Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names
One of the several scouting parties sent out by Montcalm to attack and harass the soldiers and convoys on the " Lidius " (Fort Edward) road and to take scalps and provisions, made one of their usual hawk-like descents, falling upon Col. Nichol's regiment, then quartered at the " Half-Way Brook " block house. Pouchet says, the detachment, five hundred in number, was made up of Canadians and Indians, commanded by M. de Courte-Manche, and that it succeeded in taking twenty-four scalps and making ten prisoners. Only the Indians' impatience prevented a complete massacre of the troops in the block house. Regarding this affray I quote the following in full from the Thompson Diary, as it gives the names of the officers and men killed in this skirmish. " 20 -- Thursday, in the morning, 10 men in a scout waylaid by the Indians and shot at and larmed the Fort, and a number of our men went out to assist them, and the enemy followed our men down to our Fort, and in their retreat, Capt. Jones and Lieut. Godfrey were killed, and Capt. Lawrence and Capt. Dakin, and Lieut, Curtis and Ensn Davis, and two or three non-commissioned officers and privates, to the number of fourteen men, who were brought into the Fort, all scalped but Ensn Davis, who was killed within 20 or 30 rods from the Fort ; and there was one grave dug, and all of them were buried together, the officers by themselves at one end, and the rest at the other end of the grave ; and Mr. Morrill made a prayer at the grave, and it was a solemn funeral ; and Nath Eaton died in the Fort and was buried ; and we kept a very strong guard that night of 100 men.