DOCSLIB.ORG

Turner on Zarzynski, 'Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758'

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Turner on Zarzynski, 'Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758' H-War Turner on Zarzynski, 'Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758' Review published on Thursday, April 22, 2021 Joseph W. Zarzynski. Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758. Albany: Excelsior Editions, 2019. Illustrations. 284 pp. $24.95 (paper),ISBN 978-1-4384-7672-8. Reviewed by Jobie Turner (Air University) Published on H-War (April, 2021) Commissioned by Margaret Sankey (Air University) Printable Version: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=55121 On July 5, 1758, Major General Abercrombie’s army of sixteen thousand British and colonial soldiers and Native American allies alighted in nine hundred craft (boats, bateaux, and canoes) at the south end of Lake George, New York.[1] The vast armada was the largest military force assembled on the continent by any European power to that date. Their destination was Fort Carillon, twenty-six miles north and a few miles over land. Fort Carillon had been held by the French since the start of the Seven Years’ War and had vexed the British for three years. Most famously, French general Louis- Joseph de Montcalm had sailed south in 1757 and besieged Fort William Henry. It was on the ruins of Fort William Henry that the British built their camp to prepare for their row up Lake George in 1758. After one overnight camp, Abercrombie’s troops disembarked and began their movement to Fort Carillon. By July 8, 1755, the British were in full rout, the French and their native allies killing and wounding more than 1,500 of the British force. In a chaotic retreat, Abercrombie ordered the army to destroy supplies, sink boats, and proceed back to the south end of Lake George as quickly as possible. The Battle of Carillon was one of Britain’s worst defeats in the eighteenth century. Eventually the British would take the post and rename it Ticonderoga, the moniker gaining its infamy in the next war. With the defeat, the British decided to abandon their post on the south end of Lake George. Rather than leave their boats to the elements and French raiding, Abercrombie directed his soldiers to load two hundred craft with rocks and sink the boats in the lake so they could be brought up the next summer during campaign season. In Ghost Fleet Awakened, Joseph W. Zarzynski picks up the story two hundred years later. Over the preceding two centuries, bateaux from Abercrombie’s sinking occasionally washed ashore. Then in the 1960s, with the advent of recreational scuba gear, civilians began seeing the bateaux on the bottom of Lake George. In the last half of the twentieth century more than forty-seven craft were found and the local Lake George community built scuba tourism and tours of the boats into the local economy and lore. In addition, formal scientific studies were carried out with Zarzynski a key member of several of them, eventually serving as the president of Bateaux Below, a Lake George association dedicated to preserving and educating the public on the boats. Abercombie’s boats are a passion for Zarzynski, and with his vast experience, the author dives deep into the material, describing the locations of the boats and the painstaking efforts to locate and Citation: H-Net Reviews. Turner on Zarzynski, 'Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758'. H-War. 04-22-2021. https://networks.h-net.org/node/12840/reviews/7605426/turner-zarzynski-ghost-fleet-awakened-lake-georges-sunken-bateaux Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-War catalogue them. In doing so, he fills a much-needed gap in our understanding of eighteenth-century freshwater craft in colonial North America. He meticulously documents the sizes, uses, and various construction methods of the boats. To the larger history of the area, this research demonstrates the vibrancy, hard work, and exceptional integration of local and imported craftsmen to construct so many well-built vessels. When doing my own research on eighteenth-century watercraft in the New World just a few years ago, I found that the scholarship lacked all the details thatGhost Fleet provides. Zarzynski’s primary sources and meticulous detail will allow future scholars of the period to expand what we know about Abercrombie’s ill-fated armada. Before this work, what little was known about eighteenth-century sailing on fresh water was confined to niche civilian sailing advocates and public libraries. Zarzynski deserves a gold medal in research for pulling all the disparate sources and his own personal work together. Most of all, this book is a documentation of all the difficult and painstaking work that went into diving into the murky and cold water, pinpointing locations, and then transferring that knowledge into the public sphere—via tours, museums, and lectures. It is also a work that is destined to have a far-reaching audience, especially for those who are interested in underwater archaeology or Lake George in general. Zarzynski’s strength in detail, research, and experience is a