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^'OJ'A scotiajYA

LIRR/\RY OF

m\lENT OF EDUCATION

Section II, 18S1.

[ 41 ]

Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada.

IV. — First Siege iduI Gnpture of Louiahoartj, 1745.

By Sir Adams Archirat", iC.C.M.G-.

(Presented by Prof. G. Lawson, May 25, 1887.)

Few ev(Mit,s in history aro more rcmavkal)!*' than tho sico-e and rapture of Ijonisbourg
in lt45. The ri'ssion of Acadia to Eni^land, in 1713, had left Cape Thvton tho chief pos-
session of the French in the G-iilf of St. Tja\vn'n(^e. Thenceforth it became th»> setth?d
policy of France to construct in that island a fortress of the iirst ordt^r, to be the head-
quarters of the French ileet in American waters. Crn-at care was taken in the selection of
a suitable spot. Seven years of surveys, and numberless reports by engine(>rs, resulted in
the selection, for that purpose, of a place known as "Eniilish Harbour," situated on the
east coast of the island. This harbour is close upon the Atlantic. In half an hour, a ship
passes from a tempestuous ocean to a haven of jierfect security. The harbour winds
inland to a distance of six miles from its mouth. It has a width at the narrowest
part of about half a mile. The average depth of the water is from six to eight fathoms.
The harbour is spacious enough to hold the entire British fleet. Across its mouth, there
stretches, from the shore on the left of th(> entrance towards that on the right, a belt of
low, rocky islets, protecting the harbour from the waters of the Atlantic. This belt
exterds to within a quarter of a mile of the high and rugged coast on the right. The
only ship entrance is between the furthest islet of this belt and the shore on the right. On
passing into the harbour, the coast line on the left is found to recede, so as to form a cove.
From the shore of the cove the ground rises gently to a moderate height, and this spot was
selected for the fort, whi>'li fronted on the water of the cove. The ground consisted of an
area of one hundred acres.

For the five and twenty years next following the selection, the best engineering talent
of Europe was emjiloyed in the construction of the fort and its appendages. Aiound the
central area, a wall or rampart of stone was raised to the height of from thirty to thirty-.six
I'eet. The wall was over two miles and a half in length. A fosse of eighty feet in width
encompassed the walls. The central area was laid olf in regular blocks, the streets crossing
each other at right angles. Besides barracks, magazines and hospitals for military pur-
poses, the French authorities erected a government house, an opeia house, a theatre, and
other secular buildings appertaining to a capital city, as also churches and other reli-
gious edifices. In the construction of the fort and city they spent over thirty millions
of livres. They made it the strongest fortress on this continent and thought it im-
pregnable.

They chose new names for the island and fort. The first was no longer to be called
" Cape Breton," though that luime was itself French : thenceforth it was " Isle Eoyale."
" English Harbour " ceased to be a suitable name : it became " Louisbourg." The new

!Sec. ii, 1887. 6.

JVOJ'J SCOT I A J\' A

LIBRARY (W

THE DEPARr.\i;-:Nr of education

SIR ADAMS ARCHIBALD ON

titles were signilioant. "Isle Royale" sixgjre.stiHl counection with the throne, " Louis-
boiirg" with the person, of the Grrund Moimrque.

Besides the fort iself, there were outlj'ini? po^ts of great strenu'th. A powerful battery,
on one of the low islets we have mentioned at the mouth of the harbour, commanded the
narrow ship-entrance between it and the shore on the right: and far up the harbour, ou a
lofty hill facing the entrance, stood the grand battery with an armament of the heaviest
guns. It also commanded the shiii-entrance. Thus Louisbourg. strong in itself, with two
immense batteries commanding- the harbour's entrance, towen'd proudly in these northern
waters, and was the terror of the English colonies from the Strait of Canso to the mouth
of the Hudson.

In 1745, the fort was garrisoned by *700 regulars, and 1,000 militia, under command of
Duchambon, who was also the French governor of Isle Koyale.

For a century befon; that time. Nova Scotia had been the border-ground between the
English and the French on the Atlantic coast. The province was alternately British and
French, as the fortune of war determined. But every time that it was wrested from
France, the conciuest was the work of the British provincials. The possession of Nova
Scotia by the English was to the provincials a vital point. When Nova Scotia was
French, the border-ground shifted to New England. Th(^ peninsula was a wedge
between the two powers. So long as the contest was confined to our soil. New England
was comparatively safe.

The long peace between the two crowns ended in 1744. The French had taken care
to despatch a fast ship at once to Louisbourg to convey tht; news. The governor of Isle
Royale, tlie predecessor of Duchambon, had immediately equipped an expedition, under
Duvivier (a descendant of the famous La Toxxr) and made a raid on Nova Scotia. The
only military posts at the time in this province were Canso and Annapolis. A garrison
of eighty men occupied a block house at Canso, which was in no condition to sustain a
siege. They surrendered on the first summons. The block house was destroyed, and the
garrison sent to Louisbourg, prisoners of war.

