Frontier Forts Under Fire

Fort William Henry and Fort Phil Kearny were both military outposts of the North American frontier. Both lasted but briefly—about two years from construction until their walls went up in flames. And both saw what were termed “massacres” by Indians outside their walls.
This book reexamines the traumatic events at both forts. The Fort William Henry Massacre was condemned by both the British and the French as barbaric. Yet these European powers proved capable of similar crimes. The Fort Phil Kearny defeat, traditionally attributed to Captain William Fetterman’s having disobeyed orders, has been scrutinized in recent years. Did the women present at that time write a distorted version of events?
It would appear that his second-in-command, the rash Lieutenant George Grummond, led the charge over Lodge Trail Ridge. Or did he?

Paul Williams has worked in the television and film industries as a writer, producer and director. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Paul Williams
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 242
Bibliographic Info: 29 photos, 11 maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7093-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2956-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments v
Preface 1
1. Sabbath Day Point 3
2. Disaster on the Monongahela 9
3. Revenge at Lake George 20
4. The French Strike Back 27
5. Fire and Ice: The Winter Raid 35
6. Fort William Henry Aware 40
7. Montcalm Arrives 45
8. The Siege Tightens: Webb Nowhere in Sight 53
9. A Demand for Surrender 59
10. We Must Fall into the Hands of Our Enemies 64
11. Massacre 70
12. Outrage 75
13. Carnage at Fort Carillon 81
14. The Death Throes of Fort Duquesne 88
15. Québec 94
16. England, Mistress of Canada 100
17. Dakota Territory, 1866 103
18. On the Bozeman Trail 114
19. Fort Phil Kearny Takes Shape 122
20. A Summons to Duty 132
21. A Forgotten Battalion 142
22. Fetterman Arrives 149
23. Over Lodge Trail Ridge 159
24. Preparation for an Unparalleled Defense 168
25. Fixing the Blame 175
26. One and All Gloried in Abuse 180
27. The Disaster Probed 187
28. Red Cloud’s Resolve 192
29. The Wagon Box Fight 198
30. Finale 203
Appendix: Henry Carrington’s Report of January 3, 1867 211
Chapter Notes 215
Bibliography 225
Index 231