The British have Landed...

Here are a couple of York boats, British ships which have navigated up the thousand Islands to land at Fort de la Presentation, and preparing to attack the French, with their 3000 Indian allies at the fort. The French would build a second fort on one of the Islands after Presentation falls...Fort de Levis on what is now called "Chimney Island"... so called because all you can see of it nowadays is a lone fireplace and chimney on a poor exposed rock that is all that is left of the Island after the flooding of the St. Lawrence River to support the great Seaway. Although I have seen that Island many times, I don't have a picture of it...it really is not very impressive...but it IS the last stand of the French in North America.

The British consisted of Black Watch, Fraser Highlanders, regular infantry (what everybody called "lobsters" because of their red coats, and Rangers such as Rogers and Butler's Rangers who wore more sensible rifle green coats. When you look at them, you wonder why anybody would wear bright red coats into battle. Well, three reasons. 1. Political. You want to be seen to be doing the King's business. The same reason police cars are easily recognized nowadays. 2. You want to be easily recognized by your own allies who are sneaking around in the woods taking pot shots at anybody who doesn't look like a lobster. 3. Those muskets can't hit the broad side of a barn door, so may as well look like a barn door!

There is a great myth that during the Revolutionary War the British were all in Red Coats and the Americans were wearing dun coloured clothing, hiding behind trees and things. Stories like the battle of Breed's Hill (called Bunker hill by the unknowing) where you didn't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes were true enough for pitched land battles, but the Rebel's were actually trained by the Prussians to look spit and polished, while the British were trained by the Natives to sneak around and hide behind trees and things. Sneaky Ranger units such as were made famous by the movie "The Last of the Mohicans" like Butler's Rangers were VERY effective, and Roger's Ranger's actually still exists as a regiment in Toronto.

I have included a few pictures of the Fraser Highlanders moving up into battle. No pipes, but a drum, and swirling kilts. The camp followers were swooning at the handsome lads in kilts. (You know why they call them kilts don't you? Well the last man that called it a skirt was kilt.....da dum dum)

(I see that blogger is being difficult...I'll try to post these pictures later today. Or email me and I'll send them to you directly! I have a lot of battle pictures to put up still!)