Fort William Henry

Fort William Henry, at the southern end of Lake George, NE N.Y.; built by the English in 1755. In 1757, during the last conflict of the French and Indian Wars, it was captured and destroyed by the French. Although French Gen. Louis Montcalm had promised safe-conduct from the fort, he was unable to control his Native American allies, who attacked and killed many of those retreating from the garrison. Fort William Henry was rebuilt in 1953 and is now a museum.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.