double-edged sword. He gets every tactical piece right but sometimes obscures the bigger picture. Two or three pages upfront describing the historical background of the boats and Abercrombie’s mission would have helped frame the narrative. The attack on Fort Carillon was not just a minor battle; it was a huge defeat for the largest army assembled in North America up to that time. In addition to the boats at the south end of Lake George, as noted by the limited primary scholarship of 1758, notably the diary of Caleb Rae, the British scuttled many boats at the lake’s north end. Are those boats also still there, or was the water too shallow to keep them entombed in the water? And even more pressing, why did the British fail to pull up forty-seven of the craft? They were expensive, well made, and hard to reproduce. In the same breath, these critiques ofGhost Fleet Awakened are minor and more a case of an academic of the time period wanting more questions answered than a lack of scholarship. As aforementioned, Zarzynski’s depth of research and description of the physical characteristics of the boats is a shining addition to the historiography of the Seven Years’ War. Zarzynski achieves what he sets out to do: to document how these boats still fascinate us more than 260 years after their sinking. Note [1]. Abercrombie is spelled Abercromby (a less common variant) in the book under review. Citation: Jobie Turner. Review of Zarzynski, Joseph W.,Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758. H-War, H-Net Reviews. April, 2021.URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=55121 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Citation: H-Net Reviews. Turner on Zarzynski, 'Ghost Fleet Awakened: Lake George's Sunken Bateaux of 1758'. H-War. 04-22-2021. https://networks.h-net.org/node/12840/reviews/7605426/turner-zarzynski-ghost-fleet-awakened-lake-georges-sunken-bateaux Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Retrospective on Archaeology at Fort William Henry, 1952-1993: Retelling the Tale of the Last of the Mohicans David R
    Northeast Historical Archaeology Volume 20 Article 2 1991 A Retrospective on Archaeology at Fort William Henry, 1952-1993: Retelling the Tale of The Last of the Mohicans David R. Starbuck Follow this and additional works at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Starbuck, David R. (1991) "A Retrospective on Archaeology at Fort William Henry, 1952-1993: Retelling the Tale of The Last of the Mohicans," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 20 20, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol20/iss1/2 Available at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol20/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in Northeast Historical Archaeology by an authorized editor of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Retrospective on Archaeology at Fort William Henry, 1952-1993: Retelling the Tale of The Last of the Mohicans Cover Page Footnote I want to thank Paul Huey for impressing upon me the importance of studying older, unpublished, artifact collections. While it may appear more exciting to tackle "new" sites, we have a strong ethical obligation to make sure that older excavations are published, even when the original research was directed by others. I also wish to thank Mike Palumbo, Curator at Fort William Henry, for many stimulating conversations and for giving me access to photographs and artifacts from the 1950s excavation; and thanks go to the Fort William Henry Corporation for allowing me to reproduce archival photographs.
    [Show full text]
  • Anatomy of the River
    Anatomy of the River Chambly Canal Québec Canada United States A map of the River drawn in 1758 captures the sweep of its course while illustrating the deployment of British and French forces at the Battle of Carillon. Collections of Fort Ticonderoga. New York The stretch of river that once carried boats to and from Lake Champlain has now reverted to a natural state, creating Construction of the railroad in 1874 drastically a haven for wildlife just a altered the LaChute outlet. A causeway confined few yards from civiliza- the River’s flow to a narrow channel, hastening the tion. Photograph by formation of a marsh in the broad estuary where Robert C. Stevens. Vermont LaChute River meets Lake Champlain. Photograph by Virginia Westbrook. You Are Here Ticonderoga The LaChute is a river with both a short course and a short history. It cut its way whirlpool at the sharp turn just downstream from here. Once it reaches the level through Ticonderoga only 12,000 years ago, when the waters of the newly-formed of Lake Champlain below the lower falls, the River spreads out into waterlogged Champlain Canal Lake George first spilled over a ridge between Mount Defiance and Cook’s Mountain. bottomlands. N Glaciers had revised the local landscape, blocking off two watercourses that flowed north and south out of that valley, leaving a lake basin in need of an outlet. The A river transports solid material as well as water. LaChute River blends water from waters found a fast, steep route into glacial Lake Champlain. two sources—Lake George and the Trout Brook Valley.
