History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

282 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1755.
camp, iDehind which the artillery was stationed. Dieskau,
though sorely wounded, ordered an attack upon the camp,
but the Indians refused to expose themselves to the artillery
fire, and the French, repulsed in their attempt to carry the
breastwork, retreated, leaving their commander-in-chief
upon the field. Both sides fought with desperation, and
the "bloody morning scout," a name applied to the movement
of Col. Williams, soon developed into the sanguinary
" battle of Lake George."
Exploit of capts. Col. Blauchard, in command at Fort Ed-
McGinnis and Fill- ward ou the morning of the same day,
learning that several baggage wagons had
been plundered, sent out a detachment of two hundred men
under Capts. McGinnis and Fulsome. Hearing the firing
at the camp, they pressed forward and came upon a large
party of Dieskau's troops, who had fallen back after their
repulse and had halted for rest and refreshment. This
party they immediately attacked and put to flight, capturing
a large quantity of stores and baggage. Capt.
McGinnis, who belonged to the New York quota, was mortally
wounded.
Col. Pomeroy De- Col. Pomeroy Writing home says of the
scribes the Battle, charge upou the camp: "The regulars
kept their order till they came within
about 20 rods, then made a regular fire by platoons ; the
regulars and Indians behind trees within about 12 or 14
rods, and perhaps the hailstones from heaven have not been
much thicker than their bullets came." In his official re-
" Such a Bat-
port he thus characterizes the engagement :
tle it is Judg'd by all y*^ I have heard was never known In
America." On this bloody field the Hampshire regiment,
in which were many solders from Northampton, bore a
conspicuous part. Its commander reports in the official
document already quoted, that " they being foremost, for a
considerable time [stood] the fire of there whole army till
they ware lik'd to be surrounded which obliged 'em to re-
treat." Again in a letter to his wife he alludes to the
bravery of his own regiment —
:
" Officers in our regiment they being foremost and their men had the
hottest fire, so more of our regiment are dead you will find than any