Montcalm & Wolfe - Winter of '55

Battle for Fort William-Henry

Peter fought out the Battle for Fort William-Henry as described in the prior campaign installment.  Peter's account of the battle can be found at Battle for Fort William-Henry.  With a large, poor quality force defending the fence attacked by a better quality but fewer in number force, this proved to be an interesting match-up.  In the end, the British under Johnson was forced to abandon the fort and fall back to Fort Edwards.  Fort William-Henry has changed hands to the French.  Please read Peter's account of battle, it is a good one.

With September 1755 in the history books, on to two condensed turns of winter.

On Winter 1, the British choose to roll on the Command Table and receive five activations.  Shirley and one of the Regulars march to Fort Stanwix, the Oneida attack Fort Presque Isle (and fail), and one Regular marches on the Tuscarora raiding Carlisle.  The Natives are driven from the settlement.  The only action the French make is to move Rigaud to Fort Carillon.

Attrition during the first winter turn hits hard with many militia demobilizing.  The French lose one militia in each of Fort Carillon, Isle aux Noix and Quebec while the British see militia head back to the farms from Fort Cumberland, New York, Albany, and Fort Edwards.  Colonial militia are not likely to stick around during winter.  As expected, all natives return to their settlements for the winter, not to be seen until spring.

End of Winter 1

For the Winter 2 turn, very little movement.  Shirley and one Regular take bateaux down to Albany and Deskau travels from Quebec to Trois Rivieres in an attempt to convince the militia stationed there not to leave.  Desertions among the militia were high again.  The British lose militia in Philadelphia and Albany while the French lose militia in Fort Carillon and Quebec.  Dreadful losses.  I guess war is for professional armies only.

At the end of each year is the Strategic Interphase wherein combatants receive reinforcements.  With the Political Track at '3' on the French end of the track, the French receive a +1 DRM to their Variable Reinforcement Roll while the British must settle with a -1 DRM.

For reinforcements, the British receive 3 x Militia and Monckton.  Monckton goes to Fort Edwards with one Militia each arriving at  Albany, Fort Oswego, and Fort Stanwix.  The Fench draw 2 x Militia and Drucour to the colors.  Drucour and one Militia sail to Fort Frontenac and one Militia goes to Isle aux Noix. 

May 1756
The British take the automatic one Command Point and Johnson travels from Fort Edwards to Fort Stanwix.  May reinforcements include the arrival of three regiments of Regulars.  The Regulars go to Albany, Fort Oswego, and Fort Edwards.  The Oneida ally with the British.

The French likewise take one automatic Command Point and send Dieskau to Isle aux Noix.  For reinforcements, the French receive two regiments of Regulars.  One regiment is sent to Montreal and the other to Isle aux Noix.  No Natives join the French. 

Johnson travels to Fort Stanwix

June 1756
The British, again, take the sure route and opt for a guaranteed one Command Point.  With that single command point Monckton marches out from Fort Edwards to avenge the loss of the fort last fall.  Monckton takes with him 1 x 5-6 Regular, 1 x 3-8 Ranger, and 2 x 3-5 Militia to attack Fort William-Henry. 

Monckton Attacks Fort William-Henry

The Second Battle of Fort William-Henry
With a garrison of two French Regulars, the prospects of holding Fort William-Henry seemed good.  Now, with a force twice its size, the odds of holding the fort are reduced.  Can the French regulars outlast the mostly irregular force of Monckton?  Without a notable leader at the helm, holding the fort is even more in jeopardy.

OB:
British: Monckton (A2D1), 1 x 5-6 Regular, 1 x 3-8 Ranger, 2 x 3-5 Militia
French: 2 x 5-6 Regulars 

Peter, you are fighting over the same ground a second time.