THE SIEGE OF LOUISBOURG.
THE year in which the Regiment was divided into two Battalions witnessed
the commencement in America of military operations which were to result
in the complete removal of French authority from Canada.
Captain Ord's company, which had suffered so grievously at Fort du
Quesne in 1755, having been reinforced from England, was joined in 1757
by two companies under Colonel George Williamson, and a large staff of
artificers, the whole being intended to form part of an expedition
against the French town of Louisbourg in Cape Breton, now part of the
province of Nova Scotia. It was to be Colonel Williamson's good fortune
to command the Royal Artillery in America until, in 1760, the English
power was fully established on the Continent.
When the English captured Annapolis and Placentia in the beginning of
the 18th century, the French garrisons were allowed to settle in
Louisbourg, which place they very strongly fortified. Its military
advantages were not very great, had an attack from the land side been
undertaken, for it was surrounded by high ground; but it had an
admirable harbour, and it was very difficult to land troops against the
place from the sea side of the town. The harbour lies open to the south-
east, and is nearly six miles long, with an average depth of seven
fathoms, and an excellent anchorage. There was abundance of fuel in the
neighbourhood, both wood and coal; in fact, the whole island was full of
both; and there were casemates in the town which could greatly shelter
the women and children during a bombardment. Generally some French men-
of-war were in the harbour; and in 1757, when the siege was first
proposed to be undertaken, so strong was the French fleet at Louisbourg,
that the English commanders postponed their operations until the
following year. Had our statesmen been better acquainted with geography,
it is probable that at the Peace of Utrecht, when Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland were authoritatively pronounced to be English territory,
Cape Breton would have also been included; but being an island, and
separate from Nova Scotia although immediately adjoining it, the French
did not consider that it fell within the treaty, and clung to it, as
they always had to the maritime provinces of Canada.
The siege of 1758 was not the first to which Louisbourg had been
subjected. In 1745 an expedition had been fitted out from Massachusetts—
the land forces being American Militia under Colonel Pepperell, and the
naval contingent being composed of English men-of-war under Commodore
Warren. The amicable relations between the naval and military commanders
tended greatly to bring about the ultimate success.
The American Militia were badly trained, and far from well disciplined,
but they were brave, headstrong, and animated by strong hatred of their
old enemies the French. Powerful as Louisbourg was (it was called the
Dunkirk of America) the Americans did not hesitate to attack it, and
they were justified by the result. On the 30th April, 1745, the siege
commenced; on the 15th June, M. Du Chambon, the Governor of Louisbourg,
signed the capitulation.
For a year after this, the town was occupied by the American Militia;
but a garrison which included a company of the Royal Artillery was then
sent from England, and remained until 1748, when by the treaty of Aix-
la-Chapelle Louisbourg was restored to the French. The sum of
235,749_l._ was paid by England to her American colonies, to meet the
expenses of the expedition whose success had now been cancelled by
diplomacy, and if to this sum be added the expenses of the Navy, and the
cost of garrisoning the place for three years, we shall find that at
least 600,000_l._ must have been expended to no purpose.
Time went on; treaties were torn up; and Louisbourg was again the object
of English attack. It is this second siege which is the one considered
in this chapter; for none of the Royal Artillery were present at the
first; the Artillery which fought on that occasion being militia,
commanded by an officer who fought against England during the subsequent
War of Independence. An indirect interest certainly is attached to that
siege in the mind of one studying the annals of the Royal Artillery; for
had it been unsuccessful, Annapolis with its little garrison would have
been exposed to another assault. From private letters in possession of
the descendants of a distinguished Artillery officer—Major-General
Phillips—the perilous condition of that town during 1745 can be easily
realized. Large bodies of French, and of hostile Indians, were in the
immediate neighbourhood, making no secret of their intention to attack
Annapolis in force, should the English siege of Louisbourg be
unsuccessful. With the news of its capture, the danger to Annapolis
disappeared. These local wars between the French and English settlers
proved an admirable school for instructing the New Englanders in
military operations; nor was it foreseen that the experience thus
acquired would be turned against the parent country. Distraction in
America helped England in her wars with France in Europe; and such
distractions were easy to raise among colonists whose mutual hatred was
so great. It was never imagined that the tools which England thus used
against France were being sharpened in the process for use against
herself in the stern days which were coming on. Colonial rebellion
seemed impossible; colonial endurance was believed to be eternal; it was
hoped that patriotism and sentiment would be stronger than any hardship,
and would condone any injustice. But when the day came when colonists
asked the question "Why?" for the Imperial actions towards them, the
parental tie was cut, and the lesson taught in the school of local
warfare—the lesson of their own strength—became apparent to the
children.
