Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Encyclopedia
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert (b. February 7, 1727 – d. January 9, 1797), 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. Beaubears National Park on Beaubears Island
, New Brunwick is named in his honour for settling refugee Acadians there during the Expulsion of the Acadians.
(N.S.), the British administrative and military headquarters in Acadia.
, the New Englanders had also taken Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island
) and Port-La-Joye, a French garrison consisting of about 15 soldiers and 100 Micmacs. The New Englanders had a force of two war ships and 200 soldiers stationed at Port-La-Joie. To regain Acadia, Ramezay was sent from Quebec to the region. Upon arriving at Chignecto, he sent Boishebert to Ile Saint-Jean on a reconnaissance to assess the size of the New England force. After Boishebert returned, Ramezay sent Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson along with over 500 men, 200 of whom were Mi'kmaq, to Port-La-Joie. In July 1746, the battle happened near York River. Montesson and his troops killed forty New Englanders and captured the rest. Montesson was commended for having distinguished himself in his first independent command.
. In the winter of 1747, Ramezay marched from Quebec to fight against Arthur Noble
who was stationed at Grand Pré. Boishébert was wounded in the battle fought there on 11 Feb. 1747. Following this French victory he returned to Quebec with the rest of the troops.
, he contested the arrival of senior British naval officer John Rous
when he arrived at the mouth of the Saint John River to claim it for Britain. He built Fort Boishebert
and then later, with the building of Fort Beausejour
, Boishébert rebuilt Fort Menagoueche
at the mouth of the river, and, disguised as a fisherman, went up and down the coasts of Acadia in order to assess the Acadians’ loyalty to France.
, at the mouth of the Saint John, and there he resisted British efforts to establish themselves. The victory of the British in the Battle of Fort Beauséjour
on 16 June 1755 by Monckton’s forces marked a turning-point in Boishébert’s career. For the remainder of the war, French Officer Boishébert led the Mi'kmaq
and the Acadians in a guerrilla war against the British. Immediately after the fort fell, the British commander dispatched a large detachment against the handful of militiamen at Fort Menagoueche
. As there was no hope of a successful outcome, Boishébert burned his fort before the enemy arrived and sought refuge among the local populace, continuing meanwhile to fight the enemy.
Boishébert learned that the British intended to attack the villages of Chipoudy
(Shepody), Petitcodiac
(near Hillsborough), and Memramcook; he immediately left for Chipoudy but arrived too late to prevent the village from being destroyed. On 3 Sept. 1755, however, he confronted a British detachment at Petitcodiac
. After three hours of desperate struggle, during which they suffered heavy losses (50 killed and 60 wounded), the British fled. Boishébert, who had lost only one man, returned to the Saint John River with 30 of the most destitute families. However, in all, 200 families were able to escape the deportation, and resettle between Shédiac and Cocagne.
He ordered the Raid on Lunenburg (1756).
On January 20, 1756, Boishebert sent Francois Boucher de Niverville to Baie Verte to burn a British schooner. Niverville took the sailors by surprise, killed seven of them, took one prisoner, and burned the ship. At the same time, Boishebert himself led 120 men against Fort Cumberland.
On 12 Oct. 1756 he undertook an expedition against Fort Monckton (formerly Fort Gaspareaux
, near Port Elgin, N.B.), but the enemy evacuated the fort and set fire to it before he arrived.
After Louisbourg fell on 26 July 1758, Boishébert withdrew, with the enemy in pursuit. He brought back a large number of Acadians from the region around Port-Toulouse (St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
) to the security of his post on the Miramichi.
For the Acadians fleeing the deportation, Boishebert created refugee camps at Shediac, Miramichi, and on the Restitgouche River.
He spent part of the winter of 1755–56 at (Shediac, New Brunswick
) with the 600 Acadians stationed there. The following year, Boishebert left Shediac and went to Miramichi and established Le Camp d'Esperance (Cape Hope) at Beaubears Island
. This camp was reported to have betten 1000 to 3500 Acadians. By January 1757, the conditions at Campe d'Esperance were horrendous and riots began to break out over provisions. In January 1757 he went to Beaubears Island
on the Miramichi River and there set up his headquarters and a refuge for the Acadians. With Father Charles Germain’s help he tried to sustain the Acadians’ resistance to the British.
