abandoned, after being fired on for two Days, without even having one Cannon brought up to it. If these Accounts are just, the Behaviour is such as seems not to be accounted for, but by a Mutiny of the Men, which could not, I am satisfied, be for want of pay; but whatever was the Cause of such scandalous Behaviour, I hope, My Lord, I am not answer

able for it.

What your Lordship intends by saying, in your last mentioned Letter, "that after having seen Colonel Mercer's Letter directed to me, you could never doubt of the Truth of Oswego's being taken" — and calling that Letter "a Series of Correspondence upon that Subject" - I am at a Loss to understand; If your Lordship would insinuate anything by these Expressions to my prejudice, it would have been treating me with more Justice, if your Lordship had vouchsafed to have sent me a Copy at least of the Letter, especially as, you Say, it is directed to me. I doubt not whenever that is Done, to clear it from all Exceptions or Insinuations.

Your Lordship tells me in the same Letter - "that the Moment you knew the Situation of the Garrison of Oswego from Mr. Mercer, and of the defenceless Situation of the fortifications of it from Mr. Mackellar, which I had never given your Lordship the least Insinuation of, and had likewise concealed from Major General Abercromby, you used the utmost Expedition, the Situation I left things in could permit, to throw in Succours to it, but never had it in my power either to throw in a Letter, or get up Succours in time.'

As to the former part of this Paragraph; I sent Major General Abercromby, before I left Albany, Colonel Mercer's and Colonel Littlehale's last Returns of the Strength of the 50th and 51st Regiments, and Copies of them to your Lordship at New York; If any thing further appears of the Weakness of those Regiments in Colonel Mercer's Letter which your Lordship speaks of, as I have never yet seen it, I can. say nothing concerning it. I have full Information that on the 3d of July, the whole Garrison and the Workmen were

1 The expressions to which Shirley refers are in the first paragraph of Loudoun's letter of August 29 (ante, p. 521).

in Good Health, and had not above seven or eight sick among them.

As to your Lordships Charge of my concealing the defenceless Situation of the fortifications from Major General Abercromby; Mr. Mackellar's Letter to Mr. Montresor, the Chief Engineer, which is what your Lordship refers to, was sent by me to Mr. Abercromby two or three Days after his Arrival at Albany, and if I mistake not, Mr. Montresor communicated to the General, the same Morning, the Letter which he had wrote to Mr. Mackellar by my Order, in answer to it. And as to my not giving your Lordship the least Insinuation of it; I was so far from having any Reason to doubt of your being apprized of it by Major General Abercromby, that on the Contrary I had all imaginable Reason, from the Conversation I had with your Lordship, in the short Interviews at New York, to suppose you to have been as well informed of the State of these forts and the garrison, as of any part of the Service; Your Lordship must at least have known, from other papers I sent you at New York, that Fort Ontario was not defensible agains Cannon.

The use your Lordship would make of these parts of your Letter, seems clearly to be to excuse the Delay of sending Troops to strengthen Oswego before it was attacked, by endeavouring to shew that there was not time for doing it.

Upon this I beg Leave to observe to your Lordship, that it appearing from Colonel Webb's Letter to me, dated from New York the 9th of June, that Otway's and the Highland Regiments might be daily expected there, and being of Opinion that some British Troops might then be spared for strengthening Oswego, without interfering with the proposed attack of the French Forts at Ticonderoga and Crown point, I dispatch'd Orders, by Express, to Capt. Bradstreet, who was then upon his passage with Provisions and Stores to Oswego, to make the utmost Dispatch back with his Battoes to Schenactady, that he might be there in Time to carry a Body of those Troops with their provisions etc. to Oswego, in Case the Commander in Chief should be of such Sentiments. Capt. Bradstreet accordingly arrived at Schenac

tady the 10th or 11th of July; And it appears that about that time (at least before the 16th of July) it was determined by Major General Abercromby (your Lordship not being then arrived) that Colonel Webb should be sent with the 44th Regiment to Oswego; It was said on the 16th of that Month, that their Embarkation waited for a Sum of Money to pay the Battoe Men; On the 24th that it had been retarded several Days for want of having Provisions lay'd in for them at Schenactady; And it is publickly known, that either for these or other Reasons, the Embarkation of these Troops was delayed for about three Weeks, and that then they did embark for Oswego. What confirms me in this Matter is, that your Lordship told me, when I had the honour to wait on you, the Day you set out from New York for Albany, being the 26th of July, that the Garrison at Oswego was so weak, that the 44th Regiment was to be sent to strengthen it; and, at the same time, your Lordship mentioned, that you thought 900 Men, by which I suppose your Lordship meant Otway's and the Highland Regiments, were but a few to cover the Country.

