THE PORT FOLIO.

VOL. VII.

FOURTH SERIES.

CONDUCTED BY OLIVER OLDSCHOOL, ESQ.

Various; that the mind

Of desultory man, studious of change

And pleased with novelty, may be indulged.-CowPER.

FORT WILLIAM HENRY.-FOR THE PORT FOLIO.

City of Washington, 2d February, 1819.

MR. OLDSCHOOL-ON the last visit I made to the place of my nativity, at Fryeburg, in the district of Maine, I picked up a file of old papers of my late grandfather's, among which I have since found, in his own hand writing, a "Journal of the attack on Fort William Henry, on the 3d of August, and the surrender of it on the 9th of the same month, 1757," to the French arms under the marquis de Montcalm. If you think it worthy of a place in the Port Folio, either as a fragment of the history of that time, or from any other consideration, it is much at your service. A copy. is enclosed which may be depended on as a faithful and circumstantial account of the affair of which it treats. The author of this journal (colonel Frye) was afterwards, to wit, in June, 1775, appointed by "the congress of the colony of Massachusetts Bay," a major-general in their service; and, in January, 1776, accepted the appointment of a brigadier-general in the army of the then thirteen United Colonies.

"A plan of Fort William Henry, and the retrenched encampment of the English, with the camps of the French, accompanies the journal, and has also been copied.

I am, with sentiments of much respect,

Sir, your most obedient

NATH'L FRYE, Jun.

Journal of the attack of Fort William Henry, on the 3d of August, and the surrender of it on the 9th of the same month, 1757.

Fort Edward, 1st August, 1757.

General Webb gave orders, that as many of the Massachusetts regiment as were at Fort Edward, exclusive of the ranging companies should march to-morrow morning for Fort William Henry, with one hundred men of the third battalion of royal Americans, and one hundred of the independents.

2d August.

About ten o'clock this morning, colonel Young, marched with one hundred royal Americans, commanded by captain Fash of that regiment, one hundred independents, commanded by captain Crookshanks; and eight hundred and twenty-three of the Massachusetts, commanded by colonel Joseph Frye (the rest of said regiment being at Saratoga, Stillwater, Halfmoon, and repairing the roads), and some artificers at Fort William Henry, colonel Frye carrying with him the following captains of his regiment, viz.:

(Captain Ingersoll having been ordered there before) with a small train of artillery, commanded by captain M'Cleod, consisting of two brass 12-pounders, two brass 6-pounders on their carriages, and two iron 9-pounders in carts, with shot, powder, &c. for them. Nothing material happened during the march, except the breaking down of the carriages of the whale boats (of which we had six) which retarded us much on the march; and one of them, being so disabled as obliged us to leave it, near the Half Way brook; and co

lonel Young, being apprehensive that we should not get in till late in the night, if we waited for the others, ordered captain Arbuthnot, with one hundred and fifty men, to stay by them until they got them in, except that which was broken down. About sun-set the main body arrived at the encampment, where general Johnson had the battle in 1755, where we found encamped part of general Otway's regiment, under the command of lieutenant colonel Munroe; part of the New Hampshire regiment, under the command of lieutenant colonel Gough; part of the New Jersey regiment, under the command of colonel Parker; some New Yorkers, under the command of captain Ogden; some rangers under the command of lieutenant Johnson; with some artificers, under the command of captain Ingersoll and major Northen; and some sailors, under the command of lieutenants Pinkney, Sortious, and Fostey, of the 35th regiment, some of whom were in the fort, making in all about 1200 men: so that when the whole had joined, in camp and garrison, we made about 2200 men fit for duty. It being so late when we got in, we could not encamp that evening in any regular form; therefore pitched only a few tents for that night; and about nine o'clock we perceived the flashes of several guns down the lake, which we imagined to be from a reconnoitring party we had sent out, who had fallen in with some of the enemy.

Wednesday, 3d August.

