Siege of Fort Anne
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Annapolis Royal (also known as the Siege of Fort Anne) in 1744 involved two of four attempts by the French, along with their Acadian and native allies, to regain the capital of Nova Scotia
/Acadia
, Annapolis Royal, during King George's War
.
by Great Britain
began with the 1710 capture
of the provincial capital, Port Royal
. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, France formally ceded Acadia to Britain. However, there was disagreement about the provincial boundaries, and some Acadians also resisted British rule. With renewed war imminent in 1744, the leaders of New France
formulated plans to retake what the British called Nova Scotia
with an assault on the capital, which the British had renamed Annapolis Royal.
(whose North American theater is also known as King George's War
) in Europe, the French colony of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island
) received the news first, and its governor, Jean-Baptiste-Louis Le Prévost Duquesnel, took immediate action. He first dispatched men who raided
the British outpost at Canso
, capturing the small garrison without incident. Duquesnel, lacking the troop strength to attack Annapolis Royal, recruited the militant French priest Jean-Louis Le Loutre
to raise a force of Acadians and Indians to assault the Nova Scotian capital.
Le Loutre, who had taken an active role in the ongoing resistance to British rule in Nova Scotia, raised a force of 300 Mi'kmaq and Maliseet, and arrived before Annapolis Royal's main fortification, Fort Anne
, on 12 July 1744. The attackers killed two soldiers, and the assault ended after three days with the arrival of British ships from Boston
.
, who had led the Canso raid, led the second siege attempt against Fort Anne, with a force of 200 troops. Duvivier arrived at Fort Anne on 6 September 1744. The first night he erected shelters. The next morning he approached the fort and the British responded by firing a cannon, which lead Duvivier to withdraw. That night Duvivier sent small parties to the fort which lead to skimishing the whole night.
On the morning of 7 September, Duvivier sent his younger brother to the fort under a flag of truce carrying a message that said British resistance was futile. The British lieutenant governor, Paul Mascarene
, rejected the surrender demand, and replied that naval reinforcements were on the way and that if the French surrendered they would receive benign treatment. Duvivier gave them twenty four hours before he said he would attack at noon on 8 September.
Duvivier waited until 9 September to begin the siege. The French troops and Indians battled at the walls of the fort. On 15 September, Duvivier again asked the British to surrender which they refused. They continued to fight. On 25 September a British sergeant was killed and a private was wounded.
During the siege Duvivier waited weeks for French vessels to arrive to reinforce his attack. On September 26, vessels arrived, however, they were British, and included troops led by New England Ranger
John Gorham
. A few days later, Gorham led his native rangers in a surprise raid on a near-by Mi'kmaq encampment. They killed and mutilated the bodies of women and children. The Mi'kmaq withdrew and Duvivier was forced to retreat on 5 October.
On 20 October 1744 the government of Massachusetts officially declared war on the Mi'kmaq. A bounty was offered for the head of any man, woman or child.
The French made two further attempts, both unsuccessful, to regain Annapolis Royal during the war.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
/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...
, Annapolis Royal, during King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
.
Historical context
The conquest of AcadiaAcadia
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...
by Great Britain
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...
began with the 1710 capture
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
The Siege of Port Royal , also known as the Conquest of Acadia, was conducted by British regular and provincial forces under the command of Francis Nicholson against a French Acadian garrison under the command of Daniel d'Auger de Subercase, at the Acadian capital, Port Royal...
of the provincial capital, Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, France formally ceded Acadia to Britain. However, there was disagreement about the provincial boundaries, and some Acadians also resisted British rule. With renewed war imminent in 1744, the leaders of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
formulated plans to retake what the British called Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
with an assault on the capital, which the British had renamed Annapolis Royal.
