Siege of Fort William Henry - Full History Documentary

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The amazing true story that inspired Last of the Mohicans. See history come alive in this historic battle.
#history #battle #documentary #americanhistory
Check out these great books to learn more about the siege.
(Amazon affiliate links may earn me a small commission)
Fort William Henry 1755-57: amzn.to/48nVphm
Betrayals: Fort William Henry & the Massacre: amzn.to/3URlMcb
The Legacy of Fort William Henry: amzn.to/48xJ0r4
During the French and Indian War Fort William Henry was under siege. The French assembled an of 8,000 men, including more than 1,800 Indians from more than 30 nations.
The French artillery bombarded the fort, while their Indian allies ambushed men from the surrounding forests.
The siege lasted six long days and ended in a brutal massacre made famous by The Last of the Mohicans.
Fort William Henry was built in 1755 at the southern end of Lake George. The location was chosen to oppose the French Forts at the southern end of Lake Champlain. These lakes were an important waterway during the French and Indian War. An army controlling these lakes and rivers could travel freely across the continent.
This documentary starts with an overview of the French and Indian War, and it's expansion into the Seven Years War. It recounts the events leading up to the siege and portrays each day of the siege using journals and letters from the men who were there in 1757.
Hear the story from men on both sides of the conflict.
To support more films like this you can purchase the documentary on DVD from my website.
eks.tv/product/the-siege-of-f...

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Опубликовано:

10 ноя 2023

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Комментарии : 271

@ShawnRitch 6 месяцев назад

Wonderful job with this documentary. You have a great voice and articulation for these videos. Similar to James Earl Jones.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it! and thank for the wonderful compliment. James Earl Jones is in a league of his own, but nice to be compared anyway!

@mikeyoung3499 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwansonqqqF

@furnacefighter 6 месяцев назад

I would have bet real money that the narrator of this story was Sam Waterston. This work is really well done and well worth watching . “Last of the Mohicans” was a great story helped by great performances by Danial Day Lewis and Wes Studi, however claiming it to be historically accurate or even based on a true story would be untrue. In my European travels I wandered on to a bust of the French General Marquee de Montcalm. Unfortunately, my memory is fuzzy and I don’t recall exactly where the Marquee’s bust is currently residing.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@furnacefighter thanks, glad you enjoyed my documentary. Last of the Mohicans is a great movie, but it isn’t even accurate to the book, let alone to history

@Anglo_Saxon1 4 месяца назад

@@ErikKSwansonYour voice is excellent,but I likened it to Peter Coyote,he narrated a lot of Ken Burns docs.Infact I thought it was Peter and had to check. By the way,great doc mate,you've got my subscription.👍

@PDTeter 4 месяца назад

I love how last of the mohicans is a historical drama yet keeps the accuracy of the events that happen during it

@colgategilbert8067 6 месяцев назад

Thanks. The Siege of Ft William Henry was incredibly important not for the fight but in the aftermath and the British reaction to it. Up until then both the 2nd Hundred Years War and the Struggle for Control of North America had largely been in a see-saw stalemate. When news of the 'Massacre' of British POWs reached the Brits & Euromericans, they were utterly outraged. They collectively set their considerable differences aside to destroy the French Empire. This changed forever the dynamic of the fight to control North America and its history, depriving the Indigenous Peoples of competing allies to play against each other. And depriving the France Crown of enough of its overseas colonies that it eventually went bankrupt.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching. It’s fascinating learning how interconnected all of these wars are

@colgategilbert8067 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson The interconnection of the conflicts was due to the European Imperial Systems, their causes and the converging interests of their local subjects and allies. However, there were unconnected conflicts, such as 'King Phillip's' & "Gray Locks' Wars in New England. The Europeans would try to poach each others colonies to deprive them of resources and the locals participated due European help in local conflicts.

@thomaswayneward 6 месяцев назад

Just what would you consider a massacre? Killing women and children not enough for you?

@Dragases6894 3 месяца назад

No thé monarchy went bankrupt After helping Américains get their indépendance from Britain. Thé loss of North America didn't impact so much thé revenues of thé monarchy as it kept Haiti and it's fabulous sugar revenues.😊

@colgategilbert8067 3 месяца назад

@@Dragases6894 While the Monarchy went bankrupt after helping in the American Revolution, it was cumulative. The loss of Canada alone was not enough. However, I believe France also lost some territory and revenues in India. The 7 Years War cost France much of its navy, which it then rebuilt. And again lost part of plus other expenses in the War of American Independence. Several Years of a poor economy in France finally pushed it over the edge.

@greenjoseph4 6 месяцев назад

I covered the siege of fort William Henry in my thesis. Compared it to Abercrombie’s failed attack on Carillon … wonderful work.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

That sounds like an interesting topic for the thesis. Must have been a lot of fun researching it.

@greenjoseph4 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson they even paid for me to travel out there and see the ground first hand.

@ThePalaeontologist 5 месяцев назад

@@greenjoseph4 Did you ever notice the eerie similarities with the Battle of Carillon and the Battle of New Orleans?

@SNP-1999 6 месяцев назад

I have seldom watched such an excellent documentary/ film on RU-vid. Extremely well researched, produced and presented, it is a professional production of the highest order. Excellent work and thank you !