Early this morning we were alarmed by the sight of a great number of boats, batteaux, canoes, &c. coming up the lake, and upon their approach the fort fired a shot, which fell short, and another shot returned by the enemy, likewise fell short, and our alarm guns being fired to give notice to Fort Edward of the approach of the enemy, who landed about three miles below the fort, on the west side of the lake, and soon after had large parties of French and Indians round us, and great numbers marched into the road leading to Fort Edward, and cut off our communication with that fort. While the enemy were landing, a detachment was sent into the fort, under the command of captains Ingersoll and Arbuthnot, of Massachusetts, with some officers and men belonging to general Otway's regiment, and the fort was to be commanded by captain Ormsby, of said regiment; colonels Munroe

and Young being in the camp, which we had fortified in the best manner we could, with logs and stones, having two brass 6-pounders on a hill near the centre of the camp, two brass 12-pounders on the west side of the encampment, one brass 6-pounder at the entrance of the camp from the lake, one on the easterly side of the camp, to clear a swamp. Upon the enemy's landing, colonel Munroe sent captain Saltonstall, with one hundred of the Massachusetts forces, to get into the road leading to Fort Edward, to see what discoveries he could make there; but, being soon overpowered by numbers, was obliged to retreat, with the loss of ensign Williams, of captain Ingersoll's company, and eighteen men killed, and several wounded. Upon captain Saltonstall's retreat, the enemy got almost round us, and made a continual fire with their small arms, which we returned, and likewise with grape shot from our 12-pounders, which took good effect on the Indians. About eleven o'clock, A. M. general Montcalm sent in monsieur Fantbrune, one of his aids-de-camp, with a flag of truce, to demand the fort and camp, in form, bringing with him the following letter from the marquis de Montcalm to colonel Munroe, viz.:

“August y 3rd, 1757.

"SIR-I have this morning invested your place with a numerous army, a superior artillery, and all the savages from the higher parts of the country, the cruelty of which, a detachment of your garrison have lately too much experienced. I an obliged, in humanity, to desire you to surrender your fort. I have it yet in my power to restrain the savages, and oblige them to observe a capitulation, as hitherto none of them have been killed, which will not be in my power in other circumstances; and your insisting on defending your fort can only retard the loss of it a few days, and must, of necessity, expose an unlucky garrison, who can receive no succours, considering the precautions I have taken. I demand a decisive answer immediately, for which purpose I have sent you the sieur Fantbrune, one of my aids-de-camp: you may credit what he will inform you as from me.

"I am, with respect, sir, your most humble, most obedient servant,

MONTCALM.”

Upon receipt of this letter, colonel Munroe absolutely refused giving up any thing; and the remainder of the day was spent in a constant fire upon us from the enemy's musketry, and as constant a fire from the fort, with cannon and shells.

Thursday, 4th August, 1757.

The enemy, we found, had been busy all the last night in throwing up an intrenchment in front of their encampment (which was within the wood on the west side of the lake) and bringing up stores, which, for want of men, we could not prevent, but annoyed them as much as possible from the fort, by a continual fire from our cannon and mortars, and howitz, under the direction of lieutenant Collins, of the royal train of artillery, and Adam Williamson, Esq. his majesty's engineer. The greatest part of both shot and shells took good effect, as many of them fell into the enemy's intrenchment, which considerably retarded their work. This day we had the misfortune to burst a mortar, but hurt nobody, or but slightly. About noon, a report was carried to colonel Munroe that the Indians were endeavouring to cut off our communication with the place where we got our water; upon which captain Waldo, of Massachusetts, with one hundred of the Massachusetts regiment, was ordered to dislodge them, which he effected, but being advanced himself too far, and being flanked by the enemy, received a shot through his body, and was brought in and dressed;-but little hopes of his recovery. The rest of the party returned, with several wounded.

Friday, 5th August.

This day we got to the camp a sufficiency of provisions and stores, and the whole day we kept a constant fire from the fort on the enemy's work, but had the misfortune to burst two 32-pounders, and one 18-pounder: the Indians all the while annoying us all in their power with their small arms.

Saturday, 6th August.

About one o'clock this morning captain Waldo died of his wound; and this morning, by day-break, we discovered the enemy's battery, of nine cannon, and upon the fort's firing, they gave us two guns, and soon after, seven more, very quick, one after the other; which hot fire they continued all day. The largest of their shot we found to be 18-pounders; we also found several shot