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diff --git a/6026.txt b/6026.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..54c34e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/6026.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3583 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Great Fortress, by William Wood +#2 in our series by William Wood +#8 in our series Chronicles of Canada + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: The Great Fortress + A Chronicle of Louisbourg 1720-1760 + +Author: William Wood + +Release Date: July, 2004 [EBook #6026] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on October 21, 2002] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT FORTRESS *** + + + + +This etext was produced by Gardner Buchanan + + + + + + + + +CHRONICLES OF CANADA +Edited by George M. Wrong and H. H. Langton +In thirty-two volumes + +Volume 8 + +THE GREAT FORTRESS +A Chronicle of Louisbourg 1720-1760 + +By WILLIAM WOOD +TORONTO, 1915 + + + + +PREFACE + +Louisbourg was no mere isolated stronghold which could +be lost or won without affecting the wider issues of +oversea dominion. On the contrary, it was a necessary +link in the chain of waterside posts which connected +France with America by way of the Atlantic, the St +Lawrence, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi. But since +the chain itself and all its other links, and even the +peculiar relation of Louisbourg to the Acadians and the +Conquest, have been fully described elsewhere in the +Chronicles of Canada, the present volume only tries to +tell the purely individual tale. Strange to say, this +tale seems never to have been told before; at least, not +as one continuous whole. Of course, each siege has been +described, over and over again, in many special monographs +as well as in countless books about Canadian history. +But nobody seems to have written any separate work on +Louisbourg showing causes, crises, and results, all +together, in the light of the complete naval and military +proof. So perhaps the following short account may really +be the first attempt to tell the tale of Louisbourg from +the foundation to the fall. + +W. W. + +59 GRANDE ALLEE, +QUEBEC, 2nd January 1915. + + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE LAST SEA LINK WITH FRANCE +1720-1744 + +The fortress of Louisbourg arose not from victory but +from defeat; not from military strength but from naval +weakness; not from a new, adventurous spirit of attack, +but from a half-despairing hope of keeping one last +foothold by the sea. It was not begun till after the +fortunes of Louis XIV had reached their lowest ebb at +the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It lived a precarious life +of only forty years, from 1720 to 1760. And nothing but +bare ruins were left to mark its grave when it finally +passed, unheeded and unnamed, into the vast dominions of +the conquering British at the Peace of Paris in 1763. + +The Treaty of Utrecht narrowed the whole French sea-coast +of America down to the single island of Cape Breton. +Here, after seven years of official hesitation and maritime +exhaustion, Louisbourg was founded to guard the only +harbour the French thought they had a chance of holding. +A medal was struck to celebrate this last attempt to keep +the one remaining seaway open between Old France and New. +Its legend ran thus: Ludovicoburgum Fundatum et Munitum, +M.DCC.XX ('Louisbourg Founded and Fortified, 1720'). Its +obverse bore the profile of the young Louis XV, whose +statesmen hoped they had now established a French Gibraltar +in America, where French fleets and forts would command +the straits leading into the St Lawrence and threaten +the coast of New England, in much the same way as British +fleets and forts commanded the entrance to the Mediterranean +and threatened the coasts of France and Spain. This hope +seemed flattering enough in time of peace; but it vanished +at each recurrent shock of war, because the Atlantic then +became a hostile desert for the French, while it still +remained a friendly highway for the British. + +The first French settlers in Louisbourg came over from +Newfoundland, which had been given up to the British by +the treaty. The fishermen of various nations had frequented +different ports all round these shores for centuries; +and, by the irony of fate, the new French capital of Cape +Breton was founded at the entrance to the bay which had +long been known as English Harbour. Everything that +rechristening could do, however, was done to make Cape +Breton French. Not only was English Harbour now called +Louisbourg, but St Peter's became Port Toulouse, St Anne's +became Port Dauphin, and the whole island itself was +solemnly christened Ile Royale. + +The shores of the St Lawrence up to Quebec and Montreal +were as entirely French as the islands in the Gulf. But +Acadia, which used to form the connection by land between +Cape Breton and Canada, had now become a British possession +inhabited by the so-called 'neutral French.' These +Acadians, few in numbers and quite unorganized, were +drawn in opposite directions, on the one hand by their +French proclivities, on the other by their rooted affection +for their own farms. Unlike the French Newfoundlanders, +who came in a body from Plaisance (now Placentia), the +Acadians preferred to stay at home. In 1717 an effort +was made to bring some of them into Louisbourg. But it +only succeeded in attracting the merest handful. On the +whole, the French authorities preferred leaving the +Acadians as they were, in case a change in the fortunes +of war might bring them once more under the fleurs-de-lis, +when the connection by land between Quebec and the sea +would again be complete. A plan for promoting the +immigration of the Irish Roman Catholics living near Cape +Breton never got beyond the stage of official memoranda. +Thus the population of the new capital consisted only of +government employees, French fishermen from Newfoundland +and other neighbouring places, waifs and strays from +points farther off, bounty-fed engages from France, and +a swarm of camp-following traders. The regular garrison +was always somewhat of a class apart. + +The French in Cape Breton needed all the artificial aid +they could get from guns and forts. Even in Canada there +was only a handful of French, all told, at the time of +the Treaty of Utrecht--twenty-five thousand; while the +British colonists in North America numbered fifteen times +as many. The respective populations had trebled by the +time of the Cession of Canada to the British fifty years +later, but with a tendency for the vast British +preponderance to increase still more. Canada naturally +had neither men nor money to spare for Louisbourg; so +the whole cost of building the fortress, thirty million +livres, came direct from France. This sum was then the +equivalent, in purchasing power, of at least as many +dollars now, though the old French livre was only rated +at the contemporary value of twenty cents. But the original +plans were never carried out; moreover, not half the +money that actually was spent ever reached the military +chest at all. There were too many thievish fingers by +the way. + +The French were not a colonizing people, their governing +officials hated a tour of duty oversea, and Louisbourg +was the most unpopular of all the stations in the service. +Those Frenchmen who did care for outlandish places went +east to India or west to Canada. Nobody wanted to go to +a small, dull, out-of-the-way garrison town like Louisbourg, +where there was no social life whatever--nothing but +fishermen, smugglers, petty traders, a discontented +garrison, generally half composed of foreigners, and a +band of dishonest, second-rate officials, whose one idea +was how to get rich and get home. The inspectors who were +sent out either failed in their duty and joined the +official gang of thieves, or else resigned in disgust. +Worse still, because this taint was at the very source, +the royal government in France was already beset with +that entanglement of weakness and corruption which lasted +throughout the whole century between the decline of Louis +XIV and the meteoric rise of Napoleon. + +The founders of Louisbourg took their time to build it. +It was so very profitable to spin the work out as long +as possible. The plan of the fortress was good. It was +modelled after the plans of Vauban, who had been the +greatest engineer in the greatest European army of the +previous generation. But the actual execution was hampered, +at every turn, by want of firmness at headquarters and +want of honest labour on the spot. Sea sand was plentiful, +worthless, and cheap. So it was used for the mortar, with +most disastrous results. The stone was hewn from a quarry +of porphyritic trap near by and used for the walls in +the rough. Cut stone and good bricks were brought out +from France as ballast by the fishing fleet. Some of +these finer materials were built into the governor's and +the intendant's quarters. Others were sold to New England +traders and replaced by inferior substitutes. + +Of course, direct trade between the opposing colonies +was strictly forbidden by both the French and British +navigation acts. But the Louisbourg officials winked at +anything that would enrich them quickly, while the New +Englanders pushed in eagerly wherever a profit could be +made by any means at all. Louisbourg was intended to be +the general rendezvous of the transatlantic French fishing +vessels; a great port of call between France, Canada, +and the French West Indies; and a harbour of refuge in +peace and war. But the New England shipping was doing +the best trade at Louisbourg, and doing it in double +contraband, within five years of the foundation. Cod +caught by Frenchmen from Louisbourg itself, French wines +and brandy brought out from France, tobacco and sugar +brought north from the French West Indies, all offered +excellent chances to enterprising Yankees, who came in +with foodstuffs and building materials of their own. One +vessel sailed for New York with a cargo of claret and +brandy that netted her owners a profit of a hundred per +cent, even after paying the usual charges demanded by +the French custom-house officials for what really was a +smuggler's licence. + +Fishing, smuggling, and theft were the three great +industries of Louisbourg. The traders shared the profits +of the smuggling. But the intendant and his officials +kept most of the choice thieving for themselves. + +The genuine settlers--and a starveling crew they +were--wrested their debt-laden livelihood from the local +fishing. This was by no means bad in itself. But, like +other fishermen before and since, they were in perpetual +bondage to the traders, who took good care not to let +accounts get evened up. A happier class of fishermen made +up the engages, who were paid by government to 'play +settler' for a term of years, during which they helped +to swell the official census of uncongenial Louisbourg. +The regular French fishing fleet of course returned to +France at the end of every season, and thus enjoyed a +full spell of French delights on shore. + +The Acadians supplied Louisbourg with meat and vegetables. +These were brought in by sea; for there were no roads +worth mentioning; nor, in the contemporary state of Cape +Breton, was there any need for roads. The farmers were +few, widely scattered, and mostly very poor. The only +prosperous settlement within a long day's march was +situated on the beautiful Mira river. James Gibson, a +Boston merchant and militiaman, who served against +Louisbourg in 1745, was much taken by the appearance of +an establishment 'at the mouth of a large salmon fishery,' +by one 'very handsome house, with two large barns, two +large gardens, and fine fields of corn,' and by another +with 'six rooms on a floor and well furnished.' He adds +that 'in one of the barns were fifteen loads of hay, and +room sufficient for sixty horses and cattle.' In 1753 +the intendant sent home a report about a proposed 'German' +settlement near the 'Grand Lake of Mira.' A new experiment +was then being tried, the importation of settlers from +Alsace-Lorraine. But five years afterwards Cape Breton +had been lost to France for ever. + +The fact is that the French never really colonized Cape +Breton at large, and Louisbourg least of all. They knew +the magnificent possibilities of Sydney harbour, but its +mere extent prevented their attempting to make use of +it. They saw that the whole island was a maritime paradise, +with seaports in its very heart as well as round its +shores. But they were a race of gallant, industrious +landsmen at home, with neither the wish nor the aptitude +for a nautical life abroad. They could not have failed +to see that there was plenty of timber in some parts of +the island, and that the soil was fit to bear good crops +of grain in others. A little prospecting would also have +shown them iron, coal, and gypsum. But their official +parasites did not want to see smuggling and peculation +replaced by industry and trade. Nothing, indeed, better +proves how little they thought of making Ile Royale a +genuine colony than their utter failure to exploit any +one of its teeming natural resources in forest, field, +or mine. + +What the French did with extraneous resources and artificial +aids in the town of Louisbourg is more to the purpose in +hand. The problem of their position, and of its strength +and weakness in the coming clash of arms, depended on +six naval, military, and governmental factors, each one +of which must be considered before the whole can be +appreciated. These six factors were--the government, the +garrison, the militia, the Indians, the navy, and the +fortress. + +Get rich and go home. The English-speaking peoples, whose +ancestors once went to England as oversea emigrants, and +two-thirds of whom are now themselves the scions of +successive migrations across the Seven Seas, cannot +understand how intensely the general run of French +officials detested colonial service, especially in a +place like Louisbourg, which was everything the average +Frenchman hated most. This British failure to understand +a national trait, which is still as strongly marked as +ever, accounts for a good deal of the exaggerated belief +in the strength of the French position in America. The +British Americans who tried to think out plans of conquest +were wont to under-estimate their own unorganized resources +and to over-estimate the organized resources of the +French, especially when they set their minds on Louisbourg. + +The British also entertained the erroneous idea that 'the +whole country was under one command.' This was the very +thing it was not. The French system was the autocratic +one without the local autocrat; for the functions of the +governor and the intendant overlapped each other, and +all disputes had to be referred to Quebec, where the +functions of another governor and another intendant also +overlapped each other. If no decision could be reached +at Quebec, and the question at issue was one of sufficient +importance, the now double imbroglio would be referred +to the Supreme Council in France, which would write back +to Quebec, whence the decision would be forwarded to +Louisbourg, where it would arrive months after many other +troubles had grown out of the original dispute. + +The system was false from the start, because the overlapping +was intentional. The idea was to prevent any one man from +becoming too strong and too independent. The result was +to keep governors and intendants at perpetual loggerheads +and to divide every station into opposing parties. Did +the governor want money and material for the fortifications? +Then the intendant was sure the military chest, which +was in his own charge, could not afford it. The governor +might sometimes gain his ends by giving a definite +emergency order under his hand and seal. But, if the +emergency could not be proved, this laid him open to +great risks from the intendant's subsequent recriminations +before the Superior Council in Quebec or the Supreme +Council in France. The only way such a system could be +worked at all was either by corrupt collusion or by +superhuman co-operation between the two conflicting +parties, or by appointing a man of genius who could make +every other official discharge his proper duties and no +more. Corrupt collusion was not very common, because +the governors were mostly naval or military men, and the +naval and military men were generally honest. Co-operation +was impossible between two merely average men; and no +genius was ever sent to such a place as Louisbourg. The +ablest man in either of the principal posts was the +notorious intendant Bigot, who began here on a small +scale the consummate schemes that proved so disastrously +successful at Quebec. Get rich and go home. + +The minor governmental life of Louisbourg was of a piece +with the major. There were four or five lesser members +of the Superior Council, which also had jurisdiction over +Ile St Jean, as Prince Edward Island was then called. +The lucrative chances of the custom-house were at the +mercy of four under-paid officials grandiloquently called +a Court of Admiralty. An inferior court known as the +bailiwick tried ordinary civil suits and breaches of the +peace. This bailiwick also offered what might be +euphemistically called 'business opportunities' to +enterprising members. True, there was no police to execute +its decrees; and at one time a punctilious resident +complained that 'there was not even a common hangman, +nor a jail, nor even a tormentor to rack the criminals +or inflict other appropriate tortures.' But appeals took +a long time and cost much money; so even the officials +of the bailiwick could pick up a living by threats of +the law's delay, on the one hand, and promises of perverted +local justice, on the other. That there was money to be +made, in spite of the meagre salaries, is proved by the +fact that the best journeyman wig-maker in Louisbourg +'grew extremely rich in different branches of commerce, +especially in the contraband,' after filling the dual +position of judge of the admiralty and judge of the +bailiwick, both to the apparent satisfaction of his friend +the intendant. + +The next factor was the garrison of regulars. This was +under the direct command of the king's lieutenant, who +took his orders from the governor. The troops liked +Louisbourg no better than the officials did. True, there +were taverns in plenty: even before Louisbourg was +officially founded they had become such a thriving nuisance +that orders for their better control had been sent out +from France. But there was no other place for the ordinary +soldier to go to in his spare time. The officers felt +the want of a larger outlook even more than the men did; +and neither man nor officer ever went to Louisbourg if +he could help it. When Montcalm, the greatest Frenchman +the New World ever saw, came out to Canada, there was +eager competition among the troops at home to join his +army in the field. Officers paid large sums for the honour +of exchanging into any one of the battalions ordered to +the front; and when volunteers were called for from the +ranks every single man stepped forward. But no Montcalm +came out to Louisbourg, and nothing but bounties could +get a volunteer. There were only between five and six +hundred regulars in the whole garrison during the first +siege, twenty-five years after the foundation, and nearly +half of these were foreigners, mostly 'pay-fighting +Swiss.' + +The third factor was the militia. Every able-bodied man, +not specially exempt for other duties, was liable for +service in time of war; and the whole island could be +drawn upon for any great emergency at Louisbourg. Between +thirteen and fourteen hundred men were got under arms +for the siege of 1745. Those who lived in Louisbourg had +the advantage of a little slack discipline and a little +slack drill. Those in the country had some practice in +the handling of firearms. But, taken all round, it would +be an exaggeration to call them even quarter-trained +soldiers. + +The fourth factor was the Indians. They belonged to the +Micmac tribe of the great Algonquin family, and probably +numbered no more than about four thousand throughout the +whole French sphere of influence