mikemiller1955
Lieutenant General
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2008
- Messages
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here is an interesting one I stumbled on...which I'm sure many of you were already aware of...
another lopsided French victory...
The Battle of Sabbath Day Point took place on 23 July 1757, just off the shore of Sabbath Day Point, Lake George, NY and ended in a French victory.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Monro, an officer with virtually no battle experience, decided to risk a reconnaissance in force.
His plan was to gather all available boats, pack them with approximately 350 men and send them north up the lake into an area controlled by an enemy he knew little about. To command this force Monro chose Colonel John Parker of the Jersey Blues unit. It was decided to land Colonel Parker’s flotilla of men on Sabbath Day Point situated approximately 20 miles north of Fort William Henry on the west side of Lake George. On 20 July an advance party of three boats departed for the point with Parker’s main force departing in the pre-dawn hours of 21 July. The departure of the first three boats was spotted by French scouts. On 21 July a force of approximately 450 French and Indian men under the command of Ensign de Corbiere departed Fort Carillon to intercept. The French ambushed Parker’s three lead boats and while under “questioning” by Indians, the Provincials told them exactly where Parker planned to come ashore. The French trap was then set. The ambush plan was to place musket-men along the shore of the point and a flotilla of Indians in fifty canoes out of view on the opposite side of the point.
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 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 remainders were taken prisoner on their way to Fort Carillon.
In this rout, Colonel Parker lost approximately 250 men with nearly 160 men killed or drowned and the rest taken prisoner. The French reported only one man slightly wounded.
for more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sabbath_Day_Point
another lopsided French victory...
The Battle of Sabbath Day Point took place on 23 July 1757, just off the shore of Sabbath Day Point, Lake George, NY and ended in a French victory.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Monro, an officer with virtually no battle experience, decided to risk a reconnaissance in force.
His plan was to gather all available boats, pack them with approximately 350 men and send them north up the lake into an area controlled by an enemy he knew little about. To command this force Monro chose Colonel John Parker of the Jersey Blues unit. It was decided to land Colonel Parker’s flotilla of men on Sabbath Day Point situated approximately 20 miles north of Fort William Henry on the west side of Lake George. On 20 July an advance party of three boats departed for the point with Parker’s main force departing in the pre-dawn hours of 21 July. The departure of the first three boats was spotted by French scouts. On 21 July a force of approximately 450 French and Indian men under the command of Ensign de Corbiere departed Fort Carillon to intercept. The French ambushed Parker’s three lead boats and while under “questioning” by Indians, the Provincials told them exactly where Parker planned to come ashore. The French trap was then set. The ambush plan was to place musket-men along the shore of the point and a flotilla of Indians in fifty canoes out of view on the opposite side of the point.
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 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 remainders were taken prisoner on their way to Fort Carillon.
In this rout, Colonel Parker lost approximately 250 men with nearly 160 men killed or drowned and the rest taken prisoner. The French reported only one man slightly wounded.
for more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sabbath_Day_Point