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    Project Gutenberg's The Taking of Louisburg 1745, by Samuel !ams "rake

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    Title The Taking of Louisburg 1745

    uthor Samuel !ams "rake

    -elease "ate "ecember 1, ./15 0#ook 25/53

    Language nglish

    6haracter set enco!ing %T*3

    888 ST-T 9 T:+S P-9;6T G%T

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    CHAPTER 

    I. Colonial Seacoast DefencesII. Louisburg Revisited

    III. Louisburg to Solve Important Political and ilitar! ProblemsI". R#sum# of Events to t$e Declaration of %ar 

    ". &Louisburg must be ta'en("I. T$e Arm! and its )eneral

    "II. T$e Arm! at Canso"III. T$e Siege

    I*. T$e Siege Continued*. Aftert$oug$ts

    Wm Pepperrell

     Decisive Events in American History

    THE

    TAKING OF LOUISBURG

    1745

    +,

    SA-EL ADAS DRAE

    A-TH/R /0 &+-R)/,1E2S I1"ASI/1 /0 3444( ETC.

    +/ST/1 DCCC*CILEE A1D SHEPARD P-+LISHERS

    35 IL STREET 1E*T &THE /LD S/-TH EETI1) H/-SE( 1E% ,/R CHAS. T. DILLI1)HA

    436 A1D 475 +R/AD%A,

    C/P,RI)HT8 36958

    +, LEE A1D SHEPARD.

    CONTENTS

    PA)E

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    8

    9

    10

    11

    12

    13

    ISLAND BATTERY, WITH LOUISBURG IN THE DISTANCE.

    THE TAKING OF LOUISBURG

    1745

    I

    COLONIAL SEACOAST DEFENCES

    The creation of great maritime fortresses, primarily designed to hold with iron hand important highways of commerce, like Gibraltar, or simply toguard great naval arsenals, like Kronstadt, or, again, placed where some great river has cleft a broad path into the heart of a country, thus laying it

    open to invasion, has long formed part of the military policy of all maritime nations.

    In the New World the paniards were the first to emphasi!e their adhesion to these essential principles by the erection of strongholds at "avana,#arthagena, $orto %ello, and &era #ru!, not more to guarantee the integrity of their colonial possessions, than to protect themselves against therapacity of the titled freebooters of 'urope, to whom the t reasure fleets of (e)ico and the 'ast offered a most alluring prey. When pain carriedthe purse, all the crowned heads of 'urope seem to have turned highwaymen.

    With this single e)ception the seaboard defences of the *tlantic coast, even as late as the middle of the eighteenth century, were of the most trivialcharacter, nor was it owing to any provision for defence that the chief ports of the 'nglish colonies en+oyed the long immunity they did. 'ngland left

    her colonies to stand or fall upon their own resources. ortunate beyond e)pectation, they simply throve by neglect. rance, with a widely differentcolonial policy, did a little better, but with a niggardly hand, while her system was s-uee!ing the lifeblood out of her colonists, drop by drop. "ad

    there been a /rake or a "awkins in the panish service, pain might easily have revenged all past affronts by laying desolate every creek and harborof the unprotected North *tlantic coast. he had the armed ports, as we have +ust shown. he had the ships and sailors. What, then, was to have

     prevented her from destroying the undefended villages of #harleston, $hiladelphia, New 0ork, and %oston1

    Though she set about it so tardily, rance was at length compelled to adopt a system of defence for #anada, or see #anada wrested from her control.In a most sweeping sense the t. 2awrence was the open gateway of #anada. There was absolutely no other means of access to all its vast territorye)cept through the long, little known, and scarcetravelled course of the (ississippi3a route which, for many reasons besides its isolation, removed it

    from consideration as an avenue of attack.

    4uebec was as truly the heart of #anada as the t. 2awrence was its great invigorating, lifegiving artery. It is true that 4uebec began to assume at avery early day something of its later character as half city, half fortress, but the views of its founders were un-uestionably controlled as much by thefact of remoteness from the sea, as by 4uebec5s remarkable natural capabilities for blocking the path to an enemy.

    0et even before the memorable and decisive battle on the $lains of *braham, by which #anada was lost to rance forever, the t. 2awrence had been thrice ascended by hostile fleets, and 4uebec itself once taken by them. (ere remoteness was thus demonstrated to be no secure safeguard

    against an enterprising enemy. %ut what if that enemy should sei!e and fortify the mouth of the t. 2awrence itself1 "e would have put a tourni-uetupon the great artery, to be tightened at his pleasure, and the heart of the colony, despite its invulnerable shield, would beat only at his dictation.

    We will now pass on to the gradual development of this idea in the minds of those who held the destiny of #anada in their keeping.

    II

    LOUISBURG REISITED

    The annals of a celebrated fortress are sure to present some very curious and instructive phases of national policy and character. 6f none of thefortresses of colonial *merica can this be said with greater truth than of 2ouisburg, once the key and stronghold of rench power in #anada.

     No historic survey can be called complete which does not include the scene itself. Nowhere does the reality of history come home to us with suchforce, or leave such deep, abiding impressions, as when we stand upon ground where some great action has been performed, or reach a spot hallowed

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    14The Cape Breton Coast.

    Lighthouse Point.

    15

    Island Battery.

    Old Louisburg.

    16

    Face o the Country.

    1!"e#ains o the Fortress.

    $o#inating %ills.

    1&'reen %ill.

    The Fortiied Line.

    1($e#olition o the City.

    )*Citadel or +ing,s Bastion.

     by the golden memories of the past. It gives tone, color, consistency to the story as nothing else can, and, for the time being, we almost persuadeourselves that we, too, are actors in the great drama itself.

    It is doubtless quite true that the first impressions one gets when coming into Louisburg from sea must be altogether disappointing. Indeed,speaking for myself, I had formed a vague notion, I know not how, that I was going to see another Quebec, or, at least, something quite like thatantique stronghold, looming large in the distance, just as the history of the fortress itself looms up out of its epoch. On the contrary, we saw a low,tame coast, without either prominent landmark or seamark to denote the harbor, ecept to those who know every rock and tree upon it, lifting nowherethe castellated ruins that one!s eyes are strained to seek, and chiefly formidable now on account of the outlying shoals, sunken reefs, and intricate

     passages that render the navigation both difficult and dangerous to seamen.

    On drawing in toward the harbor, we pass between a cluster of three small, rocky islets at the left hand, one of which is joined to that shore by asunken reef" and a rocky point, of very moderate elevation, at the right, on which the harbor lighthouse stands, the ship channel being thus

    compressed to a width of half a mile between the innermost island and point.

    #he harbor is so spacious as to seem deserted, and so still as to seem oppressive.

    #he island just indicated was, in the days of the $nglo%&rench struggles here, the key to this harbor, but the opposite point proved the master%key. 'either of the great war fleets that took part in the two sieges of Louisburg ventured to pass the formidable batteries of that island, commanding asthey did the entrance at short range, and masking the city behind them, until their fire had first been silenced from the lighthouse point yonder. (henthat was done, Louisburg fell like the ripe pear in autumn.

    #he old &rench city and fortress, the approach to which this Island )attery thus securely covered, rose at the southwest point of the harbor, or on theopposite to the present town of Louisburg, which is a fishing and coaling station for si months in the year, and for the other si counts for little ornothing. In summer it is land%locked" in winter, ice%locked. *ack ice frequently blockades the shores of the whole island until +ay, and snow

    sometimes lies in the woods until une. -et in ape )reton they call Louisburg an open harbor, and its choice as the site for a fortress finallyturned upon the belief that it was accessible at all seasons of the year. $s to that, we shall see later.

    $s for the country lying between /ydney and Louisburg, all travellers agree in pronouncing it wholly without interesting features. $nd the fewinhabitants are scarcely more interesting than the country. In a word, it is roughly heaved about in a series of shaggy ridges, sometimes rising to a

    considerable height, through which the +ira, an arm of the sea, forces its way at flood%tide. #here is a settlement or two upon this stream, as there wasfar back in the time of the &rench occupation, but everything about the country wears a forlorn and unprosperous look" the farms being few and far

     between, the houses poor, the land thin and cold, and the people0I mean them no disparagement0much like the land, from which they get justenough to live upon, and no more. &ortunately their wants are few, and their habits simple.

    Louisburg is certainly well worth going nine hundred miles to see, but when, at last, one stands on the grass%grown ramparts, and gets his firstserious idea of their ama1ing strength and etent, curiosity is lost in wonder, wonder gives way to reflection, and reflection leads straight to the

    question, 2(hat do all these miles of earthworks mean34 $nd I venture to make the assertion that no one who has ever been to Louisburg will restsatisfied till he has found his answer. #he story is long, but one rises from its perusal with a clearer conception of the nature of the struggle for the

    mastery of a continent.

    *erhaps the one striking thought about this place is its utter futility. +an having no further use for it, nature quietly reclaims it for her own again.

    /heep now walk the ramparts instead of sentinels.

    5pon looking about him, one sees the marked feature of all this region in the chain of low hills rising behind Louisburg. )ut a little back from thecoast the hills rise higher, are drawn more compactly together, and assume the semi%mountainous character common to the whole island.

    $s this chain of hills undulates along the coast here, sometimes bending a little back from it, or again inclining out toward it, one of its 1ig1agsapproaches within a mile of Louisburg. $t this point, several low, lumpy ridges push off for the seashore, through long reaches of boggy moorland,now and then disappearing beneath a shallow pond or stagnant pool, which lies glistening among the hollows between. (here it is uneven the land isstony and unfertile" where level, it is a bog. #his rendered the land side as unfavorable to a besieging force as the nest of outlying rocks and reefs didthe sea approaches. $ continued rainfall must have made it wholly untenable for troops.

    It is one of these ridges just noticed as breaking away from the main range toward the seashore, and so naturally bent, also, as to touch the sea at one

    end and the harbor at the other, that the &rench engineers converted into a regular fortification" while within the space thus firmly enclosed by bothnature and art, the old city of the lilies stretched down a gentle, grassy slope to the harbor shore.

     'ot one stone of this city remains upon another to%day. $fter the second siege 6789:; the

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    The Casemates.

    21

    Natural Obstacles made use of.