in what are now the +Maritime Provinces. A few hundred braves might have been +ready to take the war-path in the wilds of Cape Breton; +but sieges were not at all in their line, except when +they could hang round the besiegers' inland flanks, on +the chance of lifting scalps from careless stragglers or +ambushing an occasional small party gone astray. As in +Canada, so in Cape Breton, the Indians naturally sided +with the French, who disturbed them less and treated them +better than the British did. The British, who enjoyed +the inestimable advantage of superior sea-power, had more +goods to exchange. But in every other respect the French +were very much preferred. The handful of French sent out +an astonishingly great number of heroic and sympathetic +missionaries to the natives. The many British sent out +astonishingly few. The Puritan clergy did shamefully +little compared with the wonderful Jesuits. Moreover, +while the French in general made the Indian feel he was +at all events a fellow human being, the average British +colonist simply looked on him as so much vermin, to be +destroyed together with the obstructive wilds that +harboured him. + +The fifth factor, the navy, brings us into contact with +world-wide problems of sea-power which are too far-reaching +for discussion here [Footnote: See in this Series The +Winning of Canada and The Passing of New France, where +they are discussed.] Suffice it to say that, while +Louisbourg was an occasional convenience, it had also +peculiar dangers for a squadron from the weaker of two +hostile navies, as squadrons from France were likely to +be. The British could make for a dozen different harbours +on the coast. The French could make for only this one. +Therefore the British had only to guard against this one +stronghold if the French were in superior force; they +could the more easily blockade it if the French were in +equal force; and they could the more easily annihilate +it if it was defended by an inferior force. + +The last factor was the fortress itself. This so-called +'Gibraltar of the West,' this 'Quebec by the sea,' this +'Dunkirk of New France,' was certainly first of its kind. +But it was first only in a class of one; while the class +itself was far from being a first among classes. The +natural position was vastly inferior to that of Quebec +or Gibraltar; while the fortifications were not to be +compared with those of Dunkirk, which, in one sense, they +were meant to replace. Dunkirk had been sold by Charles +II to Louis XIV, who made it a formidable naval base +commanding the straits of Dover. When the Treaty of +Utrecht compelled its demolition, the French tried to +redress the balance a little by building similar works +in America on a very much smaller scale, with a much more +purely defensive purpose, and as an altogether subsidiary +undertaking. Dunkirk was 'a pistol held at England's +head' because it was an integral part of France, which +was the greatest military country in the world and second +to England alone on the sea. Louisbourg was no American +Dunkirk because it was much weaker in itself, because it +was more purely defensive, because the odds of population +and general resources as between the two colonies were +fifteen to one in favour of the British, and because the +preponderance of British sea-power was even greater in +America than it was in Europe. + +The harbour of Louisbourg ran about two miles north-east +and south-west, with a clear average width of half a +mile. The two little peninsulas on either side of the +entrance were nearly a mile apart. But the actual fairway +of the entrance was narrowed to little more than a clear +quarter of a mile by the reefs and islands running out +from the south-western peninsula, on which the fortress +stood. This low, nubbly tongue of land was roughly +triangular. It measured about three-quarters of a mile +on its longest side, facing the harbour, over half a mile +on the land side, facing the enemy's army, and a good +deal under half a mile on the side facing the sea. It +had little to fear from naval bombardment so long as the +enemy's fleet remained outside, because fogs and storms +made it a very dangerous lee shore, and because, then as +now, ships would not pit themselves against forts unless +there was no rival fleet to fight, and unless other +circumstances were unusually propitious. + +The entrance was defended by the Island Battery, which +flanked the approach with thirty-nine guns, and the Royal +Battery, which directly faced it with thirty guns. Some +temporary lines with a few more guns were prepared in +time of danger to prevent the enemy from landing in +Gabarus Bay, which ran for miles south-west of Louisbourg. +But the garrison, even with the militia, was never strong +enough to keep the enemy at arm's length from any one of +these positions. Moreover, the north-east peninsula, +where the lighthouse stood, commanded the Island Battery; +and the land side of Louisbourg itself was commanded by +a range of low hillocks less than half a mile away. + +It was this land side, containing the citadel and other +works, which so impressed outsiders with the idea of +impregnable strength. The glacis was perfect--not an inch +of cover wherever you looked; and the approach was mostly +across a slimy bog. The ditch was eighty feet wide. The +walls rose over thirty feet above the ditch. There were +embrasures for one hundred and forty-eight guns all round; +though not more than ninety were ever actually mounted. +On the seaward face Louisbourg was not so strongly +fortified; but in the centre of this face there were a +deep ditch and high wall, with bastions on each immediate +flank, and lighter defences connecting these with the +landward face. A dozen streets were laid out, so as to +divide the whole town into conveniently square little +blocks. The area of the town itself was not much more +than a hundred acres altogether--rather close quarters +for several thousand men, women, and children during a +siege. + +If reports and memoranda could defend a fortress, then +Louisbourg ought indeed to have been impregnable. Of +course every official trust entails endless correspondence. +But, quite apart from the stated returns that go through +'the usual channel of communication,' reams and reams of +paper were filled with special reports, inspections, +complaints, and good advice. The governor wrote home, +most elaborately, in 1724, about the progress of the +works. Ten years later he announced the official +inauguration of the lighthouse on the 1st of April. In +1736 the chief item was the engineer's report on the +walls. Next year the great anxiety was about a dangerous +famine, with all its attendant distress for the many and +its shameless profits for the few. On November 23, 1744, +reinforcements and provisions were asked for, because +intelligence had been received that the New Englanders +were going to blockade Louisbourg the following summer. +At the same time, the discontent of the garrison had come +to a head, and a mutiny had broken out because the extra +working pay had not been forthcoming. After this the +discipline became, not sterner, but slacker than ever, +especially among the hireling Swiss. On February 8, 1745, +within three months of the first siege, a memorandum was +sent in to explain what was still required to finish the +works begun twenty-five years before. + +But, after all, it was not so much the defective works +that really mattered as the defective garrison behind +them. English-speaking civilians who have written about +Louisbourg have sometimes taken partial account of the +ordinary Frenchman's repugnance to oversea duty in time +of peace and of the little worth of hireling foreigners +in time of war. But they have always ignored that steady +drip, drip, drip of deterioration which reduces the +efficiency of every garrison condemned to service in +remote and thoroughly uncongenial countries. Louisbourg +was remote, weeks away from exchanges with Quebec, months +from exchanges with any part of France or Switzerland. +And what other foreign station could have been more +thoroughly uncongenial, except, perhaps, a convict station +in the tropics? Bad quarters were endurable in Paris or +even in the provinces, where five minutes' walk would +take one into something pleasanter. Bad fortifications +would inspire less apprehension anywhere in France, where +there was at least an army always ready to take the field. +But cold, cramped quarters in foggy little Louisbourg, +between the estranging sea and an uncouth land of rock, +bog, sand, and scrubby vegetation, made all the world of +difference in the soldier's eyes. Add to this his want +of faith in works which he saw being scamped by rascally +contractors, and we can begin to understand why the +general attitude of town and garrison alike was one of +'Here to-day and gone to-morrow.' + + + + +CHAPTER II + +THE SEA LINK LOST +1745 + +Rome would not rest till she had ruined Carthage. Britain +would not rest till she had seen Dunkirk demolished. New +England would not rest till she had taken Louisbourg. + +Louisbourg was unique in all America, and that was its +undoing. It was the one sentinel beside the gateway to +New France; therefore it ought to be taken before Quebec +and Canada were attacked. It was the one corsair lying +in perpetual wait beside the British lines of seaborne +trade; therefore it must be taken before British shipping +could be safe. It was the one French sea link between +the Old World and the New; therefore its breaking was of +supreme importance. It was the one real fortress ever +heard of in America, and it was in absolutely alien hands; +therefore, so ran New England logic, it was most offensive +to all true Britons, New Englanders, and Puritans; to +all rivals in smuggling, trade, and privateering; and to +all right-thinking people generally. + +The weakness of Louisbourg was very welcome news to +energetic Massachusetts. In 1744, when Frederick the +Great had begun the War of the Austrian Succession and +France had taken arms against Great Britain, du Quesnel, +the governor of Louisbourg, who had received the +intelligence of these events some weeks before the alert +Bostonians, at once decided to win credit by striking +the first blow. He was much disliked in Louisbourg. He +drank hard, cursed his subordinates when in his cups, +and set the whole place by the ears. Moreover, many of +those under him wished to avoid giving the British +Americans any provocation, in the hope that the war might +be confined to Europe. But none dared to refuse a legal +and positive order. So in May his expedition left for +Canso, where there was a little home-made British fort +on the strait between Cape Breton and the mainland of +Nova Scotia. The eighty fishermen in Canso surrendered +to du Vivier, the French commander, who sent them on to +Boston, after burning their fort to the ground. Elated +by this somewhat absurd success, and strengthened by +nearly a hundred regulars and four hundred Indians, who +raised his total force to at least a thousand men, du +Vivier next proceeded against Annapolis on the west side +of Nova Scotia. But Mascarene, the British commander +there, stood fast on his defence, though his men were +few and his means small. The Acadian French in the vicinity +were afraid to join du Vivier openly. The siege dragged +on. The British received a slight reinforcement. The +French did not. And in September du Vivier suddenly +retired without attempting an assault. + +The burning of Canso and the attack on Annapolis stirred +up the wrath of New England. A wild enthusiast, William +Vaughan, urged Governor Shirley of Massachusetts to make +an immediate counter-attack. Shirley was an English +lawyer, good at his own work, but very anxious to become +famous as a conqueror. He lent a willing ear to Vaughan, +and astounded the General Court of Massachusetts on +January 21, 1745, by first inducing the members to swear +secrecy and then asking them to consider a plan for a +colonial expedition against Louisbourg. He and they were +on very good terms. But they were provincial, cautious, +and naturally slow when it came to planning campaigns +and pledging their credit for what was then an enormous +sum of money. Nor could they be blamed. None of them knew +much about armies and navies; most thought Louisbourg +was a real transatlantic Dunkirk; and all knew that they +were quite insolvent already. Their joint committee of +the two Houses reported against the scheme; whereupon +each House carried a secret adverse vote by a large +majority. + +But, just before these votes were taken, a Puritan member +from a country district wrestled in what he thought +confidential prayer with such loud ejaculations that an +eavesdropper overheard him and passed the secret on. Of +course the momentous news at once began to run like +wildfire through the province. Still, the 'Noes had it,' +both in the country and the House. Shirley was dejected +and in doubt what to do next. But James Gibson, the +merchant militiaman, suddenly hit on the idea of getting +up a petition among the business community. The result +surpassed every expectation. All the merchants were eager +for attack. Louisbourg embodied everything they feared +and hated: interference with seaborne commerce, rank +popery, French domination, trouble with Acadia, and the +chance of being themselves attacked. When the petition +was presented to both Houses, the whole subject was again +debated. Provincial insolvency and the absence of either +a fleet or an army were urged by the Opposition. But the +fighting party put forth all their strength and pleaded +that delay meant reinforcements for Louisbourg and a good +chance lost for ever. The vote would have been a tie if +a member of the Opposition had not slipped and broken +his leg as he was hurrying down to the House. Once the +decision had been reached, however, all did their best +to ensure success. + +Shirley wrote to his brother governors. Vaughan galloped +off post-haste to New Hampshire with the first official +letter. Gibson led the merchants in local military zeal. +The result was that Massachusetts, which then included +Maine, raised over 3,000 men, while New Hampshire and +Connecticut raised about 500 each. Rhode Island concurred, +but ungraciously and ineffectually late. She nursed two +grudges against Massachusetts, one about the undeniably +harsh treatment meted out to her great founder, Roger +Williams, the other about that most fruitful source of +inter-provincial mischief-making, a disputed boundary. +New York lent some guns, which proved very useful. The +remaining colonies did nothing. + +Shirley's choice of a commander-in-chief wisely fell on +William Pepperrell. There was no military leader in the +whole of New England. So the next most suitable man was +the civilian who best combined the necessary qualities +of good sense, sound knowledge of men and affairs, +firmness, diplomacy, and popularity. Popularity was +essential, because all the men were volunteers. Pepperrell, +who answered every reasonable test, went through the +campaign with flying colours and came out of it as the +first and only baronet of Massachusetts. He was commissioned +as major-general by all three contributing provinces, +since none of them recognized any common authority except +that of the crown. He was ably seconded by many leading +men who, if not trained soldiers, were at least accustomed +to the organization of public life; for in those days +the word politician had not become a term of reproach in +America, and the people were often represented by men of +the highest character. + +The financial difficulty was overcome by issuing letters +of credit, which were afterwards redeemed by the Imperial +government, at a total cost of nearly a quarter of a +million sterling. There was no time and there were no +means to change the militia into an army. But many +compensating advantages helped to make up for its +deficiencies. The men volunteered eagerly. They were all +very keen to fight the French. Most of them understood +the individual use of firearms. Many of them had been to +sea and had learned to work together as a crew. Nearly +all of them had the handiness then required for life in +a new country. And, what with conviction and what with +prejudice, they were also quite disposed to look upon +the expedition as a sort of Crusade against idolatrous +papists, and therefore as a very proper climax to the +Great Awakening which had recently roused New England to +the heights of religious zealotry under the leadership +of the famous George Whitefield himself. + +Strangely enough, neither Whitefield nor his friend +Pepperrell was at all sure that the expedition was a wise +or even a godly venture. Whitefield warned Pepperrell +that he would be envied if he succeeded and abused if he +failed. The Reverend Thomas Prince openly regretted the +change of enemy. 'The Heavenly shower is over. From +fighting the Devil they needs must turn to fighting the +French.' But Parson Moody, most truculent of Puritans, +had no doubts whatever. The French, the pope, and the +Devil were all one to him; and when he embarked as senior +chaplain he took a hatchet with which to break down the +graven images of Louisbourg. In the end Whitefield warmed +up enough to give the expedition its official motto: 'Nil +desperandum Christo Duce.' The 'Never Despair' heartened +the worldlings. The 'Christ our Commander' appealed to +the 'Great Awakened.' And the whole saying committed him +to nothing particular concerning the issue at stake. + +The three militia contingents numbered 4,270 men. The +three naval contingents had 13 vessels mounting 216 guns. +In addition to both these forces there were the transports, +which had considerable crews. But all these together, if +caught on the open sea, would be no match for a few +regular men-of-war. New England had no navy, though the +New Englanders had enjoyed a good deal of experience in +minor privateering against the Spaniards during the last +few years, as well as a certain amount of downright piracy +in time of peace, whenever a Frenchman or a Spaniard +could be safely taken at a disadvantage. So Shirley asked +Commodore Warren, commanding the North American station, +to lend his aid. Warren had married an American and was +very well disposed towards the colonists. But, having no +orders from England, he at first felt obliged to refuse. +Within a short time, however, he was given a free hand +by the Imperial government, which authorized him to +concert measures with Shirley 'for the annoyance of the +enemy, and for his Majesty's Service in North America.' + +Warren immediately sailed for Canso with three men-of-war +and sent for another to join him. His wait for orders +made him nearly three weeks later than the New Englanders +in arriving at the rendezvous. But this delay, due to no +fault of his own, was really an advantage to the New +England militia, who thus had a chance of learning a +little more drill and discipline. His four vessels carried +180 guns and 1,150 men at full strength. The thirteen +Provincial armed vessels carried more than 1,000 men. No +exact returns were ever made out for the transports. But +as '68 lay at anchor' in Canso harbour, while others +'came dropping in from day to day,' as there were 4,270 +militiamen on board, in addition to all the stores, and +as the French counted '96 transports' making for Gabarus +Bay, there could not have been less than 100, while the +crews could hardly have mustered less than an average of +20 men each. The grand total, at the beginning of the +expedition, could not, therefore, have been less than +8,000 men, of all sorts put together--over 4,000 American +Provincial militia, over 1,000 men of the Royal Navy, +quite 1,000 men aboard the Provincial fighting vessels, +and at least 2,000 more as crews to work the transports. + +May 1, the first Sunday the Provincials spent at Canso, +was a day of great and multifarious activity, both sacred +and profane. Parson Moody, the same who had taken the +war-path with his iconoclastic hatchet, delivered a +tremendous philippic from the text, 'Thy people shall be +willing in the day of Thy power.' Luckily for his +congregation he had the voice of a Stentor, as there were +several mundane competitors in an adjoining field, each +bawling the