Ticonderoga is the one place on the American continent where Great
Britain and France, Canada and the United States can all unite on
one common ground. The Yankees and British can meet here and clasp
hands over the time when they once fought together and there is
not even a sectional feeling which detracts from the unanimity.
The North, South, East and West of the United States all join with
equal fervor. Each nation had its defeats here at different times
but each also had its victories. Therefore there is no battle honor
which could be conferred on any British regiment that would
please more people of different nations than “Ticonderoga 1758-9.”
The fact that there is at present in the village of Ticonderoga
a public library and historical building dedicated to a British
Regiment, even though this same regiment in its line of duty fought
against us in a later war, is sufficient proof that we consider
Ticonderoga of international history and above matters of local
prejudice.
The rest of the story is soon told. Crown Point was captured and
the army was to have moved forward to Isle oux-Noix and to the
St. Lawrence but a succession of storms so delayed operations
that further active movements were abandoned for the remainder of
the season. Amherst profiting by the fatal precipitation of his
predecessor was slow but sure and in this campaign was successful
in every enterprise that he undertook.
After the capture of Crown Point the army under Amherst was mainly
employed in building operations on Lake Champlain, Fort Amherst at
Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga in place of old Fort Carrillon
at Ticonderoga. The Black Watch was stationed at Crown Point and
helped to build Fort Amherst. In November, they went into camp for
the winter and in his report of “Garrisons and Winter Quarters of
His Majesty’s forces in North America under the command of His
Excellency, Major General Amherst, Headquarters at New York, 15
Dec., 1759” in the Public Record Office, the stations of the Black
Watch were as follows: 1st Battalion Royal Highland Regiment, 1
company Halfway Brook, 5 companies Fort Edward, 1 company Fort
Miller, 1 company Saratoga, 1 company Stillwater and 1 company
Halfmoon, 2d Battalion Royal Highland Regiment, Albany, one
Battalion of the Inniskilling (27th Foot) and two companies of the
Rangers were left at Crown Point, six companies Late Brig. Gen’l
Forbe’s (17th Foot) at Ticonderoga, and four companies 17th Foot at
Fort George. The following season (1760) the Black Watch was with
Amherst at the capture of Montreal which was the end of the French
domain on the American Continent.
In 1761 the Black Watch with ten regiments embarked for Barbadoes
there to join an armament against Martinique and Havana. After
the surrender of Havana, the first battalion of the 42nd and
Montgomery’s Highlanders embarked for New York which they reached
in the end of October, 1762. Before leaving Cuba most of the second
battalion of the 42nd fit for service were consolidated with the
first, and the remainder shipped to Scotland where they were
reduced the following year.
The Black Watch was stationed at Albany until the summer of 1763,
when they, with a detachment of Montgomery’s Highlanders and
another of the 60th, under command of Col. Henry Boquet were sent
to the relief of Fort Pitt then besieged by the Indians. The 42nd
passed the winter at Fort Pitt and during the summer of 1764,
eight companies were sent with the army of Boquet against the Ohio
Indians. After subduing the Indians they returned to Fort Pitt,
January 1765. The regiment remained in Pennsylvania until the month
of July, 1767, when it embarked at Philadelphia for Ireland. Such
of the men who preferred to remain in America were permitted to
join other regiments. These volunteers were so numerous that along
with those who had been previously sent home disabled and others
discharged and settled in America, the regiment that returned was
very small in proportion to that which had left Scotland.
Let us now turn our attention to Major Duncan Campbell as not only
would no sketch of the Black Watch of Ticonderoga be complete
without the legend with which his name is associated, but we are
perhaps more interested in him than any other officer of the
Regiment of that time because he lies buried in the cemetry midway
between Hudson Falls (formerly Sandy Hill) and Fort Edward. The
other officers and men who were killed July 8, 1758, were doubtless
buried on the field of battle and if the graves were ever marked,
these marks have long since been destroyed.
[Illustration: AT INVERAWE
Old Inverawe House from the River Awe with Ben Cruachan in the
background.
View from the West. X marks the window of the Ghost Room.