one view, the several matters, which I apprehend will clearly determine to what Causes the loss of Oswego, and the failure to prosecute the Expedition against Crown Point this Year to Effect are to be imputed.

It appears from the Minutes of the Council of War held at Albany the 26th [25th ?] May last, and my Letter to Major General Abercromby dated the 27th June; Copies of both which I inclos'd in former Letters, particularly one dated the 4th July1 from New York; that the Land and naval Forces, to which I had determin'd to trust the defence of Oswego, were to consist of a Garrison of 1300 Troops, 550 more to be posted at several passes between Oswego and Albany for Guarding the Magazines, and keeping open the Communication between those two places; two Vessels of ten Carriage Guns each, and two small Schooners (us'd as Row Gallies) of ten Swivels each, all built the last year; three Vessels built this Spring and Summer, mounting one of them 18 Cannon, one 16, and the other 12; which two last are in the Minutes of the Council of War held at Albany by mistake mentioned to carry only 10 and 8 Cannon; 250 Whaleboats capable of navigating the Lake Ontario, and holding 16 Men each; and 2000 Battoemen, which though the French in the North could move effectively; yet he does show his appreciation of the strategic importance of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence as an effective line of defense and offense against the French. With them he would have secured the entrance to Lake Champlain, and thus have controlled the best route into Canada open to a land force. On Lake Ontario he planned to place vessels giving easy locomotion to the land forces, a line of action whose wisdom was proved by the combined British and American force two years later, but whose most pronounced justification came in the War of the American Revolution and in Perry's campaign on Lake Erie in 1813. This letter shows no less. forcibly the difficulties faced by Shirley in 1756 and the policy of his superiors in command taking away the possibility of success for a really well-planned campaign. For a further statement in his own behalf, see Shirley to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, post, p. 581, and his petition to the Crown with accompanying papers, post, p. 587, Sept. 24, 1757.

1 See Council Minutes of May 25, and letters of June 27 and July 4, ante, pp. 453, 468, and 478.

Countermanding the Orders given for marching the Provincial Troops from Fort William Henry upon that Service, 'till the loss of Oswego occasion'd his Lordship's altering his Scheme.

With respect, Sir, to the state I left Oswego in and the Progress, which was made in the Expedition against Crown Point by the 26th June, the day on which my Command expired, they were as follows.

There were 1300 Troops in the Garrison at Oswego (which within seven days after was increas'd to 1400) with upwards of 250 Carpenters, Workmen and Sailors, all in good health, except 5 or 6; the old Fort was mounted with 28 Cannon and defended with the Works beforementioned; Fort Ontario was mounted with eight peices of Cannon, some Swivels and Cohorns; 550 Men [were] posted at the Passes between Albany and Oswego, and there were six Months Provisions in the Magazines at those places for 6000 Men.

The Oneida Carrying Place was reduc'd from eight to one mile Land Carriage; two small Forts were built upon it, and a third begun, and the Wood Creek was considerably clear'd of its Obstructions; both which render'd the Communication between Albany and Oswego more Convenient and Expeditious than it was the Year before.

The two Vessels built the last year, and one of the Row Gallies (the other having been taken by the French some time in June upon the Lake Ontario) were compleatly equipt for the Lake; two of the three new Vessels built this Year were launch'd on or about the 3d July, and the other on or about the 7th; All the naval Stores were arriv'd at Oswego by the 2d July, except 20 of the Cannon, which had waited. at Connajoharie Falls and the Oneida Carrying Place ever since the 24th June for Capt. Bradstreet upon his third Passage from Schenectada to Oswego, without whose Convoy they would have been expos'd to the greatest risque, or rather certainty of being taken by the Enemy, before they had been landed at the last mention'd place.

The 250 Whaleboats design'd for the Lake Ontario were built, and the 2000 Battoemen rais'd by the first of April,

and about 200 of the former arriv'd at Oswego by the middle of May, where they lay ready for Service on the Lake; and the latter, after having transported two Cargoes of Provisions and Stores to Oswego, had on their return defeated a considerable Body of the French, which attack'd them in the River Onondago, and arriv'd at Oswego by the 11th July, in order to transport Provisions and the remainder of the Stores with such Troops, as should embark on board the Battoes for Oswego; and might, if they had not been delay'd by waiting from the 11th of July to 12th August, for the Embarcation of the 44th Regiment, have returned thither with another Freight of Provisions, and the remaining Artillery for the Vessels before the end of July; which would have been 13 or 14 days before the French attack'd it; and in such case the whole naval Armament might have been out upon the Lake Ontario, in time to have prevented the French from landing their Men and Artillery near Oswego, or even from venturing to appear on the Lake, and the Garrison. might have besides been reinforc'd with as many of the Battoemen, as the Service might have requir'd; all which collected force would, in all human probability have been sufficient to have protected the place, even without the Assistance of that Party of Indians, which Sir William Johnson had undertaken to have there by that time against any Attempt, which the French could have made against it this Year; but, if strengthen'd with those Indians could not have fail'd of doing it.'