First siege
With the outbreak of the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
(whose North American theater is also known as King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
) in Europe, the French colony of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
) received the news first, and its governor, Jean-Baptiste-Louis Le Prévost Duquesnel, took immediate action. He first dispatched men who raided
Raid on Canso
The Raid on Canso was an attack by French forces from Louisbourg on the British outpost of Canso, Nova Scotia shortly after war declarations opened King George's War. The French raid was intended to boost morale, secure Louisbourg's supply lines with the surrounding Acadian settlements, and deprive...
the British outpost at Canso
Canso, Nova Scotia
For the headland, see Cape Canso.Canso is a small Canadian town in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, next to Chedabucto Bay. The area was established in 1604, along with Port Royal, Nova Scotia. The British construction of a fort in the village , was instrumental...
, capturing the small garrison without incident. Duquesnel, lacking the troop strength to attack Annapolis Royal, recruited the militant French priest Jean-Louis Le Loutre
Jean-Louis Le Loutre
Abbé Jean-Louis Le Loutre was a Catholic priest and missionary for the Paris Foreign Missions Society...
to raise a force of Acadians and Indians to assault the Nova Scotian capital.
Le Loutre, who had taken an active role in the ongoing resistance to British rule in Nova Scotia, raised a force of 300 Mi'kmaq and Maliseet, and arrived before Annapolis Royal's main fortification, Fort Anne
Fort Anne
For a similarly named fort in New York City see: Fort AmsterdamFort Anne is a typical star fort built to protect the harbour of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The fort repelled all French attacks during the early stages of King George's War....
, on 12 July 1744. The attackers killed two soldiers, and the assault ended after three days with the arrival of British ships from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Second siege
François du Pont DuvivierFrançois du Pont Duvivier
Captain François Dupont Duvivier was an Acadian-born merchant and officer of the French colonial troupes de la marine.- Early life :François Dupont Duvivier was born in Port Royal, Acadia, the eldest of the three sons of François du Pont Duvivier and Marie Mius d'Entremont de Pobomkou on April 25,...
, who had led the Canso raid, led the second siege attempt against Fort Anne, with a force of 200 troops. Duvivier arrived at Fort Anne on 6 September 1744. The first night he erected shelters. The next morning he approached the fort and the British responded by firing a cannon, which lead Duvivier to withdraw. That night Duvivier sent small parties to the fort which lead to skimishing the whole night.
On the morning of 7 September, Duvivier sent his younger brother to the fort under a flag of truce carrying a message that said British resistance was futile. The British lieutenant governor, Paul Mascarene
Paul Mascarene
Paul Mascarene was a Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia from 1740 to 1749. He had an extensive military career throughout his life, during the events of British and French conflict that led to the Seven Years' War.-Biography:...
, rejected the surrender demand, and replied that naval reinforcements were on the way and that if the French surrendered they would receive benign treatment. Duvivier gave them twenty four hours before he said he would attack at noon on 8 September.
Duvivier waited until 9 September to begin the siege. The French troops and Indians battled at the walls of the fort. On 15 September, Duvivier again asked the British to surrender which they refused. They continued to fight. On 25 September a British sergeant was killed and a private was wounded.
During the siege Duvivier waited weeks for French vessels to arrive to reinforce his attack. On September 26, vessels arrived, however, they were British, and included troops led by New England Ranger
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
John Gorham
John Gorham (military officer)
John Gorham was a New England Ranger and was the first significant British military presence on the frontier of Nova Scotia and Acadia to remain in the region for a substantial period of time after the Conquest of Acadia . He established the famous "Gorham's Rangers". Gorham was commissioned a...
. A few days later, Gorham led his native rangers in a surprise raid on a near-by Mi'kmaq encampment. They killed and mutilated the bodies of women and children. The Mi'kmaq withdrew and Duvivier was forced to retreat on 5 October.
Consequences
From this siege, the French learned that until they could send an army with siege guns and cannon against the capital, there was little to gain from exposing their forces in a siege. A successful French campaign would depend on the navy's ability to supply the army. The French also learned that they could not rely on the majority of Acadians to take up arms against the British.On 20 October 1744 the government of Massachusetts officially declared war on the Mi'kmaq. A bounty was offered for the head of any man, woman or child.
The French made two further attempts, both unsuccessful, to regain Annapolis Royal during the war.