Battle of Petitcodiac
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Petitcodiac was fought during the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
of the French and Indian War
. The battle was fought between the British colonial troops
and Acadia
n resistance fighters led by French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert
on September 4, 1755 at the Acadian village of Village-des-Blanchard on the Petitcodiac River
(present-day Hillsborough, New Brunswick
, Canada
).
in June 1755 by British troops during the Seven Years War, they began rounding up and deporting the local French population
. Using Fort Cumberland
as a base, British troops and colonial militia made forays into the surrounding countryside, rounding up Acadians and destroying their settlements. Some of the Acadians surrendered, while others fled from the coastal communities into the interior, where they joined with local Mi'kmaq and Maliseet Indians in resisting the British deportation.
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert
was a French militia commander who became a resistance leader. Based in the Miramichi River
valley, he helped Acadians fleeing the British deportation operations escape to Quebec. After the fall of Beausejour, Monckton sent a naval squaldorn to evict him from the satellite fort at the mouth of the Saint John River. Knowing that he could not defend his position, Bosishebert destroyed the fort. When he received word that the British were planning an expedition to the Petitcodiac River, he hurried to Chipoudy, where he organized 120 Acadians, Maliseets and Mi'kmaq into a guerrilla fighting force.
During Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
, on August 28, Monckton sent Major Joseph Frye
with an expedition of 200 provincial militia from Fort Cumberland in two armed sloops, with instructions to clear Acadians settlements on the Petitcodiac River
. After setting the buildings on fire at Shepody, New Brunswick
, they began moving up the river, torching settlements and taking prisoners along the way.
The battle was the first bright spot for the Acadians. Boishebert rescued thirty Acadian families and brought off several fields worth of crops and supplies. Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
's created an Acadian refugee camp known as "Camp de l’Espérance", on Beaubears Island
near present-day Miramichi, New Brunswick
. The Acadians also managed to reach camps Baie des Chaleurs
and the Restigouche River
. On the Restigouche River, Boishébert refugee camp was at Petit-Rochelle (which was located across from present-day Campbellton, New Brunswick
). Boishebert also led Acadians against the British in the 1759 siege of Quebec
.
The British would return three years later to destroy the village again for the final time in the Petitcodiac River Campaign
(1758).
The site is now marked by a National Historic Sites and Monument plaque.
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
The Bay of Fundy Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when the British ordered the Expulsion of the Acadians from Acadia after the Battle of Beausejour . The Campaign started at Chignecto and then quickly moved to Grand Pré, Rivière-aux-Canards, Pisiguit, Cobequid, and finally Port...
of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. The battle was fought between the British colonial troops
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
n resistance fighters led by French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert , was the leader of the Acadian resistance to the Expulsion of the Acadians. He settled and tried to protect Acadians refugees along the rivers of New Brunswick. Fort Boishebert is named after him...
on September 4, 1755 at the Acadian village of Village-des-Blanchard on the Petitcodiac River
Petitcodiac River
The Petitcodiac River is a Canadian river in south-eastern New Brunswick. The river runs about through the province's Westmorland, Albert, and Kings counties, draining a watershed area of about . The region around the river features valleys, ridges, and rolling hills, and is home to a diverse...
(present-day Hillsborough, New Brunswick
Hillsborough, New Brunswick
Hillsborough is a village in Albert County in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It has a population of 1,292 . The village is situated on a hill overlooking the Petitcodiac River near Riverview, New Brunswick.- History :...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
).
Background
After the capture of Fort BeauséjourBattle of Fort Beauséjour
The Battle of Fort Beauséjour was fought on the Isthmus of Chignecto and marked the end of Father Le Loutre’s War andthe opening of a British offensive in the French and Indian War, which would eventually lead to the end the French Empire in North America...
in June 1755 by British troops during the Seven Years War, they began rounding up and deporting the local French population
Great Upheaval
The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal by the British of the Acadian people from present day Canadian Maritime provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island...
. Using Fort Cumberland
Fort Beauséjour
Fort Beauséjour, was built during Father Le Loutre's War from 1751-1755; it is located at the Isthmus of Chignecto in present-day Aulac, New Brunswick, Canada...
as a base, British troops and colonial militia made forays into the surrounding countryside, rounding up Acadians and destroying their settlements. Some of the Acadians surrendered, while others fled from the coastal communities into the interior, where they joined with local Mi'kmaq and Maliseet Indians in resisting the British deportation.
