Montcalm – Emerging Revolutionary War Era

On this date 167 years ago, the infamous siege of Fort William Henry raged along the southern shore of Lake George, New York. For nearly a week the British and Colonial garrison inside the fort and outside its walls had endured through a near hopeless situation. Casualties had mounted, guns and mortars had burst from incessant firing, and the French siege lines had crawled to within 150 yards of the northwest bastion. Reinforcements were not coming to relieve the defenders. The following day, Lieutenant Colonel George Monro had little choice but to surrender his force under honorable terms to the French commander, General Montcalm. On August 10, the column marched out of the fort and nearby entrenched camp in route to Fort Edward. French-allied Indians fell upon the soldiers, and the women and children who accompanied them, and the “massacre” of Fort William Henry ensued.

The following letter with news relating to the siege, was written to George Washington on August 8, 1757. The author was Beverley Robinson, a Virginian who through marriage inherited a large swath of land in the Hudson Highlands of New York. During the Revolution, Robinson remained loyal to the Crown and was made colonel of the Loyal American Regiment in 1777. He was directly involved in the plot to turn Benedict Arnold. Through reasons not clear, Robinson and Washington became acquainted enough beforehand that during the French and Indian War, the former wrote the young Virginia soldier frequently.

“New York 8th Augt 1757

Dr Sir

The inclosed Lettrs came to my hands Yesterday by a Vassill from Halifax, they will I suppose give you all the News from that Quarter. Except the Arriva⟨l of⟩ the Highlanders wh. has been since they were wrote, all well and in good Order Lord Loudoun had not Left Halifax a fortnight ago.

we are now under the greatest apprehensions for fort Wm Henry having Certain Accots that it is Besieged by a Large Body of French & Indians & Mr Mont Calm himself at the head of them. a fryday Last the Express came away from fort Edward & they were then Very hotly Engaged—our Liut. Governer went up Last week to forward the Militia. Genl [William] Johnson was gone up with two thousand Militia & 100 Indians, and the Militia was going up from the adjacent Counties. Col. Young Command at Wm Henry he had Just got into that place with a Reinforcement of 1000 men. we hope the Best. I am Dr Sir Yr Humble Sert

Bev: Robinson[1]”

[1] “To George Washington from Beverley Robinson, 8 August 1757,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-04-02-0239. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, vol. 4, 9 November 1756 – 24 October 1757, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, pp. 367–368.]

Both the American Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War (as it was called in North America) have been the subject of many history books. The original American sources have been pretty much culled through, as have many of the British sources. But French sources have not received the same scrutiny. Why this is the case, is not clear. Of course, the French language is a barrier to English-speaking historians. I believe another factor is that French historians have not shown much interest in either war, and when they have, they have failed to use adequate footnotes, making it difficult for other historians to follow up on the sources they have used and confirm their credibility. In the French and Indian War and the Conquest of New France, William R. Nester, a professor at St. John’s University in New York City, helps to address this imbalance. His history of the French and Indian War (called the Seven Years’ War in Europe), which was fought from 1754 to 1763, is from the French perspective and he has relied on many original French sources. Interestingly, despite the title of the book, about half of the book, if not more, occurs in France and the rest of Europe. This decision is understandable; paraphrasing one contemporary, Canada was lost on the battlefields of Germany.

Nester starts his history by explaining the disorganized and weak state of the French political system. One might believe that because France had a monarchial system, its government was efficient, but the contrary was true. For one, the French legislature, dominated by merchants, lawyers and the middling classes who suffered the burden of heavy taxation (aristocrats were not taxed), frequently hesitated or refused King Louis XV’s constant requests for more funds to fight his wars and pay for his extravagant lifestyle. As a result, his administration was constantly deep in debt and always short of funds it needed to fight.

The court of King Louis XV was a convoluted maze of intrigue, dominated by the king’s beautiful but conniving mistress, Madame de Pompadour. Due to her heavy influence on King Louis XV, if she did not approve of a general or a foreign diplomat, that individual would either never be retained or would eventually be fired. This was no way to run a great country. Continue reading “Review: The French and Indian War and the Conquest of New France, by William R. Nester. Published by the University of Oklahoma Press, 2014 (paperback).” →

Emerging Revolutionary War Era

Tag: Montcalm

Beverley Robinson to George Washington, August 8, 1757

Review: The French and Indian War and the Conquest of New France, by William R. Nester. Published by the University of Oklahoma Press, 2014 (paperback).