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Wow, thank you. What a fantastic compliment. I am glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed researching it, and reading through all the old journals

@whoto3830 5 месяцев назад

Born in Carlisle, Pa. All my ancestors are from Pa and New York. It is refreshing you presented history just as history with no side comments or skewed opinions as is constantly presented today. I was a little surprised by the high level of brutality by the Indian allies tho. But back then it was their culture during war, which is much overlooked and ignored in today's rewriting of a softer one-sided revision of history and historical facts. Truth and historical facts make a culture, nation or people a better civilization. In the end, only the dead know what actually happened.

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

@craighaldane-gy3mk 6 месяцев назад

Really well put together and great narrator. There is nothing worse than some Ai voice on channel's it ruins them. You have a new subscriber here.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for the kind compliments. I am glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully I can keep you engaged with future videos

@robertbowers9856 6 месяцев назад

My Revolutionary ancestor was at Ft Edward during the revolution. He left a very detailed accout in his pension application about Benedict Arnold and General Phillip Schuyler. He was on the expedition to capture Montreal. Very good documentary.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for sharing. That is really cool. Do you have the account?

@rachelwickersham7834 4 месяца назад

I would love to read what your ancestor wrote!

@robertbowers9856 4 месяца назад

Yes I do. But how to get it to you is another matter. Any suggestions?@@ErikKSwanson

@robertbowers9856 4 месяца назад

I would love to send a copy, but I'll have to locate it. I did a transcript quite a while back, but then to get it to you is another matter.@@rachelwickersham7834

@Anglo_Saxon1 4 месяца назад

@Robert Bowers;I don't know if your aware but the surname Bowers is an Old English surname of Saxon origin.Your name derives from the South East of England.👍

@tacitronin4970 6 месяцев назад

Fantastically done!

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it

@kenc9236 6 месяцев назад

Awesome video and really helped me along with the "Last of the Mohicans" movie to get a bigger picture of events.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Last of the Mohicans is a great movie!

@Andrew-dg8se 6 месяцев назад

Yeah this is good.i have heard this voice actor before on the history channel.I love this type of history and am a big fan of Last of the Mohicans.now I will read the book.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. As far as I know none of the voice actors did anything on the History channel. Certainly not the narrator.

@matthewgriffin7857 6 месяцев назад

Love this, thank you Erik!

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for watching!

@matthewgriffin7857 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson I loved it, do you plan on doing a follow up episode? As in what happened following the battle and the course of the French and Indian war? That would so damn neat sir

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@matthewgriffin7857 thanks. I have some other history topics in the works, but nothing set in stone yet

@NeilTremblay-rg7hk 6 месяцев назад

Great video! I have been to Fort William Henry many times. This is the best video I have seen on the subject.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thanks glad you enjoyed it. The Fort is a fun place to visit.

@jonathanbaggs4275 6 месяцев назад

Excellent and well done.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you, I appreciate it! I’m glad you enjoyed the documentary

@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234 4 месяца назад

Thanks for sharing 😊

@ErikKSwanson 4 месяца назад

Thanks for watching

@mjbucar 28 дней назад

An excellent video - thank you.

@ErikKSwanson 28 дней назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

@OzMan9989 6 месяцев назад

⁠Tne thing is, I completely agree with you. My main point is that indigenously Americans dont deserve the benefit of doubt that contemporary pop culture seems to indicate. They were just as bad as Europeans, Aztecs, Carib cultures, etc in the new world. Your historical coverage is excellent by the way. Very entertaining.😅

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you. Glad you’re enjoying my videos

@sjpavur 6 месяцев назад

You are absolutely correct!

@seanmolloy4636 6 месяцев назад

These are the things they do not teach you in school. They look for pitty even though like you mentioned they were just as cutthroat and conniving as any other Nation.

@Stitchwitchstitch 5 месяцев назад

You’re still not understanding the situation. Should they have just LET the white people take their land? They were attacked, THEY were invaded, THEY were chased out, THEY were massacred as government POLICY. Yea, duh, they fought back. But a cannonball to the face is no less gruesome than getting your skull smashed by a tomahawk or club. The British were savage too- don’t let the wigs and tea sandwiches fool you. You’d smash someone with a rock if they had you in a choke grip, I bet. You’d fight to the death if someone tried taking your land, your home, your hunting grounds, your sacred burial spaces, your food stores and growing areas. What, you don’t get to feel screwed over then? Because you fought back just as hard? Of course they were brutal- and it’s scary, but they didn’t have long-range weapons en masse and they didn’t have armies at their call, because they didn’t have destitute soldiers joining for survival. The native population took care of their people, in their tribes and sometimes inter-tribe. You sound like someone who says “why can’t the blacks get over it? Slavery ended in the 1860s.” You’re missing so many important points. Please expand your viewpoint.

@philodonoghue3062 3 месяца назад

There’s been a resurgence of that pesky ‘noble savage’ trope. A notion conceived by Rousseau - a Swiss who’d never travelled far beyond Europe’s borders. Never been to the new world, Aftrica, Asia (North, South, East or West); Oceania, etc. The East Polynesian colonisers of what is now New Zealand carried out frequent internecine revenge based slaughter - in both senses of the word ie., massacre followed by kai tangata (kai = eat or food, tangata = man, people). Yet in the last 4 decades the revival of the still declining number of native-fluent speakers (a noble worthwhile goal) and admission by ‘the Crown’ of unconstitutional and illegal confiscation of native land after the Māori/Land/New Zealand Wars in the 1840s - 1870s) with monetary compensation has led to the romantic, ahistorical and anachronistic notions of retro-tribalist propaganda by radicals, liberals, government bureaucrats and the Labour and Green parties. Time, energy and resources which would be better applied to solving the dysfunctional social results following on from the inevitable deracination consequential to European expansion and world dominance over the last half millennium.