The plan of operations contemplated that Duvivier, after taking and destroying the
block liouse at Canso, should proceed with his Ibrce of 900 men (regulars and militia) to
Annapolis, there to <'orabine with otlier parties, who were to meet him there, in an attack
on that place. The fort at Annapolis was in a ruinous state. The place might have been
taken with ease, if Duvivier had carried out his project with vigor. But a series of
blunders occurred. First, the priest Le Loutre came upon the scene at Annapolis, with
300 savages from Cape Sable and the River St. John, on .July 1st. This party speiit some
time investing the fort, but having no siege guns, they did little damage, beyond shoot-
ing a soldier or two, who were found straggling outside the fort. At length Le Loutre,
disheartened by his failure, and hearing nothing of the other parties who were to Join
him, raised the siege and retired to Minas. Next came, in August, Duvivier with his
troops, and a body of Indians. They, too, failed, and retired to Minas. Last of all came
some ships of war from Louisbov;rg. Finding, on their arrival, that both the other parties
had come and gone, the ships contented themselves with capturing a transport or two,
and then retired from the scene. Nothing could have saved Annapolis, if the several
parties of the enemy, or any two of them, had reached the spot at the same time.

The destruction of Canso and the attack ou Auuapolis seriously alarmed the people

THE SU'T.K OF LOUISHOURG.

of New Enu'liuid. They wcro suro th<! utti'inpt on Nova Si'otia would l)o ropciiti-d the
t'ollowiiif^- your, mid they Icavi'd, with worse n'ssults. As thiiiijs weMV, thoir lishcry at
C'aiiso, the host in tln' world, was <>on('. Louisl)Ourg, only a lew miles oil', sheltered the
French privateers and oomniauded the iishery, and from it armed ship,-i eonld swoop down
at pleasure on any part ol' the Atlantii^ coast. AVith Louisbourir, the only port of any im-
portance in these northern waters, the provincials saw nothinu' bel'ore tiiem but di'striiclion
to their commerce and to their settlements. They then began lo turn over in their minds,
whether it would not he possible to get rid of their trouble by a bold stroke on Ijouisbourg
itself It is uncertain who it was that oriuinated the idea : but to Shirley, the Massachu-
setts governor, is certainly due the credit, if, under the <ircumstauces (judged, not from the
results, but from what might reasonal)ly have been expected to be the results) credit it be,
of inciting and persuading his people to undertake the hazardous adventure. He proposed
it first to his legislative assembly in secret session. The members stood aghast at the
temerity of the jiroposal. They rejecled it with scarce a dissentient voice. But it was a
matter of life and death to the merchants and traders, even more than to the settlers. They
pre.ssed for a reconsideration, which was granted. Finally, after long and tedious discus-
sion, the proposal was carried by a majority of one. Omc a decision was given in its
favour, all concurred in doing their best to make the project successful.

It was proposed to raise 4.000 men ibr the purpose. The resolution to that ellect
passed towards the end of January. Within two months from that date th(> levies were
completed : 4,070 men were enrolled and ready to sail. The greatest enthusiasm prevailed.
It was not a question merely of politics or of tradi>: the feeling was laru'cly religious.
The savau'cs who raided the British settlements, and massacred and scalped the inhabi-
tants, were, in name, Roman Catholics. The settlers gaugi-d the creed the savages professed
by the outrages they practiced. The Indians were under the guidance of Roman Catholic
priests. In the rude logic of the provincials, they inferred that it was " like master like
man." Hence hatred of Romanism became in New ICnii-land a living force, drawing in tb.e
same line with trading interests and national hatreds. Many of the volunteers enlisted
from religious motives. Whitlield. the great English Evangelist, wh', was in Massachusetts
at the time, furnished a motto to be inscribed on th(> banner of the expedition : A7/
ilex/xriiniliini Chrido dure'. " Despair not with Christ for leader." The sentiment was
appropriate. It was the motto of a forlorn hope. Humanly s()eaking. success, in such an
expedition, was impossible. If it came at all, it must be the result of divine interposition
In the eyes of the adventurers, the age of miracles was not past. They believed that in
so sacred a cause miracles might still be wrought, and when we see what a continuous
series of marvellous events actually did occur, we cease to wonder at the credulity of the
adventurers in considering themselves the special favorites of ProvideniH*.

The volunteers wt're farmers and mechanics, traders and labourers. They were utterly
undisciplined. They had never seen anything of war, except, perhaps, a skirmish with a
band of savages. They were to be led by one Pepperel, a merchant, with no more ex-
perience of war than thmnselves ; and they wi're to set out on an expedition against the
strongest fort in America, defended by a garrison of regular soldiers, and having behind
it all the resources of the French monarchy. Such an undertaking required faith and
enthusiasm of no ordinary kind.

The expedition was to sail from the mouth of the Pisquatiqua on March 24th. Besides

■

Slli ADAMS AUCIIIHALD ON

thrt tiansports, thirtoeii small, armed vessels, bclonginn' to Massachiasctts and the other
New Kiii^land rolouies, carryin!* in all 100 s>'uns, accoinpanicd the expedition. Shirley
had hoped to securi! the assiNtani'e of the iiritisji ileet on the station, and had written
to Coiniuodore Warren, who was then in the West Indies, askini; his aid. The answer
reached Shirley the very day hel'ore the expedition was to sail I'roni Pisquatii'a. Warren
declined: he had no orders from the Admiralty, and would not ait without them. This
was disiouraginir. But Shirley did not hesitate. He concealed t'^e news from all except
Tepperel and Waldo, the lirst and se<ond in command. The expedition sailed on Man'h
24th. On April 4th, the Ileet, < ousistiiig' ol' 1;")0 ships, armed vessels and tran.sports, met
by a'^pointment at Canso. They found the whole ea.stern coast of Cape Breton skirted by
a widi belt of lloatins ice. The stream from tin- (lulf of St. Lawrence, running along the
coast (.utside of Scatarie, brings with it every spring a body of gulf ice, which receives
its direc ion largely from the wind prevailin<r at the time. If after ])assing Scatarie, the
breeze bliws toward the shore, it drives the ice before it. and makes an impenetrable
barrier between the open scii and tlie harbours on the coast. This happens only once in
several yean. But it happened this year. For three weeks, the expedition lay at Canso,
waiting I'or i liup in the ice. But the time was not lost. The men, who were a mere
mob on their irrival, were drilled daily. Tliey beu-an to acquire some faint glimmerings
of discipline. '*?ome of them were employed in building a fort at Canso, where a gar-
rison was to be .eft.

