Three Lessons from the Fort William-Henry Massacre

In 1757, as the Seven Years' War raged, French General Montcalm in Canada attacked the British fort named Fort William-Henry. With his cannons, he blew the walls to pieces until Lieutenant-Colonel Monro surrendered. Montcalm had all the British soldiers give a "parole", their word of honor that they would not fight again for a specified time, here 18 months. Private possessions were kept by the British, and the stores in the fort became French property. On August 9, the British set off on their march to nearby Fort George. The French-allied Indians ambushed and attacked them. After an hour, Montcalm and his officers were able to put a stop to the massacre. Most of the British returned to Fort George, but two hundred were not recovered, either killed or captured.

1. Treating Enemies Honorably

When Colonel Monro surrendered, Montcalm let him keep one brass six-pounder cannon (a cannon that threw a six-pound ball), his flags, and all private effects. This was a high mark of honor to a surrendering 18th Century commander.

2. Risking Life for Enemies

When the massacre began, Montcalm and his officers were in among the Indians, rescuing prisoners by force. Montcalm himself laid his chest bare and said to the Indians, "Kill your father, but spare the English who are under his protection!" Some French officers were wounded in their efforts to protect the English.

3. Noble Savages?

Fort William-Henry illustrates, perhaps better than any other battle of the French and Indian War, that, without the light of Christ's Gospel, men are savages. There was nothing noble about the Indians "in a state of nature" who massacred their surrendered enemies. There was no difference between the Indians and Montcalm's French regular soldiers, except that the Frenchmen came from a culture that was, however imperfectly, steeped in Christianity.

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

"Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land"-Proverbs 31:23

"She (that is, Sarah Churchill) on her part was equally attached to him (her husband, the Duke of Marlborough), but much as she strove to add to his power and to forward his plans, her haughty and violent temper was the main cause of the unmerited disgrace into which he fell with his royal mistress (Queen Anne I), who owed so much to him personally, and whose reign he did so much to render a brilliant and successful one."--pg. 44, The Cornet of Horse by G. A. Henty.

Sarah Churchill--as Henty said--made her husband's career and broke it. It was her influence with Queen Anne I (Sarah was Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen) that appointed the Duke of Marlborough as British commander in Flanders during the War of the Spanish Succession. He was a great general, and it was no fault of his that his family lost their government positions.

The Marlborough family. From left to right: the Duke, Elizabeth, Mary, the Duchess, Henrietta, Anne (their daughter, not the queen), and John

(picture from www.britishbattles.com)

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham

My favorite painting of the Plains of Abraham, showing a young drummer watching as the Royal-Roussillon regiment breaks. (www.oldgloryprints.com/A%20Drummers%20Fear.htm)

I wrote this for the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (September 13, 1759-September 13,2009) but rewrote it here. Find the original article at http://www.faithful-legacy.blogspot.com/. The changes here have (mostly) shifted the blame traditionally put on Montcalm to Vaudreil and Ramezay, because I believe that Montcalm did all he could at the Plains and afterward.

Today is the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham! The battle was relatively short, lasting only one hour (in fact, the combat was decided by one volley) but it sealed the fate of New France (Canada). God's Providential hand was clearly watching over the British, especially in the perilous climb up the cliffs to the Plains. Historian William Potter chose this battle as one of his topics in "Providential Battles: Twenty Battles that Changed the World" (available at http://www.visionforum.com/).

The French cause in the New World was waning. Forts Duquesne, Carillon (renamed Ticonderoga), Louisbourg, and other French possessions had fallen into British hands. Only Quebec and Montreal were left in French hands. Montreal was not a defensible city, but Quebec was a veritable fortress. It sat on top of high cliffs. The British had to take Quebec to break French power completely, and they appointed Major General James Wolfe as commander of the expedition.

