The troops assembled for this purpose on the east bank of Hudson's River, about fifty miles from Albany, in the beginning of June, 1759, where they were encamped three weeks. Advancing from thence on the 21st of June, they arrived at the banks of Lake George in the evening, and there pitched their tents, and commenced erecting a fort; at the same time means were used to collect boats to convey the troops along the lake. This occupied one month, and on the 21st of July the regiments struck their tents, went on board the boats, and, using blankets for sails, arrived at the second Narrows on the following morning, and effected a landing. Thence, advancing towards Ticonderago, the van-guard encountered 400 French regulars and native Indians near the saw-mills two miles from the fort, and routed them in a few moments. The French commander, M. Bourlemaque, had fortified a post in front of the fort, but, when he saw the steady resolution of his opponents, he quitted his lines, placed a garrison in the fort, and embarked with his main body for Crown Point, another fort on Lake Champlain, erected by the French in 1731. The siege of Ticonderago was then prosecuted with vigour, and on the 25th of July the garrison blew up the fort and sailed to Crown Point; which place the French commander also abandoned, and retired down the lake to Isle aux Noix. The Royals and other forces afterwards proceeded to Crown Point and commenced erecting a new fort; vessels were also built in order to have a naval force on the lake. This work was in progress until the 11th of October, when the large boats, with a brigantine mounting eighteen guns and two swivels, and a sloop mounting sixteen guns, being ready, the troops embarked, and sailed down the lake in four divisions; but afterwards encountering high northerly winds, and a severe frost having set in, the expedition was countermanded; the troops returned to Crown Point and Ticonderago, and the Royals proceeded to New York for winter quarters.
1760
Meanwhile the Cherokee Indians had been carrying on a cruel warfare against the settlers on the frontiers of the southern provinces of North America, and in the early part of 1760 the two flank and four battalion companies of the Royals, mustering 400 men, were ordered to proceed, under the command of Major Frederick Hamilton, to South Carolina, to strike a decisive blow against the aggressors. They accordingly embarked from New York, and, with a battalion of Highlanders and some provincial troops commanded by Colonel Montgomery, sailed to Charleston, and marched from thence up the country to Fort Ninety-six, situate on the borders of the Cherokee territory. Having halted a short time at this place, the troops advanced on the 28th of May, and arrived on the 1st of June at Twelve-mile River. The scouts being unable to find any Indian tracks, it was concluded that the Cherokees were not informed of the march; and, although the men had already traversed twenty miles of rugged ground that morning, from Beaver-dams to the river, the commanding officer resolved to push forward immediately. The tents, waggons, and cattle, were placed in a square, a guard was placed over them, and, just as the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, the troops moved quietly forward along the rugged wood-lands. After a march of sixteen miles the detachment arrived at an Indian hamlet called Little Keowee, and the light company of the Royals was ordered to surround the houses and bayonet the inhabitants. As the Royals approached the houses, a company of Indian warriors, who were sleeping under the trees near the hamlet, raised their usual war-cry, and opened a scattering fire; but the soldiers—undaunted by the dismal yell of their antagonists—fired one volley,—then, rushing forward, encountered the Indians in close fight, and bayoneted the whole except the women and children. The troops then continued their route, and just as the first rays of morning began to dawn they arrived at Estatoe, the capital of the Lower Cherokees; the town had, however, been abandoned nearly an hour before; but about a dozen warriors were intercepted and slain. The town, which was found well provided with ammunition, provision, and magazines of corn, was plundered and laid in ashes, and many of the inhabitants who had concealed themselves perished in the flames. This service performed, the troops resumed their march, and laid several other towns and villages in ashes; an act of necessary severity, which excited painful feelings in the breasts of the brave men who executed it. Colonel Grant observes, in his narrative of these transactions, published in the South Carolina Gazette,—"I could not help pitying them; their villages were agreeably situated, their houses neatly built and well provided, having abundance of everything; they must be pretty numerous, for Estatoe and Sugartown consisted at least of two hundred houses, and every other village of at least one hundred houses. After killing all we could find, and burning every house, we marched to Keowee, and arrived on the 2nd of June, after a march of sixty miles without sleeping, at Fort Prince George, at four in the evening." This service was performed with the loss of four men killed, and Lieutenants Marshal and Hamilton, of the Royals, wounded.
