Sixteen thousand gallant men, led by a brave and experienced general,
and supported by a fine, though not very large park of artillery,
seemed certainly sufficient for the reduction of a small fortress not
very well garrisoned, nor supplied with any great abundance of stores.
But it seemed the fate of English officers in North America to adhere
strictly to all ancient rules, when ancient rules could be of no
service in face of a new and totally different mode of warfare, and to
abandon those rules at times and in circumstances when only they could
be available.
A large fleet of bateaux had been collected at the southern extremity
of Lake George, ready to transport the troops to the destined point of
attack; and a council of the most experienced officers was held on the
evening of the third of July, to consider the farther proceedings of
the army.
All had now assembled at what was then commonly called in the province
"Fort Lyman," although the name was already formally changed to "Fort
Edward."
General Abercrombie was there in person, and a number of other
officers appeared at the council likewise, whose experience in Indian
warfare was superior to his own. There is much reason to believe that
had Abercrombie's own opinion been followed in acting against a French
fort, under French command, all the operations would have been
conducted in the same manner, and upon the same system which would
have guided a similar enterprise in Europe, and thus much bloodshed
and some disgrace would have been spared.
It was represented to the commander-in-chief, however, that numerous
bodies of Indians were acting upon the side of France; that all
operations carried on according to European rules had hitherto failed
in America, and more than one bloody disaster was held up as a warning
to his eyes; which he unhappily suffered to bias his own better
judgment. In a word, as it was known that every day fresh
reinforcements were being thrown into Ticonderoga, large bodies of
Indians being collected for its defence, and preparations of every
kind in progress, it was determined that a sudden and rapid rush
should be made upon the fort, and that no consideration should be put
in competition with celerity of movement and boldness of attack. Lord
H---- alone represented that, from what he had personally learned
during the last six months, it was absolutely necessary to employ
cannon; though, perhaps with a want of proper confidence in his own
reputation, he offered to lead the advanced parties, lest the opinion
he expressed should seem to anyone to savor of timidity.
At as early an hour as possible the march commenced along what was
called the King's road; and in high spirits, regiment after regiment
entered the forest, confident in their numbers and their prowess. The
regular troops pursued the well constructed causeway, while clouds of
Mohawks were scattered on the flanks, sweeping the forest ground on
either side. The artillery, on the heavy and clumsy carriages of that
day, the tumbrels and the baggage wagons, came lumbering in the rear,
and a large troop of stragglers followed, comprising the scouts, who
might have been much more advantageously employed in the front, but
who, for some reason unexplained, had very little service assigned to
them on the expedition. General Abercrombie and his staff, with
several of the superior officers, followed slowly behind all the rest,
well aware that the advance of the forces would meet with no
opposition, at least upon the first day's march. To this group, from
every quarter, came numerous messengers throughout the day, some
bringing news of a fresh levy marching up from the eastern States;
some, from the front, seeking clearer orders when any little
difficulty or impediment occurred; some from Albany, with intelligence
from that city or New York: and several Indian runners from the west,
bearing more important tidings from the Indian tribes, now all in
movement to support their British allies.
Amongst the rest appeared the silent runner Proctor, with a letter to
General Abercrombie, who, as soon as he had read it, turned to Lord
H----, saying: "This is a communication from your friends the Oneidas,
my lord, but written by some Englishman who signs himself 'Gore.' He
states that a war party of the nation is already on the western bank
of the lake, and that the main body, under Black Eagle himself, is
expected in the course of the day. I suppose we may therefore consider
ourselves secure upon our left flank."
"Undoubtedly," replied Lord H----, with a look of anxiety which almost
induced the Commander-in-chief to believe that he did entertain doubts
which he did not choose to express.
"You think so, I presume," said Abercrombie, gazing at him.
"Entirely," replied Lord H----; "but I was in hopes of hearing some
other intelligence of a private nature, concerning Mr. Prevost's son,
whose alarming position amongst the Oneidas I mentioned to you, if you
recollect."
