e Earl of London sent Colonel Webb, with the
44th Regiment and some of Bradstreet's boatmen, to reinforce Oswego.
They should have started a month before, and, had they done so, would
have been in time; but confusion and misunderstanding had arisen from a
change in command. Webb had scarcely made half his march, when tidings
of the disaster met him, and he at once fell back with the greatest
precipitation.

At midnight on the 10th, Montcalm had landed his force within half a
league of the first English fort. Four cannon were at once landed, and
a battery thrown up, and so careless of danger were the garrison, that
it was not till the morning that the invaders were discovered. Two
armed vessels at once sailed down to cannonade them; but their light
guns were no match for the heavy artillery of the French, and they were
forced to retire.

The attack was commenced without delay. The Indians and Canadians,
swarming in the forest round the fort, kept up a hot fire upon it. By
nightfall the first parallel was marked out at 180 yards from the
rampart.

Fort Ontario, considered the strongest of the three forts at Oswego,
stood on a high plateau on the right side of the river, where it
entered the lake. It was in the shape of a star, and formed of a
palisade of trunks of trees set upright in the ground, hewn flat on
both sides, and closely fitted together--an excellent defence against
musketry, but worthless against artillery. The garrison of the fort,
370 in number, had eight small cannon and a mortar, with which, all
next day, they kept up a brisk fire against the battery which the
French were throwing up, and arming with twenty-six pieces of heavy
artillery.

Colonel Mercer, the commandant of Oswego, saw at once that the French
artillery would, as soon as they opened fire, blow the stockade into
pieces, and thinking it better to lose the fort, alone, than the fort
and its garrison, he sent boats across the river after nightfall, and
the garrison, having spiked their guns, and thrown their ammunition
into the well, crossed the river, unperceived by the French.

But Oswego was in no position for defence. Fort Pepperell stood on the
mouth of the river, facing Fort Ontario. Towards the west and south the
place was protected by an outer line of earthworks, mounted with
cannon, but the side facing the river was wholly exposed, in the belief
that Fort Ontario would prevent any attack in this direction.

Montcalm lost no time