Quebec, 1838. 3 The necessity of fortifying this Pass was pointed out, for the first time, in Oct. 1736, by a number of Indian Traders who petitioned the Assembly to erect a fort at " the Carrying Place at the upper end of the Mohawk River." When Fort Williams was erected has not been ascertained. There was a Fort William in the Mohawk Country as early as 1745-6, but whether it be identical with Fort Williams is undetermined. The latter stood until 1756, when it was destroyed by Gen'^

Webb on his famous flight from Wood creek immediately after the fall of Oswego, wix, and finally by the present city of Rome, Oneida county. [Vol. 1.1

it was succeeded in

1758 by Fort Stan-

'

PAPERS RELATING TO THE ONEIDA COUNTRY AND MOHAWK VALLEY.

road to Fort Williams

;

whereupon not doubting but they would have intimation of him at that fort,

he acquainted M. de Montigny, his second, of his determination to attack Fort Bull, the prisoners having assured him that the greater part of the provisions and stores were there. received immediate orders to form his brigade and to attack the Bull,

but they represented to him that now they had provisions to carry the detachment to La Presentation

man

Each officer

M de Lery told the savages that e was about

--

--English meat that the Master of Life had bestowed on them, without

to risk another affair would be to go contrary to His will if he desired absolutely was master of his frenchmen. The Commander replied that he did not wish to expose them and asked them only for two Indians to guide his expedition which they with difficulty granted. Some twenty determined afterwards to follow him being encouraged by some drams of brandy. The Algonquins, Nepissings and those Iroquois who were unwilling to follow him, accepted the