adviseable to make any further attempt, but returned to Oswego, & sail'd again the next morning as [and?] observed the encampment as before. By this time the enemy had marched Bodys of their Forces & attacked Fort Ontario with Musquetry which they continued for two days, when the English Garrison abandoned it, first spiking their small Cannon, threw their Powder into a well, & retired into the old Fort, soon after the enemy drew up their Cannon to Fort Ontario in number 8 or 9 and cannonaded the old Fort, which continued for 24 hours when Lieut Col Littlehales, who succeeded to the command upon Lieut Coll Mercers being killed sent out an Officer & Drum with a white Flag, soon after the surrender took place, & the French possession of the Fort, that the Garrison were made prisoners of War & well used, that the vessels which were all in Port, was soon after taken possession of by the French. during the siege was killed Lieut Coll. Mercer Capt Hind of the Train of Artillery and eight or nine private men, & one Engineer wounded, he further says that the Enemy's force was reported to be three thousand Regulars & a great number of Indians, These two accounts tho' not materially different are greatly so from an account sent me from Gen: Willi's Camp. An Onandaga Sachem came to them the 25th in the evening with strings of Wampum and declared. That two of their young men that had been sent to Oswego returned to their Castle & reported that Oswego was not taken till six days before, that the enemy had put the whole to the sword, except 150, sailors carpenters & artificers included, That they had demolished the works & evacuated the place carrying away the shipping Guns ammunition &c, That they had laid the Dead in Banks with their heads in the Water, & scattered a great quantity of Provisions about the Place. That they told the Indians upon their leaving the place, You see we do not want to seize your Lands, only to drive the English away whom we are much obliged to for supplying us with Artillery & Tools which we were in want of to take their Forts, the Sachem added that those that gave us the former accounts were deserters who went away before the affair was decided,

These are all the particulars I can furnish your Lordpps with, with respect to the loss of Oswego.

Declaration of a Soldier in Shirley's Regiment.

Albany Aug the 21, 1756. Past 8 o clock

The following account is given by 5 other men who had deserted from the French and were in Generals Shirley & Pepperel's Regiments and escaped with the Declarant.

Claude Frederick Hutenac of Major Gen1 Shirley's Regt declares that on Monday the 9th of Augt a Prow Galley went out of the harbour of Oswego, & discovered the French Camp about a mile from Fort Ontario, the next day two sloops sailed out of the Harbour who were fired upon from that Camp & brought in two of the Bullets one of them an eighteenth and the other a twelve Pounder. That on Wednesday & Thursday the enemy continued to fire with Small Arms only from the tops of the Trees & behind bushes upon a rising ground which commands Fort Ontario, which is no more than stockaded with a ditch of 14 feet wide and 10 deep but not quite finished. That on Thursday night the enemy opened Trenches within Pistol shot of the Fort, & on Friday the 13th between one & two in the afternoon, the whole Garrison consisting of 300 men of Pepperells commanded by Capta Barford of that Regiment haveing first spiked their Cannon consisting of two Six Pounders and six four Pounders-abandoned their Fort & embarked aboard Whale Boats and got into the old Fort Oswego, without suffering any loss, that during the time they remained in Fort Ontario, they had only 3 men killed & Ensign Ting of Major Gen1s Pepperells Regiment, wounded, that they neither wanted ammunition or Provisions, & that the enemy never fired any cannon at this Fort That soon after they arrived in the old Fort Oswego, Lieut Coll Mercer marched Pepperell's Regiment with 100 of Shirley's to reinforce Coll Schuyler who with his men were posted at a small unfinished redoubt upon a rising Ground about 600 yards to the Westward of old Fort Oswegoe, this Post had been deserted for some months past, and made use of only in keeping Cattle, this detachment was employed that afternoon in cutting down the Bushes near that Fort and making fascines, That on Saturday morning early the 14th the French opened a Fascine Battery of 5 Pieces of Cannon before the Gate of Fort Ontario, & played upon the old Fort Oswego,