Some days aft m- their arrival at that port, three ships were descried in the olhng. They
were soon discove-cd to be men of war. There was no little excitement among the
adventurers. If tht ships should turn out to bi' French, as was (juite possible, the expedi-
tion would have tenniiiated almost as soon ..s it b(>gan. What was the relief of the
provincials, when they discovered that the shii)s were British, and shortly afterwards that
they were three of Commodore Warren's Ileet. r,)me to take part in the expedition I It
turned out that the very day after Warn-n had despatched his letter to Shirley, orders had
reached him flora the Admiralty to sail at once to Boston and join the expedition. He set
sail forthwith, and having, on approaching the coast, learned from a merc'hantman, that
the expedition had already s.uled, he proceeded at once to Canso, to the intense relief of
Shirley and of the two commanding ollicers to whom the secret of his refusal had bet>u
confided.

Another jiiece of good fortune occurrred during the stay at Can.so. A French brig
from Martinicjue, laden with rum and molasses, and bound for Louisbourgh, was prevented
by the ice from reaehing that port. She put into Canso and was captured. The cargo
was a A'aluable addition to the commissariat of the expedition.

But what were the authorities at Louisbourg about all this time? Strange to say,
they knew nothing of the expedition. Louisbourg is distant from Canso less than thirty
leagues. For three weeks, a Ileet of I.'jO sail had been lying at Canso, and not the
slightest hint of the fact had n'ached Louisbourg. Across the strait from Canso lay the
French village of Ncrica, (now " Arichat"). The Ileet was visible from the shores of Isle
Madame. Yet it lay for three weeks in sight of Ncrica, and not a nnin in that place was
found to carry the tidings to Duchambon. Port Toulouse, as it was then called (now
" St. Peters"), was within a few miles of Canso. It was garrisoned by French .soldiers
under the command of Capt. Benoit. Surely in a time of war that ollicer should have

THE SIKUK OF LOUISHOUH(J

advist'd his superior at Louishourg of the large llccl in his in'iirhlmrhood. Ho did not,
liowcver.

Alter Warren reaehed Canso he sent some ol'tlie smaller vessels lo cruise backwards
and forwards, in iVinit ol' Lonisliouri;- harbour, to prevent any I'lendi vessels iiovering
oil' the coast Irom t nt 'riny, should a gap appear in the ice belt. These were seen by
people on the shore, and the I'mt reported to Duchambon. This did not alarm him. lie
assumed that the vessels were l"'rench. waitinii' an opportunity to enli'r the liarbour. Every
year a supply ship, despatched linm Hiest, reached the coast early in the spring. lie took
I'or granted tliat one at least ol' tlie cruisers was the expected supply ship. Still h(>
thought it might be worth while to make some inquiry whether there was anything
going on at Canso to excite suspicion. He ai'cordingly sent a niessage to Capt. lienoit
at Port Toulouse, directing him to make inquiries. That oiilcer desi)atched thriM! men
on this service, a soldier, a habildiil and an In.lian. They proceeded to Canso, landed on
the shore opposite the islaiul, and nuide their observations ol' the state ol' things there.
They thi-n set out on their return to Port Toulouse. f)n tln'ir way they met a temptation
that they could not resist. Accident gave them -the opportunity of lalling on a small
j)arty ol' iMiglish and making lour of Ihcm prisoners. They then i>rocee(led homeward
with their laptivcs. One niuht they all stretched themselves out by the camp lire. The
messengers vveri^veary and soon fell asleep. The prisoners seized the opportunity, released
themselves from their shackles, and killed their captors. The tidinus of the doings at Canso
perished with the messengers. The commander at Port Toulnuse lost his men. The
governor at Louisbourg remained as ignorant as ever of what was going on at Canso.

At last, on Sunday, April 'JOth, the wind shifted, driving the ice seaward, and leaving
the shore clear. The expedition sailed at once. It reaclK'd Chapeau IJouii'e ((}al)arus) Bay,
back of Louisbourg, and was within a couple miles of the fort, on Sunday evening, lint
the wind died away and it was impossible to land then. The lleet lay oil' till the
morning. At early dawn, the Fren<h soldiers on duty, descried from olf the walls of
Louisbourg an immense ileet. whitening with its sails the whole extent of Gabarus Bay.
It was a perfect surpri.se. So little thoiuiht had Du<hambon of an enemy being at hand,
that lie had, the evening before, given a ball at Government House, which was kept up to
a late hour. The oilicers, who had been at the party, had scarcely got to bed Ix'fore they
were roused l)y the alarm. Crovernor, and olli( ers alike, were in a state of consternation.
They soon, however, recovered so far as to make some attempt to resist the landinu'. From
the ramparts were seen several boats, full of soldier>, steering in a direction towards
White Point, immediately in rear of the town. Duchambon at once despatched a body
of eighty men towards the point, under connnand of a famous partisan oftheiuime of
Morpen. The boats a|)proached within a short distance of the shore, then veiM'cd aboiit
and returned towards the lleet. There they were Joined by a niunber of other boats,
fully manned, that been hidden behind the tran.sports. waiting the return of their com-
rades from the feint on White Point. All then made for the shore of Gabarus Bay, at a
place som<> two miles distant from White Point. The Morpen jiarty, seeing their mistake,
marched at once for the new landing pla<e. But the ground was dillicult. and the English
had already landed in suliicient force to keep their ground and repel their assailants. The
French were driven back to the fort. A high hill interveiu'd between the shore of the
bay and the town of Louisbourg. Next day, a party of 400 men, under Col. Vaughan, set

