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[ Council Min. XXV. ]
At a Council held at Fort George in the City of New
York on Friday the 27 th day of April 1756.1
His Excellency communicated to the Council the Intelligence he had received from the E 1 TI>n bl0the Earl of Loudon, by Express, of the Enemy’s having laid siege to Oswego , of their having takenthe Fort on the East side of the River , and that it was apprehended they were or would soon beMasters of the other works there, with all the stores and Naval Armament.
Also a Letter from his Lordship of the 21 st inst in which his Lordship desires that his Excellencyseeing the situation of Things, and Knowing so well the Consequences of such a situation would sendhim such aid as he may see necessary and may be in his power to do.
EXTRACT OF A lETTER FROM ALBANY , DATED AUG. 30.
Last night a Letter came to Town from Onide Carrying Place, where was come an Indian fromOswego, who informed, that the French had carried every Thing from thence and demolished thePlace; that they had carried away three of four Officers, the Carpenters and Sailors to Frontenac,the Remainder they killed, cut off their Heads, and posted them on Stakes along the Lake Side. It
is said Col. L-e scandalously surrendered the Fort , no more than 7 Men killed in the whole,
among whom was Col. Mercier. *Commodore B-y also behaved scandalously, not firing one Gun
from his Vessels on the Enemy. I cannot conceive (if true) why this Barbarity was Committed, un-less our Men repented their Shameful Surrender, or there must have been a Quarrel between theFrench and Indians.
The accounts received from Albany since our last, concerning Oswego , are more favourable, thanthose that have been inserted heretofore ; for w r e are Assured from good Authority, that some whitePeople are returned to Albany, who were despatched to Oswego , in order to reconnoitre the Woods,and, if possible, to get a View of the Place, who report that they lay two Nights there, where everything that could be of service to the French was carried away, and the Forts and Houses entirelydemolished, that no signs of Murder or Massacre was to be seen, and that they found only threeGraves, which were very handsomely made up, and one in particular, which they imagined was Col.Mercer’s.
’Tis also said, That a Negro Fellow, w r ho made his Escape, after the Garrison of Oswego w r as taken,is lying sick at Onida Castle, and says, that immediately after Col. Mercer was killed, the Place wasgiven up to the French , by Order of Lieutenant Colonel Littlehill; that the Number of the Besiegerswere but little superior to those of the Besieged; and that the Enemy had no other Cannon, thanthose they got at Fort Ontario.
A Letter from Oneida Carrying Place dated August 18 says—That John Gall who belong’d to oneof the Vessels on the Lake , and made his Escape reports, That on the 11 th instant the Row Galleywent out on a Cruise , and return’d in 10 Minutes, first giving a Signal that he had discovered theEnemy : Upon which the two other Sloops with Part of the Regiments on board immediately wentout, and in about a Mile from the Fort discovered the Enemy’s Camp. The 12 th the Enemy engaged
Ms. Note in the Mercury .—If an enemy should stand on the brink of tha hill no gun pointed could reach him from thevessels.