Editor: The folowing article was translated by James Mitchell from De Levis' journal of his campaigns during the French & Indian War. This particular section provides Levis' interpretation of the opening events to the war and as such, provides background information for subsequent articles in this issue.
Large Map (very slow: 129K) France, after forty years of silence, claimed that the English had carried those boundaries much beyond their natural limits, and the Governor General of Canada, M. the Marquis de la Galissonniere [4], sent a detachment into that area to take possession of the land which he claimed had been encroached upon. After some respective remonstrances, he issued a writ to one of the commissioners to conclude this trouble amicably.
The missionaries to the Indians, who really had more authority in times of war than in times of peace, being interested in disturbing the harmony while yearning to demonstrate their own necessity via the credit that they had among the Indians, readily seized upon this
opportunity, and, through their correspondences with the governors
and the ministers, they succeeded in persuading the government that it
could, without compromise to itself, evict the English from all Acadie
making the Indians intervene as the true owners, to the prejudice of
whom France could not have ceded a country that did not belong to it.
This idea having caught on, the Indians, animated by the missionaries, initiated the war and drove the English from all Presque Isle [5] and from Acadie as far as Port Royal [6]. But the English protested against these acts of hostility that they ascribed to us and which we tossed back onto the Indians, free people who took orders from no one. Throughout this time, the commissioners of the two nations, who were in Paris, argued, made much money, and decided nothing [7].
In 1753, we wished at last to effect the settlement of the Ohio or Belle Riviere, intended for a long time and for a long time necessary, but Canada needed to be in a condition to support so grand a project because of the disproportion of its strength to that of the English
colonies, of which the latters' superionty was twenty to one.
The English, attacked at the two extremities of our possessions, which were Acadie and the Ohio, presently decided on a general invasion of the French colony, in favor of humanity, they said, and under the pretext of stopping the cruelties of the Indians, without having made any declaration of war upon France.
Our undertaking on the Ohio gave way to the alleged murder of de Jumonville [8], who was avenged on the field by the expedition of Fort Necessity [9]. During this time, preparations were made in London powerful enough to invade Canada in one campaign. In the autumn of 1754, the troops designed for this expedition disembarked
in different harbors of New England, according to the places where they were to go.
In the spring of 1755, a corps was sent to Acadie, another to Niagara [10], a third commanded by General Braddock [11], leader of the undertaking, onto the Ohio. The first beseiged Fort Beausejour [12] in Acadie, which capitulated; the second awaited the success of the march of General Braddock in order to set forward and make its junction; but that general was attacked, beaten, entirely defeated, and there lost his own life; this caused the whole plan of the English to fail.
The instructions of General Braddock, captured in his defeat, opened the eyes of all Europe and the war was finally waged openly [13].
France, seeing that the Englissh were sending only a division, sent, at the Spring of 1755, a relief of regular troops commanded by Baron de Dieskau [14] marechal de camp [15] and M. de Rostaing,
colonel [16].
This help consisted of the regiments of La Reine, Languedoc, Guyenne and Bearn, and an augmentation of a few companies of the troops of the Marine [l7]. She also sent the Marquis de Vaudreil [18] to replace M. Duquesne in the general government of the colony.
On arriving in Canada at the end of June, with only part of the aforementioned relief, the other having been captured on the way, and having learned that the English dominated Acadie, M. the Marquis de Vaudreuil, in concert with Dieskau, resolved to besiege Choagen [19], very strongly situated at the south of Lake Ontario, on
the left bank of the mouth of the river of the same name. He had the
regiments of Guyenne and Bearn go to Frontenac [20]; and the
remainder were on the march, when he learned that the enemy had advanced toward Saint Frederic [21] and were already at Lac Saint-Sacrement [22].
It was then that he learned of the defeat of General Braddock by the Sieur de Contrecour [23], captain of the troops of the Marine, who commanded in the whole area of the Belle Riviera and who was particularly charged with the defence of Fort Duquesne [24]. 0n the advice that he had of the enemy movements, he (Contrecour) had resolved to send the Sieur de Beaujeu [25] ahead of the enemy, as much to reconnoitre whether to fight in the defile that they had to pass, (as to determine) whenever he saw his way clear to meet with
success. His detachment was composed of 80 soldiers, 120 militiamen, and around 45O Indians [26].
At six o'clock thereafter, the enemy was contacted [27].
