PAPERS RELATING TO OSWEGO.
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for securing his Rear, and preventing the Enemy from Surrounding his whole Party.—Nor did hereceive any Help from our Indians.—The whole Number he had with him, was only Twelve.—Nineof these (such is the State of our Interest with them !) could not be brought to engage.—One wentimmediately over to the French , and informed them of our Numbers & Disposition. An OneidaIndian fought bravely thro’ the whole Dispute but another Indian escaped to the Onondaga Castle,and spread a Report that Capt. Bradstreet was killed, & all his Battoemen defeated.—I hope we shallin the ensuing Campaign, fully avenge the Loss we sustained on the Banks of Monaungahela.
[ Paris Doc. XII. ]
Fort Ontario is situate at the right 1 of the River in the middle of a very high plateau. It consistsof a square of 30 toises 1180 feet] a side, the faces of which, broken in the centre, are flanked by aredan placed at the point of the break. It is constructed of pickets 18 inches in diameter, smoothon both sides, very well joined the one to the other and rising 8 @ 9 feet from the ground. - Theditch that encircles the fort, is 18 feet wide by 8 deep. The excavated earth had been thrown upen glacis on the counterscap with a very steep slope over the berm [covered way]. Loop holes andembrasures are formed in the pickets on a level with the earth thrown up on the berm and a scaffold-ing of carpenter’s work extends all around so as to fire from above. It has eight guns and 4 mortal’swith double grenades.
The old Fort Chouaguen, situate on the left [or west] bank of the River , consists of a house withgalleries ( 'machecoulis ) with loop holes on the ground floor and principal story, the walls of which arethree feet thick and encompassed at a distance of three toises [18 feet,] by another wall 1 feet thickand 10 high, loopholed and flanked by two large square towers. It has likewise a trench encircling,on the land side, the Fort where the enemy had placed 18 pieces of cannon and 15 mortars andhowitzers.
Fort George is situate 300 toises beyond that of Choauguen on a hill that commanded it. It is ofpickets and badly enough entrenched with earth on two sides.
JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE OF CHOUAGUEN,
COMMENCED THE 11 th AUGUST 1756, AND CONCLUDED THE 14 th AT NIGHT J BY THE MARQUIS OF MONTCALM*
On the arrival of the French Troops in Canada in the month of May, every disposition having beenmade for the Campaign, the Marquis of Vaudreuil Governor General of New France detached a bodyof Colonial Troops and Militia towards the St. John River to harrass the English and receive the
1 That is, the East Bank.