    [Show full text]
  • The Scottish Highland Regiments in the French and Indian
    Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 1968 The cottS ish Highland Regiments in the French and Indian War Nelson Orion Westphal Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in History at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Westphal, Nelson Orion, "The cS ottish Highland Regiments in the French and Indian War" (1968). Masters Theses. 4157. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/4157 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PAPER CERTIFICATE #3 To: Graduate Degree Candidates who have written formal theses. Subject: Permission to reproduce theses. The University Library is rece1v1ng a number of requests from other institutions asking permission to reproduce dissertations for inclusion in their library holdings. Although no copyright laws are involved, we feel that professional courtesy demands that permission be obtained from the author before we allow theses to be copied. Please sign one of the following statements. Booth Library of Eastern Illinois University has my permission to lend my thesis to a reputable college or university for the purpose of copying it for inclusion in that institution's library or research holdings. I respectfully request Booth Library of Eastern Illinois University not allow my thesis be reproduced
    [Show full text]
  • Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery: Bringing History Home
    “The Congress fi nds and declares that the spirit and direction of the Nation are founded upon and refl ected in its historic heritage; [and that] the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people…..” National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Front cover photograph: South Lake Champlain Bridge, Chimney Point State Historic Site, Addison to right. Credit: William J. Costello, WILLCIMAGES. Back cover photographs credit: Eric A. Bessett e, Shadows & Light Design. Cover design: Eric A. Bessett e, Shadows & Light Design. Content Design and Layout: Rosemary A. Cyr, Hutch M. McPheters, Ellen R. Cowie. Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery: Bringing History Home By: Giovanna M. Peebles, State Archeologist, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Rosemary A. Cyr, Laboratory Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington Stephen R. Scharoun, Historian and Field Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington Ellen R. Cowie, Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington Robert N. Bartone, Assistant Director, Archaeology Research Center, University of Maine at Farmington With Contributions By: Joseph-André Senécal, Professor of Romance Languages, University of Vermont Paul Huey, New York State Offi ce of Parks, Recreation and Historic
    [Show full text]
  • The Last of the Mohicans
    LEVEL 2 Teacher’s notes Teacher Support Programme The Last of the Mohicans James Fenimore Cooper Magua tries to carry Cora off with him. Uncas, who is in EASYSTARTS love with Cora, tries to stop him and is killed. Cora is also killed and Magua, in making his escape, falls off the cliff and dies. LEVEL 2 Chapters 1–3: Colonel Munro’s daughters, Cora and Alice, arrive in America from Scotland en route to see their father, Colonel Munro. Their father is in Fort William Henry, surrounded by French soldiers. The two LEVEL 3 girls set off, in the company of a Huron Indian, Magua, who will guide them through the woods, and Major Heyward, an British soldier. On their way they meet LEVEL 4 Chinggachgook, a Mohican chief, and his friend Hawkeye, a white man who has lived with the Mohicans. Hawkeye realizes that Magua has a plan to help the French and the About the author LEVEL 5 Hurons will find them and kill them. He chases Magua James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) was born in away. Then, Hawkeye takes the girls up the river in a New Jersey, in the United States. He went to school in canoe to a rendezvous in a cave with Chingachgook and Albany, studied for a time at Yale, joined the US Navy Chingachgook’s son, Uncas. Uncas immediately likes the LEVEL 6 and spent five years at sea. In 1811 he resigned from the dark-haired Cora. Navy and married Susan De Lancey settling in Scardale and then New York.
    [Show full text]
  • Massacre at Fort William Henry, by David R. Starbuck, 2002 Marshall Joseph Becker
    Northeast Historical Archaeology Volume 31 Special Issue: Historic Preservation and the Archaeology of Nineteenth-Century Farmsteads in the Article 15 Northeast 2001 Book Review: Massacre at Fort William Henry, by David R. Starbuck, 2002 Marshall Joseph Becker Follow this and additional works at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Becker, Marshall Joseph (2001) "Book Review: Massacre at Fort William Henry, by David R. Starbuck, 2002," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 30-31 31, Article 15. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol31/iss1/15 Available at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol31/iss1/15 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in Northeast Historical Archaeology by an authorized editor of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. Northeast Historical Archaeology/Val. 30-31, 2001-2002 187 Book Review MASSACRE AT FORT WILLIAM HENRY, by David R. Starbuck 2002, University Press of New England, Hanover, New Hampshire. 148 pages, 83 illus., $16.95 (paper). Reviewed by Marshall Joseph Becker During the fall of 1755 the British and the French erected a number of important fortifi­ cations in the region around upstate New York. As these European adversaries spiraled into what in the New World we commonly call the French and Indian War, both sides esca­ lated their preparations. Captain William Eyre supervised the construction of Fort William Henry at the south end of Lake George. Fort William Henry served as a barrier to the French forces who at that time were building Fort Carillon.