across the mouth of the Harbor, that the Garrison on their side continued to fire above 4 hours with 12 Guns and 4 Mortars whereof one of the latter burst, that between 8 & 9 o clock that morning Coll. Mercer was killed at the Battery upon which the command devolving upon Lieut Coll. Littlehales, he sent for Coll Schuyler & the detachment from the Redoubt who on their marching to the old Oswego Fort had two men killed upon Coll Schuyler's arrival a council of War consisting of the Field Officers & Captains was called and presently thereafter orders was given to cease firing upon which Lieutt Montcreif of Shirleys and an officer of Pepperels with a Sergeant & Drum went out of the Works with a White Flagg in order to cross over at the mouth of the Harbour, upon which this Declarant said to Coll Littlehales that if you are to give up the Fort you must suffer me who am a deserter from the French to make the Best of my way, because they will have no mercy upon me, the Colonel replyed that he expected to march out with the Honors of Warr, & consequently he the Declarant would be safe, not trusting to this, he with seven more who had formerly deserted from the French had leave to make their escape, but before they got quite clear they saw the French from the opposite side of the Harbour getting into Boats, and amongst them some cloathed in Red faced with Green which he immagines belongs to the Irish Brigade, that about 20 of the Garrison of old Fort Oswego were killed and wounded, and that no officer was killed except Lieut. Coll. Mercer, nor any wounded but Lieut de la Cour of the Artillery. That the Enemys battery was raised so high that their shott plunged in amongst them and the only cover they had towards the side of the Lake upon which the Enemys Battery chifly pointed, were from Barrels of Pork placed by way of parapet, with embrasures through. That one Saturday morning the 14th a Party of the French forded the River about Cannon shot from the old Fort who remained in the Woods without coming near the works. That there was no sortie made from any of the Forts and that all the vessels were in the Port when the Place was given up. That from the report of the Seamen who saw the French Camp they judged them to be about 4000 regulars, besides Canadians & Indians. That the Garrison

of Oswego consisted of about 400 of Shirley 300 of Pepperels, and 150 of Schuyler's besides the seamen, carpenters & other artificers who worked the Guns & did the other dutys in the Works. The 4 men of Shirley's Regiment who are all deserters from the French declare that there was 8 months pay due to them when the enemy appeared, they were then paid up six months. The two men of Pepperels who are also deserters from the French declare they have received no pay for 9 months past. That last winter there was only 140 men fit for duty of both Regiments with 20 of the independent companys. That their provisions was extremely bad and only received half allowance, and that even at that they had resolved to quit the place without a supply had speedily arrived.1

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM PORTSMOUTH, DATED FEB. 13, 1757.

[From N. Y. Mercury.]

Inclosed you have a List of Several Carpenters, Sailors and other Artificers that were taken with me at Oswego, and are now, here; some of them were retaken going to France, and others were sent here from Canada. Some of them are on board the Royal Anne, and some in the Hospital; all in good Health, and are to be sent home by the first Opportunity.

Joseph Gleddon, William Drewry, Henry Cosdrop, Samuel Spenser, Thomas Lyneal, Daniel Chadwell, James Dawson, Joshua Sprigs, Alexander Ogelby, Philip Peak, William Robinson, Edward Clannon, Joseph Petterson, Zebulon Drew, James Wilson, John Lum, Samuel Forgison, Samuel Edmunson, David Evans, Thomas Meloney, Cornelius Scantling, Rufus Church, Samuel

1 For another English account of the Surrender of Oswego, see Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xxvii, 75. A Writer in the London Monthly Review, vol. xvii, 174, accuses the Merchants of England of opposing the important settlement at Oswego from interested motives as a company of them had engrossed the whole trade of supplying the Colony, as was pretended, with goods for the Indian Trade; which goods they sold wholesale to the French instead of retailing them to the English or the Indians.

Moot, Neal Walkinson, Thos Hogin, Benj. Bachoon, James Cavenagh, John Wood, Dan. Carpenter, Benj. Summer, Jonas Wright, Sam. Miles, Samuel Noe, William Devenport, Thomas Godard, Peter Wright, Brier Goddard, John Tarlox, James Wilson, Richard Brincroff, Robert Watts, Arthur Donaldson, Joseph January, Peter Goodman, William Hunter, William Mullett, Matthew Thompson, Will. Taylor, Jacob Fedrick, Matthew Bayley, Robert Hart, David Williams, Daniel Noroway, William Kemp, Severn Anderson, James Gibson.

[From same. Oct. 24 1757.]

In the packet came Passenger also, a seaman named Edward Mariner who was taken at Oswego. He, in Company with Mr John Walters, of this Place, Robert Isburn & son, of Philadelphia; Capt Rusco, Lieutenants Bickers and Prince, with Ensign Ogden, of the New Jersey Provincial Forces, and about 299 more, sailed from Quebeck the 18th of July last, in a Cartel, and arrived at Plymouth, in 28 days after: He informs us that the brave Colonel Peter Schuyler was in good Health, and the great Support of many English Prisoners, without whose assistance several of them would have been reduced to the greatest extremities. Captain [Jasper] Farmer [of the Artillery] Son of Mr Jasper Farmer, of this City, Merchant, was likewise at Quebeck, when our Informant came away, with several others whose names he could not recollect; and as Provisions were very scarce when he left that, 'twas said the remainder of the Prisoners were to be sent to Old France in the Fall.

NOTE: Further particulars of the operations before Oswego may be found in the London Magazine for the years 1756-1759.