Page:Cambridge Modern History Volume 7.djvu/160

 128 London s failure against Louisbourg. [i756-7 for his home, and not seldom in despair of his long-deferred pay. The regular was tempted to desertion by a country which afforded good hope of escaping recapture and offered at the same time encouraging prospects. Loudon had urged upon the government the doubtful policy of making the capture of Louisbourg their main object for the summer campaign of 1757. They had followed his suggestion, and he was now ordered to New York with as many troops as the exigencies of colonial defence were supposed to admit of. This accomplished, he awaited the favourable moment to embark his force for Halifax, there to be joined by reinforcements from England, and a strong fleet under Admiral Holborne. Sir Charles Hardy, with a small squadron, was to be his convoy to Nova Scotia ; but in the meantime news of a large French fleet off Louisbourg arrived, and Loudon dared not move. He waited in vain for tidings of Holborne, till at length, urged by the necessity for action, he and Hardy decided to take the risks. Discovery by the French fleet would have meant certain ruin ; but they took every precaution possible, and fortune favoured them. The transports arrived at Halifax upon the last of June, and Holborne, with fifteen battle-ships and over five thousand troops, joined them ten days later. The Royals, 17th, 27th, 28th, 43rd, 46th and 55th regiments of the line, each of them seven hundred strong, constituted the bulk of the reinforcements. The regiments previously with Loudon or in the Nova Scotia garrisons were three battalions of the Royal Americans, the 22nd, 42nd, 44th and 48th, besides American rangers. In all there were some eleven thousand troops, mainly regulars, collected at Halifax, the most for- midable army that had yet trodden American soil. But, like everything else connected with British strategy at that unhappy period, they were too late. A month was occupied in drilling and organising the troops and in vain endeavours to ascertain the military and naval strength at Louisbourg. The first report of this was so far encouraging that the army was actually embarked. Before setting sail, however, a second and more trustworthy account was received to the effect that 7000 troops, besides Indians and irregulars, were within the walls of the strongest fortress in America, and that 22 battle-ships, besides frigates, carrying 1300 guns, were riding in the harbour. A council of war pronounced this to be a hopeless outlook ; and Loudon, leaving four regiments for the protection of Nova Scotia, sailed back with the remainder to New York. Admiral Holborne, being subsequently reinforced, endeavoured to tempt the French fleet out of Louisbourg. But La Motte, their commander, had no object in risking an engagement; and Holborne, while cruising off the coast, was caught in a hurricane, his fleet scat- tered, and some ships wrecked. A melancholy close was thus put to an ill-advised and badly executed campaign. Loudon has been made the scapegoat: his dilatoriness is the burden of most writers. He is even