    [Show full text]
  • Trails Lead to New York State the Birth of Our Great Nation Started in New York State New York State: the Crossroads of History
    ® All Trails Lead To New York State The birth of our great nation started in New York State New York State: The Crossroads of History In colonial and revolutionary In the Battle of New York, Britain Map of the 13 Colonies 1775 MASS America, New York Sate nearly defeated George Washington was at the crossroads of the and the American Revolution, but growing nation and history. Washington rallied his battered army NH and set a standard for dedicated, self- That is because the men and women less public service that remains the NY who helped shape our modern world ideal of democracy everywhere. MASS came to New York and crossed paths: Sagarawithra, the chief of the A young African-American, James CON Tuscarora Indian Nation, led his Forten, came to New York as a Brit- RI people north to New York to join ish prisoner of war, and escaped to the Iroquois Confederacy, and safety, fight for the freedom and equality PA NJ peace and freedom. promised in the Declaration of In- dependence by founding the Ameri- Inspired by a visit to the Iroquois can Anti-Slavery Society. Margaret MD Confederacy, Benjamin Franklin Corbin came with her husband to DEL came to New York, the battleground New York, eager to serve, too, only to of the continent, to issue a call for a fall wounded in a desperate battle. VA colonial union to fight France, the first glimmer of the idea that became Those crossroads and crossed paths the United States. French General also brought great villains like Montcalm marched his army south Benedict Arnold, who gave his name into New York, only to predict in to treason and treachery.
    [Show full text]
  • Bee Final Round Bee Final Round Regulation Questions
    NHBB A-Set Bee 2017-2018 Bee Final Round Bee Final Round Regulation Questions (1) This pope illustrated the sun and moon allegory in which kings derive their power from the papacy. At the Fourth Lateran Council, this pope called a crusade that was defeated by the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Khalid; this man had earlier called a crusade that ended in the 1204 Sack of Constantinople. This pope feuded over Stephen Langdon's appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury with John I. The Albigensian Crusade persecuting the Cathars and the Fourth Crusade were both called by, for the point, what early 13th century pope who annulled the Magna Carta? ANSWER: Pope Innocent III (prompt on Innocent) (2) This policy is called the \most radical experiment" in a book by Mei Fong, who claimed it was created by rocket scientists. Violators of their policy could lose their \iron rice bowl," as they were blocked from holding government jobs. This policy, which was made less restrictive in 2016, has resulted in an increase in sex-selective abortion and a massive gender imbalance, due in part to a cultural bias in favor of having sons. For the point, name this policy meant to control the population of China. ANSWER: Chinese one-child policy (accept Family Planning Policy; accept Dushengzi nu zhengce; prompt on descriptions of population control before the end) (3) Referring to this location's one-time commander, William Delaplace, a commander allegedly said \Come out you old rat!" while seizing this location. Arthur St. Clair and Philip Schuyler [sky-ler] were accused of negligence for failing to defend this location.