    22

    Graveyard, Point Rochefort.

    23Royal attery.

    2!

    2"#rench Colonial $ystem.

    %ts &nsatisfactory 'or(in)s.

    2*

    The #ur Trade +onooly.

    2-an)er of /0clusive ttention to it.

    2

    combatants passed most of the forty%seven days of the siege. &rom this starting%point one may continue the walk along the ramparts, without oncequitting them, for fully a mile, to the point where they touch the seashore among the inaccessible rocks and heaving surf of the ocean itself.

    #hese ramparts nowhere rise more than fifty feet above the sea%level, but are everywhere of ama1ing thickness and solidity. #he moat was originallyeighty feet across, and the walls stood thirty feet above it, but these dimensions have been much reduced by the work of time and weather. $considerable part of the line was further defended by a marsh, through which a storming column would have found it impossible to advance,and hardly less difficult to make a retreat. #he besiegers were therefore obliged to concentrate their attack upon one or two points, and these had beenrendered the most formidable of the whole line in consequence of the knowledge that the other parts were comparatively unassailable. In other words,the besieged were able to control, in a measure, where the besiegers should attack them.

    $lthough the partly ruined bomb%proofs are the only specimens of masonry now to be seen in making this tour, the broad and deep ecavation of themoat and covered%way, and the clean, well%grassed slopes of the glacis, promise to hold together for another century at least. )rambles and fallen

    earth choke up the embrasures. It is necessary to use care in order to avoid treading upon a toad or a snake while you are groping among the mouldycasemates or when crossing the parade. #hose magical words 2In the Ging!s name,4 so often proclaimed here with salvos of artillery, have nowno echo ecept in the sullen dash of the sea against the rocky shores outside the perishing fortress, and

    2(hat care these roarers for the name of Ging34

    /till following the sheep%paths that 1ig1ag about so as nearly to double the distance, I net turned back toward the harbor, leaving on my right the bleak and wind%swept field in which, to the lasting reproach of 'ew of the puerile use thus far made of thoseresources the memorialist statesmen hoped to open the king!s eyes.

    *?gina 9 de A8#he #aking of Louisburg 78@9, by /amuel $dams Brake

    CAD7ADAC79httpEDDwww.gutenberg.orgDfilesD9C9:FD9C9:F%hD9C9:F%h.htm

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    The two Raudots offer a Remedy.

    Cape Breton brought to Notice.

    29

    Acadia to be helped.

    3A !ilitary and Na"al Arsenal proposed.

    #eace of $trecht.

    3%

    &nglish 'arbor chosen.

    32

    Name changed to (ouisburg.

    33

    Colonists pro"ided for.

    Acadians will not emigrate.

    3)

    3*A Thorn in the +ide of the &nglish.

    They now proposed to wholly reorganize this unsound commercial system by directing capital and labor into new channels. Such natural productionsof the country as masts, boards, ship-timber, flax, hemp, plaster, iron and copper ores, dried fish, whale and seal oils, and salted meats, might beexported, they said, with profit to the merchant and advantage to the laboring class, provided a suitable port were secured, at once safe, commodious,

    and well situated for collecting all these commodities, and shipping them abroad.

    To this end, these intendants now first brought to notice the advantages of Cape Breton for such an establishment. Strangely enough, up to this timelittle or no attention had been paid to this island. Three or four insignificant fishing ports existed on its coasts, but as yet the whole interior was ashaggy wilderness, through which the icmac !ndians roamed as freely as their fathers had done before Cartier ascended the St. "awrence. !tsvaluable deposits of coal and gypsum lay almost untouched in their native beds# its stately timber trees rotted where they grew# its unrivalledwater-ways, extending through the heart of the island, served no better purpose than as a highway for wandering savages.

    By creating such a port as the $audots suggested, the voyage from %rance would be shortened one half, and the dangerous navigation of the St."awrence altogether avoided, since, instead of large ships having to continue their voyages to &uebec, the carrying trade of the St. "awrence wouldfall to coasting vessels owned in the colony. ' strong hand would also be given to the neighbor province, the fertile yet unprotected 'cadia, whichmight thus be preserved against the designs of the (nglish, while a thriving trade in wines, brandies, linens, and rich stuffs might reasonably be

    expected to spring up with the neighboring (nglish colonies.

    These were considerations of such high national importance as to at once secure for the pro)ect an attention which purely strategic views couldhardly be expected to command. 'nd yet, the forming of a military and naval depot, strong enough to guarantee the security of the proposed port, and

    in which the *ing+s ships might at need refit, or ta*e refuge, or sally out upon an enemy, was an essential feature of this elaborate plan, every detail ofwhich was set forth with systematic exactness. %or seven years the pro)ect was pressed upon the %rench court. ar, however, then engaging the wholeattention of the ministry, the execution of this far-seeing pro)ect, which had in view the demands of peace no less than of war, was unavoidably put offuntil the peace of trecht, in /0, by giving a wholly new face to affairs in the 1ew orld, compelled %rance to ta*e energetic measures for thesecurity of her colonial possessions.

    By this treaty of trecht %rance surrendered to (ngland all 1ova Scotia, all her con2uests in 3udson+s Bay, with 4lacentia, her most importantestablishment in 1ewfoundland. 't the same time the treaty left Cape Breton to %rance, an act of incomparable folly on the part of the (nglish

     plenipotentiaries who, with the map lying open before them, thus handed over to "ouis the *ey of the St. "awrence and of Canada. 1o one nowdoubts that the %rench *ing saw in this masterpiece of stupidity a way to retrieve all he had lost at a single stro*e. The (nglish commissioners, itis to be presumed, saw nothing.

    3aving the right to fortify, under the treaty, it only remained for the %rench court to determine which of the island ports would be best adapted to the purpose, St. 'nne, on the north, or (nglish 3arbor on the south-east coast. St. 'nne was a safe and excellent haven, easily made impregnable, with allthe materials re2uisite for building and fortifying to be found near the spot. Behind it lay the fertile c5tes of the beautiful Bras d+6r, with open waterstretching nearly to the Straits of Canso. 6n the other hand, besides being surrounded by a sterile country, materials of every *ind, except timber, must

     be transported to (nglish 3arbor at a great increase of labor and cost. ore could be done at St. 'nne with two thousand francs, it was said, than with

    two hundred thousand at the rival port. But the difficulty of ta*ing ships of large tonnage into St. 'nne through an entrance so narrow that only onecould pass in or out at the same time, finally gave the preference to (nglish 3arbor, which had a ship channel of something less than two

    hundred fathoms in breadth, a good anchorage, and plenty of beach room for erecting stages and drying fish. !t was, moreover, sooner clear ofice in spring.

    The first thing done at Cape Breton was to change the old, time-honored name of the island7the very first, it is believed, which signalled the presenceof (uropeans in these waters7to the unmeaning one of !le $oyale. (nglish 3arbor also too* the name of "ouisburg, in honor of the reigningmonarch. $oyalty having thus received its dues, the wor* of construction now began in earnest.

    ,-R+$! /0 &-&NT+ T/ T'& 1&C(ARAT,/N /0 AR 

    e will now rapidly s*etch the course of events which led to war on both sides of the 'tlantic.

    3aving been obliged to surrender 1ova Scotia and 1ewfoundland, the %rench court determined to ma*e use of their colonists in those places for building up "ouisburg.

    !n the first place, . de Costebello, who had )ust lost his government of the %rench colony of 4lacentia, in 1ewfoundland, under the terms of the

    treaty, was ordered to ta*e charge of the proposed new colony on Cape Breton, and in accord also with the provisions of that treaty, the %renchinhabitants of 1ewfoundland were presently removed from that island to Cape Breton. But the 'cadians of 1ova Scotia who had been invited, and

    were fully counted upon to )oin the other colonists, now showed no sort of disposition to do so. !n their case the %rench authorities had rec*onedwithout their host. These always shrewd 'cadians were unwilling to abandon the fertile and well-tilled 'cadian valleys, which years of toil hadconverted into a garden, to begin a new struggle with the wilderness in order to carry out certain political schemes of the %rench court. Though

     patriots, they were not simpletons. So they sensibly refused to stir, although their country had been turned over to the (nglish. !n this way the %renchauthorities were unexpectedly chec*ed in their first efforts to secure colonists of a superior class for their new establishment in Cape Breton.

    3ow strange are the frea*s of destiny8 Could these simple 'cadian peasants have foreseen what was in store for them at no distant day, at the hands oftheir new masters, who can doubt that, li*e the !sraelites of old, driving their floc*s before them, they too would have departed for the 4romised "andwith all possible speed9

    %inding them thus obstinate, it was determined to ma*e them as useful as possible where they were, and as a recon2uest of 'cadia was one ofthose contingencies which "ouisburg was meant to turn into realities, whenever the proper side of the moment should arrive, nothing was neglected

    that might tend to the holding of these 'cadians firmly to their ancient allegiance# to *eeping alive their old antipathies# to arousing their fears for

    4:gina ; de

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    Why called Neutrals.

    36

    Victims to French Policy.

    37

    Laborers from the Galleys.

    38

    Strenth of Louisbur.

    3!

    "rmament of Louisbur.

    #$

    War of the "ustrian Succession.

    #%

    &nlish defeated in Flanders.

    #'Situation in Ne( &nland.

    their religion, or to strongly impressing them with the belief that their legitimate sovereign would soon drive these English invaders from the land,never to return. For the moment the king’s lieutenants were obliged to content themselves with planting this thorn in the side of the English.

    Acting upon the advice of the crafty Saint Ovide, e !ostebello’s successor, the Acadians refused to take the oath of allegiance proffered them by the"ritish governor of #ova Scotia$though they had refused to emigrate they said they would not become "ritish sub%ects. &hen threatened theysullenly hinted at an uprising of the 'icmacs, who were as firmly attached to the French interest as the Acadians themselves. (he governor,therefore, prudently forbore to press matters to a crisis, all the more readily because he was powerless to enforce obedience) and thus it came to

     pass that the French inhabitants of #ova Scotia, under English dominion, first took the name of neutrals.

