I have always thought that the March 1757 Raid on Fort William Henry would make a wonderful diorama using the Snowshoe Sets - total of 1,600 French and Indians in the attacking force. The British defending included our beloved 44th and at least 1 company of rangers. The action was fought in deep snow, so the sets should work and you can add in many of the Raid on Saint Francis element and buildings - the
Lord Loudoun is the large sloop mentioned below that was parked on stocks immediately adjacent to the fort - it was half complete when burned, but would have supported 16 cannon. At least one of the other completed sloops the French burned had gun ports for 10 or 12 cannon. When Colonel Monro took command of the Fort in April 1757, he apparently did not attempt to reconstruct the 4 sloops lost, which might have prevented Montcalm from attacking and destroying Fort William Henry the following summer.
From the Seven Years War Page, describing the French Attack in March 1757.
On March 15, the expedition reached Fort Carillon where it took possession of the scaling-ladders.
On March 16, 100 Indians left at daybreak for reconnoitring. Meanwhile, the little French army crossed the portage to reach Lake Saint-Sacrement (Lake George) from Lake Champlain. M. de Longueuil and his son covered the right and left flanks with the Indians that they had divided into two groups. The company of volunteer from Montréal was in the vanguard, a role that it kept for the rest of the march. Scouts had reconnoitred the mountains in front of the army and had found no sign of the enemy.
On March 17, the scouts left early and the army followed on at 3:00 PM to approach Fort George at night.
At 7:00 AM on March 18, the army was at 6 km from Fort George, covered by a mountain. In the evening, the French party neared Fort William Henry, The instructions received from Vaudreuil were essentially to burn the scows and bateaux that the enemy had built under the protection of the guns of Fort George and Fort William Henry and to burn also the magazines. The garrison of Fort William Henry and Fort George, including rangers, consisted of 346 effective men. Rigaud detached MM. Poutharié, Dumas and Lemercier with French and Indians to reconnoitre the fort from a height towering above it at 2 km. Rigaud planned to climb the walls with ladders if the British were surprised. Otherwise, his little army would only blockade the fort to carry on its original instructions: the destruction of the magazines, scows and bateaux.
However, during the night of March 18 to 19, British scouts detected a French war-party near Fort William Henry. When Rigaud realized that he had lost any chance of surprise, he first withdrew and came back a few hours later to surround the fort, on which his force kept up a brisk but harmless fire of musketry.
During the night of March 19 to 20, the French were heard again on the ice, approaching as if for an assault. The British fired their guns towards the sound, driving them back again. The French then tried to set fire to two sloops and a large number of bateaux on the shore but their faggots had been made with wet wood and they burnt only a few bateaux. A party sallied from the fort to save them but it was too late.
At noon on Sunday March 20, the French filed out of the woods and marched across the ice in procession, carrying their scaling-ladders. A detachment of Indians was also sent to block the road to Fort Edward. The French army made other faggots with dryer wood. Some French then advanced, waving a red flag. A British officer with a few men went to meet them and returned bringing Le Mercier, chief of the Canadian artillery, blindfolded into the fort with a message from Rigaud. Le Mercier invited Major Eyre to give up the place peaceably, promising the most favourable terms, and threatening a general assault and massacre in case of refusal. Eyre said that he should defend himself to the last; and the envoy, again blindfolded, was led back to whence he came. Rigaud used these negotiations as a diversion while he was looking for a proper landing place to use in the coming campaign. The whole French force now advanced, as if to storm the works, and the garrison prepared to receive them. Nothing came of it but a fusillade, to which the British made no reply.
During the night of March 20 to 21, the French were able to ignite several fires. The company of volunteers burnt more than 300 bateaux and three sloops that night. The British answered with only a few cannonballs and bombs. A shed full of clothes, arms and equipment along with more than 300 cords of firewood for the garrison were also burnt. Before morning, all around Fort William Henry was in a blaze. If there had been any wind, the fort itself could have been put on fire but there was no wind that night nor the following ones.
At 10:00 AM on March 21, the fires had subsided and a thick fall of snow began which lasted all day and all the next night, till the ground and the ice were covered to a depth of one meter and more.
During the night from March 21 to 22, operations continued under very bad weather. Melted snow and a bad storm made it impossible to light any fire. The last sloop had its bowsprit touching one of the fort's bastions but it was missed. Since it was the largest sloop and almost ready to be launched, the French commander attached much importance to its destruction. He renewed his attempts in spite of the menacing thaw and of the repeated advices of the Indians.
Accordingly, in the morning of Tuesday March 22, a party of 20 French volunteers under M. Wolf from the regulars made a bold attempt to burn the remaining sloop on the stocks, with several large sheds full of supply, the hospital, the old log fort containing 17 houses, a large magazine filled with building timbers, a sawmill and several houses grouped under the fort. Two galleys (28 to 30 oars) were the final targets of the expedition. All these things almost touched the fort. They had been disposed this way by the enemy to protect them with musket fire. However, the boldness of M. de Rigaud probably impressed the commander or he finally decided to sacrifice the outer works. Enemy fire was very sporadic and the French had only five soldiers killed and one officer and an Indian wounded.
On March 23, thaw still continuing, the French army lifted camp to return to Carillon.
http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1757_-_Operations_on_Lake_George
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