JOURNALS OF SIR WM. JOHNSON’S SCOUTS.

175

REPORT OF CAPT. RODGERS’ AND CO’S SCOUT.

On the fourteenth Day of October 1755 I Embarked in a Burch Canoe at the Camps on theSouth End of Lake George with Four Men beside my self & sailed twenty five miles & Landed onthe west side of the Lake then Traveled by Land and on the Eighteenth Day I arived on the Moun-tain on the West side of Crown point there I lay that Night and all the next Day and observed theEnemys motions there & about Crown point and observed Ambuseers Built upon the Mount aboutThirty Rods To the Southwest of Crown point fort in the Evening went Down To the Houses thatwas built upon the lake to the South of Crown point & went Into a barn that was well filld withwheat & left three men & proceeded with one man To make further Discoverys at the fort andfound a good place To ambush within Sixty Rods of the fort & Imediatly went back & took our part-ners & ambushd at the proper place we had found & there we lay Till about Ten of the Clock &observed several Canoes passing up & Down the Lake & sundry men that went out To work abouttheir Secular affairs & Judged the whole that was in the fort to be about five Hundred at length afrench man Came out of the fort Towards us without his Gun & Came within fifteen Rods of wherewe lay then I with another man Run up to him In order to Captivate him—But he Refused To TakeQuarter so we kill ,d him and Took of his Scalp in plain sight of the fort then Run and in plainveiw about Twenty Rods & made our Escape the same Night we Came Right West ol Tianaragoabout three Miles and upon a Mountain in plain sight of their fort & see large Incampments Roundit & heard a vast number of smal arms fired Judged there To be Two Thousand men at Tianarago& on the Twenty first Day Got To Our Canoes about Eight of the Clock in the Morning & foundall safe & about Nine of the Clock in the Evening Arived all well at our Encampments wherewe set out.

The above account is the Clieif Discovery that we made at Crown point & Tioanaragoe.

To the Honourable William Johnson Esq 1 'Commander in Cheifof ) Robert Rodgersthe Forces at Lake George this presented By Your Honours j. Jonathan ButterfieldMost Humble Serv 1 J Israel Putnam

(Endorsed) Cap 1 Rodgers & C os Acc‘ of Scout

to Crown Point rec’d 22 Octo r 1755

CAPT. DOLITTLE’S JOURNAL OF HIS SCOUT TO TIONDOROGO.

Octob r 24‘h 1755 after a tedias march over hills and holes we Indeavoured to Disscover y e frenchon this side of y e Carrying Place but Could not hear any of y e Choping or Shooting or Druming wewent Down To y e Lake but Could not Disscover them Then we Proceeded farther To Tiondarogawhere we had a fare View of y e french a little before son set They ware at work Clearing of Landand Choping of Timber they have Cleared a Pint of Land that Looks East a Cross the Water thatRuns from Lake George and y e South Bay which is To appearance but little more than Quarter of aMile a Cross they have built no fort as I could Disscerne neither have they any Great Guns that Icould see we Lay all night within about a mile of them saw them Light up y e fires and Beat y®Drums there appears to be about 150 Tents some small Boarded Housen there may [be] about 100taen as near as I Can Gfess we Desiga d te view y® y* next morning but was Prevented by y« snew