He now sent one of his aides-de-camp with a letter to Monro.
"I owe it to humanity," he said, "to summon you to surrender.

At present I can restrain the savages, and make them observe the terms of a capitulation, but I might not have the power to do so under other circumstances, and an obstinate defence on your part could only retard the capture of the place a few days, and endanger the unfortunate garrison, which cannot be relieved, in consequence of the dispositions I have made.

I demand a decisive answer within an hour." Monro replied simply that he and his soldiers would defend themselves till the last.
The trenches were opened on the night of the 4th.

The work was extremely difficult, the ground being covered with hard stumps of trees and fallen trunks.

All night long 800 men toiled at the work, while the guns of the fort kept up a constant fire of round shot and grape; but by daybreak the first parallel was made.