H\R ADAMS AIJCIIIIIALI) ON

out oil a rt'connoitriiij? ox pod it ion. They puslicd tlicir way ihroutrh llic forost to tho top
of the liill. l">oiii that i)()inl tlicy ovt-rlookt'd (lie fort. Tlu-y shewed themselves lor a
monieiit on the erest of the hill, then uttered a deliaiil shout to the soldiers on the walls.
Then they plunyed ai^ain into the forest on the hill side, and made their way towards
the upju'r part of the harhour. Two miles above the fort, on the edu'e of the hari)our,
stood several warehouses lilled with (luantities of pitch, tar and other iiillainmal)h's. To
these they set (ire. In an incredibly short space of time the whole was one mass of
llame. The smoke irom the burning buildiiiirs and miiti-rials wa.s driven by the wind in
the direction of the grand battery already mentioned. The garri.sou of this post thought
that the wliole British force was upon them. They immediately reported the state of
things to I)uchaml)Oii, and obtained his consent to abandon the battery: lirst spiking
their cannon. In hot haste they acted on this permission, hardly taking time to spike
the guns eil'ectually. They escaped to Louisbourg at miuiiight, leaving the French ilag
floating on the stall'. Next morning Col. Yaughan, on returning from his reconnoitring
expedition, with a small detachment of thirteen men of whom one was an Indian, came
in sight of the ])attery. The Hag was llyiiui-, but he was surprised not to see any smoke
issuing from the chimneys. Alter waitinir a while, and sei'ing no appearance of motion
or life in tho fort, he sent the Indian to scale the wall and ascertain what all this meant.
The Indian, on climbing up, found that the fort had been abandoned. He then opened
the gate and let his comrades in. Vaughan immediately ordered the French Ilag to be
hauled down, and having none of his own to replace it with, he directed one of the men
to nail a soldier's red coat to the mast. lie then sent a message to the general, informing
him that "by the Grace of God, and the courage of thirteen men, he was in possession of
the grand battery," and asked for a rei-nforcement and a Ilag.

Hut it seemed for a while as if Vaughan was not likely to keep his nev\' poss(>ssion
long. Duchambon, ashamed apparently of the cowardly abandonment of the battery,
sent next morning a body of sixty soldiers, in boats, to retake the fort. Vaughan saw
tho boats leaving the wharf, and steering towards the foot of the hill on whi(;h the
battery stood. He immediately rushed with his thirteen men to the shore, and opened
lire on the boats. This was returned vigorously. For many minutes there seenu'd no
hope of successful resistance, but Vaughan and his men were determined to sell their
lives dear. They continued their lire. At length they had the satisfaction to see the
boats turn about and head towards the town. The little band marched back in triumph
to their battery, where they were soon joined by sixch a rei'iiforcemeut as put the reten-
tion of the post beyond the region of doubt.

An immense number of powerful guns, and a great quantity of shells and other war
material were found in the battery. The gunsmiths, of whom there were many in the
ranks of the volunteers, soon drilled out the spikes, and within a week, the powerful
armament of this battery was turned against the fortress it was built to protect, doing,
with its plunging shot, inlinite damage to the walls and buildings of the beleaguered fort.

At the same time, the invading force, after reaidiing the crest of the hill, were gradually
advancing their batteries down the hill side, sloping towards the fort. Each battery came
nearer and nearer the walls. F>om these batteries and from that which the thirteen men
had captured, a constant cannonade was kept up. At last, a battery was constructed within
the eighth of a mile from tho walls, and played directly on the west gate. The balls from

THK SI KGB OF LOUISBOURG.

this jwiiit rak('<l the strocts, which worn on tho finmo lino with tho battory and the
wost fflltc.

Meanwhile the lleet ( onld do nothing. It wuh anehorod oil' the harhonr. Tho island
battery oU'eitiially blocked the .ship-entrance. It became necessary, theri'lbre, if tho ships
were to take any part in the siofje, that this battery should be silenced and an attempt was
accordingly made lo take it by assault. On the evening oi' May 27th, 400 men, who had
volunteered i'or the purpose, led by a Captain Brooks, an oilicer oi' their own choice,
embarked at While I'oint, in thirty-live boats, and stole quietly round in tho direction of
tho islet on which the battery was placed. Hut the sea was rough, the night dark and
foggy, and many ol' the boats perished in the surl' that beat from the Atlantic on the
islet belt. Some of the men were drowned, and all had their lirearms soaked with
watiir. Those who landed and attempted to scale tho battery, were driven back by the
garrison, which consisted of 200 men. Sixty of the provincials were killed, and 11(3 made
prisoners. It was a serious reverse, tho only one, indeed, which the invaders met with
during the siege. But they were not discouragecl, and immediately set about other means
of atcomplishing their object — tho silencing of tho island battory, so as to enable tho fleet
to enter tho harbour.

