The Winter Raid on Fort William Henry - French and Indian War

In March of 1757 Fort William Henry was attacked by a large force of French soldiers under the cover of night. This battle during the French and Indian War preceded the Siege of Fort William Henry, which was made famous by "The Last of the Mohicans."

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Fort William Henry was built in 1755, during the French and Indian War. It sat at the southern tip of Lake George in the New York frontier. The British built the fort to defend the New York colony from French attacks. Lake George and Lake Champlain were important waterways at the time that could be used to transport troops between the two warring nations.

In 1757, three years into the French and Indian War, the French wanted to remove the English presence on Lake George. They planned a winter attack on the fort. Almost 2,000 French soldiers, Canadians and Native Americans marched across the frozen Lake Champlain and Lake George. The French forces attacked under the cover of night, but lost the element of surprise.

The Winter garrison of Fort William Henry defended the fort against the attack, but lost many of their boats and supplies. This loss in military supplies would affect the 1757 campaign that the British colonials intended to wage that summer.

This winter raid ultimately was foreshadowing of the Siege of Fort William Henry that happened in August of 1757. During that second attack the French defeated the fort, in a series of events popularized by "The Last of the Mohicans."

The fall of the fort changed the dynamic of the French and Indian War, and has become a much studied period in American history.

This video is a scene from the full length documentary, "The Siege of Fort William Henry" To see more clips from the movie, or purchase the documentary on DVD visit my website.

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