Johnson last Year; but if it is consider'd that the Baron did that without either Artillery or even Baggage, and without expecting to be oppos'd with Cannon, how extremely difficult, if not altogether impracticable, it is for a large Body of Troops to march by South Bay with Artillery; or even by the way of Wood Creek without being discover'd. There seems no great reason to fear they will run the risque of exposing themselves to the resistance they must expect to meet with from so considerable a number of Regular Troops, as his Lordship now hath with him; supposing they could slip by the Provincials, and had Forces sufficient to leave behind them for the protection of their own Forts. You now have the Account, Sir, of the failure in the Expedition against Crown Point. And, with regard to the misfortune at Oswego, I must proceed to observe that at the time of its being attack'd by the Enemy, it was depriv'd of the naval Armament design'd for its protection, by Capt. Bradstreet's being kept with the Battoes, and Battoemen at Schenectada from the 11th July to the 12th Augt. For if the 20 pieces of Cannon, which lay at the Carrying Place, and the Battoemen had been at Oswego by the 1st August, which would have been the case, had it not been for that delay, our whole naval Force might have been upon the Lake, and prevented the Embarcation, or at least the landing of the French with their Cannon and Stores near Oswego. Whereas for want of those 20 pieces of Cannon two of our best Vessels were without any, consequently could not appear on the Lake; and without their Assistance and that of our Whaleboats and Battoemen, or at least such a part of them as was necessary for manning the Whaleboats, our other Vessels were not strong enough for the Enemy. Oswego was likewise, at the time of it's being attack'd, without any Assistance from the Indians of the Six Nations, which was occasion'd by Sir William Johnson's returning in July after the Council at Onondago to Albany, instead of carrying those Indians from thence to Oswego, agreeable to the appointment I made with them the year preceeding, and with the Messasagues and other Foreign Indians; which meeting Sir William Johnson, in some of his Letters to me observes, was of the greatest importance to his Majesty's Service. This delay of the return of the Battoes to Oswego was occasion'd, Sir, by the following means. Intelligence had been gain'd from a French Prisoner taken by Capt. Bradstreet on the 3d July,' that the French were forming a large Incampment at about 32 Miles distance from Oswego and design'd soon to attack the place; This Major General Abercromby was appriz'd of upon Capt. Bradstreet's arrival at Albany (being on the 10th or 11th July) and in one or two days after gave Orders for Colonel Webb and the 44th Regiment to hold themselves in readiness to march to Oswego; But their Embarcation was delay'd, and the Battoes detain'd, as is before observ'd, from the 11th July to the 12th August; which was thirteen days after the arrival of the Earl of Loudoun himself at Albany, though by mistake in my Letter of the 4th September to his Lordship, I call'd it five days only; and this, according to the inclos'd Declaration and Extracts of two Letters relative to the same point (which I have good reason fully to Credit) and other Accounts, was owing to a dispute whether Colonel Webb should receive any Provisions for the transportation of those Troops, that were not supply'd by Mr. Kilby. About the same time a great number of the Battoemen (800 as I am inform'd) whose usefulness not only by Water, but in an Action by Land, against the Enemy had been so lately experienc'd, were discharg'd. To this delay therefore principally, the Discharge of so many Battoemen, and the failure of Sir William Johnson to assemble the Indians of the Six Nations at Oswego, whereby that place was depriv'd of so essential a part of the defence, which it ought to have had at the time of its being attack'd, and for want of which in all human probability it was lost, together with the Garrison and the Command of Lake On 1 See Bradstreet to Shirley, July 16, 1756, ante, p. 485, and July 24, 1756, ante, p. 487. 