word of command at the full pitch of his +lungs. A conscientious diarist, though full of sabbatarian +zeal, was fain to admit that 'Severall sorts of Busnesses +was a-Going on: Sum a-Exercising, Sum a-Hearing o' the +Preaching.' + +On May 5 Warren sailed into Canso. The Provincials thought +the date of his arrival a very happy omen, as it fell on +what was then, according to the Old Style calendar, St +George's Day, April 23. After a conference with Pepperrell +he hurried off to begin the blockade of Louisbourg. A +week later, May 21, the transports joined him there, and +landed their militiamen for one of the most eccentric +sieges ever known. + +While the British had been spending the first four months +of 1745 in preparing 8,000 men, the French authorities +in Louisbourg, whose force was less than 2,000, had been +wasting the same precious time in ridiculous councils of +war. It is a well-known saying that councils of war never +fight. But these Louisbourg councils did not even prepare +to fight. The news from Boston was not heeded. Worse yet, +no attention was paid to the American scouting vessels, +which had been hovering off the coast for more than a +month. The bibulous du Quesnel had died in October. But +his successor, du Chambon, was no better as a commandant. +Perhaps the kindest thing to say of du Chambon is that +he was the foolish father of a knavish son--of that du +Chambon de Vergor who, in the next war, surrendered Fort +Beausejour without a siege and left one sleepy sentry to +watch Wolfe's Cove the night before the Battle of the +Plains. + +It is true that du Chambon had succeeded to a thoroughly +bad command. He had no naval force whatever; and the +military force had become worse instead of better. The +mutiny in December had left the 560 regulars in a very +sullen frame of mind. They knew that acquisitive government +officials were cheating them out of their proper rations +of bacon and beans. The officials knew that the soldiers +knew. And so suspicion and resentment grew strong between +them. The only other force was the militia, which, with +certain exceptions, comprised every male inhabitant of +Cape Breton who could stand on two legs and hold a musket +with both hands. There were boys in their early teens +and old men in their sixties. Nearly 1,800 ought to have +been available. But four or five hundred that might have +been brought in never received their marching orders. So +the total combatants only amounted to some 1,900, of whom +1,350 were militia. The non-combatants numbered nearly +as many. The cramped hundred acres of imprisoned Louisbourg +thus contained almost 4,000 people--mutineers and militia, +women and children, drones and other officials, all +huddled up together. + +No reinforcements arrived after the first appearance of +the British fleet. Marin, a well-known guerilla leader, +had been sent down from Quebec, through the bush, with +six or seven hundred whites and Indians, to join the two +thousand men whom the French government had promised du +Vivier for a second, and this time a general, attack on +Acadia. But these other two thousand were never sent; +and Marin, having failed to take Annapolis by the first +week in June, was too late and too weak to help Louisbourg +afterwards. The same ill luck pursued the French by sea. +On April 30 the Renommee, a very smart frigate bringing +out dispatches, was chased off by the Provincial cruisers; +while all subsequent arrivals from the outside world were +intercepted by Warren. + +The landing effected on May 12 was not managed according +to Shirley's written instructions; nor was the siege. +Shirley had been playing a little war game in his study, +with all the inconvenient obstacles left out--the wind, +the weather, the crashing surf in Gabarus Bay, the rocks +and bogs of the surrounding country, the difficulties of +entering a narrow-necked harbour under a combination of +end-on and broadside fire, the terrible lee shore off +the islands, reefs, and Lighthouse Point, the commonest +vigilance of the most slovenly garrison, and even the +offensive power of the guns on the walls of Louisbourg +itself. Shirley's plan was that Pepperrell should arrive +in the offing too late to be seen, land unobserved, and +march on Louisbourg in four detachments while the garrison +was wrapped in slumber. Two of these detachments were +to march within striking distance and then 'halt and keep +a profound silence.' The third was to march 'under cover +of said hills' until it came opposite the Royal Battery, +which it was to assault on a given signal; while the +'profound silence' men rushed the western gate. The fourth +detachment was to race along the shore, scale a certain +spot in the wall, 'and secure the windows of the Governor's +Apartments.' All this was to be done by raw militia, on +ground they had never reconnoitred, and in the dead of +night. + +Needless to say, Pepperrell tried something quite different. +At daybreak of the 12th the whole fleet stood into Gabarus +Bay, a large open roadstead running west from the little +Louisbourg peninsula. The Provincials eyed the fortress +eagerly. It looked mean, squat, and shrunken in the dim +grey light of early dawn. But it looked hard enough, for +all that. Its alarm bells began to ring. Its signal cannon +fired. And all the people who had been living outside +hurried in behind the walls. + +The New Englanders were so keen to land that they ran +some danger of falling into complete disorder. But +Pepperrell managed very cleverly. Seeing that some +Frenchmen were ready to resist a landing on Flat Point, +two miles south-west of Louisbourg, he made a feint +against it, drew their fire, and then raced his boats +for Freshwater Cove, another two miles beyond. Having +completely outdistanced the handful of panting Frenchmen, +he landed in perfect safety and presently scattered them +with a wild charge which cost them about twenty in killed, +wounded, and prisoners. Before dark two thousand Provincials +were ashore. The other two thousand landed at their +leisure the following day. + +The next event in this extraordinary siege is one of the +curiosities of war. On May 14 the enthusiastic Vaughan +took several hundreds of these newly landed men to the +top of the nearest hillock and saluted the walls with +three cheers. He then circled the whole harbour, keeping +well inland, till he reached the undefended storehouses +on the inner side of the North-East Harbour, a little +beyond the Royal Battery. These he at once set on fire. +The pitch, tar, wood, and other combustibles made a +blinding smoke, which drifted over the Royal Battery and +spread a stampeding panic among its garrison of four +hundred men. Vaughan then retired for the night. On his +return to the Royal Battery in the morning, with only +thirteen men, he was astounded to see no sign of life +there. Suspecting a ruse, he bribed an Indian with a +flask of brandy to feign being drunk and reel up to the +walls. The Indian reached the fort unchallenged, climbed +into an embrasure, and found the whole place deserted. +Vaughan followed at once; and a young volunteer, shinning +up the flag-pole, made his own red coat fast to the top. +This defiance was immediately answered by a random salvo +from Louisbourg, less than a mile across the harbour. + +Vaughan's next move was to write a dispatch to Pepperrell: +'May it please your Honour to be informed that by the +Grace of God and the courage of 13 Men I entered the +Royal Battery about 9 o' the clock and am waiting for a +reinforcement and a flag.' He had hardly sent this off +before he was attacked by four boats from Louisbourg. +Quite undaunted, however, he stood out on the open beach +with his thirteen men and kept them all at bay till the +reinforcement and the flag arrived with Bradstreet, who +was afterwards to win distinction as the captor of Fort +Frontenac during the great campaign of 1759. + +This disgraceful abandonment and this dramatic capture +of the Royal Battery marked the first and most decisive +turning-point in the fortunes of the siege. The French +were dismayed, the British were elated; and both the +dismay and the elation grew as time wore on, because +everything seemed to conspire against the French and in +favour of the British. Even the elements, as the anonymous +Habitant de Louisbourg complains in his wonderfully candid +diary, seemed to have taken sides. There had never been +so fine a spring for naval operations. But this was the +one thing which was entirely independent of French fault +or British merit. All the other strokes of luck owed +something to human causes. Wise-acres had shaken their +heads over the crazy idea of taking British cannon balls +solely to fit French cannon that were to be taken at the +beginning of the siege: it was too much like selling the +pelt before the trap was sprung. Yet these balls actually +were used to load the forty-two pounders taken with the +Royal Battery! Moreover, as if to cap the climax, ten +other cannon were found buried in the North-East Harbour; +and again spare British balls were found to fit exactly! +The fact is that what we should now call the Intelligence +Department had been doing good work the year before by +spying out the land at Louisbourg and reporting to the +proper men in Boston. + +The Bostonians had always intended to take the Royal +Battery at the earliest possible moment. But nobody had +thought that the French would abandon it without a blow +and leave it intact for their enemy, with all its armament +complete. The French council of war apparently shrank +from hurting the feelings of the engineer in charge, who +had pleaded for its preservation! They then ran away +without spiking the guns properly, and without making +the slightest attempt either to burn the carriages or +knock the trunnions off. The invaluable stores were left +in their places. The only real destruction was caused by +a barrel of powder, which some bunglers blew up by mistake. +The inevitable consequence of all this French ineptitude +was that the Royal Battery roared against Louisbourg the +very next morning with tremendous effect, smashing the +works most exposed to its fire, bringing down houses +about the inhabitants' ears, and sending the terrified +non-combatants scurrying off to underground cover. + +Meanwhile the bulk of the New Englanders were establishing +their camp along the brook which fell into Gabarus Bay +beside Flat Point and within two miles of Louisbourg. +Equipment of all kinds was very scarce. Tents were so +few and bad that old sails stretched over ridge-poles +had to be used instead. When sails ran short, brushwood +shelters roofed in with overlapping spruce boughs were +used as substitutes. + +Landing the four thousand men had been comparatively easy +work. But landing the stores was very hard indeed; while +landing the guns was not only much harder still, but full +of danger as well. Many a flat-boat was pounded into +pulpwood while unloading the stores, though the men waded +in waist-deep and carried all the heavy bundles on their +heads and shoulders. When it came to the artillery, it +meant a boat lost for every single piece of ordnance +landed. Nor was even this the worst; for, strange as it +may seem, there was, at first, more risk of foundering +ashore than afloat. There were neither roads nor yet the +means to make them. There were no horses, oxen, mules, +or any other means of transport, except the brawny men +themselves, who literally buckled to with anchor-cable +drag-ropes--a hundred pair of straining men for each +great, lumbering gun. Over the sand they went at a romp. +Over the rocks they had to take care; and in the dense, +obstructing scrub they had to haul through by main force. +But this was child's play to what awaited them in the +slimy, shifting, and boulder-strewn bog they had to pass +before reaching the hillocks which commanded Louisbourg. + +The first attempts here were disastrous. The guns sank +out of sight in the engulfing bog; while the toiling men +became regular human targets for shot and shell from +Louisbourg. It was quite plain that the British batteries +could never be built on the hillocks if the guns had +nothing to keep them from a boggy grave, and if the men +had no protection from the French artillery. But a +ship-builder colonel, Meserve of New Hampshire, came to +the rescue by designing a gun-sleigh, sixteen feet in +length and five in the beam. Then the crews were told +off again, two hundred men for each sleigh, and orders +were given that the work should not be done except at +night or under cover of the frequent fogs. After this, +things went much better than before. But the labour was +tremendous still; while the danger from random shells +bursting among the boulders was not to be despised. Four +hundred struggling feet, four hundred straining arms--each +team hove on its long, taut cable through fog, rain, and +the blackness of the night, till every gun had been towed +into one of the batteries before the walls. The triumph +was all the greater because the work grew, not easier, +but harder as it progressed. The same route used twice +became an impassable quagmire. So, when the last two +hundred men had wallowed through, the whole ensnaring +bog was seamed with a perfect maze of decoying death-trails +snaking in and out of the forbidding scrub and boulders. + +Pepperrell's dispatches could not exaggerate these 'almost +incredible hardships.' Afloat and ashore, awake and +asleep, the men were soaking wet for days together. At +the end of the longest haul they had nothing but a choice +of evils. They could either lie down where they were, on +hard rock or oozing bog, exposed to the enemy's fire the +moment it was light enough to see the British batteries, +or they could plough their way back to camp. Here they +were safe enough from shot and shell; but, in other +respects, no better off than in the batteries. Most men's +kits were of the very scantiest. Very few had even a +single change of clothing. A good many went bare-foot. +Nearly all were in rags before the siege was over. + +When twenty-five pieces had been dragged up to Green Hill +and its adjoining hillocks, the bombardment at last began. +The opening salvo seemed to give the besiegers new life. +No sooner was their first rough line of investment formed +than they commenced gaining ground, with a disregard for +cover which would have cost them dear if the French +practice had not been quite as bad as their own. A really +wonderful amount of ammunition was fired off on both +sides without hitting anything in particular. Louisbourg +itself was, of course, too big a target to be missed, as +a rule; and the besiegers soon got so close that they +simply had to be hit themselves now and then. But, +generally speaking, it may be truthfully said that while, +in an ordinary battle, it takes a man's own weight in +cartridges to kill him, in this most extraordinary siege +it took at least a horse's weight as well. + +The approach to the walls defied all the usual precautions +of regular war. But the circumstances justified its +boldness. With only four thousand men at the start, with +nearly half of this total on the sick list at one rather +critical juncture, with very few trained gunners, and +without any corps of engineers at all, the Provincials +adapted themselves to the situation so defiantly that +they puzzled, shook, and overawed the French, who thought +them two or three times stronger than they really were. +Recklessly defiant though they were, however, they did +provide the breaching batteries with enough cover for +the purpose in hand. This is amply proved both by the +fewness of their casualties and by the evidence of Bastide, +the British engineer at Annapolis, who inspected the +lines of investment on his arrival, twelve days before +the surrender, and reported them sufficiently protected. + +Where the Provincials showed their 'prentice hands to +genuine disadvantage was in their absurdly solemn and +utterly futile councils of war. No schoolboys' debating +club could well have done worse than the council held to +consider du Chambon's stereotyped answer to the usual +summons sent in at the beginning of a siege. The formula +that 'his cannon would answer for him' provoked a +tremendous storm in the council's teacup and immediately +resulted in the following resolution: 'Advised, Unanimously, +that the Towne of Louisbourg be Attacked this Night.' +But, confronted with 'a great Dissatysfaction in many of +the officers and Souldiers at the designed attack of the +towne this Night,' it was 'Advised, Unanimously,' by a +second council, called in great haste, 'that the Said +Attack be deferred for the Present.' This 'Present' lasted +during the rest of the siege. + +Once the New Englanders had settled down, however, they +wisely began to increase their weight of metal, as well +as to decrease the range at which they used it. They set +to work with a will to make a breach at the North-West +Gate of Louisbourg, near where the inner angle of the +walls abutted on the harbour; and they certainly needed +all their indomitable perseverance when it came to arming +their new 'North-Western' or 'Titcomb's Battery.' The +twenty-two pounders had required two hundred men apiece. +The forty-two pounders took three hundred. Two of these +unwieldy guns were hauled a couple of miles round the +harbour, in the dark, from that 'Royal Battery' which +Vaughan had taken 'by the Grace of God and the courage +of 13 Men,' and then successfully mounted at 'Titcomb's,' +just where they could do the greatest damage to their +former owners, the French. + +Well-trained gunners were exceedingly scarce. Pepperrell +could find only six among his four thousand men. But +Warren lent him three more, whom he could ill spare, as +no one knew when a fleet might come out from France. With +these nine instructors to direct them Pepperrell's men +closed in their line of fire till besieged and besiegers +came within such easy musket-shot of one another that +taunting challenges and invitations could be flung across +the intervening space. + +Each side claimed advantages and explained shortcomings +to its own satisfaction. A New England diarist says: 'We +began our fire with as much fury as possible, and the +French returned it as warmly with Cannon, Mortars, and +continual showers of musket balls; but by 11 o'clock we +had beat them all from their guns.' A French diarist of +the same day says that the fire from the walls was stopped +on purpose, chiefly to save powder; while the same reason +is assigned for the British order to cease fire exactly +one hour later. + +The practice continued to be exceedingly bad on both +sides; so bad, indeed, that the New Englanders suffered +more from the bursting of their own guns than from the +enemy's fire. The nine instructors could not be everywhere; +and all their good advice could not prevent the eager +amateurs from grossly overloading the double-shotted +pieces. 