His march was in battle order; of divisions four deep and sixteen abreast which
doubled with the first shot of musketry, closing that column. Four howitzers and four cannons of 12 pounds, loaded with cartridges, marched at the head; two cannons of 6 pounds were at the center, and four at the tail with two mortars.
Our advance guard consisting of a score of Indians made its cry and discharge from far away, and immodiately the artillery of the enemy made the wood resound. The Indians, astonished by the
eruptions of the cannon and by the effect of those that were loaded with cartridges in the manner of the howitzers, fired their first volley and took flight; the Canadians followed them and the one carried the other, in a manner that all were broken.
In that moment, M. de Beaujeu was killed [28] and replaced by Sieur Dumas [29], being formerly the captain of the troops of the Marine, who made new efforts to rally the troops with what had passed, he marched with that column covered by the woods which concealed from the enemy the disproportion of our strenghs; our fire, (being) lively and sustained in its inflictions, the column paused
and redoubled its fire on solid footing, while the Sieur Dumas sent some officers to solicit the Indians, who, having retired out of range, awaited events.
Then the first division of the enemy broke in order to make a stand at the rear; this retrograde movement revived our troops; the enemy fled; the woods resounded with the cry of Vive le Roi [30] and the Indians returned to the charge. Fortunately the cannon diverted them from the front and caused them to gain the flank of the enemy. Now the superiority of this musketry soon astonisbed the English by the quantity of dead and wounded that they had in a moment. We saw the head waver, and an instant later, our smoke revealed us as masters of the leading artillery; the rest of the action was nothing more than a
comp1ete rout 131].
After the defeat of General Braddock, it was decided to defer the siege of Choagen, to pull back only the regiments of La Reine and Languedoc and to march to Lac Saint-Sacrement [32] via Lake Champlain on the frontier of New York, with about 800 soldiers of the Marine or Canadians, 400 Indians and the two aforementioned battalions.
M. de Dieslcau went to the head of this detachment at the beginning of the month of September. Reacting strongly on the Indians for this expedition, he left the two battalions ln the rear, from which he took a detachment of two hundred men only. He was near Fort
Lydieux [33] from where he withdrew upon his fight in order to
march on the enemy army that was at Lac Saint-Sacrement. [34]
While making his way, he met an enemy detachment of two hundred men that he defeated entirely; [35] the Canadians and the Indians abandoned him and pursued the fugitives as far as the entrenchments of Lac Saint-Sacrement where Colonel Johnson [36] was camped with a large body of troops of around four thousand men. In the manner that M. de Dieskau arrived with the regular troops of lds corps, it was not possible for him to make any dispositions, the Indians and the Canadians of his advance guard being engaged in the woods and busy exchanging fusillades with the enemy. M. de Dieskau had advanced with the regular troops to try to maintain order; but he was first wounded and received little notice after a second wound that, preventing him from being able to walk or
ride, thus took away his power of command.
The Indians and the Canadians, dispersed in the wood, withdrew in disorder, and the regular troops formed the rearguard in good order under the command of the Chevalier de Montreuil, [37] aide-major general, who was joined by the two battalions of La Reine and Languedoc which had remained four miles in the rear at Deux-Rochers by the bay of Lake Champlain under the command of the Sieur de Roquemaure, lieutenant colonel of the regiment of La
Reine, on whom the command of the troupes de terre rested, M. de Dieskau being a prisoner and de Rostaing having been killed in the naval engagement on the vessel the Alcide. [38]
The loss of this detachment was equal that of the enemy; there were a lot killed or wounded on both sides.[39] After this deetachment was united with tbe two battalions, it withdrew to Fort Saint Frederic, from where it again marched at the beginning of October, in order to build a fort at Carillon,[40] five leagues [41] distant from the said place.
The enemy made a fort at the place where they were, named Fort George, [42] situated at the lower end of Lake Saint Sacrement, where there
were left some garrisons of some sort or another. The posts on the shore of Lake Ontario were fortified, and all the troops went into cantonments in the beginning of December. Strong garrisons were left at Frontenac and Niagara. It was known that the enemy had established two forts at the portage of the river Corlac [43] in order to
place it in safety, one at each extremity, and that they had accumulated some provisions for the commencement of the forthcoming campaign. It was resolved to remove these forts without
reconnoitering them very much, nor reconnoitering the way to get there. An Indian from La Presentation, [44] an Anoyot [45] named Oratory, [46] was to lead this expedition, the command of which was to go to the Sieur del Ary, [47] lieutenant of the Madne, to whom was given an elite detachment of three hundred men, of which one hundred were Indisos and thirty men were of the troupes de terre [48] commanded by a sergeant; the remainder were Marines or Canadians.
