Battle of Fort Bull
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Fort Bull was a French attack on the British
-held Fort Bull
on 27 March 1756, early in the French and Indian War
.
Lt. Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry
led his command consisting of forces from the Troupes de la Marine
, Canadian
militia, and Indian allies on an attack against Fort Bull
on 27 March 1756. Shielded by trees they sneaked up to within 100 yards (91.4 m) of the fort. Léry ordered a charge at the fort with bayonets. They stuck their muskets into the narrow openings in the fort and shot the defenders. Léry repeatedly asked for their surrender. Finally, the gate was crashed in and the French and Indians swarmed in, killing everyone they saw. The French soldiers looted what they could and set the powder magazines on fire. The fort was burned to the ground.
campaign plans in 1755, a chain of forts along the Mohawk River
and up to Lake Ontario
were garrisoned during the winter of 1755–1756. The largest garrison was left at Fort Oswego
, at the end of the chain, which depended on the others for its supplies. Two forts occupying either end of the Oneida Carry
(present-day Rome, New York
) were a key element of this supply chain. Fort Williams, on the Mohawk, was the larger of the two, while Fort Bull
, several miles north of Fort Williams on Wood Creek
, was little more than a palisade
surrounding storehouses. Fort Bull was garrisoned by a small number of men from Shirley's Regiment
under William Bull, and held large quantities of military stores, including gunpowder
and ammunition
, destined for use in the 1756 campaign.
In early 1756 French military leaders in Canada
decided to send a raiding expedition to attack Oswego's supply line. On March 12, a company of men left Fort de La Présentation
and began an overland trek toward the Oneida Carry. Under the command of Lieutenant Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry
, a Canadian-born seigneur
, the force consisted of 84 troupes de la Marine
, 111 Canadian militiamen, and 110 natives, mostly Iroquois
but also some Hurons. After nearly two weeks of difficult winter travel, they arrived near the carry on March 24.
in the fort's walls to distract the garrison, which responded by throwing rocks and grenades over the walls. After Bull refused several calls to surrender, the gate was taken down by the use of axes, and the attackers stormed into the fort. Nearly all of the small garrison was killed and scalped
, according to a report by Sir William Johnson
, who inspected the carnage when he eventually arrived at the head of a relief column. Léry's men set fire to the works, which included 45,000 pounds of gunpowder. The resulting conflagration destroyed the wooden fort.
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
-held Fort Bull
Fort Bull
Fort Bull was a fort located at the Oneida Carry in New York, United States during the French and Indian War.On October 29, 1755 Governor William Shirley ordered Captain Mark Petrie to take the men under his command and to build a fort on the upper landing of Wood Creek to protect the Oneida Carry....
on 27 March 1756, early in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
Lt. Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry
Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry
Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry was a seigneur, military engineer and political figure in Lower Canada...
led his command consisting of forces from the Troupes de la Marine
Troupes de la marine
See also Troupes de Marine for later history of same Corps.The Troupes de la Marine , also known as independent companies of the navy and colonial regulars, were under the authority of the French Minister of Marine, who was also responsible for the French navy, overseas trade, and French...
, Canadian
Canada, New France
Canada was the name of the French colony that once stretched along the St. Lawrence River; the other colonies of New France were Acadia, Louisiana and Newfoundland. Canada, the most developed colony of New France, was divided into three districts, each with its own government: Quebec,...
militia, and Indian allies on an attack against Fort Bull
Fort Bull
Fort Bull was a fort located at the Oneida Carry in New York, United States during the French and Indian War.On October 29, 1755 Governor William Shirley ordered Captain Mark Petrie to take the men under his command and to build a fort on the upper landing of Wood Creek to protect the Oneida Carry....
on 27 March 1756. Shielded by trees they sneaked up to within 100 yards (91.4 m) of the fort. Léry ordered a charge at the fort with bayonets. They stuck their muskets into the narrow openings in the fort and shot the defenders. Léry repeatedly asked for their surrender. Finally, the gate was crashed in and the French and Indians swarmed in, killing everyone they saw. The French soldiers looted what they could and set the powder magazines on fire. The fort was burned to the ground.