He then established a refugee camp on the Restitgouche River at Petit-Rochelle (present-day Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec
). After Wolfe had left the area, the 1760 Battle of Restigouche
led to the capture of several hundred Acadians at Boishébert's refugee camp at Petit-Rochelle.
Boishébert’s was constantly vigilant over these settlements. The settlers had already been deported from the region of Beaubassin
, despite Boishébert’s attempts to evacuate the most destitute families. His efforts were limited by a scarcity of supplies, which coincided from 1756 to 1758 with a period of extreme poverty for most Acadians.
in the Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
.
, on 13 August 1758 French officer Boishebert left Miramichi, New Brunswick
with 400 soldiers for Fort St George (Thomaston, Maine
). His detachment reached there on 9 September but was caught in an ambush and had to withdraw. This was Boishébert’s last Acadian expedition.
They then went on to raid Friendship, Maine
, where people were killed and others taken prisoner.
In 1763 Boishébert was involved in plans for settling Acadians at Cayenne (French Guiana) and vainly tried to obtain a military appointment there. In 1774 his request for an appointment as inspector of colonial troops was turned down. His Canadian seigneury of La Bouteillerie, also known as Rivière-Ouelle, was sold that year. Until his death, on 9 Jan. 1797, he lived in France at Raffetot, a property he had acquired through his marriage.
Fort Boishebert
Fort Boishébert is a National Historic Site located at modern day Woodmans Point in the town of Grand Bay–Westfield, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located at the confluence of the Saint John River and Nerepis rivers, the fort may have had its origins as a fortified aboriginal village...
is named after him. Beaubears National Park 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...
, New Brunwick is named in his honour for settling refugee Acadians there during the Expulsion of the Acadians.
Siege of Annapolis Royal
From October until November 3, 1746, Boishebert took part in the unsuccessful Siege of Annapolis Royal, Nova ScotiaAnnapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Known as Port Royal until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St...
(N.S.), the British administrative and military headquarters in Acadia.
Siege of Port-la-Joye
After the Siege of Louisbourg (1745)Siege of Louisbourg (1745)
The Siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale during the War of the Austrian Succession, known as King George's War in the British colonies.Although the Fortress of...
, the New Englanders had also taken Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
) and Port-La-Joye, a French garrison consisting of about 15 soldiers and 100 Micmacs. The New Englanders had a force of two war ships and 200 soldiers stationed at Port-La-Joie. To regain Acadia, Ramezay was sent from Quebec to the region. Upon arriving at Chignecto, he sent Boishebert to Ile Saint-Jean on a reconnaissance to assess the size of the New England force. After Boishebert returned, Ramezay sent Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson along with over 500 men, 200 of whom were Mi'kmaq, to Port-La-Joie. In July 1746, the battle happened near York River. Montesson and his troops killed forty New Englanders and captured the rest. Montesson was commended for having distinguished himself in his first independent command.
Siege of Annapolis Royal (1746)
He also participated in the Siege of Annapolis Royal under Ramezay.Battle of Grande Pre
Boishébert fought in the Battle of Grand PreBattle of Grand Pré
The Battle of Grand Pré, also known as the Battle of Minas, was a battle in King George's War that took place between British and French forces near present-day Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia in the winter of 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession...
. In the winter of 1747, Ramezay marched from Quebec to fight against Arthur Noble
Arthur Noble
Arthur Noble was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the colonial militia of the British Province of Massachusetts Bay. He is best known for his role in military actions in Nova Scotia during King George's War...
who was stationed at Grand Pré. Boishébert was wounded in the battle fought there on 11 Feb. 1747. Following this French victory he returned to Quebec with the rest of the troops.
Father Le Loutre's War
During Father Le Loutre's WarFather Le Loutre's War
Father Le Loutre’s War , also known as the Indian War, the Micmac War and the Anglo-Micmac War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the British and New England colonists were led by British Officer Charles...