We have already noticed the high land, on the right of the entrance of tho harbour,
which ri.ses abruptly from the water. On the summit was placed a lighthou.so, and the
hill itself had long been known as Lighthouse Point. Hel'oro the attempt made on the
island battery by water, it was contemplated to establish a battery on this point. From
this elevation, guns of sulFicient power could soon render tho island battory untenable.
But how were the besiegers to get heavy guns to the spot t They would have to l)e
dragged from tho camp for miles, through the forest, over ground strewn with huge rocks,
intersjK'rsod with morasses almost impassable. This must be done by the labour of men,
for, of horses or cattle, oven if they could have been used, there wen* none to be had. It
was an appalling task, but tho failure of the attack by sea seemed to render it inevitable.
At this moment, just at the time when guns were so necessary, and the dilficulty of getting
them to the spot almost insuperable, a most f( rtuiuite discovery was made. A number of
large cannon were noticed under water at a place called the careening ground, in close
vicinity to Lighthouse Point. They had been there tor ten years, sunk in a hurry, and
never fished up, though well kno>vn to be there by all tho French governors of the
period. No time was lost in raising them to the surface, and making thorn ready for use.
They were dragged to the siti' of the proposed battery and duly mounted In a few days
they were playing on the island battory below, doing elfective work. By and by, some
larger guns and a mortar procured from the camp were, with infinite dilficulty. added to
the armament. Then tho new battery began to makt> fearful hovoc with its plunging shot
on iho island fort, dismounting tho guns and driving away the gunners. In a few days
the island battory was as good as silenced.

We have already mentioned that the French government were in the habit of sending
every spring from Brest, a ship with supplies for Louisbourg. The ship generally loft
in time to rea<h the Cape Breton coast early in the spring. This year, tho vessel destined
for that service took fire and burnt to tho water's edge, just as she was about to be loaded.
There was no other transport in the harbour of Brest available for the sorvi'O. But the
" Vigilante," an eighty-gun ship of war, was on tho stocks, nearly ready to launch. She

SIR ADAMS AROninAF;!) ON

was liniHhi'd uh rapidly as possible, laden with Nui)plies and despatihed to Ijouishourj?.
But all this caused deiiiy, and she did not n'ach the coast ol' Isle Royale till May IHth,
a little over a loituiirlil niter (he arrival ol" the besienint? i'orce. The captain ol' the
" Vijj;ilant(>," the Miir(|uis de Maisou l'\)rte, on approaihin-^ the coast, descried the "Mer-
maid," one ol' Warren's sniall shii)s ol' war, and innnedialely i^ave chase. The " Mermaid"
hoisted all sail and ran for Lonisbourg. All ol' a sudden the Maniuis I'ouiul hiinsell' in the
middle oi' Wurreu'h ileet. An action took place in Bight ol' Louisbourg; and though
Duchanibon himsell' witnessed llic i)atlle, lie liad no idea how deeply he was interested
in it. In a short time the "Vigilante" surrendered, the crew ol tioO men bi'coming
prisoners of war. The supplies she carried were ol' great uso to the besiegers. The
" Vigilante" hersell' was repaired, and numned by a IJritish crow, thus adding a powerl'id
ship to the strength ol' the IJritish Ileet.

The time had at last arrived I'or brinuinii' the fleet on (he scene. I'rcparators to (hat
Duchanibon mu.'^t learn (he hupelcssnr.ss ol' his iondi(ii>n. It was re[)orted in tlie l"]nglish
camp that the French and their savag(< allies had treated (lie liriti.sli i)ris(iners with great
cruelty. De Maison Forte was spoken to on tlie subject, lie was asked to visit thediU'ercnt
ships in which liis captive oliicers and crew Wi'W distributed, and see how tln^ prisoners
were treated by the l']nglish. Finding everything to his satisfaction, he was asked to
write to Duchambon, remonstrating against the cruelties alleged to be committed on the
French side, lie wrote accordingly, and his note was sent under Hag ol' truce. This gave
Duchanibon (he lirs( intinia(ion he had of the loss ol' the " Vigilante." Though he, himsell',
had witnessed the hard battle wliiih had ended in the -urreiider of a shi[), as yet it had
never occurri'd to him that the ship was the one that contained his supplies. .So the
letter fell on Duchambon and his olRcers like a bomb-shell.

While the governor and his subordinates were labouring tinder the depression caused
by this intelligence, the besiegers were making preparations i'or a general assault. This
was to be made on Tune 11th, the anniversary of Kinir (Jeorge's accession. The grand
battery and al) the new batteries on the hill side near the west gate, were to open a
general cannonade on the fort. The lighthouse battery was to play on the island below,
and during the cannonade, the ships of war, at a given signal, were to enter the harbour
and join in tlie grand assault.

Duchambon saw that the crisis was at hand. A day or two before, he had, according
to his own account, received a petition, signed by 1.000 inluibitants, imploring him to
span^ further bloodshed, by offering a capitulation. ^Te had then held a council of war,
who recommended the same coirrse. He then sent a Hag of truce to the general and
commodore. C)n their iirst arrival, they had summoned him to surrender, lie had
replied proudly, that he would .send his answer by thi' mouth of his guns. But things had
changed since then. It was now his place to drop lofty airs and to ask for terms. The
conditions wert> sent. He was obliged to comply, and on June lOth, the fort surrendered.

Thus, in the course of less than seven weeks from the time when first the ships were
seen from the battlements of Louisbourg, that stronghold was in the possession of the
invaders.