The siege of Louisbourg, in 1758, has a threefold interest to the
military reader; in connection with the conspicuous services of the
Royal Artillery on the occasion; in relation to the story of the gallant
Wolfe, who acted as one of the Brigadiers; and in the fact that this was
the last place held by the French against England, on the east coast of
America. Ghastly for France as the results of the Seven Years' War were,
perhaps none were felt more acutely than this loss of Canada, with its
episodes of Louisbourg and Quebec. Louis the Well-beloved was sinking
into a decrepit debauchee; and in the East and in the West his kingdom
was crumbling away. The distinctive characteristics, even at this day,
of the French population of Canada, which have survived more than a
century of English rule, give an idea of the firm hold France had
obtained on the country; and the strength of that hold must have made
the pang of defeat proportionately bitter.
Lord Loudon was to have commanded the expedition; and in 1757 the
necessary troops and ships were concentrated at Halifax, now the capital
of Nova Scotia. But on learning that there were 10,300 of a garrison in
Louisbourg, besides fifteen men-of-war and three frigates, he abandoned
the idea of an attack, and sailed for New York, leaving garrisons in
Halifax and Annapolis.
In the following year, the idea was revived; and General Amherst left
Halifax for Louisbourg with a force of 12,260 men, of whom 324 belonged
to the Royal Artillery. The naval force consisted of 23 ships of the
line and 18 frigates; and the number of vessels employed as transports
was 144.
The Artillery train included 2 Captain-Lieutenants, 6 First Lieutenants,
5 Second Lieutenants, and 4 Lieutenant-Fireworkers; besides a staff
consisting of a Colonel, an Adjutant, a Quartermaster, and two medical
officers. There were no less than 53 non-commissioned officers, to a
total rank and file of 63 gunners and 163 matrosses.
The Regiments engaged were as follows:—the 1st Royals, 15th, 17th, 22nd,
28th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 47th, 48th, 58th, two battalions of the 60th
Royal Americans, and Frazer's Highlanders. There were eleven officers of
miners and engineers, and they were assisted during the siege, and at
the demolition of the fortifications, by selected officers from the
Infantry Regiments. General Amherst was assisted by the following
Brigadiers:—Whitmore, Lawrance, and James Wolfe.
The following guns were taken with the Artillery:—
Brass.
26 24-prs. guns.
18 12-prs. guns.
6 6-prs. guns.
1 3-pr. gun (sent by mistake).
2 13-inch mortars.
2 10-inch mortars.
7 8-inch mortars.
10 5½-inch mortars.
30 4⅖-inch mortars.
Iron.
8 32-prs. guns.
25 24-prs. guns.
4 6-prs. guns.
1 13-inch mortar.
There were also two 8-inch and four 5½-inch howitzers. Over 43,000 round
shot, 2380 case, 41,762 shell, besides a few grape and carcasses, and
4888 barrels of powder accompanied the train.
The fleet was commanded by Admiral Boscawen, assisted by Vice-Admiral
Sir Charles Hardy, and Commodore Durell. It consisted, as has been said,
of no less than 23 ships of the line, and 18 frigates. Even the harbour
of Halifax, Nova Scotia, which has been the witness of so many
historical scenes, never saw a finer sight than when on Sunday the 28th
May, 1758, this fleet, accompanied by the transports, sailed for
Louisbourg. All the arrangements for the embarkation and the siege had
been made by Brigadier Lawrance, at Halifax, even down to such details
as the prescription of ginger and sugar for the troops, for the purpose
of neutralizing the evil effects of the American water—an evil which
must certainly have existed in the Brigadier's imagination. But just as
they left the harbour, and reached Sambro' Point, they met a vessel from
England with General Amherst on board, commissioned to take command of
the expedition, as far as the military forces were concerned. The
cordial relations between him and Admiral Boscawen assisted, to a marked
extent, in bringing about the success of the enterprise.
