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.

rais'd immediately for that Service, yet as they were arm'd with Musquets and Hatchets and marshall'd in Companies of 50 Men each, Commanded by two Officers, could be serviceable likewise for manning the Whaleboats or other Duty at Land, as his Majesty's Service might require; And that, besides this Force, I depended upon a large Body of the Indians of the Six Nations, which Sir William Johnson was to have assembled at Oswego this Summer, to be ready for such Service as they should be order'd upon: to enable him to do which, I had supplyed him with a large Sum of Money.

And with regard to the Expedition against Crown Point it appears by the same Minutes of Council, that I had determin'd to have prosecuted it this Year (in case any Accident should have prevented the timely arrival of the Earl of Loudoun, or the other General Officers sent by his Majesty, to take upon them the Chief Command in North America, until his Lordships arrival) with the Provincial Troops computed to consist of 7000 Men (Officers included) one Company of Rangers, 100 Indians, expected from Sir William Johnson, and his Majesty's 44th and 48th Regiments computed at 1500 Men fit for Duty; and by my aforesaid Letter to Major General Abercromby, that since the holding that Council, I had rais'd a Company of Stockbridge or River Indians consisting of 45 Men Commanded by Indian Officers, and to be employed in this Expedition.

That the beforementioned Forces would have been sufficient for the Services, to which they were respectively destin'd, and most probably have effected them, if they had not been prevented by Measures taken since the Expiration of my Command, will appear from the following Observations.

The old Fort at Oswego was surrounded with a strong Breastwork of Earth having a Ditch thrown up on the outside and mounted with 28 Cannon; and Fort Ontario (though nothing had been done to strengthen it since my departure from Oswego by the Engineers sent thither early in the Spring, chiefly for that purpose) was picketted with Logs from 3 to 4 feet thick, capable according to the General Opinion, of resisting a 4 lb. Shott, was mounted with eight

pieces of Cannon besides Swivels, and had some Cohorns in it, and upon the whole was defensible against an Attack of almost any number of Men with Small Arms only.

The naval force design'd for the protection of Oswego was, according to all Accounts superior to that, which the French were preparing for Lake Ontario, (said to Consist at the most of no more than five Vessels mounted with Cannon, two of which were known to be of inferior force to any of the English Vessels which carry'd great Artillery) and consequently sufficient to have kept the Command of the Lake, and prevented the French from landing any large number of Men with Artillery and Stores near the Forts, particularly Artillery, without which Oswego was not to have been taken.

As to the Garrison, which was to consist of 1300 Troops, it might have been reinforc'd with such a number of the 2000 Battoemen, as any Emergency of the Service could, according to the best Accounts we have had of the Enemy's Strength in that Quarter, either before or since the loss of the place, be reasonably suppos'd to have requir'd; And if in addition to this force, a considerable Body of the Indians of the Six Nations had been assembled at Oswego, ready to act against the French in the defense of their own Country, as there ought to have been, it is not Credible that the French would have made any Attempt against Oswego this Year.1

And as to the sufficiency of the Forces destin'd for the Expedition against Crown Point; that seems to be put out of Question by the unanimous Opinion of the beforemention'd Council at Albany upon that point, and the Earl of Loudoun's continuing his Resolution to prosecute the Expedition with an equal, if not inferior force, and his not

That Shirley could count on the coöperation of Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations might with reason be supposed from Johnson's letter to the Lords of Trade of July 17, 1756. In this the writer stated "the Six Nations appeared to me sincerely disposed to second any vigorous attempts which might be made on our side against the French." In the same letter Johnson mentions particularly that the Indians will aid in cutting a road through to Oswego and in building a fort at Oswego falls. (Doct. Hist, of New York, 2, 423.) See also notes on pp. 152 and 571.

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.1

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).