    *erceiving at last how they were being ground between friend and foe, the Acadians began hoarding specie, and to leave off improving their houses

    and lands. A little later they are found applying to the +overnor+eneral of !anada for grants of land in the old colony, to which they might remove,and where they could dwell in peace, for they somehow divined that they must be the losers whenever fresh hostilities should break out between the

    French and English, if, as it seemed inevitable, the war should involve them in its calamities. "ut that astute official returned only evasive answers totheir petition. -is royal master had other views, to the successful issue of which his lieutenants were fully pledged, and so it is primarily to French

     policy, after all, that the wretched Acadians owed their eile from the land of their fathers. &hat followed was merely the logical result.

    "ut in conse/uence of their first refusal to remove to 0ouisburg only a handful of the 'icmacs responded to !ostebello’s call, by pitching theirwigwams on the skirt of the embryo city.

    0aborers were wanted net. For the procuring of these the +overnor+eneral of !anada, the 'ar/uis de 1audreuil, hit upon the novel idea of

    transporting every year from France those prisoners who were sentenced to the galleys for smuggling. (hey were to come out to !anada sub%ect to thesevere penalty of never again being permitted to return to their native land, 2for which,3 said the cunning mar/uis, 24 undertake to answer.3

    0ord "acon, in one of his essays, makes the following comments upon this ini/uitous method of raising up colonies5 24t is a shameful and unblessedthing,3 he says, 2to take the scum of people, and wicked condemned men to be the people with whom you plant) and not only so, but it spoileth the

     plantations) for they will ever live like rogues, and not fall to work, but be la6y, and do mischief and spend victuals5 and be /uickly weary, and

    then certify over to their country to the discredit of the plantation.3

    'eanwhile, the sceptre that had borne such potent sway in Europe dropped from the lifeless hand of 0ouis the +reat, to be taken up by the 2crowned

    automaton,3 0ouis 71.

    *ursuant to the policy thus outlined, which had no less in view than the rehabilitation of !anada, the recovery of #ova Scotia, the mastery of the St.0awrence, and the eventual restoration of French prestige in America, France had in thirty years created at 0ouisburg a fortress so strong that it wascommonly spoken of as the unkirk of America. (o do this she had lavished millions.89: "eyond /uestion it was the most formidable place of arms onthe American continent, far eceeding in this respect the elaborate but anti/uated strongholds of -avana, *anama, and !arthagena, all of which had

     been built and fortified upon the old methods of attack and defence as laid down by the engineers of a previous century5 while 0ouisburg had theimportant advantage of being planned with all the skill that the best military science of the day and the most prodigal ependiture couldcommand. &hen their work was done, the French engineers boastingly said that 0ouisburg could be defended by a garrison of women.

    (he fortress, and its supporting batteries, mounted nearly one hundred and fifty pieces of artillery on its walls, some of which were of the heaviest

    metal then in use. 4t was deemed, and indeed proved itself, during the progress of two sieges, absolutely impregnable to an attack by a naval forcealone. From this stronghold 0ouis had only to stretch out a hand to sei6e upon #ova Scotia, or drive the #ew England fishermen from the ad%acentseas.

    4n #ew England all these proceedings were watched with the keenest interest, for there, at least, if nowhere else, their true intent was so /uicklyforeseen, their conse/uences so fully reali6ed, that the people were more and more confounded by the imbecility which had virtually put their wholefishery under French control.

    As the situation in Europe was reflected on this side of the Atlantic, it is instructive to look there for the storm which, to the terror and dismay ofAmericans, was now darkly overspreading the continent.

    (he crowned gamblers of Europe had begun their costly game of the Austrian succession. ;pon marching to invade Silesia, Frederick 44., the neediestand most reckless gamester of them all, had said to the French ambassador, 24 am going, 4 believe, to play your little game5 and if 4 should throwdoublets we will share the stakes.3 Fortune favored this great king of a little kingdom. -e won his first throw, seeing which, for she was at first only alookeron, France immediately sent two armies into "avaria to the Elector’s aid. (his move was not unepected in 0ondon. Ever since England hadforced hostilities with Spain, in 9, it was a foregone conclusion that the two branches of the -ouse of "ourbon would make common cause,

    whenever a favorable opportunity should present itself. England now retaliated by voting a subsidy to 'aria (heresa, and by taking into pay somesiteen thousand of ?ing +eorge’s petted -anoverians, who were destined to fight the French auiliary contingent. England and France werethus casting stones at each other over the wall, or, as -orace &alpole cleverly put it, England had the name of war with Spain without the game,and war with France without the name.

    4t was inevitable that the war should now settle down into a bitter struggle between the two great rivals, France and England. On the @>th of 'arch,9

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    43

    French seize Canso.

    Captain Ryal sent to London, November, 1744.

    44

    Janary, 1744.

    4!

    4"

    47

    #blic $pinion arosed.

    4%

    &illiam 'hirley.

    4(

    &illiam )a*han.

    !+

    Luckily for them, the colonists had been taught in the hard school of experience that Providence helps those who help themselves. To their ownresources they therefore turned with a vigor and address manifesting a deep sense of the magnitude of the crisis now confronting them.

    The proclamation of war was not published in Boston until the 2d of une, !"##. $aving earlier intelligence, the %rench at Louisburg had already begun hostilities by making a descent upon &anso,'() a weak *nglish post situated at the outlet of the strait of that name, and so commanding it, andwithin easy striking distance of Louisburg. +ews of this was brought to Boston so seasonably that overnor -hirley had time to throw a reenforcement of two hundred men into /nnapolis, by which that post was saved0 for the %rench, after their exploit at &anso, soon made an attemptupon /nnapolis, where they were held in check until a second reenforcement obliged them to retire.

    overnor -hirley lost no time in notifying the ministry of what had happened, and he particularly urged upon their attention the defenceless state of

     +ova -cotia, where /nnapolis alone held a semihostile population in check. To the end that the situation might be more fully understood, hesent an officer, who had been taken at &anso, with the despatch.

    /t this time the incompetent 1uke of +ewcastle held the post of prime minister. hen he had read the despatch he exclaimed, 34h, yes5yes5to besure. /nnapolis must be defended.5troops must be sent to /nnapolis. Pray where is /nnapolis6 &ape Breton an island7 wonderful7 -how it me on themap. -o it is, sure enough. 8y dear sir9 :to the bearer of the despatch;, 3you always bring us good news. < must go tell the =ing that &ape Breton is anisland.9

    s timely application to the ministry, on behalf of +ova -cotia, involved the fate of Louisburg itself. 4rders were promptly sent out to &ommodore arren, who was in command of a cruising s?uadron in the est s dangerous power. But, come what might, -hirleywas evidently a man who would leave nothing undone.

    '!)L4@

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    59

    60

    William Pepperell to command.

    61

    62

    Morale of the Army.

    63

    A Crusade preached.

    6

    65

    !& : L! occurred in Becember, over a reduction of pay. !he soldiers deposed their officers, elected others in their places, seied the barracks,and put sentinels over the magaines. !hey were so far pacified, however, as to have returned to their duty before the &nglish expedition arrived.>nder date of ;une ?K, one day after the surrender, Governor-General $eauharnois advises the 1ount de 'aurepas of this revolt. e urges an

    entire change of the garrison.

    7C9#*>G*% was a mill-owner, and carried on fishing also at Bamariscotta, 'e. e knew Louisburg well. 1onceiving himself slighted by those inauthority at Louisburg, he went from thence directly to &ngland, in order to prefer his claim for compensation as the originator of the scheme. e

    died of smallpox at $agshot, %ovember, ?8=8. e insisted that fifteen hundred men, assisted by some vessels, could take Louisburg by scaling thewalls. 0* man of rash, impulsive nature.4  Belknap. 0* whimsical, wild projector.4  Douglass.

    789 %&2S that an armament was preparing at $oston was carried to )uebec, by the ndians, without, however, awakening the governor’s suspicions ofits true object.

    !"

    #$% A&M' A() "#* +%(%&A,

    !he next, and possibly most vital step of all, since the fate of the expedition must turn upon it, was to choose a commander. (or this important stationthe province was "uite as deficient in men of experience as it was in materials of war/ with the difference that one could be created of raw substanceswhile the other could not. ere the nicest tact and judgment were re"uisite to avoid making shipwreck of the whole enterprise. %ot having a militaryman, the all-important thing was to find a popular one, around whom the provincial yeomanry could be induced to rally. $ut since he was not to be asoldier, he must be a man held high in the public esteem for his civic virtues. t was necessary to have a clean man, above all things/ one placedoutside of the political circles of $oston, and who, by sacrificing something himself to the common weal, should set an example of pure

     patriotism to his fellow-citiens. *gain, it was no less important to select some one whose general capacity could not be called in "uestion.ence, as in every real emergency, the people cast about for their very best man from a political and personal standpoint, who, though he might have

    0%ever set a s"uadron in the field,4

    could be thoroughly depended upon to act with an eye single to the good of the cause he had espoused.

    n this exigency Shirley’s clear eye fell on 2illiam 6epperell, of Mittery, a gentleman of sterling though not shining "ualities, whose wealth, social

    rank, and high personal worth promised to give character and weight to the post Shirley now destined him for. e was now forty-nine years old.aving held both civil and military offices under the province, 6epperell could not be said to be worse fitted for the place than others whose claims

    were brought forward, while, on the other hand, it was conceded that hardly another man in the province possessed the public confidence to agreater degree than he did. Still, he was no soldier, and the simple conferring of the title of general could not make him one, while his practical

    education must begin in the presence of the enemya school where, if capable men learn "uickly, they do so, as a rule, only after experiencingrepeated and severe punishments. !hat raw soldiers need the best generals, is a maxim of common-sense, but Shirley, in whom we now and thendiscover a certain disdain for such judgments, seems to have had no misgivings whatever as to 6epperell’s entire sufficiency so long as he, Shirley,gave the orders, and kept a firm hand over his lieutenant+ nor can it be denied that if the expedition was to take place at all when it did, the choice wasthe very best that could have been made, all things considered.

    !hat Shirley may have been influenced, in a measure, by personal reasons is not improbable, and the fact that 6epperell was neither intriguing norambitious, no doubt had due weight with a man like Shirley, who was both intriguing and ambitious, and who, though he ardently wished for success,did not wish for a rival.

