Battle of Sabbath Day Point The Battle of Sabbath Day Point took place on 23 July 1757 just off the shore of Sabbath Day Point , Lake George , New York and ended in a French victory . The battle ( actually better described as an ambush ) , pitched approximately 450 French and allied Indian forces under the leadership of Ensign de Corbiere of the Troupes de la Marine against 350 British - allied Provincial forces under the command of Colonel John Parker . Ensign de Corbiere , aware of Colonel Parker ’ s plan , ambushed and surrounded Parker ' s forces as they approached the shore in bateaux ( shallow - draft , flat - bottomed boats ) . In the ensuing rout Colonel Parker lost approximately 250 men with nearly 160 men killed or drowned and the rest taken prisoner . The French reported only one man slightly wounded . Background . During March 1757 Fort William Henry came under siege for four days by French forces . Lacking sufficient logistical and artillery support , and hampered further by a blinding snowstorm on 21 March , French forces were unable to take the fort and the siege was called off . Although the French failed to take the fort itself , their forces did destroy three hundred bateaux and several lightly - armed vessels beached on the shore , a saw - mill and numerous outbuildings . Following the withdrawal , British forces under Lieutenant - Colonel George Monro claimed a victory . The French may have not been able to take the fort , but the destruction of so many boats crippled Monro ’ s ability to sortie reconnaissance parties further up the lake to assess French and Indian movements . Coupled with the loss of the boats , manpower shortages and " ignorant and undisciplined " soldiers all made patrolling and scouting outside the protective walls of Fort William Henry quite precarious for Monro and he was unable to send out sufficient scouts . Throughout the spring and early summer the Indians , spurred on by French rewards of brandy , guns , ammunition and clothing , sortied on raiding parties from Fort Carillon south towards Fort William Henry , kidnapping and scalping anyone who dared venture beyond the protective walls of the fort . Although starved for information , Monro could do little to respond to the Indian raids or gain intelligence on French movements until sufficient reinforcements arrived . He also moved slowly to re - construct the buildings or boats destroyed by the French months earlier . In June reinforcements finally did arrive when Provincial and militia units from New York , New Jersey and New Hampshire were sent up from Fort Edward by General Daniel Webb . Desperate for information and now newly reinforced , Monro decided to act . Battle . Monro , an officer with virtually no battle experience , decided to risk a reconnaissance in force . His plan was to gather all available boats , pack them with approximately 350 men and send them north up the lake into an area controlled by an enemy he knew little about . To command this force Monro chose Colonel John Parker of the newly arrived Jersey Blues unit . It was decided to land Colonel Parker ’ s flotilla of men on Sabbath Day Point situated approximately north of Fort William Henry on the west side of Lake George . On 20 July an advance party of three boats left for the point , with Parker ’ s main force departing in the pre - dawn hours of 21 July . The passage of the first three boats was spotted by French scouts . On 21 July a force of approximately 450 French and Indian men under the command of Ensign de Corbiere departed Fort Carillon to intercept . The French ambushed Parker ’ s three lead boats and while under " questioning " by Indians , the Provincials told them exactly where Parker planned to come ashore . The French trap was then set . The ambush plan was to place musket - men along the shore of the point and a flotilla of Indians in fifty canoes out of view on the opposite side of the point . In the early morning hours of 23 July Parker ’ s main force approached Sabbath Day Point unaware that the French had intercepted his three lead boats and learned his plan . As Parker ' s men approached the shore they noticed the three boats sent out a day ahead and assumed nothing was wrong . Three decoys aided the French and Indians in springing the trap by beckoning Parker ’ s men towards the shore . Once within range Parker ’ s men came under a withering volley of musket fire from the soldiers and Indians hidden along the shore . At the same time the Indians in the canoes broke around the point and surrounded Parker ’ s men . The Indians jumped into the water from their canoes and sank , capsized or captured all but two of Parker ' s boats . Once in the water , many of the Provincials were speared or drowned . The ensuing battle was severely one - sided as the terrified and overwhelmed soldiers surrendered almost without firing a shot . Barely 100 of Parker ’ s men , including Parker himself , escaped the onslaught of the French and Indians . Of Parker ’ s force of 350 , nearly 160 drowned or were killed . The remainder were taken prisoner . Aftermath . Colonel Parker , lucky to escape the onslaught , led what was left of his men through the brush and thick forest back to Fort William Henry . The victors loaded their prisoners and spoils into boats and headed north . Along the way they sang songs and indulged in the rum taken from the Provincials . Once back at Fort Carillon the Indians , drunk on rum , boiled and ate one unlucky captive . Monro paid a heavy price to learn that there was a sizeable body of French and Indians further up the lake . The French capitalized on the win and sent two forces south from Carillon , one on Lake George and one chopping through the dense forest on the west side of the lake . With the defeat on Sabbath Day Point , both bodies met little British resistance . Their objective was Fort William Henry ; on the morning of 3 August the French came down the lake and glided into the view of the British . The Battle of Fort William Henry was about to begin .