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert , was the leader of the Acadian resistance to the Expulsion of the Acadians. He settled and tried to protect Acadians refugees along the rivers of New Brunswick. Fort Boishebert is named after him...
was a French militia commander who became a resistance leader. Based in the Miramichi River
Miramichi River
The Miramichi River is a Canadian river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...
valley, he helped Acadians fleeing the British deportation operations escape to Quebec. After the fall of Beausejour, Monckton sent a naval squaldorn to evict him from the satellite fort at the mouth of the Saint John River. Knowing that he could not defend his position, Bosishebert destroyed the fort. When he received word that the British were planning an expedition to the Petitcodiac River, he hurried to Chipoudy, where he organized 120 Acadians, Maliseets and Mi'kmaq into a guerrilla fighting force.
During Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755)
The Bay of Fundy Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when the British ordered the Expulsion of the Acadians from Acadia after the Battle of Beausejour . The Campaign started at Chignecto and then quickly moved to Grand Pré, Rivière-aux-Canards, Pisiguit, Cobequid, and finally Port...
, on August 28, Monckton sent Major Joseph Frye
Joseph Frye
Joseph Frye was a renowned military leader from colonial Maine.Born in Andover, Massachusetts, he obtained the rank of general in the Massachusetts militia after serving in King George's War and the French and Indian War...
with an expedition of 200 provincial militia from Fort Cumberland in two armed sloops, with instructions to clear Acadians settlements on the Petitcodiac River
Petitcodiac River
The Petitcodiac River is a Canadian river in south-eastern New Brunswick. The river runs about through the province's Westmorland, Albert, and Kings counties, draining a watershed area of about . The region around the river features valleys, ridges, and rolling hills, and is home to a diverse...
. After setting the buildings on fire at Shepody, New Brunswick
Shepody, New Brunswick
Shepody is a small community in Southeastern New Brunswick.It has a population of approximately 20, and is located just off the coast of Shepody Bay.- History :...
, they began moving up the river, torching settlements and taking prisoners along the way.
Battle
On September 2, the expedition began these clearing operations on settlements in and around the Village-des-Blanchard. While the main body worked on the eastern bank of the river, a detachment of fifty or sixty under John Indicot was despatched to the western bank. When they set fire to the village church, Boishébert and three hundred men attacked. The British retreated behind a dyke and were in a near panic when Frye landed with the remainder of the force and took command. After three hours of spirited fighting, Frye eventually extracted the force to the boats and retreated. Twenty two British were killed and another six were wounded.Aftermath
The battle was a stinging defeat for the British. Abbe Le Guerne wrote that it "made the English tremble more than all the cannons of Beausejour." For many of the provincial fighters this was their first experience with combat and over 50 percent of those who participated became casualties.The battle was the first bright spot for the Acadians. Boishebert rescued thirty Acadian families and brought off several fields worth of crops and supplies. Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert , was the leader of the Acadian resistance to the Expulsion of the Acadians. He settled and tried to protect Acadians refugees along the rivers of New Brunswick. Fort Boishebert is named after him...
's created an Acadian refugee camp known as "Camp de l’Espérance", on Beaubears Island
Beaubears Island
Beaubears Island is an island at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Miramichi, New Brunswick. The island is most famous for being the site of an Acadian refugee camp during the French and Indian War. The camp was under the command of leader of the Acadian...
near present-day Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay...
. The Acadians also managed to reach camps Baie des Chaleurs
Chaleur Bay
frame| Satellite image of Chaleur Bay . Chaleur Bay is the large bay opening to the east;the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] appears to the north and the [[Gulf of St...
and the Restigouche River
Restigouche River
The Restigouche River is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec....
. On the Restigouche River, Boishébert refugee camp was at Petit-Rochelle (which was located across from present-day Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton is a Canadian city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.Forestry and tourism are major industries in the regional...
). Boishebert also led Acadians against the British in the 1759 siege of Quebec
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
.
The British would return three years later to destroy the village again for the final time in the Petitcodiac River Campaign
Petitcodiac River Campaign
The Petitcodiac River Campaign was a series of British military operations from June to November 1758, during the French and Indian War, to deport the Acadians that either lived along the Petitcodiac River or had taken refuge there from earlier deportation operations, such as the Ile Saint-Jean...
(1758).
The site is now marked by a National Historic Sites and Monument plaque.