Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/87

 gage; he himself set the example, and fared like a common soldier. The first to encounter danger, to endure hunger, to support fatigue; rigid in his discipline, but easy in his manners, his officers and soldiers readily obeyed the commander, because they loved the man; and now at the moment when such abilities, and such an example were the most wanted, was fatally lost a life which was long enough for his honour, but not for his country. It adds indeed to the glory of such a death, and to the consolation of his country, that we still possess the heir of his titles, his fortunes and virtues, whilst we tremble to see the same virtues exposing themselves to the fame dangers.

Excepting this loss, the army had hitherto proceeded successfully. In a little time they appeared before Ticonderoga.

This is a very important post, and as strongly secured. The fort is situated on a tongue of land between Lake George and a narrow gut, which communicates with the Lake Champlain. On three sides it is surrounded with water; and for a good part of the fourth it has a dangerous morass in front; where that failed, the French had made a very strong line upwards of eight feet high, defended by cannon, and secured by 4 or 5000 men. A great fall of trees, with their branches outward, was spread before the entrenchment for about an hundred yards.

The general caused the ground to be reconnoitred; and the engineer made so favourable a report of the weakness of the entrenchment, that it appeared practicable to force it by musquetry alone. A fatal resolution was taken, in confequence of this report, not to wait the arrival of the artillery, which, on account of the badness of the ground, could not be easily brought up, but to attack the enemy without loss of time. They were confirmed in this precipitate resolution, by a rumour that a body of 3000 men were on their march to join the French at Ticonderoga, and very shortly expected to arrive.

When the attack began, the difficulty of the ground and the strength of the enemies lines, which had been so little foreseen, was but too severely felt. Although the troops behaved with the utmost spirit and gallantry, they suffered so terribly in their approaches, and made so little impression on the entrenchment, that the general seeing their reiterated and obstinate efforts fail of success, being