    [Show full text]
  • July 3-5, 2021 Independence Day Weekend 1776 Celebrate Independence by Exploring One of the Greatest Triumphs of 1776! All Weeke
    July 3-5, 2021 Independence Day Weekend 1776 Celebrate independence by exploring one of the greatest triumphs of 1776! All weekend long, meet the soldiers of the Northern Continental Army at Ticonderoga in 1776. See craftsmen in action busily working to resupply soldiers with clothing, shoes, and equipment. Watch as soldiers work to prepare cannons, ammunition, and themselves ready to stop an invasion by the British Army and its naval fleet on Lake Champlain. 10:15 a.m. Key to the Continent Guided Tour (Begins at the American Flag) In this entertaining 30-minute tour, discover Ticonderoga’s incredible history and learn about all of the great experiences we offer today. 10:30 a.m. Carillon Boat Cruise (Boat dock by the King’s Garden) Get a front row seat for the siege of Ticonderoga this Independence Day weekend. Between floating bridges, flotillas of bateaux, and a whole British naval fleet, the fight for Ticonderoga played out on Lake Champlain as well as the mountains that surround it. Don’t miss this unparalleled chance to get a new perspective on the fight for independence on one of the most historic waterways in America. Additional ticket required. 11:00 a.m. Musket Demonstration (Demonstration Area) Thrill at the crackle of muskets and learn how Continental soldiers and militia defended the line of liberty. Discover how military formations and fortified walls proved a sound defense. 11:30 a.m. A Guided Tour of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum (Begins inside the Parade Ground) More than a century of collecting has allowed Fort Ticonderoga to acquire North America’s largest and most important collection of 18th-century military material culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Military Leadership and War in the New England Colonies, 1690-1775/ Seanegan P
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 2007 Men of the meanest sort :: military leadership and war in the New England colonies, 1690-1775/ Seanegan P. Sculley University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Sculley, Seanegan P., "Men of the meanest sort :: military leadership and war in the New England colonies, 1690-1775/" (2007). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 1946. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/1946 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MEN OF THE MEANEST SORT MILITARY LEADERSHIP AND WAR IN THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES, 1690-1775 A Thesis Presented by SEANEGAN P. SCULLEY Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS 4 May 2007 : ^ History — MEN OF THE MEANEST SORT: MILITARY LEADERSHIP AND WAR IN THE NORTHERN COLONIES, 1690-1775 A Thesis Presented by SEANEGAN P. SCULLEY Approved as to style and content by ^ ^ Barry Leevyfthair Bruce Laurie, Member Kevin Sweeney, Member Audrey Altstadt, pepartn* History - • ii CONTENTS Page CHAPTER INTRODUCTION , 1. THE BRITISH OFFICER 5 2. THE PROVINCIAL OFFICER 19 3. NEW ENGLAND'S EXPECTATIONS OF LEADERSHIP 32 4. LEADERSHIP IN ACTION 46 CONCLUSION 67 BIBLIOGRAPHY 74 iii INTRODUCTION On February 3, 1758, the entire company of Captain Ebenezer Learned from Massachusetts deserted their posts at a fort in Stillwater, New York.
    [Show full text]
  • Bailly Point of View
    From The Bailly Point of View by Olga Mae Sohiemann � �- 3'� � ���� ai� J� .D"V � �.3M-\;� "'� � � -t:!_., S:f � ��'° -Id_,_, • &mti.yN....... .. Lib�.'?'.. .. Dwieland Histor l ociet �- �S_ _ _ _ _ �y��� ����--� Even in childhood, I was interGsted in the Baillys - Why did they come to quiet little Baillytown? From where did they come? Why did they l&ave where they were? How did they happen to locate ths cemetery where it is? Who of the Baillys were buried in the cemetery? Why did�� . Bailly.need the passport in 1814? Why wns he captured by the Americans? Who captured him and where? Did he really become.an American citizen? Had Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard in fact never mentioned the Baillys? ThesG were some of the questions which no one would or could answer. In the maze of today's literature, it is no simple task to find source answers. For that reason, I am passing on to you in the form of a Duneland Publication, interesting historical data regarding Joseph Bailly and his anoestora and descendants, some of which in.formation at the time of my talk in 1953 had not pre­ viously been published. Because of the volwne of source refer­ ences, narrative was kept to a minimum. At a later date parts ot this history can be enlarged upon in an added paper . Mr. Edward-C. Bailly has brought much of the story of the ancestral family together under one title and quite a bit of his paper is outlined here for the convenience of those who might not have easy access to the Canadian Publication, Le Bulletin des Recherches Historiques.
    [Show full text]
  • Photocopiable Exit Test Date
    NAME PHOTOCOPIABLE EXIT TEST DATE Level 4 The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper 1 Match the words to their meanings. a) seige 1 destiny, end b) wigwam 2 hurt as a punishment c) fate 3 tent where an Indian lives d) torture 4 go back e) retreat 5 attack 5 2 Answer the questions. a) What news did Magua bring General Webb, the British commander at Fort Edward? ................................................................................................................................................................................... b) Why did the Indians think Hawkeye was killed near the waterfall? ................................................................................................................................................................................... c) Why did Magua want Cora to live as his wife? ................................................................................................................................................................................... d) What did Munro tell Heyward about Cora’s mother and her ancestors? ................................................................................................................................................................................... e) What did Montcalm give to Munro when Munro went to the French camp? ................................................................................................................................................................................... f) What did Munro agree to do at
    [Show full text]