1756-57. Forts Oswego, Ontario, George and William Henry.— England declared war against France 18 May 1756. Governor Shirley was commander4n-chief of colonial forces; Marquis de Montcalm general of French. Shirley slowly matured plans of attack on Crown Point and Fort DuQuesne; mean while Montcalm destroyed three forts, Os wego, Ontario and George. This activity of the enemy cost Shirley his position, the Earl of Loudon taking his place, General Abercrombie second in command. In 1757 Montcalm attacked Fort Williarn Henry, at the head of Lake George, garrisoned by 2,264 regu lars, under Colonel Munroe. The attack lasted from 3 August to 9 August, when a capitulation was signed.
1758. Louisburg: Ticonderoga: Crown Point: DuQuesne.—Three expeditions were proposed for 1758: the first ag-ainst Louisburg; the second against Ticonderoga and Crown Point; the third against Fort DuQuesne. May 1758 found Admiral Boscawen at Halifax with a fleet of 157 vessels (23 ships of the line, 18 frigates and transports). There were 12,000 men under Jeffery Amherst to co-operate with him. The attack on Louisburg began 9 June and lasted until 26 July, when the garrison capitulated, becoming pnsoners of war. Vast quantities of ammunition and stores, 218 can non and 18 mortars fell into the hands of the English.
General Abercrombie led a force of 15,000 men against Ticonderoga, embarking on Lake George 5 July; advanced toward the fort ; ex perienced many difficulties, including a slcir mish in which Lord Howe was killed, and finally had to retreat. He lost about 2,000 men.
Lieut.-Col. John Bradstreet proposed an at tack on Fort Frontenac (now Kingston, Can ada) ; Abercrombie consented and gave him 3,000 men. This was successful toward the close of August; Bradstreet captured quanti ties of stores, ammunition and cannon.
Duquesne.— Early in July General Forbes left Philadelphia en route to Fort DuQuesne, with Cherokee allies; Colonel Bouquet was at Raystown; in September Colonel Washington joined Forbes; late in November Fort Du Quesne was in possession of colonial forces, receiving the name of Pittsburgh in honor of the elder William Pitt.
1759. Quebec.-- Maj.-Gen. James Wolfe was appointed to proceed against Quebec. He had 10 battalions of infantry, 6 companies of rangers? artillery, engineers and the Louisburg Grenadier Corps. Under Admiral Saunders were 22 ships of the line, 5 frigates and sev eral transports; Wolfe had, as brigadier-gener als, Moncicton, Townshend and Murray; Col. Guy Carleton commanding the grenadiers, and Lieut-Col. William Howe (brother of Lord Howe) the light infantry. At Quebec were more troops than the English had, under Mont calm, who placed them along the north shore, below the city, from Saint Charles River to the Falls of Montmorency. Wolfe placed batteries within cannon-shot of Quebec at the west point of the Isle of Orleans, and at Point Levi. The lower town was destroyed; conflagrations occur ring in the upper town from red-hot balls and shells. Wolfe crossed from the Isle of Orleans to the north branch of the Saint Lawrence 9 July, camping below the Montmorency; 18 July he made a successful reconnoitre. His attack
on redoubts at the ford was unsuccessful, with a loss of 400 men and two vessels. While ill, and waiting the arrival of General Amherst, he called a council of war ; and it was decided to draw Montcalm into the open field. Camp was broken and the troops moved to Point Levi.
De Bourgainville, with 1,500 French, guarded the north shore to prevent landing. The Eng lish admiral deceived the French by moving lus vessels below the real landing-place (Wolfe's Cove, near Cape Diamond). Ascent was made to the Plains of Abraham; the memorable battle was fought, Wolfe and Montcalm both dying from wounds therein received; and the dtadel surrendered 17 September to General Towns hend.
Fort Niagara.— Soldiers under Prideaux landed 1 July 1759, within six miles of Fort Niagara. A sally was made 11 July. Prideaux was killed by a bursting shell 19 July; Amherst appointed General Gage to succeed him; until his arrival General Johnson carried on a siege; the fort surrendered 25 July.
Presqu'Isle: Venango: LeBoeuf: Ticon deroga.—Colonel Bouquet captured with ease Presqu' Isle, Venango and LeBceuf. General Amherst had 11,000 men for an attack on Ticon deroga, which he took late in July (the French having withdrawn), only losing 75 men in a skirmish. He also took Crown Point. The English now fortified these places.
1759-60. Cherokee War.— While the above events were transpiring trouble arose with the Cherokees, who had accompanied General Forbes against Fort DuQuesne the previous year. On the return of the Cherokees numer ous instances of loss of life occurred between Indians, Virginians and Carolinians. Governor Littleton, with 1,500 men, marched against the Cherokees, demanding surrender of the mur derers; he received 22 Indian hostages as se curity for peace, and retired from the field owing to disease and insubordination in his command. The Cherokees attempted to take Fort Prince George, at the head of the Savan nah. Hostages were placed in irons through fear of an effort to release them; one of them wounded a soldier, and his friends promptly killed all the Indians. This enraged the Cherokees, and war-parties were sent out in every direction and laid siege to the fort; the South Carolina assembly offered 125 for each Indian scalp, and voted to raise 1,000 men. General Amherst sent 1,000 Scotch Highland ers under Colonel Montgomery, who raised the blockade at Fort Prince George, and met In dians in June 1760. Victory was claimed by both sides. Montgomery retired to Charlestown, prepared to return north, by order of General Amherst. Lieutenant-Governor Bull now ordered 400 regulars for frontier protection. Upper Cherokees besieged Fort Loudon so suc cessfully that the garrison lived on horse-flesh until it surrendered under promise of protection to the settlement; the promise was broken, many lives lost and many taken prisoners. In June 1761 the Highland regiment returned and de feated the Cherokees with great slaughter. They sued for peace, which eventually was con cluded.