Siege of Pemaquid (1696)
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Pemaquid occurred during King William's War
when French and Native forces from New France
attacked the English settlement at Pemaquid (present-day Bristol, Maine
), a community on the border with Acadia
. The siege was led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
and Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
(from Pentagouet, present-day Castine, Maine
) between August 14-15, 1696. Commander of the fort, Captain Pasco Chubb, surrendered the fort. Iberville killed three of the soldiers and sent the other 92 back to Boston.
The victory at Pemaquid was one of the most significant the French had during the war. The siege resulted in a retaliatory raid
by New England forces on Acadia.
) was the most northern coastal settlement of New England
, and Pentagouet (present-day Castine, Maine
) was the most southern Acadian
settlement, a colony of New France
. During King William's War
, the area became a battleground as the French and English fought to determine the boundaries of their empires. In 1689 the wooden stockade fort at Pemaquid was captured
and burned down by Abenaki Indians.
By 1692, the English regained control of the region, and Sir William Phipps
ordered construction of Fort William Henry
to replace Fort Pemaquid. The English built Fort William Henry as a fortress to protect the northern boundary of New England. The fort was the largest in New England. The Massachusetts government used one third of its budget to build the fort. The fort was built with stone and mortar. There were eighteen cannon mounted in the gun ports of six-foot thick walls that rose ten to twenty feet above the ground. The fort was rebuilt under the direction of Captain John March
with the assistance of Benjamin Church.
The commander of the fort was Captain Pasco Chubb. He violated an assembly that was held under a flag of truce, by killing a number of the Abenaki chiefs who were present. D'Iberville knew that he would require both a land-based cannon assault and war ships to conquer the fort. Led by Saint-Castin
, the Abenaki Nation joined forces with D'Iberville at Pentagouet.
and exchanged for French and Indian prisoners held there.
. Major Church retaliated for the siege by going to Acadia and engaging in the Raid on Chignecto
. Chubb was tracked down by the natives two years later in his home in Andover and was massacred along with his family.
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
when French and Native forces from 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...
attacked the English settlement at Pemaquid (present-day Bristol, Maine
Bristol, Maine
Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National...
), a community on the border with 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...
. The siege was led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1702 (probable)was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight of...
and Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia and an Abenaki chief. He is the father of two prominent sons who were also military leaders in Acadia, Bernard-Anselme and Joseph...
(from Pentagouet, present-day Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
) between August 14-15, 1696. Commander of the fort, Captain Pasco Chubb, surrendered the fort. Iberville killed three of the soldiers and sent the other 92 back to Boston.
The victory at Pemaquid was one of the most significant the French had during the war. The siege resulted in a retaliatory raid
Raid on Chignecto (1696)
The Raid on Chignecto occurred during King Williams War when New England forces from Boston attacked the Isthmus of Chignecto, Acadia in present-day Nova Scotia. The raid was in retaliation for the French and Indian Siege of Pemaquid at present day Bristol, Maine. In the English Province of...
by New England forces on Acadia.
Historical context
During much of the seventeenth century, Pemaquid (present-day Bristol, MaineBristol, Maine
Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National...
) was the most northern coastal settlement of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and Pentagouet (present-day Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
) was the most southern Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
settlement, a colony 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...
. During King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
, the area became a battleground as the French and English fought to determine the boundaries of their empires. In 1689 the wooden stockade fort at Pemaquid was captured
Siege of Pemaquid (1689)
The Siege of Pemaquid was a successful attack by a large band of Abenaki Indians on the English fort at Pemaquid, then the easternmost outpost of colonial Massachusetts...
and burned down by Abenaki Indians.
By 1692, the English regained control of the region, and Sir William Phipps
William Phipps
William Edward "Bill" Phipps is a retired American actor and producer, perhaps best known for his roles in dozens of classic sci-fi and westerns, both film and television, from the late 1940s through the mid 1960s. From then, until his retirement in 2000, his work was mainly in...
ordered construction of Fort William Henry
Fort William Henry (Pemaquid Beach, Maine)
The Fort William Henry is located in the village of New Harbor in the town of Bristol, Maine. The fort was the largest in New England. The fort was originally built in 1692 but destroyed four years later by New France in the Siege of Pemaquid . The fort was rebuilt in 1908. The fort was added to...
to replace Fort Pemaquid. The English built Fort William Henry as a fortress to protect the northern boundary of New England. The fort was the largest in New England. The Massachusetts government used one third of its budget to build the fort. The fort was built with stone and mortar. There were eighteen cannon mounted in the gun ports of six-foot thick walls that rose ten to twenty feet above the ground. The fort was rebuilt under the direction of Captain John March
John March
John March was in a variety of businesses in Newbury, Massachusetts. He was a colonel in the Massachusetts Bay militia and, in that position, was active in a number of military operations against the French and Indians by the English in King William's War and Queen Anne's War.March was in charge...
with the assistance of Benjamin Church.
The commander of the fort was Captain Pasco Chubb. He violated an assembly that was held under a flag of truce, by killing a number of the Abenaki chiefs who were present. D'Iberville knew that he would require both a land-based cannon assault and war ships to conquer the fort. Led by Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia and an Abenaki chief. He is the father of two prominent sons who were also military leaders in Acadia, Bernard-Anselme and Joseph...
, the Abenaki Nation joined forces with D'Iberville at Pentagouet.
The siege
On August 14, D'Iberville led a force of 600 in the siege of Fort William Henry. Five hundred warriors descended onto Fort William Henry in their canoes. The warriors surrounded the fort, thereby pinning the English inside. This strategy allowed D'Iberville to enter the harbor and unload his cannons. D'Iberville arrived with three French ships. They immediately began to lay siege to the fort. Captain Chubb refused to surrender. The assault went on until the afternoon of the next day. In the terms of his surrender, Chubb arranged for his men to be escorted to BostonBoston
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...
and exchanged for French and Indian prisoners held there.
Aftermath
D'Iberville and the natives continued on to the English colony of Newfoundland and raided many villages in the Avalon Peninsula CampaignAvalon Peninsula Campaign
The Avalon Peninsula Campaign occurred during King Williams War when forces of New France, led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, destroyed 23 English settlements along the coast of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland in the span of three months...
. Major Church retaliated for the siege by going to Acadia and engaging in the Raid on Chignecto
Raid on Chignecto (1696)
The Raid on Chignecto occurred during King Williams War when New England forces from Boston attacked the Isthmus of Chignecto, Acadia in present-day Nova Scotia. The raid was in retaliation for the French and Indian Siege of Pemaquid at present day Bristol, Maine. In the English Province of...
. Chubb was tracked down by the natives two years later in his home in Andover and was massacred along with his family.