In the preceding autumn, the Marquis de Beauharnois, the governor-general of
Canada, having reason to believe that the provinces would take som(> steps (o avenger the
capture ofCanso, and the raids on Annapolis, had sent a letter to Duchambon, oH'ering

TTIK SrRGE OF LOUISnOUFKJ.

rffnlbrrcmcntN for the LouiNljonrsr srnvrisoii, if r('(|uiiv(l. I'nt that ollicor I't'lt hiiiiNcH'qnito
Hiilf ill his Htroiifjliold, and (Iccliiicd the olli'i-. Wln'ii, howcv cr, lie IniiiKl hiiiisrir ..ori'ly
prt'NNcd hy th« ciiomy, ho rt'pt'iitcd ol' his dt'cision. lie tln'ii Ix'thouuht him of u force
undtT Muriii, wliii h hud hocn sent in (he previous your louid in tliouttuck on Annapolis.
It hud wintt'rcd at iifuuhassin, and was now on its way to niakc another uttark on '.nnu-
polis. It wus supposed to he at Minus, and thither Dm hunihon sent messengers, orderinij
Murin to oome ut oneo to liOtiishonrir witli all the troops under his command. On the
urrivivl of the messengers at Minus, they found that Marin and his party hud already
pfono on to Annapolis. They followi-d thither. On reeeipt of l)nihaml)on's order, Marin
held u eouneil of war. Some of his ollirers were di.^posed to disreuard the order, and yo on
with the attufk of Annapolis. Ihit Marin persuaded the hulk of his party to obey. Mut
then came the diiiieu'ty of transport. All Aeudiu eoulil not furnish ships enough for the
purpose. At lust, however, Murin succeeded in proi urini^' a vessel of twenty-live tons
and also some 1,jO l)ark canoes. In these he embarked his men, numl)eriiiif — Canudiuns
and Indians together — .some 401) men, and set oil' for Louishourg. IL' made fair progress
down the hay, till in doubling a headland near Cape Sabb', he found him.self dose upon u
British privateer, which immediately opened lire. Nothing daunted, Murin und his purty
returned the lire, und rushed on the privuteer. They were ulready sculing her sides, with
u j)rospect of soon getting possession of her, whi'U a second i)rivateer, a comrade of tho
other, hove in sight ami i»rei)ared to lake pari in the contest. The Canadians und
Indians, seeing that there was no further chainf for them, abandoned the uttuck und,
Hying in their cunoes to the .shore, hid themselves in the forest. When the privutoers left,
the i)arty gathered themselves together. The skirmish had liiinned their ranks. They hud
lost tlieir vessel and nmny of their canoes. At lenuth they got alloat again and pro-
ceeded on their vogage. Ihit the delav was fatal. They did not reaih Isle Koyale till
over a fortnight after Louisbourg had fallen. Ibichumbon, in his repor' to the minister,
suys that, if they hud arrived when he expected them, the fort would have been suved ;
thut the English supposed the force to consistof 2, ■')<•() men, and would have raised the
siege on the arrival of Marin's force. This is one of the many excuses which Duchumbou
assigns for his fuilure.

The English forces entered into posse.ssion of Louisbourg. The garrison marched out
with the honors of wur. Ilaii's Hying und drums beatinii'. The men, after giving ui) their
arms, went on l)oard the I'lnglish ships. Lhnb'r the terms of the lapitulution, over 4,000
souls were afterwards sent to France.

All England was in a state of delirous excitement, over the capture. Church bells
proclaimed the joyful tidings in every town of the kingdom. The grateful monarch gave
Pepperel a title und Warren u Hag. Th(» spoils of war taken at Louisbourg were enormous.
To these were udded, a few days al'terwards, two Indiamen, ri<lily laden, decoyed into
Louisbourg by the French Hag, left purposely lloating on the citadel. One of these carried
half a million of Spanish dollars, hidden under a cargo of cocoa. The value of the captures
exceeded three millions of pounds sterling.

We huve alluded to the strontr element of religioi;s enthusiusm in the adventurers.
One of the chaplains brought with him a hatcliet for the express purpose of hewing down
idolatrous images in the Roman Catholic chunhes. When the miracle of the capture of
the grand battery took place, it was looked upon, and not unnaturally, as a special inter-
Sec ii, 1887. 7.

STR ADAMS ARCHIBALD OX

position of Divino PrGvidenct'. The ovont was celfbratt'd on the Sunday Ibllowing, on
the spot, by a stM-rnon, the first rrcLcstant discourse ever hoard in Isle Royale. The preacher
took for his text the word.s, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts
witli praise." There is no doul)t the Old Testament narrative of conquests in Canaan
ligured largely in the sermon.

When the city its(>lf fell, there were no bounds to the devout enthxisiasm of the victors.
On the occasion of a festival held shortly afterwards, a long-vvinded minister was called
upon to ask a blessing. lie disappointed his auditors who knew, and dreaded, his ver-
bcsity, by one of the pithiest of graces on record : " Lord, we have so many things to thank
Thee ibr, that time would fail us to do it fully. We leave it, therefore, for the work of
eternity."

Th.

le men who undertook and carried out tliis ent(>rprise, displayed great courage and
unilagging energy. From l)eginning to end, their conduct was irreproachable. No danger
dcierred, no dirticulty daunted them. They did their work witli a zeal, an energy and
an earnestness, and in a spirit of obedience, that would have commanded admiration,
even had they been veteran soldiers. We would not detract in the smallest degree from
the credit to which the display of these great qualities entitles them, and yet we venture to
say that, had the expedition failed, history would have regarded the whole project as one
of the maddest that ever entered into the heart of man to conceive. Let us recapitulate
some of the incidents we have mentioned, bearing on the final result.

