James Weems and William Hyde, stationed at Albany. "On the 10th Jan., about 12 of the Clock at night deserted the whole guard except one & others, to the number of sixteen broak through the north west Block house next the water side." [Binne kil].

"They drew the guns of both powder & Shott. The Lieutenant about two o'clock discovering their desertion, notified by express Col. Richard Ingoldsby at Albany, and with ten volunteers of the inhabitants and eleven soldiers started in pursuit. The serjeant & seven red coats soon gave out and were left behind. At four in the afternoon the lieutenant and his 14 men came up with the 16 diserters; ordering them to lay down their arms, they answered with a volley and both sides continued to fire until five of the deserters were killed and two wounded when the remainder surrendered."

These facts were stated by Lieut. Bickford in his account of the affair to Governor Fletcher, of March 9th. In closing his dispatch he says, "Here is a strong and regular Fort built by the inhabitants with foot works and a stone magazine fitt for this garrison." The following were the volunteers from Schenectady who accompanied Lt. Bickford in his hazardous enterprise; "Harmen Van Slyck, ensigne of the trained bands of Schenechtide and Gerryt Simons Veeder, Peter Simons Veeder, Albert Veeder, Gerryt Gysbert [Gysbertse Van Brakel], Jan Danielse Van Antwerpen, Dirck Groot, Jonas De Roy, John Wemp, Daniel Mutchcraft [Mascraft] & Thomas Smith."

At a court martial held in Schenectady April 21, the survivors of the deserting party were accounted guilty and condemned to be shot.*

The commander of the garrison who succeeded Lieut. Bickford in the spring of 1696 was Lt. Daniel Hunt from the garrison at Albany.

He reports in relation to the military stores and effectiveness of the military force at Schenectady as follows:

"In July, 1696, and in ye beginning of April '96 I was commander on ye frontieers at Schonactady, when ye French Indians destroyed Onondage & Oneide, when all ye news that arrived to mee concerning the enemy, I did

པ་ [In the petition of Lieut. Abraham Bickford for reimbursement for his extraordinary expenses in pursuing and re-capturing deserters from time to time more Particularly in January, 1698-6, when the whole Guard spikt the great Gunns and Deserted from his Majestys fort at Schenectady all with their Arms and in the Dead of night;" he says "yey were Tryed at a Court Marshall condemned and one of the Chiefe Leaders Executed the Rest being Pardoned having obtained his Majtys Mercy."

From this it would appear that the hardships they endured were considered as extenuating their crime.-M'M.]

from time to time by express Signifie to Col. Ingoldesby then Comander in Chiefe of ye frontieers, who as his letter makes appeare did truly acquaint his Excel: Coll: Fletcher, who did after ye enemy was gone come up to Albany without any forces: when I came up to ye garrison at Schonectady and where ye enemy was marching towards us, I had but part of a barrel of powder and but little shott, but I writt to Col. Ingoldsby who sent me a one barrel of powder with 6 cannon balls.

Daniel Hunt."

"An account of what stores of Warr was in the frontieer garrison at Schonectady when commanded by Lieut. Daniel Hunt, in June, July, Aug. 1696, being the time when Count Frontenack the French governor of Canada destroyed the habitaçons and castles of ye Onondgoes and Oneides Viz:t

8 Pieces of Ordinance,

4 Pattararoes, whereof one unserviceable,

28 Shott 1 weight each.

6 Shott 4 weight each,

1 Barrel of Cannon powder.

Part of a barrel of small powder not good, 1 Runlet of musquet ball,

Part of a Schaine of match,

10 Linstocks, 2 Priming horns,

9 Sheets of Cartharidge paper, 8 flints,

32 Cartharidges for ye ordinance,

11 baggs of musquett ball, viz', partedges,

1 Ax, 1 Flagg,-1 pr. of Shackles,

2 Buckets, 4 Iron potts, 4 Canns.

The forces in ye Garrison was one Lieut, one Serj', ore drum and thirty of his Mây Soldiers and no more.

After the second fort had been occupied about 15 years, 1690 to 1705 the blockhouses were abandonedț and "Queens new Fort " was built at the east angle of the stockade. This was the "Old Fort" about which all the traditions of the people cluster.

It was at first simply a double or triple stockade 100 feet square, with bastions or blockhouses at the angles. In 1735 it was rebuilt in a more substantial manner of timbers on a stone foundation. The four curtains

* Col. Doc., IV, 431.

† [Abandoned as barracks only.— M'M.] Col. Doc., vi, 120; Smith's Hist. N. Y.

were

"about 76 ft. each and the four bastions or blockhouses 24 ft. square." In 1754 at the beginning of the French war, it contained one 6 and one 9 pounder on carriages but no "Port holes in the curtain to fire them."

The following petition gives an account of the condition of the fortifications of the village in 1754.

"To the Honorable James De Lancey Lieut. Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New York and the Territories depending thereon, &c., &c.

"The Humble petition of the Officers of the four Companies of Militia at Schonechtady and also the Magistrates and Principal Inhabitants thereof. "Most Humbly Sheweth that the security of this place as well as the preservation of the Lives of our Wives and children greatly depends on the strength of Fort Cosby as the only place of refuge in case of an Attack or surprize. The Hostilities committed by the Indians on our Neighbours and the Daily Expectation of their Attempts upon us also; Induces us most humbly to represent to your Honour the state of the said Garrison which Consists of 4 Curtains of about 76 feet each and four Bastions or blockhouses 24 feet square, the superstructure built with timbers on a foundation of a stone wall about two feet above the surface of the earth.*

*[Description of the country between Oswego and Albany, 1757].
Extract.

"From Fort Hunter to Chenectedi or Corlar is seven leagues. The public carriage way continues along the right bank of the Mohawk river. About 20 or 30 houses are found within this distance separated the one from the other from about a quarter to half a league. The Inhabitants of this section are Dutch. They form a company with some other inhabitants of the left bank of the Mohawk river about 100 men strong.

Chenectedi or Corlar, situated on the bank of the Mohawk river is a village of about 300 houses. It is surrounded by upright pickets flanked from distance to distance. Entering this village by the gate on the Fort Hunter side, there is a fort to the right which forms a species of citadel in the interior of the village itself. It is a square, flanked with four bastions or demi-bastions, and is constructed half of masonry and half of timbers piled one over the other above the masonry. It is capable of holding 2 or 300 men. There are some pieces of cannon as a battery on the rampart. It is not encircled by a ditch. The entrance is through a large swing gate raised like a drawbridge. By pene trating the village in attacking it at another point, the fire from the fort can be avoided."Paris Document, XIII.

"After the Earl of Loudon had resigned to Genl. Abercrombie the command of the Army which had reduced Oswego, my father, then a young man, was called to Schenectady by sudden business.