2 See letter referred to, ante, p. 536. tario, it seems evident, Sir, that the misfortune, which his Majesty's Service hath sustain'd there, is to be imputed. If any other Endeavours have been used since the Expiration of my Command, either before or after the Earl of Loudouns arrival in America " to throw Succours into Oswego" (which his Lordship seems to allude to in his Letter of the 29th Augt. to me 1) than those herein beforemention'd, which have most unhappily depriv'd it of that defence, it would otherwise have had; and which would have been sufficient for its protection, without any new Succours; I have not heard of them: Had indeed the 44th Regiment which Major General Abercromby at first, and the Earl of Loudoun afterwards order'd to proceed to Oswego, been, upon our receiving intelligence of the design of the French to attack it, embark'd in time for the Battoes to have arriv'd there before that Attack, which might easily have been done; such Endeavours would not only have sav'd the place; but might have strengthen'd the Forces there, so as possibly to have enabled them even to act offensively upon the Lake Ontario. For a full Account of the beforemention'd Dispute concerning the Provisions, and the true Cause of the Delay in the Embarcation of the 44th Regiment, I beg leave to refer you, Sir, to the inclos'd State of it.2 I have the Honor to be with the Highest Respect, Sir, Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant 1 Ante, p. 521. W. SHIRLEY. The manuscript to which Shirley here refers is entitled: "State of the Dispute concerning the Provisions for transporting the 44th Regiment to Oswego, and the true Cause of the Delay of its Imbarcation." With it are four depositions, etc., tending to fortify the contention of Shirley. All are in P. R. O., C. O. 5, 46, inclosed in the letter here given. With this deposition of Shirley should be read the twenty-seven-page statement of Loudoun to Fox oi Oct. 3, inclosing his letter from Shirley of Sept. 13. The contrast Right Honble. Henry Fox Esqr. One of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State. Endorsed: Boston, Septr 16th, 1756. MAJR. GENL. Shirley. R Novr. Ist. is illuminating so far as the characters of the two men are concerned. Shirley's letter is the sturdy honorable defense of an officer against what he considers unworthy attack. When Loudoun is compelled to admit a point in his predecessor's favor, he does it grudgingly. The Earl's letter may be judged by the following extracts: Albany 3d. October 1756. From the time I received his Letter of August 10th, I resolved to drop all Correspondence with him, as Mr. Shirley; the governor I could not do that with: the only Letters I have writ him since, was the demand for Aid on the taking Oswego; the next was an Account of it's being certain that it was taken, in answer to one from him, in the name of his Assembly; the third was the Letter to Acquaint him, that it was expected, he should obey His Majestys Commands, in going home. These are the only Letters I have wrote to him, for I have neither time nor Inclination, to enter into a Paper War with Mr. Shirley. Since writing the above, I am informed, Mr. Shirley is endeavoring to lay the mismanagement at Oswego, on us; and says, that after he had forwarded Provisions to Schenectady, that we brought them back here; I was sure that had not happened after I arrived but must have been at the time he Commanded, if it was at all. And after examining into it, I have the State of that Case from the Commissary of Stores, who at that time, had the delivery of the whole Provisions, which I send enclosed. I have said in my Observations on Mr. Shirley's last Letter, that I did not expect any of that Recruit to the Provincials of Six hundred Men, which he mentions or the Waggons, which there were no appearance of at that time; but that I may not do him any injustice I must now acknowledge, that there are arrived 320 Men, and Sixteen Ox Carts; and I hear, there are more Carts on the Road; they will be of great use, though they come very late, con WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO STEPHEN HOPKINS1 SIR, Boston, September 20, 1756. I have but a few moments time before the post will go out for the last time before I embark for England, to desire Your Honor to let me know by a letter to be transmitted to me, in England, under cover, to Messrs. Thomlinson and Trecothick, merchants, in London, how your Assembly and people would stand affected towards an expedition against Cape Breton, early in the spring, in case that should be proposed from England, with an assurance of the places being kept, and with proper arrangement. I am, with great regard, &, &c. Your favour I had the honor to receive a few days after gave the Government into Mr. Denny's hands, to whom sidering I demanded them August 20th and they arrive Octob 2d. It should be remembered demand had to travel from the return journey to take. ing. LOUDOUN er he hd: ad that between Aug. 20 and Oct. 2 t 1R. I. Col. Rec. 5, 565. The letter is interesting as illus trating Shirley's activity and the eagerness with which he turned to a new field of effort. 2 Original, Maryland Historical Society. Printed: Arch. of Maryland, 6, 492. These extracts are here given to show the view |