Battle on Snowshoes (1757)

This article is about a skirmish in 1757. For the 1758 battle, see Battle on Snowshoes.

First Battle on Snowshoes
Part of the French and Indian War

A traditional snowshoe
DateJanuary 21, 1757
Location
near Fort Carillon (now Ticonderoga)
43°50′29″N 73°23′15″W / 43.84139°N 73.38750°W / 43.84139; -73.38750
Result Stalemate
Belligerents

 France

 Great Britain

Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of France Capitaine de Basserode
Charles Michel de Langlade		 Robert Rogers
Strength
179 regulars, Canadiens and Indians[1] 74[2]
Casualties and losses
11 killed
27 wounded[3]		 14 killed
9 wounded
6 missing or captured[3]
Detail from a 1777 map by John Montresor. In 1757, the road along the left side of Lake George did not exist. Forts Edward and William Henry are near the bottom of this map. This battle took place somewhere between Ticonderoga and Crown Point.

The 1757 Battle on Snowshoes (French: Bataille en raquettes) was a skirmish fought between Rogers' Rangers and Canadien and Indian troops during the French and Indian War on January 21, 1757. The battle was given this name because the British combatants wore snowshoes.

On January 21, 1757, Captain Robert Rogers and a band of his rangers were on a scouting expedition near Fort Carillon on Lake Champlain when they were ambushed by a mixed troop of French regulars, Canadien militiamen, and Indians. The fighting ended when darkness set in, with significant casualties on both sides. The French in their reports claimed the British had a distinct advantage due to their snowshoes.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Steele74 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brumwell83 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Casualty figures are as reported by each side in Brumwell (2004), p. 85. Each side estimated the casualties on the other side to be somewhat higher.