Battle of St. John's
Battle of St. John's | |||||||
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Part of Queen Anne's War | |||||||
Detail of 1744 map showing southeastern Newfoundland. "S Johns" is in the right center; Placentia (formerly Plaisance) is near the center. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Great Britain | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Joseph de Monbeton de Brouillan de Saint-Ovide Louis Denys de La Ronde |
Thomas Lloyd (POW) George Vane (POW) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
164 Marines Frigate Vénus |
80 troops about 400 colonists | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3 killed 11 wounded | 480 military and civilian prisoners |
The Battle of St. John's was the
Costebelle, whose resources were too limited to hold St. John's, destroyed its fortifications and abandoned it in April 1709. It was later reoccupied by the British. French colonial outposts in Newfoundland were abandoned after France ceded control of the island to Britain in the 1713
Background
The
In 1702, English Captain
Major Thomas Lloyd returned to the command of St. John's in the winter of 1705-6, after having been maneuvered out of the post by John Moody, who had defended the fort during the 1705 siege. Lloyd had previously served in the post from 1696, and had acquired a reputation amongst the colonists for a violent and temperamental disposition that had contributed to his original ouster from the post in 1704. On his return to London he had various accusations against himself cleared, and was reinstated despite of Moody's successful defence in 1705. From 1705 to 1708 he ran the colony without significant incident, and participated in a raiding expedition in 1707 against French fishing settlements. He organised militia companies and constructed new fortifications large enough to hold most of the population. He persuaded most of the people to spend the winter within the fortifications in 1708 because of the ongoing French and Indian raids.[6]
Battle
Saint-Ovide led the attack on the unprepared British garrison early on 1 January 1709. Fort William was under the command of Major Lloyd with the support of Lt. Timothy Gullye and Lt. Thomoas Phillips, with surgeon William Chalmers also in residence.[7] Launching their attack on Fort William, the older of two fortifications, at 4 to 5 am, equipped with ladders, the attacking force was spotted and alarm given. Lloyd was roused from his bed on the alarm but the fort was quickly overwhelmed. The 160 French, Canadian and Indian force had overrun the 85 or so guarding and occupying the fort. A sally port connecting the old and new fortifications was locked, and the 440 defenders in the new fort were unable to assist in the defense of the other. After a brief resistance, George Vane, leading the defense of the new fort, surrendered.[6] Gunner William I'Anson of Fort William reported numerous failings of the English force, including poor access to powder for their muskets, numerous instances of cowardice and indifference, and most pivotal in his view, a misapprehension concerning the alarm:
The calling of the centryes Fire! Fire! did, I believe, amuse ye soldiers in bedd, with ye thoughts of some house in ye new Fort to bee on fire, as had often happened. If they had gott to their armes, they would have given a good acct. of their enemyes, being known to bee generally resolute bold fellows. But one of our most immedyat misfortunes was yt. of those 19 inhabts. then on guard in Fort Wm., so few would meet ye enemy on ye walls, which had they done, they then had given time enough for ye rest to have turned out.
On his account, the entire battle lasted about three minutes. He reported that South Castle was taken two days later.[7]
Aftermath
The French occupied St. John's until April. Costebelle, rather than holding St. John's, ordered it to be abandoned and its fortifications destroyed.
St. John's fortifications have been commemorated as National Historic Sites of Canada, although the structures involved in this conflict were destroyed, and later superseded by other fortifications.[8][9]
See also
- Military history of the Mi’kmaq Warriors
Notes
- ^ Pothier, Bernard (1974). "Monbeton de Brouillan, Joseph de". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ Prowse, p. 229
- ^ Prowse, pp. 242-244
- ^ a b c Salagnac, Georges Cerbelaud (1979) [1969]. "Pastour de Costebelle, Philippe". In Hayne, David (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. II (1701–1740) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ a b Pothier
- ^ a b Quinn
- ^ a b I'Anson, William. "Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 25, 1710-1711". Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ "Commemorative Intergrity Statements: Signal Hill National Historic Site of Canada". Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ "Fort William National Historic Site of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
References
- Prowse, Daniel Woodley. A history of Newfoundland: from the English, colonial, and foreign records
- Quinn, D.B. (1979) [1969]. "Lloyd, Thomas". In Hayne, David (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. II (1701–1740) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.