu' greatly 
 
 IB 
 
152 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 n 
 
 
 \l -i 
 
 attaclicd to lior, wliilo .slio, on her part, left them with 
 rehictauce. Tlic French liad the hotter in these ex- 
 changes, receiving able-bodied men, and returning, with 
 the exception oi' Davis, only women and children. 
 
 The heretics were gone, and Quebec breathed freely 
 again. Her escape had been a narrow one ; not that 
 three thousand men, in part regular troops, defending 
 one of the strongest positions on the continent, and 
 commanded by Frontenac, could not defy the attacks of 
 two thousand raw lishermen and farmers, led bv an 
 ignorant civilian, but the numbers which were a source 
 of stiength were at the same time a source of weakness. 
 Nearly all the adult nudes of Canada were gathered at 
 Quebec, and there was imminent danger of starvation. 
 Cattle from the neighboring parishes had been hastily 
 driven into the town ; but there was little other pro- 
 vision, and before Phips retreated the pinch of famine 
 had begun. Ihul In; come a week earlier or stayed a 
 week later, the French themselves believed that Quebec 
 would have fallen, in the one case for want of men, and 
 in the other for want of food. 
 
 Fhips returned crestfallen to Boston late in Novem- 
 ber; and one by one the rest of the (leet came strag- 
 gling after him, battered and weather-beaten. Some 
 did not api)ear till February, and three or four never 
 came at all. The autumn aiul early winter were un- 
 usually stormy. Captain Uainsfoi'd, with sixty men, 
 was wrecked on the Island of Anticosti, where more 
 than half their luunber died of cidd and misery. In the 
 other vessels, sonu^ were drowned, some frost-bitten, and 
 above two hundred killed by small-pox and fever. 
 
 At Boston, all was dismay and gloom. TIu? Puritan 
 bowed l)efore"this awful frown of (Jod," and searched 
 his conscience for the sin that had brought upon him so 
 
 
MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. 153 
 
 fitern a cliustisoment. Massachusetts, already impover- 
 ished, found herself in extremity. The war, inst(>ad of 
 paymg for itself, had burdened her with an additional 
 debt of fifty thousand po.nids. The sailors and soldiers 
 were clamorous for their pay; and, to satisfy them, the 
 colony was forced for the first time in i(s history to issue 
 a paper cui-rency. It was nuule receivable at a invmium 
 for all public debts, and was also fortified by a provision 
 for Its early redemption by taxation ; a provision which 
 was carried into effect in spite of i)overty and distress. 
 
 Massachusetts had made her usual mistake. She hiid 
 confidently believed that ignorance and inexi)erienco 
 could match the skill of a tiled veteran, and that the 
 rude courage of her fishermen and farmers could tri- 
 uniph without discipline or leadership. The conditions 
 of her material prosperity were adverse to elliciencv in 
 war. A trading republic, without trained ofTicers, may 
 win victories; but it wins them either by accident or by 
 an extravagant outlay in money and life. 
 
'1 i 
 
 '' ! 
 
 ill 
 
 m 
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 i'l 
 
 'T^HE early part of the Seven Y(>ars' War was disas- 
 -*• trous to England, The tide turned with the ac- 
 'icssion to power of the great war minister, William Pitt. 
 In 1750, he sent (Jeneral James Wolfe with a combined 
 military and naval force to capture Quebec. The British 
 troops numbered somewhat less than nine thousand, 
 while Montcalm and Vaudreuil were posted to receive 
 them, on positions almost impregnable, with an army 
 of regulars, Canadians, and Indians, amounting in all 
 to about sixteen thousand. The great height of the 
 shores made the British ships of little or no use for 
 purj)oses of attack. 
 
 Wolfe took possession of Point Levi, from which he 
 bombarded Quebec. He also seized the high grounds 
 just below the Montmorenci, and vainly tried to cross 
 that stream above the cataract and gain the rear of 
 Montcalm's army, which lay encamped along the shore 
 from the Montmorenci to the citv. Failing in this and 
 every other attempt to force the enemy to a battle, he 
 rashly resolved to attack them in front, up the steep 
 declivities at the top of which they were intrenched. 
 The grenadiers dashed forward prematurely and without 
 orders, struggling desperately to scale the heights under 
 a deadly fire. The I'esult was a complete repulse, with 
 heavy loss. 
 
 The capture of Quebec now seemed hopidess. Wolfe 
 was almost in despair. His body was as frail as his 
 
disas- 
 he ac- 
 n Pitt, 
 nbiucd 
 Diiti^h 
 lusaiul, 
 receive 
 I army 
 ill all 
 of the 
 use for 
 
 lich he 
 rounds 
 
 cross 
 car of 
 
 shore 
 us and 
 ttlc, he 
 ' steep 
 iichcd. 
 •vithoiit 
 
 under 
 c, with 
 
 Wolfe 
 as his 
 

 i 
 
 ■ 's 
 
THE HEIGHTS OF ADRAIIAM. 
 
 155 
 
 spirit was anient and daring. Sineo the siege began 
 ho had passed with ctjaseiess <'n<!rgy from eanip to 
 camp, animating the troops, ohs(»rving everytiiing, 
 and directing everything; but now th«! pale lace and 
 tall lean ft)rm were seen no more, and the inmor spiead 
 that tiie (General wjis dangerously ill. He had in tact 
 been seized by an access ot" the disease that had tortured 
 him for some time; j»ast; and fijver had followed. His 
 (juarters were at a French farmhouse in the cump at, 
 Montmorenci ; and here, as he lay in an upper chamber, 
 helpless in bed, his singular and most unmilitary tea- 
 tures liaggard with disease and drawn with pain, no 
 man could less have looked the hero. IJut as the needle, 
 though (luivering, points always to the pole, so, through 
 torment and languor and the heats of fever, the mind of 
 Wolfe dwelt on the capture of Quebec. His illness, 
 which begnn before the twentieth of August, had so 
 far subsided on the tweuty-hlth that Captain Knox 
 wrote in his Diarv of that day: "His Exccllencv Gen- 
 eral Wolfe is on the recovery, to the inconceivable joy 
 of the whole arm v." On the twentv-ninth he was able 
 to write or dictate a letter to the three brigadiers, 
 Monckton, Townshcnd, and Murray: "That the public 
 service may not suffer by the Generars indisposition, 
 he begs the brigadiers will meet and consult together 
 for the ])ublic utility and advantage, and consider of tho 
 best method to attack tlu^ enemy." The letter then 
 j)roi)Oses three plans, all bold to audacity. The first 
 was to send a part of the army to ford the ^fontmorenci 
 eight or nine miles above its mouth, march through tho 
 forest, ai.d fall on t'nc rear of the French at l>cauport, 
 while the rest landed and attacked them in front. Tho 
 second was to cross the ford at the mouth of the IMont- 
 morcnci and march along the strand, under the French 
 

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156 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
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 iiitrciK'limciits, till a place could be found where the 
 troo[)S ini^ht climb tlie heights. The third was to make 
 a general attack from boats at the IJeauport flats. Wolfe 
 had before entertained two otlier plans, one of which was 
 to scale the heights at St. Michel, about a league above 
 Quel)ec ; but this he had abandoned on learning that the 
 French were there in force to receive him. The other 
 was to storm the Lower Town ; but this iilso he had 
 ahandoned, because the U})per Town, which commanded 
 it, would still remain inaccessible. 
 
 The brigadiers met in consultation, rejected the three 
 plans [)roposed in the letter, and advised that an attempt 
 should be made to gain a h)oting on the north shore 
 above the town, place the army between Montcalm and 
 his base of suj>ply, and so force him to tight or surren- 
 der. Tlie scheme was similar to that of the heights of 
 St. Michel. It seemed desperate, but so did all the 
 rest; and if by chance it should succeed, the gain was 
 far gi'eater than could follow any success below the 
 town. Wolfe embrjL'cd at once. 
 
 Not that he saw much hope in it. He knew that 
 every chance was against him. Disappointment in the 
 past and gloom in the future, the pain and exhaustion 
 of disease, toils, and anxieties " too great," in the words 
 of Burke, "to be supi)orted by a delicate constitution, 
 and a body unequal to the vigorous and enterprising soul 
 that it lodged," threw him at times into deep dejection. 
 By those intimate with him he was heard to say that he 
 would not go back defeated, "to be exposed to the cen- 
 sure and reproach of an ignorant po})ulace." In other 
 moods he felt that he ought not to sacrifice what wps 
 left of his diminished army in vain conflict with hoi)e- 
 less obstacles. But his final resolve once taken, he 
 would not swerve from it. Ills fear was that he might 
 
THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 157 
 
 that 
 the 
 stion 
 
 urds 
 
 iitioii, 
 
 soul 
 
 ction. 
 
 alt he 
 e ccu- 
 
 othcr 
 it ^vl's 
 
 hoi)e- 
 311, ho 
 
 miiiht 
 
 not be ahlc to load his trooj)S in person. " I kno\r per- 
 fectly well you cannot cure me," he said to his physician ; 
 "hut })ray make me up so that I may be without pain 
 for a few days, and able to do my duty : that is all I 
 want." 
 
