Battle of Fort Bull

Date	27 March 1756
Location	present-day Rome, New York, then a frontier between Canada, New France and the Province of New York 43°13′27″N 75°30′9″W / 43.22417°N 75.50250°W / 43.22417; -75.50250Coordinates: 43°13′27″N 75°30′9″W / 43.22417°N 75.50250°W / 43.22417; -75.50250
Result	French victory

Belligerents

France

Colony of Canada

Great Britain

Commanders and leaders

Chaussegros de Léry

William Bull †

Strength

84 Troupes de la Marine
166 Canadian militia
90 Iroquois
20 Huron

111 regulars

Casualties and losses

1 dead
2 wounded

76 dead
35 taken prisoner

The Battle of Fort Bull was a French attack on the British-held Fort Bull on 27 March 1756, early in the French and Indian War. The fort was built to defend a portion of the waterway connecting Albany, New York to Lake Ontario via the Mohawk River.

Lt. Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry led his command consisting of forces from the Troupes de la Marine, Canadien militia, and Indian allies on an attack against Fort Bull on 27 March 1756. Shielded by trees they sneaked up to within 100 yards (91 m) of the fort. Léry ordered a charge at the fort with bayonets. They stuck their muskets into the narrow openings in the fort and shot the defenders. Léry repeatedly asked for their surrender. Finally, the gate was crashed in and the French and Indians swarmed in, killing everyone they saw. The French soldiers looted what they could and set the powder magazines on fire. The fort was burned to the ground.

Following the failure of aggressive British campaign plans in 1755, a chain of forts along the Mohawk River riverway connecting the Hudson River to Lake Ontario were garrisoned during the winter of 1755–1756. The largest garrison was left at Fort Oswego, at the end of the chain, which depended on the others for its supplies. Two forts along the Oneida Carry were a key element of this supply chain. The Oneida Carry traversed an unnavigable section between Rome, New York and Wood Creek that was between one and six miles long, depending on seasonal water levels. Fort Williams, on the Mohawk, was the larger of the two, while Fort Bull, several miles north of Fort Williams on Wood Creek, was little more than a palisade surrounding storehouses. Fort Bull was garrisoned by a small number of men from Shirley's Regiment under William Bull, and held large quantities of military stores, including gunpowder and ammunition, destined for use in the 1756 campaign.

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