     %o one seems to have felt his unfitness more than 6epperell himself, and it is e"ually to his honor that he finally yielded to considerationsdirectly appealing to his patriotism and sense of duty. 0

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    66

    The Army by Regiments.

    67

    It goes badly equipped.

    68Hutchinson, Belnap.

    The !ro"incial #a"y.

    6$

    7%

    7&

    Such anecdotes show us how earnestly all classes of men entered upon the work in hand. How to take Louisburg seemed the one engrossing subject ofevery man’s thoughts.

    Having glanced at the qualifications of the general, we may now consider the composition of the army. e have already drawn attention to thee!cellent quality of its material. "n embodying it for actual service, the old traditions of the #ritish army were strictly followed.

    $he e!peditionary corps was formed in ten battalions. $hey were %epperell’s,&'( olcott’s&)*( +of onnecticut-, aldo’s,&))( wight’s&)/( +nominallyan artillery battalion-, 0oulton’s,&)1( illard’s, Hale’s,&)2( 3ichmond’s,&)4( 5orham’s, and 0oore’s&)6( +of 7ew Hampshire-. 8ne hundred and fiftymen of this regiment were in the pay of 0assachusetts. %epperell’s, aldo’s, and 0oulton’s were mostly raised in the istrict of 0aine. %epperellsaid that one9third of the whole force came from 0aine. wight was assigned to the command of the artillery, with the rank of brigadier: 5orham to

    the special service of landing the troops in the whaleboats, which had been provided, and of which he had charge. $here was also an independentcompany of artificers, under aptain #ernard, and Lieutenant9olonel 5ridley was appointed chief engineer of the army.

    %epperell held the rank of lieutenant9general: olcott, that of major9general: and aldo that of brigadier, the second place being given toonnecticut, in recognition of the prompt and valuable assistance given by that colony.

    ;s a whole, the army was neither well armed nor properly equipped, or sufficiently provided with tents, ammunition, and stores. $oo much haste had

    characteriB1, in his eighty9fourth year. Lieutenant9olonel =bene$he $aking of Louisburg )>24, by Samuel ;dams rake

    */I)/I/*)4httpJIIwww.gutenberg.orgIfilesI4*4B1I4*4B19hI4*4B19h.htm

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    72

    73

    The Plan of Attack.

    Shirley’s Project.

    74

    A Saving Clause.

    75Peerell’s Council.

    !hy the ar"y #as at Canso.

    $"ortance of St. Peter’s.

    7%

    The $ce &locka'e at (ouis)urg.

    77

    Canso fortifie'.

    *rench Cruiser 'riven off.

    7+

    Aril 23, !arren’s *leet arrives.

    -ffect on the Ar"y.

    7Aril 24, Connecticut *orces arrive.

    SAMUEL  MOORE’s New Hampshire regiment was drafted into the Vigilant  His !ie"tenant#$o!one!% Meser&e% afterward ser&ed "nderA'er$rom'(% and again in the se$ond siege of Lo"is'"rg "nder Amherst% d(ing there of sma!!#po) Matthew *hornton% signer of the+e$!aration% was s"rgeon of Moore’s regiment

    [1,]E+-AR+ *.N/% mer$hant of 0oston% son of that o!one! Edward who was $arried a prisoner to 2ran$e% with 3ohn Ne!son% '( 2rontena$’s order%

    and died there in a d"ngeon

    /$$

    T0- A1 AT CAS

    *he $r"de p!an of atta$4% as digested at 0oston% $onsisted in an in&estment of Lo"is'"rg '( the !and for$es and a '!o$4ade '( sea *o enfor$e this '!o$4ade% Shir!e( had sent o"t some armed &esse!s in ad&an$e of the e)pedition% with orders to $r"ise off the is!and% and to inter$ept a!! &esse!s the(sho"!d fa!! in with% so that news of the armament might not get into Lo"is'"rg% '( an( $han$e% 'efore its $oming

    *his was a!! the more ne$essar( 'e$a"se Shir!e( had ind"!ged hopes% from the first% of ta4ing the p!a$e '( s"rprise% and so o'stinate!( was he weddedto the notion that the thing was pra$ti$a'!e% that he had drawn "p at great !ength a p!an of $ampaign of whi$h this s"rprise was the $hief feat"re% and in

    whi$h he "ndertoo4 to dire$t% down to the min"test detai!% where% how% and when the troops sho"!d !and% what points the( sho"!d atta$4% whatthe( sho"!d do if the assa"!t pro&ed a fai!"re or on!( partia!!( s"$$essf"!% where the( sho"!d en$amp% raise 'atteries and post g"ards5 how themen m"st 'e hand!ed "nder fire% and e&en how the prisoners sho"!d 'e disposed of% for Shir!e(% as we ha&e seen% was $onsidera'!( gi&en to $o"ntinghis $hi$4ens 'efore the( were hat$hed

    0eing a !aw(er rather than a so!dier% Shir!e( had written o"t a 'rief instead of an order$!ear% $on$ise% dire$t 0"t% !ength( as it was% the p!an had oneredeeming feat"re% whi$h t"rns awa( $riti$ism from the a's"rdities with whi$h it was r"nning o&er *his was the posts$ript appended to it7 8Sir% "pon

    the who!e% notwithstanding the instr"$tions (o" ha&e re$ei&ed from me% 9 m"st !ea&e it to (o" to a$t "pon "nforeseen emergen$ies a$$ording to (o"r 'est dis$retion: *he reading of it m"st ha&e !ifted a !oad from ;eppere!!’s mind< 9t rea!!( !oo4ed as if Shir!e( had meant to 'e the rea! genera!issimo

    himse!f% and to $apt"re Lo"is'"rg '( pro)(

    ;eppere!! was sti!! hampered% howe&er% with a $o"n$i! of war% $onsisting of a!! the genera! and fie!d offi$ers of his arm(% whom he was re="ired

    to s"mmon to his aid in a!! emergen$ies 9f it 'e tr"e that in a m"!tit"de of $o"nse!s there is wisdom% then ;eppere!! was to 'e we!! ad&ised% for his$o"n$i! aggregated 'etween twent( and thirt( mem'ers

    ;eppere!! seems to ha&e $on$ei&ed that he o"ght to s"'mit himse!f who!!( to Shir!e(’s g"idan$e% sin$e he himse!f was now to ser&e his firstapprenti$eship in war% for it was now !o(a!!( attempted to $arr( o"t Shir!e(’s instr"$tions to the !etter 9n a!! these pre!iminar( arrangements thedifferen$e 'etween Shir!e(’s 'ri!!ian$( and dash and ;eppere!!’s methodi$a! $ast of mind is &er( mar4ed indeed 9t wo"!d sometimes seem as if thetwo men o"ght to ha&e $hanged p!a$es

    Shir!e( had appointed the rende>&o"s to 'e at anso% whi$h p!a$e had 'een a'andoned soon after it was ta4en from "s5 first% 'e$a"se it was the nat"ra! 'ase for operations against ape 0reton% and ne)t so that if the des$ent on Lo"is'"rg fai!ed% anso and the $ommand of the straits wo"!d% at !east%ha&e 'een re$o&ered 9t was% as we ha&e said% within eas( stri4ing distan$e of Lo"is'"rg O"t in front of anso% 'etween the No&a S$otia andape 0reton shores% !a( 9s!e Madame or Ari$hat% on whi$h a few 2ren$h fishermen were !i&ing A$ross the water from Ari$hat% at the entran$eto the 0ras d’Or% !a( the ?i!!age of St ;eter’s% the se$ond in point of importan$e in ape 0reton% Lo"is'"rg 'eing the first At Ari$hat e&er(thing thatwas 'eing done at anso $o"!d 'e easi!( seen and $omm"ni$ated to St ;eter’s At St ;eter’s word $o"!d 'e sent to Lo"is'"rg '( wa( of the 0rasd’Or La4es 9t therefore stood ;eppere!! in hand to $!ear his &i$init( of these spies and informers witho"t de!a(% "n!ess he wished to find the enem(forewarned and forearmed

    Shir!e( had dire$ted ;eppere!! to destro( St ;eter’s ;eppere!!% therefore% sent a night e)pedition there% whi$h% howe&er% ret"rned witho"ta$$omp!ishing its p"rpose 0"t his greatest fear% !est s"pp!ies or re#enfor$ements sho"!d get into Lo"is'"rg '( sea% was set at rest on finding that the

    fie!d or pa$4#i$e% whi$h had $ome down o"t of the St Lawren$e% and the east winds had dri&en "p against the shores of ape 0reton% formed ase$"re '!o$4ade against a!! $omers% himse!f as we!! as the enem( *his $ontingen$( had not 'een s"ffi$ient!( weighed

    Meanwhi!e% ;eppere!! set to wor4 fortif(ing anso A '!o$4ho"se% read( framed% had 'een sent o"t for the p"rpose *his was now set "p% garrisoned%

    and $hristened 2ort ;rin$e -i!!iam Some earthwor4s were a!so thrown "p to $o&er this new post 9n these o$$"pations% or in s$o"ting or e)er$ising%the troops were 4ept emp!o(ed "nti! the i$e sho"!d mo&e off the shores

    On the 1@th of Apri! a 2ren$h thirt(#g"n ship was $hased off the $oast% whi!e tr(ing to r"n into Lo"is'"rg 0eing the 'etter sai!er% she easi!( got $!earof the '!o$4ading &esse!s% after 4eeping "p for some ho"rs a sharp% r"nning fight E&en this o$$"rren$e does not seem to ha&e f"!!( opened the e(es ofthe 2ren$h $ommandant of Lo"is'"rg to the tr"e nat"re of the danger whi$h threatened him% sin$e he has de$!ared that he tho"ght the &esse!s hesaw wat$hing the har'or were on!( Eng!ish pri&ateers ;erhaps nothing a'o"t the who!e histor( of this e)pedition is more strange than that thisoffi$er sho"!d ha&e remained who!!( ignorant of its 'eing at anso for near!( three wee4s

    *he arm( had 'een !(ing near!( two wee4s ina$ti&e% when% to ;eppere!!’s great s"rprise as we!! as o(% ommodore -arren appeared off anso with

    fo"r ships of war% and% after 'rief!( $omm"ni$ating with the genera!% 'ore awa( for Lo"is'"rg At !ast he had re$ei&ed his orders to a$t in $on$ert with

    Shir!e(% and% !i4e a tr"e sai!or% he had $rowded a!! sai! for the s$ene of a$tion His $oming p"t the arm( in great spirits% for it was s"pposed to 'e partof the p!an% a!read( $on$erted% '( whi$h the atta$4 sho"!d 'e made irresisti'!e And for on$e fort"ne seems to ha&e determined that the '"ng!ing ofministers sho"!d not defeat the o'e$ts had in &iew

    ;Bgina 1C de C,*he *a4ing of Lo"is'"rg 1,D% '( Sam"e! Adams +ra4e

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    80

    Fleet sails from Canso, April 29.