First, the un(>xpect(>d arrival of Commodore Warren and his fleet, aftt>r the expedition
had sailed tor Canso. On leaving the Pisquatica, the commander of the expedition had
no right to expect the aid of the British lleet. He arrived at Canso in the belief that he
should not receive that aid, and yet if it had not been given, the "Vigilante " which reached
v^.abarus on May 18th, would have captured or dispersed every ship in the bay, and put in
peril the land Ibrces sandwiched between the bay and the fort.

Then, again, the ice on the coast gave an unexpected delay, which enabled the olFicers
to get into something like discipline a body of rustics, wholly unaiquaint(>d with military
movements, who had never acted togi'th<M-, and were, when they arrived at Canso, only a
mob. Nor did tlie delay occasion any of the inconvenieni(>s that miu'lit have been expected
from it. The stu'prise of the French, on May 1st, was as complete as if the ships had
arrived direct from New England. Had the intended invasion been known at Louis-
boixrg, surely some better attempts to prevent the landing would have l)een made. And
why was it not known ?

It is perfectly marvellous, that no I'reiichman at Nericu, no soldier, hahilnnt, or Indian
at Port Toulouse, should have l)eeu found to convey the intelligence to Louisbourg. And
the marvel is emphasised by the extraordinary incidents which attended the despatch of
the three spies from Fort Toulouse to Canso, and their assassination on the homeward
journey. Then again, the di'struction by lire of the sui>ply-ship, and the substitution in its
place of the "Vigilante," had a greut bearing on the result. Had the supply ship arrived
earlier on the coast, it could have entered the harbour of Louisbourg before the ice broke
xxp in the gulf When the "Vigilante" reached the coast, and fell into the hands o!' the
English, it furnished them with the supplies which were sadly need(>d by the gairison,
and it added to the blockading force a first-class ship ot war.

THE SIEGK OF LOUISBOUIIG.

The liitixity which inducod tho garrison of the grand hiitlcry to ahandou their strong-
hold without firing a gun, within twonty-foiir hours of tho hindinu- of the oxpinlition, and
that too, witliout seeing an enemy, was one ot I he wonders of the siege. This battery
shouhl have defied for weeks any attempt to take it. Its retention would have retarded
indefinitely the advance of the fascine l)atteries towards the west gate, while its surn-n-
dor opened the town to a most destructive plunging tire from guns heavier than any
previously in possession of the besieging force. If the defence of the battery could have
been prolonged, a powerful French fleet, then on its way a<-ross the Atlantic, might have
reached Louisbourg in time to take part in the conillct. That fleet had already conu^ lialf
way across, whi'H it leceived news of the surrender of the fort, and returncid to France.

Had Marin and his party not been detained by a series of adverse accidents, the
surrender nvight probably have been postponed. Their being at Annapolis, when they
were supposed to be at Minas, the loss of time in findinu'the means of transport, and whtMi
these, insullicient as they were, had been found, the further delay arising from the capture
of the vessel, and the dispersion of the canoes, which preventinl arrival in time to be
of any use, were unfortunate events for Du(;haml)on, while Marin's ol)edience to his
summons probably saved Annapolis from capture.

The only hope for Louisl)ourg was in the protraction of the si(\ge. If the surrtMuler
could have been postponed, succour was on the way.

There was, indei^d, an element of protection for the besieged and ol dang(>r to the
besiegers, that neither of them thought of. l)ut whi^li uiiuht liave si-riously alfected the
result. From the day the invaders landed on the sliore of Clabarus Bay, to the day of the
surrender of the fort, there was an unl)roken spell of line weather, and the provincials,
though expo.sed to unusual toil and fatigue, with little shelter, were free from illness of
any kind. But immediately after June UJth. there was a change. A reason of rain,
wiud and foul weather set in, which lasted for weeks. Had the i)r()viniials, with tlieir
insufficient slndter, bt'cn exposed to this, it would certainly have greatly hindered their
progress, and probably brought on the diseases which always acvompany siege ojoera-
tions in foul weatht>r. Happily for the provincials, the surrend(>r of the fort came oppor-
tunely for them. It put an tMid to th"ir toil, and furnished the shefter wliiili tli" fort
afforded. But even then the effects of the weather were severely felt. l*utrid fever and
dysentery broke out among them. Seven hundred of their numl)er, sirk or unlit for duty,
were sent home, and their jdaie supplied by fresh recruits fr.)m tlie provinces. The
New England regiments were relieved in the spring by regulars from Gibraltar, l)ut
before that time came round, some hundreds of tlie men found their last resting place
under the green sward of Point Kochefort — a tract of low ground at the left of the
entrance of the harl)our, a contniuation, in fact, on the nuiinland, of the belt of low islets,
already referred to. Wfiat would have been the result had the weather changed some
weeks earlier, and diseasi> set in wtiile the men were toilinn' in the trenclies and erectinu'
batteries, we can hardly say, but it does not admit of a doul)t, that in sucji a case, tlie
surreiuler would have been deferred, and in delay the only hope of Louisbourg was to
be found.

Another thing on which tlie provincials had somi> reason to count — and on wliich it
appears they did count — remains to be mentioned. It seems that in December preceding,
a month or two after Duchambou had declined Beauharnois' offer of additional men, a

SIR ADAMS ARf'irrBAI.I) ON

serious mutiny had l)rok(>n out in the <variison at Louisboursr, which had lasted all winter.
This was known in New finuland, where it was believed that the garrison would refuse
to fight, iuid that, Iherel'ore, the I'ort would yield on the first summons. Eut Dnchamhon,
on the first aiipearance of the lleet, called the soldiers together, and made a stirring speech
to them, pointing out the splendid opportunity the invasion gave them of wiping out th(>
ofTences of the winter, by returning loyally to their duty as soldiers, and manfully fighting
the enemies of their king and country.

