Learn how to rebuild civilisation with "The Book"! Use promocode SANDRHOMAN for a 10% discount! Click here to get started: https://mdsh.io/sandrhomanhistory On August 4, 1757, the cannons of Brigadier General Marquis de Montcalm opened fire on Fort William Henry. This marked the beginning of a brutal siege that saw a massive French army, supported by their Native American allies, face off against a small garrison of British regulars and provincials. The stakes were high. In 1757, while New France and the Thirteen Colonies found themselves caught in the expanding Seven Years’ War, a string of blunders by British commanders William Shirley and Lord Loudoun left the New York frontier dangerously vulnerable. Their failure to maintain effective intelligence networks over the winter of 1756–57 opened the door to a French surprise attack. With most of the British regulars tied up in a campaign against New France’s heartland at Louisbourg, Fort William Henry—along with its sister fort, Fort Edward—was all that stood between the British colonies and a potential French breakthrough on the frontier. The siege of Fort William Henry was characterized by a series of vicious raids and ambushes, the largest naval fleet on Lake George up to that point, significant misunderstandings between Native Americans and Europeans, and, ultimately, a shocking massacre. The siege gained renewed fame through Michael Mann’s 1992 epic historical drama The Last of the Mohicans, inspired by James Fenimore Cooper’s 1826 novel and the 1936 film adaptation. This is how modern historiography tells the story of the staggering siege of Fort William Henry. Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/sandrhomanhistory Paypal (thank you: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SandRhomanhistory Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sandrhoman Check out our all sorts of military history, military SIFI and military fantasy books that we recommend here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sandrhomanhistory Bibliography: Anderson, Fred, Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, 2001. Liston, Maria, A., Baker, Brenda J., Reconstructing the massacre at Fort William Henry, New York 1996. Nester, William, The First Global War: Britain, France, and the Fate of North America, 1756-1775, 2000. Starbuck, David, The “Massacre” at Fort William Henry History Archaeology, and Re-enactment, 2008. Steele, Ian K., Betrayals: Fort William Henry & the 'Massacre', New York 1990.