@josephinewest859 4 месяца назад

This video is well done - you are amazing! I love your approach -- seeking out the facts and letting them speak for themselves. That's so hard to find these days. You have created a quality, highly captivating documentary (love the visuals of the maps and scenery and also the voice-overs). I never would have expected to come across a RU-vid video of this quality. I truly hope we will see more like this from you. This is the kind of content I have been looking for. Thank you!

@ErikKSwanson 4 месяца назад

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it! I have more videos on a variety of topics planned

@thegameshooters4188 4 месяца назад

Hi Josephine. Can you provide specific examples of documentaries of Colonial America created "these days" that lack facts and do not let existing facts "speak for themselves?" I am not challenging your response to Erik Swanson's work and this documentary as much as it is my desire to be aware of what you consider lesser documentaries that freely exercise their creative license, as I continue to search youtube to acquire more information on the North American Colonial Period. Thanks

@thegameshooters4188 4 месяца назад

Great job, Erik Swanson. I earnestly viewed the entire piece.

@ErikKSwanson 4 месяца назад

@@thegameshooters4188 thank you, I appreciate it

@pjhue6607 4 месяца назад

great vid

@joetowsey2898 3 месяца назад

Very well made, informative and interesting, keep up the good work chief!

@ErikKSwanson 3 месяца назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

@stevelauda5435 6 месяцев назад

A most brilliant documentary.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it

@johnnowakowski4062 5 месяцев назад

The savagery of the Indians has been well documented throughout the French/Indian wars. No matter what surrender terms the French made out of chivalry, the Indians could care less and would just slaughter the inhabitants once a fort was surrendered. Much to the consternation of the outnumbered French contingent who could only watch in horror..

@puma1304 6 месяцев назад

as a child, during the unending rainy nights deep inside the wet Patagonian forest I read a book about the history of North America for children (profusely illustrated), and I was very impressed at a drawing depicting Champlain in 1608 shooting at the Iroquois at the lake that now bears his name, from the maps and other stories it was clear to me even then that this was the closest way to go from Quebec to New York... and it resembled so much the scenery where I was reading, so no doubt as soon as the sun arrived again we went outside and played "Iroquois against Canadians"... I really learned so much with that book! Now with much more knowledge I still think that it is too bad the British ended taking Canada and all of New France, otherwise the history of North America would have been quite different, except we do not know what the independent US would have done... almost certainly they would have attempted to expand into french territory, as they did into the spanish/mexican... the french kings and their entourage never understood the needs nor potential of New France

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

It’s an interesting question. Much of the U.S. war for independence is directly influenced by the French and Indian War. If France had won the British colonials might have thought twice about expanding westward, and possibly wouldn’t have been comfortable waging war against Britain. Many of the American officers during the revolution gained their experience during the war against France. If they had been defeated they might not have had confidence in the combat tactics and experience they learned.

@edwardhanson3664 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson Yes, that would have made for a very different history.

@DonMeaker 6 месяцев назад

Russia made so much money from furs, and French nobility spent so much money on Russian furs, that the French Crown, well informed on Russian expansion into Siberia by exploitation of the natives, with only occasional military forts, sought to use the same methods used by Russia. The innovations of the British, with local colonies that used local products (maize, potato) and self governing assemblies proved more robust, though having a slower start.

@keithad6485 6 месяцев назад

The Daniel Day Lewis movie is one of my favorite all time movies. I accept there was probably directors license included in the movie and it may not necessarily be entirely based on fact as the Fenimore Cooper book is written as a novel.

@user-fu9vj9ix3g 6 месяцев назад

Defintely a masterpiece that will last as long as people enjoy film. Every detail of costume and arms was correct - except for the long shots from the fort to screen the runner. That was pretty fanciful. Done at night, at what appeared to be at least 200+ yards, on moving targets? No way. I know those rifles well. Just not gonna happen except by sheer luck. Silk patches or not.

@brucevaughn2886 5 месяцев назад

LOTM is one of the very best recent period movies. Errors such as the night time shooting and such as very few have any working knowledge of the details which they reference.

@rogerross6583 5 месяцев назад

I liked this presentation about the brief history of fort William Henry. Very well done.

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

@christiansmith4421 5 месяцев назад

This is an excellent naration of an incredible part of history.

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it

@rocklobster2929 5 месяцев назад

Very impressive documentary, this period of history is so interesting

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

@stevedecata462 6 месяцев назад

Nicely done

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it

@stevedecata462 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson have you thought about doing the Schenectady massacre??

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@stevedecata462 I need to look into that more. Thanks for the suggestion

@alistairclarke6726 6 месяцев назад

Simply outstanding! original content and well narrated Subscribed

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you! I appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed it. I have videos on a variety of subjects, but will be looping back to some history videos soon

@zulmasaavedra-franco9021 2 часа назад

As an extra in the last of the mohicans this documentary helped me understand what really happened. It was great fun filming the night scenes at the fort on lake James north Carolina .I met a lot of the actors and stayed one night at a house Dennis Banks was renting .he was incredibly patient and kind .I'm seen in the movie several times in the fort as a wounded soldier. On other night a French soldier. also in the scene in massacre valley.The movie I thought was pretty good.Everyone worked hard.I saw one scene take seventeen takes .The Director would say " back to one"

@ErikKSwanson 5 минут назад

That must have been a fun experience. I absolutely love that movie. It might be a little loose on historical accuracy and following the book, but it’s a great movie

@stevekling8086 4 месяца назад

Interesting.

