Battle of Fort Oswego

Battle of Fort Oswego
Part of the French and Indian War
Date August 10–14, 1756 Location Fort Oswego, present-day Oswego, New York 43°27′42″N 76°30′51″W / 43.46167°N 76.51417°W / 43.46167; -76.51417 Result French victory
Belligerents
France Colony of Canada	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm	James Mercer  † John Littlehales
Strength
3,000 French army, troupes de la marine, colonial militia, and Indians	1,100 British army
Casualties and losses
30 dead or wounded	80–150 1,700 captured (including noncombatants)

The Battle of Fort Oswego was one in a series of early French victories in the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War won in spite of New France's military vulnerability. During the week of August 10, 1756, a force of regulars and Canadian militia under General Montcalm captured and occupied the British fortifications at Fort Oswego, located at the site of present-day Oswego, New York.

In addition to 1,700 prisoners, Montcalm's force seized the fort's 121 cannons. The fall of Fort Oswego effectively interrupted the British presence on Lake Ontario and removed it as a threat to the nearby French-controlled Fort Frontenac. The battle was notable for demonstrating that traditional European siege tactics were viable in North America when applied properly in the right circumstances and terrain.