 On the last of August, he was able for the first time to 
 leave the house. It was on this same day that he wrote 
 his last letter to his mother: "My >v'iitin!j;' to you will 
 convince yon that no ])ersonal evils worse than defeats 
 and disappointments have fallen uj)on me. The enemy 
 puts nothing to risk, and I can't in conscience |)ut the 
 whole armv to risk. Mv antagonist has wisclv shut 
 himself u}) in inaccessible intrenchments, so that I can't 
 get at him without spilling a torrent of blood, and that 
 perhaps to little purpose. The Marquis de Montcalm is 
 at the head of a great number of bad soldiers, and 1 
 am at the head of a small number of good ones, that 
 wish for nothing so much as to fight him; but the wary 
 old fellow avoids an action, doubtful of the behavior 
 of his army. People must bo of the professicm to un- 
 derstand the disadvantages and difhculties we labor 
 under, arising from the uncommon natural strength of 
 the countrv." 
 
 On the second of September a vessel was sent to Eng- 
 land with his last despatch to Pitt. It begins thus : 
 " The obstacles we have met with in the operations of 
 the campaign are much greater than we had reason to 
 expect or could foresee ; not so much from the nund)er 
 of tlic enemy (though superior to ua) as from the natu- 
 ral strength of the country, which the ^fanpiis of Mont- 
 calm seems wisely to depend upon. When I learned 
 that succors of all kinds had been thrown into Quebec ; 
 that (ivQ battalions of regular troops, completed from the 
 best inhabitants of the country, some of the troops of 
 
158 
 
 QUEDEC. 
 
 i ; 
 
 the colony, and every Canadian that was able to bear 
 arms, besides several nations of savages, had taken the 
 field in a very advantageous situation, — I could not 
 flatter myself that 1 should be able to reduce the place. 
 I sought, however, an occasion to attack their army, 
 knowing well that witli these troops I was able to light, 
 ,and hoping that a victory might disperse them." Then, 
 after recounting the events of the campaign with ad- 
 mirable clearness, he continues : " 1 found myself so ill, 
 and am still so weak, that 1 begged the general ofiicei's 
 to consult together for the general utility. They are all 
 of opinion that, as more ships and provisions are now 
 got above the town, they should try, by conveying up 
 a corps of four or five thousand men (which is nearly 
 the whole strength of the army after the Points of Levi 
 and Orleans arc left in a proper state of defence), to 
 draw the enemy from their present situation and bring 
 them to an action. I have acquiesced in the proposal, 
 and we are preparing to put it into execution." The let- 
 ter ends thus : " By the list of disabled olfieers, many 
 of whom are of rank, you may j)erceive that the army is 
 mucli weakened. By the nature of the river, the most 
 formidable part of this armament is deprived of the 
 power of acting ; yet we have almost the Avhole force of 
 Canada to oppose. In this situation there is such a 
 choice of dilhculties that I own myself at a loss how to 
 determine. The affairs of Great Britain, I know, require 
 the most vigorous measures ; but the courage of a hand- 
 ful of brave troops should be exerted only when there 
 is some hope of a favorable event ; however, you may 
 be assured that the small part of the campaign which 
 remains shall be employed, as far as 1 am able, for the 
 honor of His Majesty and the interest of the nation, in 
 which I am sure of being well seconded by the Admiral 
 
THE IIEIGnrS op ABIiAIIAJT. 
 
 159 
 
 iind In- (lio generals; liannv if our eir„rf . i 
 tnl,ute to (l,e snoee., of I .'fjlaie v's ' "" ''""" 
 
 parts of America." ^ ^ ' """' '" ""-^- """■■'■ 
 
 lVrl,ai« ho ,vns as near .lespair as l,is ,„uh„nt,.,l 
 "n ure was capable of bein,. J„ ,,,3 presen t 
 l.Kly n,jd nund he >vas a hero wi.hont tl,,. i, 1 ' 
 '=."cer oi heroism, lie (hittered himself Ju . ' 
 -.ns, hut .sa. the wor,,t amMacea ia ; ' a^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 to liavc been entirely uithont ex.Mt.Mnent Ti,l In 
 
 Audacious a.s it wa.s, his plan cannot be called rash 
 It we n>ay accept the statement of t»o well i 1,' , , 
 Jtcr., on the French side. The, sa, tl^t , ,' 
 
 of S..pten,ber the Engli.sh naval comn,au,lers he, 
 conned on board the tlagship, i„ which it was re 1 ed 
 hat the lateness of the season re,i„ircd the (leet to I ■ • 
 Quebec without delay. They say further that W fe 
 en went to the Adn.iral, told hin, that he had fo 1 a 
 place where the heights could be scaled, that he old 
 send up a hundred and hfty picked „>e„ o fc he ' 
 and tha ,f they gained a lodgment at the top, , ^r' 
 troops should follow; if, on the other hand, ho F,"c, 
 were here m force to oppose then,, ho would „o a 
 fice the army in a hopeless atten.pt, but en.ba," h 'n 
 for homo consoled by the thought that all had bee" 
 done that man could do. On this, concludes the so,- " 
 
 rL,t "" ''^ """"''' ^'"-"'^<1 '« -i^ "he 
 
 As Wolfe had informed Pitt, his army w-as greaflv 
 
 weakened. Since the end of June his loss in^'kill'd 
 
 iJfl 
 
160 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 ill ! 
 
 
 ^ ^'1! 
 
 i I m 
 
 and woimdod was more tliaii eight hundred and fifty, 
 including two colonols, two majors, nineteen captains, 
 and thirty-four snliallerns; and to these were to be 
 added a greater number disabled by disease. 
 
 The s(|uadron of Admiral Holmes above Quebec had 
 now inci'eased to twenty-two vessels, great and small. 
 One of the last that went up was a diminutive schooner, 
 armed with a few swivels, and jocosely named the 
 " Terror of France." She sailed by the town in broad 
 daylight, the French, incensed at her impudence, blazing 
 at her from all their batteries ; but she passed unharmed, 
 anchored ])y the Admiral's ship, and saluted him tri- 
 umphantly with her swivels. 
 
 Wolfe's first move towards executing his plan was the 
 critical one of evacuating the camp at Montmorenci. 
 This was accomplished on the third of September. 
 Montcalm sent a strong force to fall on the real* of the 
 retiring English. Monckton saw the movement from 
 Point Levi, emliarived two battalions in the boats of the 
 fleet, and made a feint of landing at Beauport. Mont- 
 calm recalled his troops to repulse the tlireatened attack ; 
 and the English withdrew from Montmorenci unmolested, 
 some to the Point of Orleans, others to Point Levi. On 
 the night of the fourth a fieet of flat boats passed above 
 the town with the baggage and stores. On the fifth, 
 Murray, with four battalions, marched up to the River 
 Etechemin, and forded it under a hot fire from the 
 Frencli batteries at Sillery. Monckton and Townshend 
 followed with three more battalions, and the united 
 force, of about thirty-six hundred men, was em))arked 
 on board the ships of Holmes, where Wolfe joined them 
 oil the same evening. 
 
 These movements of the English filled the French 
 commanders with mingled perplexity, anxiety, and hope. 
 
THE IIEIOIITS OF AURAIIAM. 
 
 IGl 
 
 Uvcr 
 the 
 ^bend 
 Initcd 
 rkcd 
 I them 
 
 ircnch 
 hope. 
 
 A dosortcr told tht-m that Achniral Saiindors was im- 
 [)ationt to bo gone. Vaudreuil grew coiifideiit. '' Tlie 
 ln'oaking up of the eaiuj) at Montmoreiici," lie says, 
 " and the ahaiidonmeut of the intrenchments there, tin; 
 iv-cmbaikation on board the vessels above Qiu'l)ec of the 
 troops who had cneamp(,'d on the .south bank, the move- 
 ments of these vessels, the removal of the heaviest picees 
 of artillery from the batteries of Point Levi, — these and 
 the lateness of the season all combined to announce the 
 s[)eecly departure of the fleet, several vessels of which 
 had ev.n sailed down the river already. The ])risoners 
 and the deserters who daily came in told us that this 
 was the common report in their army." He wrote 
 to Bourlamaque on the first of Sejitember : " livery- 
 thing proves that the grand design of the English has 
 failed." 
 
 Yet he was ceaselessly watchful. So was Montcalm ; 
 and he, too, on the night of the second, snatched a 
 moment to write to liourlamaque from his headcjuarters 
 in the stone house, by the river of Beauj)ort : '"• I'he 
 night is dark ; it rains ; orr troops are in their tents, 
 with clothes on, ready for an alarm ; I in my boots ; 
 my horses saddled. In fact, this is my usual way. I 
 wish you were here ; for I cannot be everywhere, though 
 I multii»ly myself, and have not taken ofT my clothes 
 since the twentv-third of June." On the eleventh of 
 September he wrote his last letter to Bourlamaque, and 
 ])robably the last that his jten ever traced. " I am 
 overwhelmed with work, and should often lose temper, 
 like you, if I did not remember that I am paid by Europe 
 for not losing it. Nothing new since my last. I give 
 the enemy another m(mtii, or something less, to stay 
 here." The more sanguine Vaudreuil would hardly give 
 them a week. 
 
