Fort Bull

In 1755, the British constructed several fortifications on the Mohawk River along the route connecting the Hudson River to Fort Oswego—Britain’s westernmost outpost. Fort Bull lay near the “Oneida Carry,” an un-navigable waterway (varying in length from one to six miles depending on seasonal water conditions) near present-day Rome, New York. According to historian Fred Anderson, Fort Bull was “not so much a fort as a way station; a collection of storehouses and barracks, enclosed in a single palisade.” 

In early 1756, French governor Marquis de Vaudreuil decided to thwart any future British attacks on French strongholds at Niagara and Frontenac by raiding Fort Bull. Although a winter campaign was risky, Vaudreuil characterized the situation as “urgent” and on February 29, 1756, a force under the command of Lt. Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Lery left Montreal. 

After suffering a challenging winter, Fort Bull’s command (two dozen untrained regulars, thirty-four carpenters and boatsmen and three women) were taken by surprise when the Frenchmen stormed the fort on the morning of March 27. Lery’s men stuck their muskets into the fort’s narrow openings, shooting the defenders while others simultaneously broke down the main gate. On several occasions, Lery demanded the fort’s surrender, but as he later reported, “the fire of the enemy became livelier and more determined.” Once the French entered the fort the British defenders fell quickly, including Colonel William Bull and his wife who were both killed. Lery reported, “I could not restrain the ardor of the soldiers and the Canadiens. They killed everyone they encountered ... [With a few exceptions] all the rest were slaughtered without daring to make the least resistance.” Prisoners included: three soldiers, one carpenter and one woman.

The French looted Fort Bull before detonating 45,000 pounds of gunpowder. Later stories about atrocities committed by the Iroquois were probably exaggerated. A confident French force returned to Montreal, while the loss of Fort Bull and its precious supplies doomed a planned British offensive against the French forts on Lake Ontario, while contributing to the French capture of Fort Oswego later that summer.