This detachment, which was to depart in good time, didn't leave from La Chine until February 26th; and, despite all the obstacles of the season such that it was never fitting to go on foot, for lack of snow, given a gentler winter than normal, nor by water for the reverse reason of the
cold with which it met at this season, it a~rived at la Presentation March 7. It took supplies for a month and set out on the 12th. The Indian who was to guide the detachment escaped, but he was caught again after much pain and having wandered a long time and fasted for two days.
T detachment arrived on the 26th a quarter of a league from the fort. The Anoyots, who proved vigilant, having informed the detachment of the status of the forts, it marched the 27th and arrived on the road between the two forts, where it captured some wagons loaded with supplies. After having stopped and rested, it determined to attack the fort which was up the river from Choagen, where there were fifty men commanded by a lieutenant. [49]
While one group fired on the fort, the soldiers of the troupes de terre and others were at the door of the said fort which they forced open in the space of an hour's time by battering it in, notwithstanding the grenades and musket shots. The fort was entered and all were laid low.[50] The powder magazine having caught fire obliged everyone to leave, and there was barely time to get out before tbe fort blew up.
The detachment left again the same day, and, wanting supplies and shoes, it stopped at the bay of Nyanwaure [51] where the boats joined it; and it returned the 9th to Montreal. The enemy lost eighty men in tbis affair, including the convoy escort; and we a soldier of the Marine and an Indian, and nine wounded. Few provisions were found in this fort, which was only a warehouse.
The King, [5] having resolved to send new assistance to Canada and replacing the superior officers that he had made to spenid the previous year there, made a choice of the Marquis d' Montcalm, [53] the Chevalier de Levis, [54] and M. de Bourlamaque, [55] who were provided with ranks, the first of Marshal de camp, the second of brigadier, and thie third of colonel. The battalion is of La Sarre and Royal-Roussillon were destined for this relief with some officers of artillery and a few engineers.
The whole was assembled a Brest in the beginning of March 1756 and arrived happily in Canada by the end of May.
M. the Chevalier de Levis had departed Brest the 6th of April on the frigate La Sauvage, and, after 56 days of sailing, he arrived in Quebec the 31st of May, where M. de Montcalm had arrived the 13th and left the 22nd for Montreal, where M. de Levis was to pin
him, after having disposed of the troops by seeing them in march and having them leave in two divisions, La Sa're, the 6th and 7th of June, Royal-Roussillon the l0th and 11th.
He arrived the 15th in the evening in Montreal and where, after having conferred with MM. de Vaudreuil and de Montcalm on the operations of the campaign, he left with the latter for Carillon, the 27th of June, where they arrived on the 3rd of July.
With the arrival of relief, he agreed that the campaign would begin with an offensive demonstration toward Carillon while evaying would be arranged at Frontenac for the siege of Cboagen that would be attempted, if there were means in the middle of the campaign. All the
posts were fortified.
M. the Marquis de Montcalm stayed briefly at Carillon; he gave the command of the army to the Chevalier de Levis [56] and departed July 15th for Montreal where he was to confer with M. the Marquis de Vaudreuil on the said siege.
[1] Signed 1748, this treaty put an end to the War of the Austrian Succession.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
After the peace of Aix-la Chapelle [1], the vague and indefinite definition of the old boundaries of Acadie [2] under article 12 of the Treaty of Utrecht [3], became an object of debate between France and England.
Jumbo Map (extremely slow: 294K)
The Hostilities Begin
Braddock's Defeat at the Monongabela
French Offensive via Lake George
Footnotes
[2] Acadie - Acadia or present day Nova Scotia.
[3] This treaty concluded the War of the Spanish Succession but left ambiguous tbe exact borders between French and English territory in Acadia.
[4] Roland-Michel Barrin de la Galissonniare, Marquis de La Galissonniere (Nov. l0, 1693 - Oct. 26, 1756), appointed commandant general of New France may 1, 1747. Dictionayry of Canadian Biography (Hereafter noted as DCB; 12 vols. and index; Toronto,
1966 1991), III, pp.26-32.
[5] Presque Isle - the peninsula of Acadia, not to be confused with the fort of the same name.
