Battles and Beverages draws history buffs and craft beverage aficionados

Craft brews, wine and spirits were served up with musket fire as Fort William Henry commemorated the 262nd anniversary of Vaudreuil’s Raid. The Battle and Beverages event combined a sutler’s fair, a reenactors’ meet, a battle and a craft beverage fair. The event opened Friday, March 22 and runs through Saturday, March 23.

On Saturday, reenactors staged Vaudreuil’s Raid. The March 19 – 23, 1757 battle was an attempt by the French to capture the Fort by scaling the fortified walls in a surprise raid. The proximately of St. Patrick’s Day to the planned raid, the French believed, would be to their advantage. They expected to find a garrison too hung-over from celebration to put up a strong defense. However, Lt. John Stark of New Hampshire, who commanded the Rangers garrisoned at the Fort, squashed party plans by ordering the sutler to withhold grog rations. The sound of musket fire, according to reports at the time, was enough to clear the heads of non-ranger troops stationed at the head of Lake George.

Battle Reenactment at Fort William Henry

The advancing French forces lost the element of surprise when an alert sentry on the ramparts saw a light on the frozen lake. Without heavy artillery to breach the fort walls, the French regulars, Canadian militia and their Native American allies had to content themselves with destroying the Fort’s sawmill, storehouses and other outbuildings along with British vessels. By March 23, the French, wet, weary and short on supplies, were forced to retreat north.

While the crown forces were successful in their defense of the Fort, the French would be back. They returned that August with a larger force and heavy artillery for a siege that ended in the surrender of Fort William Henry.

Craft Beverage fair — Brittany Lawrence of Adirondack Brewery and High Peaks Distillery offers a sample of Cloudsplitter single malt.

Grog rations weren’t put on hold at the Craft Beverage event, the beverage part of Battles and Beverages. Several local producers offered samples and sales of their goods. Brittany Lawrence of Adirondack Brewery and High Peaks Distillery said that business at the event has been good. “Lake George is becoming a year-round destination — it’s great to have products being sold in the winter,” Lawrence says.

Battles and Beverages included a reenactors meet where visitors could learn the ins-and-outs of participating in reenacting groups and browse replica 18th-century sutlers goods. This year’s event also features a vendor fair with local sellers offering crafts, jewelry, maple products, baked goods, soaps and lotions. Guests also had the opportunity to bid on goods at a silent auction to benefit the French and Indian War Society.