After this severe chastisement, pacific overtures were made to the Cherokee nation, but without the desired effect; and a second expedition into their country was resolved upon. For this purpose the six companies of the Royals and other troops were in motion at day-break on the morning of the 24th of June, taking with them six days' provision, and arrived that night at Orkonee Creek. Thence proceeding on the following day through woody dells and narrow tracts and chasms between mountains, reached War-woman's Creek in the evening. Continuing the march on the 26th through a country wild and rugged beyond description, the detachment arrived on the following morning within eighteen miles of the Indian town called Etchöey, and the troops proceeded forward with caution. A few horsemen marched in front and on each flank,—the grenadiers and light infantry scoured the thickets,—and the four battalion companies of the Royals marched in the rear. Arriving at a valley covered with trees and bushes, and overlooked by hills on both sides, Captain Morrison and a few men pushed forward into the thickets, and were assailed by a straggling fire, which proved fatal to the captain, and the next moment the woods echoed with the dismal howlings of a thousand Indians raising their war-cry. Undaunted by this appalling noise, the grenadiers and light infantry rushed forward amongst the trees to encounter the Indian warriors,—the four battalion companies of the Royals supported the attack,—while the Highlanders pushed forward on the left to cut off the retreat of the Indians to the hills. The savage warriors soon gave way,—the Highlanders intercepted them in their retreat,—the Royals pressed upon the rear, and a number of Indians were slaughtered amongst the trees on the side of the hill. The main body of the Indian army appeared soon afterwards on the face of the mountain on the left of the line of march, and, with frantic gestures and horrid sounds, bid defiance to their white adversaries. The Royals, having gained the front of the column, pushed forward to engage their fierce opponents with distinguished bravery. The Indians opened a scattering fire, and made the valley echo with their whooping and howling; but this noise produced little effect on the soldiers, who dashed through the bushes and thick foliage with a "valour, discipline, and steadiness, worthy of admiration;" and, although the warriors kept up a sharp fire with their rifles for some time, yet they eventually gave way. "The action lasted about an hour. Captain Manley Williams, of the Royals, was killed: he was truly a gentleman and an extreme good officer."[100] The Royals had also eight private men killed; and Captain Peter Gordon, Ensigns Edrington and Knight, one serjeant, and thirty-two private men, wounded.
The Indians fled from the field of battle towards Etchöey, to alarm their women and children; and the soldiers pressing forward soon drew near the town, when a band of warriors opened a straggling fire from amongst some trees and then fled. The town was found deserted, but well stored with corn. The Cherokees, finding themselves unable to resist the troops, abandoned several other towns and fled to the mountains. At the same time Colonel Montgomery, having no place of safety where he could leave his wounded men, did not advance any farther, but retired on the 28th of June to War-woman's Creek. The Indians, taking courage from this retrograde movement, returned in swarms from the mountains, and on the morning of the 29th the woods and bushes on the line of march appeared crowded with warriors ready to attack the troops in their retreat; but two officers and fifty men of the Royals being sent out to scour the bushes on the right of the road, and the same number of the Highlanders on the left, they were chased from their lurking-places, and the retreat was continued to Fort Prince George.
The Commanding Officer, in his despatch, observes:—
"The fatigue was immense, yet not an officer or soldier complained. The detachment has been all along in high spirits, judging nothing too difficult. Never did greater harmony appear than amongst the corps of our little army."
The two flank companies marched soon afterwards to Charleston, and there embarked for New York, leaving the four battalion companies in South Carolina under the command of Major Frederick Hamilton.
The four battalion companies left in quarters at New York, under Lieut.-Colonel Forster, had in the meantime advanced up the country to Crown Point, of which place the Lieut.-Colonel was appointed Commandant. Embarking from thence on the 11th of August, the four companies sailed, with several other corps under Colonel Haviland, down Lake Champlain towards Isle-aux-Noix, and, having landed on the 16th, encamped on the left bank of the River Richlieu. The enemy occupied a fort near the river; but when the batteries opened their fire against it, the French commandant retreated with the greater part of the garrison, leaving an officer and 30 men to capitulate, who were made prisoners. Two other forts were also abandoned by the French, and the Isle-aux-Noix was taken possession of by the English. In the meantime a British force, under General Amherst, had proceeded to Oswego, embarked from thence on Lake Ontario, and, sailing down the River St. Lawrence, invaded the French settlements in Canada on that side, and advanced upon Montreal. Quebec had been captured in the preceding year; and an army, commanded by Major-General Murray, was advancing from thence towards Montreal. The four companies of the Royals and other troops, under Colonel Haviland, were also advancing towards the same point by lake Champlain and the River Richlieu; and the whole were united near Montreal on the 7th of September. The French Governor, being unable to withstand the forces opposed to him, surrendered on the following day; and thus the conquest of Canada was effected with trifling loss. When the French battalions laid down their arms their colours were demanded; and their Commander answered:—"Although the several regiments had brought with them their colours from France, they had, finding them troublesome and of little use in this woody country, destroyed them."