Turn 002 1758 Campaign

 French Milice de Quebec 3/8 Compagnie retreats in good order after they took a sharp volley from the Rangers.. 2 French KIA

Colonel Pontleroy’s Regiment man their positions, ready for battle. A French battery on the SW Bastion of the entrenched camp fired a 6pd Cannon at the Rangers to cover the picket’s retreat. The shot went wide but it bought enough time for the pickets to retire.

The French Battery across the Oswego River fired two 6pd cannons at a provincial Ranger company (Putnam’s Rangers), 1 Rangers leg was blown away and another Ranger was cut in two!! The wounded Ranger with a missing leg was dragged to the Field Hospital, Putnam’s Rangers hold their ground for now… British 1 WIA 1 KIA

Du Fort Levis Research (work in progress)

After scouting the area, Chevalier de Levis, found La Fort de Presentation was not adequate to defend the way to Montreal from the west up the St. Lawrence river. Levis, ordered a fort to be built to command the river, and Isle Royale fit the bill, being situated right in the middle of the river. Fort Levis, was a small wooden fort built on the small island, called Isle Royale by the French and Orakointon by the Indians. The Fort was named after Chevalier de Levis, a officer who took command of the French army after Montcalm was killed at Quebec. The fort was built with major political and monetary issues, as some military officials wanted it to be a masonry fort but it was ultimately built out of the much cheaper wood. The officer chosen to defend the way to Montreal was Captain Pierre Pouchot, the best French Engineer in the colony. He had led siege at Oswego, after the lead engineer was accidentally killed. He led the rebuild of Fort Niagara into Vauban style work. Captain Pierre Pouchot also stubbornly defended Fort Niagara against the British but after the French reinforcements where ambushed and routed he was forced to surrender. He was captured by the British, but ransomed back in 1759/1760, and was appointed to command Fort Levis.

Fort Levis had very tiny garrison less then 400 men, and around 37 cannon. The French Captain Pouchot, being the great engineer that he was, he put Fort Levis in the best state of defense he could. Fort Levis was not without its weaknesses, it was commanded by the shore, which was 24 feet higher than the Island. The British General Amherst took advantage of the the high ground to the fullest extent firing down upon Fort Levis.  The fort also lacked sufficient powder and ball to adequately defend itself against the British assault. I will discuss this point in a later post detailing the siege day by day.

https://ottawarewind.com/2014/03/04/submerged-fortress-of-doom-an-island-fort-under-the-st-lawrence-river/

French OOB

Commander Capt Pouchot
Captain La Force (Captain of the ship Iroquoise, which was scuttled after running aground being heavily damaged. All her cannons and men where sent ashore to help with the siege.)
5 subs:
2 Celerons Brothers
La Boularderie
de Bleury
de Poilly

338 men:
65 Troupes de la Marine
108 Artillerymen, Sailors
165 Militia (mostly from Montreal and surrounding areas)

Artillery:
Lt Bertrand (Killed by a shot to the loins, ouch!!)
12/12pd (10 where disabled during the siege)
2/8pd
13/4pd
4/swivels
2/6pd
4/6pd Brass

Ships:
Iroquoise (Capt La Force)

Outaouaise (Captured by British Officer Williamson, with 5 row galleys, August 17th 1760) 
Capt La Broquerie
27 sailors 65 militia
1/18pd
7/12pd
2/8pd
4/swivels

British OOB

Major General Amherst

5586 Regulars
4479 Provincials
190 vessels
706 Indians
Total 10,961
source: Journals of Hon. William Hervey Page 57

1st Brigade (advanced along the north shore) 
Major General Amherst
General Gage
Officers/enlisted men
21/454 80th Gage's  (advance guard)
3 row galleys
24/568 Lt Inf  Lt.Col Amherst Maj Capt DeLancey
24/568 Grenadiers Lt.Col Massey Maj Capt Campbell
450 Indians
29/391 2nd Royal Highlander regt
33/506 77th Montgomery's regt Maj. Duncan
30/462 1st Royal Highlander regt
25/499 46th Murray
Light Artillery
26/496 Schuylers NJ regiment (rear guard)

2nd Brigade (advance along the south shore) Colonel Haldimand
146 men Ogden's Ranger company & Waite's Ranger company (advance guard)
256 Indians
2 row galleys
23/505 55th regt
31/439 4/60th
27/599 44th Abercromby's regt Maj Beckwith
44/594 Lyman's Conn regt (rear guard) Colonel Lyman/Lt.Col. Payson/Major Slapp

 706 Indians
120 Mohawks
41 Schoharies
56 Oneidas
20 Canaseragays
116 Onondagas
115 Cayugas
30 Tuscaroras
35 Augua & chucknuts ? no idea what tribes these are
162 Senecas
11 Toderighronos

Heavy Artillery & Baggage train
3 NY provincials regts
25/471 Le Roux's Col. LeRoux/Lt Col Brewerton
27/458 Woodhull's Col.Woodhull/Lt Col Roseboom
30/567 Corsa's  Col. Corsa/LT Col. Van Shaick

3 Connecticut Provincials regts
45/538 Wooster's Col. Wooster/Lt.Col. Smedley
45/519 Fitch's Col. Fitch/ Lt. Col. Putnam
45/549 Whiting's Col. Whiting/Lt. Col. Spencer

British Batteries during the siege Under Command Col. Williamson

Ganataragoin point
2/24 pd
4/12pd
2/10 inch mortars
2/royals mortars
2/8 inch howitzers

La cuisse Isle
2/24 pd
2/6pd
3/5pd
2/8 inch howitzers
6/royal mortars/coehorns

Magdelaine Isle
2/24pd
6/12pd
2/12 inch mortars?
6/royal mortars/Coehorns
2/ Royal howitzers

