The Battle of Lake George on September 8, 1755 during the French and Indian War (1754–1763) was the first time a British force made up entirely of colonists stood toe to toe with hand-picked professionals from Europe and emerged victorious. [Read more…] about Battle of Lake George Reenactment Set For This Weekend
French & Indian War Society
1757 Surrender of Fort William Henry Being Commemorated August 9th
On August 3, 1757, the Marquis de Montcalm landed at Lake George’s Artillery Cove, just to the northwest of Fort William Henry, and began what would become a six-day siege of British forces. [Read more…] about 1757 Surrender of Fort William Henry Being Commemorated August 9th
The 1757 Siege of Fort William Henry & James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans tells a gripping tale of the bloody conflicts that roiled the Lake George region in the middle of the 18th century. In particular, the novel gives a stirring, if inaccurate, description of the Siege of Fort William Henry (August 3-9, 1757) during the French and Indian War and its immediate aftermath. [Read more…] about The 1757 Siege of Fort William Henry & James Fenimore Cooper
The Native Nations Who Called Lake George Home
All the land that makes up the United States was, in its entirety, Indigenous land. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other nations called the Lake George area home well before it was colonized by Europeans.
Native people lived and sustained themselves there, until policies removed Indigenous Nations from their homes and ultimately pushed them onto reservations. [Read more…] about The Native Nations Who Called Lake George Home
Philip Schuyler Program in Lake George on April 22nd
Philip Schuyler was a major player in the region throughout the second half of the 18th Century, first as a provincial officer serving the British during the French and Indian War, then as a Major General in Continental Army during the American Revolution. Schuyler spent time during both conflicts at Lake George, and played a leadership role in preparing Fort George for British assaults after patriots captured the site in 1775. [Read more…] about Philip Schuyler Program in Lake George on April 22nd
A Fort William Henry Powder Horn That Survived War & Fire
In 1756, a soldier by the name of Doc John Lee was stationed at the head of Lake George, where a provincial regiment had been sent from Albany to defend New York from the French and to construct the fort that would be named William Henry.
Like every other soldier, Lee carried a powder horn, and like many of them, he may have occupied his idle moments with carving the horn, etching the images and words into its surface that would make it distinctively his own. [Read more…] about A Fort William Henry Powder Horn That Survived War & Fire