Sixteen thousand were now
gathered there, and Montcalm might well believe the position to be
impregnable.
He was determined to run no risk, by advancing to give battle, but to
remain upon the defensive till the resources of the English were
exhausted, or till the approach of winter forced them to retire. His
only source of uneasiness lay in the south, for he feared that Amherst,
with his army, might capture Ticonderoga and advance into the colony,
in which case he must weaken his army, by sending a force to oppose
him.
On the day after the army landed on the island, a sudden and very
violent squall drove several of the ships ashore, and destroyed many of
the flatboats. On the following night, the sentries at the end of the
island saw some vessels coming down the river. Suddenly these burst
into flames. They were the fire ships, which Vaudreuil had sent down to
destroy the fleet. They were filled with pitch, tar, and all sorts of
combustibles, with shell and grenades mixed up with them, while on
their decks were a number of cannon, crammed to the mouth with
grapeshot and musketballs.
Fortunately for the English, the French naval officer in command lost
his nerve, and set fire to his ship half an hour too soon; the other
captains following his example.
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