René Chartrand recounts the course of the ill-fated British attempt to capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1758 during the French-Indian Wars. After the disastrous loss of Fort William Henry in 1757 to the energetic French commander the Marquis de Montcalm, morale in the British colonies was at rock bottom. For 1758 a three-pronged attack would be made to restore the situation and carry the war into Canada. General Amherst would make an amphibious attack on the fortress of Louisbourg, and General Abercromby would take a force up Lake Champlain and capture Ticonderoga while Brigadier Forbes led 6,000 men against Fort Duquesne. Abercromby had a force of 9,000 provincials and over 6,000 regulars with ample equipment and artillery and 1,000 boats. In addition he had the finest young officer in the army, Lord Howe, as his second-in-command. On 5 July the expedition embarked from its camp in the ruins of Fort William Henry at Ticonderoga, Montcalm had little more than a week's supplies. Abercromby's men landed at 10am on the morning of 6 July and by noon the entire army had disembarked. Then tragedy struck. Some Rangers ran into a French scouting party and in the fierce skirmish that followed Howe was shot through the heart. The army was shattered at the loss, but Abercromby went to pieces. He decided to attack Montcalm's completed breastworks head-on. Battalion after battalion was sacrificed, cut to pieces by musketry and grapeshot. The most famous of these hopeless assaults was that of the Black Watch. For a full hour the Scots tried to hack their way through with broadswords, shooting at an enemy they could not see. Bravery alone was not enough and finally what was left of them had to fall back. Abercromby retreated to the foot of Lake George - Montcalm had saved Canada, with Abercromby's help.

• Origins of the campaign
• Opposing commanders
• Opposing armies
• Opposing plans
• The campaign & battle
• Aftermath
• Chronology
• Bibliography
• The battlefield today
• Index

• Details the Marquis de Montcalm's legendary defence of Fort Carillon by a French force of only 4,000, pitted against General Abercrombie's army of 16,000 men.
• The battle that earned the 42nd Highland Regiment (The Black Watch) Royal status, as recognition of their bravery - 'first in the attack, and last in the retreat'.
• The first chapter in the short but fierce history of the fort which controlled the precious route between the Hudson River Valley and Canada.

Auteur
René Chartrand was born in Montreal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and books including almost 20 Osprey titles and the first two volumes of `Canadian Military Heritage'. Also a student of wines, he currently lives in Hull, Quebec, with his wife and two sons.
Illustrateur
Patrice Courcelle was born in northern France in 1950 and has been a professional illustrator for some 20 years. Entirely self-taught, he has illustrated many books and magazine articles for Continental publishers, and his work hangs in a number of collections. His dramatic and lucid style has won him acclaim in the field of military illustration. His other enthusiasms include music, from Clapton and the blues to Mahler, and cooking. Patrice lives near the battlefield of Waterloo with his wife and son.