    Night Assault given up.

    81

    83

    84

    Laning at !a"arus #a$, April 30.

    8%

    On the fo!!owing da(% the onne$ti$"t for$es oined ;eppere!! *he shores of ape 0reton were now eager!( s$anned for the first appearan$e of openwater% '"t e&en as !ate as the C@th ;eppere!! wrote to Shir!e(% sa(ing% 8-e impatient!( wait for a fair wind to dri&e the i$e o"t of the 'a(% and if we donot s"ffer for want of pro&isions% ma4e no do"'t '"t we sha!!% '( /od’s fa&or% 'e a'!e soon to dri&e o"t what e!se we p!ease from ape 0reton: *he

    $ons"mption of stores% o$$asioned '( the "n!oo4ed#for detention at anso% had% in fa$t% 'e$ome a matter of serio"s $on$ern with ;eppere!!% whosenearest so"r$e of s"pp!( was 0oston

    &'''

    ()* +'*!*

    O"r g"ard#&esse!s ha&ing reported the shores to 'e at !ast free from i$e% and the wind $oming fair for Lo"is'"rg% the we!$ome signa! to weigh an$horwas gi&en on the CIth of Apri! On 'oard the f!eet a!! was now '"st!e and e)$itement 9n a &er( short time a h"ndred transport#&esse!s were standingo"t of anso Har'or% "nder a $!o"d of $an&as% for /a'ar"s 0a(% the p!a$e fi)ed "pon '( Shir!e( for ma4ing the $ontemp!ated des$ent

    0o"nd to the !etter of his orders% ;eppere!! seems to ha&e first p"rposed ma4ing an attempt to p"t Shir!e(’s rash proe$t in e)e$"tion *o do this% hem"st ha&e so timed his mo&ements as to rea$h his an$horage after dar4% ha&e !anded his troops witho"t 'eing a'!e to see what o'sta$!es !a( 'eforethem% ha&e mar$hed them to stations sit"ated at a distan$e from the p!a$e of disem'ar4ation% o&er gro"nd "n4nown% and not pre&io"s!( re$onnoitred%

    to throw them against the enem(’s wor4s 'efore the( sho"!d 'e dis$o&ered And this most $riti$a! of a!! mi!itar( operations% a night assa"!t% was to 'eattempted '( who!!( "ndis$ip!ined men

    +'*!* F L-'+#-! 'N 1/4%.

    ;ro&identia!!( for ;eppere!!% the wind died awa( 'efore he $o"!d rea$h the designated point of disem'ar4ation% so that this mad s$heme perished 'efore it $o"!d 'e p"t to the test5 '"t ear!( the ne)t morning the f!oti!!a was dis$o&ered entering /a'ar"s 0a(% fi&e mi!es so"theast from thefortress% and in f"!! &iew from its ramparts So% a!so% the New Eng!and for$es $o"!d see the gra( t"rrets of the redo"'ta'!e strongho!d rising in the

    distan$e% and $o"!d hear the 'e!!s of Lo"is'"rg pea!ing o"t their !o"d a!arm *he fortress instant!( fired signa! g"ns to $a!! in a!! o"t parties 9t is saidthat there had 'een a grand 'a!! the night 'efore% and that the $ompan( had s$ar$e 'een as!eep when $a!!ed "p '( this a!arm *he 'ooming of arti!!er(%so"nding !i4e the drows( roar of an awa4ening !ion% was defiant!( e$hoed 'a$4 from the 'osom of the deep% and 'orne on the $oo! 'ree>e to thestart!ed foemen’s ears the distant ro!! of dr"m% and '"g!e '!ast% peop!ed the !ate!( deserted sea with &oi$es of the $oming strife

    +"$ham'on% $ommander of the fortress% instant!( h"rried off a h"ndred and fift( men to oppose the !anding of o"r troops

    *he f!eet ="i$4!( $ame to an an$hor% and the signa! was hoisted for the troops to disem'ar4 at on$e 0efore them stret$hed the !one!( ape 0retonshore% on whi$h the 'rea4ers rose and fe!! in a !ong !ine of foam *ho"gh this hea&( s"rf threatened to swamp the 'oats% the men $rowded into them asif going to a merr(#ma4ing 9t was a ga!!ant and inspiring sight to see them dash on toward the 'ea$h% em"!o"s who sho"!d rea$h it first% and eager tomeet the enem(% who were waiting for them there 0( ma4ing a feint at one point% and then p"!!ing for another at some distan$e from the first% the

     'oats gained an "ndefended part of the shore 'efore the 2ren$h $o"!d $ome "p with them As soon as one str"$4 the gro"nd% the men "mped into the

    water% ea$h ta4ing another on his 'a$4 and wading thro"gh the s"rf to the shore 9n this manner the !anding went on so rapid!( that% when theenem( fina!!( $ame "p% the( were easi!( dri&en off% with the !oss of si) or se&en men 4i!!ed% and some prisoners 0efore it was dar4 two

    tho"sand men 'i&o"a$4ed for the night within $annon shot of Lo"is'"rg

    ?a"ghan now !ed forward a part( after the retreating enem(% who% finding themse!&es p"rs"ed% set fire to thirt( or fort( ho"ses o"tside the $it( wa!!s

    On the ne)t da(% the wor4 of !anding the rest of the arm(% the arti!!er( and stores% was p"shed to the "tmost% tho"gh the hea&( s"rf rendered this awor4 of "n$ommon diffi$"!t( ;eppere!! now pit$hed his $amp in an order!( manner ne)t the shore% at a p!a$e $a!!ed 2!at ;oint o&e% where he $o"!d$omm"ni$ate with the transports and f!eet% and the( with him He now too4 his first step towards $!earing the two mi!es of open gro"nd !(ing 'etweenhim and Lo"is'"rg har'or% with the &iew of fi)ing the !o$ation of his 'atteries% and of dri&ing the enem( inside the wa!!s of the fortress

    ;Bgina 1 de C,*he *a4ing of Lo"is'"rg 1,D% '( Sam"e! Adams +ra4e

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    8o$al #atter$ eserte.

    8/&aughan attae.

    Avantage of this Capture.

    88

    89

    Firing "egun.

    90

    91

    *o this end fo"r h"ndred men were sent o"t to destro( the enem(’s maga>ines sit"ated at the head of the har'or% ?a"ghan again mar$hing withthem *his deta$hment ha&ing set fire to some wareho"ses $ontaining na&a! stores% the smo4e from whi$h drifted down "pon the Ro(a! 0atter(% theoffi$er in $ommand there% $on&in$ed that the pro&in$ia!s were a'o"t to fa!! "pon him% spi4ed his $annon and a'andoned the wor4s in haste% tho"gh not

    ti!! after re$ei&ing permission to do so

    9n the morning% as ?a"ghan was ret"rning to $amp with on!( thirteen men% the deserted appearan$e of the 'atter( $a"sed him to $aref"!!( e)amine it%when% seeing no signs of !ife a'o"t the p!a$e%no f!ag f!(ing or smo4e rising or sentine!s mo&ing a'o"t%he sent forward an 9ndian of his part(% who%finding a!! si!ent% $rept thro"gh an em'ras"re% and "ndid the gate to them ?a"ghan then despat$hed word to the $amp that he was in possession of the

     p!a$e% and was waiting for a re#enfor$ement and a f!ag5 '"t meantime% 'efore either $o"!d rea$h him% one of his men $!im'ed "p the staff% and nai!edhis red $oat to it for a f!ag

    At a'o"t the same ho"r +"$ham'on was sending a strong deta$hment 'a$4 to the 'atter(% to $omp!ete the wor4 of destr"$tion that his !ie"tenant

    had !eft "nfinished At !east this is his own statement 9t was s"pposed that the 'atter( was sti!! "no$$"pied or o$$"pied wea4!(% otherwise the 2ren$hwo"!d hard!( ha&e ris4ed m"$h for its possession -hen this deta$hment $ame ro"nd in their 'oats to the !anding#p!a$e% near the 'atter(% ?a"ghan’s!itt!e 'and atta$4ed them with great spirit% 4eeping them at 'a( "nti! other troops had time to oin him% when the dis$omfited 2ren$hmen were dri&en

     'a$4 when$e the( $ame

    *h"s "ne)pe$ted!( did one of the most formida'!e defen$es fa!! into o"r hands5 for tho"gh its iso!ated sit"ation in&ited an atta$4% and tho"gh$omm"ni$ation with the $it( $o"!d 'e easi!( $"t off e)$ept '( water% the prompt attempt to re$o&er the Ro(a! 0atter( imp!ies that its a'andonment

    was at !east premat"re .et as this wor4 was primari!( a har'or defen$e on!(% it was e&ident!( not !oo4ed "pon as tena'!e against a !and atta$4%a!tho"gh it is ="ite as $!ear that the time had not (et $ome for deserting it 0"t the fa$t that it was !eft "nin"red instead of 'eing '!own "pass"res "s that the garrison m"st ha&e !eft in a pani$

    0"t whether the 2ren$h atta$hed m"$h or !itt!e $onse="en$e to this 'atter( so !ong as it remained in their hands% it 'e$ame in o"rs a tremendo"s

    a")i!iar( to the $on="est of the $it( 0( its $apt"re we o'tained thirt( hea&( $annon% a!! of whi$h were soon made ser&i$ea'!e% 'esides a !arge ="antit(of shot and she!!% than whi$h nothing $o"!d ha&e 'een more a$$epta'!e at this time And a!tho"gh on!( three or fo"r of its hea&( g"ns $o"!d 'e trained

    "pon the $it(% its $apt"re remo&ed one of the most formida'!e o'sta$!es to the entran$e of o"r f!eet 9t a!so afforded an e)$e!!ent p!a$e of arms for o"rso!diers% whose $onfiden$e was great!( strengthened 9n a word% the siege was ma4ing progress

    -e $annot he!p referring here to the fa$t that notwithstanding Shir!e(’s idea had met with so m"$h ridi$"!e it had% ne&erthe!ess% $ome tr"e in one partat !east% sin$e if the proposa! to t"rn the enem(’s own $annon against them had seemed somewhat whimsi$a! when it was 'roa$hed% it $ertain!(

     pro&ed propheti$ in this $ase% for within twent(#fo"r ho"rs after its ta4ing the g"ns of the Ro(a! 0atter( were th"ndering against the $it(

    ;eppere!! had at on$e ordered -a!do’s regiment into the $apt"red 'atter( *he enem( had not e&en stopped to 4no$4 off the tr"nnions of the $annon%

    so that the smiths% "nder the dire$tion of Maor ;omero(%[1@] who was himse!f a g"n#smith% had on!( to dri!! them o"t again -a!do fired the first shotinto the $it( 9t is said to ha&e 4i!!ed fo"rteen men *he fire was maintained with destr"$ti&e effe$t% and it drew forth a rep!( from the enem(% with 'oth

    shot and she!!