Now, my Lord, it appears clearly from this Declaration of your Lordship's, at New York, that at the time of makig it, which your Lordship seems to insinuate in your Letter, was before you knew of the defenceless Situation of the fortifications of Oswego from Mr. Mackellar, and the Situation of the Garrison of Oswego from Mr. Mercer, your Lordship so far knew of their State as to think they required being strengthened with another Regiment, and determined that the 44th should proceed to Oswego, according to the Destination made of it by Major General Abercromby; and consequently your Lordship's Determination to send another Regiment to Oswego, could not first arise from your seeing Mr. Mercer's Letter to me, and Mr. Mackellar's to Mr. Montresor, as your Lordship's Letter of the 29th of August, seems to imply.

Your Lordship's saying, therefore, in your Letter, that the Moment you knew of the Situation of the Garrison of Oswego from Mr. Mercer, and of the defenceless Situation of

the fortifications from Mr. Mackellar, you used the utmost Expedition the situation I left things in would permit, to throw in Succours to it, but never had it in your power to get up any in time to it, does not seem to account why no Succours were sent to it in time; For as Capt. Bradstreet had been ready, at Schenactady, to transport the 44th Regiment, three Weeks before it embarked, tho' your Lordship should not have had it in your Power to get up Succours in time to Oswego, after you saw Mr. Mercer's Letter to me, and Mr. Mackellar's to Mr. Montresor, yet doubtless the 44th Regiment might have arrived in time, if it had embarked on the 16th of July, or even two or three Days later; and it seems highly probable, that, if that Regiment with the Battoemen, which would have made together about 1700 fighting Men, had arrived at Oswego before the French attacked it, (as they might certainly have done) that such a Reinforcement would have saved the place. I beg leave further to observe to your Lordship, that the 44th Regiment did not embark till five Days after your Arrival at Albany. I would not be understood, my Lord, to tax your Lordship or any other person with Blame in this Matter, nor Shall I take upon me to determine whether it happened thro' Neglect or Misfortune; But let it have happened from what Cause it will, I can't but think, with many others, that the Loss of Oswego, may be much more justly imputed, to the Delay of sending the 44th Regiment thither, which, if it had been sent the 16th of July, or even two or three Days later, would have certainly preserved it, than to any part of my Conduct; which indeed I think is not, in the least chargeable with it.

I am,

my Lord, etc.

W. SHIRLEY. His Excellency the Rt. Honble. Earl of Loudoun etc.

Endorsed:

Copy of Major General Shirley's Letter to His Excellency the Rt. Honble. Earl of Loudoun. dated Septr. 4, 1756.

SIR,

WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO HENRY FOX1
Boston, Septr. 5, 1756.

I am extremely sorry to trouble you with the inclos'd
Copy of the Earl of Loudoun's Letter of 29th of August to
me, and my Answers to it, but the extraordinary Attack
his Lordship hath thought fit to make upon me lays me under
an absolute Necessity of doing it for my own Vindication.

I beg leave, Sir, to refer to my Answers, and doubt not to
support every fact that is asserted in them upon my Arrival
in England: At present shall only add to the State of the
Facts here, that one unhappy Consequence of the Delay of
the Battoes, which waited for the 44th Regiment, was that
some of the New Vessells, and of the greater Force, and
which were much depended upon for the defence of Oswego,
could not act upon Lake Ontario for want of Cannon; As
also that the Want of provisions at Schenectada, on Acct. of
which the Imbarcation of the 44th Regimt., was delay'd,
happen'd, as I am inform'd, thus: Col. Webb, soon after
his Arrival in New York forbid the former Agents to supply
any more dry provisions, and the New Contractor's Agent
failing to lay in a sufficient Quantity at Schenectada, the
Imbarcation of the Regiment was delay'd by that Means.
But the particular Circumstances of this Affair being of an
uncommon Nature, I shall not go into, untill I know them
with more Exactness than I do at present.

1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46. A transcript is in the Library of Congress,
as is the transcript of a like letter to the Earl of Halifax of same
date. In a long letter to Fox of Sept. 4 (C. O. 5, 46) Shirley had al-
ready expressed his regret at the fall of Oswego and the capture of
the garrison by the French. He had mentioned also the arrival of
90 Acadians at Boston, thus calling to mind the operations in the
northeast where he had played a
his career. In this letter he endeavors to fix the responsibility for
the Oswego disaster upon Webb, Abercromby, and Loudoun at least
equally with himself. A copy of the letter of Sept. 4 is in the
more glorious part earlier in
Library of Congress. See also Shirley to Loudoun of Sept. 4,
preceding.
2 Ante, pp. 521 and 536, and post, p. 543-

542