I must beg your pardon for troubling you with so many of my
letters, but I am a good deal at leisure, and so lucky an
opportunity of conveyance offers, that I can't let it pass without
sending you one line or two. Since my last, our Fleet is destroyed,
of which I suppose you have heard, but 5 vessels remaining to us
out of 16 sail. The engagement began on Friday morning, October
11th, and held out all day. They surrounded our Fleet, but in the
night succeeding the engagement they very narrowly and fortunately
made their escape and came up towards Crown Point, but were
overtaken and attacked again Sunday morning, within about 25 miles
of this place. Our men fought bravely, but the enemy were of so
much greater force than we had any suspicion of that our little
fleet stood no chance; most of the vessels lost were blown up,
sunk, or burnt by our own people, they escaping by land. We lost,
killed, about 50; taken prisoners, about 100, which are dismissed
on parole. The Indians have done us no damage till very lately they
waylaid three men, kill'd one, took the other two prisoners, who
are sent back on parole. They were treated very kindly by the
Indians as well as by the King's troops who were at the time at
Crown Point within 15 miles of this place, where they have been
ever since the destruction of our Fleet. We have lately been
alarm'd several times. On Monday morning last, there was a proper
alarm, occasioned by a number of the enemies boats which hove in
sight, and a report from a scouting party that the Enemy were
moving on; where the Fleet is now, I can't learn, or what is the
reason they don't come on I can't conceive. 'Tis thought they are
10 or 12 thousand strong, including Canadians and Indians. We are
in a much better situation now than we were fourteen days ago, and
the militia are continually coming in. Our sick are recovering, and
it is thought we are as ready for them now as ever we shall be.
There has been a vast deal of work done since the fight, and we
think ourselves in so good a position that we shall be disappointed
if they don't attack us. However, I believe they wait for nothing
but a fair wind. In my next, I'll tell you more about it. In the
meantime I am yours to command.