The British army sailed down the Saint Lawrence River and set up camp at Pointe Levis. Wolfe bombarded the city with cannons, but he could not stop the barges with food coming from Montreal. On July 31, Wolfe attempted to attack the French lines near Montmorency Falls, but the French, under Major-General Marquis de Montcalm beat them off. 500 British were killed, and 60 French. Montcalm's troops were jubilant. They expected that this was the end of the campaign. But Montcalm himself believed that the British would not be baffled so easily.

Finally, the British set aside the idea of another attack at Montmorency Falls for a landing at St. Anse de Foulon, an opening in the cliffs. A road led from the Foulon up to the Plains of Abraham, and the landward side of Quebec. The Foulon was defended by about 100 Canadian militiamen under the worthless veteran, Captain de Vergor. Montcalm said that one hundred men would hold off any attack until help came, and he was probably right. But the hundred were off to their farms, with permission from their commander--if they would help him harvest too.

Montcalm had reconnoitered the cliffs, and, just to be safe, posted the Guyenne Regiment on the Plains of Abraham. But his rival, Governor Vaudreil, ordered them off the plains. "I'll see about the Foulon myself, to-morrow," the Governor promised. Thus, when the British landed, they had no enemies on the plains except the militia under Vergor.

That night, a suspicious French sentry challenged the boats, but Captain Donald MacDonald (for Captain MacDonald see Reid, Quebec 1759, pg. 64) of the 78th Highlanders answered him in French, dismissing any suspicion. The French were expecting a convoy of provisions from Montreal, but it was cancelled. Vergor, however, was not told of the change in plans.

Twenty-four of William Howe's light infantry climbed up the cliffs and onto the road, where they scattered and captured Vergor's militia. With the road in their hands, the British moved their regiments onto the Plains of Abraham, ready for battle.

It was only on the morning of the 13th that Montcalm learned the truth: the British were on the Plains of Abraham. He had to attack, for "If we give him (the enemy) time to establish himself, we shall never be able to attack him with the troops we have." Montcalm feared that the British would besiege the town from the landward side. He marched from Beauport and interposed his army between the city and the British. Montcalm sent requests to the Governor of Quebec, M. Ramezay, begging for the garrison of Quebec (about 2,200 regulars, militia, and sailors) to join him, together with 25 cannons. Ramezay sent 5 cannons and no troops.

The Canadians were skirmishing with the British light infantry, but the regulars waited. Montcalm ordered his men forward. They fired, then advanced to close quarters with the British. The British waited until the French were within thirty yards, and fired a volley. The French columns crumbled and fled for the Saint Charles bridge. But for the Canadians covering the retreat, the French army might have been destroyed completely.

The Royal-Roussillon Regiment prepares for one last shot as the La Sarre Regiment runs (photograph from the author's collection)

General Wolfe, who was with the front lines of the British, was shot three times, the last wound being mortal. As he lay on the ground, a soldier called "See them run!"

"Who?" asked General Wolfe.

"The French."

"Now, God be praised, I will die in peace," said Wolfe, and died shortly thereafter. When he died, George Townshend took command of the army.

Just as Montcalm's army was fleeing for dear life across the Saint Charles, Colonel Bougainville and his 2,000 men arrived on the battlefield. The Corps de Cavallrie skirmished with the British until Bougainville withdrew, to fight again another day.

Like his adversary, Montcalm was wounded, but he lingered until the 14th. After he died, Vaudreil and most of the troops fled, where they joined Montcalm's second-in-command, the Chevalier de Levis. The French moved back toward Quebec, only to find that Ramezay had surrendered. The French army sheltered in Montreal until Levis fought the British at Sainte-Foy, April 28, 1760.

God's Providential hand is clearly evident. Why should the provision convoy have been cancelled and Vergor not warned? Why should the French have had such a worthless man in command at such a critical post? God was aiding the British to take Quebec, and ultimately Canada.