 11 
 
102 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 Mciinwliilc, IK) iti'crnulion wns spared. Tlio f')rcc 
 iiiidcr Ijoiitraiiivillc; al)i)V(' (,Jii(!lj('C was raised to tlircc 
 tlionsiind iiK.Mi. .II(^ was ordered to watch tlic slioro as 
 far as .JacMiucs-Cartier, and follow with his main body 
 every movement of iroimcs's scpiadron. There was 
 little fear for the liciLdits m'ar the town; they were 
 thonulit inacoessihic. I'lvcn Montcalm believed them 
 safe, and had expressed himself to that effect some time 
 bcd'ore. " W(! need not sn|)i)ose," he wrote to Vniidrenil, 
 "that the enemy have win<^s;'' and atrain, speaking of 
 the very place where Wolfe afterwjirds hinded, "I swear 
 to you that a hundred nuui posted there would stop their 
 whole army." lie was right. A hundred watchful and 
 determined men could have held the position long 
 enough ftu* reinforcements to come up. 
 
 The hundred men were tliere. Captnin dc Vergor, 
 of the colony troops, commanded them, and reinforce- 
 ments were within his call ; for the battalion of (Juienne 
 iiad been ordered to encam|) close at liand on the Plains 
 of Abraham. Yergor's i)ost, called Ansc du Foulon, 
 was a mile and a half from Quebec. A little beyond it, 
 by the brink of the cliffs, was another post, called Samos, 
 lield by seventy men with four cannon ; and, beyond 
 this again, the heights of Sillcry Averc guarded l)y a linn- 
 dred and thirty men, also with cannon. These were 
 outposts of Bougainville, whose headquarters were at 
 Cap-Rouge, six miles above Sillery, and whose troops 
 were in continual movement along the intervening shore. 
 Thus all was vigilance; for while the French were 
 strong in the hope of speedy delivery, they felt that 
 there was no safety till the tents of the invader had 
 vanished from their shores and his ships from their 
 river. "What we knew," says one of them, "of the 
 character of M. Wolfe, that impetuous, bold, and 
 
 
THE IIEUaiTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 k;:] 
 
 intr(']»i(l warrior, proparcl iis for a last attack before he 
 left us." 
 
 Wolfe had Ix^eii verv ill on the eveiiintr of tin; fourth, 
 '{'he ti'oo|)s kiunv it, and their .spirits sank : hut, after a 
 nit^ht of torment, he jjrrew hettci', and was soon ainonu; 
 them auain, rekindling their ardor, and lm|>ai'tini:' a 
 eheer that lu; eonid not share. For himself he had no 
 l»ity ; hut when lie heard of the illness of two oHiccrs in 
 one of the ships, he sent them a niessacre of warm sym- 
 
 ith 
 
 d offered 
 
 patliy, advised them to return to Point Levi, and ollered 
 them his own barge and an escort. They thanke(l him, 
 but rejjlied that, come what might, they woidd see the 
 enterprise to an end. Another ollicer remarked in his 
 licaring that (me of the inval'ds had a very delicate (mui- 
 stitution. '• Don't tell mo of constitution," said Wolh; ; 
 " he has good si)irit, and good spirit will carry a man 
 through (>verything." An inunenso moral force bore up 
 his own frail body and forced it to its work. 
 
 Major Robert .Stobo, who, five years before, had been 
 given as a hostage to th(! French at the ca])ture of 
 Fort Necessity, ai-rived about this time in a vessel from 
 Halifax. IFe had long l)een a prisoner at Quebec, not 
 always in close custody, and had usimI his o|»portunities 
 to acfpiaint himself with the neighborhood. In the 
 spi'ing of this year h(> and an oflicer of rangers named 
 Stevens had made thi.'ir esca])e with extraordinary skill 
 and daring ; and he now returned to giv(» his country- 
 men the benefit of his local knowledge. His biogra))her 
 says that it was he who directed Wolfe in the choice 
 of a hinding-pkcc. Be this as it may, Wolfe in person 
 examined the river and the shores as far as l*ointe-aux- 
 Trembles ; till at length, landing on the south side a 
 little above Quebec, and looking across the water with 
 a telescope, he descried a path that ran with a long 
 
KM 
 
 QUKIIKO. 
 
 fl'-l 
 
 hi I 
 
 
 ^ A i 
 
 i 
 
 slope ii|> IImi l'iU'(> of llit> woody |)r(>('i|)ic(\ iiiid S!i\v at lli("> 
 lop a I'liislci' of Iciils. 'I'lit'i wi'iH! lliosc of \'«'r<2;or's 
 |i;u:n'(l ni \\\v. Ansc dii I^'omIom, now called Wolfe's Cove, 
 As lie vo\\\^\ see Itiii ten oi- lwelv(! of (lieiii, lie llioiii;lit 
 that the ^iiard eoidd not be niinieroiis, and nii^hl he 
 overpowered. His hojn; would luive heeii sti'onu'er if he 
 had known IJiat Vergor liad oiiee heen tried for niis- 
 eondiic't and cowardice in the surrender of IJeaiis<^j(Hir, 
 and saved from merited (lis^':raee hv the frieiidshij) of 
 the intendant l)iii;ot and tlu> protection of \'aiidreiiil. 
 
 The morning oi the seventh was fail- and warm, and 
 the vessels of Holmes, tlieir crowcUMJ decks gay with 
 scarh.'t uniforms, sailed up the river to Cap-Rouge. A 
 lively scene awaited them ; for here Avere the head- 
 quarters of JJougainville, and here lay his principal 
 fi)rce, while the rest watched the baid<s ahove and 
 below. The cove into whit'h the little river runs was 
 guarded by floating batteries; the surrounding shore 
 was defended by breastworks; and a lai'gc body of 
 regulars, militia, and mounted Canadians in blue uni- 
 forms moved to and fro, with restless activity, on the 
 hills behind. When the vessels came to anchor, the 
 horsemen dismounted and formed in line with the in- 
 fant rv ; lien, with loud shouts, the whole rushed down 
 the heights to man their works at the shore. That 
 true Briton, Captain Knox, looked on with a critical 
 eye from the gangway of his shij), and wrote that night 
 in his Diary that they had made a ridiculous noise. 
 " How different ! " he exclaims, " how noblv awful and 
 expressive of true valor is the customary silence of 
 the British troops ! " 
 
 In the afternoon the ships opened fire, while the 
 troops entered the boats and rowed up and down as 
 if looking for a landing-place. It was but a feint of 
 
TIIK IIKICIirs OF AllKAFIAM. 
 
 10 
 
 )t) 
 
 AVoIfc to ,l('Coiv(« l>(Hiu:;iinvilI(' ;is to his rcnl dcsij, 
 
 rn. 
 
 A h 
 
 icjivv cMslcilv I'liiii set III 1)11 llic ii('\( ln()|•Mm'^ iiiK 
 
 I 
 
 niul 
 
 was 
 ■ihore 
 ly of 
 
 iiui- 
 
 \ the 
 
 tlic 
 
 le iu- 
 
 (lowii 
 
 That, 
 
 Itical 
 I night 
 Inoiso. 
 Ill and 
 
 tee of 
 
 le the 
 
 rn as 
 
 lint of 
 
 lasted two (hiys wilhoiit^ r('s|»il('. All opcratioiis \\('r(! 
 siispcmlcd, and tlu; men siilTered iii-eally in the crowded 
 transports. Hall' of I hem were therefore lan<le(| on the 
 south shore, where they made their (|iiarlers in the 
 villa«i,(! of St. Nicolas, refreshed themsehcs, and dried 
 their wet (dothiiiLi', knajtsacks, and hlankets. 
 
 For several snce'ssivc^ days the stjiiadion of Ilolnuj.s 
 was allowed to drift up the river with the Hood tid(! and 
 down witli th(! chl), thus |iassin,u" and repassinu' inces- 
 santly hetw<'en the neiuhhorhood of Quehec on one 
 hand, and a point hiuli ahovo ('ap-Koiit!;(! on tla; other; 
 whih^ Ijoiiiiainville, |»ei'ple.\ed, and always expecting" an 
 Jittaek, follow(>d the ships to and fro alomi; \\u\ shore, 
 by day and by niirht, till his men were exhausted with 
 e"aseless foreed marciies. 
 
 At last tlu! time hu- a(;tion came. On We(luesday, 
 the twidfth, the troo|)S at St.. Nicolas were embai'ked 
 aiiiiin, and all were; told to hold themselves in readiness. 
 Wolfe, from the liau'ship " Sutherland," issuc^d his last 
 general orders. " The enemy's force is now divided, 
 great seareity of j>rovisions in their cam|>, and nnivei'sal 
 diseontent among tlie Canadians. Our ti-ooj)s below are 
 in readiness to join us ; all tli(! light ai-tillery and tools 
 are embarked at the Point of Levi ; and the troops will 
 land where the French seem least to I'Xjteet it. The 
 first body that gets on shore is to march directly to the 
 enemy and drive them from any litth; j)ost they may 
 occupy ; the othcers must be careful that the succeeding 
 bodies do not by any mistake lire on those who go 
 before them. The battalions must foi-m on tin; upper 
 gi'ouud with exjU'dition, and be ready to charge wh;it- 
 ever presents itself. When the artillery and troops are 
 
10)0 
 
 gUKHKC. 
 
 Iimdcd, a (Mtrps will Ix; Iclt to sccuit tlic laiuliiiii-iilih'o, 
 while the itsI miirch on and (MKlcavor to biiiiu- ihv 
 Canadians and Fruucli to a halllc 'I'lu; oHiccrs and 
 men will renicniljcr wlial tlhir conntiy (•x[)(H;tH from 
 (licin, and what a dL'tcrniincd hody ol" soldici's inured 
 lo Will' is cajjahlo ol" <loin,<i' au'ainst five weak French 
 battalions minjjled with a, disordei'Iy ]>easanti'y." 
 
