Battle of Saint-Eustache
Battle of Saint-Eustache | |||||||
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Part of the Lower Canada Rebellion | |||||||
Battle of Saint-Eustache, Charles Beauclerk | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom | Patriotes | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jean Chénier † | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,500 | 200 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3 killed |
70 killed 120 captured[1] |
The Battle of Saint-Eustache was a decisive battle in the Lower Canada Rebellion in which government forces defeated the principal remaining Patriotes camp at Saint-Eustache on December 14, 1837.
Prelude
After the victory at
Amury Girod left as the skirmish was sparked, supposedly to get reinforcements at Saint-Benoît. Suspected of treason, fellow Patriotes went after him, and he would eventually commit suicide.[1]
Battle
At the battle site, Colborne placed his troops around the village and had his soldiers advance systematically to tighten the vice on the defenders. Towards noon, he ordered the artillery to open fire on the centre of the village and then to advance up the main street and break down the doors of the church, where many Patriotes had taken refuge. Two companies of the 1st Regiment of Foot were able to take the rectory nearby, and they set it on fire so that the smoke would make it difficult for those defending the church to see. The
Aftermath
In the days that followed, soldiers and volunteers scoured the county of
Some of the rebels tried to make it to the Canada–US border, but hundreds were taken prisoner. Patriote leaders Dr. Wolfred Nelson and the journalist Jean-Philippe Boucher-Belleville were among them. Some were taken to the penal colony of New South Wales in Australia. The suburb of Canada Bay in Sydney is named for these prisoners who helped build the area.
See also
Note
The church was burnt and destroyed, except for the facade, which still exists. The rest of the church has been rebuilt. The facade still shows the marks of British cannon impacts.
Footnotes
- ^ a b "Canadian Military Heritage". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-02.