Siege of Port Toulouse
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Port Toulouse took place between May 2-10, 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Port Toulouse (present-day St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
) in the French colony of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island
) from its French
defenders during the War of the Austrian Succession
, known as King George's War
in the British colonies.
. Port Toulouse was only one of two places on Ile Royale, outside of Louisbourg, assigned any kind of military capability. There were modest earthworks and a palisade at Port Toulouse. The approximately 200 Acadians who were there began vacating the village in the fall of 1744 after the French attack on Canso
.
in stages beginning in early March 1745 with 4,200 soldiers and sailors aboard a total of 90 ships. The force was under the command of William Pepperrell
of Kittery
(in the portion of the Massachusetts colony that is now the state of Maine
), and a fleet of colonial ships was assembled and placed under the command of Captain Edward Tyng.
The force stopped at Canso
to reprovision and there they were met by Commodore Peter Warren, enlarging the expedition by 16 ships. In late March, the naval forces began to blockade Louisbourg just as the ice fields were being swept from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the seas off Louisbourg.
On May 2, Pepperell sent 70 soldiers and two vessels to capture the fortified village of Port Toulouse. The New Englanders were only able to capture a single sloop and burn a few houses before being repelled by the French soldiers, Acadians and Mi'kmaq. Eight days later, on May 10, the New Englanders returned with a force four times larger – 270 men. They burned every standing structure at Port Toulouse, demolished the fort, and desecrated a cemetery where Mi'kmaq were buried. Some French were killed in the assault and others were taken prisoner.
, Isle Madame, and Nerichac (Ingonish, Nova Scotia
). The New Englanders then besieged Louisbourg itself
. Following 47 days (6 weeks and 5 days) of the siege, the French capitulated on June 17, 1745. The Acadians who escaped from Port Toulouse made their way to the Isthmus of Chignecto
at Beaubassin and Quebec. After the fall of Louisbourg, the thousands of Acadians who remained on Île-Royale were deported to France.
The Acadians returned in 1749, after the war ended, to Port Toulouse in greater numbers. They were deported again after the second Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
.
St. Peter's, Nova Scotia
St. Peter's is a small incorporated village located on Cape Breton Island in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada....
) in 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....
) from its French
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
defenders during the War of the Austrian Succession
War 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...
, 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 the British colonies.
Prelude
Port Toulouse was of strategic importance to the French because it was the closest settlement to the British occupied mainland Nova Scotia and it was the closest base to the Mi'kmaq. Mi'kmaq chiefs came to Port Toulouse annually for their alliance renewal with the French not only from Île-Royale but also from the mainland. The two greatest ongoing royal expenditures in the southeastern corner of Île-Royale had to do with maintaining the alliance with the Mi'kmaq and with keeping Port Toulouse defensible. The two were inter-connected. Port Toulouse was also the logical location for the French to launch attacks against the British at Canso. Port Toulouse was home to a garrison of 23 soldiers of the Compagnies Franches de la MarineCompagnies Franches de la Marine
The Compagnies Franches de la Marine was the main organization for the defence of New France from 1683 to 1755. In 1683, the Naval Department of France began using the Compagnies to defend the fur trade and the local civilians. They were superseded by the arrival of large units of the army under...
. Port Toulouse was only one of two places on Ile Royale, outside of Louisbourg, assigned any kind of military capability. There were modest earthworks and a palisade at Port Toulouse. The approximately 200 Acadians who were there began vacating the village in the fall of 1744 after the French attack on Canso
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...
.
Battle
The New England expedition set sail from 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...
in stages beginning in early March 1745 with 4,200 soldiers and sailors aboard a total of 90 ships. The force was under the command of William Pepperrell
William Pepperrell
Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet was a merchant and soldier in Colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French garrison at Fortress Louisbourg during King George's War...
of Kittery
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
(in the portion of the Massachusetts colony that is now the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
), and a fleet of colonial ships was assembled and placed under the command of Captain Edward Tyng.
The force stopped 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...
to reprovision and there they were met by Commodore Peter Warren, enlarging the expedition by 16 ships. In late March, the naval forces began to blockade Louisbourg just as the ice fields were being swept from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the seas off Louisbourg.
On May 2, Pepperell sent 70 soldiers and two vessels to capture the fortified village of Port Toulouse. The New Englanders were only able to capture a single sloop and burn a few houses before being repelled by the French soldiers, Acadians and Mi'kmaq. Eight days later, on May 10, the New Englanders returned with a force four times larger – 270 men. They burned every standing structure at Port Toulouse, demolished the fort, and desecrated a cemetery where Mi'kmaq were buried. Some French were killed in the assault and others were taken prisoner.
Aftermath
New Englanders proceeded to destroy Petit-de-GratPetit-de-Grat, Nova Scotia
Petit-de-Grat is a small Acadian community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Richmond County on Petit-de-Grat Island. The community was first populated by French fisher men in 1718 after they arrived from Canso, Nova Scotia having survived a raid by New Englanders...
, Isle Madame, and Nerichac (Ingonish, Nova Scotia
Ingonish, Nova Scotia
Ingonish is a Canadian rural community in northeastern Victoria County, Nova Scotia.Located along the northeast coast of Cape Breton Island, Ingonish is situated on the Cabot Trail approximately 60 kilometers from the shire town of Baddeck...
). The New Englanders then besieged Louisbourg itself
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...
. Following 47 days (6 weeks and 5 days) of the siege, the French capitulated on June 17, 1745. The Acadians who escaped from Port Toulouse made their way to the Isthmus of Chignecto
Isthmus of Chignecto
The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
at Beaubassin and Quebec. After the fall of Louisbourg, the thousands of Acadians who remained on Île-Royale were deported to France.
The Acadians returned in 1749, after the war ended, to Port Toulouse in greater numbers. They were deported again after the second Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
.
Primary Sources
- Johnson, A.J.B. Storied Shores: St. Peter's, Isle Madame and Chapel Island in the 17th and 18th Centuries. University College of Cape Breton Press. 2004.