 The sjjirit of the army answered to that of its chief. 
 The troops loved and admired their fi-eneral, trusted 
 their oi'lieers, and were ready for any attemi)t. "• Nay, 
 liow eonld it be otherwise," (]uaintly asks honest Ser^'eant 
 John Johnson, of the tifty-eii2,litli retiiment, " being at 
 the heels of tientlemen whose whole thirst, CMjnal with 
 their n'eneral, was for u'lorv ? We liad seen them tried, 
 and alwa\s found tlu'ni sterlimi;. We knew that they 
 would stand bv us to tlu.' last extremity." 
 
 Wolfe had thirty-six ]unidi'(>d men and ofrK3ers with 
 him on board the vessels of ITobnes ; and h(^ now sent 
 orders to (^donel I'urton at Point Levi to brinui: to his 
 aid all wlio could be si)ared from that ])lace and the 
 Point of Orleans. They were to march alonu: the south 
 bank, after ni<rhtl'all, and wait fnrtlwM' orders at a desiji;- 
 nated sj)ot convenient for embarkation. Their number 
 was about twelve hundred, so that the entire force 
 destined for the enter])rise was at the utmost forty- 
 eight hundred. With these, Wolfe meant to climb the 
 heights of Abraham in the teeth of an enemy who, 
 though much reduced, were still twice as numerons as 
 their assailants. 
 
 Admiral Saunders lay Avith the main fleet in the Basin 
 of Quebec. This excellent oflficcr, whatever may have 
 been his views as to the necessity of a speedy dei)arturo, 
 aided Wolfe to the last with unfailing energy and zeal. 
 It was agreed between them that while the General 
 
TIIK lIKKillTS OF AlJU.VirAM. 
 
 107 
 
 iBasin 
 liavc 
 |rturo, 
 zeal, 
 nicral 
 
 iiiiHlt' llie I'Oiil attack, tlx' Admiral hIiouM cnti'ajro Mmit- 
 calm's attf'iition by a preteiitU'tl one. As ui^'lit ap- 
 pruaclicd, the (leot ran^'<M| itself alonu' tlic; HeaujMiil 
 shore; tlie boats were bjwered and Idled with saib>rs, 
 marines, and the few troops ihat had been left brhind ; 
 while slilp si^nialled to ship, eannon Hashed and thun- 
 dered, and shot jdon^died tlie beaeh, as if to (dcjir a 
 way for assailants to land. In the uloom of the evi'ninu' 
 the effect was iniposinLf. Monteahn. who thonjihl that 
 the movements of the Kn^Lilish above the town were only 
 a I'eint, that their main force was still below it, and tliat 
 their real attack wonld be made there, was couipi'-tely 
 deceived, and massed his troops in front of Ileaupoit to 
 rejtel the expected landinti'. IJnt while in tli licet of 
 Saunders all was uproar and ostentatious m« uace, tbo 
 danger was t"]( mil(>s away, where tla? s(|ua'lioi. of 
 Holmes hiy tran(|ull and silent at its anchorage off 
 Cap-Rouge. 
 
 It was less tran(|uil than it seemed. AH o!i l)oard 
 knew that a blow would l)e struck that niuht, thouuh 
 only a few high oilleors knew where. Coloufd IFowi ,, of 
 the light infantry, called for volunteers to lead the un- 
 known and des])erate venture, promising, in the woi'ds 
 of one of them, " that if any of us survived we might 
 depend on being recommended to the (hMieral." As 
 many as were wanted — twenty -four in all — soon came 
 forward. Thirty large bateaux and some boats belong- 
 ing to the squadnm lay moored alongside the vessels.; 
 and late in the evening the troops wei'e ordered into 
 them, the twenty-four volunteers taking their place in 
 the foremost. Thev held in all about seventeen hundri'd 
 men. The rest remained on ])oard. 
 
 Bougainville could discern the movement, and mis- 
 judged it, thinking that he himself was to be attacked. 
 
n 
 
 ssssBomass^ 
 
 168 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 I 
 
 I ii 
 
 The tide was still flowing; ,md, the better to deceive 
 him, the vessels and boats were allowed to drift up- 
 ward with it for a little distance, as if to land above 
 Cap-Rouge. 
 
 The day had been fortunate for Wolfe. Two desert- 
 ers came from the camp of Bougainville with intelli- 
 gence that, at ebb tide on the next night, he was to 
 send down a convoy of i)rovisi()ns to Montcalm. The 
 necessities of the camp at neau])ort, and the difficul- 
 ties of transportation by land, had before comi)elled the 
 French to resort to this i)erilous means of convevinu; 
 supplies ; and their boats, drifting in dr.rkness under 
 the shadows of the northern sliorc, had connnonly })assed 
 in safety. Wolfe saw at once that, if his own boats went 
 down in advance of the convoy, he could turn the in- 
 telligence of the deserters to good account. 
 
 He was still on board the " Sutherland." Every 
 preparation was made, and every order given ; it only 
 remained to wait the turning of the tide. Seated with 
 him in the cabin was the comuuinder of the sloop-of-war 
 " Porcupine," his former school-fellow John Jervis, af- 
 terwards Earl St. Vincent. Wolfe told him that he 
 expected to die in the battle of the next day ; and 
 taking from his bosom a miniature of Miss Lowther, 
 his betrothed, he gave it to him with a request that he 
 would return it to her if the presentiment should prove 
 true. 
 
 Towards two o'clock the tide began to ebb, and a 
 fresh wind blew down the river. Two lanterns were 
 raised into the mahitop shrouds of the " Sutherland." 
 It was the appointed signal ; the boats cast off and 
 fell down with the current, those of the light infantry 
 leading the wav. The vessels with the rest of the 
 troops had orders to follow a little later. 
 
THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 169 
 
 lie 
 and 
 icr, 
 
 ho 
 rove 
 
 To look for a moment at the cluiuces on which this 
 bold adventiire hung. First, the deserters told Wolto 
 that provision-boats were ordered to go down to Quebec 
 tiiat night ; secondly, Bougainville countermanded them ; 
 thirdly, the sentries posted ak ng the heights were told 
 of the order, but not of the countermand ; fourthly, 
 Vergor at the Ansc du Foulon had permitted most of 
 his men, chiefly Canadians from Lorettc, to go home for 
 a time and work at their harvesting, on condition, it is 
 said, that they should afterwards work in a neighl)oring 
 field of his own ; fifthly, he kept careless watch, and 
 went quietly to bed; sixthly, the battalion of Guienne, 
 ordered to take post on the Plains of Abraham, had, 
 for reasons unexplained, i-emained eiiL'ani})ed by the ^St. 
 Charles; and lastly, when Bougainville saw Holmes's 
 vessels drift down the stream, he did not tax his weary 
 troops to follow them, thinking that they would return 
 as usual with the flood tide. But for these conspiring 
 circumstances New France might have lived a little 
 longer, and the fruitless heroism of Wolfe Avould have 
 passed, with countless other heroisms, into oblivion. 
 
 For full two hours the j)rocession of boats, borne on 
 the current, steered silently down the St. Lawrence. 
 The stars were visible, but the night was moonless 
 and sufliciently dark. The (leneral was in one of 
 the foremost boats, and near him was a young- mid- 
 shipman, John Kobison, afterwards professor of natural 
 philosophy in the University of Edinburgh. lie used to 
 tell in his later life how Wolfe, with a low voice, 
 repeated Cray's Elcf/i/ in a dniatrij Church i/ani to the 
 officers about him. Probably it was to relii^ve the in- 
 tense strain of his thoughts. Among the rest was the 
 verse which his own fnte was soon to illustrate, — ■ 
 
 " The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 
 
170 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said, as his recital ended, " I would 
 rather have written those lines than take Quebec." 
 None were there to tell him that the hero is greater 
 than the poet. 
 
 As thev neared their destination, the tide bore them 
 in towards the shore, and the mighty wall of rock and 
 forest towered in darkness on their left. The dead 
 stillness was suddenly broken by the sharp Qui vine ! of 
 a French sentry, invisible in the thick gloom. France! 
 answered a Highland officer of Fraser's regiment from 
 one of the boats of the light infantry. He had served 
 in Holland, and s[)ol\:e French tluently. 
 
 A quel regiment '"? 
 
 Be la Rcine, replied the Higldander. Ho knew that 
 a part of that corps was with Bougainville. The sentry, 
 expecting the convoy of provisions, was satisfied, and 
 did not ask for the password. 
 
 Soon after, the foremost boats were passing tlie heights 
 of Sanios, when another sentry challenged them, and 
 the}^ could see him through the darkness running down 
 to the edge of the water, within range of a pistol-shot. 
 In answer to his questions, the same ollicer replied, in 
 French : " Provision-boats. Don't make a noise ; the 
 English will hear us." In fact, the sloo})-of-war 
 "Hunter" was anchored in the stream not far off. 
 This -time, again, the sentry let them pass. In a few 
 moments they rounded the headland above the Anse du 
 Foulon. Thei'c Avas no sentry there. The strong cur- 
 rent swe])t the boats of the light infantry a little below 
 the intended landing-place. They disembarked on a 
 narrow strand at the foot of heights as steep as a hill 
 cov(>red with trees can be. The twenty-four volunteers 
 led the way, climbing with what silence they might, 
 closely followed by a much larger body. When they 
 

 THE HEIGHTS of Abraham. 
 
