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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Videos: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message Icon:                             Message: Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by Fitzhugh Williams[/i] [br]This is the press release for the event Aug. 11-13 at Fort Ontario, NY. ----------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Paul Lear 315-343-4711 [Paul.Lear@oprhp.state.ny.us} French and Indian War 250th Commemoration Battle Reenactment Event at Fort Ontario [28 July 2006] The largest gathering of French and Indian War reenactors to ever assemble in central New York will meet at Fort Ontario State Historic Site on August 10 – 13, 2006, to recreate the 250th anniversary of the 1756 French capture and destruction of the three forts of Oswego. The sights, sounds, and smells of camp and garrison life of a fort under siege in the 18th century will greet visitors as part of the 250th commemoration of Major-General Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm’s first great victory over the British. This event, which achieved signature status by the 250th Commemoration Commission and the I Love New York Campaign, will feature around 1,000 British, French, Provincial, French Canadian Militia, Sailors, and Native American forces, plus oar and sail powered Bateaux, a tall ship, war canoes, cannon, merchants, fur traders, craftsmen, artists, fife and drum music, storytelling, children’s games, lectures, displays, and much more. Oswego was once the scene of international rivalry between the French and British, and the location of one of the most important trading posts in America. Sometimes up to 300 traders operated out of Oswego with their own semi-permanent village of 70 log huts, situated in the vicinity of what is now Water Street. The first Fort Ontario was built in 1755 and was a simple eight-pointed wooden stockade. Along with Fort Oswego (b.1727) and Fort George (b.1755), these lonely outposts of the British lost about 300 men or half of their garrisons to disease, starvation, and exposure during the terrible winter of 1755-56. Reinforced in the spring, British and colonial troops were constantly harassed by scalping parties of Canadians and Indians. Most of these attacks originated from a secret advance French base established at “Cabin Cove,” today’s Sunset Bay. Fort Ontario was attacked by the French and Indians in May and June but held out. Historian John Gosek Jr. will discuss Montcalm’s campaign during his walking tour of Fort Ontario on Thursday, August 10, at 7:00 PM. A convoy of bateaux, or flat bottomed supply boats, was ambushed on the Oswego River near modern Fulton/Minetto on July 3, 1756, but under their intrepid commander, John Bradstreet, these American colonials turned the tables on their attackers and defeated them near Battle Island, now a New York State Golf Course. On Friday afternoon, August 11, nearly 400 reenactors with bateaux and canoes will recreate the French and Native American attack on Bradstreet’s bateaux column on the original site. Because of the difficulty in reaching the island and lack of public viewing areas, this battle reenactment will be a reenactor and press only event. In a massive attack in August, 1756, the French commander-in-chief, the Marquis de Montcalm led 4000 troops and Indians and with more than 25 pieces of heavy artillery, managed to get ashore at Baldwin’s Bay without detection. Quickly siege operations began against Fort Ontario which fell on Friday the 13th. Saturday’s battle at the fort will begin at 2:00 PM, and will start with the ambush of French Engineer Des Combles by his own Native American allies, and end with British and Provincial troops firing from the walls of Fort Ontario to drive away the French. The big highlight of the weekend will be the massive artillery bombardment of Fort Oswego, represented by the H. Lee White Marine Museum, across the Oswego River from 8:00 to 9:00 PM. Fort Ontario will be kept op [/quote]    Upload an Image File From Your PC For Insertion in Your Post    -  HTML is OFF | Forum Code is ON   Check here to include your profile signature.