The enemy pushed us so close in front, that the parties were not more than twenty yards asunder in general, and sometimes intermixed with each other. The fire continued almost constant for an hour and a half from the beginning of the attack, in which time we lost eight officers, and more than 100 private men killed on the spot. We were at last obliged to break, and I with about twenty men ran up the hill to Phillips and Crafton, where we stopped and fired on the Indians who were eagerly pushing us, with numbers that we could not withstand. Lieutenant Phillips being surrounded by 300 Indians, was at this time capitulating for himself and party, on the other part of the hill. He spoke to me, and said if the enemy would give them good quarters, he thought it best to surrender, otherwise that he would fight while he had one man left to fire a gun.[4]

I now thought it most prudent to retreat, and bring off with me as many of my party as I possibly could, which I immediately did; the Indians, closely pursuing us at the same time, took several prisoners. We came to Lake George in the evening, where we found several wounded men, whom we took with us to the place where we had left our sleds, from whence I sent an express to Fort Edward, desiring Mr. Haviland to send a party to meet us, and assist us in bringing in the wounded; with the remainder I tarried there the whole night, without fire or blankets, and in the morning we proceeded up the lake, and met with Captain Stark at Hoop Island, six miles north from Fort William-Henry, and encamped there that night; the next day being the 15th, in the evening, we arrived at Fort Edward.

The number of the enemy was about 700, 600 of which were Indians. By the best accounts we could get, we killed 150 of them, and wounded as many more. I will not pretend to determine what we should have done had we been 400 or more strong; but this I am obliged to say of those brave men who attended me (most of whom are now no more) both officers and soldiers in their respective stations behaved with uncommon resolution and courage; nor do I know an instance during the whole action in which I can justly impeach the prudence or good conduct of any one of them.

The following is a LIST of the Killed, Missing, &c.

The Captain and Lieutenant of His Majesty’s regular troops, volunteers in this party, were taken prisoners; the Ensign, another volunteer of the same corps, was killed, as were two volunteers, and a Serjeant of the said corps, and one private.

Of Capt. Rogers’s Company,
Lieut. MooreKilled.
Serjeant ParnellDitto.
Thirty-six privatesDitto.
Of Capt. Shepherd’s Company,
Two Serjeants
Sixteen privates
Of Capt. James Rogers’s Company,
Ensign M’Donald Killed.
Of Capt. John Starks’s Company,
Two SerjeantsKilled.
Fourteen privatesDitto.
Of Capt. Bulkley’s Company,
Capt. BulkleyKilled.
Lieut. PottingerDitto.
Ensign WhiteDitto.
Forty-seven privatesK. and Miss.
Of Capt. William Stark’s Company,
Ensign RossKilled.
Of Capt. Brewer’s Company,
Lieut. CampbellKilled.

MUSTER ROLL OF
CAPTAIN CHARLES BULKELEY’S COMPANY OF
RANGERS

The author found this muster-roll, with other valuable papers, in an old tea-chest in the attic of a colonial house at Littleton, Mass., now owned by a collateral descendant of Capt. Bulkeley. In this house Major Robert Rogers and his officers once spent the night, while the privates were quartered in the church near by.

Captain Bulkeley served first in Phineas Osgood’s Company in their expedition to Nova Scotia, and later in Robert Rogers’s Rangers. He was killed by the Indians near Rogers Rock, on Lake George, on March 13, 1758, and forty-seven of his men with him.