Battle of Sabbath Day Point
Battle of Sabbath Day Point | |||||||
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Part of the French and Indian War | |||||||
View of Lake George from Sabbath Day Point | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France Indian allies | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Charles Michel de Langlade Ensign de Corbière | John Parker | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Approximately 450 | Approximately 350 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 wounded | Approximately 250 killed or captured |
The Battle of Sabbath Day Point took place on 23 July 1757 just off the shore of Sabbath Day Point,
Background
During March 1757 Fort William Henry came under siege for four days by French forces. Lacking sufficient logistical and artillery support, and hampered further by a blinding snowstorm on 21 March, French forces were unable to take the fort and the siege was called off. Although the French failed to take the fort itself, their forces did destroy three hundred bateaux and several lightly armed vessels beached on the shore, a saw-mill and numerous outbuildings.[1]
Following the withdrawal, British forces under
Throughout the spring and early summer the Indians, spurred on by French rewards of brandy, guns, ammunition and clothing, sortied on raiding parties from
Battle
Monro, an officer with virtually no battle experience, decided to risk a
In the early morning hours of 23 July Parker's main force approached Sabbath Day Point unaware that the French had intercepted his three lead boats and learned his plan. As Parker's men approached the shore they noticed the three boats sent out a day ahead and assumed nothing was wrong. Three decoys aided the French and Indians in springing the trap by beckoning Parker's men towards the shore. Once within range Parker's men came under a withering volley of musket fire from the soldiers and Indians hidden along the shore. At the same time the Indians in the canoes broke around the point and surrounded Parker's men. The Indians jumped into the water from their canoes and sank, capsized or captured all but two of Parker's boats. Once in the water, many of the Provincials were speared or drowned. The ensuing battle was severely one-sided as the terrified and overwhelmed soldiers surrendered almost without firing a shot. Barely 100 of Parker's men, including Parker himself, escaped the onslaught of the French and Indians. Of Parker's force of 350, nearly 160 drowned or were killed. The remainder were taken prisoner.[4]
Aftermath
Colonel Parker, lucky to escape the onslaught, led what was left of his men through the brush and thick forest back to Fort William Henry. The victors loaded their prisoners and spoils into boats and headed north. Along the way they sang songs and indulged in the rum taken from the Provincials. Once back at Fort Carillon the Indians, drunk on rum, boiled and ate one unlucky captive.[4]
Monro paid a heavy price to learn that there was a sizeable body of French and Indians further up the lake. The French capitalized on the win and sent two forces south from Carillon, one on Lake George and one chopping through the dense forest on the west side of the lake. With the defeat on Sabbath Day Point, both bodies met little British resistance. Their objective was Fort William Henry; on the morning of 3 August the French came down the lake and glided into the view of the British. The
References
Bibliography
- Fowler, William M (2005). Empires at war: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America 1754–1763. New York: Walker & Company. ISBN 0-8027-1411-0.