Madeleine de Vercheres

Engraving by C. W. Jefferys, found at Canadian Military History Gateway

"That thy beloved may be saved: save with thy right hand, and hear me"--Psalm 60:12

"I went up onto the bastion where the sentry was...I then transfomed myself, putting the soldier's hat on my head, and with some small guestures tried to make it seem that there were many people, although there was only this soldier."--Madeleine de Vercheres

Marie-Madeleine de Vercheres was born in Canada in 1678 and died in 1747. When she was twelve (1689), the Nine Years' War broke out in Europe. France and the Irish fought the League of Augsburg (Austria, Holland, Savoy, and England). The conflict spread to the colonies, where the English-allied Iroquois attacked the family settlement, Fort Vercheres. Madeleine's mother with four or five men repelled them. Young Madeleine would use the lesson in two years.

In 1692, Monsieur and Madame de Vercheres travelled to Montreal, leaving Madeleine at the settlement, with only one soldier. The Indians struck, and captured twenty settlers working outside the walls. Madeleine herself was outside the wall and her neckerchief was seized by an Indian. She loosed it and outran the Indians into the fort, where she quickly shut the gates.

There was a cannon, and Madeleine fired it to warn all the other settlements of an Indian attack. Madeleine donned the soldier's hat and gestured, to deceive the Indians into thinking that the stockade was well guarded.
The Indians were disappointed at not being able to catch the settlement unawares, and retreated. Canadian troops and their Indian allies arrived at the fort in six days, relieving fifteen-year-old Madeleine.

Lady Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh

(Engraving of Lady Mackintosh based on painting by Allan Ramsay, found in Life and Adventures of Bonnie Prince Charlie volume 3 by W. Drummond Norie)

One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God fighteth for you, as he hath promised you--Joshua 23:10


Lady Mackintosh giving final instructions just before the rout of Moy (drawing by the author).

The noble lady I chose for the month of February is Lady Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh. When Prince Charles Edward Stuart, a. k. a. "Bonnie Prince Charlie" landed in Scotland in 1745 to rally Jacobites for one last attempt to regain the crown of his forefathers, Lady Anne raised the members of Clan Mackintosh and the Chattan Confederation (of which the Mackintoshes were chief) for the Prince. The new regiment was dubbed Lady Mackintosh's Regiment, and she received the title of "Colonel" Anne. But this was not the only contribution of Lady Mackintosh to the Jacobites

"Bonnie Prince Charlie" was staying at Lady Mackintosh's house named Moy Hall when she received word that the enemy commander, Lord Loudon, was marching with two thousand men to capture the Prince. Lady Mackintosh sent the Prince away while she formed a distraction. To quote Fitzroy Maclean, historian,

"She had, with great presence of mind, sent the blacksmith of Moy, one Donald Fraser, and four others to take up a position 'upon a muir, at some distance from Moy, towards Inverness, and there await the approach of Lord Loudon's men." (read more about the rout of Moy from Mr. Maclean here).

In the darkness, the five men hid until Loudon's force approached. Then the five fired and shouted Highland war cries. Lord Loudon and his men believed that they had stumbled into an army, and fled for Inverness. The Prince was saved and the enemy humilated in what became known as "The Rout of Moy".

Maria Theresa

(painting in the public domain, found on www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maria_Theresia_Familie.jpg

For the next twelve months, I hope to provide biographies of noble women of the 17th and 18th centuries, one per month. The idea is based on a present I designed for one of my sisters. The month of January is about the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and her effective rallying of the Empire against the invader in the province of Silesia, Frederick II of Prussia.

(picture from A History of France by M. Guzot, public domain)

"She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms"--Proverbs 31:13

Her youth, beauty and dauntless spirit won all her subjects' hearts, and appealed with tenfold force to the chivalrous Hungarians--Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession by Francis Skrine (public domain)

The Best Primary Source for the French and Indian War

A primary source is a journal or book written by someone who saw history happen. In the French and Indian War, the best primary source available in English is (drum roll, please):

Adventure in the Wilderness: the American Journals of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, translated by Edward P. Hamilton

Colonel Bougainville was aide-de-camp to General Montcalm, and his journal is a real gem, replete with information, even down to weather conditions on a particular day.
I highly recommend it!