A Costly Encounter...

(Source)

Seamus MacTavish turned to his cousin, Dougal Campbell, as they cleaned and prepared their gear, camped within the ranks of the 42nd Regiment of Foot, "So Dougal, a fellow could look to get a wee piece of land out here wouldn't ye think? Settle down, start a family, 'tis lovely."

Campbell shook his head, his cousin on his mother's side had always been a dreamer. "The winters here are brutal laddie, snow up ta yer arse and the wind sweepin' doon from the north wull freeze ya to death. Only the bloody Indians live out here."

"What about the French, don't they live even further north?" MacTavish was young and impressionable, always looking for the silver lining in every cloud.

"Aye, they do lad. What is it then, do ye wish to be a bloody frog eater then?"

Before MacTavish could answer, their sergeant put paid to their talk. "Would you two ee-jits like to shut up, or do ye need my boot up yer arse? Pay attention to yer surroundings, or, as me old Da' might have said, shut up and get back to work!"

In truth though, it was a lovely day as the regiment camped where the army had landed at the top of Lake George. The sun was shining, the birds were singing in the trees, and the men were confident of victory. Their scouts had reported that they had the French badly outnumbered. 

Near the confluence of Bernatz¹ Brook and the La Chute River
(Source)

General George Augustus, Third Viscount Howe, turned in annoyance from speaking with Colonel Thomas Gage, commanding the 80th Light-Armed Foot, as a rattle of sporadic musket fire broke out somewhere to the rear. It was followed by the sound of war cries and screams.

"What the bloody Hell is that all about?" Howe muttered to his aide. At that moment a man came pounding up from the nearby woods.

"Sir, it's the French!" the man gasped.

"Merde!" Capitan Sieur de Trepezec hissed as he realized that he was now cut off from the rest of Montcalm's force.

He and his detachment of 350 men had been observing the advance of the English army from the slopes of Mont Pelee.² Once they had seen enough they endeavored to return to Carillon. Somehow they had gotten lost in the forest and had stumbled upon the rear of General Howe's column.

Firing had broken out but the fighting quickly became hand to hand.

"80th to me!" Howe bellowed as he began to run towards where the action seemed hottest. Gage's regiment immediately followed with their Colonel leading them, hot on Lord Howe's heels.

As they approached the main action, powder smoke erupted from the brush to their front.

The firefight that ensued was brisk and confusing. Men engaged in hand-to-hand combat as both French and English were clubbed and tomahawked. Howe was at the head of the 80th Regiment and quickly led the rest of his force to the Connecticut men’s aid. Within minutes Trepezec’s detachment was surrounded by Rogers to the north, Howe to the east, and the other British columns advancing from the south. Howe, on foot and ignoring the pleas from his subordinates, rushed forward into the maelstrom beside another officer from his own 55th Regiment of Foot, Captain Alexander Moneypenny. It was at this moment that a ball struck the general, killing him instantly. “Never a ball had a more deadly effect,” Moneypenny asserted, “It entered his breast on the left side, and (as the surgeons say) pierced his lungs and heart, and shattered his back bone. I was about six yards from him. He fell on his back and never moved, only his hands quivered an instant.” (Source)

Death of General Howe
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In one stroke, one of the most talented officers in the British Army was lost. The most senior officer who really seemed to understand warfare in North America was gone.

Abercrombie's Army would pay dearly for that in two days.

As to the forces of General Montcalm, his deficit in numbers were made worse by the loss of nearly all of Trepezec's force. Of nearly 350 Frenchmen engaged, 150 were killed and a further 150 captured. Capitan Sieur de Trepezec survived the annihilation of his detachment but succumbed to his wounds shortly thereafter. He had been with a party of fifty men who had managed to swim the La Chute River to safety.

The British detachment, demoralized and stunned by the encounter, but especially by the death of General Howe, camped on the field that night. They returned to the main body of the Army the next day.

¹ Now called Trout Brook. The picture was taken from Lord Howe St. in Ticonderoga, NY.

² Now called Rogers Rock.