OBADIAH HARRIS

In his book “A Peoples Army” on Massachusetts soldiers, author Fred Anderson, records Obadiah Harris, a carpenter from Wrentham was one of seventy who kept a diary while serving in the military during the Seven Years War and having only eight days of training before he confronted the French at Ticonderoga. Harris was one of those in 1758 who constructed a hospital at Fort Edwards and a stockade near Lake George. He spent most of his early time with his battalion constructing roads between Albany and Fort Edwards. On July 8 1758, Harris wrote; “The men were ordered up before the breastwork to take it by force and the French discharged their cannon upon us and cut us down in great numbers as the battle began (about two in the afternoon and ended at sunset). At the beginning of the fight our men prevailed and got part of the breastwork. And the French seeing our men prevail, made as thought to surrender, stopped firing, pulled off their hats and; set up an English flag. And our men thought we had got the breastwork in (hand) and the French turned and fired upon us, killing men in great numbers, by which we were forced to retreat. And the French took full possession of the breastwork again, but our men tried a second and third time, but could not prevail, but were killed until the ground was covered with their dead bodies and we were forced to retreat. And orders came to retreat to the boats and we got back at the break of the ninth day (of July). Came off as fast as we could and got back to Fort William Henry at the sun setting.” The Harris diary is in the Huntington Library in San Bernardino, California, however copies of Anderson’s book, with many excerpts, is in the Fiske Library in Wrentham.  JJM