As to the Preparations made for Carrying the Attempt against Crown Point into Execution, they were so far advanc'd, Sir, when I left the Command, that the Troops both British and Provincial destin'd to that Service, with their Provisions, Artillery and Stores and the Vessels and Battoes necessary for their transportation to the advanc'd Post of

1 In his letter of July 26 to Fox (ante, p. 488), Shirley had mentioned the promise of Johnson to aid with the Indians of the Six Nations in the defense of Oswego. This aid had been promised by Johnson as a result of his meeting with the Indians at Onondaga, and even before the conference of July 7, 1756 (Johnson Manuscripts, 4, 70, 77; Docts. rel. Col. Hist. N. Y. 7, 146-160).

the French upon Lake George, (which is about five miles on this side of Tionderoge, and thirty beyond Fort William Henry,) were in such readiness, that the Provincial Troops might, as Major General Winslow inform'd me, have begun their march for that place by the end of the first Week in July; and before the 25th of June Provisions for 2500 Men for four Months were sent to Sarahtoga (which is within seven miles of Fort Edward) and there deposited for the use of his Majesty's Regular Troops, who also might have been ready to have march'd by the 7th of July; in which case, or even if the Troops had begun their march by the 20th of that Month, there seems to be no doubt, but that, according to the intelligence we had received, they might easily have made themselves Masters of that Post.

In the latter end of May we had undoubted Accounts that the number of the French Troops Regular and Irregular at Crown Point, Tionderoge and their advanc'd Post did not exceed 1100 in the whole besides Indians; that they were then at Work upon a new Road of Communication between the two last mention'd places; at the latter of which they had not then above 200 Men; and that Tionderoge was very accessible from thence by Land on the North west side to a Train of Artillery. In June we had certain intelligence, that they had demolish'd their Works at the advanc'd Post, abandon'd it, and drawn the Men lately posted there into their Garrison at Tionderoge; and, though since I left the Command, the French, according to the latest Accounts have return'd and taken possession of that Post, yet the Men posted there did not, on the 23d of July, exceed 400; the Works were then inconsiderable, and on the 2d September Major General Winslow attempted to make them a Visit there by Water with three Lighters, having two Cannon six Pounders, one seven Inch Mortar, and Swivels, accompanied with 7 Whaleboats, and in the whole 220 Men.

The making ourselves Masters of this Post would have secur'd a Communication by Water, as well as by Land, between that and Albany, and put it into our power to have transported Provisions, Stores and Artillery thither across

Lake George, from whence they might have been transported, and the Men march'd by Land, through a practicable Road of 5 miles to Tionderoge, without being expos'd to any of it's Batteries in their Passage; and in such case, with the Force, they had, they could not have fail'd in the reduction of that Fort, as the Army might, upon every occasion, have received fresh Supplies and Reinforcements from the Colonies, as well as British Troops, in time to have compass'd it this Year.

The Effect of the Reduction of Tionderoge, Sir, which is the place where the French seem clearly to have been for sometime collecting their main Strength between Montreal and Albany, and to design to make their stand in their dispute with us for the Command of the Lakes in that Quarter; would have been the putting Crown Point itself in our power, the distance of which from Tionderoge is not above 15 miles through a good Road for Wheel Carriages, and the same distance by Water, which is broad and navigable for Vessels of considerable Burthen; And in the mean time the compassing of all our points upon Lake George, as our possession of this Pass would effectually, of itself, have cover'd all the Country between Tionderoge and Albany against the Incursions of the French from Montreal into any part of it, either through the Lake, South Bay, or Wood Creek.

But, though the Provincial Forces did actually begin their Grand march from their Camp at Half Moon upon the Plan Settled with Major General Abercromby, yet so many Stops were from time to time put to their proceeding, that they advanc'd no further in it than Fort William Henry; where Major General Winslow receiv'd Orders from the Earl of Loudoun on the 22d of August "not to proceed to Crown Point for the present, but to do the utmost in his power to Guard against the Enemy's attacking them or getting into the Country by slipping by South Bay, or Wood Creek." His Lordship's apprehensions of the Enemy's slipping by South Bay or getting into the Country by Wood Creek, are founded I Suppose upon the Baron de Dieskau's making a march by the way of the former to attack Major General