[6] Port Royal - Modern Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
[7] The boundary commission continued to meet unproductively until December 1755. Stanley, George F.G., New France: The Last
Phase, 1744-1760 (Toronto, 1968), pp.12-27.
[8] Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville (Sept. 8, 1718 -May 28, 1754), ensign in the regu1ar colonial troops. He was killed by a party of colonial militia and allied Indians under the command of Colonel George Washington near present day Jumonville, Pennsylvania, in what has come to be regarded as the opening shot of the Seven
Years War. Jumonville had been sent out with a detachment of about 30 men from Ft. Duquesne (see Note #21) to investigate reports of the approach of a large body of American colonials. Jumonville's detachment was regarded by the French as an embassy rather than an attacking force. On May 28, 1754, they were attacked by Washington's command and Jumonville was killed along with nine others. A1l the rest of his command, except one who managed to escape, were taken prisoner. DCB Vol.III, pp.150-151.
[9] This fort was built by the provincial troops under Colonel Washington, shortly after the engagement against Jumonville's force. Louis Coulon de Villiers (Aug. 10, 1710-Nov. 2, 1757), a brother of Jumonville's, commanded a dietachment of 500 French sent from Ft. Duquesne to avenge Washington's attack. On July 3rd, they came upon the hastily constructed Ft. Neccessity in an open area named the Great Meadows near modern Farmington, PA. After a 9-hour siege amid sporadic rain squalls, with powder running low and fearing the rumored approach of American reinforcements, the French proposed a parley to which Washington, who had suffered 10O casualties as compared to the French 1osses of three killed and 17 wounded, readily agreed. The Americans agreed to return to their own country with full honors of war and to release all pdsoners previously taken from Jumonville's party within 2 months. The latter agreement was not honored. The French prisoners were not released. DCB Vol.III, pp.148-149.
[10] Located on the east bank of the Niagara river where it flows into Lake Ontario, the fort had been gradually improveed upon by the French since their first trading post was established there in 1720. Fortifications were essentially completed by 1757. Dunnigan, Brian Leigh, Siege, 1759: The Campaign Agaiost Niagara (Youngstown,
NY,1996), pp. 11-15.
[11] General Edward Braddock (1655-1755), formerly a Colonel in the 14th Regiment of Foot, had been promoted to major general and placed in charge of all English troops in America as of March 29, 1754. Dictionary of National Biography. (Hereafter cited as DNB, 22 vols.; London, 1908),II, p. 1061-63.
[12] Located on the west side of the Missagaash River on the Isthmus of Chignecto, near the present border between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, this five sided fort was the first one to fall to the Bddsh at the commencement of hostilities. On June 16th, 1755, after a brief siege, the fort was surrendered along with 450 prisoners, of which a third were French regulars, to a British force under Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monckton (June 24, 1726 - May 21, 1782) consisting of 2,000 New Enlpand troops supplemented by 280
regulars. Leach, Douglas E., Arms for England: A Military History of the British Colonies in North America, 1607-1763 (New York NY, 1973). pp. 361-362. For a brief sketch of the life of Monckton, see DCB Vol.IV, p.540.
[13] War was finally declared in 1756.
[14] Jean-Armand Dieskau, Baron de Dieskau (1701-1767) was a Saxon in French service. A compatriot of Mauricce de Saxe, he had been made commander of the French battalions sent to Canada on March 1, 1755. DCB Vol. III, p.185-186.
[15] Marshal de camp is the English equivalent of major-general. Kennett, Lee, The French Armies of the Seven Years War, Duke University, 1967, p. 54.
[16] The Sieur de Rostaing, who was second in command, was
originally from the regiment du Roi. See Pouchot, Pierre, (Michael Cardy, Trans. and Brian L. Dunnigan, Ed.), Memoirs on the Late War in North America, Between France and England, (Youngstown, NY, 1994), p. 70 (Note #194).
[17] Marine - Les Companies Franche de la Marine were independent companies of troops under command of the ministry of the Marine. Whenever Levis uses the term "Marine," he is referring to these colonial troops.
[18] Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavignial, Marquis de Vaudreuil (Nov. 22, 1698 - Aug. 4, 1778) had ben made governor of Louisiana on July 1,1742. He was commisioned governor general of New France on January 1, 1755. DCB,Vol.IV,pp.662-674.
[19] Choagen (Also spelled Chouegen): Fort Oswego.
[2O] Fort Frontenac, located at the site of present-day Kingston, Ohio, had been occupied and maintained continually since 1695.
