1758: The Year the French Empire Collapsed in North America

In July 1758, three British forces advanced on New France from every direction. To the east, General Amherst’s cannons thundered at the formidable fortress of Louisbourg as his men dug ever closer in a grueling siege. To the north, near Fort Ticonderoga, General Abercrombie’s troops emerged from the woods and launched a bold assault on the French defenses near Rattlesnake Hill. To the south, General John Forbes pressed westward toward Fort Duquesne, determined to drive the French from the contested Ohio Country. From the wilderness frontier to the strategic waterways of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, British forces were poised to breach the gates of New France, while at sea the Royal Navy slowly tightened its grip on Atlantic supply lines. The colony was under siege—beset on all fronts. While France was busy on the battlefields of Europe trying to keep the British Empire and Prussia at bay, Britain reached across oceans with ruthless precision, determined to crush the French Empire and tear it apart. This was no ordinary campaign. It was characterized by the bloodiest open-field battle of the French and Indian War, a classic Vauban-style siege, and a desperate race for indigenous and colonial support on the frontier. This is how modern historiography tells the story of the staggering siege of New France. Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/sandrhomanhistory Paypal (thank you: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SandRhomanhistory Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sandrhoman Check out our all sorts of military history, military SIFI and military fantasy books that we recommend here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/sandrhomanhistory Bibliography: Anderson, Fred, Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, 2001. Liston, Maria, A., Baker, Brenda J., Reconstructing the massacre at Fort William Henry, New York 1996. Nester, William, The First Global War: Britain, France, and the Fate of North America, 1756-1775, 2000. Starbuck, David, The “Massacre” at Fort William Henry History Archaeology, and Re-enactment, 2008. Steele, Ian K., Betrayals: Fort William Henry & the 'Massacre', New York 1990.