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JOSEPH FRYE, NATHANIEL FRYE Jr. et al : LATE 1800s ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN FAMILY COPY OF MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL OF FRYEBURG MAINE SCION JOSEPH FRYE

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. On offer is a journal containing the remarkable first-hand accounts of two 18th Century battles fought in the French and Indian War in North America. The hard cover journal measures 10.5 inches by 8 inches and contains 100 pages. The first account is 24 pages in length and the second is 52 pages long. The cover, binding and pages are all in very good condition. The handwriting is clear and legible. The volume is a late 19th century manuscript copy of a Journal on the attack on Fort William Henry on the Third of August, and the surrender of it on the ninth of the same month, to the French arms, under the marquis de Montcalm 1757. The original journal was found in Fryeburg Maine in 1819 by Nathanial Frye Jr. The journal belonged to his grandfather Joseph Frye. The second account included in this book is a hand written copy of An Impartial Account of Lieut. Col. Bradstreet's Expedition to Fort Frontenac written by a Volunteer of the Expedition. This account was originally published in London in 1765. The French and Indian War (1754-63) comprised the North American theater of the worldwide Seven Years' War of 1756-63. It pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France. Both sides were supported by military units from their parent countries, as well as by American Indian allies. Fort William Henry was situated at the south end of lake George in what is now New York State. It was the scene of a notorious massacre of British / American prisoners by the Indian allies of the French army. Among the American officers present was Colonel Joseph Frye from Andover, MA. "General Webb gave orders that as many of the Massachusetts regiment as were at Fort Edward, exclusive of the ranging companies should march tomorrow morning for Fort William Henry, with 100 men of the 3rd battalion of royal Americans and 100 independents" [1st August 1757]. "Ultimately, LCol George Monro had approximately 2,300 men. He faced an attacking force of approximately 8,000 French soldiers and Indian warriors led by the Marquis de Montcalm. Early this morning we were alarmed by the sight of a great number of boats, batteaus, canoes, etc, coming up the lake ... and soon after had large parties of French and Indians round us, and great numbers marched into the road leading to Fort Edward and cut off our communication with that fort. ..." [2 August 1757]. He quotes the entire note written by Montcalm demanding surrender of the fort, including the ominous sentence: "I have it yet in my power to restrain the savages and oblige them to observe the capitulation as hitherto none of them have been killed which will not be in my power in other circumstances …" [August 3rd, 1757]. Monro declined and the siege ensued. On August 8th, the fort fell. The journal describes the council of officers who debated the surrender. The articles of surrender are detailed. The British / American garrison were allowed to march out and withdraw to Fort Edward. However, Montcalm was unable to prevent his Indian allies from attacking the surrendered force and hundreds were killed. "... While this was going on, they killed and scalped all the sick and wounded before our faces, and then took out from our troops, all the Indians and Negros and carried them off one of the former they burnt alive ..." [Wednesday 10th August]. The account ends with Frye listing several dozen officers who served with him in that battle - all from Massachusetts. Frye went on to become a General in the Massachusetts militia and was awarded a land grant in Maine which eventually became the town of Fryeburg, ME. The second account is a hand written 52 page description of Bradstreet's attack on Fort Frontenac (now Kingston, ON) in 1758. The account is attributed to Colonel John Bradstreet. It was originally published in London in 1765. This campaign followed the disastrous British / American defeat at Fort Carillon, later known as Fort Ticonderoga in July, 1758. A month later, LCol John Bradstreet led a force of approximately 3,600 soldiers north to attach Fort Frontenac, the French trading post and fort located where Lake Ontario empties into the St Lawrence. The French garrison numbered about 100. The battle lasted about 2 days and the fort surrendered. The British burnt it and then withdrew. "... On the thirteenth of July, the General gave orders that the New York regiment, the Rhode Island regiment, the New Jersey regiment; Col Dotey's regiment of Massachusetts Bay troop and a detachment from the train of artillery should repair to Schenectady, there to observe such orders and directions as they should receive from the commanding officers at that post. .." [p 3]. The writer describes in great detail the advance of the American force and the obstacles they encountered: "... one of the batteaus with a piece of cannon and a mortar, in its passage down the rifts, stove on the rocks; an empty boat was sent up immediately, and with great labor the artillery was raised out of the water and put on board, which arrived safe at the landing place. .." [p 19]. After the fall of Fort Frontenac, the writer lists an extensive inventory of goods seized. This is an incredible first-hand account of two conflicts in the series of wars that shaped the North America we know today. For a historian, they are a goldmine. They detail the day-to-day life of ordinary citizen-soldiers. They describe the tactics and actual events of battle. As first-hand accounts, they bring an immediacy to these events. The attack on Fort William Henry and the massacre of prisoners was portrayed in James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans. The listing of officers names is a boon to genealogists, especially those tracing family lines of early settles in the American colonies.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good +

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