Loudon next proceeded to examine the state of the provincial forces, and sent Lieutenant-Colonel Burton, of the regulars, to observe and report upon it.  Winslow by this time had made a forward movement, and was now at Lake George with nearly half his command, while the rest were at Fort Edward under Lyman, or in detachments at Saratoga and the other small posts below.  Burton found Winslow’s men encamped with their right on what are now the grounds of Fort William Henry Hotel, and their left extending southward between the mountain in their front and the marsh in their rear.  “There are here,” he reports, “about twenty-five hundred men, five hundred of them sick, the greatest part of them what they call poorly; they bury from five to eight daily, and officers in proportion; extremely indolent, and dirty to a degree.”  Then, in vernacular English, he describes the infectious condition of the fort, which was full of the sick.  “Their camp,” he proceeds, “is nastier than anything I could conceive; their——­, kitchens, graves, and places for slaughtering cattle all mixed through their encampment; a great waste of provisions, the men having just what they please; no great command kept up.  Colonel Gridley governs the general; not in the least alert; only one advanced guard of a subaltern and twenty-four men.  The cannon and stores in great confusion.”  Of the camp at Fort Edward he gives a better account.  “It is much cleaner than at Fort William Henry, but not sufficiently so to keep the men healthy; a much better command kept up here.  General Lyman very ready to order out to work and to assist the engineers with any number of men they require, and keeps a succession of scouting-parties out towards Wood Creek and South Bay."[416]

[Footnote 416:  Burton to Loudon, 27 Aug. 1756.]

The prejudice of the regular officer may have colored the picture, but it is certain that the sanitary condition of the provincial camps was extremely bad.  “A grievous sickness among the troops,” writes a Massachusetts surgeon at Fort Edward; “we bury five or six a day.  Not more than two thirds of our army fit for duty.  Long encampments are the bane of New England men."[417] Like all raw recruits, they did not know how to take care of themselves; and their officers had not the experience, knowledge, or habit of command to enforce sanitary rules.  The same evils were found among the Canadians when kept long in one place.  Those in the camp of Villiers are reported at this time as nearly all sick.[418]

[Footnote 417:  Dr. Thomas Williams to Colonel Israel Williams, 28 Aug. 1756.]

[Footnote 418:  Bougainville, Journal.]