, he contested the arrival of senior British naval officer John Rous
John Rous
John Rous was the senior naval officer on the Nova Scotia station during Father Le Loutre's War . He made a significant contribution to the preservation of Halifax and the defeat of the French, Acadian and Mi'kmaq resistance...
when he arrived at the mouth of the Saint John River to claim it for Britain. He built Fort Boishebert
Fort Boishebert
Fort Boishébert is a National Historic Site located at modern day Woodmans Point in the town of Grand Bay–Westfield, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located at the confluence of the Saint John River and Nerepis rivers, the fort may have had its origins as a fortified aboriginal village...
and then later, with the building of Fort Beausejour
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...
, Boishébert rebuilt Fort Menagoueche
Fort Menagoueche
Fort Menagoueche was a French fort at the mouth of the St. John River, New Brunswick, Canada. French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot built the fort during Father Le Loutre's War and eventually burned it himself as the French retreated after losing the Battle of...
at the mouth of the river, and, disguised as a fisherman, went up and down the coasts of Acadia in order to assess the Acadians’ loyalty to France.
French and Indian War
In 1754 he became the commandant of Fort MenagouecheFort Menagoueche
Fort Menagoueche was a French fort at the mouth of the St. John River, New Brunswick, Canada. French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot built the fort during Father Le Loutre's War and eventually burned it himself as the French retreated after losing the Battle of...
, at the mouth of the Saint John, and there he resisted British efforts to establish themselves. The victory of the British in the Battle of Fort Beauséjour
Battle 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...
on 16 June 1755 by Monckton’s forces marked a turning-point in Boishébert’s career. For the remainder of the war, French Officer Boishébert led the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq
The Míkmaq are a First Nations people, indigenous to the northeastern region of New England, Canada's Atlantic Provinces, and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. The nation has a population of about 40,000 , of whom nearly 9,100 speak the Míkmaq language...
and the Acadians in a guerrilla war against the British. Immediately after the fort fell, the British commander dispatched a large detachment against the handful of militiamen at Fort Menagoueche
Fort Menagoueche
Fort Menagoueche was a French fort at the mouth of the St. John River, New Brunswick, Canada. French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot built the fort during Father Le Loutre's War and eventually burned it himself as the French retreated after losing the Battle of...
. As there was no hope of a successful outcome, Boishébert burned his fort before the enemy arrived and sought refuge among the local populace, continuing meanwhile to fight the enemy.
Battle of Petitcodiac
Shortly after the Battle 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...
Boishébert learned that the British intended to attack the villages of Chipoudy
Chipoudy
Chipoudy was an Acadian village, founded in 1698 and completely destroyed in 1755.- Geography :The village was situated on the west side of Chipoudy Bay, at the foot of Caledonian Hills, in the region where the ground is low, the Chipoudy marshes. It was part of most of the region of Trois-Rivières...
(Shepody), Petitcodiac
Petitcodiac
Petitcodiac may refer to:* Petitcodiac River, a river in the Canadian province of New Brunswick* Petitcodiac, New Brunswick, a village in New Brunswick...
(near Hillsborough), and Memramcook; he immediately left for Chipoudy but arrived too late to prevent the village from being destroyed. On 3 Sept. 1755, however, he confronted a British detachment at Petitcodiac
Battle of Petitcodiac
The Battle of Petitcodiac was fought during the Bay of Fundy Campaign of the French and Indian War. The battle was fought between the British colonial troops and Acadian resistance fighters led by French Officer Charles Deschamps de Boishébert on September 4, 1755 at the Acadian village of...
. After three hours of desperate struggle, during which they suffered heavy losses (50 killed and 60 wounded), the British fled. Boishébert, who had lost only one man, returned to the Saint John River with 30 of the most destitute families. However, in all, 200 families were able to escape the deportation, and resettle between Shédiac and Cocagne.
He ordered the Raid on Lunenburg (1756).
On January 20, 1756, Boishebert sent Francois Boucher de Niverville to Baie Verte to burn a British schooner. Niverville took the sailors by surprise, killed seven of them, took one prisoner, and burned the ship. At the same time, Boishebert himself led 120 men against Fort Cumberland.
