NEWSPAPER ARTICLES FROM THE CT. GAZETTE & NEW YORK MERCURY
My interest in these newspaper articles is identifying Lieut. Brooks. Buried in Wilsey Cemetery in Athol, New York is a Thomas Brooks, Slain in the F&I War near the French Mountain. Next to him is his son, Thomas Jr., died 1801, age 75. I hope to eventually find who these two men were. A little of what I've been told is:
1. The Massachusetts Regiment stationed at Fort Edward was involved in the construction and defense of the Fort. Daily patrols were sent out and these traveled as far north as Lake George and South Bay. There was a Thomas Brooks, Clerk in the company of Captain Samuel Brooks, Bagley's Massachusetts Regiment in September 1746. After that his name is not found, but many of the orderly books have become lost or destroyed. By logical extension, he would have been a Lieutenant in 1756.
2. The year 1756 is missing from the Militia Lists for New York and has been since, at least, 1862. There is not any reference to a Thomas Brooks prior to or after 1756 in the New York records.
3. The official correspondence of General John Stark does not show any mention of a Brooks.
4. There were not any Pennsylvania militia at Fort Edward.
5. The Connecticut Gazette, No. 62 shows -- Letter from Albany dated June 7, 1756 Lieut Brooks, a Connecticut gentleman has been massacred. The Charles R. Hale Collection of Early Connecticut Newspapers shows this article and references it to Lieut. Samuel Brooks. In the book Rolls of CT. Men in the F&I War lists a 2nd Lieutenant Samuel Brooks enlisted March 26, 1756 and died May 28, 1756, 3rd Company - Maj. Patterson [of Farmington] of the 3rd Regiment of Col. Nathan Whiting, page 129 for the Campaign of 1756. There is a Serg. Tim Brooks in this same company.
6. The Ct. Gazette, #63, p4, Saturday, June 19, 1756, Boston June 14 "Entered in at Boston. Brooks, Osborn and Abbot from Connecticut. Cleared out. Jennings and Barrett for Connecticut."
7. From a gentleman who has an extensive collection on the F&I War I am told: French Mountain divides Lake George and South Bay. In Vol I of Bert G. Loescher's, The History of Rogers Rangers, 1946 on page 320, he quotes from the diary of Captain Gaspard DeLery stationed at Fort Ticonderoga from May to July 1756. This diary is held by the NY Historical Society. He states that Captain Colombiere left Fort Ticonderoga on 21 June 1756 to raid Fort Edward. He had 403 troops, la Marine, Canadians, and Indians. He returned on 29 June 1756 with 4 prisoners and 3 scalps. This fits the time frame of the newspaper article in the NY Mercury. It would have taken the French at least two days to arrive at the lower end of South Bay. They would have used battou and canoe until they arrived at Wood Creek and then moved to land, proceeding toward Fort Edward. They would have been on the east side of French Mountain and west of Wood Creek. I suspect that he and his men were ambushed by the French. He shot Moses Burlong either as a reflex action or he recognized him as a deserter. Patrols were usually 6 men and an officer or NCO.
This article below quotes from prisoners at Fort Edward who were interrogated on 25/26 July 1756. They indicate that Thomas Brooks was killed some six weeks earlier in mid June.
The New-York Mercury
Monday, August 23, 1756
"Camp near Fort Edward, July 25 & 26. 1756. The examination of Thomas St. Leau, a Soldier in the Company of de Varrier in the Canadian Colony Troops, says, that he has been a year at Tiondirogo, and three days from that place, and has been two years from France; and further saith, that there are 3,500 at and about Tiondiroga, 400 of which at the advanced Guard, and about 200 up the Lake about a League further for a Look-out; and that there are three Regiments of the Regulars there, viz., one of the Queen's, one of the Languedoc, and one of the Roussillions, and at present 112 Indians, but that many more are expected, and that Provisions are scarce, not more than two Months at the Extent, and that very bad: After which being questioned, gave the following answers, viz.