@ericbeattie761 6 месяцев назад

Traveling south is down the lake😮. I have a summer home in Bass Bay. Underneath Uncas cliff

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

The lake flows South to North. Traveling south is upstream. Sounds like your summer home is in a beautiful spot.

@tekawapangjamir4990 6 месяцев назад

When I was a kid i saw my elders drinking Fort William Rum (Remote state in India) but later stop production forever..now i know now why FW was very popular ..

@bobobo2224 6 месяцев назад

The last of the Mohicans didn't hold a candle to what actually happened. It didn't show any of the Indians plundering while the British were still in the fort. Even this documentary doesn't mention the raping of women. The Indians made that last night in the fort hell. While weapons had already been taken away from British. TLotM only showed the massacre during the March.

@brucevaughn2886 5 месяцев назад

There is always a limit to what anyone can do working within the constraints of time and budget.

@thebroham5239 26 дней назад

hollywood has been woke garbage for so many years now, they exposed that they have been doing it all along as not to offend someone. once u get older and have more real world experience it really opens your eyes to all the bs... both ways.

@will-i-am-not 6 месяцев назад

You do have to ask why thry did not build the fort on the raised ground to begin with, it seems the ability of senior officers to think has not changed much

@williamogilvie6909 5 месяцев назад

An ancestor, named Eastman, was in a colonial regiment that built fort William Henry. I assume he was not there for the later conflict with the French. He and a few of his brothers served in Loyalist militias during the revolutionary war and when the war ended, were evacuated, with their families, to Halifax. They eventually cleared farmsteads in Ontario. One brother returned to Vermont in 1802 and married again after his first wife died. George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak, was related to my ancestor. There was tension between the English colonists and the French long before this episode.

@Syagrius62 13 часов назад

As a descendant of the canadian militiamen I want to thank the author of this documentary for his impartiality. Just to add that among the Indians populations of the St-Lawrence valley there were our Catholic Iroquois of our missions around Montréal and they were probably part of that battle as well. Bonne journée de Montréal.

@ErikKSwanson 10 часов назад

Thank you I am glad you enjoyed it.

@Xraydelta14sector2 5 месяцев назад

Excellent presentation 🏅

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

@Xraydelta14sector2 5 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson 👍

@hawssie1 4 месяца назад

This is a good account of one of the many instances of savagery done by the Indian tribes in this area of the country, at this time in history. From what I have read theses tribes were extremely vicious as a culture and this was considered business as usual for most of the tribes of the great northwest. Modern views of cruelty or compassion didn't register in these cultures and were considered a terrible sign of weakness, hence their intense dissatisfaction with the terms of surrender. This incident was not directly related to hatred of the "white man" at this point but just their normal way of waging war and settling disputes and the same treatments shown to other conflicted Indian groups as well.

@dmeinhertzhagen8764 4 месяца назад

The perspective of the native Americans is known through Charles Michel de Langlade, born in Fort Michilimackinac to an Ottawa mother and a French fur trader father, he became an Ottawa war chief and a French soldier. He was present during this battle and participated in the killing of British soldiers who had surrendered. He and his men also killed many surrendering British and colonials at the Monongahela (George Washington was a young 19 year old British army lieutenant at that time)and later killed many more fighting them in Quebec City and in Sainte-Foy. He basically stated that they treated their enemies the way they expected to be treated if they were captured by the few tribes allied with the British notably the Iroquois Confederacy. Langlade later settled near Baie Verte (GreenBay nowadays) and he is known as the “father of Wisconsin”.

@fortcarillon615 2 месяца назад

Good documentary and not really French bashing....(rare)...........Fort Necessity - Oswego - Monongahela - Fort carillon -Fort william Henry - Bataille des raquettes (snowshoes battle) - Beauport - Montmorency - Sainte Foy - Respect for the natives, allied Indians, and French soldiers of this war ! .............My France salute you, Québec and North America brothers !!!!!

@felixthibeault7096 4 месяца назад

I’m an high school teacher in Canada ! This documentary is a beautiful piece ! Bravo ! 🎉

@ErikKSwanson 4 месяца назад

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it

@felixthibeault7096 4 месяца назад

@@ErikKSwanson 😎

@barkeater9606 5 месяцев назад

Very well done! I have been to the fort many times. I was born and raised in Dolgeville, NY. It’s about an hour west of the fort, just north of the Mohawk valley. 👍

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it. You have a lot of interesting history in your area

@paulhomsy2751 6 месяцев назад

Well researched and delivered as fairly as the details of historical accounts permit. Great job detailing as realistically as possible this episode of our North American French/English/Natives history. Thank you !

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for your comment, I am glad you enjoyed the video. It was enjoyable doing the research for this. I tried to let the historic accounts tell the story of the siege for the most part, and tried to include conflicting accounts between the French and British where I could. When writing the script there were at least 2 times that I caught myself repeating something I had read in books about the siege. Then when I thought about it more, I said to myself, "I don't see that connection in the primary sources," so rewrote the narration. There are probably some errors or mistakes in there, but I certainly tried to avoid them.

@paulhomsy2751 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson I doubt there are many mistakes. It's very difficult to recreate history accurately since there usually are many accounts, some of them conflicting, depending on the source and allegiance of those writing the accounts. In my experience, Jesuits tend to give the most elaborate, detailed and accurate accounts of an event or of the history of a country; usually documenting facts with intellectual honesty and integrity. You quoted one a few times in your video, which in the dust, tumult and carnage of battles and wars renders it is as authentic as can be and reinforcing that notion to me. Well done !