On 12 Oct. 1756 he undertook an expedition against Fort Monckton (formerly Fort Gaspareaux
Fort Gaspareaux
Fort Gaspareaux was a French fort at the head of Baie Verte near the mouth of the Gaspareaux River and just southeast of the modern village of Port Elgin, New Brunswick, Canada, on the Isthmus of Chignecto...
, near Port Elgin, N.B.), but the enemy evacuated the fort and set fire to it before he arrived.
After Louisbourg fell on 26 July 1758, Boishébert withdrew, with the enemy in pursuit. He brought back a large number of Acadians from the region around Port-Toulouse (St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
St. Peter's is a small incorporated village located on Cape Breton Island in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada....
) to the security of his post on the Miramichi.
The Acadian Refugee Camps
He spent part of the winter of 1755–56 at (Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster...
) with the 600 Acadians stationed there. The following year, Boishebert left Shediac and went to Miramichi and established Le Camp d'Esperance (Cape Hope) at 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...
. This camp was reported to have betten 1000 to 3500 Acadians. By January 1757, the conditions at Campe d'Esperance were horrendous and riots began to break out over provisions. In January 1757 he went to 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...
on the Miramichi River and there set up his headquarters and a refuge for the Acadians. With Father Charles Germain’s help he tried to sustain the Acadians’ resistance to the British.
He then established a refugee camp on the Restitgouche River at Petit-Rochelle (present-day Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec
Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec
Pointe-à-la-Croix is a town located on the Restigouche River in the Gaspésie region of eastern Quebec, Canada. The town is situated across from the city of Campbellton, New Brunswick. As of 2001, the town had a population of 1,513....
). After Wolfe had left the area, the 1760 Battle of Restigouche
Battle of Restigouche
The Battle of Restigouche was a naval battle fought during the French and Indian War on the Restigouche River between the British Royal Navy and the small flotilla of French Navy vessels. The French vessels had been sent to relieve New France after the fall of Quebec...
led to the capture of several hundred Acadians at Boishébert's refugee camp at Petit-Rochelle.
Boishébert’s was constantly vigilant over these settlements. The settlers had already been deported from the region of Beaubassin
Beaubassin
Beaubassin was the first settlement on the Isthmus of Chignecto, Nova Scotia, which was Acadian. The area is now known as the Tantramar Marshes. Beaubassin was settled in 1672, the second Acadian village to be established after Port Royal. The village was one of the largest and most prosperous in...
, despite Boishébert’s attempts to evacuate the most destitute families. His efforts were limited by a scarcity of supplies, which coincided from 1756 to 1758 with a period of extreme poverty for most Acadians.
Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
He also oversaw the exodus of Acadians from present-day Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
in the Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
The Ile Saint-Jean Campaign was a series of military operations in fall 1758, during the French and Indian War, to deport the Acadians that either lived on Ile Saint-Jean or had taken refuge there from earlier deportation operations...
.
Siege of Thomaston, Maine
During the French and Indian WarFrench 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...
, on 13 August 1758 French officer Boishebert left 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...
with 400 soldiers for Fort St George (Thomaston, Maine
Thomaston, Maine
Thomaston, Maine is a town on the coast of Maine the United States. The name may also refer to:*Thomaston , Maine, a census-designated place comprising the center of the town*South Thomaston, Maine, an adjacent town...
). His detachment reached there on 9 September but was caught in an ambush and had to withdraw. This was Boishébert’s last Acadian expedition.
They then went on to raid Friendship, Maine
Friendship, Maine
Friendship is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,204 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, where people were killed and others taken prisoner.
Battle of Quebec
With a corps of Acadian volunteers Boishébert took part in the defence of Quebec in the summer of 1759, and also in the decisive battle on the Plains of Abraham. In the winter he returned for the last time to Acadia, to gather reinforcements for the defence of Canada and to restore the morale of the discouraged Acadians.In 1763 Boishébert was involved in plans for settling Acadians at Cayenne (French Guiana) and vainly tried to obtain a military appointment there. In 1774 his request for an appointment as inspector of colonial troops was turned down. His Canadian seigneury of La Bouteillerie, also known as Rivière-Ouelle, was sold that year. Until his death, on 9 Jan. 1797, he lived in France at Raffetot, a property he had acquired through his marriage.