Ft. William Henry Massacre as a French Fault

888 Words2 Pages

Ft. William Henry Massacre as a French Fault In the act of war, men are in conflict with each other over certain things and fighting is a way to remedy this. However, every decent man knows that there are certain codes of chivalry that one is upheld to during an act of war. These are basic codes of respect and rationality that go along with fighting. Theses are rules of conduct that characterize a gentleman. At Ft. William Henry, the Marquis de Montcalm and the French army violated these manners of war. The French demonstrated the curtsey of barbarians when they allowed the English to be brutally massacred by Indians as they left Ft. William Henry in retreat. Major General Webb was the commanding officer at the Fort William Henry, until he decided to leave for Ft. Edward a few miles away, taking a good number of men with him. This left the fort in the hands of Colonel Monro and Colonel Young and about 2,300 men, and only about half of these men were fit for duty. The fort was bombarded with a garrison of over 7, 500 French soldiers and Indian allies. Monro held out for four days, and did not decide to seek terms with the French until he was notified that reinforcements were not available to Monro at the time. Monro agreed to the terms for surrender given by Montcalm. The British were to leave the fort entirely, accept for the wounded that were to be returned to them as soon as they were seen healthy. The British could leave honorably to nearby Ft. Edward with their arms, but without ammunition. They carry their flags away with honor as long as agreed not to fight for 18 months. Monro accepted the terms of surrender given by Montcalm, as they were respectful and honorable. Mono also had little choice in matters because he was outnumbered by nearly three to one, without possible chance of reinforcements. The terms allowed the British to be defeated without a loss of their moral or dignity. No one would be taken prisoner. The terms were discussed like gentleman while battle was put on hold. The terms of the agreement were in fact so good, that they now seem suspicious. As it turned out, Montcalm went back on his word, and turned his back on human decency as well.

More about Ft. William Henry Massacre as a French Fault

Open Document