The Battle of Lake George
1755
By September Johnson and his men had traveled North, from Albany to Lake George, on the New York frontier.
September 8, 1755
The French troops at Fort St. Frederick had learned about the British presence to their South and moved to remove them.
On the morning of September 8, 1755 William Johnson ordered 1,000 men under the command of Colonel Ephraim Williams from the Massachusetts regiment to move South to intercept the French troops.
Bloody Morning Scout
The British troops were ambushed on by the French and their Indian allies.
The scene quickly descended into chaos, with the British colonials fleeing back to Lake George.
Back at Lake George
When the men at Lake George heard the repeated musket fire drawing closer, they quickly prepared for an attack. William Johnson ordered boats brought up from the lake and wagons overturned to create an improvised breastwork for the encampment.
As the French army approached, the regulars rushed up the lake road. They hoped to draw the majority of the musket fire, while the Indians and Canadians flanked the encampment.
Commanders Wounded
The battle lasted for several hours. Ultimately both William Johnson, the British commander and Baron Dieskau, the French commander, were wounded.
After seeing the French commander fall, the Canadians and their Indian allies retreated.
Aftermath of the Battle of Lake George
For the next several months the British colonials at Lake George worked diligently on the construction of Fort William Henry.