[21] Located at Crown Point, New York, this fort had been constructed 1734-1737, Coolidge, Guy, The French Occupation of the Champlain Valley from 1609 to
1759,(Harrison Hill, NY, 1979),pp. 143-313.
[22] Lac St. Sacrement--Lake George.
[23] Claude-Pierre Pecaudy de Contrecoeur (Dec. 28,
1705-Dec. 13, 1775), a captain of French colonial troops, commanded Fort Duquesne from its construction in 1754 until 1756. DCB Vol. IV, pp.6l7-618.
[24] This fort had boen built by the French in 1754 on the site of a former English trading post at modern Pittsburgh, PA, where it guarded the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. A good account of events in this area during the French and Indian War is to be found in: O'Meara, Walter, Guns at the Forts, (Pittsburg, PA,
1979).
[25] Daniel-Hyacinthe-Marie, Lienard de Beaujeu (Aug. 9, 1711-July 9, 1755) was an officer of colonial regular broops. DCB Vol. III, pp.400-402.
[26] Estimates of Beaujeu's force vary. O'Callaghan, E.B(ed.), Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York (Hereafter cited as DRCHSNY; 15 vols.; Albany, 1856-77), Journal of Operations, X, p.337 estimates his strength as 637 Indians, 146 Canadian militia and 72 regulars.
[27] Levis's sense of the time of first contact is most certainly in error. Ibid., p. 401, asserts that the moment of collision with Braddock's column was around 1:00pm, July 9, 1755.28 DCB, p. 402, states that Beaujeu was killed by the third volley of the British advance guard.
[29] Jean-Daniel Dumas (Feb. 24, 1721 - Aug. 2, 1794)
DCB Vol.IV p.242-243,
[30] 'Viva le Roi!' "Long Live the King!"
[31] Numerous accounts hew been written of Braddock's defeat. To date, the single most comprehensive collection of first-hand accounts is to be found in: Kopperman, Paul, Braddock at thc Monongahela, (Pittsburgh, PA, 1977).
[32] Lac St. Sacrement - Lake George.
[33] Fort Lydieux or Lydius is the French name for Fort Edward, built in 1755 at the beginning of the portage from the Hudson River to Fort George. It was located on the former site of a trading post owned by Colonel John Henry Lydius. Pouchot, Pierre, Ibid., p. 87 (Note #268).
[34] What follows is a desciption of the Battle of Lake George fought on September 8, 1755.
[35] This passage refers to the "Bloody Morning Scout" which occurred prior to the main Battle of Labe George. In this action, a party of around 1,000 soldiers and 200 Indians on their way to Port Edward was ambushed by Dieskau's force, including a number of Caughnawaga Indians. In this party were a number of Mohawk Indians including "Hendrick," also known as "Theyanoguin" (c.1680 Sept. 8, 1755), born a Mohican and adopted by the Mohawks. This famous warrior, Sachem, and diplomat there lost his life. DCB Vol. III, pp.622-624.
[36] Sir William Johnson (c.1715 - July l1, 1774), born in Ireland and having emigrated to America early showed an affinity toward the Iroquois Indians near where he lived and with whom he fieely interacted. Named superintendent of the northern Indians, he was given a provincial commission of major-general by Braddock in April, 1755, for a planned expedition to take Fort Saint-Prederic, on which mission he was engaged when contacted by Dieskau's army. DCB Vol. IV, pp.394 397. For a modern biography of Johnson see: Flexner,
James Thomas, Mohawk Baronet: A Biography of Sir William Johnson, (Syracuse, NY, 1959).
[37] Pierre-Andre, Comte de Montreuil (Nov. 16, 1722 - after 1793) was an officer of regular French troops and second in come mend to Dieskau. In March, 1756, he was assistant chief of staff to the Marquis de Montcalm. DCB Vol.IV, pp.307-308.
[38] The Alcide (64 guns and 500 men) and the Lys (designed for 64 guns, but armed en flute as a troop transport and hence mounting just 22 guns and carrying 4 companies each of the regiments la Reine and Languedoc) were captured on June 10, 1755 by a task force under the British admiral Boscawen. The Sieur de
Rostaing was killed during the brief action. Corbett, Julian S., England in the Seven Years War; Volume 1: 1756-59, London, 1992), pp.53-55. See also Pouchot, pp.68-72 for the
condition of the French fleet.
