Montcalm and Wolfe eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 931 pages of information about Montcalm and Wolfe.

Montcalm and Wolfe eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 931 pages of information about Montcalm and Wolfe.

Wednesday, August 10th.—­Early this morning we were ordered to prepare for our march, but found the Indians in a worse temper (if possible) than last night, every one having a tomahawk, hatchett or some other instrument of death, and Constantly plundering from the officers their arms &ca this Col’o.  Monro Complained of, as a breach of the Articles of Capitulation but to no effect, the french officers however told us that if we would give up the baggage of the officers and men, to the Indians, they thought it would make them easy, which at last Col’o.  Monro Consented to but this was no sooner done, then they began to take the Officers Hatts, Swords, guns & Cloaths, stripping them all to their Shirts, and on some officers, left no shirt at all, while this was doing they killed and scalp’d all the sick and wounded before our faces and then took out from our troops, all the Indians and negroes, and Carried them off, one of the former they burnt alive afterwards.”

“At last with great difficulty the troops gott from the Retrenchment, but they were no sooner out, then the savages fell upon the rear, killing & scalping, which Occasioned an order for a halt, which at last was done in great Confusion but as soon as those in the front knew what was doing in the rear they again pressed forward, and thus the Confusion continued & encreased till we came to the Advanc’d guard of the French, the savages still carrying away Officers, privates, Women and Children, some of which latter they kill’d & scalpt in the road.  This horrid scene of blood and slaughter obliged our officers to apply to the Officers of the French Guard for protection, which they refus’d & told them they must take to the woods and shift for themselves which many did, and in all probability many perish’t in the woods, many got into Fort Edward that day and others daily Continued coming in, but vastly fatigued with their former hardships added to this last, which threw several of them into Deliriums.”

AFFIDAVIT OF MILES WHITWORTH, SURGEON OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT, TAKEN BEFORE GOVERNOR
POWNALL 17 OCT.1757.

Public Record Office. (Extract.)

“Being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists doth declare ... that there were also seventeen Men of the Massachusetts Regiment wounded unable to March under his immediate Care in the Intrenched Camp, that according to the Capitulation he did deliver them over to the French Surgeon on the ninth of August at two in the Afternoon ... that the French Surgeon received them into his Custody and placed Centinals of the French Troops upon the said seventeen wounded.  That the French Surgeon going away to the French Camp, the said Miles Whitworth continued with the said wounded Men till five o’clock on the Morn of the tenth of August, That the Centinals were taken off and that he the said Whitworth saw the French Indians about 5 O’clock in the Morn of the 10th of August dragg the said seventeen wounded men out of their Hutts, Murder them with their Tomohawks and scalp them, That the French Troops posted round the lines were not further than forty feet from the Hutts where the said wounded Men lay, that several Canadian Officers particularly one Lacorne were present and that none, either Officer or Soldier, protected the said wounded Men.”

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Montcalm and Wolfe from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.