Massacre at Fort William Henry

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The story that inspired the movie “Last of the Mohicans,” the massacre at Fort William Henry was one of the bloodiest battles of the French-Indian War. In August of 1757 in Lake George, N.Y., in between the beautiful setting of the Adirondack mountains, one of the ugliest tragedies of the decades-long war between the French and the British for supremacy of the American colonies occurred. The English bravely defended their fort against the French and Indian invaders, only to be overwhelmed after seven long days. They were killed and mutilated. Historical records suggest that as many 200-300 men were killed at the beginning of the siege on August 9^th. Then as the French looked on, the Indians raided again, finding, killing and scalping almost 80 English soldiers. Sick from disease, the Englishmen could do nothing to stop the Indians from charging into their huts and killing them. This battle is one of the most well-known in American history. Yet, archaeologists are still using their expertise to uncover what truly went on at the fort. In 1953, Stanley Gifford was the first archaeologist permitted to perform a dig on the site in Lake George. He spent most of the decade looking for artifacts and cemeteries for the development of a new exhibit. And in 1957 he uncovered the most gruesome of all burial sites at Fort William Henry. Known as “the crypt,” it was a shallow grave underneath a brick floor that contained 5 intermingled skeletons, all showing signs of trauma. One skeleton was found to have 8 musket balls lodges in it. Another was found without the skull, apparently the victim of scalping and decapitation. It wouldn’t be for another 40 years that more excavation would ensue. In 1993 two forensic anthropologists, Maria Liston and Brenda Baker, re-examined the remains in situ and reassembled as many skeletons as they could. They analyzed the bones to determine each individuals age, sex, race health and cause of death; they also looked for more evidence of trauma and disease. The studies are still on going, but so far Liston and Baker have found evidence for severe arthritis, abscessed teeth, and infection. They also suspect that Smallpox was prevalent, however, Smallpox was a fast killer and usually doesn’t leave bone pathologies. Upon re-examination of “the crypt,” the two forensic anthropologists found that three of the five skeletons were shot in the leg, and two of those were shot multiple times elsewhere. One was decapitated. The anterior and posterior side of each skeleton showed signs of cuts from axes or some other long bladed knife. Also, an excessive number of gash marks on the torso and pelvic regions reveal that the men were mutilated. All 5 men seem to have sustained genital mutilation and disemboweled.