ht, to
find that the chimney was unlaid, no fire made, nor any wood cut that
would burn. This distressed the General to the greatest degree, by
obliging him after his long journey to sit above two hours without any
fire, exposed to a snowstorm, which had very near destroyed him
entirely; but with great difficulty, by the assistance of some cordials,
he was brought to."[669] At length, carried all the way in his litter,
he reached Philadelphia, where, after lingering through the winter, he
died in March, and was buried with military honors in the chancel of
Christ Church.

[Footnote 667: _Bouquet to Chief Justice Allen, 15 Nov. 1758._]

[Footnote 668: _Forbes to Amherst, 26 Nov. 1758._]

[Footnote 669: _Halket to Bouquet, 28 Dec. 1758._]

If his achievement was not brilliant, its solid value was above price.
It opened the Great West to English enterprise, took from France half
her savage allies, and relieved the western borders from the scourge of
Indian war. From southern New York to North Carolina, the frontier
populations had cause to bless the memory of the steadfast and
all-enduring soldier.

So ended the campaign of 1758. The centre of the French had held its own
triumphantly at Ticonderoga; but their left had been forced back by the
capture of Louisbourg, and their right by that of Fort Duquesne, while
their entire right wing had been well nigh cut off by the destruction of
Fort Frontenac. The outlook was dark. Their own Indians were turning
against them. "They have struck us," wrote Doreil to the Minister of
War; "they have seized three canoes loaded with furs on Lake Ontario,
and murdered the men in them: sad forerunner of what we have to fear!
Peace, Monseigneur, give us peace! Pardon me, but I cannot repeat that
word too often."

NOTE: The _Bouquet and Haldimand Papers_ in the British Museum contain a
mass of curious correspondence of the principal persons engaged in the
expedition under Forbes; copies of it all are before me. The Public
Record Office, _America and West Indies_, has also furnished much
material, including the official letters of Forbes. The _Writings of
Washington_, the _Archives_ and _Colonial Records_ of Pennsylvania, and
the magazines and newspapers of the time may be mentioned among the
sources of information, along with a variety of miscellaneous
contemporary letters. The Journals of Christian Frederic Post are
printed in full in the _Olden Time_ and elsewhere.

Chapter 23