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Get to Know Us. Customer Service. The bulk of the army landed, formed into columns, and attempted to march up the west side of the stream that connected Lake George to Lake Champlain, rather than along the portage trail, whose bridges Montcalm had destroyed. However, the wood was very thick, and the columns could not be maintained.
A history of the military campaigns near Fort Ticonderoga, New York, in On July 8, , British General James Abercromby ordered a controversial frontal. The Epic Battles for Ticonderoga, examines the skirmishes and raids in the months leading up to the battle, discusses Abercromby s.
General Howe's column was near the action, so he led it in that direction. As they approached the battle scene, General Howe was hit and instantly killed by a musket ball. A column of Massachusetts provincials, also drawn to the battle, cut off the French patrol's rear.
Sources disagree on the number of casualties suffered. William Nester claims British casualties were light, only ten dead and six wounded, [35] while Rene Chartrand claims that there were about killed and wounded, including the loss of General Howe. On reaching the first crossing, where Bourlamaque had camped, they rebuilt the bridge there, and proceeded on to the sawmill crossing. The army then followed, and set up its camp there. After ascending Rattlesnake Hill as Mount Defiance was then known , they reported that the French position appeared to be incomplete, and could be "easily forced, even without cannon".
Abercrombie held a war council that evening. The options he presented to his staff were limited to asking if the next day's attack should be in three ranks or four; the council opted for three. Early on the morning of July 8, Clerk went out once again to the base of Rattlesnake Hill to observe the French defenses; his report indicated that he still felt the French lines could be taken by assault.
The battle began on the morning of July 8 with Rogers' Rangers and light infantry from Colonel Thomas Gage 's 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot pushing the few remaining French scouts behind the entrenchments. The 27th and 60th made up the right column, under the command of the 27th's Lt. William Haviland , the 44th and 55th under Lt. John Donaldson made the center, and the 42nd and 46th under the 42nd's Lt.
Francis Grant formed the left column. Each column was preceded by the regimental light infantry companies. Held in reserve were provincial regiments from Connecticut and New Jersey. Montcalm had organized the French forces into three brigades and a reserve. Redoubts with cannon protected the flanks of the entrenchments, although the one on the right had not been completed.
Still cautious, Rogers sent Ensign James White to join Phillips and determine whether it was indeed a camp. Gary added it Mar 08, He also puts the entire campaign into its political and strategic context. Shortly before sunrise on March 12, Rogers crossed his troops to the west shore and led them north. In , Governor Duquesne imposed strict discipline and drill on the marines, which he hoped would transform those frontiersmen into professional soldiers. There is another song by Margaret MacArthur on the same subject.
The low ground between the left flank and the La Chute River was guarded by militia and marines, who had also constructed abatis to help protect their position. Reserve forces were either in the fort itself, or on the grounds between the fort and the entrenchments on Mount Hope. Portions of each battalion were also held in reserve, to assist in areas where they might be needed. While Abercrombie had expected the battle to begin at 1 pm, by elements of the New York regiments on the left began engaging the French defenders.
As companies of the regulars came forward, they arranged themselves into lines as instructed, and then began to advance. The right column, with a shorter distance to travel, attacked first, followed by the center, and then the left. The 42nd had initially been held in reserve, but after insisting on being allowed to participate, they joined the action. The French position was such that they were able to lay down withering fire on the British forces as they advanced, and the abatis a word that shares derivation with abattoir , or slaughterhouse rapidly became a killing field.
By about 2 pm, it was clear that the first wave of attack had failed. Writing in his own defense, he later claimed that he was relying on Clerk's assessment that the works could be easily taken; this was clearly refuted by the failure of the first charge. Around 2 pm, the British barges carrying artillery floated down the La Chute River, and, contrary to plan, came down a channel between an island in the La Chute and the shore.
This brought them within range of the French left and some of the fort's guns. Fire from cannons on the fort's southwest bastion's sank two of the barges, spurring the remaining vessels to retreat. Abercrombie ordered his reserves, the Connecticut and New Jersey provincials, into the battle around 2, but by it was clear their attack also failed.
Abercrombie then tried to recall the troops, but a significant number, notably the 42nd and 46th regiments on the British left, persisted in the attack.
Around 5 pm the 42nd made a desperate advance that actually succeeded in reaching the base of the French wall; those that actually managed to scale the breastwork were bayoneted. Finally realizing the scope of the disaster, Abercrombie ordered the troops to muster and march down to the landing on Lake George. The retreat in the dark woods became somewhat panicked and disorganized, as rumors of French attacks swirled among the troops.
By dawn the next morning, the army was rowing back up Lake George, reaching its base at the southern end around sunset.
Montcalm, wary of a British counterattack, and concerned about the fatigue of his troops after a long day of battle, had barrels of beer and wine brought forward to the lines. The troops spent the night alternating between sleeping and working on the defenses in anticipation of a renewed attack. News of the battle was received in England shortly after news of the fall of Louisbourg, putting a damper on the celebrations marking that victory.
The full scope of British victories in did not reach English shores until later in the year, when Pitt learned of the successes at Forts Duquesne and Frontenac, key steps in completing the conquest of New France. Abercrombie never led another military campaign. Bradstreet left with 3, men on July 23, and Abercrombie then refused to engage in further offensive acts, alleging a shortage of manpower. The fact that Indians allied to the British witnessed the debacle first hand complicated future relations with them.
News of the defeat circulated widely in their communities, which had a significant effect on the ability of British agents to recruit Indians to their side for future operations. The battle was the bloodiest of the war, with over 3, casualties suffered. General Abercrombie reported killed, 1, wounded, and 77 missing.
Chartrand estimates the number of British killed or died of their wounds at about 1, for the main battle, with about 1, wounded. The skirmish on July 6 cost the British about killed and wounded, and the loss of General Howe. The 42nd Regiment, known as the Black Watch , paid dearly with the loss of many lives and many severely wounded.
More than men including 8 officers were killed, and a similar number were wounded, representing a significant fraction of the total casualties suffered by the British. In , the ghost of Campbell's dead brother is said to have appeared to him in a dream with a promise to meet him again at "Ticonderoga", a place name that was unknown to him at the time. Campbell died of wounds sustained during the battle.
The actions of both commanders have been extensively analyzed in this action. While Montcalm performed well during the battle, some tactical options escaped his notice, and some of his actions in preparing the defenses at Carillon are open to question. In contrast, almost everything Abercrombie did has been questioned. It is widely held among historians that he was an incompetent commander. Both commanders were a product of the environment of European warfare, which generally took place in open fields with relatively easy mobility, and were thus uncomfortable with woodland warfare.
Neither liked the irregular warfare practiced by the Indians and British counterparts like Rogers' Rangers , but saw them as a necessary evil, given the operating environment. Montcalm in particular would have benefited from practicing a more irregular form of warfare.
He apparently never inspected the landing area at the north end of Lake George, which was a location from which he could contest the British landing. Furthermore, the French could then have used the confined woodlands to blunt the numerical advantage of the British, and contested the entire portage road.