Historian to present ‘Lt. Col. George Munro: The Last Commander of Fort William Henry’

Lieutenant-Colonel George Munro put up a strong, yet ultimately unsuccessful, defense of Fort William Henry during the August 1757 siege. His name is forever linked to the surrender and infamous massacre that followed. The story of his command at Fort William Henry was fictionalized (with the addition of two daughters the real Munro did not have) in James Fenimore Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans,” and he became known in popular culture through multiple Hollywood productions of Cooper’s work.

On Thursday, August 8, French and Indian War historian, reenactor and author George A. Bray III will share the biography of the Scottish officer at the Fort William Henry Conference Center, 148 Canada Street in Lake George. The presentation is co-sponsored by the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance and the French & Indian War Society at Lake George. The public is invited to hear Bray discuss Col. George Munro’s background and military history. Bray’s lecture will provide historically accurate information about Munro and his regiment drawn from primary source material including contemporary newspapers, journals, correspondence and orderly books.

“George Bray is a meticulous researcher and presenter par excellence on all things related to the French and Indian War, particularly the people and events centered in the New York Region,” says Andrew Menzie, Director of Historic Interpretation at Fort William Henry Museum. “Colonel Munro’s history will emerge as George Bray dispels the myths woven by literature and Hollywood, casting a new light on Fort William Henry’s most famous commander.”

George Bray is retired from the U.S. Army Reserve, and his articles have appeared in several newsletters and publications, including “Military Collector and Historian,” “Muzzleloader,” and “Journal of the Forces of Montcalm and Wolfe.”  Bray has also assisted in and been featured in several television documentaries for such producers as the Learning Channel and the BBC. He is currently working on a book about the French and Indian War in the Mohawk Valley and westward.

Bray’s presentation begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free. The Alliance asks that attendees pre-register at info@lakegeorgebattlefield.org.

On August 9, Fort William Henry will commemorate the surrender of Fort William Henry with a 1 p.m. ceremony on the fort lawn.