    *he siege ma( now 'e said to ha&e fair!( 'eg"n% and 'eg"n prospero"s!( 0oth sides had stripped for fighting% and it remained to 'e seen whether;eppere!!’s raw !e&ies wo"!d $ontin"e steadfast "nder the man( tria!s of whi$h these e&ents were '"t a foretaste

    Lo"is'"rg was now pra$ti$a!!( in&ested on the !and side% the f!eet% with its hea&( armament% remaining "se!ess% howe&er% with respe$t to a$ti&e $o#

    operation in the siege itse!f% 'e$a"se its $ommander dared not ta4e his ships into the har'or "nder fire of the enem(’s 'atteries *he arm( andna&( were a$ting therefore witho"t that $on$ert whi$h a!one wo"!d ha&e a!!owed their "nited strength to 'e effe$ti&e!( tested On its part% thena&( was simp!( ma4ing a disp!a( of for$e whi$h $o"!d not 'e emp!o(ed% tho"gh it maintained a stri$t '!o$4ade 9n an( $ase% then% the 'r"nt of the

    siege m"st fa!! on the arm(% sin$e% as -arren informed ;eppere!!% the f!eet $o"!d ta4e no part in 'attering the $it( "nti! the har'or defen$es sho"!d firstha&e 'een ta4en or si!en$ed And when this was done% the siege m"st pro'a'!( ha&e 'een near its end% f!eet or no f!eet

    ;eppere!! manf"!!( t"rned% howe&er% to a tas4 whi$h he had s"pposed wo"!d 'e shared 'etween the $ommodore and himse!f 9f he was no !onger$onfident "nder fresh disappointments% the( de&e!oped in him "ne)pe$ted firmness and most heroi$ patien$e Let "s see what this tas4 was% and inwhat manner the $iti>en#genera! set a'o"t it *hat it was done with tr"e mi!itar( "dgment is a'"ndant!( pro&ed '( the fa$t that% when Lo"is'"rg wasassa"!ted and ta4en in 1,@% '( the $om'ined !and and na&a! for$es of Amherst and 0os$awen% ;eppere!!’s p!an of atta$4 was fo!!owed step '( step%and to the !etter

    ;Bgina 1D de C,*he *a4ing of Lo"is'"rg 1,D% '( Sam"e! Adams +ra4e

    FCG1CGCF1http7GGwwwg"ten'ergorgGfi!esGF@GF@#hGF@#hhtm

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    93The Harbor Defences.

    94

    95

    Nova Scotia freed of Invaders.

    First Sabbath in Camp.

    96

    arrison s!mmoned.

    9"

    Sco!tin# $art% defeated.

    T&'N (ND F&)TIFIC(TI&NS &F *&+IS,&+) IN -"45.

    The most formidable of the harbor defences were the Island Battery, to which attention has been called in a previous chapter, the Circular

    Battery, a work situated at the extreme northwest corner of the city walls, and forming the reverse face of the powerful Dauphin Bastion, from whichthe West ate of the city opened, with the Water Battery, or Batterie de la r!ve, placed at the opposite angle of the harbor shore" #$%& The cross'firefrom these two batteries effectually raked the whole harbor from shore to shore, but it was by no means so dangerous as that of the Island Battery,where ships must pass within point'blank range of the heaviest artillery"

    (uch, then, was the admirable system of harbor defences still remaining intact, even after the fall of the )oyal Battery" Instead, therefore, ofconcentrating his whole fire upon one or two points, in his front, with a view of breaching the walls in the shortest time, and of storming the city at thehead of his troops, *epperell was made to throw half his available fire upon the batteries that were not at all in his own way, though they

     blocked the way to the fleet"#+&

    It will be seen that these circumstances imposed upon *epperell a task of no little magnitude" They compelled him to attack the very strongest, insteadof the weakest, parts of the fortress, and necessarily confined the siege operations within a comparatively small space of the enemy-s long line"

     .o time was lost in getting the siege train over from abarus Bay to the positions marked out for erecting the breaching batteries" The infinite laborinvolved in doing this can hardly be understood except by those who have themselves gone over the ground" /very gun and every pound of provisions

    and ammunition had to be dragged two miles, through marshes and over rocks, to the allotted stations" This transit being impracticable for wheel'carriages, sledges were constructed by 0ieutenant'Colonel 1eserve of the .ew 2ampshire regiment, to which relays of men harnessed themselves in

    turn, as they do in 3rctic 4ourneys, and in this way the cannon, mortars, and stores were slowly dragged through the spongy turf, where the mudwas fre5uently knee'deep, to the trenches before 0ouisburg" .one but the rugged yeomen of .ew /ngland6men inured to all sorts of outdoor

    labor in woods and fields6could have successfully accomplished such a herculean task" But such severe toil as this was soon put half the army in thehospitals"

    By the 7th of 1ay *epperell had got two mortar'batteries playing upon the city from the base of reen 2ill, over which the road passes to (ydney"1eantime, Duchambon, seeing himself blockaded both by sea and by land, had hurriedly sent off an express to recall the troops that had gone outsome time before against 3nnapolis, in concert with a force sent from 8uebec, little dreaming that he himself would soon be attacked" #+$& The first

    fruits of (hirley-s sagacity ripened thus early in relieving .ova (cotia from invasion"

    The 7th being (unday, divine service was held in the chapel of the )oyal Battery" *epperell-s hardy .ew /nglanders listened to the first *rotestantsermon ever preached, perhaps, on the island of Cape Breton, from the well'chosen text 9/nter into 2is gates with thanksgiving, and into 2is

    courts with praise": 3fter their devotions were over, we are told that the troops 9fired smartly at the city":

    1eantime, also, Colonel 1oulton, who had been left at Canso for the purpose, re4oined the army after destroying (t" *eter-s" Two sallies made by theenemy against the nearest mortar'battery had been repulsed" Its fire, augmented by some forty'two'pounders taken from the )oyal Battery, already

    much distressed the garrison, its balls coming against the caserns and into the town, where they traversed the streets from end to end, and riddled thehouses in their passage" It never ceased firing during the siege" In his report Duchambon calls it the most dangerous of any that the besiegers raised"

    ;n the

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    98

    Disagreements.

    99

    100

    101

    Camp Routine.

    102

    Spirit of the Army.

    103

    104

    Frolis in Camp.

    sent out to find and drive off these marauders. While they were engaged in plundering some dwelling-houses at one of the out-settlements, theythemselves were unexpectedly attacked by a superior force, and all but three killed, the Indians murdering the prisoners in cold blood. On thefollowing day our men returned to the scene of disaster, and after burying their fallen comrades, they burned the place to the ground.

    With these events the campaign settled down into the slow and laborious operations of a regular siege; and here began those inevitable bickerings between the chiefs of the land and naval forces, which, in a man of different temper than epperell was, might have led to serious results.

    In !hirley, his lawful captain-general, epperell had always a superior whose orders he felt bound to obey to the best of his ability, cost what it might."ortunately, !hirley#s power of annoyance was limited by distance, though he kept up an animated fire of suggestions. In Warren, however, the

     brus$ue and impulsive sailor, epperell now found a tutor and a critic, whose irritation at the subordinate part he was playing showed itself in

    unreasonable demands upon his slow but sure coad%utor, and now and then even in a hardly concealed sneer. &s time wore on, Warren grew more andmore restive and importunate, while epperell continued patient, calm, and methodical to the last. Warren would call his fleet-captains together,

    hold a council, discuss the situation from his point of view, and send off to epperell the result of their deliberations, with the final exhortationattached, '"or (od#s sake let us do something)*+that 'something* being that epperell should practically finish the siege without him, as we havealready shown. Warren was a man standing at a door to keep out intruders, while the two actual adversaries were fighting it out inside. e mightoccasionally halloo to them to be $uick about it, but he was hardly in the fight himself.

    epperell would then get his council together in his turn, and, smarting under the sense of in%ustice, would submit the lecture that Warren had readhim, with its thinly veiled irony, and unconcealed hauteur, to which the imputation of ignorance was not lacking. he situation would then be againdiscussed in all its bearings, from the army#s standpoint, which might be stated as follows he fortress cannot be stormed until we have made a

     practicable breach in the walls. We must finish our batteries before this can be done. Or let the commodore bring in his ships and assist insilencing the enemy#s fire. he army is losing strength every day by sickness, while the fleet is gaining by the arrival of fresh ships. We cannot,if we would, pull the commodore#s chestnuts out of the fire and our own too.

    /0123&4O5  !6 O365O7 of 8orthampton, 3ass., was lieutenant-colonel of Williams#s regiment in the battle of 9ake (eorge, 0:, succeeding tothe command after Williams#s death. &t the beginning of the 5evolution he fought as a volunteer at ambridge >ommencement,* or at the antics described by

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    105

    Our Fascine Batteries.

