Montcalm at the Battle of Carillon (Ticonderoga) (July 8th, 1758)

A victory, a defeat and the birth of a legend



Those who know anything of the Seven Years War know it was fought all over the globe in the 18th century as the two principal powers of Europe at the time grappled to determine which of them would be the dominant power and create a world empire of influence, holdings, trade, culture and language. Both sought to establish colonies and where that was most evident was in the New World where each had strong support and foundations. This theatre of the conflict, known as the 'French and Indian War' was fought in the uncompromising terrain of the North American eastern seaboard, in its mountains, deep forests and upon its broad lakes. The combatants included the regular troops of each nation, militia raised among the local population, the tough and resourceful frontiersmen that both nations could boast and their respective indigenous Indian Allies principally from the Huron and Iroquois nations. It was a particularly bitter confrontation made the more so by the environment, weather and natural savagery of its native participants. Dotted throughout country were forts of varying size, the names of which have gone down in history as a consequence of their destruction and massacre, heroic defence or on account of the monumental battles which were fought to gain control of them. Perhaps foremost among these was Ticonderoga-or Carillon as it was known to the French. In July 1758 General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm in command of a French army of 4000 men decisively beat a British army in open battle under General James Abercrombie. The British general fatefully assaulted well prepared French entrenchments without the support of field artillery and with inevitable results. The battle was the most costly in human lives of the entire war and, predictably, the majority of the dead were British. The Black Watch suffered large losses of both officers and men as the price for their tenacity and characteristic highlander courage. It was a significant French victory and Abercrombie never fought another major battle. Those who only called him 'incompetent' were kindly. Ultimately France lost the New World and Montcalm, one of her most able military men, lost his life at Quebec to Wolfe's forces.

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