Osprey Campaign 76 : Ticonderoga 1758 : Montcalm's Victory against All Odds

Rene Chartrand recounts the course of the ill-fated British attempt to capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1758 during the French-Indian Wars. After the disastrous loss of Fort William Henry in 1757 to the energetic French commander the Marquis de Montcalm, morale in the British colonies was at rock bottom. For 1758 a three-pronged attack would be made to restore the situation and carry the war into Canada. General Amherst would make an amphibious attack on the fortress of Louisbourg, and General Abercromby would take a force up Lake Champlain and capture Ticonderoga while Brigadier Forbes led 6,000 men against Fort Duquesne. Abercromby had a force of 9,000 provincials and over 6,000 regulars with ample equipment and artillery and 1,000 boats. In addition he had the finest young officer in the army, Lord Howe, as his second-in-command. On 5 July the expedition embarked from its camp in the ruins of Fort William Henry at Ticonderoga, Montcalm had little more than a week's supplies. Abercromby's men landed at 10am on the morning of 6 July and by noon the entire army had disembarked. Then tragedy struck. Some Rangers ran into a French scouting party and in the fierce skirmish that followed Howe was shot through the heart. The army was shattered at the loss, but Abercromby went to pieces. He decided to attack Montcalm's completed breastworks head-on. Battalion after battalion was sacrificed, cut to pieces by musketry and grapeshot. The most famous of these hopeless assaults was that of the Black Watch. For a full hour the Scots tried to hack their way through with broadswords, shooting at an enemy they could not see. Bravery alone was not enough and finally what was left of them had to fall back. Abercromby retreated to the foot of Lake George - Montcalm had saved Canada, with Abercromby's help. Illustrations by Patrice Courcelle.

Contents

• Origins of the Campaign
• Opposing Commanders
• Opposing Armies
• Opposing Plans
• The Campaign & Battle
• Aftermath
• Chronology
• Bibliography
• The Battlefield Today
• Index