Q. Who commands Carilong?
A. His name he does not know; but that he arrived this Year from France.
Q. Is there any English prisoners at Carilong; or has there been this spring?
A. There was 12 or 13 bro't in together by the Indians about six weeks ago, and were carried forward by them to Mont Real; but does not know from what Part they were taken; and further says, that about ten hours before he left Carilong, a party of about 60 Indians, brought in from Lake George, two prisoners and one scalp.
Q. Had you any Account at the Fort at Carilong before you came away of any Frenchmen's being taken in Lake Champlain?
A . Yes, 11 or 12 missing, one was found killed in a Battoe, the others they supposed to be taken Prisoners; and further says, that the French are generally surprised to think how a party of English could get into that Lake.
Q. In the 3500 men mentioned, are all included that are at Carilong and the Places adjacent?
A. 11 included, but about 80 at Crown Point.
Q. Do the French expect to be joined by any more Forces than what they have at present?
A. They daily expect to be joined by 1500 more Regulars, who he heard were arrived at Quebec.
Q. What number of cannons is there at the Fort at Carilong?
A. Eight 12 Pounders, and four 6 Pounders mounted, and before he came away, there was landed by a Battoe, two 18 Pounders, two 4 Pounders, and two Swivels.
Q. What store of Powder and Ball is there in the Fort?
A. He does not know.
Q. Have they any Mortars there?
A. No, neither Mortars nor Bombs.
Q. Did you hear any Thing of the French's intention to march and attack the English?
A. Yes, there was a Talk of Capt. Colembine's marching with between 5 and 600 men, but does not know whether on the East or West side of the lake; and that this has been discoursed of for some time from day to day: and that this Capt. Colembine, about six weeks ago, was out with a party, and brought in three Whites, and a Negro prisoners: and that the French lost only one, Moses Burlong, who was the Interpreter, and killed by Lieut. Brooks, and the party of French immediately fired on Lieutenant Brooks and killed him."
The article continues with a second prisoner, Charles Armand, a German, being questioned and confirming what the first prisoner has said. He states that Montcalm is now at Quebec, that he is in command of the army, and that in his absence at Carilong, Monsieur Count de Levier is in command.
He states that he was with Dieskau at the battle of Lake George last year; that the French in that action had Monsieur Pier, one Jesuit, two chaplains, and 200 men killed, and as many wounded, and about ten Indians, as he was informed, and that one other Captain died of his wounds after they had got to their camp. The prisoner said that the provisions issued to the troops at Carilong had been extremely bad, but somewhat better since the General came; that they consisted of bread, bacon , and peas, no liquor of any kind except water, and that there is no water in the fort except what must be carried 200 yards; and that this fort is built on an Eminence four square; and at the distance of 3/8ths of a mile is an Eminence~ from which you may batter with cannon.
ANDREW WILLARD (a third prisoner) born in France, been six vears in Canada, 15 months at Crown Point and Carilong, confirms the above; and says that Monsieur Colembine's Design in coming out, is to attack Fort William Henry and Fort-Edward both at one time.(Carilong is the French name for what we call Tiondirogo.)
Monsieur Colembine is identified in B. C. Butler's LAKE GE0RG
and LAKE CHAMPLAIN, 1868, Weed Parsons & Co., Albany, page
139, as Capt. De la Columbere. (paragraph 20.) On the same page,
Butler says, "Meanwhile the French were not idle, and up to
the close of June had brought in seventy-five prisoners and
fortv-five scalps two of whom were officers."
The Connecticut Gazette #62
Saturday, June 12, 1756
the article appears on Page 3,
the left hand column
"A Letter from Albany, dated last Monday"
"At present there is a great Stir and
Hubbub in Town; what the event will be I cannot tell; but certain
Expeditions do not seem to be carried on with any Life: The
blood-thirsty Enemy are daily committing Outrages on our
Frontiers; last Friday was killed and taken eight Persons about
two Miles above Fort Edward. One Lieutenant Brooks, a Connecticut
Gentleman, was most cruelly massacred, having his Mouth cut open,
and Tongue cut out, his Entrails taken out of his Body, and
afterwards crammed into his Mouth. Such is the Fate of almost all
that have the Misfortune to fall into their Hands."
This same report appears in The Pennsylvania Gazette of June 10, 1756