@GAZMofBI74 6 месяцев назад

Who could forget the bravery and innovativeness of Capt Robert Rogers and his Brother(Who iirc died of smallpox at the Fort but later got his own biological revenge on the Indians who had dug him up post mortem)?".☣️☠️🇬🇧🛡⚔️🇬🇧Great content btw mate.....nice one!!😉👌😎👍

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

@robnewman6101 Месяц назад

My parents and I have been to Fort Ticonderoga before.

@brutusbarnabus8098 6 месяцев назад

With French interests in the West Indies under threat by the Royal Navy New France was de-prioritized and Montcalm had to make do. In fact, after 1757 he received no more reinforcements or supplies from his homeland. He was the most competent commander in North America at the time and had he been properly equipped and supplied the world map would look very different today. I have always admired Louis-Joseph de Montcalm.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Generally speaking, the British out spent the French during the war - on every continent

@ENIGMAXII2112 6 месяцев назад

I too find Montcalm an interesting figure. I believe he was a true Gentleman...

@ENIGMAXII2112 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson They sure indeed did..

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@ENIGMAXII2112 I think he and a lot of others were doing what they could to adapt European norms in warfare to the North American wilderness and different style of warfare. It’s pure speculation on my part, but I tend to agree with you

@ENIGMAXII2112 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson And THANK YOU Mr. Swanson for your great work. It was VERY well done..!

@keithad6485 6 месяцев назад

Fort warfare has long been abandoned as a viable method of fighting. It gives the defenders only a short term protection. Siege warfare is always in favor of the attacker unless the defenders can rely on reinforcements coming to their aid, and this is uncertain. It is a way of holding ground for sure, but gives the attacker the initiative who can choose when and where to attack or lay siege. Timber walls, very vulnerable to fire which can take away the defenders main source of protection. This seems a very well researched and presented video.

@sjpavur 6 месяцев назад

I agree, and pretty much the same thing could be said for castles.

@OCEANSIDEGANGBUSTER 5 месяцев назад

All this American history has been deleted from textbooks.

@peterixon8708 5 месяцев назад

Really enjoyed the presentation. An Australian and therefore a foreigner to both cultures, curious as to the pronunciation of the name of the French fort. I was told by American re-enactors in 2000, during a visit to Crown Point & Fort Ticonderoga, the name of the French fort was pronounced as car-rill-yon; your pronunciation to me sounded like carry-on. Curious as to which is correct. But don't any offence; great video. An avid war gamer, retired these days with plenty of time to play, I really enjoyed your work.

@jean-louislalonde6070 4 месяца назад

As a Québécois in Montréal, I can tell you the correct pronunciation is the first one. Montcalm had basically three kind of warriors under his command: his soldiers who would obey no matter what, the Canadiens who were used to fight a guerilla warfare, and the native Indians who were fighting guerilla but were not directly under his command. The British soldiers were terrified by the Indians, knowing they were not bound by any rules of war.

@peterixon8708 4 месяца назад

Thanks Jean-Louis. Really appreciate knowing the correct pronunciation. Thanks too for the additional info.

@SNP-1999 6 месяцев назад

The 35th Regiment of Foot that defended the fort had its revenge later when it took part in the siege and battle of Orleans, during which the French General Montcalme was killed. Later named the Royal Regiment of Sussex, the regiment fought with honour during the Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars, apart from many wars of the 19th and 20th centuries.

@Anaris10 5 месяцев назад

Montcalm died at Quebec.

@Oscarhobbit 5 месяцев назад

This was a great documentary. I am involved in the study and use of cannons. I was shocked to hear how many barrels burst at the fort. Are there any sources that give an account of French artillery bursting. A number of the French guns were captured British pieces.

@alansivkoff282 6 месяцев назад

Would this be the same Montcalm who lost Quebec to Woolf?

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Yes, the very same. He also oversaw a clever defense of Fort Carillon the year after Fort William Henry

@OzMan9989 6 месяцев назад

This seems like a history channel program copied. If not, it’s a great compliment to your channel.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

The History channel barely even makes programs about history anymore.

@irishrepub84 5 месяцев назад

Sir William Johnson should have had at least a hint of an Irish accent in my opinion (Although he was an aristocrat which kind of muddies the water as far as likely accent ill grant you). he was a Mick afterall. and not just any Mick but a line of the ancient High Kings of Ireland the O'Neil. O'Neil > McShane > Johnson. He and his people would ultimately take the loyalist side in the revolution. He was and will always be the first baronet of New York if i remember correctly. very important/ under rated figure in American history in my opinion.

@zach7193 6 месяцев назад

When I think of this battle, reminds me of Last of the Mohicans and the War that made America. Narrator sounds like Peter Coyote.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Last of the Mohicans (1991 version) is a great movie. The War that made America had some cool reenactments around this battle, but some of the story points were a little off. If I remember correctly they said that the 3 campfires to mark the rendevous point on August 2, 1757 were what alerted the men at Fort William Henry to the French approach... regardless a great docuseries. I wish there was more stuff like that being made these days.

@keithad6485 6 месяцев назад

He does sound like Peter Coyote. Not sure that it is him though. Does Peter C still live in SF?