'Another 42-pound gun burst at the Grand Battery.' +'Captain Hale is dangerously hurt by the bursting of +another gun. He was the mainstay of our gunnery since +Captain Rhodes's misfortune'--a misfortune due to the +same cause. But, in spite of all such drawbacks on the +British side, Louisbourg got much the worst of it. The +French had to fire from the centre outwards, at a semicircle +of batteries that fired back convergingly at them. Besides, +it was almost as hard to hit the thin, irregular line of +British batteries as it was to miss the deep, wide target +of overcrowded Louisbourg. The walls were continually +being smashed from without and patched up from within. +The streets were ploughed from end to end. Many houses +were laid in ruins: only one remained intact when the +siege was over. The non-combatants, who now exceeded the +garrison effectives, were half buried in the smothering +casemates underground; and though the fighting men had +light, air, and food enough, and though they were losing +very few in killed and wounded, they too began to feel +that Louisbourg must fall if it was not soon relieved +from outside. + +The British, on the contrary, grew more and more confident, +both afloat and ashore, though they had one quite alarming +scare ashore. They knew their navy outmatched the French; +and they saw that, while Warren was being strengthened, +du Chambon was being left as devoid of naval force as +ever. But their still greater confidence ashore was, for +the time being, very rudely shaken when they heard that +Marin, the same French guerilla leader who had been sent +down from Quebec against Annapolis with six or seven +hundred whites and Indians, had been joined by the promised +reinforcements from France and was coming to take the +camp in rear. The truth was that the reinforcements never +arrived, that Marin had failed to take Annapolis, and +that there was no real danger from his own dwindling +force, even if it had tried to relieve Louisbourg in +June. But the rumour ran quickly through the whole camp, +probably not without Pepperrell's own encouragement, and +at once produced, not a panic, but the most excellent +effect. Discipline, never good, had been growing worse. +Punishments were unknown. Officers and men were petitioning +for leave to go home, quite regardless of the need for +their services at the front. Demands for promotion, for +extra allowances, and for increased pay were becoming a +standing nuisance. Then, just as the leaders were at +their wits' ends what to do, Marin's threatened attack +came to their aid; and their brave armed mob once more +began to wear the semblance of an army. Sentries, piquets, +and outposts appeared as if by magic. Officers went their +rounds with zeal. The camp suddenly ceased to be a +disorderly playground for every one off duty. The breaching +batteries redoubled their efforts against the walls. + +The threat of danger once past, however, the men soon +slipped back into their careless ways. A New England +chronicler records that 'those who were on the spot have +frequently, in my hearing, laughed at the recital of +their own irregularities and expressed their admiration +when they reflected on the almost miraculous preservation +of the army from destruction.' Men off duty amused +themselves with free-and-easy musketry, which would have +been all very well if there had not been such a dearth +of powder for the real thing. Races, wrestling, and quoits +were better; while fishing was highly commendable, both +in the way of diet as well as in the way of sport. Such +entries as 'Thritty Lobbsters' and '6 Troutts' appear in +several diaries. + +Nor were other forms of gaiety forgotten. Even a +Massachusetts Puritan could recommend a sermon for general +distribution in the camp because 'It will please your +whole army, as it shows them the way to gain by their +gallantry the hearts and affections of the Ladys.' And +even a city of the 'Great Awakening,' like Boston, could +produce a letter like the following: + + I hope this will find you at Louisbourg with a bowl + of Punch, a Pipe, and a Pack of Cards, and whatever + else you desire. (I had forgot to mention a Pretty + French Madammoselle.) Your Friend Luke has lost several + Beaver Hatts already concerning the Expedition. He is + so very zealous about it that he has turned poor + Boutier out of his house for saying he believed you + wouldn't take the Place. Damn his Blood, says Luke, + let him be an Englishman or a Frenchman and not pretend + to be an Englishman when he is a Frenchman in his + Heart. If Drinking to your Success would take Cape + Britton you must be in possession of it now, for it's + a Standing Toast. + +The day this letter was written in Boston, May 6, Warren +had already begun the regular blockade. Only a single +ship eluded him, an ably handled Basque, which stood in +and rounded to, under the walls of Louisbourg, after +running the gauntlet of the Royal Battery, on which the +French fired with all their might to keep its own fire +down. A second vessel was forced aground. Her captain +fought her to the last; but Warren's boat crews took her. +Some men who escaped from her brought du Chambon the news +that a third French ship, the Vigilant, was coming to +the relief of Louisbourg with ammunition and other stores. +This ship had five hundred and sixty men aboard, that +is, as many as all the regulars in Louisbourg. On May 31 +the garrison heard a tremendous cannonading out at sea. +It grew in volume as Warren's squadron was seen to surround +the stranger, who was evidently making a gallant fight +against long odds. Presently it ceased; the clustered +vessels parted; spread out; and took up their stations +exactly as before, except that a new vessel was now flying +the British flag. This was the Vigilant, which had been +put in charge of a prize crew, while her much-needed +stores had been sent in to the Provincial army. + +The French in Louisbourg were naturally much discouraged +to see one of their best frigates flying the Union Jack. +But they still hoped she might not really be the anxiously +expected Vigilant. Warren, knowing their anxiety, determined +to take advantage of it at the first opportunity. He had +not long to wait. A party of New Englanders, wandering +too far inland, were ambushed by the French Indians, who +promptly scalped all the prisoners. Warren immediately +sent in a formal protest to du Chambon, with a covering +letter from the captain of the Vigilant, who willingly +testified to the good treatment he and his crew were +receiving on board the British men-of-war. Warren's +messenger spoke French perfectly, but he concealed his +knowledge by communicating with du Chambon through an +interpreter. This put the French off their guard and +induced them to express their dismay without reserve when +they read the news about the Vigilant. Everything they +said was of course reported back to Warren, who immediately +passed it on to Pepperrell. + +Warren now thought the time had come to make a bold, +decisive stroke. He had just been reinforced by two more +frigates out from England. Titcomb's famous brace of +forty-two's had just begun to hammer in the North-West +Gate of Louisbourg. Pepperrell's lines of investment were +quite complete. The chance was too tempting to let slip, +especially as it was safe strategy to get into Louisbourg +before the French could be relieved either by land or +sea. Still, there was the Island Battery to reckon with. +It was full of fight, and it flanked the narrow entrance +in the most threatening way. Warren paused to consider +the strength of this last outpost of the French defences +and called a council of war to help him. For once a +council favoured extreme measures; whereupon Warren sent +in word to Pepperrell, asking for 1,500 Provincials, and +proposing a combined assault immediately. The plan was +that Warren should sail in, past the Island Battery, and +attack the harbour face of Louisbourg with every soldier, +sailor, and ship's gun at his disposal; while Pepperrell +carried the landward face by assault. This plan might +have succeeded, though at considerable loss, if Pepperrell's +whole 4,000 had been effective. But as he then had 1,900 +sick and wounded, and 600 guarding his rear against the +rumoured advance of Marin from Annapolis, it was quite +evident that if he gave Warren another 1,500 he would +have to assault the landward face alone. Under these +circumstances he very sensibly declined to co-operate in +the way Warren had suggested. But he offered 600 men, +both from his army and the transports, for the Vigilant, +whose prize crew would thus be released for duty aboard +their own vessels. Warren, who was just over forty, +replied with some heat. But Pepperrell, who was just under +fifty, kept his temper admirably and carried the day. + +Warren, however, still urged Pepperrell to take some +decisive step. Both fleet and army agreed that a night +attack on the Island Battery was the best alternative to +Warren's impracticable plan. Vaughan jumped at the idea, +hoping to repeat in another way his success against the +Royal Battery. He promised that, if he was given a free +hand, he would send Pepperrell the French flag within +forty-eight hours. But Vaughan was not to lead. The whole +attack was entrusted to men who specially volunteered +for it, and who were allowed to choose their own officers. +A man called Brooks happened to be on the crest of the +wave of camp popularity at the moment; so he was elected +colonel for this great occasion. The volunteers soon +began to assemble at the Royal Battery. But they came in +by driblets, and most of them were drunk. The commandant +of the battery felt far from easy. 'I doubt whether +straggling fellows, three, four, or seven out of a company, +ought to go on such service. They seem to be impatient +for action. If there were a more regular appearance, it +would give me greater sattysfaction.' His misgivings were +amply justified; for the men whom Pepperrell was just +beginning to form into bodies with some kind of cohesion +were once more being allowed to dissolve into the original +armed mob. + +The night of June 7 was dark and calm. A little before +twelve three hundred men, wisely discarding oars, paddled +out from the Royal Battery and met another hundred who +came from Lighthouse Point. The paddles took them along +in silence while they circled the island, looking for +the narrow landing-place, where only three boats could +go abreast between the destroying rocks on which the surf +was breaking. Presently they found the tiny cove, and a +hundred and fifty men landed without being discovered. +But then, with incredible folly, they suddenly announced +their presence by giving three cheers. The French commandant +had cautioned his garrison to be alert, on account of +the unusual darkness; and, at this very moment, he happened +himself to be pacing up and down the rampart overlooking +the spot where the volunteers were expressing their +satisfaction at having surprised him so well. + +His answer was instantaneous and effective. The battery +'blazed with cannon, swivels, and small-arms,' which +fired point-blank at the men ashore and with true aim at +the boats crowded together round the narrow landing-place. +Undaunted though undisciplined, the men ashore rushed at +the walls with their scaling-ladders and began the assault. +The attempt was vain. The first men up the rungs were +shot, stabbed, or cut down. The ladders were smashed or +thrown aside. Not one attacker really got home. Meanwhile +the leading boats in the little cove were being knocked +into splinters by the storm of shot. The rest sheered +off. None but the hundred and fifty men ashore were left +to keep up the fight with the garrison. For once the odds +were entirely with the French, who fired from under +perfect cover, while the unfortunate Provincials fired +back from the open rocks. This exchange of shots went +on till daylight, when one hundred and nineteen Provincials +surrendered at discretion. Their total loss was one +hundred and eighty-nine, nearly half the force employed. + +Despairing Louisbourg naturally made the most of this +complete success. The bells were rung and the cannon were +fired to show the public joy and to put the best face on +the general situation. Du Chambon surpassed himself in +gross exaggerations. He magnified the hundred and fifty +men ashore into a thousand, and the two hundred and fifty +afloat into eight hundred; while he bettered both these +statements by reporting that the whole eighteen hundred +had been destroyed except the hundred and nineteen who +had been taken prisoners. + +Du Chambon's triumph was short-lived. The indefatigable +Provincials began a battery at Lighthouse Point, which +commanded the island at less than half a mile. They had +seized this position some time before and called it +Gorham's Post, after the colonel whose regiment held it. +Fourteen years later there was another and more famous +Gorham's Post, on the south shore of the St Lawrence near +Quebec, opposite Wolfe's Cove. The arming of this battery +was a stupendous piece of work. The guns had to be taken +round by sea, out of range of the Island Battery, hauled +up low but very dangerous cliffs, and then dragged back +overland another mile and a quarter. The directing officer +was Colonel Gridley, who drew the official British maps +and plans of Louisbourg in 1745, and who, thirty years +later, traced the American defences on the slopes of +Bunker's Hill. Du Chambon had attempted to make an attack +on Gorham's Post as soon as it was established. His idea +was that his men should follow the same route as the +British guns had followed--that is, that they should run +the gauntlet between the British fleet and army, land +well north of Gorham's Post, and take it by surprise from +the rear. But his detachment, which was wholly inadequate, +failed to strike its blow, and was itself very nearly +cut off by Warren's guard-boats on its crest-fallen return +to Louisbourg. + +Gridley's Lighthouse Battery soon over-matched the Island +Battery, where powder was getting dangerously scarce. +Many of the French guns were knocked off their mountings, +while the walls were breached. Finally, the British +bombardment became so effective that Frenchmen were seen +running into the water to escape the bursting shells. It +was now past the middle of June, and the siege had lasted +more than a month. The circle of fire was closing in on +the beleaguered garrison. Their total effectives had sunk +to only a thousand men. This thousand laboured harder in +its losing cause than might have been expected. Perhaps +the mutineers hoped to be pardoned if they made a firm +defence. Perhaps the militia thought they ought not to +be outdone by mutineers and hireling foreigners. But, +whatever the reason, great efforts were certainly made +to build up by night what the British knocked down by +day. Two could play at that game, however, and the British +had the men and means to win. Their western batteries +from the land were smashing the walls into ruins. Their +Royal Battery wrecked the whole inner water-front of +Louisbourg. Breaches were yawning elsewhere. British +fascines were visible in large quantities, ready to fill +up the ditch, which was already half full of debris. The +French scouts reported hundreds of scaling-ladders on +the reverse slopes of the nearest hillocks. Warren's +squadron had just been again reinforced, and now numbered +eleven sail, carrying 554 guns and 3,000 men. There was +no sign of help, by land or sea, for shrunken, battered, +and despairing Louisbourg. Food, ammunition, stores were +all running out. Moreover, the British were evidently +preparing a joint attack, which would result in putting +the whole garrison to the sword if a formal surrender +should not be made in time. + +Now that the Island Battery had been silenced there was +no reason why Warren's plan should not be crowned with +complete success. Accordingly he arranged with Pepperrell +to run in with the first fair wind, at the head of the +whole fleet, which, with the Provincial armed vessels, +now numbered twenty-four sail, carried 770 guns, and was +manned by 4,000 sailors. Half these men could be landed +to attack the inner water-front, while Pepperrell could +send another 2,000 against the walls. The total odds +against Louisbourg would thus be about four to one in +men and over eight to one in guns actually engaged. + +But this threatened assault was never made. In the early +morning of June 27 the non-combatants in Louisbourg +unanimously petitioned du Chambon to surrender forthwith. +They crept out of their underground dungeons and gazed +with mortal apprehension at the overwhelming forces that +stood arrayed against their crumbling walls and dwindling +garrison. Noon came, and their worst fears seemed about +to be realized. But when the drums began beating, it was +to a parley, not to arms. A sigh of ineffable relief went +up from the whole of Louisbourg, and every eye followed +the little white flutter of the flag of truce as it neared +that terrible breaching battery opposite the West Gate. +A Provincial officer came out to meet it. The French +officer and he saluted. Then both moved into the British +lines and beyond, to where Warren and Pepperrell were +making their last arrangements on Green Hill. + +After a short consultation the British leaders sent in +a joint reply to say that du Chambon could have till +eight the next morning to make his proposals. These proved +to be so unacceptable that Pepperrell refused to consider +them, and at once sent counter-proposals of his own. Du +Chambon had now no choice between annihilation and +acceptance, so he agreed to surrender Louisbourg the +following day. He was obliged to guarantee that none of +the garrison should bear arms against the British, in +any part of the world, for a whole year. Every one in +Louisbourg was of course promised full protection for +both property and person. Du Chambon's one successful +stipulation was that his troops should march out with +the honours of war, drums beating, bayonets fixed, and +colours flying. Warren and Pepperrell willingly accorded +this on the 28th; and the formal transfer took place next +day, exactly seven weeks since the first eager New +Englanders had waded ashore through the thundering surf +of Gabarus Bay. + +The total losses in killed and wounded were never precisely +determined. Each side minimized its own and maximized +the enemy's. But as du Chambon admitted a loss of one +hundred and forty-five, and as the Provincials claimed +to have put three hundred out of action, the true number +is probably about two hundred, or just over ten per cent +of the whole garrison. The Provincials reported their +own killed, quite correctly, at a hundred. The remaining +deaths, on both sides, were due to disease. The Provincial +wounded were never grouped together in any official +returns. They amounted to about three hundred. This brings +the total casualties in Pepperrell's army up to four +hundred and gives the same percentage as the French. The +highest proportion of casualties among all the different +forces was the fifteen per cent lost by the French on +board the Vigilant in less than five hours' fighting. +The lowest was in Warren's squadron and the Provincial +Marine--about five in each. The loss of material suffered +by the French was, of course, on quite a different scale. +Every fortification and other building in Louisbourg, +with the remarkable exception of a single house, was at +least partly demolished by the nine thousand cannon balls +and six hundred shells that hit the target of a hundred +acres peopled by four thousand souls. + +On the 29th the French marched out with the honours of +war, laid down their arms, and were put under guard as +prisoners, pending their transport to France. Du Chambon +handed the keys to Pepperrell at the South Gate. The +victorious but disgusted Provincials marched in by the +West Gate, and found themselves set to protect the very +houses that they had hoped to plunder. Was it not high +time to recoup themselves for serving as soldiers at +sixpence a day? Great Babylon had fallen, and ought to +be destroyed--of course, with due profit to the destroyers. +There was a regular Louisbourg legend, current in New +England, that stores of goods and money were to be found +in the strong rooms of every house. So we can understand +the indignation of men whose ideas were coloured by +personal contact with smuggling and privateering, and +sometimes with downright piracy, when they were actually +told off as sentries over these mythical hoards of wealth. +One diarist made the following entry immediately after +he had heard the news: 'Sabbath Day, ye 16th June [Old +Style] they came to Termes for us to enter ye Sitty to +morrow, and Poore Termes they Bee too.' Another added +that there was 'a great Noys and hubbub a mongst ye +Solders a bout ye Plunder: Som a Cursing, Som a Swarein.' +Five days later a third indignant Provincial wrote: 'Ye +French keep possession yet, and we are forsed to stand +at their Dores to gard them.' Another sympathetic +chronicler, after pouring out the vials of his wrath on +the clause which guaranteed the protection of French +private property, lamented that 'by these means the poor +souldiers lost all their hopes and just demerit [sic] of +plunder promised them.' + +While Parson Moody was preaching a great thanksgiving +sermon, and all the senior officers were among his +congregation, there was what responsible officials called +'excessive stealing in every part of the Towne.' Had this +stealing really been very 'excessive' no doubt it would +have allayed the grumbling in the camp. But, as a