 171 
 
 off. 
 
 f(.'NV 
 
 k du 
 cur- 
 
 lelow 
 
 >ii a 
 
 hill 
 
 Itccrs 
 
 [iti-lit, 
 1 they 
 
 roticlicd the top they saw in the dim light a cluster of 
 tents at a short distance, and immediately made a dash 
 at them. A'ergor leaped from bed and tried to run off, 
 but was shot in the heel and captured. Ilis men, taivi^i 
 ))y surprise, made little resistance. One or two wore 
 caught, and the resi tied. 
 
 The main body of troops waited in tlieir boats by the 
 edge of the strand. The heiglits near by were cleft ])y 
 a great ravine choked with forest trees; and in its 
 deptlis ran a little bi'ook ceiled Ruisseau .St.-J)enis, 
 which, swollen by the late rains, fell plashing in tlio 
 stillness over a rock. Other tlian this no sound could 
 reach the strained ear of Wolfe hut tiie gurgle of the 
 tide and the cautious climbing of iiis advance-parties us 
 they mounted the steeps at some little distance from 
 where he sat listening. At length from the toj) camc^ 
 a sound of musket-shots, followed by loud huzzas, and 
 he knew that his men were masters of the posit ii)n. 
 Tiie woi'd was given ; the troo])S leaped from the boats 
 and scaled the heiglits, some here, some there, clutching 
 at trees and bushes, their nuiskets slung at their backs. 
 Tradition still points out the i)lace, near the mouth of 
 the ravine, where tlic forinnost reached the top. Wolfe 
 said to an officer near him : " You can try it, but 1 don't 
 think you'll get up." He himself, however, found 
 strength to drag himself up with the rest. The nai-row 
 slanting path on the face of the I; 'ights had been made 
 impassable by trenches and abatis; but all obstruciions 
 were soon cleared away, and then the ascent was easy. 
 In the gray of the morning the long fdc of red-coated 
 soldiers moved (piickly upward, and formed in order 
 on the })lateau above. 
 
 Before many of them had reac'hed the top, cannon 
 were heard close on the left. It was the battery at 
 
172 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 Pamos firing on flic boats in the rear and liic vessels 
 descciuliug from Cap-Rouge. A party was sent to 
 silence it ; this was soon effected, and the more distant 
 battery at Sillery was next attacked and taken. As fast 
 as the boats were emptied they returned for the troops 
 left on board the vessels and for those waiting on the 
 southern shore under Colonel Burton. 
 
 The day broke in clouds and threatening rain. 
 Wolfe's battalions were drawn u\) along the crest of the 
 heights. No enemy was in sight, thougii a body of 
 Canadians had sallied from the town and moved along 
 the strand towards the landing-place, whence they were 
 quickly driven back, lie had achieved the most critical 
 part of his enterprise ; yet the success that he coveted 
 l)laced him in imminent danger. On one side was the 
 garrison of Quebec and the army of Beau port, and 
 Bougainville was on the other. Wolfe's alteri: tive 
 was victory or ruin ; for if he should be overwhelmed 
 by a coml'ned attack, retreat would be hopeless. 
 Ilis feelings no man can know; but it would be 
 safe to say that hesitation or doubt had no part in 
 them. 
 
 He went to reconnoitre the ground, and soon came 
 to the Plains of Abraham, so called from Abraham 
 Martin, a pilot known as Maitre Abraham, who had 
 owned a piece of land here in the early times of the 
 colony. The Plains were a tract of grass, tolerably 
 level in most parts, patched hero and there with corn- 
 fields, studded with clumps of bushes, and forming a 
 part of the high plateau at the eastern end t)f which 
 Quebec stood. On the south it was bounded by the 
 declivities along the St. Lawrence ; on the north, by 
 those along the St. Charles, or rather along the mead- 
 ows through which that lazy stream crawled like a 
 
THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 173 
 
 imc 
 
 jni- 
 
 g a 
 
 lich 
 
 the 
 
 by 
 
 ad- 
 
 c a 
 
 writhing snake. At the phice that Wolfe chose for 
 his battle-licld the phitcaii was less than a mile 
 wide. 
 
 Thither the troops advanced, marched by files till 
 they reached the ground, nnd then wheeled to form their 
 line of battle, which stretched across the plateau and 
 faced the city. It consisted of six l)attalions and the 
 detached grenadiers from Louisbourg, all drawn up in 
 ranks three deep. Its right wing was near the brink 
 of the heights along the St. Lawrence ; but the left 
 could not reach those along the St. Charles. On this 
 side a wide space was perforce left open, and there was 
 danger of being outflanked. To prevent this, Brigadier 
 Townshend was stationed here with two battalions, 
 drawn up at right angles with the rest, and fronting tlie 
 St. Charles. The battalion of Wel)b's regiment, under 
 Colonel Burton, formed the reserve ; the third battalion 
 of Royal Americans was left to guard the landing ; and 
 Howe's light infantry occu})ied a wood far in the rear. 
 Wolfe, with Monckton and Murray, commanded the 
 front line, on which the heavy fighting was to fall, and 
 which, when all the troops had arrived, numbered less 
 than thirty-five hundred men. 
 
 Quebec was not a mile distant, but they could not 
 see it ; for a ridge of broken ground intervened, called 
 Buttes4-Neveu, about six hundred paces off. The first 
 division of troops had scarcely come up when, about six 
 o'clock, this ridge was suddenly thronged with white 
 uniforms. It was the battalion of Guienne, arrived at 
 the eleventh hour from its camp by the St. Charles. 
 Some time after there was hot firing in the rear. It 
 came from a detachment of Bougainville's command 
 attacking a house where some of the light infantry were 
 posted. The assailants were repulsed, and the firing 
 
■1 
 
 I It 
 
 174 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 ceased. Li<rlit showers fell at intervals, besprinkling 
 the troojis as tliey stood patiently waiting the event. 
 
 Montcalm had passed a troubUnl night. Tlirough all 
 the evening the cnnnjn bellowed from the ships of 
 Haunders, and the boats of the fleet hovered in the dusk 
 off the Beauport shore, threatening every moment to 
 land. Troops lined tlie intreuehmeiits till day, while 
 the General walked the field that adjoined his head- 
 (piarters till one in the morning, aecomi)anied by the 
 Chevalier Johnstone and Colonel Pouhirlez. Johnstone 
 says that he was in great agitation, and took no rest 
 all night. At daybreak he heard the sound of cannon 
 above the town. It was tliC battery at Samos firing on 
 the p]nglish shii)S. He had sent an oCficer to the quarters 
 of A^audreuil, which were much nearer Quebec, with 
 orders to bring liim word at once should anything 
 unusual ha})i)en. But no word came, and about six 
 o'clock he mounted and rode thither with Johnstone. 
 As they advanced, the country behind the town opened 
 more and more upon their sight; till at length, when 
 0])posito Vaudreuirs house, they saw across the St. 
 Charles, some two miles away, the red ranks of British 
 soldiers on the heights beyond. 
 
 "This is a serious business," ^fontcalm said ; and 
 sent off Johnstone at full gallop to bring uj) the troops 
 from the centre and left of the camp. Those of the 
 right were in motion already, doubtless by the (jlovernor's 
 order. Vaudreuil came out of the house. Montcalm 
 stopped for a few words with him ; then set spurs to 
 his horse, and rode over the bridge of the St. Charles to 
 the scene of danger. He rode with a fixed look, uttering 
 not a word. 
 
 The army followed in such order as it miglit, crossed 
 the bridge in hot haste, passed under the northern ram- 
 
THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 to 
 
 or's 
 aim 
 to 
 Is to 
 
 I'lng 
 
 5SC(1 
 
 fam- 
 
 part of Quoboc, entered at the Pnlaee flute, and pressed 
 on in headlong march ah.)ng the quaint narrow streets 
 of th(; u'arllke town : troops of Intlians in sealploeks and 
 war-paint, a savage glitter in their deejwset eyes ; l)ands 
 
 of Canadians whose all was at stak 
 
 aith, country 
 
 and h.oniG ; the colony regulars; the l)attalions of Old 
 France, a torrent of white nnifornis and glenniing bayo- 
 nets, La Sarre, Langucdoc, Roussillon, IJuarn, — victors 
 of Oswe<j;o, William llenrv, aud Ticonderoga. So thev 
 
 th 
 
 )h 
 
 by the gate 
 
 swejit on. poured out npon the piam, some uy me 
 of St. Louis, and some by that of St John, and hurried, 
 breathhjss, to where the banners of (luiennc still lluttei'cd 
 on the ridge. 
 
 Montcalm was amazed at what he saw. lie had 
 expected a detachment, and he found an army. Full in 
 sight before him stretched the lines of Wolfe : the close 
 ranks of the English infantry, a silent wall of red, and 
 the wild array of the Highlanders, with their waving 
 tartans, and bagpipes screaming defiance. Vaudreuil 
 had not come ; but not the less was felt the evil of a 
 divided authority and the jealousy of the rival chiefs. 
 Montcalm waited long for the forces he had ordered to 
 join him from the left wing of the army. He Maited in 
 vain. It is said that the Governor had detained them, 
 lest the English should attack the Beauport shore. Even 
 if they did so, and succeeded, the French might defy 
 them, could they but put Wolfe to rout on the Plains of 
 Abraham. Neither did the garrison of Quebec come to 
 the aid of Montcalm. He sent to Ramesay, its com- 
 mander, for twenty-five field-pieces which were on the 
 Palace battery. Ramesay would give him only three, say- 
 ing that he wanted them for his own defence. There 
 were orders and counter-orders ; misunderstanding, haste, 
 delay, perplexity. 
 