@fload46d 6 месяцев назад

We lost a French Commander from Post Miamis who had gone far into the northwest looking for the "Southern Sea". He was the Commander that George Washington talked to at Post LaBoeuf. He was killed Fort William Henry.

@DonMeaker 6 месяцев назад

The Iroquois were a native people that preferred the English. Their preference was in response to the aggressive pursuit of alliances by the Samuel de Champlain for the French. Over and over again, the English fought against native tribes with other natives as their allies, in King Phillips' War in 1675, King William's War in 1688, Queen Anne's war in 1702, Drummer's War in 1722, and the War of Jenkins Ear in 1739. That policy was continued by America after independence.

@Syagrius62 12 часов назад

Not exactly, part of the Iroquois were in New France and on the French side because they were catholic. Read about The Seven Nations in The Canadian Encyclopedia. Bonne journée.

@josephfeeley3476 5 месяцев назад

My beautiful wife is a Chippewa-Cree and I am just an Irish American, 4th generation! Some of this I agree and some I obviously do not. But good post all the same!

@mickuljatheseagull 4 месяца назад

In the British military the rank of "Loo" tenant is pronounced "Left" tenant. That aside a very enjoyable documentary.

@robertballard4611 2 месяца назад

Live about 15 min from there, a lot of history between Ticonderoga, whitehall, fort ann, William Henry, fort Edward, Saratoga ect

@ErikKSwanson 2 месяца назад

It’s a great area for history. I wish it was promoted more often

@robertballard4611 2 месяца назад

@@ErikKSwanson great video

@SmedleyDouwright 6 месяцев назад

I think the recreated tourist fort is on, or very close, to the site of the original fort. I saw a ghost hunter show that reported to find ghost activity there.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

It is about 15 feet further west than the original. Some of the buildings are also in different locations and different dimensions, but the walls and overall shape are pretty close to the historic plans and drawings

@jamesstone9213 6 месяцев назад

Yes. I seen them!!

@ejdotw1 Месяц назад

Great documentary until the end. Accounts were not so distorted, as to casualties. Near 1,000 were massacred by the Indians. Modern historians (of which I am one) have unfairly discounted casualties in favor of pro-Native American popular narratives. The men, women, and children were utterly butchered by them. It does no favor to history to distort truth in either respect. Abuses were rampant on all parts. It remained the nature of the times and cultures of every quarter.

@danielreichert2025 4 месяца назад

Why isn’t mahgwy mentioned 🤣. Just kidding ty for clarifying this topic.

@chriscarola9281 5 месяцев назад

Wrote many stories about Lake George's Colonial history, archaeology digs, etc. while a reporter for The Associated Press in Albany, NY. Know some of the experts appearing in this film. The village/town of LG packs more history, battles, etc. in its environs than most places 10 times the size.

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

That must have been a great experience covering all of that great history. You're right there is so much great history in that area

@TheDKninja 12 дней назад

rip to all the brave specially that one guy friendly fired by the natives

@jamesomalley4556 4 месяца назад

Well done Hawkeye/Chingachgook/and Uncas.

@Kev-son_of_kev 6 месяцев назад

The fort is a star fort

@dmeinhertzhagen8764 4 месяца назад

The century old alliance between the French and dozens of First Nations all over North America gave birth to a whole new people and culture, the Métis nation.

@papabenoit782 4 месяца назад

The British , not English. 🇬🇧💂‍♀️🇬🇧

@user-ur1qo4fp1f 6 месяцев назад

IS it just me or does the over statement of both French and English bother any one, Wow. I suppose it is the STYLE of the times that exaggeration and bluster knows no bounds. I have to think this is also in the RETELLING of the story (narrator) It would seem the use of PHYCOLOGICAL warfare was and is still very popular. In reality I'm sure the Event would seem very Inglorious to most of those involved, particularly the Locals and Militias.

@Feathermason 6 месяцев назад

STELLAR!!!!!

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thank you!

@edwardhanson3664 6 месяцев назад

I appreciate your statement at the end, that the Native American accounts were not available..

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Thanks. It would be fascinating to have first hand accounts from the Native Americans. I reached out to numerous people, museums, heritage centers, etc. trying to get a Native American perspective on the time period, and historical setting of the war. Unfortunately no one returned my calls or emails. For the siege itself I wanted to tell the story exclusively based on the written accounts from men who were there, rather than modern interpretations of the events. One of my favorite parts in the doc is near the end where there are conflicting French and British accounts next to each other. They disagree about how much the French regulars protected the men marching to Fort Edward - The British say not at all, the French account says they tried, but failed. It really would be great to have additional perspectives on the events.

@lordjazoijua94 6 месяцев назад

I really wish they stop calling the British, English.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Even Montcalm, Bougainville, and Father Roubaud were doing it… they even used it to refer to the “British colonials.” Is it wrong? Technically yes. Is it common vernacular? Yes. Does anyone have trouble understanding the story as a result? No

@ThePalaeontologist 6 месяцев назад

The vast majority of the British are English.

@justinriley8651 Месяц назад

@@ErikKSwansonright on.

@freethenorth9698 13 дней назад

Fn are so peaceful

@jasonroach6209 Месяц назад

Vive la France!⚜

@mattpavey3062 6 месяцев назад

NILES...

@ruffusblueeyedcat7864 6 месяцев назад

How are those Canadians he is talking about i thought Canada didn't exist at that time ?