The soldiers responded at once to tli(> appeal, returned to their duty, and proved loyal
to their ilag tlirouivhout the sieac Still, liowever, the oliicers continuedto mi.strust th(>m,
and did not fe(d safe in allowing th(> men to sally forth against the enemy in the trenches.
Sallies, from time to time, by veteran soldiers against raw ri'cruits, at work in dangerous
serA ices, quite new to them, could not have failed of some saecess, and would, certainly,
have retarded the progress of the besiegers. The conduct of the garriso-i during the siege
leaves no room to suppose they could not have been trusted beyond the walls, but the fear
of the ofhcers, in ell'eit, allowed the siege operations to be carried on without interruption,
except so far as they were obstructed by cannonades from the fort. If, therefore, the
besiegers did not derive heuelit, in the form they expected from the disaffection of the
garrison, they had ample compensation for it in a form they did not count upon.

We think, therefore, we have made it clear that the sue(M'ss of the New England
expedition, if not miracuhms, was. at all events, accompanied by a series of happy occur-
rences, which no sagacity could have ibre.seen. The result of the expedition had, we
believe, much to do with shaping the future of this continent. Had it failed, it would
have entailed disastrous results on all the Ih'itish provinces. In that case, posterity
would have d»>nounced it as a mad adventure. Hut nothing succeeds like success. On
the strength of the result. Old England went wild. Nor was New England less ecstatic
in its joy. The provincials felt themselves no longer on a plane inferior to that of English-
men. They rose in their own estimation. They began to feel that in vigor and pluck,
in hardihood and eiuugy, they were quite the equal of the English, and they knew
that in education and intelligence, and in the peculiarly American quality of versatility,
they po.ssessed a marked superiority over their English brethren. They felt that they
might rely in tlie future on the same uKMsure of success whii'h had attended their first
great enterprise. Therefore, though for the time tlu'ir warlike exploit was ineffective, the
British having, at the <1().m' of the war. ignominously handed back Louisbourg to the
French, still the provincials cherished the memory of the siege, and of its incidents, and
were ready for lik(> exploits when the occasion should oiler. We have little doubt that
the spirit, thus created, fostered by subsequent warlike exploits in company with English
troops, was a powerful factor in shaping the future destiny of the continent.

Th(» first siege of Louisbourg naturally suggested the second, in which imperial and
( o'lonial forces were again mingled. The second capture of the Cape Breton stronshold, in
17.')H, naturally led to the sie^-e of Quebec in the Ibllowing year, and the fall of that great
fortress was the end of I'reneh power in America.

So lonti- as tlie provinces needed tlie aid of lingland to repel French aggression, the
Englisli monarch could count on the allegiance of his cohmial subjects. But when these
no longer needed imperial assistance, the warlike spirit, bred of participation iu contests

TilK SIHGi; OF LOUI,Sl?OUHa. gg

with tho F,vn.^. rapidly took a new direction. Within twenty year.s from the peace
whu^ ^u.. ,^ New I ranee, ..me another peaee whi.h ..st us U.iH.ln proviu-e. '
Had the Lre„..h Jiao- .-ontinued to lloat over Qu..h.... for another .vntury who shall

tT!: r: M r/"*"-*' ■ '"•""•^^ ^^ ^'' -"■• ^'^"^''-^^ ^ ^^ -^ -^ unite' ^^l

hat .ase, that North A.ner,,., or th,- hulk oi' it, would at this moment . onsi.s of a .rr'ea

I-'vn..h nnp.r., ..xt^ndino- ,Vom th. mouth of the St, Lawn-n-e ,o its sounv and rim th

g.vat lakes to the Gulfof Mexieo, while the English provin-es on the Atlan n c n nee to

«^.. contra..ted strip h.tween the Alle.han.s and the oeean, would have nl^ I ^^

g." on the ed,e ol the ..-eat Fren-h domain, holdin. their own against t^Z

UuT' r ', '■ '"; "' "'■ '''""' ^"•'""' ^""^'^ "-^'-- --''^1 ^'> thus "el :^

uhhed ..onhned in the west, while in the meantime it was attaining to colossal'

dnnens,ons ,„ the east, by eolonies in Airi<.a, Asia, Anstral.a and AustraiJa a nd W

o.u,|u.sts ,n Ind.a and lUmnah. Our own little provinee, whieh as Ion. as o, 'h 2d

-uth.rty years ago. .as oeeupied hy A-adians, whose ..undity had alread^ pr^d

.n- ra..e irom Annapohs to Truro, would, of ..urse, have been Freneh, and hav formed

a^^id Huts, the crest ol the Allegahanies might probably have been retained as the
western boundary of the English provinces. retaintd, as the

If it be true that the flrst siege of Louisbourg had so powerful an inlluence in shaping.

b Is r:'d ; ' ''•" ^'" '''"'" '''''' ^"'^ ^'-'^'^'^ ^---^ have cair o

b ss the day when a major.ty of one in the Massachusetts Assembly first set on foot a
pohry pregnant with su.di wonderful results.

When wc think of the number of fortuities whi,h determined the result o:' the first
act ,n he dran.a U .s dilfi..ult not to recognise the hand of Providence in h w o
™ o events u uch has occurred ^-on. that day to this. And in counectio. ti^ ^
.deu character ot many of these events, we are constrained to admit that Whi
held s motto was by no means inappropriate.