B 
 
 176 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 
 Montcjilm and his cliiff oflllcers held a council of war. 
 It is said tliat he and they alike were for immediate 
 attack. Ilis enemies declare that he was afraid lest 
 A^andrcuil should arrive and take command ; hut the 
 Govei'iior was not a man to assume resixmsibility at 
 such?!", crisis. Others say that his impetuosity over- 
 came his better judgment ; and of this charge it is hard 
 to ac([uit him. IJougainville was but a few miles dis- 
 tant, and some of his troo])S were nnich nearer ; a mes- 
 senger sent by way of Old Lorette could have reacluMi 
 him in an hour and a half at most, and a combined 
 attack in front and rear might have ])cen concoi-ted with 
 him. If, moreover, jVrontcalm could have come to an 
 understanding with Vaudreuil, his own force might 
 luivc been strengthened by two or three thousand addi- 
 tional men from the town and the camp of Bcauport ; 
 but he felt that there was no time to lose, for he imag- 
 ined that Wolfe would soon be reinforced, which was 
 impossible, and he believed that the English were forti- 
 fying themselves, which was no less an error. lie has 
 been blamed not onlv for fiirhting too soon, but for 
 fighting at all. In this he could not choose. Fight he 
 must, for Wolfe was now in a jiosition to cut off all his 
 supplies. His men were full of ardor, and he resolved 
 to attack before their ardor cooled. He spoke a few 
 words to them in his keen, vehement way. " I remem- 
 ber very well hoAV he looked," one of the Canadians, 
 then a boy of eighteen, used to say in his old age ; '* he 
 rode a black or dark bay horse along the front of our 
 lines, brandishing his sword, as if to excite us to do our 
 duty. He wore a coat with wide sleeves, which fell 
 back as he raised his arm, and showed the white linen 
 of the wristband." 
 
 The English waited the result with a composure which, 
 
THE nEIGIITS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 177 
 
 if not quite real, was at least well feigned. The three 
 field-pieces sent by Ramcsay plied them with canister- 
 shot, and fifteen hundred Canadians and Indians fusil- 
 laded them in front and flank. Over all the plain, from 
 behind bushes and knolls and the edge of cornfields, jiuffs 
 of smoke sprang incessantly from the guns of these hid- 
 den marksmen. Skirmishers were thrown out before 
 the lines to hold them in check, and the soldiers were 
 ordered to lie on tlic grass to avoid the shot. The firing 
 was liveliest on the English left, where bands of sharp- 
 shooters got under the edge of the declivity, among 
 thickets, and behind scattered houses, whence they 
 killed and wounded a considerable number of Towns- 
 hend's men. The light infantry were called up from 
 the rear. The houses were taken and retaken, and one 
 or more of them was burned. 
 
 "Wolfe w^as everywhere. How cool he was, and why 
 his followers loved him, is shown by an incident that 
 happened in the course of the morning. One of his 
 captains was shot through the lungs; and on recovering 
 consciousness he saw the General standing at his side. 
 Wolfe pressed his hand, told him not to despair, praised 
 his services, promised him early promotion, and sent an 
 aide-de-camp to Monckton to beg that officer to keep the 
 promise if he himself should fall. 
 
 It was towards ten o'clock when, from the high 
 ground on the right of the line, Wolfe saw that the 
 crisis was near. The French on the ridge had formed 
 themselves into three bodies, regulars in the centre, 
 regulars and Canadians on right and loft. Two field- 
 pieces, whicli had been dragged up the heights at Anse 
 du Foulon, fired on them with grape-shot, and the troops, 
 rising from the ground, prepared to receive them. In 
 
 a few moments more they were in motion. They came 
 
 12 
 
 ! i- 
 
r 
 
 J 
 
 n 
 
 178 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 on raj)idly, uttering loud shouts, and firing as soon as 
 they were within range. Their ranks, ill ordered at the 
 best, were I'urtlier confused by a number of Canadians 
 wlio had been mixed among the reguhirs, and who, after 
 hastily firing, throw themselves on the ground to reload. 
 The British advaneed a few rods ; then halted and stood 
 still. When the French were within forty paces the 
 w^ord of command rang out, and a crash of musketry 
 answered all along the line. The volley was delivered 
 with remarkable precision. In the battalions of the 
 centre, which had suffered least from the enemy's bul- 
 lets, the simultaneous explosion was afterwards said by 
 French ofliccrs to have sounded like a cannon-shot. 
 Another volley followed, and tlion a furious clattering 
 fire that lasted but a minute or two. When the smoke 
 rose, a miserable sight was revealed : the ground cum- 
 bered with dead and wounded, the advancing masses 
 8toj)ped short and turned into a frantic mob, sliouting, 
 cursing, gesticulating. The order was given to charge. 
 Then over the field rose the British cheer, mixed with 
 the fierce yell of the Highland slogan. Some of the 
 corps i)ushed forward with the bayonet ; some advanced 
 fii'ing. The clansmen drew their broadswords and 
 dashed on, keen and swift as bloodhounds. At the 
 English right, though the attacking column was broken 
 to i)icces, a fire was still kept up, chiefly, it seems, by 
 shari)shooters from the bushes and cornfields, where 
 they had lain for an hour or more. Here Wolfe him- 
 self led the charge, at the head of the Louisbourg gren- 
 adiers. A shot shattered his wrist. He wrapped his 
 handkerchief about it and kept on. Another shot struck 
 him, and he still advanced, when a third lodged in his 
 breast. lie staggered, and sat on the ground. Lieu- 
 tenant Brown, of the grenadiers, one Henderson, a vol- 
 
THE HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 179 
 
 with 
 
 tlic 
 meed 
 
 and 
 
 the 
 
 •okcii 
 
 lis, by 
 
 Ivhero 
 
 him- 
 Igreii- 
 his 
 Itriick 
 In his 
 I Lieu- 
 vol- 
 
 unteer in the same company, and a private Hoklier, aided 
 \>y an ollicer of artillery who ran to join them, carried 
 him in their arms to the rear. He begged them to lay 
 liim down. They did so, and asked it he woukl have a 
 surgeon. "There's no need," he answered; "■it's all 
 over with me." A moment after, one of tliem cried 
 out : " They run ; see how they run ! " " Who run '{ " 
 Wolfe denuinded, like a man roused fiom sleep. "The 
 enemy, sir. Kgad, they give way ever; where ! " '* Go, 
 one of you, to Colonel Burton," returiied tiie dying man ; 
 " tell him to march Weljb's regiment down to Charles 
 River, to cut off tlielr retreat from the l)ridge." Then, 
 turning on his side, he murmured, " Now, God be praised, 
 1 will die in peace!" and in a few moments his gallant 
 soul had fled. 
 
 Montcahn, still on horseback, was borne with the tide 
 of fugitives towards the town. As he approaclied the 
 walls a shot passed through his body. He kei)t his seat ; 
 two soldiers supported him, one on each side, and led 
 his horse through the St. Louis Gate. On the open 
 space within, among the excited crowd, were several 
 women, drawn, no doubt, by eagerness to know the 
 result of the fight. One of them recognized him, 
 saw the streaming blood, and shrieked, " mon Bieit! 
 mon Dieu! Ic 3Iarquis est tue!'^ "It's nothing, it's 
 nothing," replied the death-stricken mnn ; " don't bo 
 troubled for me, my good friends." (" Ce rCest ricn^ ce 
 7i'est rien ; ne vous ajjfif/cz |5as pour moiy mes bonnes 
 amies"^ 
 
 Some of the fugitives took refuge in the city and 
 others escaped across the St. Charles. In the next 
 night the French army abandoned Quebec to its fate 
 and fled up the St. Lawrence. The city soon surrcn- 
 
m 
 
 180 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 dcrcd to Wolfe's successor, Brigadier Townshend, and 
 the English held it during the winter. In April, the 
 French under the Chevalier do Levis made a bold but 
 unsuccessful attempt to retake it. In the following 
 summer, Cioneral Amherst advanced on Montreal, till 
 in September all Canada was forced to surrender, and 
 the power of France was extinguished on the North 
 American continent. 
 
 I'' ! 
 
 University Press: John Wilson & Son, Cambridge 
 
FEANCIS PAKKMANS NEW WOEK. 
 
 MONTCALM AND WOLFE. 
 
 Illustrated with Two Popfpalts and Nine Maps. 
 