Background
Following the failure of aggressive BritishKingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
campaign plans in 1755, a chain of forts along the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
and up to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
were garrisoned during the winter of 1755–1756. The largest garrison was left at Fort Oswego
Fort Oswego
Fort Oswego was an important frontier post for British traders in the 18th century. A trading post was established in 1722 with a log palisade, and New York governor William Burnet ordered a fort built at the site in 1727. The log palisade fort established a British presence on the Great Lakes....
, at the end of the chain, which depended on the others for its supplies. Two forts occupying either end of the Oneida Carry
Oneida Carry
-Overview:The Oneida Carry was an important link in the trade route between Albany, New York, Oneida Lake, and Lake Ontario during the 18th Century...
(present-day Rome, New York
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
) were a key element of this supply chain. Fort Williams, on the Mohawk, was the larger of the two, while Fort Bull
Fort Bull
Fort Bull was a fort located at the Oneida Carry in New York, United States during the French and Indian War.On October 29, 1755 Governor William Shirley ordered Captain Mark Petrie to take the men under his command and to build a fort on the upper landing of Wood Creek to protect the Oneida Carry....
, several miles north of Fort Williams on Wood Creek
Wood Creek
Wood Creek is a creek in central New York and flows from Rome, New York to Fish Creek in Sylvan Beach . It is the west-flowing waterway of the Oneida Carry, an important portage in the early history of New York...
, was little more than a palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
surrounding storehouses. Fort Bull was garrisoned by a small number of men from Shirley's Regiment
Shirley's Regiment
The 50th, or Shirley's Regiment of Foot was a British army infantry regiment raised in 1754 in North America during the French and Indian War....
under William Bull, and held large quantities of military stores, including gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
, destined for use in the 1756 campaign.
In early 1756 French military leaders in Canada
Canada, New France
Canada was the name of the French colony that once stretched along the St. Lawrence River; the other colonies of New France were Acadia, Louisiana and Newfoundland. Canada, the most developed colony of New France, was divided into three districts, each with its own government: Quebec,...
decided to send a raiding expedition to attack Oswego's supply line. On March 12, a company of men left Fort de La Présentation
Fort de La Présentation
In 1749, the French Sulpician priest, Abbé Picquet, built a mission fort, which he named Fort de La Présentation . It was also sometimes known as Fort La Galette. It was built at the confluence of the Oswegatchie River and the St Lawrence River in Canada...
and began an overland trek toward the Oneida Carry. Under the command of Lieutenant Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry
Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry
Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry was a seigneur, military engineer and political figure in Lower Canada...
, a Canadian-born seigneur
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
, the force consisted of 84 troupes de la Marine
Troupes de la marine
See also Troupes de Marine for later history of same Corps.The Troupes de la Marine , also known as independent companies of the navy and colonial regulars, were under the authority of the French Minister of Marine, who was also responsible for the French navy, overseas trade, and French...
, 111 Canadian militiamen, and 110 natives, mostly Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
but also some Hurons. After nearly two weeks of difficult winter travel, they arrived near the carry on March 24.
Battle
Early on March 25, Léry's men captured twelve British men near Fort Bull, while others escaped capture and ran toward Fort Williams. Learning from the prisoners of Bull's minimal defenses, he decided to immediately attack. As he had no field pieces, the only possibility was to attempt storming the fort by surprise. The fort's defenders managed to get its gate closed just before the French force arrived. The attackers managed to fire through loopholesEmbrasure
In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
in the fort's walls to distract the garrison, which responded by throwing rocks and grenades over the walls. After Bull refused several calls to surrender, the gate was taken down by the use of axes, and the attackers stormed into the fort. Nearly all of the small garrison was killed and scalped
Scalping
Scalping is the act of removing another person's scalp or a portion of their scalp, either from a dead body or from a living person. The initial purpose of scalping was to provide a trophy of battle or portable proof of a combatant's prowess in war...
, according to a report by Sir William Johnson
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish official of the British Empire. As a young man, Johnson came to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Admiral Peter Warren, which was located amidst the Mohawk, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League...
, who inspected the carnage when he eventually arrived at the head of a relief column. Léry's men set fire to the works, which included 45,000 pounds of gunpowder. The resulting conflagration destroyed the wooden fort.