Southern shore battery
2/12pd
2/Coehorns mortars
1/royal mortar

Sources
Page 227 to 241 The journal of Jeffery Amherst, recording the military career of General Amherst in America from 1758 to 1763
 Journals of the Hon. William Hervey
 Starting on page 238 Memoir upon the late war in North America volume 1
 Memoir upon the late war in North America volume 2

Turn 001 1758 Campaign

French Turn One                                                                

Rogers Rangers fired a long range volley from their rifles wounding one Frenchmen. The French Milice de Quebec 3/8 Compagnie returned fire on another Ranger Company, which had advanced out of their  cover in the woods. The French volley killed one Ranger. French KIA 1, British KIA

 

Meanwhile at Fort Oswego the alarm is sounded and the Milice companies rush to their posts… 

After receiving Colonel Pontleroy's messenger and hearing the firing getting more voluminous, Colonel Prudhomme, at Fort Ontario, sent most of his Milice de Montreal regiment to cover the bridge across the Mohawk River. He plans on protecting the bridge in case the French forces, in Fort Oswego, need to cross the river to beat a hasty retreat.

HPS French and Indian war the 1758 Campaign

I will playing the entire 1758 campaign, I chosen to play as the French I picked The defend option and my first battle is to be a delaying action at the French held Fort Oswego and Fort Ontario. The AI isn't the greatest in this game but the game is my favorite game Early American series, but I am gonna try to play it historically accurate as possible for 18th century warfare

Colonial Campaign Club http://www.wargame.ch/1776/index.html
( if you want to join a great club that specializes 18th century computer war-games)

                                               HPS FIW Website

Prologue

Morning pre-dawn 1758 Fort Oswego

In the small dark musty officer quarters inside Fort Oswego

A small neatly dressed Adjudant named LaSalle Quietly shakes Colonel Pontleroy  "monsieur monsieur Réveillez-vous s’il vous plaît de commandant". Colonel still feeling drunk from to much wine the night before slowly opens his eyes which feel like sand and he looks at the small rat-like Adjudant and growls, "What is it Lasalle!!!", LaSalle looking very scared says; " Colonel in the night all our Indians have fled, they have abandoned us". At once Colonel Pontleroy was out of bed and called for the Officer of the watch a young Captain from Quebec named Dubois. The young Captain Dubois enters the Colonel's room and asked the colonel "what are my orders monsieur?"  Colonel Pontleroy went over small water basin after washing the sand from his eyes he gave him his orders" Monsieur Dubois send out scouts at once and wake the men. Get everyone under arms. Have each man receive 30 rounds of ammunition, and a full powder horn". The Colonel also wrote a short letter and sent it with a messenger to Colonel Prudhomme, the commandant of Fort Ontario, warning him of possible British attack.

Colonel John Bradstreet Article

Col. John Bradstreet

                               

In my opinion one of the better British officers of The French and Indian war.
     
Here are some links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradstreet

http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bradstreet_john_4E.html

https://books.google.com/books?id=qmMAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA714&     dq=John+Bradstreet+1756+battle+oswego&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk3dSb08LNAhWD7B4KHSmaBAMQ6AEISDAH#v=onepage&q=John%20Bradstreet%201756%20battle%20oswego&f=false

 The above book talks about Bradstreet's victory over 700 French and Indians led by the great French Officer Coulon de Villiers* on Battle Island, July 3rd 1756.

* Coulon de Villiers beat Washington's Forces at Fort Necessity 1754)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carillon#Aftermath
 In 1758 Lt. Col Bradstreet led his Batteaumen in the advance guard of Gen. Abercrombie disastrous attack on Fort Carillon. Nevertheless, He fought bravely fighting from the French Abatis with Rogers Rangers and Gage's light infantry. Bradstreet didn't retreat until the imbecile Abercrombie ordered an end to the slaughter of his army. They retreated covered by the Advance Guard of Bradstreet Batteaumen , Rogers Rangers, Gage's Lt Infantry** The next morning Lt Col. Bradsteet's Batteaumen rowed Abbercrombie's mangled army back down to the British camp at the southern end of Lake George.

**it was really Maj. Gladwin of Pontiac rebellion fame who led Gage's Lt. Inf. Gage, always the coward,was hiding in the rear of the army somewhere.

http://archive.org/stream/cihm_41618#page/n5/mode/2up
While Abercrombie's defeated army sat at the southern end of Lake George in a kind of shock or stasis. Lt. Col. Bradstreet again brought up his plans to attack the lightly defended Fort Frontenac. A plan in which The Late Lord Viscount Howe, and other British planners greatly approved of. General Abercrombie finally agreed to Lt. Col. Bradstreet Plan to attack Fort Frontenac and He was given command of 3000 Provincials, Regulars, and Indians to attack Fort Frontenac. Lt. Col. Bradstreet easily took Fort Frontenac after a short two day siege, and on August 28th,1758 the Fort surrendered.  This Victory virtually cut Canada in half. This caused major supply problems in all the French posts in the Ohio Valley and severally impacted Indian trade goods going west to Anishinaabe Indians of the Great Lakes. Which were a major source of Indian Warriors for the French. Also the loss of Fort Frontenac directly led to the French abandoning of Fort Duquesne to General Forbes in the fall of 1758.

After winning the siege of fort Frontenac General Amherst Appointed Lt Col Bradstreet deputy quartermaster general in Albany subsequently Bradstreet didn't lead troops on the battlefield until 1764 when he marched 1400 troops to Detroit in response to the outbreak of Pontiac's rebellion.

My New Blog

Hello and welcome to anyone visiting my site, this is my first blog. The focus of this blog will be everything related to Historical Warfare from Wargaming to Biographies, research, and book reviews. I will be posting weekly.