"There is nothing more," said General Abercrombie, handing him the
letter; "but there is the messenger. Probably he can give you some
information."
Lord H---- immediately turned toward Proctor, who was running at a
sort of trot by the side of the general's horse, and inquired if he
had been at the Castle of the Oneidas. The man shook his head and
trotted on.
"Then where did you last come from?" asked Lord H----; but Proctor
only lifted his hand and pointed toward the northwest.
"How many miles?" demanded the young nobleman, determined to get some
speech out of him. The man lifted up his hands three times with the
ten fingers spread abroad, without opening his lips.
"Did you hear, amongst those who sent you," asked Lord H----, "any
tidings of young Mr. Prevost?"
The man shook his head, but then suddenly stopped in his trot, and
said, as if upon recollection: "They thought he had been put to
death." He paused, as if what he had said had cost him a great effort,
but then added, slowly, when he saw the painful expression of the
young nobleman's countenance: "They only thought. They did not know.
They left before."
"Did you see or hear of a man whom you know as Woodchuck--the man you
saw with me at Albany?" asked Lord H----; but the other shook his
head, and nothing more could be extracted from him. The man was then
sent forward to join the rear guard, but his taciturnity gave Lord
H---- good assurance that Mr. Prevost, who had gone forward, would not
be pained by the terrible rumor which he bore.
The long and fatiguing march to the nearest point of Lake Horicon I
need not describe. Many of the scenes recorded in the life of the
gallant Putnam passed near or on the very route pursued; and the feats
of daring and the escapes of that fine soldier are almost as marvelous
still in our eyes as in those of the savage Indians of his own time,
who supposed him to bear a charmed life. Suffice it that, after
encountering great difficulty and some fatigue, in dragging the cannon
over a road which, in the neighborhood of the settled portion of the
colony was good enough, but which became almost impassable near the
lake, in consequence of the heavy rains, the whole army arrived in
safety at the newly constructed and yet incomplete works of Fort
George, lying a little east of the site of the ever memorable Fort
William Henry. By the care and diligence of the commissary general,
everything that could refresh the weary soldiers was found prepared. A
fleet of one hundred and thirty-five large boats and nine hundred
bateaux were seen lying along the shore of the lake of pure and holy
waters; and hardly a head was laid down to slumber in the huts that
night which did not fondly fancy that Ticonderoga must inevitably
fall.
As usual with him, in camp or on the march, Lord H---- dined with his
soldiers, and shared their simple fare; but he passed the evening with
Mr. Prevost, who had found quarters in the fort. Both were grave, but
the deeper gravity was with Lord H----; for though, through the mind
of the elder man continually flitted painful fancies--thoughts,
images, or whatever they may be called--of the fate of Brooks, and his
lips murmured twice, almost involuntarily, the words "Poor Woodchuck!"
yet the certainty which he felt of the safety of his son, however
great the sacrifice which purchased it, was a comfort, a great, a
mighty consolation, although he almost reproached himself for the
sensation of rejoicing which he could not help experiencing.
Lord H----, on the contrary, felt no such certainty. Ever since his
conversation with Proctor, if conversation it can be called, a gloomy
feeling of apprehension had rested on him. He did not doubt poor
Woodchuck in the least; he was sure that he would hold fast to his
resolution. Neither had he any fears that the execution of his purpose
would be delayed or prevented by any such accident as that which had
in reality occurred. But he asked himself: "Might he not come too
late?" They had been told the time allowed by the Oneida chief to
provide a substitute for Walter, and had taken it at the European
calculation of months; but since he heard that a rumor of the young
man's death was prevalent amongst the Indians, he doubted whether
there had not been a mistake. The very rumor showed that some of the
natives, at least, imagined the time had expired, and implied that
their calculation was different. The effect upon the mind of Edith, he
knew, would be terrible, when she found that her brother might have
been saved, but that his life had been lost by such a mistake.
