For a moment, something like a panic seized the
army, who believed that they had fallen into an ambush, and that
Montcalm's whole force was upon them. The rangers, however, fought
steadily, until Rogers' Rangers and the Royal Scouts, who were out in
front, came back and took the French in the rear. Only about 50 of
these escaped, 148 were captured, and the rest killed or drowned in
endeavouring to cross the rapids.
The loss of the English was small in numbers, but the death of Howe
inflicted an irreparable blow upon the army. As Major Mante, who was
present, wrote:
"In Lord Howe, the soul of General Abercromby's army seemed to expire.
From the unhappy moment that the general was deprived of his advice,
neither order nor discipline was observed, and a strange kind of
infatuation usurped the place of resolution."
The loss of its gallant young general was, indeed, the destruction of
an army of 15,000 men. Abercromby seemed paralysed by the stroke, and
could do nothing, and the soldiers were needlessly kept under arms all
night in the forest, and, in the morning, were ordered back to the
landing place.
At noon, however, Bradstreet was sent out to take possession of the
sawmill, at the falls which Montcalm had abandoned the evening before.
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