matter +of fact, there was so little to steal that the looters +began to suspect collusion between their leaders and the +French. Another fancied wrong exasperated the Provincials +at this critical time. A rumour ran through the camp that +Warren had forestalled Pepperrell by receiving the keys +himself. Warren was cursed, Pepperrell blamed; and a +mutinous spirit arose. Then it was suddenly discovered +that Pepperrell had put the keys in his pocket. + +Meanwhile the fleet was making haul after haul. When +Pepperrell marched through the battered West Gate, at +the head of his motley army, Warren had led his squadron +into the harbour; and both commanders had saluted the +raising of the Union Jack which marked the change of +ownership. But no sooner had the sound of guns and cheering +died away than the Union Jack was lowered and the French +flag was raised again, both over the citadel of Louisbourg +and over the Island Battery. This stratagem succeeded +beyond Warren's utmost expectations. Several French +vessels were lured into Louisbourg and captured with +stores and men enough to have kept the British out for +some weeks longer. Their cargoes were worth about a +million dollars. Then, just as the naval men were wondering +whether their harvest was over or not, a fine French +frigate made for the harbour quite unsuspectingly, and +only discovered her fatal mistake too late to turn back. +By the irony of circumstances she happened to be called +Notre-Dame de la Delivrance. Among her passengers was +the distinguished man of science, Don Antonio de Ulloa, +on his way to Paris, with all the results of those +explorations in South America which he afterwards embodied +in a famous book of travel. Warren treated him with the +greatest courtesy and promised that all his collections +should be duly forwarded to the Royal Academy of Sciences. +Once this exchange of international amenities had been +ended, however, the usual systematic search began. The +visible cargo was all cocoa. But hidden underneath were +layers and layers of shining silver dollars from Peru; +and, underneath this double million, another two million +dollars' worth of ingots of silver and ingots of gold. + +The contrast between the poverty of Louisbourg, where so +much had been expected, and the rich hauls of prize-money +made by the fleet, was gall and wormwood to the Provincials. +But their resentment was somewhat tempered by Warren's +genial manner towards them. Warren was at home with all +sorts and conditions of men. His own brother-officers, +statesmen and courtiers, distinguished strangers like +Ulloa, and colonial merchants like Pepperrell, were +equally loud in his praise. With the lesser and much more +easily offended class of New Englanders found in the +ranks he was no less popular. A rousing speech, in which +he praised the magnificently stubborn work accomplished +by 'my wife's fellow-countrymen,' a hearty generosity +all round, and a special hogshead of the best Jamaica +rum for the garrison of the Royal Battery, won him a +great deal of goodwill, in spite of the fact that his +'Admiral's eighth' of the naval prize-money amounted to +some sixty thousand pounds, while Pepperrell found himself +ten thousand pounds out of pocket at the end of the siege. + +Pepperrell, however, was a very rich man, for those +colonial days; and he could well afford to celebrate the +fall of Louisbourg by giving the chief naval and military +officers a dinner, the fame of which will never fade away +from some New England memories. Everything went off +without a hitch. But, as the hour approached, there was +a growing anxiety, on the part of both host and guests, +as to whether or not the redoubtable Parson Moody would +keep them listening to his grace till all the meats got +cold. He was well known for the length, as well as for +the strength, of his discourses. He had once denounced +the Devil in a grace of forty minutes. So what was the +surprised delight of his fellow-revellers when he hardly +kept them standing longer than as many seconds. 'Good +Lord!' he said, 'we have so much to thank Thee for, that +Time will be too short. Therefore we must leave it for +Eternity. Bless our food and fellowship on this joyful +occasion, for the sake of Christ our Lord. Amen!' + +News of the victory was sent at once to Boston. The vessel +bearing it arrived in the middle of the night. But long +before the summer sun was up the streets were filled with +shouts of triumph, while the church bells rang in peals +of exultation, and all the guns and muskets in the place +were fired as fast as men could load them. + +The mother country's joy was less exuberant. There were +so many other things to think of nearer home; among them +the British defeat at Fontenoy and the landing of the +Young Pretender. Nor was the actual victory without alloy; +for prescient people feared that a practically independent +colonial army had been encouraged to become more independent +still. And who can say the fear was groundless? Louisbourg +really did serve to blood New Englanders for Bunker's +Hill. But, in spite of this one drawback, the news was +welcomed, partly because any victory was welcome at such +a time, and partly because the fall of Louisbourg was a +signal assertion of British sea-power on both sides of +the Atlantic. + +London naturally made overmuch of Warren's share, just +as Boston made overmuch of Pepperrell's. But the Imperial +government itself perfectly understood that the fleet +and the army were each an indispensable half of one +co-operating whole. Warren was promoted rear-admiral of +the blue, the least that could be given him. Pepperrell +received much higher honours. He was made a baronet and, +like Shirley, was given the colonelcy of a regiment which +was to bear his name. Such 'colonelcies' do not imply +the actual command of men, but are honorary distinctions +of which even kings and conquerors are proud. Nor was +the Provincial Marine forgotten. Rous, of the Shirley, +was sent to England with dispatches, and was there made +a post-captain in the Royal Navy for his gallantry in +action against the Vigilant. He afterwards enjoyed a +distinguished career and died an admiral. It was in his +ship, the Sutherland, that Wolfe wrote the final orders +for the Battle of the Plains fourteen years after this +first siege of Louisbourg. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE LINK RECOVERED +1748 + +Louisbourg was the most thoroughly hated place in all +America. The French government hated it as Napoleon hated +the Peninsula, because it was a drain on their resources. +The British government hated it because it cut into their +oversea communications. The American colonists hated it +because it was a standing menace to their ambitious +future. And every one who had to live in it--no matter +whether he was French or British, European or American, +naval or military, private or official--hated it as only +exiles can. + +But perhaps even exiled Frenchmen detested it less heartily +than the disgusted Provincials who formed its garrison +from the summer of 1745 to the spring of the following +year. Warren and Pepperrell were obliged to spend half +their time in seeing court-martial justice done. The +bluejackets fretted for some home port in which to enjoy +their plentiful prize-money. The Provincials fretted for +home at any cost. They were angry at being kept on duty +at sixpence a day after the siege was over. They chafed +against the rules about looting, as well as against what +they thought the unjust difference between the million +sterling that had been captured at sea, under full official +sanction, and the ridiculous collection of odds and ends +that could be stolen on land, at the risk of pains and +penalties. Imagine the rage of the sullen Puritan, even +if he had a sense of humour, when, after hearing a +bluejacket discussing plans for spending a hundred golden +guineas, he had to make such entries in his diary as +these of Private Benjamin Crafts: 'Saturday. Recd a +half-pint of Rum to Drinke ye King's Health. The Lord +look upon Us and prepare us for His Holy Day. Sunday. +Blessed be the Lord that has given us to enjoy another +Sabath. Monday. Last Night I was taken verry Bad. The +Lord be pleased to strengthen my Inner Man. May we all +be Prepared for his Holy Will. Recd part of Plunder--9 +Small tooth combs.' + +No wonder there was trouble in plenty. The routine of a +small and uncongenial station is part of a regular's +second nature, though a very disagreeable part. But it +maddens militiamen when the stir of active service is +past and they think they are being kept on such duty +overtime. The Massachusetts men had the worst pay and +the best ringleaders, so they were the first to break +out openly. One morning they fell in without their +officers, marched on to the general parade, and threw +their muskets down. This was a dramatic but ineffectual +form of protest, because nearly all the muskets were the +private property of the men themselves, who soon came +back to take their favourite weapons up again. One of +their most zealous chaplains, however, was able to enter +in his diary, perhaps not without a qualm, but certainly +not without a proper pride in New England spirit, the +remark of a naval officer 'that he had thought the New +England men were cowards--But that Now he thought that +if they had a Pick ax and Spade they would digg ye way +to Hell and storm it.' + +The only relief from the deadly monotony and loneliness +of Louisbourg was to be found in the bad bargains and +worse entertainment offered by the camp-followers, who +quickly gathered, like a flock of vultures, to pick the +carcass to the bone. There were few pickings to be had, +but these human parasites held on until the bones were +bare. Of course, they gave an inordinate amount of trouble. +They always do. But well-organized armies keep them in +their place; while militiamen can not. + +Between the camp-followers and the men Pepperrell was +almost driven mad. He implored Shirley to come and see +things for himself. Shirley came. He arrived at the end +of August accompanied both by his own wife and by Warren's. +He delivered a patriotic speech, in which he did not +stint his praise of what had really been a great and +notable achievement. His peroration called forth some +genuine enthusiasm. It began with a promise to raise the +pay of the Massachusetts contingent by fifteen shillings +a month, and ended with free rum all round and three +cheers for the king. The prospect thereupon brightened +a little. The mutineers kept quiet for several days, and +a few men even agreed to re-enlist until the following +June. Shirley was very much pleased with the immediate +result, and still more pleased with himself. His next +dispatch assured the Duke of Newcastle that nobody else +could have quelled the incipient mutiny so well. Nor was +the boast, in one sense, vain, since nobody else had the +authority to raise the men's pay. + +But discontent again became rife when it began to dawn +on the Provincials that they would have to garrison +Louisbourg till the next open season. The unwelcome truth +was that, except for a few raw recruits, no reliefs were +forthcoming from any quarter. The promised regulars had +left Gibraltar so late that they had to be sent to Virginia +for the winter, lest the sudden change to cold and clammy +Louisbourg should put them on the sick list. The two new +regiments, Shirley's and Pepperrell's, which were to be +recruited in the American colonies and form part of the +Imperial Army, could not be raised in time. There even +seemed to be some doubt as to whether they could be raised +at all. The absence of Pepperrell from New England, the +hatred of garrison duty in Louisbourg, and resentment at +seeing some Englishmen commissioned to command Americans, +were three great obstacles in the way. The only other +resource was the colonial militia, whose waifs and strays +alone could be induced to enlist. + +Thus, once the ice began to form, the despairing Provincial +garrison saw there could be no escape. The only discharge +was death. What were then known as camp fevers had already +broken out in August. As many as twenty-seven funerals +in a single day passed by the old lime-kiln on the desolate +point beyond the seaward walls of Louisbourg. 'After we +got into the Towne, a sordid indolence or Sloth, for want +of Discipline, induced putrid fevers and dyssentrys, +which at length became contagious, and the people died +like rotten sheep.' Medical men were ignorant and few. +Proper attendance was wholly lacking. But the devotion +of the Puritan chaplains, rivalling that of the early +Jesuits, ran through those awful horrors like a thread +of gold. Here is a typical entry of one day's pastoral +care: 'Prayed at Hospital. Prayed at Citadel. Preached +at Grand Batery. Visited [a long list of names] all verry +Sick. [More names] Dy'd. Am but poorly myself, but able +to keep about.' + +No survivor ever forgot the miseries of that dire winter +in cold and clammy Louisbourg. When April brought the +Gibraltar regiments from Virginia, Pepperrell sent in to +Shirley his general report on the three thousand men with +whom he had begun the autumn. Barely one thousand were +fit for duty. Eleven hundred lay sick and suffering in +the ghastly hospital. Eight hundred and ninety lay buried +out on the dreary tongue of land between the lime-pit +and the fog-bound, ice-encumbered sea. + +Warren took over the command of all the forces, as he +had been appointed governor of Louisbourg by the king's +commission. Shirley had meanwhile been revolving new +plans, this time for the complete extirpation of the +French in Canada during the present summer of 1746. He +suggested that Warren should be the naval joint commander, +and Warren, of course, was nothing loth. + +Massachusetts again rose grandly to the situation. She +voted 3,500 men, with a four pound sterling bounty to +each one of them. New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode +Island followed well. New York and New Jersey did less +in proportion. Maryland did less still. Virginia would +only pass a lukewarm vote for a single hundred men. +Pennsylvania, as usual, refused to do anything at all. +The legislature was under the control of the Quakers, +who, when it came to war, were no better than parasites. +upon the body politic. They never objected to enjoying +the commercial benefits of conquest; any more than they +objected to living on land which could never have been +either won or held without the arms they reprobated. But +their principles forbade them to face either the danger +or expense of war. The honour of the other Pennsylvanians +was, however, nobly saved by a contingent of four hundred, +raised as a purely private venture. Altogether, the new +Provincial army amounted to over 8,000 men. + +The French in Canada were thoroughly alarmed. Rumour had +magnified the invading fleet and army till, in July, the +Acadians reported the combined forces, British regulars +included, at somewhere between forty and fifty thousand. +But the alarm proved groundless. The regulars were sent +on an abortive expedition against the coast of France, +while the Duke of Newcastle ordered Shirley to discharge +the 'very expensive' Provincials, who were now in Imperial +pay, 'as cheap as possible.' This was then done, to the +intense disgust of the colonies concerned. New York and +Massachusetts, however, were so loth to give up without +striking a single blow that they raised a small force, +on their own account, to take Crown Point and gain control +of Lake Champlain. [Footnote: An account of this expedition +will be found in Chapter ii of 'The War Chief of the Six +Nations' in this Series.] + +Before October came the whole of the colonies were +preparing for a quiet winter, except that it was to be +preceded by the little raid on Crown Point, when, quite +suddenly, astounding news arrived from sea. This was that +the French had sent out a regular armada to retake +Louisbourg and harry the coast to the south. Every ship +brought in further and still more alarming particulars. +The usual exaggerations gained the usual credence. But +the real force, if properly handled and combined, was +dangerous enough. It consisted of fourteen sail of the +line and twenty-one frigates, with transports carrying +over three thousand veteran troops; altogether, about +17,000 men, or more than twice as many as those in the +contingents lately raised for taking Canada. + +New York and Massachusetts at once recalled their Crown +Point expeditions. Boston was garrisoned by 8,000 men. +All the provinces did their well-scared best. There was +no danger except along the coast; for there were enough +armed men to have simply mobbed to death any three thousand +Frenchmen who marched into the hostile continent, which +would engulf them if they lost touch with the fleet, and +wear them out if they kept communications open. Those +who knew anything of war knew this perfectly well; and +they more than half suspected that the French force had +been doubled or trebled by the panic-mongers. But the +panic spread, and spread inland, for all that. No British +country had ever been so thoroughly alarmed since England +had watched the Great Armada sailing up the Channel. + +The poets and preachers quickly changed their tune. Ames's +Almanac for 1746 had recently edified Bostonians with a +song of triumph over fallen Louisbourg: + + Bright Hesperus, the Harbinger of Day, + Smiled gently down on Shirley's prosperous sway, + The Prince of Light rode in his burning car, + To see the overtures of Peace and War + Around the world, and bade his charioteer, + Who marks the periods of each month and year, + Rein in his steeds, and rest upon High Noon + To view our Victory over Cape Brittoon. + +But now the Reverend Thomas Prince's litany, rhymed by +a later bard, summed up the gist of all the supplications +that ascended from the Puritans: + + O Lord! We would not advise; + But if, in Thy Providence, + A Tempest should arise, + To drive the French fleet hence, + And scatter it far and wide, + Or sink it in the sea, + We should be satisfied, + And Thine the Glory be. + +Strange to say, this pious suggestion had been mostly +answered before it had been made. Disaster after disaster +fell upon the doomed French fleet from the very day it +sailed. The admiral was the Duc d'Anville, one of the +illustrious La Rochefoucaulds, whose family name is known +wherever French is read. He was not wanting either in +courage or good sense; but, like his fleet, he had little +experience at sea. The French ships, as usual, were better +than the British. But the French themselves were a nation +of landsmen. They had no great class of seamen to draw +upon at will, a fact which made an average French crew +inferior to an average British one. This was bad enough. +But the most important point of all was that their fleets +were still worse than their single ships. The British +always had fleets at sea, constantly engaged in combined +manoeuvres. The French had not; and, in face of the +British command of the sea, they could not have them. +The French harbours were watched so closely that the +French fleets were often attacked and defeated before +they had begun to learn how to work together. Consequently, +they found it still harder to unite two different fleets +against their almost ubiquitous enemy. + +D'Anville's problem was insoluble from the start, Four +large men-of-war from the West Indies were to join him +at Chibucto Bay, now the harbour of Halifax, under Admiral +Conflans, the same who was defeated by Hawke in Quiberon +Bay thirteen years later, on the very day that Wolfe was +buried. Each contributory part of the great French naval +plan failed in the working out. D'Anville's command was +a collection of ships, not a co-ordinated fleet. The +French dockyards had been neglected; so some of the ships +were late, which made it impossible to practise manoeuvres +before sailing for the front. Then, in the bungling hurry +of fitting out, the hulls of several vessels were left +foul, which made them dull sailers; while nearly all the +holds were left unscoured, which, of course, helped to +propagate the fevers, scurvy, plague, and pestilence +brought on by bad food badly stowed. Nor was this all. +Officers who had put in so little sea