    106

    The Advanced Battery opens Fire May 18.

    107

    109Cannon discovered.

    Titco!"s Battery at #or$.

    110

    Capture o% the &i'i(ant.

    111

    #arren proposes to attac$.

    not feel ourselves bound to accept their conclusions. This author says: “Those who were on the spot, have frequently in my hearing laughed at therecital of their own irregularities, and expressed their admiration when they reflected on the almost miraculous preservation of the army fromdestruction. They indeed presented a formidable front to the enemy, but the rear was a scene of confusion and frolic. While some were on duty

    at the trenches, others were racing, wrestling, pitching quoits, firing at marks or birds, or running after shot from the enemys guns for which theyreceived a bounty.!

    "n his unscientific way, #epperell was daily tightening his grasp upon $ouisburg. %ridley,&'() who acted in the capacity of chief engineer, had pickedup from books all the knowledge he possessed, but he soon showed a natural aptitude for that branch of the service. *wight, the chief of artillery, isnot known ever to have pointed a shotted gun in his life. "nstead of gradual approaches, of +ig+ags and paulements, the ground was simply staked outwhere the batteries were to be placed. -fter dark the working parties started for the spot, carrying bundles of fascines on their backs, laid them on thelines, and then began digging the trenches and throwing up the embankment by the light of their lanterns. -ll the batteries at $ouisburg wereconstructed in this simple fashion. The work of making the platforms, getting up the cannon, and mounting them, was attended with far greater

    labor and risk.

    "n this manner a fascine battery covered by a trench in front, on which the provincials had been working like beavers for two days and nights, wasraised within two hundred and fifty yards of the West %ate, against which it began sending its shot on the /th. This was by much the most dangerouseffort that the besiegers had yet made, and the enemy at once trained every gun upon it that would bear, in the hope of either demolishing or silencing

    the work. "t was so near that the men in the trenches, and those on the walls, kept up a continual fire of musketry at each other, interspersed withsallies of wit, whenever there was a lull in the firing. The 0rench gunners, who were kept well supplied with wine, would drink to the besiegers, andinvite them over to breakfast or to take a glass of wine.

    T)* +,-)T)O/* #,T) 2B3,/ OF O+ #O34/.

    "n two days the fire of our guns had beaten down the drawbridges, part of the West %ate, and some of the ad1oining wall. #epperell complainsat this time of his want of good gunners, also of a sufficient supply of powder to make good the daily consumption, of which he had no previousconception, but is cheered by finding thirty cannon sunk at low2water mark on the opposite side of the harbor, which he designed mounting at thelighthouse forthwith, for attacking the "sland 3attery. %orhams regiment was posted there with this ob1ect. Thus again were the enemy furnishingmeans for their own destruction. 0oreseeing that this fortification would shut the port to ships coming to his relief, *uchambon sent a hundred menacross the harbor to drive off the provincials. - sharp fight ensued, in which the enemy were defeated.

    3y this time another fascine battery situated by the shore, at a point nine hundred yards from the walls, began raking the 4ircular 3attery of theenemy, in con1unction with the direct fire from our -dvanced 3attery. "t was called Titcombs, from the officer in charge, 5a1or 5oses Titcomb of6ales regiment. These two fortifications were now knocking to pieces the northwest corner of the enemys ponderous works, known as the

    *auphin 3astion. We were now playing on $ouisburg from three batteries on the shore of the harbor, three in the rear of these, and had anotherin process of construction at the lighthouse, all of which, except the last, had been completed under fire within twenty days, without recourse to anyscientific rules whatever.

    "n spite of Warrens watchfulness one vessel had slipped through his squadron into $ouisburg unperceived, bringing supplies to the besieged, -nevent now took place which, to use #epperells words, “produced a burst of 1oy in the army, and animated the men with fresh courage to persevere.!The annual supply ship from 0rance, for which our fleet had been constantly on the lookout, had run close in with the harbor in a thick fog,undiscovered by our vessels, and wholly unsuspicious of danger herself. When the fog lifted she was seen and engaged by the 5ermaid, a forty2gunfrigate, until the rest of the squadron could come to her aid, when, after a spirited combat, the 0rench ship was forced to strike her colors. The

     pri+e proved to be the 7igilant, a new sixty2gun ship, loaded with stores and munitions for $ouisburg. 8he was soon put in fighting trim again,and manned by drafts made from the army and transports.

    3y the '(th, two more heavy ships, which the ministry had sent out immediately upon receiving 8hirleys advices that the expedition had beendecided upon,&'9) now 1oined Warren, who at length felt himself emboldened to ask #epperells co2operation in the following plan of attack. "t was

     proposed to distribute sixteen hundred men, to be taken from the army, among the ships of war, all of which should then go into the harbor and attackthe enemys batteries vigorously. nder cover of this fire, the soldiers, with the marines from the ships, were to land and assault the city. #epperell

    #;gina < de ''=9http:>>www.gutenberg.org>files>9=9/?>9=9/?2h>9=9/?2h.htm

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    Island Battery stormed May 27.

    Gallantry of William Tufts, Jr.

    113

    114

    115

    Effet of !trata"em tried.

    11#

    $i"%t%ouse Battery om&leted.

    Island Battery silened.

    117

    11'

    T%e (ortress surrenders.

    11)

    12*

    himself was to have no share in this business, except as a looker-on, but was to put his troops under the command of an officer of marines who shouldtake his orders from Warren only.

    This implied censure to the conduct of the army and its chief, followed up the next day by the tart question of “Pray how came the sland!attery not to be attacked"# seems to have $oaded Pepperell into $ivin$ the order for a ni$ht attack upon that stron$ post. ndeed, Pepperell%s

     perplexities were $rowin$ every hour. &n the day he received Warren%s cool proposition to take the control of the army out of his hands, he had beenobli$ed to send off a flyin$ column in pursuit of a force which his scouts had reported was at 'ir( !ay, fifteen miles from his camp. n fact, the forceswhich )uchambon had recalled from *nnapolis were watchin$ their chance either to make a dash into +ouisbur$, or throw themselves upon the

     besie$ers% trenches unawares.

     otwithstandin$ the haard, it was determined to storm the sland !attery. or this purpose, four hundred volunteers embarked in whale-boats on theni$ht of the /0th, and rowed cautiously round the outer shore of the harbor toward the back of the island, in the expectation of findin$ that side

    un$uarded. They were, however, discovered by the sentinels in season to thwart the plan of surprise. The $arrison was alarmed. 1till the brave provincials would not turn back. 2annon and musketry were turned on them from the island and city. Throu$h this storm of shot, by whichmany of the boats were sunk before they could reach the shore, only about half the attackin$ force passed unscathed. n scramblin$ up therocks throu$h a drenchin$ surf, most of their muskets were wet with salt water, and rendered useless. ot yet dismayed, the assailants fou$ht theirnumerous foes hand to hand for nearly an hour. 2aptain !rooks, their leader, was cut down in the mêlée. &ne William Tufts, a brave lad of only

    nineteen, $ot into the battery, climbed the fla$staff, tore down the rench colors, and fastened his own red coat to the staff, under a shower of balls,many of which went throu$h his clothes without harmin$ him. 1ixty men were slain before the rest would surrender, but these were the flower of thearmy, whose loss saddened the whole camp, when the enemy%s exultin$ cheers told the story of the disaster, at break of day. *bout a hundred andei$hty-nine men were either drowned, killed, or taken in this desperate encounter. t was an exploit worthy of the men, but there was not onechance in ten of its bein$ successful. or once Pepperell had allowed feelin$ to $et the better of 3ud$ment by takin$ that chance.

    Pepperell could now say to Warren that his proposal would not be a$reed to. 4is effective force had been reduced by sickness to twenty-one hundredmen, six hundred of whom were at that moment absent from camp. *s a compliance with Warren%s requisition for sixteen hundred men would beequivalent to exposin$ everythin$ to the uncertain chances of a sin$le bold dash, Pepperell%s council very wisely concluded that it was far better tohold fast what had been $ained, than to risk all that was hoped for. They offered to lend the commodore five hundred soldiers, and six hundred sailors,if he would $o and assault the sland !attery, in his turn, but Warren%s only reply was to ur$e the completion of the +i$hthouse !attery for that work.

    The sie$e had now continued thirty days without decisive results. 1o far )uchambon had showed no si$n of yieldin$, and Pepperell found it difficultto $et information as to the state of the $arrison. *n expedient was therefore hit upon which was calculated to test both the temper and

    condition of the besie$ed thorou$hly5 for althou$h the capture of the 6i$ilant had been witnessed from the walls of +ouisbur$, it had not produced the impression that the besie$ers had expected. This was the key to what now took place.

    'aisonforte, captain of the 6i$ilant, was still a prisoner on board the fleet. 4e was $iven to understand that the provincials were $reatly exasperatedover the cruel treatment of some prisoners, who had been murdered after they were taken, and he was asked to write to )uchambon informin$ him

     3ust how the rench prisoners were treated, to the end that such barbarities as had been complained of mi$ht cease, and retaliation be avoided.

    'aisonforte readily fell into the trap laid for him. 4e unhesitatin$ly wrote the letter as requested, it was sent to )uchambon by a fla$, and wasdelivered by an officer who understood rench, in order to observe its effect. The letter thus conveyed to )uchambon the disa$reeable news of the6i$ilant%s capture, of which he had been i$norant, and it made a visible impression. 4e now knew that his determination to hold out in view ofthe expected succors from rance, was of no further avail. This correspondence took place on the 0th.

    !y the arrival of ships destined for the ewfoundland station, the fleet had been increased to eleven ships carryin$ five hundred and forty $uns. &nthe 7th two deserters came into our lines, who said that the $arrison could not hold out much lon$er unless relieved. &n the 88th, which was the

    anniversary of the accession of 9eor$e ., a $eneral bombardment took place, in which the new +i$hthouse !attery 3oined, for the first time. Theeffect of its fire upon the sland !attery was so marked, that Warren now declared himself ready to 3oin in a $eneral attack, whenever the wind should

     be fair for it. or this attempt Pepperell pushed forward his own preparations most vi$orously. !oats were $ot ready to land troops at different parts ofthe town. The 2ircular !attery was about silenced. *ll the 8:th, 8;th, and 8

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    124

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    12#

    Pepperell, in evident irritation, upon the “irregularity” of his proceedings, until the articles of surrender should have been formally signed and sealed.The fact that he had just proposed to receive the surrender of the fortress himself was not even referred to, nor does it appear that Pepperell ever knewof it. One cannot overlook, therefore, the presence of some unworthy manuvring, seconded by !uchambon"s professional vanity, to claim and obtain

    a share of the honor of this glorious achievement, not only unwarranted by the part the navy had taken in it, since it had never fired a shot into#ouisburg, or lost a man by its fire$ but calculated to mislead public opinion in %ngland.

