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In the summer 1757, the Marquis de Montcalm brought together a large force to march on Fort William Henry. After leaving some of his force at the north end of the lake, Montcalm with 5,400 men and 1,675 Indians moved against the Fort. On August 3, 1757 the first cannon fire was heard. Montcalm’s men dug trenches to move the cannon closer each day until they were within 150 feet of the walls. The Fort’s defenses under Col Monro, continued to fight even as their cannon and mortars failed due to metal fatigue. Col. Monro had sent numerous messages to Col. Webb in Fort Edward requesting reinforcements but they never came.

Finally, on August 9th, Col. Monro met with Montcalm to discuss the terms of surrender. Montcalm gave the British generous terms including taking their colors and a small brass cannon to Fort Edward. As the British regulars moved from the Fort to Johnson’s former camp, some of the Indians with Montcalm’s army, feeling they had been tricked out of their promised war trophies, attacked the sick and wounded that remained behind at the fort looting and taking scalps. Montcalm tried desperately to bring them under control and finally, about 9 pm it became quiet.

The following morning, the British prepared to leave the camp and march 2,000 men, women and children to Fort Edward. The Indians began looting here also, taking anything of value. As the British column began the march south, they came under attack. Estimates at the time stated that a few more than 1,400 people were killed or taken prisoner by the Indians. Authorities now think that although the actual number can never been known, approximately 200 were killed during the siege and subsequent actions and perhaps twice that number were taken prisoner. The French forces managed to rescue some prisoners immediately while others were later returned from Canada. Over the next few days, some who had fled into the woods and had been presumed killed or taken prisoner made their way to Fort Edward where a cannon was fired on a regular basis to help guide the missing to safety. On August 15, Montcalm had the remaining British escorted halfway to Fort Edward where they were met by Col. Webb’s forces.

Montcalm’s men then burned the remainder of the Fort in fires that lasted two days; the glow of which could be seen in Fort Edward. In the late fall, the Fort garden was visited by the French to remove the last of the remaining vegetables. The stench of decaying flesh still hung in the air for miles around the Lake. Finally nature reclaimed the site covering it with grass and trees.

The site remained undisturbed for many years until two local businessmen bought the property to keep it from being destroyed by the construction around Lake George Village. Archaeology began in the 1950s unearthing many artifacts. The walls of the fort had been built of wood logs as its facings and filled with sand. The sand was still there, as were dungeons, a well and foundations of the original fort. The reconstruction you see today stands on the fort’s original site.

The surrounding grounds still contain the remains of British and French soldiers, civilians and Native Americans. Today the Fort stands as a tribute to those who fought and died during this era in history

 

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