time with working +fleets were naturally slack and inclined to be discontented. +The fact that they were under sealed orders, which had +been communicated only to d'Anville, roused their suspicions +while his weakness in telling them they were bound for +Louisbourg almost produced a mutiny. + +The fleet left France at midsummer, had a very rough +passage through the Bay of Biscay, and ran into a long, +dead calm off the Azores. This ended in a storm, during +which several vessels were struck by lightning, which, +in one case, caused a magazine explosion that killed and +wounded over thirty men. It was not till the last week +of September that d'Anville made the excellently safe +harbour of Halifax. The four ships under Conflans were +nowhere to be seen. They had reached the rendezvous at +the beginning of the month, had cruised about for a couple +of weeks, and had then gone home. D'Anville was now in +no position to attack Louisbourg, much less New England. +Some of his vessels were quite unserviceable. There was +no friendly port nearer than Quebec. All his crews were +sickly; and the five months' incessant and ever-increasing +strain had changed him into a broken-hearted man. He died +very suddenly, in the middle of the night; some said from +a stroke of apoplexy, while others whispered suicide. + +His successor, d'Estournel, summoned a council of war, +which overruled the plan for an immediate return to +France. Presently a thud, followed by groans of mortal +agony, was heard in the new commander's cabin. The door +was burst open, and he was found dying from the thrust +of his own sword. La Jonquiere, afterwards governor-general +of Canada, thereupon succeeded d'Estournel. This commander, +the third within three days, was an excellent naval +officer and a man of strong character. He at once set to +work to reorganize the fleet. But reorganization was now +impossible. Storms wrecked the vessels. The plague killed +off the men: nearly three thousand had died already. Only +a single thousand, one-tenth of the survivors, were really +fit for duty. Yet La Jonquiere still persisted in sailing +for Annapolis. One vessel was burned, while four others +were turned into hospital ships, which trailed astern, +dropping their dead overside, hour after hour, as they +went. + +But Annapolis was never attacked. The dying fleet turned +back and at last reached Port Louis, on the coast of +Brittany. There it found La Palme, a frigate long since +given up for lost, lying at anchor, after a series of +adventures that seem wellnigh impossible. First her crew's +rations had been cut down to three ounces a day. Then +the starving men had eaten all the rats in her filthy +hold; and when rats failed they had proposed to eat their +five British prisoners. The captain did his best to +prevent this crowning horror. But the men, who were now +ungovernable, had already gone below to cut up one prisoner +into three-ounce rations, when they were brought on deck +again, just in time, by the welcome cry of sail-ho! The +Portuguese stranger fortunately proved to have some sheep, +which were instantly killed and eaten raw. + +News of these disasters to the French arms at length +reached the anxious British colonies. The militia were +soon discharged. The danger seemed past. And the whole +population spent a merrier Christmas than any one of them +had dared to hope for. + +In May of the next year, 1747, La Jonquiere again sailed +for Louisbourg. But when he was only four days out he +was overtaken off Cape Finisterre by a superior British +fleet, under Anson and Warren, and was totally defeated, +after a brave resistance. + +In 1748 the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle gave Louisbourg +back to the French. The British colonies were furious, +New England particularly so. But the war at large had +not gone severely enough against the French to force them +to abandon a stronghold on which they had set their +hearts, and for which they were ready to give up any fair +equivalent. The contemporary colonial sneer, often repeated +since, and quite commonly believed, was that 'the important +island of Cape Breton was exchanged for a petty factory +in India.' This was not the case. Every power was weary +of the war. But France was ready to go on with it rather +than give up her last sea link with Canada. Unless this +one point was conceded the whole British Empire would +have been involved in another vast, and perhaps quite +barren, campaign. The only choice the British negotiators +could apparently make was a choice between two evils. +And of the two they chose the less. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +LOST FOR EVER +1758 + +The ten years of the second French regime in Louisbourg +were divided into very different halves. During the first +five years, from 1749 to 1753, the mighty rivals were as +much at peace, all over their conflicting frontiers, as +they ever had been in the past. But from 1754 to 1758 a +great and, this time, a decisive war kept drawing +continually nearer, until its strangling coils at last +crushed Louisbourg to death. + +Three significant events marked 1749, the first of the +five peaceful years. Louisbourg was handed over to its +new French garrison; the British founded Halifax; and +the Imperial government indemnified New England in full +for the siege of 1745. Halifax was intended partly as a +counterpoise to Louisbourg, and partly as a place-d'armes +for one of the two local footholds of British sea-power, +Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, which, between them, narrowed +the French line of communication with Canada into a single +precarious strait. The New England indemnity was meant, +in the first instance, to be a payment for service done. +But it was also intended to soften colonial resentment +at the giving up of Louisbourg. A specially gracious +royal message was sent to 'The Council and Assembly' of +Massachusetts, assuring them, 'in His Majesty's name, +that their conduct will always entitle them, in a particular +manner, to his Royal favour and protection.' This message, +however, did not reconcile the Provincial army to the +disappointment of their own expectations. Nor did it +dispose the colonies in general to be any the more amenable +to government from London. They simply regarded the +indemnity as the skinflint payment of an overdue debt, +and the message as no more than the thanks they had well +deserved. But the money was extremely welcome to people +who would have been bankrupt without it. Nearly a quarter +of a million sterling was sent out in 217 cases of Spanish +dollars and 100 barrels of coppers, which were driven +through the streets of Boston in 27 trucks. + +The next three years in Louisbourg were completely +uneventful. The town resumed its former life, but in a +still more makeshift fashion. Nobody knew how long the +truce would last; and nobody wanted to take root +commercially in a place that might experience another +violent change at any time. Nevertheless, smuggling +flourished as vigorously as before. British shipping did +most of it. Many vessels came from England, many from +Boston, some, and very active ones, from Halifax. Joshua +Mauger smuggled from France to Louisbourg, from Louisbourg +to 'Mauger's Beach' near Halifax, and from Halifax all +over Acadia and the adjacent colonies. He also supplied +the Micmacs with scalping-knives and tomahawks for use +against his own countrymen. He died, a very rich man, in +England, leaving his fortune to his daughter, who, with +her spendthrift husband, the Duc de Bouillon, was +guillotined during the French Revolution. + +The officials were naturally affected by the same +uncertainty, which made them more than ever determined +to get rich and go home. The intendant Bigot was promoted +to Quebec, there to assist his country's enemies by the +worst corruption ever known in Canada. But the new +intendant, Prevost, though a man of very inferior talent, +did his best to follow Bigot's lead. + +French regulars still regarded the Louisbourg routine as +their most disgusting duty. But it became more tolerable +with the increase of the garrison. The fortifications +were examined, reported on, repaired, and extended. The +engineers, like all the other Frenchmen connected with +unhappy Louisbourg, Bigot alone excepted, were second- +and third-rate men; and the actual work was done as badly +as before. But, on the whole, the place was strengthened, +especially by a battery near the lighthouse. With this +and the Island Battery, one on either side of the narrow +entrance, which the Royal Battery faced directly, almost +a hundred guns could be brought to bear on any vessels +trying to force their way in. + +The end of the five years' truce was marked by voluminous +reports and elaborate arguments to prove how well Louisbourg +was being governed, how admirably the fortifications had +been attended to (with the inadequate means at the +intendant's disposal), and how desirable it was, from +every point of view, for the king to spend a great deal +more money all round in the immediate future. Fisheries, +shipbuilding, fortification, Indians, trade, religion, +the naval and military situation, were all represented +as only needing more money to become quite perfect. +Louisbourg was correctly enough described as an +indispensable link between France and the long chain of +French posts in the valleys of the Mississippi and the +St Lawrence. But less well explained in America and less +well understood in Europe was the fact that the separate +military chains in Old France and New could never hold +an oversea dominion unless a naval chain united them. +Some few Frenchmen understood this thoroughly. But most +did not. And France, as a whole, hoped that a vigorous +offensive on land would more than counterbalance whatever +she might lose by an enforced defensive on the sea. + +In 1754 Washington's first shot beyond the Alleghanies +broke the hollow truce between the French and British +colonies, whose lines of expansion had once more inevitably +crossed each other's path. This proved to be the beginning +of the last 'French and Indian War' in American history, +of that 'British Conquest of Canada' which formed part +of what contemporary Englishmen called the 'Maritime +War,' and of that great military struggle which continental +Europe called the 'Seven Years' War.' + +The year 1755 saw Braddock's Defeat in the west, the +battle of Lake George in the centre, and two pregnant +events in the east, one on either side of Louisbourg--the +expulsion of the Acadians, and the capture by Boscawen +of two French men-of-war with several hundred soldiers +who were to reinforce the army that was soon to be +commanded by Montcalm. + +The next year, 1756, saw the formal declaration of war +in Europe, its continued prosecution in America, and the +taking of Oswego, which was the first of Montcalm's four +victories against the overwhelming British. But Louisbourg +still remained untouched. + +Not till 1757 was the first attempt made to break this +last sea link with France. There was a very natural +anxiety, among the British on both sides of the Atlantic, +to do conspicuously well against Louisbourg. Fort Necessity, +Braddock's Defeat, and Montcalm's daring capture of +Oswego, coming with cumulative effect, in three successive +campaigns, had created a feeling of bitter disappointment +in America; while the Black Hole of Calcutta; the loss +of Minorca, and, worse still, Byng's failure to bring a +British fleet into decisive action, had wounded the +national pride in England. + +But 1757 turned out to be no better than its disconcerting +predecessors. True, England's ally, Frederick the Great, +won consummate victories at Rossbach and at Leuthen. But +that was at the end of a very desperate campaign. True, +also, that Clive won Plassey and took Chandernagore. But +those were far away from English-speaking homes; while +heavy reverses close at hand brought down the adverse +balance. Pitt, the greatest of all civilian ministers of +War, was dismissed from office and not reinstated till +the British Empire had been without a cabinet for eleven +weeks. The French overran the whole of Hanover and rounded +up the Duke of Cumberland at Kloster-Seven. Mordaunt and +his pettifogging councils of war turned the joint expedition +against Rochefort into a complete fiasco; while Montcalm +again defeated the British in America by taking Fort +William Henry. + +The taking of Louisbourg would have been a very welcome +victory in the midst of so much gloom. But the British +were engaged in party strife at home. They were disunited +in America. And neither the naval nor the military leader +of the joint expedition against Louisbourg was the proper +man to act either alone or with his colleague. Speed was +of prime importance. Yet Admiral Holbourne did not sail +from England for Halifax till May. General the Earl of +Loudoun was slower yet. He drew in the troops from the +northern frontier, concentrated them in New York, and +laid an embargo on shipping to keep a secret which was +already out. Finally, he and Sir Charles Hardy sailed +for Halifax to keep their rendezvous with Holbourne, from +whom no news had come. They arrived there before him; +but his fleet came limping in during the next ten days, +after a bad buffeting on its transatlantic voyage. + +Loudoun now had nearly 12,000 men, whom he landed and +drilled' throughout July. His preparations were so +meticulously careful that they even included a vegetable +garden, which, though an excellent precaution in its own +way, ought to have been left to the commandant of the +base. So thought Sir Charles Hay, who was put under arrest +for saying that all the money was being spent in fighting +sham battles and planting out cabbages. However, a +reconnaissance of Louisbourg had been made by Gorham of +the Rangers, whose very imperfect report induced Holbourne +and Loudoun to get ready to sail. But, just as they were +preparing to begin, too late, a Newfoundland vessel came +in with captured French dispatches which showed that +Admiral La Motte had united his three squadrons in +Louisbourg harbour, where he was at anchor with twenty-two +ships of the line and several frigates, the whole carrying +1,360 guns. This was correct. But the garrison was +exaggerated by at least a third in the same dispatch, +which estimated it as numbering over 7000 men. + +The lateness of the season, the strength of the French, +and the practical certainty of failing to take Louisbourg +by forcing the attack home at any cost, were very sensibly +held, under existing circumstances, to be sufficient +cause for withdrawing the army. The fleet, however, sailed +north, in the hope of inducing La Motte to come out for +a battle in the open. But, at that particular juncture, +La Motte was right not to risk decisive action. A week +later he was equally wrong to refuse it. Holbourne's +fleet had been dispersed by a September hurricane of +extraordinary violence. One ship became a total wreck. +Nine were dismasted. Several had to throw their guns +overboard. None was fit for immediate service. But La +Motte did not even reconnoitre, much less annihilate, +his helpless enemy. + +Pitt returned to power at the end of June 1757, in time +to plan a world-wide campaign for 1758, though not in +time to choose the best commanders and to change the +whole course of the war. This became possible only in +the Empire Year of 1759. The English-speaking peoples +have nearly always begun their great wars badly, and have +gradually worked up to a climax of victory after being +stung into proper leadership and organization by several +exasperating failures; and though now in the third year +of their most momentous struggle for oversea dominion, +they were not even yet altogether prepared. + +Nevertheless, Pitt wielded the amphibious might of Britain +with a master hand. Sea-power, mercantile and naval, +enabled him to 'command the riches of the world' and +become the paymaster of many thousand Prussians under +Frederick the Great and Ferdinand of Brunswick. He also +sent a small British army to the Continent. But he devoted +his chief attention to working out a phase of the 'Maritime +War' which included India on one flank and the Canadian +frontiers on the other. Sometimes with, and sometimes +without, a contingent from the Army, the British Navy +checkmated, isolated, or defeated the French in Europe, +Asia, Africa, and America. + +The preliminary isolation of Louisbourg was a particularly +effective stroke of naval strategy. Even before 1758 +began the first French fleet that left for Louisbourg +had been shadowed from Toulon and had been shut up in +Cartagena. A second French fleet was then sent to help +the first one out. But it was attacked on the way and +totally defeated. In April the first fleet made another +attempt to sail; but it was chased into Rochefort by +Hawke and put out of action for the rest of the campaign. +The third French fleet did manage to reach Louisbourg. +But its admiral, du Chaffault, rightly fearing annihilation +in the harbour there, and wishing to keep some touch +between Old France and New, sailed for Quebec with most +of his best ships. + +Quebec and the rest of Canada were themselves on the +defensive; for Abercromby was leading 15,000 men--the +largest single army America had ever seen--straight up +the line of Lake Champlain. Montcalm defeated him at +Ticonderoga in July. But that gave no relief to Louisbourg; +because the total British forces threatening the Canadian +inland frontier were still quite strong enough to keep +the French on the strict defensive. + +Thus Louisbourg was completely isolated, both by land +and sea. It was stronger and more extensive than during +the first siege. It had a better governor, Drucour, a +better and a larger garrison, more food and ammunition, +and, what it formerly lacked altogether, the support of +a considerable fleet. Drucour was a gallant soldier. His +garrison numbered nearly 3,000 effective regulars, with +about 1,000 militiamen and some 500 Indians. Seventeen +mortars and over two hundred cannon were mounted on the +walls, as well as on the outworks at the Royal, Island, +and Lighthouse Batteries. There were thirteen vessels in +the fleet, mounting 590 guns, and carrying over 3,500 +men. This made the French grand total about 800 guns and +8,000 men. But not all these were really effective. Ships +at anchor lose a good deal of their fighting value. Crews +are less efficient when ashore than when they are afloat; +and the French ships were mostly fought at anchor, while +the crews were gradually landed for the defence of the +crowded little town. Then, the Indians were comparatively +useless in a fort. The militia were not good soldiers +anywhere. Moreover, the three kinds of regulars--French, +Canadian, and foreign--did not get on very well together; +while the fleet, as a whole, got on no better with the +army as a whole. + +The British amphibious force presented a striking contrast +to this. Its naval and military parts worked together +like the two branches of one United Service. The Army +and Navy naturally understood each other better than the +two services of less amphibious countries; and when a +statesman like Pitt and a first lord of the Admiralty +like Anson were together at headquarters there was no +excuse for misunderstandings at the front. Boscawen and +Amherst, both distinguished members of distinguished +Service families, were the best of colleagues. Boscawen +had somewhat over, Amherst a little under, 12,000 men. +Boscawen's fleet comprised 39 sail, from a 90-gun ship +of the line down to a 12-gun sloop. The British grand +total therefore exceeded Drucour's by over three to one, +counting mere numbers alone. If expert efficiency be +taken, for the sake of a more exact comparison, it is +not too much to say that the odds in favour of the British +personnel and armament were really four to one. + +On the other hand, the French had the walls of Louisbourg +to redress the balance in their favour. These walls were +the crucial factor in the problem. Both sides knew they +were far from being impregnable. But how long could they +withstand a regular siege? If for only one month, then +they were useless as a protection to Quebec. If for two +months, then Quebec and New France were safe until the +following year. + +Boscawen left England in February. Amherst followed +separately. One of the three brigadier-generals in +Amherst's army was Wolfe, of whom we shall hear more +presently. The rendezvous was Halifax, where boat work +and landing exercises were sedulously carried out by the +troops. Towards the end of May Boscawen sailed out of +Halifax, though Amherst had not yet arrived. They met at +sea. The Dublin, which had brought Amherst across so +slowly, then 'went very sickly into Halifax,' while +Amherst joined Boscawen, and the whole fleet and convoy +bore away for Louisbourg. The French had been expecting +them for at least a month; as scouts kept appearing almost +every day, while Hardy's squadron of nine sail had been +maintaining a sort of open blockade. + +On the night of June 1 the French look-outs in Gabarus +Bay saw more lights than usual to the southward. Next +morning Louisbourg was early astir, anxiously eager to +catch the first glimpse of this great destroying armada, +which for several expectant hours lay invisible and dread +behind a curtain of dense fog. Then a light sea breeze +came in from the Atlantic. The curtain drew back at its +touch. And there, in one white, enormous crescent, all +round the deep-blue offing, stood the mighty fleet, +closing in for the final death-grip on its prey. + +Nearly a whole week went by before the British landed. +Each day the scouting boats and vessels stood in as close +as possible along the shore. But they always found the +smashing surf too high. At last, on the 8th, the whole +army put off in three brigades of boats, supported by +the frigates, which fired at the French defences. All +three landing-places were threatened simultaneously, +White Point, Flat Point, and Kennington Cove. These +landing-places were, respectively, one, two, and four +miles west of Louisbourg. The intervening ground mostly +hid them from the ramparts, and they had to depend upon +their own defences. Drucour had sent out two-thirds of +his garrison to oppose the landing. Each point was +protected by artillery and entrenchments. Eight guns were +mounted and a thousand men stood guard over the quarter-mile +of beach which lay between the two little surf-lashed +promontories of Kennington Cove. But Wolfe's brigade made +straight for shore. The French held their fire until the +leading boats were well within short musket-shot. Then +they began so furiously that Wolfe, whose tall, lank +figure was most conspicuous as he stood up in the +stern-sheets, waved his cane to make the boats sheer off. + +It looked as if the first successful landing would have +to be made elsewhere, a bitter disappointment to this +young and ardent brigadier, whose command included the +pick of the grenadiers, light infantry, and Highlanders. +But three boatloads of light infantry pushed on against +the inner point of the cove. Perhaps their officers turned +their blind eye on Wolfe's signal, as Nelson did on +Parker's recall at Copenhagen. But, whatever the reason, +these three boats went in smash against the rocks and +put their men ashore, drenched to the skin. Major Scott, +commanding the light infantry and rangers, followed them +at once. Then Wolfe, seeing they had gained a foothold +where the point afforded them a little cover, signalled +the whole brigade to land there in succession. He pushed +his own boat through, jumped in waist-deep, and waded +ashore. + +This sudden change, quite unexpected by either friend or +foe, greatly disconcerted the French. They attacked Major +Scott, who withstood them with a handful of men till +reinforcements came clambering up the rocks behind him. +With these reinforcements came Wolfe, who formed the men +into line and carried the nearest battery with the bayonet. +The remaining French, seeing that Wolfe had effected a +lodgment on their inner flank, were so afraid of being +cut off from Louisbourg that they ran back and round +towards the next position at Flat Point. But before they +reached it they saw its own defenders running back, +because the British were also landing at White Point. +Here too the defences were abandoned as soon as the little +garrison found itself faced by greatly superior numbers +afloat and deserted by its fellow-garrisons ashore. The +retreating French kept up a sort of running fight till +they got under the covering fire of Louisbourg, when the +pursuing British immediately drew off. + +Considering the number of boats that were stove and the +intensity of the first French fire, the British loss was +remarkably small, only one hundred and nine killed, +wounded, and drowned. The French loss was still less; +but, in view of the difference between the respective +grand totals, it was a good deal heavier in proportion. + +That night the glare of a big fire inside the harbour +showed that Drucour felt too weak to hold the Royal +Battery. Unlike his incompetent predecessor, however, he +took away everything movable that could be turned to good +account in Louisbourg; and he left the works a useless +ruin. The following day he destroyed and abandoned the +battery at Lighthouse Point. Thus two fortifications +were given up, one of them for the second time, before +a single shot had been fired either from or against them. +Time, labour, and expense had all gone for worse than +nothing, as the positions were at once used by the enemy +on each occasion. The wasted expense was of the usual +kind-one half spent on inferior construction, the other +pocketed by the Louisbourg officials. Drucour himself +was not at all to blame, either for the way the works +were built or the way in which they had to be abandoned. +With odds of more than three to one against him, he had +no men to spare for trying to keep the British at arm's +length. + +Amherst pitched his camp in a crescent two miles long, +facing Louisbourg two miles off. His left overlooked the +French squadron in the south-west harbour next to Louisbourg +at the distance of a mile. His right rested on Flat Point. +Thus Louisbourg itself was entirely surrounded both by +land and sea; for the gaps left at the Royal Battery and +Lighthouse Point were immediately seized by the British. +Wolfe marched round the harbour on the 12th with 1,300 +infantry and a strong detachment of artillery. The guns +for the Royal Battery and other points inside the harbour +were hauled into place by teams of about a hundred men +each. Those for Lighthouse Point were sent round by sea, +landed, with immense difficulty, more than a mile distant +on the rock-bound shore, hauled up the cliff, and then +dragged back over the roughest of ground to the battery. +It was, in fact, a repetition of what the American +militiamen had done in 1745. Wolfe worked incessantly, +directing and encouraging his toiling men. The bluejackets +seconded his efforts by doing even harder work. Their +boats were often stove, and a catamaran was wrecked with +a brass twenty-four pounder on board. But nothing could +stop the perfect co-operation between the two halves of +the single United Service. 'The Admiral and General,' +wrote Wolfe, 'have carried on the public service with +great harmony, industry, and union. Mr Boscawen has given +all, and even more than we could ask of him. He has +furnished arms and ammunition, pioneers, sappers, miners, +gunners, carpenters, and boats.' + +While Wolfe was doing his eight days' work of preparation +at the Lighthouse Battery, between the 12th and the 20th, +Amherst, whose favourite precept was 'slow and sure,' +was performing an even more arduous task by building a +road from Flat Point to where he intended to make his +trenches. This road meandered over the least bad line +that could be found in that country of alternate rock, +bog, sand, scrub, bush, and marshy ponds. The working +party was always a thousand strong, and shifts, of course, +were constant. Boscawen landed marines to man the works +along the shore, and bluejackets for any handy-man's job +required. This proved of great advantage to the army, +which had so many more men set free for other duties. +The landing of stores went on from sunrise to sunset, +whenever the pounding surf calmed down enough. Landing +the guns was, of course, much harder still. It accounted +for most of the hundred boats that were dashed to pieces +against that devouring shore. + +Thorough and persistent as this work was, however, it +gave the garrison of Louisbourg little outward sign of +what was happening just beyond the knolls and hillocks. +Besides, just at this time, when there was a lull before +the storm that was soon to burst from Wolfe and Amherst, +both sides had more dramatic things to catch the general +eye. First, there was the worthy namesake of 'the saucy +Arethusa' in the rival British Navy, the Arethuse, whose +daring and skilful captain, Vauquelin, had moored her +beside the Barachois, or sea-pond, so that he could +outflank Amherst's approach against the right land face +of Louisbourg. Then, of still more immediate interest +was the nimble little Echo, which tried to run the gauntlet +of the British fleet on June 18, a day long afterwards +made famous on the field of Waterloo. Drucour had entrusted +his wife and several other ladies to the captain of the +Echo, who was to make a dash for Quebec with dispatches +for the governor of Canada. A muffling fog shut down and +seemed to promise her safety from the British, though it +brought added danger from that wrecking coast. With +infinite precautions she slipped out on the ebb, between +the French at the Island Battery and Wolfe's strenuous +workers at the Lighthouse Point. But the breeze that bore +her north also raised the fog enough to let the Juno and +Sutherland sight her and give chase. She crowded on a +press of sail till she was overhauled, when she fought +her captors till her case was hopeless. + +Madame Drucour and the other ladies were then sent back +to Louisbourg with every possible consideration for their +feelings. This act of kindness was remembered later on, +when a regular interlude of courtesies followed Drucour's +offer to send his own particularly skilful surgeon to +any wounded British officer who might need his services. +Amherst sent in several letters and messages from wounded +Frenchmen, and a special message from himself to Madame +Drucour, complimenting her upon her bravery, and begging +her acceptance of some West Indian pineapples. Once more +the flag of truce came out, this time to return the +compliment with a basket of wine. As the gate swung to, +the cannon roared again on either side. Amherst's was no +unmerited compliment; for Madame Drucour used to mount +the ramparts every day, no matter what the danger was, +and fire three cannon for the honour of her king. But +the French had no monopoly in woman's work. True, there +were no officers' wives to play the heroine on the British +side. But there were others to play a humbler part, and +play it well. In those days each ship or regiment bore +a certain proportion of women on their books for laundering +and other work which is still done, at their own option, +by women 'married on the strength' of the Army. Most of +the several hundred women in the besieging fleet and army +became so keen to see the batteries armed that they +volunteered to team the guns, which, in some cases, they +actually did, with excellent effect. + +By June 26 Louisbourg had no defences left beyond its +own walls, except the reduced French squadron huddled +together in the south-west harbour. The more exposed +ships had come down on the 21st, after a day's bombardment +from Wolfe's terrific battery at Lighthouse Point: 'they +in return making an Infernall Fire from all their +Broadsides; but, wonderfull to think of, no harm done +us.' Five days later every single gun in the Island +Battery was dumb. At the same time Amherst occupied Green +Hill, directly opposite the citadel and only half a mile +away. Yet Drucour, with dauntless resolution, resisted +for another month. His object was not to save his own +doomed fortress but Quebec. + +He needed all his resolution. The British were pressing +him on every side, determined to end the siege in time +to transfer their force elsewhere. Louisbourg itself was +visibly weakening. The walls were already crumbling under +Amherst's converging fire, though the British attack had +not yet begun in earnest. Surely, thoroughly, and with +an irresistible zeal, the besiegers had built their road, +dragged up their guns, and begun to worm their way forward, +under skilfully constructed cover, towards the right land +face of Louisbourg, next to the south-west harbour, where +the ground was less boggy than on the left. The French +ships fired on the British approaches; but, with one +notable exception, not effectively, because some of them +masked others, while they were all under British fire +themselves, both from the Lighthouse and the Royal +Batteries, as well as from smaller batteries along the +harbour. Vauquelin, who shares with Iberville the honour +of being the naval hero of New France, was the one +exception. He fought the Arethuse so splendidly that he +hampered the British left attack long enough to give +Louisbourg a comparative respite for a few hasty repairs. + +But nothing could now resist Boscawen if the British +should choose to run in past the demolished Island Battery +and attack the French fleet, first from a distance, with +the help of the Lighthouse and Royal Batteries, and then +hand-to-hand. So the French admiral, des Gouttes, agreed +to sink four of his largest vessels in the fairway. This, +however, still left a gap; so two more were sunk. The +passage was then mistakenly reported to be safely closed. +The crews, two thousand strong, were landed and camped +along the streets. This caused outspoken annoyance to +the army and to the inhabitants, who thought the crews +had not shown fight enough afloat, who consequently +thought them of little use ashore, who found them in the +way, and who feared they had come in without bringing a +proper contribution of provisions to the common stock. + +The Arethuse was presently withdrawn from her perilous +berth next to the British left approach, as she was the +only frigate left which seemed to have a chance of running +the gauntlet of Boscawen's fleet. Her shot-holes were +carefully stopped; and on the night of July 14, she was +silently towed to the harbour mouth, whence she sailed +for France with dispatches from Drucour and des Gouttes. +The fog held dense, but the wind was light, and she could +hardly forge ahead under every stitch of canvas. All +round her the lights of the British fleet and convoy rose +and fell with the heaving rollers, like little embers +blurring through the mist. Yet Vauquelin took his dark +and silent way quite safely, in and out between them, +and reached France just after Louisbourg had fallen. + +Meanwhile Drucour had made several sorties against the +British front, while Boishebert had attacked their rear +with a few hundred Indians, Acadians, and Canadians. +Boishebert's attack was simply brushed aside by the +rearguard of Amherst's overwhelming force. The American +Rangers ought to have defeated it themselves, without +the aid of regulars. But they were not the same sort of +men as those who had besieged Louisbourg thirteen years +before. The best had volunteered then. The worst had been +enlisted now. Of course, there were a few good men with +some turn for soldiering. But most were of the wastrel +and wharf-rat kind. Wolfe expressed his opinion of them +in very vigorous terms: 'About 500 Rangers are come, +which, to appearance, are little better than la canaille. +These Americans are in general the dirtiest, most +contemptible, cowardly dogs that you can conceive. There +is no depending upon 'em in action. They fall down dead +in their own dirt, and desert by battalions, officers +and all.' + +Drucour's sorties, made by good French regulars, were +much more serious than Boishebert's feeble, irregular +attack. On the night of July 8, while Montcalm's +Ticonderogan heroes were resting on their hard-won field +a thousand miles inland, Drucour's best troops crept out +unseen and charged the British right. Lord Dundonald and +several of his men were killed, while the rest were driven +back to the second approach, where desperate work was +done with the bayonet in the dark. But Wolfe commanded +that part of the line, and his supports were under arms +in a moment. The French attack had broken up into a score +of little rough-and-tumble fights--bayonets, butts, and +swords all at it; friend and foe mixed up in wild confusion. +So the first properly formed troops carried all before +them. The knots of struggling combatants separated into +French and British. The French fell back on their defences. +Their friends inside fired on the British; and Wolfe, +having regained his ground, retired in the same good +order on his lines. + +A week later Wolfe suddenly dashed forward on the British +left and seized Gallows Hill, within a musket-shot of +the French right bastion. Here his men dug hard all night +long, in spite of the fierce fire kept up on them at +point-blank range. In the morning reliefs marched in, +and the digging still continued. Sappers, miners, and +infantry reliefs, they never stopped till they had burrowed +forward another hundred yards, and the last great breaching +battery had opened its annihilating fire. By the 21st +both sides saw that the end was near, so far as the walls +were concerned. + +But it was not only the walls that were failing. For, +that very afternoon of the 21st, a British seaman gunner's +cleverly planted bomb found out a French ship's magazine, +exploded it with shattering force, and set fire to the +ships on either side. All three blazed furiously. The +crews ran to quarters and did their best. But all to no +purpose. Meanwhile the British batteries had turned every +available gun on the conflagration, so as to prevent the +French from saving anything. Between the roaring flames, +the bursting shells, and the whizzing cannon balls, the +three doomed vessels soon became an inferno too hot for +men to stay in. The crews swarmed over the side and +escaped; not, however, without losing a good many of +their number. Then the British concentrated on the only +two remaining vessels, the Prudent and the Bienfaisant. +But the French sailors, with admirable pluck and judgment, +managed to haul them round to a safer berth. + +Next day a similar disaster befell the Louisbourg +headquarters. A shell went through the roof of the barracks +at the King's Bastion, burst among the men there, and +set the whole place on fire. As the first tongues of +flame shot up the British concentrated on them. The French +ran to the threatened spot and worked hard, in spite of +the storm of British shot and shell. But nothing was +saved, except Drucour's own quarters. During the confusion +the wind blew some burning debris against the timbers +which protected the nearest casemates from exploding +shells. An alarm was raised among the women and children +inside. A panic followed; and the civilians of both sexes +had their nerves so shaken that they thought of nothing +but surrender on the spot. + +Hardly had this excitement been allayed when the main +barracks themselves caught fire. Fortunately they had +been cleared when the other fire had shown how imminent +the danger was to every structure along the walls. The +barracks were in special danger of fire, for they had +been left with the same wooden roof which the New Englanders +had put on thirteen years before. Again the British guns +converged their devastating fire on the point of danger, +and the whole place was burned to the ground. + +Most of the troops were now deprived of all shelter. They +had no choice but to share the streets with a still larger +number of sailors than those to whom they had formerly +objected. Yet they had scarcely tried to settle down and +make the best of it before another batch of sailors came +crowding in from the last of the whole French fleet. At +one o'clock in the morning of July 25 a rousing British +cheer from the harbour had announced an attack on the +Prudent and the Bienfaisant by six hundred bluejackets, +who had stolen in, with muffled oars, just on the stroke +of midnight. Presently the sound of fighting died away, +and all was still. At first the nearest gunners