[39] Total French casualties for the day were 237 killed and wounded as compared to British losses of 330. For a detailed listing, see: Pouchot, p.88, Note #269.
[40] Fort Carillon is also known as Fort Ticonderoga situated on the western shore of Lake Champlain.
[41] A French league was roughly equal to three miles.
[42] Fort William Hemy.
[43] Also called the Corlear River, this is now known as the Mohawk River a few mi1es above the modern city of Rome, New York. Here between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek was to be found the Oneida Portage or Oneida Carry, a brief break in the water route between Schenectady, New York, and Lake Ontario, on the shores of which the British had built Fort Oswego in response to French presence at Fort Niagara. In 1755, on the Mohawk side of the Carry, Fort Williams, a small stockade with four halfbastions and 4 cannon, was constructed. At the western end of the Carry, on Wood Creek,was bui1t Fort Bull, an eight pointed star-shaped enclosure with no bastions, loopholes or cannon. Hagerty, Gilbert, Massacre at Fort Bull, (Providence, RI, 1971), pp. 11-26.
[44] La Presentation, also known as Oswegatchie, is the site of modern Ogdensburg, New York.
[45] Anoyot - Oneida - one of the "Six Nations', of the Iroquois, the others being the Mohawk (Agnier) , Onandaga (Onontague), Cayuga
(Goyogoin), Seneca (Sonnontoin), and Tuscarora (Tascarorin). As the Tascadorans had recently joined the Iroquois Confederacy, they were considered as junior members. Hence the term "Five Nations" was also used to refer to the Iroquois. AIthough ostensibly pro English, the
Iroquois were extremely individualistic with some inclining towards the French and others, most notably the Mohawks, who were strongly influenced by William Johnson, favorably disposed towards the British.
[46] Also rendered as "Ouquatory," he was selected as a guide for the proposed expedition against the Oneida Carry. Hagerty, p.32.
[47] Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Lery (July 20, 1721 - Dec.11, 1797) was a military engineer selected by Governor Vaudreuil to destroy the British supply depot at Fort Bull. DCB Vol. IV, pp. 145-147.
[48] Troupes de terre refers to regular troops from France as opposed to Marine, colonia1, or militia troops.
[49] The fort referred to is Fort Bull.
[50] De Lery's official report indicated total Eoglish losses of 105, of which 70 were kil1ed and 35 taken back to Canada as prisoners.
He stated his own losses as 1 soldier and two Indians killed and four soldiers and two Indians as seriously wounded. Hagerty, p.64. Since this post was taken by storm rather than by siege, the disparity in numbers would indicate that little quarter was given once the
walls were breached. Although it may seem barbaric to the modern temperment, the near massacre of the garrison taken by assau1t was neither unknown nor contrary to the rules of
war during the eighteenth century.
[51] Probably Niaoure consisting of Henderson Bay, Black
River Bay, and Chaumont Bay near Sacketts Harbor, New York-Pouchot, P.99, Note #302.
[52] Louis XVI (Febmary 15, 1710 - May 10, 1774)
[53] Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, Marquis de Montcalm (Feb.
28, 1712 - Sept 14, 1759), Lieutenant-general, was named major de camp, or major-general, on March 11, 1756, to succeed Dieskau as commander of all French forces in North America. Nevertheless he remained subordinate to Governor Vaudreuil; a fact that was to cause considerable friction between the two.
[54] Levis, Francois-Gaston de, Duc de Levis (Aug. 20, 1719
-Nov. 26, 1787) had entered the army in his teens. He was at Prague and the subsequent French retreat there from during the War of the Austrian Succession and had also fought at the Battle of Dettingen. A brother-in-law of Montcalm's, he was appointed to be his second in command with the rank of Brigadier upon his posting to New France. He succeeded to the command of the French regulars upon Montcalm's death on September 14, 1759. By all accounts a capable man, Levis was able to maintain cordial relations with both Montcalm and Vaudreuil simultaneously and was highly regarded by both DCB Vol.IV, pp.477-82.
[55] Bourlamaque, Francois-Charles de (1716 - June 23-24, 1764) first entered service in tbe regiment du Daupbin in 1739. He was present at the battles of Fontenoy (1745) and Roucoux (1746). He was made a colonel of infantry in Canada on March 11, 1756, and third in overall command. He was promoted to brigadier on February 10, 1759. DCB Vol.III, pp. 84-86.
[56] He means temporary command while Montcalm was away in
Montreal.
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