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

The name Canada was used on maps as early as the mid 1500s. There was a region with that name, just not a country by that name

@bluetocop 6 месяцев назад

canadiens is what the french born in new france called themselves

@mcgiver6977 6 месяцев назад

Also our hockey NHL team ! @@bluetocop

@Syagrius62 12 часов назад

Canada was an alternate name for New France. Canadian was the name of the descendants of the French setllers. Nous sommes toujours là. The word Canadian has been stolen to us by the british with time.

@lawrieflowers8314 6 месяцев назад

The closing words of the documentary: ‘Sadly, the perspective we are missing is from the native Americans.’ Which, although seemingly uttered in all seriousness, is grotesque and barely credible. Being a monstrous misrepresentation, and complete cover-up of what actually happened. Because it is their actions - and their actions alone - that gave this encounter the notoriety it later earned. And a tight, impenetrable veil has been drawn across the actual details of what Montcalm diplomatically called the ‘ferocity’ of the Indians. Which, of course, is very necessary, because the true horrors of what they enjoyed doing to their victims would turn the stomach of anybody with a spark of decency & humanity. These being simply unspeakable acts of brutality & cruelty inflicted on men, women and children alike. Which is what you would expect from marauding savages from the Stone Age. So, in answer to those breathtakingly sanctimonious closing words, their contribution was made very fully indeed, and for all to see. With the ferocity & brutality of the primitive savages that they were, and in the only way they knew - in Blood, Guts, Gore....

@Destroyer_V0 5 месяцев назад

Politically correct, this comment is not. And yet, arguably, one I agree with. The french had greater numbers of troops than their native allies iirc the numbers quoted correctly. Easily enough to outmatch their numbers. Enough to prevent the bloodbath. They chose not to, or were not truly in control of the situation. A comment made earlier in the video by someone else also caught my attention. "All the native tribes liked the french because they didn't cut down trees" All? Huh. That didn't seem right. As someone who has written fictional stories that were never published. I would not use all to describe a group of tribes people. BEcause they do not agree with one another. Most tribes, is what I would have used instead. And preface it with evidence suggests. Rather than authoritative statements like what was given.

@brucevaughn2886 5 месяцев назад

Depravity and barbarism was the common method of the Indian tribes in warfare with one another and later with European settlers. This continued on through the close of the 1880’s. The quality of any society is best measured not only by looking at what by any estimation is foul beyond all excuse but also looking for what is of enduring significance especially with reference to the prevailing standards of those involved.

@thebroham5239 26 дней назад

thank you, the whole documentary was tainted by that one huge woke statement at the end, no doubt a virtue signaling pandering to some hairy armpit pronoun challenged liberal studies major at Columbia

@jontalbot1 6 месяцев назад

What happened to General Webb?

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

I’m pretty sure he was recalled to England, and ultimately promoted… but don’t quote me on that. I could be remembering incorrectly

@JamesJones-yj8ku 4 месяца назад

I some ways this made me feel less sorry for the plight of the Indians.

@colby25 5 месяцев назад

It was the british empire involved here not the english empire. You got something personal against the english? Dont want to offend the scots, welsh and irish involement?

@raymondtorres-gy8uj 6 месяцев назад

At the end when the british soldiers were getting killed, where did the women & children come from? Did i missed something because i was under the empression that they were in a war fort not a holiday inn, family vacation 🤷🤦😂😂😂

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Sutlers, merchants, families, etc would often follow armies during that time period

@thomasleonard1846 5 месяцев назад

If they only had Apache helicopters!

@bluetocop 6 месяцев назад

at least this battle had a happy ending

@desmondmurray5160 6 месяцев назад

Erik Swanson and at least one of the contributors don't know the difference between English and British.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

There had to be at least one thing in there for you to complain about. While you're at it you might as well mention that Montcalm and Bougainville didn't seem to know the difference either. They even used the term English (Anglois) to refer to the British colonials - many of which were born in North America.

@desmondmurray5160 6 месяцев назад

That's true but you should know better. I complain because it matters....a lot. @@ErikKSwanson

@jamesavenell2368 6 месяцев назад

@@desmondmurray5160 Foreigners tend to forget all about Wales, Scotland & Ulster. The Irish hate the English for atrocities committed by non English, no one recalls that it was foreign monarchs that wished to assault their countries, having conned their way into English hierarchy. It's a bastard but we'll bloody well live with it.

@jamesstone9213 6 месяцев назад

@@desmondmurray5160you should protest. Ffs

@dogrudiyosun 5 месяцев назад

I have no clue I am watching this

@dogrudiyosun 5 месяцев назад

Still, French officer impression reminding the “ listen to this carefully I shall tell is only once” Is priceless

@lysandros765 4 месяца назад

Very high quality documentary and narration, thank you. At the same it is quite unfortunate that the comment section contains a heafty amount of posts jumping on the occasion of this particular even to spurt out blatant xenophobia and disdain for the indigenous peoples of America as if all colonizers were angelic knights of purest intends who never commited atrocities and massacres and overtook the lands atmost peacefully by divine right. Nothing to do with Eurocentrism turned to evelen or simple racism of course, don't get me wrong, i also hate 'political correctness'...

@ErikKSwanson 4 месяца назад

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately comment sections really have a way of attracting the worst parts of society sometimes. Luckily it doesn’t seem to be the majority of people

@allanpapehenriksen3928 5 месяцев назад

Do all British really think that French people speaks English in this way ??? Think about how British speak french

@ErikKSwanson 5 месяцев назад

The voice actors performing the quotes from the French sources are all from France

@hughsmith7668 5 месяцев назад

Savages

@garycole520 6 месяцев назад

Not surprised by the “missing perspective” of the Native Americans. These people were doomed from the moment the Europeans arrived.

