only partially entrenched. When the Indians
agreed, the French march resumed, and on
September 8, 1755, Dieskau’s forces took up
ambush positions along the wagon road.
Johnson, meanwhile, had dispatched 1,000
militia and Indians, under Col. Ephraim
Williams and Mohawk Chief Theyanoguin,
back to Fort Edward for additional security.
The Americans had nearly walked into the
French trap before the Indians sprang it pre-
maturely. A confused but deadly firefight then
erupted, and Dieskau’s force routed its oppo-
nent, killing both Williams and Theyanoguin.
The French and Indian force hotly pursued
the fleeing colonials right up to their camp,
which Johnson hastily fortified with over-
turned wagons, boats, and anything else that
provided cover. A decisive French victory
seemed looming.
The error of Dieskau’s earlier mistake now
became clear. With his militia and Indians dis-
persed and fatigued, he had only 200 regulars
available to attack Johnson’s entire camp.
Badly outnumbered, these professional sol-
diers marched in perfect formation to within
musket range, then traded volleys with more
numerous defenders for several hours. Both
sides sustained heavy losses, and Dieskau, di-
recting the action under fire, sustained three
leg wounds. He nonetheless continued direct-
ing the battle while propped up against a tree.
Unable to sustain the stalemate further, he fi-
nally ordered a complete withdrawal. Dieskau
himself, however, refused to fall back, prefer-
ring death or capture to defeat. After being
shot one more time by a French renegade, the
Baron was taken and the action concluded.
The British claimed a great victory at Lake
George, and William Johnson was knighted as
a consequence. They had bested the French in
a stand-up fight and, more important, cap-
tured the second-highest-ranking French offi-
cer in Canada. However, Lake George proved
itself a hollow victory, for Johnson’s offensive
was permanently derailed while French
forces remained strongly entrenched at
Ticonderoga. Furthermore, within a year they
would advance down the Champlain Valley
again and capture Fort William Henry under
the aegis of a new general, Louis-Joseph
Montcalm, Dieskau’s successor. Dieskau sur-
vived his injuries and was eventually trans-
ferred to London. He was finally repatriated
to France in 1763 and died near Paris on Sep-
tember 8, 1767.Bibliography
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