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Relief is Greatly Wanted: The Battle of Fort William Henry

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If one is looking for an in-depth study of "The Battle of Fort William Henry" with a multitude of footnotes and page upon page of sources and bibliography, this in not your book. However, if one is looking for an enjoyable, easy to read, accurate account of the battle, then this is the book.
The author begins the book with a short history of the French and English struggle for control of the North American continent which in the end leads to "The French and Indian War". Then he jumps right in with information and details of times and people and politics leading to the battle of Fort William Henry. If one recalls, this is the battle made famous in "The Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper (which makes one wonder: "Why would anyone use their middle name if it were 'Fenimore?'; but I digress). The author leads us through the battle and the slaughter of innocents by the French Indians thereafter.
The author uses several excerpts from diaries, letters and journals written by those involved in the battle. The title of the book, "Relief is Greatly Wanted," is a quote from one of these letter (from the commander of Fort William Henry, Monro, to Webb, who didn't bother to send help; letter is dated August 8, 1757). It is always interesting to read first-hand information such as this. The book also has a chapter on Robert Rogers and his Rangers. Also, the author gives the reader a short history of the military careers of many of the major characters and what they did after the battle. There are also 37 illustrations, maps and pictures.
As I am not an expert on the Battle of Fort Henry, I can't really say this is the best book on the battle, but I can say that the author writes in a manner that never bores the reader the way many history books do with their dry listings of dates and events. As I stated before, this is an enjoyable book to read. Unlike some history-type books I have read, this author appears to stick to the facts and not add any "extras" that may or may not be true just to make the book more lively. This book is written well enough that that isn't necessary.
In the book's "Postscript," the author writes, "Although I have drawn a few conclusions in writing, I have tried to present a battle as it was seen through the eyes of the people who were there. I'm sure that other individuals may see it in a different light." This is refreshing in a day when most writers seem to think they are right and everyone else is wrong. This writer actually admits that maybe he is wrong on a few things. And since I am a "wise guy," I'll point out an error: The author says Daniel Boone was a militiaman in Braddock's campaign. He wasn't; he was a wagon driver. Yes a trivial detail indeed, and it doesn't even concern the Battle of Fort William Henry; but, like I said, I'm a wise guy.
Also, not only am I a wise guy, I am a cheap kind of person, so I think the book costs too much. Not because of the writing itself, but because I think a paperback book shouldn't cost 20 dollars.
In the end, however, this is a good book. It is generally written well, provides a lot of information without becoming tedious and is enjoyable to read. If one has read "The Last of the Mohicans" and would like to know more about this period of time and the events in that book, then this would be a good book to read.

Based on research conducted at Huntington Library including reproducing some maps with the Library's consent, this author places the colonial encampment during the battle at a vastly different location than has been previously presented. This changes the entire tenor of the battle and the colonial participation in the battle. Much of the work involves a methodical review of the actual orders, dispatches and diaries of the participants, particularly those of Col Monro. I throughly enjoyed reading the original dispatches and orders instead of a summary, but this may not be for everyone. Unfortunately, the author does not directly discuss where for generations have placed the colonial encampment at the time of the siege as opposed to this "new" position. He simple presents the new position with little or no mention of the "traditional" camp location. In many ways, this new location is a better fit with the written accounts than the traditional camp position and better explains the colonial diaries and the reaction of the colonial troops to the siege. This new camp location is a tantalizing and an attractive idea, but I am still somewhat skeptical, as it is such a huge departure from traditional telling of the battle.