@thebroham5239 26 дней назад

don't forget the Mayans predicated them by 350 years and were genocided back to mex/cent/south america.

@dkoz8321 6 месяцев назад

I took side of Magua. Whitehair murdered his wife and children. Magua will have Whitehair's children under Magua's knife.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Magua’s path was never the path of the Huron

@OzMan9989 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwansonWe hear every day about the plight of the Native American. The fact is they were truly savages of war. History reveals itself of thousands of years of Native American warfare, torture, and atrocities, primarily on their own people through the millennia. As history proves, they had it coming.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@OzMan9989 I was replying to a quote from Last of the Mohicans with another quote from last of the Mohicans… but history does not prove anything. History just is. Your comment could just as easily apply to Europeans, or any other group of people - regardless of how you want to break down the categories. Humans have been violent throughout history.

@brucevaughn2886 5 месяцев назад

@@OzMan9989 “We all have it coming, Kid,” Will Munny. Unforgiven.

@user-fu5dq7bc4g 5 месяцев назад

One can, perhaps, better understand Gen. Sherman's comment, made many years later. Can't repeat it here or the You Tube snowflakes will get all whiny.

@Destroyer_V0 5 месяцев назад

You can always paraphrase. Sherman said a lot of... interesting stuff.

@thomaswayneward 6 месяцев назад

Thank God the British finally won out, imagine the whole of the US being French.

@keithad6485 6 месяцев назад

J'parle l'francais un petit per. There would be no Statue of Liberty! Wine would be the national drink, not beer or sour mash whiskey. Car companies would be state owned. All airforce fighters would be delta wing! Army would have those awful looking rifles called l'Clarion (the bugle) cos of its ugly handle. Imagine the US national anthem being l'Marseilles. Imagine De Gaulle as US president? The shuddering thoughts go on. For clarity, I like visiting France and always enjoy my stay.

@leegilley221 6 месяцев назад

@@keithad6485DeGualle would have never been President, we would all be speaking Gernan now. No one would have come to Britain's aid against the 3rd Reich. You remember the French surrendered to Hitler. Parts of other history cannot be ignored. With that learned the free French will never surrender again and neither will the freedom loving American's. But for what it is worth without the French the colony's would have never became the country of America without the support of the French. That will always be remembered ! VIVA La France, VIVA La America ! May We always be United in the battles for our beloved Freedom !

@mcgiver6977 6 месяцев назад

La Marseillaise : ) I'me from Québec....and i love american specialised breweries AND american wines ! Dogfish Head from Delaware ! Jésus-Christ que c'est bon !@@keithad6485

@didierpaya9069 5 месяцев назад

Without France, no US... Foxnews's amateur.

@lysandros765 4 месяца назад

Is the 'the whole of US' British now? What kind of flawed logic is this? Even following it, why do you even consider being French as an inherently worse thing than being British?...

@Hew.Jarsol 16 дней назад

The Rangers are British, Not American. Stop trying to alter history.

@ErikKSwanson 16 дней назад

Stop trying to start arguments based on lies. At no point in this video did I say that the Rangers were American. The ONE time they were mentioned I referred to them as the "British Ranger companies," but as long as we're on the topic, Robert Rogers, the most famous Ranger, was born in Massachusetts. His rules of ranging are still listed in the U.S. Army Rangers handbook to this day.

@keithstringer1140 3 месяца назад

The Last of the Mohicans is the greatest American novel ever written.

@digginup9130 6 месяцев назад

Sadly the only perspective missing was the Native American, it’s so misleading to say the native tribes where everything but peaceful

@burrellbikes4969 6 месяцев назад

Called a “massacre” because the Native Americans won.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

It was played up as propaganda, but it was called a massacre because unarmed, surrounded people were attacked and killed.

@robertbates6057 6 месяцев назад

Did they? The atrocities by natives went a long way toward solidifying a hatred by the colonists that resulted in complete destruction of their way of life. I'm not saying that the European / Colonial acts of treachery are any better but do see that as a motivation to wipe out the native culture. Brutality begot brutality.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@robertbates6057 certainly agree that the Europeans and colonials were brutal also, but the definition of massacre typically includes unarmed people being killed

@burrellbikes4969 6 месяцев назад

@@robertbates6057 I’m simply alluding to the practice of calling a horrible “killing spree” by natives as a “massacre”. But if the white men are the killers - it was a “battle”.

@robertbates6057 6 месяцев назад

Well, of course. The winner writes the history book. In my opinion, a massacre is a massacre.@@burrellbikes4969

@1994CPK 3 месяца назад

getting the reds to fight in a white mans war was truly shameful.

@ErikKSwanson 3 месяца назад

referring to a group of people as "the reds" is shameful, unless you're talking about the Cincinnati Reds, but I don't think they were involved in the war. Acting like the various tribes had no interests in the outcome of the war, and weren't invested in the side they were allied to winning is also a little silly.

@DonMeaker 6 месяцев назад

I dislike the fake French accent.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

Those are real French people with real French accents

@DonMeaker 6 месяцев назад

@@ErikKSwanson But speaking in their native language, they wouldn't have an accent. If you are going to translate it, translate it. If not not.

@ErikKSwanson 6 месяцев назад

@@DonMeaker you are welcome to make your documentary however you see fit. I will continue to make my documentaries how I see fit, and use whoever I choose as voice actors