no such disaster as Braddock's had. The march from Albany to Oswego, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, was through a wilderness and very fatiguing, and, when he arrived at the latter place in August, his little army of fifteen hundred men was much reduced by sickness and dispirited by the news of Braddock's disaster. The New York assembly had freely voted men and money for this expedition, and the Six Nations had promised many warriors; but, despite all their rosy-hued promises, not more than twenty-five hundred able-bodied men were in camp at Oswego on the first of September.

Shirley was energetic and not in the least disheartened, nor did he allow any of his men to become so. He began strengthening the post at Oswego by the construction of two stronger forts in addition to the dilapidated little structure which he found there. A fort was on each side of the Oswego River. Fort Pepperell, which was afterward changed to Fort Oswego, was on the west side, and had a strong stone wall, with square towers. Fort Ontario, on the east, was built of huge logs and earth. Shirley built vessels to bear his troops on the bosom of the lake to their future destination, which was Canada; but re-enforcements came not, and the storms of Autumn swept over Ontario, threatening again and again the destruction of their little fleet.

At last, disheartened by the continued delay, he left seven hundred men to garrison the fort and marched back to Albany with the remainder, where he arrived late in October. There he made vigorous preparations for re-enforcing and supplying the garrison at Oswego, for the Marquis de Montcalm, a distinguished French soldier, was then governor of Canada, and would be likely to pursue aggressive measures the following spring. Having been appointed to fill the vacancy made by Braddock's death, Shirley returned to Massachusetts, leaving William Alexander, his secretary, in New York.

By far the most successful expedition of the year was one entrusted to leadership of William Johnson, who held great influence over the Indians in the Mohawk valley. He was unencumbered with regulars, his army consisting chiefly of Indians and New England militia, the latter from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, while his Indians were from the Mohawk valley. These were assembled at Albany, the New England men having Phineas Lyman for their chief commander. There were also some New York and New Jersey militia with the army, when, in July, it was at the head of small-boat navigation on the Hudson, fifty miles above Albany.

The army now numbered about six thousand able-bodied men, and among them were Putnam

and Stark, men destined to become immortal in the history of their country.

While waiting on the banks of the upper Hudson for Johnson to join him, Lyman constructed a fort, which was named after himself; but, on the arrival of Johnson in August, he changed the name to Fort Edward. This was no doubt done because of the jealousy of Johnson, who evidently did not relish the popularity of his lieutenant. On his arrival, Johnson assumed command of the troops, and, with the main body, he marched to the head of a beautiful lake, about a dozen miles long which the French called Holy Sacrament, but which Johnson, in compliment to the king of England, changed to Lake George, which name it bears to this day.

At Lake George, he formed a camp of five thousand men, protected on the north by the lake and on both flanks by impassable morasses and tangled forests. Having accomplished this much, the troops waited in idleness the coming of the wagons, while the Indians, not dreaming of the approach of an enemy, roamed the forests at will.

The French were not idle, meanwhile. They had heard of the efforts being made to seize Crown Point, and were making every preparation to defend that post. Vaudreuil, the governor of Canada, had called to arms every able-bodied man in the

vicinity of Montreal and invited laborers from below to come up and gather the harvest. With these recruits, sixteen hundred strong, seven hundred regulars and as many Indians, the French prepared to make a stubborn resistance. A greater portion of this force was placed under command of Baron Dieskau, who proceeded to the head of Lake Champlain, whence he intended to make a swift march on Fort Edward, surprise and capture it. For four days, as secretly as possible, he traversed the woods, when it was found that his guides had lost their way, and that he was in the path to the head of Lake George and four miles from Fort Edward. Indian scouts had told his savage followers of the great guns at Fort Edward and that there were more in the camp on the borders of the lake. Afraid of the cannon, the savages refused to attack the fort, though they were willing to fall on the exposed camp at the head of the lake.

One beautiful evening, on the 7th of September, 1755, an Indian suddenly rushed into Johnson's camp on Lake George and called for the commander. Johnson was sitting idly in his tent, smoking his pipe as unconcernedly as if he had been in a land that never knew war.

"What news do you bring?" Johnson asked. "I saw the French army landing at the head of the lake," the Indian answered. Johnson made

some preparations for resisting the enemy and went to bed, leaving orders to be called if there should be any more discoveries. At midnight he was again aroused and told that another messenger had come.

"Send him to me," said Johnson.

When the messenger arrived, he asked him: "What news do you bring?"

"The French and Indians have landed and are making a rapid march to this fort," was the alarming answer.

Johnson yawned, rubbed his eyes and issued

some orders to his men.

"Had we not better make some immediate

arations for defence?" asked one of his aids.

prep

'Yes; but they will hardly reach us before noon to-morrow," Johnson answered. "We will hold a council at daylight."

At early dawn a council was held, at which the shrewd Mohawk chief, King Hendrick, attended. As it was not known exactly by which road the enemy was approaching, Johnson proposed sending a party in three detachments to meet the enemy by three different routes so that one of them would be sure to come up with them. To this plan, the shrewd Mohawk chief King Hendrick interposed the following wise objections:

"If they are to fight, they are too few; if they