    &n unpublished letter of 'eneral !wight, written three days after the entry of the provincial troops, relates the closing scenes of this truly memorablecontest. (t runs as follows$) 

    +EMI-! ( /!EMTE! T $0I!B0+G.

    “*e entered the city on +onday last -th/ about five o"clock P.+., with colors flying, drums, hautboys, violins, trumpets, etc. 'entlemen andladies caressing the 0rench inhabitants/ as well they might, for a 1ew %ngland dog would have died in the holes we drove them to)( meanthe casemates where they dwelt during the siege.

    “This fortress is so valuable, as well as large and e2tensive, that we may say the one half has not been conceived.... 3ometimes ( am ready to say athousand men in a thousand years could not effect it. *ords cannot convey the idea of it.... One half of ye warlike stores for such a siege were not laid

    in4 however, the 5igilant 0rench supply ship/ being taken and 6ommodore *arren"s having some supply of stores from 1ew %ngland was very

    happy, and so it is that his readiness has been more than e7ual to his ability.”

    'overnor !uchambon puts his whole force at thirteen hundred men at the beginning of the siege, and at eleven hundred at its close. &bout twothousand men were, however, included in the capitulation, of which number si2 hundred and fifty were veteran troops. The besiegers" shot hadwrought destruction in the city. There was not a building left unharmed or even habitable, by the fifteen thousand shot and shells that Pepperell"s

     batteries had thrown into it.

    *hen Pepperell saw the inside of #ouisburg he probably reali8ed for the first time the magnitude of the task he had undertaken. On looking around

    him, he said, with the e2peditionary motto in mind no doubt, “The &lmighty, of a truth, has been with us.”

    &s the e2pedition began, so it now ended, with a prayer, which has come down to us as a part of its history. Pepperell celebrated his entry into

    #ouisburg by giving a dinner to his officers. *hen they were seated at table, the general called upon his old friend and neighbor, the 9ev. +r. +oodyof :ork, to ask the !ivine blessing. &s the parson"s prayers were proverbial for their length, the countenances of the guests fell when he arose fromhis chair, but to everybody"s surprise the venerable chaplain made his model and pithy appeal to the throne of grace in these words$

    “'ood #ord; we have so many things to thank thee for, that time will be infinitely too short to do it$ we must therefore leave it for the work ofeternity.”

    '%1%9 ?O@1 1(AO1 is one of those referred to.

    !OC'#&33  3ummary/, D%#E1&P  “@istory of 1ew @ampshire”/ and @CT6@(13O1  “@istory of +assachusetts Day”/ have accounts of the#ouisburg e2pedition. !ouglass and @utchinson wrote contemporaneously, and were well informed, the latter especially, upon all points relating

    to the inception and organi8ation. Of their military criticism it is needless to speak. There is a host of authorities, both 0rench and %nglish, most ofwhich are collected in 5ol. 5. “1arrative and 6ritical @istory of &merica.”

    9 (6@&9! '9(!#%: subse7uently laid out the works at Dunker @ill and !orchester @eights, in much the same manner.

    3@(9#%:"s second messenger, 6aptain #oring, on presenting his despatches, was allowed but twelve hours in #ondon, being then ordered on boardthe Princess +ary, one of the ships referred to.

    (TE+T0GT!

    &nd now comes the strangest part of the story. *e get 7uite accustomed to thinking of the &merican colonies as the football of %uropean diplomacy,our reading of history has fully prepared us for that$ but we are not prepared to find events in the 1ew *orld actually shaping the course of those inthe Old. (n a word, %ngland lost the battle in %urope, but won it in &merica. 0rance was confounded at seeing the key to 6anada in the hands of theenemy she had just beaten. %ngland and 0rance were like two duellists who have had a scuffle, in the course of which they have e2changed weapons.(nstead of dictating terms, 0rance had to compromise matters. 0or the sake of preserving her colonial possessions, she now had to give up her dearH

    PIgina -J de =The Taking of #ouisburg -FG, by 3amuel &dams !rake

    K=L-=L=K-Ghttp$LLwww.gutenberg.orgLfilesLGKGMBLGKGMBHhLGKGMBHh.htm

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    12'

    12)

    13*

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     bought conquests on the continent of Europe. Hostilities were suspended. All the belligerents agreed to restore what they had taken from eachother, and cry quits; but it is plain that France would never have consented to such a settlement at a time when her adversaries were so badlycrippled, when all England was in a ferment, and she hurrying back her troops from Holland in order to put down rebellion at home, thus leaving thecoalition of which she was the head to stand or fall without her. France would not have stayed her victorious march, we think, under suchcircumstances as these, unless the nations attention had been forcibly recalled to the gravity of the situation in America.

    !n some respects this episode of history recalls the story of the mailed giant, armed to the teeth, and of the stripling with his sling.

    As all the conquests of this war were restored by the peace of Ai"#la#$hapelle, $ape %reton went to France again.

    &hus had 'ew England made herself felt across the Atlantic by an e"hibition of power, as unlooked#for as it was suggestive to thoughtful men. &osome it was merely like that put forth by the infant Hercules, in his cradle. %ut to England, the unnatural mother, it was a notice that the childshe had neglected was coming to manhood, ere long to claim a voice in the disposal of its own affairs.

    &o 'ew England herself the consequences of her great e"ploit were very marked. &he martial spirit was revived. !n the trenches of (ouisburg was thetraining#school for the future captains of the republic. (ouisburg became a watchword and a tradition to a people intensely proud of their traditions.

     'ot only had they made themselves felt across the ocean, but they now first awoke to a better knowledge of their own resources, their owncapabilities, their own place in the empire, and here began the growth of that independent spirit which, but for the prompt sei)ure of a goldenopportunity, might have lain dormant for years. *robably it would be too much to say that the taking of (ouisburg opened the eyes of discerning mento the possibility of a great empire in the +est; yet, if we are to look about us for underlying causes, we know not where else to find a single event solikely to give birth to speculative discussion, or a new and enlarged direction in the treatment of public concerns. +hat had been done wouldalways be pointed to as evidence of what might be done again. o we have considered the taking of (ouisburg, in so far as the colonies wereconcerned, as the event of its epoch.-/0

     'or would these discussions be any the less likely to arise, or to grow any the less threatening to the future of crown and colony, when it becameknown that to balance her accounts with other powers England had handed over $ape %reton to France again, thus putting in her hand the veryweapon that 'ew England had 1ust wrested from her, as the pledge to her own security. &he work was all undone with a stroke of the pen. &hecolonies were still to be the football of European politics.

     'obody in the colonies supposed this would be the reward of their sacrifices2that they should be deliberately sold by the home government, or thatFrance, after being once disarmed, would be quietly told to go on strengthening her American 3ibraltar as much as she liked. 4et this was what really

    happened, notwithstanding the 5uke of 'ewcastles bombastic declaration that 6if France was master of *ortsmouth, he would hang the manwho should give up $ape %reton in e"change for it.7

    8ing 3eorge, who was in Hanover when he heard of the capture of (ouisburg, sent word to *epperell that he would be made a baronet, thusdistinguishing him as the proper chief of the e"pedition. &his distinction, which really made *epperell the first colonist of his time, was nobly won andworthily worn. After four years of importunity the colonies succeeded in getting their actual e"penses reimbursed to them, which was certainly nomore than their dues, considering that they had been fighting the battles of the mother country.-90

    +arren was made an admiral. &he navy came in for a large amount of pri)e money, obtained from ships that were decoyed into (ouisburg after it fell,to the e"clusion of the army.-:0 &his disposition of the spoils was highly resented by the army, who very 1ustly alleged that, while the success of thearmy without the fleet might be open to debate, there could be no question whatever of the fleets inability to take (ouisburg without the army.

    -/0&HE :,/DG to assachusetts, >/, to 'ew Hampshire, :,:/ to $onnecticut, and /, to

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     prisoners taken there prove useful, 49;army rendezvous at, 69;environs of, 76;

    works thrown up at, 77.Cape Breton Island, fae of the ountry, !6;

    mountains of, !7;"a#arus Bay, $%;

    first su&&estions of its importane to Canada, $';natural produts of, $9;advanta&eous situation as a port of delivery and supply, $9;left to Canada #y stupid diplomay, %(;its hief har#ors, %!;

    the Bras d)*r, %!;

    alled Ile +oyale, %$; plan for &ettin& olonists, %%, %4;strate&i points on the straits, 76;ie #lokade of, 77;restored to rane, !$7.

    Cape Breton Coast, approah to, !4; #lokaded #y ie, 77.

    Cirular #attery of -ouis#ur&, its desi&n, 9%;silened, !!6.

    Coffin, oses, of /ew#ury, ass., anedote of, !(4.Connetiut in -ouis#ur& e0pedition, 17;

    her fores 2oin 3epperell, 7'.

    D

    auphin Bastion, of -ouis#ur&, 9%;destrutive fire upon, !!(.

    e Coste#ello, at -ouis#ur&, %%.

    e 5a0e, arshal, defeats the n&lish, 4!.uham#on, ommander of -ouis#ur&, '4;

    realls a detahment, 91;refuses to surrender, 96;han&es his mind, !!7;and opens a treaty, !!'.

    wi&ht, oseph, at -ouis#ur&, 66 and note 7!.

    E

    n&lish 8ar#or -ouis#ur&:, %!.0peditionary rmy, its omposition, 66;

    and e&ina $! de $7=he =akin& of -ouis#ur& !741, #y 5amuel dams rake

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    demolition of the works, 19;and present state of, 19;Citadel, 20;