 Two«„l.. Sv.- Cloth, »li.001 l,.lfc«r,»o.oo. 
 
 rnUIS new and nnportant work by Francis Parkman is 
 -L I art .Sovenf. of the scries of liistorical narratives, 
 I' ranee and h„. .„,! in North A.neriea." The period 
 covered l,y tl,e narrative is 17-18 to 1703 
 
 ,.reraol'°''''r'V" ""^ ""'""""''" ^'''^'^ "■" -"«""• ■•■> hi« 
 preface, " stand as representative of the two nations whose 
 
 flna. con^st for the eoatro, of Xorth America is the sn„j 
 of tie hook. Averyla,-ge amount of ,n,pnl,lished mafrial 
 
 pait of docnments copied from the archives a.,d libraries 
 or France an,l K„g|a„d. . . . Great numbers of nu to" ^1 1 
 k ters, d,ar,es, and other writings of persons engage hth 
 war, have also been examined on this side of the A a i" 
 
 I ..rkmau has had access to all the letters written by G™era 
 Montcalm wheu in America to members of his fam h in 
 France, also correspondence with one of his chief I^r 
 Bourlamaque with whom he was on terms of intimac, wWch 
 f»m says the author, "an interesting complemen t^ 
 ofteml correspondence of the writer, and tLw the mo,I 
 
 Mr 1 a kman has also examined a great deal of printed 
 mtter m the form of books, pamphlets, and other p!,bUca 
 tions rel.at.ng to the American part of the Seven Yearn War. 
 
 (I) 
 

 TPTll 
 
 II 
 
 11 
 
 i! 
 
 M 
 
 *' The whole of this published and unpublished mass of evi- 
 dence," he states, '' has been read and collated with extreme 
 care, and more than common pains have been taken to secure 
 accuracy of statement. The study of books and papers, 
 however, could not alone answer the purpose. The plan of 
 the work was formed in early youth; and though various 
 causes have long delayed its execution, it has always been 
 kept in view. Meanwhile I have visited and examined every 
 spot where events of any importance in connection with the 
 contest took place, and have observed with attention such 
 scenes and persons as might help to illustrate those I meant 
 to describe. In short, the subject has been studied as much 
 from life and in the open air as at the librar}' table." 
 
 London Athenaeum. 
 
 " The reflections with which Mr. Parkman closes his narrative 
 are as striking as the narrative itself. We have not space to quote 
 them at length, and they do not admit of condensation. It is 
 sufficient to note their value, and to expres". the hope that the 
 readers of these volumes will pay due heed to them. 
 
 *' We need not add anything in commendation of the work as a 
 whole, having already indicated our opinion with perfect clearness. 
 It not only confirms tlie view we have previously expr '-sed, that 
 Mr. Parkman ranks amongst the best historical writers of his 
 country, but justifies the addition that his place is alongside of the 
 greatest historians whose works are English classics." 
 
 Kew Tork Nation. 
 
 " We have left ourselves no room to speak of the principal subject 
 of the book, the capture of Quebec by Wolfe; but it is enough to 
 say that it is narrated with that brilliancy and picturesqueness of 
 style of which Mr. Parkman is master. In short, we have here a 
 book which will take its place as a masterpiece in military history, 
 — the best account of the most important war in our colonial 
 period." 
 
 London Spectator. 
 
 " Incomparably the best-written and most trustworthy account 
 of the American period with which it deals. . . . The romance of 
 war which culminated on the Plains of Abraham has been told 
 a hundred times, but it has never been told so well as by Mr. 
 
 (2) 
 
ject 
 
 ;hto 
 
 tss of 
 
 lere a 
 
 tory, 
 
 nial 
 
 punt 
 Ice of 
 
 told 
 Mr. 
 
 Parkman. Greater praise than this it would hardly be possible, 
 less it would certainly be unfair, to give. ... It is with reluc- 
 tance that we refrain from giving some of Mr. Parkman's battle- 
 pieces. We must content ourselves with saying that his accounts 
 of the battle on the Plains of Abraham, the storming of Ticon- 
 deroga, and the rout of Braddock, are at least equal to any writing 
 of the kind that has appeared of late years." 
 
 Boston Daily Advertiser. 
 
 " As a master of picturesque description, he easily stands at the 
 head of oui historians." 
 
 London Saturday Reviei^, 
 
 " Mr. Parkman's last book will add to the high reputation he has 
 already earned. . . . Full of interest, both as regards, their details 
 and their issues, the events of the final struggle of France and 
 England for the control of North America could not have found 
 an historian more fitted for his task." 
 
 Christian Advocate. 
 
 '•Francis Parkman is easily the first of living American histo- 
 rians. A master of picturesque narration, he is as careful of 
 truth as the most dry and exact chronicler. There is a quality 
 of poetical fascination which adds to the vigor and pointedness 
 of his description. . . . The result is a masterpiece. . . . More 
 interesting pages we have never read. . . . We can only com- 
 mend it as indispensable to the library of the scholar, and as 
 certain to command the interest and excite the admiration of all 
 who read it" 
 
 Macmillan's Magazine. 
 
 " It is only now that we find ourselves in possession of an 
 authentic, full, sustained, and worthy narrative of those momen- 
 tous events and extraordinary men. It has been reserved for an 
 American writer to raise to them a historic memorial in a spirit 
 and on a scale that befits their greatness." 
 
 Literary World. 
 
 " It is to studies from life, actual visits to the scenes of those 
 important events, long tramps along the routes taken by rangers 
 and scouts, to the exercise of vigilant powers of observation, sup- 
 plementing the most careful research and investigation, that we 
 owe the possibility of such historical writing as these two volumes 
 contain." 
 
 (3) 
 
>' 
 
 * 
 
 Professor Ooldwin Smith, in Toronto Week. 
 
 *' All must allow that it unites in the highest degree skill in 
 narration and brilliancy of description with the fruits of consci- 
 entious research." 
 
 The Critic. 
 
 ♦' Parkman's studies of North American history have already 
 given him a first place among living historians. His books are 
 intensely interesting, and they are marked by a true historic 
 judgment." 
 
 The Scotsman. 
 
 " His narrative style is clear and vivacious, and he shows unmis- 
 takable power of description and characterization. His portrait- 
 ures of the prominent personages in the drama he narrates have 
 all the sharpness, defiuiteness, and minuteuess of photography." 
 
 Nevr Tork Tribune. 
 
 •'He has presented a wealth of new information with startling 
 freshness and realism." 
 
 Boston Transcript 
 
 " He has so distinguished himself in the unique interest of his 
 theme and the combination of extraordinary individual talents 
 and genius in dealing with it, as to lift and isolate him out of 
 any class of such writers, and to give him a solitary place and 
 
 eminence.' 
 
 New Tork Sun. 
 
 *' In ' Montcalm and Wolfe ' the author has discerned his oppor- 
 tunity ; and all the admirable qualities, the industry and the 
 learning, the literary training and expertness, which give charm 
 and value to his earlier narratives, have been concentrated with 
 augmented energy and rare felicity." 
 
 The London World. 
 
 it 
 
 Were its failings far greater and its merits far less than they 
 are, every right-minded reader would still take it to his heart, if 
 not to his shelves. For it is a hook; and to meet with such a 
 phenomenon among the mass of printed phantoms that usurp that 
 honorable name to-day is a pleasure indeed." 
 
 (4) 
 
PARKMAN'S WORKS. 
 
 THE WORKS OF FRANCIS PARKMAN. 
 
 Octavo Edition. 10 Vols., isclcdino:- 
 
 THE CONSPIRACT OP PONTIAC. 2 vols. 
 THE OREOON TRAIL. 1 vol. 
 
 PRANCE AND ENGLAND IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 7 vols., VIZ. : — 
 
 PIONEERS OF FRAXCE IN THE NEW WORLD 
 
 THE JESUITS IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 LA SALLE AND THE DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT WFST 
 
 THE OLD Rl^GIME IN CANADA. 
 
 COUNT FRONTENAC AND NEW FRANCE 
 
 MONTCALM AND WOLFE. 2 vols. 
 
 l>Hee ^erset ^f ^o^, e^ot,., ^.,.00 ; Ualf calf, ^,,00 ; 
 full polished eaff^ 975.00. 
 
 Blackwood's Magazine. 
 
 "Mr. Parkman, who, if Mv. Bancroft will forgive us fnr «o,- 
 
 so, ,s the most eminent American historian now aHvo, ! ''"'' 
 
 Magazine of American History. 
 
 JtJ^r '' "'^ ^'"'"''" ^'"^''' ^'^'"ff ^h^se works are Jooked for 
 
 numbe'ltthose f m7p"/''' ^'"^^^ '^'^ ^"^^^^^ ^ 
 
 the incidents he describes with an interest which never flag! » 
 
 (5) 
 
International Review^. 
 
 ** Indeed, this quality of poetical fascination always appears in 
 Mr. Parkman's writings, and invests them with a charm which 
 belongs to fictions of the imagination, but this does not at all 
 impair his volumes as truthful and sober historical narratives. 
 His style is perfect for its purpose." 
 
 THE PIONEEBS OF FRANCE IN THE NEW WOBLD. 
 
 d. Huguenots in Florida, n. Samuel de Champlain.) 
 8vo. Cloth, $2.50; haP calf, $4.60. 
 
 New York Tribune. 
 
 " In vigor and pointedness of description, Mr. Parkman may be 
 counted superior to Irving." 
 
 " " ■ ■ * 
 
 New York "World. 
 
 " It is a narrative which has all the animation, variety, and 
 interest of a romance, and to most readers it will be as fresh 
 and novel as a pure creation of the imaginative faculty." 
 
 Boston Transcript. 
 
 "In interest this work exceeds any novel which has been pub- 
 lished during the year. Every page bears unmistakable impress of 
 power, — power of patient investigation, power of dramatic concep- 
 tion, power of philosophic thought, power of pictorial diction." 
 
 Providence (R. I.) Press. 
 
 " One of the very finest contributions to the historical literature 
 of this country." 
 