on the +walls had lost their heads and begun blazing away at +random. But they were soon stopped; and neither side +dared fire, not knowing whom the shots might kill. Then, +as the escaping French came in to the walls, a bright +glare told that the Prudent was on fire. She had cut her +cable during the fight and was lying, hopelessly stranded, +right under the inner walls of Louisbourg. The Bienfaisant, +however, though now assailed by every gun the French +could bring to bear, was towed off to a snug berth beside +the Lighthouse Battery, the British bluejackets showing +the same disregard of danger as their gallant enemies +had shown on the 21st, when towing her to safety in the +opposite direction. + +At daylight Drucour made a thorough inspection of the +walls, while the only four serviceable cannon left fired +slowly on, as if for the funeral of Louisbourg. The +British looked stronger than ever, and so close in that +their sharpshooters could pick off the French gunners +from the foot of the glacis. The best of the French +diarists made this despairing entry: 'Not a house in the +whole place but has felt the force of their cannonade. +Between yesterday morning and seven o'clock to-night from +a thousand to twelve hundred shells have fallen inside +the town, while at least forty cannon have been firing +incessantly as well. The surgeons have to run at many a +cry of 'Ware Shell! for fear lest they should share the +patients' fate.' Amherst had offered to spare the island +or any one of the French ships if Drucour would put his +hospital in either place. But, for some unexplained +reason, Drucour declined the offer; though Amherst pointed +out that no spot within so small a target as Louisbourg +itself could possibly be made immune by any gunners in +the world. + +Reduced to the last extremity, the French council of war +decided to ask for terms. Boscawen and Amherst replied +that the whole garrison must surrender in an hour. Drucour +sent back to beg for better terms. But the second British +answer was even sterner--complete surrender, yes or no, +in half an hour. Resentment still ran high against the +French for the massacre at Fort William Henry the year +before. The actual massacre had been the work of drunken +Indians. The Canadians present had looked on. The French, +headed by Montcalm, had risked their lives to save the +prisoners. But such distinctions had been blotted out in +the general rage among the British on both sides of the +Atlantic; and so Louisbourg was now made the scapegoat. + +Drucour at once wrote back to say that he stood by his +first proposal, which meant, of course, that he was ready +to face the storming of his works and no quarter for his +garrison. His flag of truce started off with this defiance. +But Prevost the intendant, with other civilians, now came +forward, on behalf of the inhabitants, to beg for immediate +surrender on any terms, rather than that they should all +be exposed to the perils of assault. Drucour then gave +way, and sent an officer running after the defiant flag +of truce. As soon as this second messenger got outside +the walls he called out, at the top of his voice, 'We +accept! We accept!' He then caught up to the bearer of +the flag of truce, when both went straight on to British +headquarters. + +Boscawen and Amherst were quite prepared for either +surrender or assault. The storming parties had their +scaling-ladders ready. The Forlorn Hopes had been told +off to lead the different columns. Every gun was loaded, +afloat and ashore. The fleet were waiting for the signal +to file in and turn a thousand cannon against the walls. +Nothing was lacking for complete success. On the other +hand, their terms were also ready waiting. The garrison +was to be sent to England as prisoners of war. The whole +of Louisbourg, Cape Breton, and Isle St Jean (now Prince +Edward Island) were to be surrendered immediately, with +all the public property they contained. The West Gate +was to be handed over to a British guard at eight the +next morning; and the French arms were to be laid down +for good at noon. With this document the British commanders +sent in the following note: + + SIR,--We have the honour to send Your Excellency the + signed articles of Capitulation. + + Lieutenant Colonel d'Anthony has spoken on behalf of + the people in the town. We have no intention of + molesting them; but shall give them all the protection + in our power. + + Your Excellency will kindly sign the duplicate of the + terms and send it back to us. + + It only remains for us to assure Your Excellency that + we shall seize every opportunity of convincing you + that we are, with the most perfect consideration, Your + Excellency's most Obedient Servants, + + E. BOSCAWEN. + J. AMHERST. + +No terms were offered either to the Indians or to the +armed Canadians, on account of Fort William Henry; and +it is certain that all these would have been put to the +sword, to the very last man, had Drucour decided to stand +an assault. To the relief of every one concerned the +Indians paddled off quietly during the night, which +luckily happened to be unusually dark and calm. The +Canadians either followed them or mingled with the unarmed +inhabitants. This awkward problem therefore solved itself. + +Few went to bed that last French night in Louisbourg. +All responsible officials were busy with duties, reports, +and general superintendence. The townsfolk and soldiery +were restless and inclined to drown their humiliation in +the many little cabarets, which stood open all night. A +very different place, the parish church, was also kept +open, and for a very different purpose. Many hasty +marriages were performed, partly from a wholly groundless +fear of British licence, and partly because those who +wished to remain in Cape Breton thought they would not +be allowed to do so unless they were married. + +Precisely at eight the next morning Major Farquhar drew +up his grenadiers in front of the West Gate, which was +immediately surrendered to him. No one but the officers +concerned witnessed this first ceremony. But the whole +population thronged every point of vantage round the +Esplanade to see the formal surrender at noon. All the +British admirals and generals were present on parade as +Drucour stepped forward, saluted, and handed his sword +to Boscawen. His officers followed his example. Then the +troops laid down their arms, in the ranks as they stood, +many dashing down their muskets with a muttered curse. + +The French--naval, military, and civilian--were soon +embarked. The curse of Louisbourg followed most of them, +in one form or another. The combatants were coldly received +when they eventually returned to France, in spite of +their gallant defence, and in spite of their having saved +Quebec for that campaign. Several hundreds of the +inhabitants were shipwrecked and drowned. One transport +was abandoned off the coast of Prince Edward Island, with +the loss of two hundred lives. Another sprang a leak as +she was nearing England; whereupon, to their eternal +dishonour, the crew of British merchant seamen took all +the boats and started to pull off alone. The three hundred +French prisoners, men, women, and children, crowded the +ship's side and begged that, if they were themselves to +be abandoned, their priest should be saved. A boat +reluctantly put back for him. Then, leaving the ship to +her fate, the crew pulled for Penzance, where the people +had just been celebrating the glorious victory of +Louisbourg. + +The French loss had been enough without this. About one +in five of all the combatants had been hit. Twice as many +were on the sick list. Officers and men, officials and +traders, fishermen and other inhabitants, all lost +something, in certain cases everything they had; and it +was to nothing but the sheer ruin of all French power +beside the American Atlantic that Madame Drucour waved +her long white scarf in a last farewell. + +France was stung to the quick. Her sea link gone, she +feared that the whole of Canada would soon be won by the +same relentless British sea-power, which was quite as +irresistible as it was ubiquitous in the mighty hands of +Pitt. So deeply did her statesmen feel her imminent danger +on the sea, and resent this particular British triumph +in the world-wide 'Maritime War,' that they took the +unusual course of sending the following circular letter +to all the Powers of Europe: + + We are advised that Louisbourg capitulated to the + English on July 26, We fully realize the consequences + of such a grave event. But we shall redouble our + efforts to repair the misfortune. + + All commercial nations ought now to open their eyes + to their own interests and join us in preventing the + absolute tyranny which England will soon exercise on + every sea if a stop be not put to her boundless avarice + and ambition. + + For a century past the Powers of Europe have been + crying out against France for disturbing the balance + of power on the Continent. But while England was + artfully fomenting this trouble she was herself engaged + in upsetting that balance of power at sea without + which these different nations' independent power on + land cannot subsist. All governments ought to give + their immediate and most serious attention to this + subject, as the English now threaten to usurp the + whole world's seaborne commerce for themselves. + +While the French were taken up with unavailing protests +and regrets the British were rejoicing with their whole +heart. Their loss had been small. Only a twentieth of +their naval and military total had been killed or wounded, +or had died from sickness, during the seven weeks' siege. +Their gain had been great. The one real fortress in +America, the last sea link between Old France and New, +the single sword held over their transatlantic shipping, +was now unchallengeably theirs. + +The good news travelled fast. Within three weeks of the +surrender the dispatches had reached England. Defeats, +disasters, and exasperating fiascos had been common since +the war began. But at last there was a genuine victory, +British through and through, won by the Army and Navy +together, and won over the greatest of all rivals, France. +'When we lost Minorca,' said the London Chronicle, just +a month after the surrender, 'a general panic fell upon +the nation; but now that Louisbourg is taken our streets +echo with triumph and blaze with illuminations.' Loyal +addresses poured in from every quarter. The king stood +on the palace steps to receive the eleven captured colours; +and then, attended by the whole court, went in state to +the royal thanksgiving service held in St Paul's Cathedral. + +The thanks of parliament were voted to Amherst and +Boscawen. Boscawen received them in person, being a member +of the House of Commons. The speaker read the address, +which was couched in the usual verbiage worked up by one +of the select committees employed on such occasions. But +Boscawen replied, as men of action should, with fewer +words and much more force and point: 'Mr Speaker, Sir, +I am happy to have been able to do my duty. I have no +words to express my sense of the distinguished reward +that has been conferred upon me by this House; nor can +I thank you, Sir, enough for the polite and elegant manner +in which you have been pleased to convey its resolution +to me.' + +The American colonists in general rejoiced exceedingly +that Louisbourg and all it meant had been exterminated. +But, especially in New England, their joy was considerably +tempered by the reflection that the final blow had been +delivered without their aid, and that the British arms +had met with a terrible reverse at Ticonderoga, where +the American militia had outnumbered the old-country +regulars by half as much again. Nevertheless Boston built +a 'stately bonfire,' which made a 'lofty and prodigious +blaze'; while Philadelphia, despite its parasitic Quakers, +had a most elaborate display of fireworks representing +England, Louisbourg, the siege, the capture, the triumph, +and reflected glory generally. + +At the inland front, near Lake Champlain, where Abercromby +now went by the opprobrious nickname of 'Mrs Nabbycrumby,' +'The General put out orders that the breastwork should +be lined with troops, and to fire three rounds for joy, +and give thanks to God in a Religious Way.' But the joy +was more whole-hearted among the little, half-forgotten +garrisons of Nova Scotia. At Annapolis no news arrived +till well on in September, when a Boston sloop came +sailing up the bay. Captain Knox, that most industrious +of diarists, records the incident. + + Every soul was impatient, yet shy of asking. At length + I called out, 'What news from Louisbourg?' To which + the master simply replied, and with some gravity, + 'Nothing strange.' This threw us all into great + consternation, and some of us even turned away. But + one of our soldiers called out with some warmth 'Damn + you, Pumpkin, isn't Louisbourg taken yet?' The poor + New England man then answered: 'Taken, yes, above a + month ago; and I have been there since; but if you + haven't heard of it before, I have a good parcel of + letters for you now.' Instantly all hats flew off, + and we made the neighbouring woods resound with our + cheers for almost half an hour. + +Halifax naturally heard the news sooner than other places; +and being then, as now, a naval port and a garrison town, +it gave full vent to its feelings. Bells pealed. Bonfires +blazed. Salutes thundered from the fort and harbour. But +all this was a mere preliminary canter. The real race +came off when the victorious fleet and army returned in +triumph. Land and water were then indeed alive with +exultant crowds. The streets were like a fair, and a +noisy one at that. Soldiers, sailors, and civilians drank +standing toasts the whole night through. The commissioner +of excise recorded, not without a touch of proper pride, +that, quite apart from all illicit wines and spirits, no +less than sixty thousand gallons of good Jamaica rum were +drunk in honour of the fall of Louisbourg. In higher +circles, where wine was commoner than spirits, the toasts +were honoured just as often. Governor Lawrence, fresh +from Louisbourg himself, opened the new Government House +with a grand ball; and Wolfe, whom all now thought the +coming man, drank healths, sang songs, and danced with +pretty partners to his heart's content. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +ANNIHILATION +1760 + +The new garrison of Louisbourg hated it as thoroughly as +any of their predecessors, French or British. They repaired +the breaches, in a temporary way, and ran up shelters +for the winter. Interest revived with the spring; for +Wolfe was coming back again, this time to command an army +of his own and take Quebec. + +The great absorbing question was, Who's for the front +and who for the base? Both fleet and army made their +rendezvous at Louisbourg; a larger fleet and a smaller +army than those of the year before. Two new toasts were +going the rounds of the Service: 'Here's to the eye of +a Hawke and the heart of a Wolfe!' and 'Here's to British +colours on every French fort, port, and garrison in +America!' Of course they were standing toasts. The men +who drank them already felt the presage of Pitt's great +Empire Year of 1759. + +The last two weeks in May and the first in June were full +of glamour in crowded, stirring Louisbourg. There was +Wolfe's picked army of nine thousand men, with Saunders's +mighty fleet of fifty men-of-war, mounting two thousand +guns, comprising a quarter of the whole Royal Navy, and +convoying more than two hundred transports and provision +ships; all coming and going, landing, embarking, drilling, +dividing, massing; every one expectant of glorious results +and eager to begin. Who wouldn't be for the front at the +climax of a war like this? + +Then came the final orders issued in Louisbourg. '1st +June, 1759. The Troops land no more. The flat-bottomed +boats to be hoisted in, that the ships may be ready to +sail at the first signal.' '2nd June, 1759. The Admiral +purposes sailing the first fair wind.' On the 4th a +hundred and forty-one sail weighed anchor together. All +that day and the next they were assembling outside and +making for the island of Scatari, just beyond the point +of Cape Breton, which is only ten miles north of Louisbourg. +By noon on the 6th the last speck of white had melted +away from the Louisbourg horizon and the men for the +front were definitely parted from those left behind at +the base. + +Great things were dared and done at the front that year, +in Europe, Asia, and America. But nothing was done at +dull little Louisbourg, except the wearisome routine of +a disgustingly safe base. Rocks, bogs, fogs, sand, and +scrubby bush ashore. Tantalizing news from the stirring +outside world afloat. So the long, blank, summer days +wore through. + +The second winter proved a little more comfortable than +the first had been. But there was less, far less, for +the garrison to expect in the spring. In February 1760 +the death-warrant of Louisbourg was signed in London by +Pitt and King George II. In the following summer it was +executed by Captain John Byron, R. N., the poet's +grandfather. Sailors, sappers, and miners worked for +months together, laying the pride of Louisbourg level +with the dust. That they carried out their orders with +grim determination any one can see to-day by visiting +the grave in which they buried so many French ambitions. + +All the rest of Ile Royale lost its French life in the +same supreme catastrophe--the little forts and +trading-posts, the fishing-villages and hamlets; even +the farms along the Mira, which once were thought so like +the promise of a second French Acadia. + +Nothing remains of that dead past, anywhere inland, except +a few gnarled, weather-beaten stumps of carefully +transplanted plum and apple trees, with, here and there, +a straggling little patch of pale, forlorn narcissus, +now soothing the alien air in vain, round shapeless ruins, +as absolute and lone as those of Louisbourg itself. + + + + +BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE + +There is no complete naval and military history of +Louisbourg, in either French or English. The first siege +is a prominent feature in all histories of Canada, New +England, and the United States, though it is not much +noticed in works written in the mother country. The second +siege is noticed everywhere. The beginning and end of +the story is generally ignored, and the naval side is +always inadequately treated. + +Parkman gives a good account of the first siege in 'A +Half-Century of Conflict', and a less good account of +the second in 'Montcalm and Wolfe'. Kingsford's accounts +are in volumes iii and iv of the 'History of Canada'. +Sir John Bourinot, a native of the island, wrote a most +painstaking work on 'Cape Breton and its Memorials of +the French Regime' which was first published in the +'Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada' for 1891. +Garneau and other French-Canadian historians naturally +emphasize a different set of facts and explanations. An +astonishingly outspoken account of the first siege is +given in the anonymous 'Lettre d'un Habitant de Louisbourg', +which has been edited, with a translation, by Professor +Wrong. The gist of many accounts is to be found, +unpretentiously put together, in 'The Last Siege of +Louisbourg', by C. O. Macdonald. New England produced +many contemporary and subsequent accounts of the first +siege, and all books concerned with the Conquest give +accounts of the second. + +Those who wish to go straight to original sources will +find useful bibliographies in the notes to Parkman's and +Bourinot's books, as well as in Justin Winsor's 'Narrative +and Critical History of America'. But none of these +includes some important items to be found either in or +through the Dominion Archives at Ottawa, the Public +Records Office in London, and the Archives de la Marine +in Paris. + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Great Fortress, by William Wood + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT FORTRESS *** + +This file should be named 6026.txt or 6026.zip + +This etext was produced by Gardner Buchanan + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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