From Mr. Prevost he strove to hide his apprehensions as far as
possible, knowing well that previous anxiety never diminishes an
inevitable evil; and soon after nightfall he left him to seek thought
in his own tent.
The sky was clear and cloudless; the stars shining out with a
largeness and a luster such as European skies can never give. A light
breeze stirred the waters of the lake and made them musical along the
shore, and one of the voyageurs was singing a tranquil song of home in
a clear, mellow voice, as he sat in his bark. The air was mild and
gentle as a morning dream, and yet the whole had that solemn calmness
which is always allied to melancholy.
He sat there long; no inclination to sleep interrupted his reveries,
notwithstanding the fatigue of the day; and at length the moon rose
over the high eastern hills, showing an unrivaled scene of solemn
beauty.
The young nobleman rose, and after gazing round him for a few moments,
drinking in, as it were, the solemn loveliness, he then walked on
slowly toward the blackened remains of Fort William Henry. There was
little to be seen there. Montcalm had not left his work half done; for
all had been destroyed, and little beyond some irregularities in the
ground, and some large detached fragments of masonry, showed where so
many gallant men had fought in their country's cause, only to be
slaughtered after surrender by a treacherous enemy. By report he knew
the ground well, and after pausing for a minute or two amongst the
ruins, he turned down the dark and fearful dell where the horrible
massacre was perpetrated. Every rock around had echoed to the yell of
the Indians, the groan of the dying soldiers, or the shrieks of
defenceless women and children. Every tree had seen beneath its boughs
some of the deeds of horror and of blood which went to make up that
great crime. The bones of hundreds were lying still unburied; and when
the moonlight fell on the western side of the gorge, some portion of a
woman's garment, caught upon a bush, was seen fluttering in the
breeze.
The immediate path along which Lord H---- went was still in profound
shadow; but suddenly, across the moonlit side a little in advance of
him, he saw gliding along, with noiseless steps, a troop of eight or
ten shadowy forms, looking like ghosts in the pale moonlight. So much
was their color the same as the rocks around, that you might almost
fancy you saw through them, and that they were but the shadows from
some other objects, cast upon the broken crags as they passed. Lord
H---- stood and gazed, when suddenly the band stopped; and,
comprehending that he had been perceived, he challenged them in
English, judging at once that they must be a troop of friendly
Indians. A deep voice replied in the same language, but with a strong
Indian accent: "We are friends, children of the Stone. Can you tell us
where to find Prevost?"
As he spoke, the leader of the Indians had advanced nearer, down the
sloping ground at the foot of the rocks, and there seemed something in
his tall, powerful form, and majesty of carriage, familiar to the eyes
of the young nobleman, who exclaimed: "Is that the Black Eagle?"
"It is," answered the other, whose limited knowledge of English did
not suffer him to indulge in his usual figurative language. "Art thou
the Falling Cataract?"
"I am he to whom you gave that name," answered Lord H----; "but what
want you with Mr. Prevost? Where is his son?"
"On yonder side of Horicon," answered the Indian chief, pointing with
his hand toward the western side of the lake. "The boy is safe; be thy
mind at rest."
Lord H---- took the hand he proffered, and pressed it in his; but at
the same time he asked: "And poor Woodchuck--what of him?"
"I know not," answered Black Eagle. "We have not beheld him."
"That is strange," answered the young nobleman. "He set out to deliver
himself up to you, to save the young man's life."
"He is brave," answered Black Eagle. "The Good Spirit kept him away."
"Then how was the boy delivered?" asked Lord H----. "We feared your
people would be inexorable."
"The Great Spirit spoke by the voices of the women," answered the
chief. "She who sees beyond the earth in her visions heard the voice
and told its words. It was decreed that if the boy died, our wives,
our daughters, our sisters should all die with him; and we listened to
the voice, and obeyed."
"Come with me quickly," said Lord H----, eagerly. "Let us carry the
news to Mr. Prevost. He is here at the fort now, holding an office in
our army."