 THE JESUITS IN NOBTH AMERICA IN THE SEVENTEENTH 
 
 CENTUEY. 
 
 8vo. Cloth, $2.50; half calf, $4.50. 
 
 Atlantic Monthly. 
 
 " We feel that he is for us a faithful and competent interpreter 
 and commentator of Indian life, manners, superstitions, and for- 
 tunes. He has a marvellous skill in observing and describing the 
 phenomena of nature, — the features and scenes of the wilderness 
 amid which they roved. We know of no writer whose pages are 
 so real and vivid in qualities harmonizing with his theme as are 
 his." 
 
 (6) 
 
reter 
 
 for- 
 
 the 
 
 I'liesa 
 are 
 are 
 
 Boston Pilot. 
 
 " Parkman's work is as Lascinating as the best of Scott's novels. 
 Once commenced, you cannot lay the book down: you will read 
 every line of it." 
 
 LA SALLE AND THE DISCOVEBT OF THE GREAT WEST. 
 8vo. Cloth, $2.50 ; half calf , $4.50. 
 
 This volume embodies the exploits and adventures of the first 
 European explorers of the valley of the Mississippi; the efforts of 
 the French to secure the whole interior of the continent; the 
 attempt of La Salle to find a westward passage to India; his 
 colony on the Illinois; his scheme of invading Mexico; his contest 
 with the Jesuits, and his assassination by his own followers. The 
 narrative is founded entirely on contemporary documents, includ- 
 ing many unpublished letters and journals of the chief exi)lorers, 
 which, for the first time, place in a clear light one of the most 
 interesting and striking portions of American history. This 
 edition is revised throughout, and in part rewritten with large 
 additions. A map of the country traversed by the explorers is 
 also added. The name of La Salle is placed upon the titlepage, 
 as seems to be demanded by his increased prominence in the 
 narrative of which he is the central figure. 
 
 George W. Curtis. 
 
 " A subject which Mr. Parkman has made as much his own as 
 Motley the Dutch Republic, or Macaulay the English Revolution. 
 He is thorough master of his material, which is much scattered, 
 and exists largely in manuscript; and his imagination, his pictur- 
 esque narrative style, and his admirable perception of the true 
 point of interest, give to his historical works a wonderful charm 
 and symmetry. It is to the pages of Mr. Parkman that we must 
 go for the American Indian. Cooper so bewitches our young 
 fancies with Uncas and the red heroes that it is very difficult to 
 divest our estimate of the Indian of a false and foolish glamour. 
 Mr. Parkman, however, knows him by personal experience and 
 long and thoughtful study." 
 
 Nation. 
 
 " The woi'k has been thoroughly revised, with the conscientious- 
 ness of a stylist as well as of an historian. So far as regards its 
 hero, this admirable work of Mr. Parkman's seems likely to be 
 undisturbed by future revelations." 
 
 (7) 
 
New York Tribune. 
 
 " The present volume, which has attained the rank of a classic 
 in the library of American history, will be eagerly welcomed by a 
 large class of general readers." 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Toronto Daily Olobe. 
 
 Parkman has long since won a high reputation for the 
 
 vigor and incisive brilliancy of his style, and nowhere is he seen to 
 better advantage than in the glowing pages of the volume before 
 us. With such a work in the market, at a moderate price, no 
 reader has any excuse if he remain ignorant of the facts relating 
 to one of the most fascinating periods in American history." 
 
 THE OLD REGIME IN CANADA UNDEB LOUIS XIV. 
 8vo. Cloth, $2.50; half calf, $4.50. 
 
 The Literary "World. 
 
 •'The author here presents the results of his researches into 
 the early history of Canada under French rule, including in his 
 view the century bounded by 1G53 and 1753. He has had access 
 to a mass of State papers in the archives of France which have 
 never before been drawn upon, and with the material thus derived 
 has wrought an historical fabric at once substantial and fascinat- 
 ing. The influences which controlled the colony in its beginning, 
 and during its first century of life, — the Roman Catholic mission 
 spirit, and the mon'^rchical ambition of Louis XIV., — are delin- 
 eated in character and operation with remarkable skill; and the 
 extracts from the voluminous official correspondence maintained 
 between France and Canada lend a singular and delightful 
 piquancy to the narrative. 
 
 "In this volume Mr. Parkman details intelligently and in a 
 symmetrical and impressive nar- ative the efforts of French Mon- 
 archy and the Church of Rome to grasp the Continent of North 
 America. lie has chosen a peculiar but very effective method to 
 this end. Instead of discoursing at length of state-craft and 
 church-craft, and overwhelming the reader with dry documents 
 and historical lore, he invites him to look upon a series of scenes 
 v, ;, viy lifo of Canada, in which that life is set forth with 
 
 -» fhv « vividness and realism. But in him the historian 
 ,,. -<,.• . v.r.y;s the painter; and, amid the fascination of these 
 
 (8) 
 
pictures, he never loses sight of the two forces the history of 
 whose operation is the history of Canada, -the spirit o In 
 archy, and the spirit of Roman Catholic missions.- 
 
 COUNT FBONTENAC AND NEW FEANCE UNDEB lOUIS XIV. 
 
 8vo. Cloth, $2.50; half ealf, $4.50. 
 
 New York Evening Post 
 
 " If we value romance, it is here in greater abundance than in 
 any work of imagination; if we seek for stories of adventure and 
 deeds of darmg, W3 have them here on an heroic scale; if we 
 indu ge the modern taste for the analysis of character and motive 
 this rue story furnishes richer materials for such study than anv 
 novelist can possibly command." 
 
 Providence Press. 
 
 -What magic hides itself in the brain and pen of Mr. Parkman 
 that he makes this rugged and ragged growth of the French occu- 
 pancy of Canada so pregnant with life and interest to the reader v 
 It reads hke romance, but romance of a high order. You do not 
 wish to lay the book aside even temporarily until you have read 
 every word of it." • ^ icau 
 
 MONTCALM AND WOLFE. (Eecently Published.) 
 Two vols. 8vo. Cloth, $5.00; half calf, $9.00. 
 
 THE CONSPIRACY OF PONHAC, AND THE INDIAN WAE AFTER 
 THE CONQUEST OF CANADA. ™^ 
 
 Two vols. 8vo. Cloth, $6.00; half calf, $9.00. 
 
 Westminster Review. 
 
 "An admirable production. Combining thoroughness of re- 
 earch with a picturesque beauty of expression, it presents a 
 
 The Nation. 
 
 col^r f'.'^;"^^^'^ 'Conspiracy of Pontiac' takes rank, among 
 competen judges, as the most satisfactory historical monograph 
 that our literature has produced." 
 
 (9) 
 
Professor John Fiske, in Harper's Magazine. 
 
 " One of the most brilliant and fascinating books that has ever 
 been written by any historian since the days of Herodotus." 
 
 THE OBEOON TBAIL. - SKETCHES OF PBAIBIE AND BOCKT 
 
 MOUNTAIN LIFE. 
 
 8vo. Cloth, $2.60 ; half calf, $4.50. 
 
 Atlantic Monthly. 
 
 " The sketches of which this volume is made up were originally 
 published in 1847. They comprise a record of the summer adven- 
 tures of two young men just out of college, and preserve the 
 features of a .state of nature and society which has vanished 
 forever. No more graphic pictures of life on the frontier and 
 in the wilderness thirty years ago have ever been drawn. 
 
 " For tiie present, we must only praise this delightful book for 
 its absolute good qualities, for the unfailing interest of the narra- 
 tive, for the vivid pictures of such Indian life as rarely reveals 
 itself to white men, for all its stories of the hunt and march and 
 camp, for the calm observation brought to all these wide scenes 
 and primitive personalities." 
 
 (10) 
 
A NEW POPULAE EDITION 
 
 OF 
 
 PARKMAN'S WORKS. 
 
 Eight vols. l2mo. In a very attractive style of 
 
 calf, $24.00. 
 
 cloth, $12.00 ; half 
 
 2 vols. 
 
 THE CONSPIRACY OF PONTIAC 
 
 THE OREGON TRAIL. 
 
 PIONEERS OF FRANCE IN THE NEW WORLD 
 
 THE JESUITS IN NORTH AMERICA 
 
 THe'oid\ZJ"' '''''''^'''^ ""' "^^ <^^^^AT WEST. 
 IHL OLD REGIME IN CANAD\ 
 
 COUNT FRONTENAC AND NEW FRANCE. 
 
 The Nation. 
 
 library. Thel is Tot' H.'r^^ v„, I'T ^'f' " ""'"■^'' '°'- ""^ 
 novel, and everyone of thl I i t , ''°''' '"" ''^'^ """^ » 
 
 the subject o£ whlh it trel." ™' " "" '''^''^'' '"'">°"'^ »» 
 
 Toronto Mail. 
 
 01) 
 
ashamed to place on his table or in his book-case, or need fear will 
 hurt his eyes in perusal, while it will hurt his pocket little in 
 acquisition, and form a capital Christmas present." 
 
 Chicago Bookseller. 
 
 " No writer on American history in general, or on any of its 
 periods, has achieved so wide a success as lias Mr. Parkman, in his 
 narrative of ' France and England in America.' He has proved 
 himself the Macaulay of the New World." 
 
 Literary World. 
 
 '* One of the most fascinating courses of historical reading in 
 the English language." 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY, 
 
 BOSTON, MASS. 
 
 t 
 
 (12) 
 
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