"I know it," replied Black Eagle. "I have been to his lodge, and found
no one but the slaves, who told me. The boy I sent on with my people,
for the children of the Stone have taken the warpath for England, and
a thousand warriors are on their way to the place of the sounding
waters. He goes to fight amongst us as our son. But I must speak with
Prevost before I go, for the wings of the Black Eagle are spread,
perhaps for his last flight; and who knows but he will leave his scalp
on the warpost of the Huron?"
Lord H---- led the way with a quick step, and the chief and his
companions followed. At the first outpost they were, of course,
challenged, and strict orders having been given to admit no troop of
Indians within the limits of the fort, the young nobleman and the
chief proceeded alone to the quarters of Mr. Prevost. They found him
still up, and busily writing orders for the following morning. When he
beheld the face of Black Eagle following his noble friend, he started
up, and at first drew back; but then, with a sudden change of feeling,
he seized the warrior's hand, exclaiming: "My son lives! My son lives,
or you would not be here!"
"He lives," replied the Black Eagle; and he then proceeded to give the
same account to Mr. Prevost which had been heard by Lord H----. The
former, however, understanding the Indian better, soon drew from him,
partly in English, and partly in Iroquois, the whole particulars of
Walter's deliverance.
"And would you really have slain him?" asked Mr. Prevost.
"I would," replied Black Eagle, calmly and firmly. "I would have torn
out my own heart had the laws of my people required it!"
The father mused for a few moments, and then said, in a thoughtful
tone: "I believe you would. Dear Otaitsa, did she really, then, peril
her life to save her young friend?"
"She did more," answered Black Eagle. "She was one of those who
prepared to go to the happy hunting grounds with him; but I tell thee,
Prevost, not the sight of my child, with the knife in her hand, ready
to plunge it into her own heart, made the Black Eagle pause or
hesitate. It was that we heard the voice of the Great Spirit in the
words that were spoken. He only can change the laws of the Oneida, and
He changed them. But now hear me, Prevost, for I must back to my
people and thy son. I sent them forward toward the Sounding Waters,
while I sought thee, first at thy lodge and then here; and I must join
them, for they must not throw a hatchet or fire a rifle without the
Black Eagle."
He had seated himself when first he entered, but now he rose and stood
erect, as if about to make a speech. "There is a blossom on the bough
of the Black Eagle's tree," he said, "which is dear to his eyes, and
thou hast a bough on thy tree which is dear to thee. Otaitsa is a
Christian--believes in your Good Spirit. She is descended from a race
of warriors, every one of whom has left a name in the hearts of their
people. She is of the highest race of the highest tribe of the
children of the Stone. The blood of the redman is as fine as the blood
of the white. Her mother was the daughter of a great chief, and of a
race as good as thine own; a race that is renowned."
Mr. Prevost bent down his head, but he knew the Indian customs too
well to interrupt, and the chief went on, saying: "The Blossom loves
the Bough; the Bough loves the Blossom. She has purchased him, she has
bought him for herself; she has offered her heart's blood for his
price. Is he not hers? If the Black Eagle should never return from his
war flight, if the bullet of the French should break his wing, or the
arrow of the Huron pierce his heart, will his brother Prevost bind the
Blossom and the Bough together as the white men bind them, and as the
Christian people unite those who love, together? Will he take the
Blossom to his own home, and make her indeed his daughter?"
Mr. Prevost rose and threw his arms round the chief, saying: "Thou art
my brother. I will do as thou hast said, and may the Good Spirit deal
with me as I deal with thee in this matter. Thy daughter is my
daughter, my son is thy son. But thou knowest not, perhaps----"
Black Eagle raised his hand, saying in Iroquois: "Forbear! I know what
I know; thou knowest what thou knowest. We may believe much that it is
not right to prove. Silence is a good thing when secrets are
dangerous. Now go I to my people with my heart at rest;" and without
more words he glided out of the room.