The orders issued to the troops were intended to excite them to anger
against the enemy, at the same time that they should inculcate the
strongest discipline. The quaintness of some of them renders them worthy
of reproduction. "No care or attention will be wanting for the
subsistence and preservation of the troops, such as our situation will
admit of. There will be an Hospital, and in time it is hoped there will
be fresh meat for the sick and wounded men.... The least murmur or
complaint against any part of duty will be checked with great severity,
and any backwardness in sight of the enemy will be punished with
immediate death. If any man is villain enough to desert his colours and
go over to the enemy, he shall be excepted in the capitulation, and
hanged with infamy as a traitor. When any of our troops are to attack
the French regular forces, they are to march close up to them, discharge
their pieces loaded with two bullets, and then rush upon them with their
bayonets; and the commander of the Highlanders may, when he sees
occasion, order his corps to run upon them with their drawn swords.... A
body of light troops are now training to oppose the Indians, Canadians,
and other painted savages of the Island, who will entertain them in
their own way, and preserve the women and children of the Army from
their unnatural barbarity. Indians spurred on by our inveterate enemy,
the French, are the only brutes and cowards in the creation who were
ever known to exercise their cruelties upon the sex, and to scalp and
mangle the poor sick soldiers and defenceless women. When the light
troops have by practice and experience acquired as much caution and
circumspection, as they have spirit and activity, these howling
barbarians will fly before them.... The tents will be slightly
intrenched or palisaded, that the sentries may not be exposed to the
shot of a miserable-looking Mic-Mac, whose trade is not war, but
murder.... As the air of Cape Breton is moist and foggy, there must be a
particular attention to the fire-arms upon duty, that they may be kept
dry, and always fit for use; and the Light Infantry should fall upon
some method to secure their arms from the dews, and dropping of the
trees when they are in search of the enemy."
After a favourable passage, the fleet anchored in Gabreuse Bay, on
Friday the 2nd June. This bay is about three leagues by sea from
Louisbourg harbour, and to the southwest of it. Here it was resolved to
attempt a landing; but for days the elements fought for the French.
Incessant fogs and a tremendous surf rendered the enterprise hopeless,
until Thursday, the 8th June. The landing was ultimately effected under
the fire of the ships; the leading boats containing the four senior
companies of grenadiers, and all the light infantry of the force, under
General Wolfe, whose courage and skill on this occasion were
conspicuous. With a loss of 111 killed and wounded, they succeeded in
driving the enemy back, and the other regiments were able to land. A
change of weather prevented the landing of Artillery, baggage, and
stores, so that the troops were exposed for the night to great
discomfort. The spirit of the men under Wolfe on this occasion was
remarkable. Boats were swamped, or dashed to pieces on the rocks; many
men were drowned; and all had to leap into the water up to the waist;
but nothing could restrain their ardour. Not merely did they drive the
enemy back, but they captured 4 officers and 70 men, and 24 pieces of
Ordnance.
From this day until the 19th, when the Royal Artillery opened upon the
town from a line of batteries which had been thrown up along the shore,
the operations of the army were weary and monotonous in the extreme.
With the exception of Wolfe's party, which was detached to secure a
battery called the Lighthouse Battery,—an undertaking in which he
succeeded, the duties of the troops consisted in making roads, and
transporting from the landing-place guns, ammunition, and stores. In all
the arrangements for the investment and bombardment, Colonel Williamson
was warmly supported by General Amherst; and the Admiral lent his
assistance by landing his marines to work with the Artillery, and by
sending four 32-pounders with part of his own ship's company, for a
battery whose construction had been strongly recommended. It was nearly
ten o'clock on the night of the 19th, when the English batteries opened
on the shipping and on the Island Battery. This last was a powerful
battery commanding the entrance to the harbour, and with a double ditch
to the land side to strengthen it. It was the chief obstacle to the
English movements, and smart as our fire was, it returned it with equal
warmth. A battery of six 24-pounders was thrown up at the lighthouse for
the sole purpose of attempting to silence this particular battery; and
on the 25th it succeeded. The fire on the rest of the fortifications of
Louisbourg was marvellously true, and incessant; and as of late years
they had been somewhat neglected, and in many places sea-sand had been
used with the mortar in their construction, the effect of the English
fire was more rapidly apparent.
One precaution had been taken on this occasion by the French, which had
been omitted by them in 1745, as they had too good reason to remember.
When compelled to evacuate the Grand Battery, they set fire to it, and
rendered it utterly useless; so that the course pursued by the English
in the former siege, when they turned the guns of the battery against
the town, could not be repeated. The effects of the English fire in the
siege of 1758, when the Royal Artillery was represented, were thus
described by a French officer who was in the town:—"Each cannon shot
from the English batteries shook and brought down immense pieces of the
ruinous walls, so that, in a short cannonade, the Bastion du Roi, the
Bastion Dauphin, and the courtin of communication between them, were
entirely demolished, all the defences ruined, all the cannon dismounted,
all the parapets and banquettes razed, and became as one continued
breach to make an assault everywhere."[23]
An attempt was made by the Governor of Louisbourg to procure a cessation
of fire against a particular part of the works, behind which he said was
the hospital for the sick and wounded. As however, there were shrewd
reasons for believing that not the hospital, but the magazine, was the
subject of his anxious thoughts, his request was refused, but he was
informed that he might place his sick on board ship, where they would be
unmolested, or on the island under our sentries. These offers, however,
were not accepted.
The fire of the enemy's Artillery slackened perceptibly about the 13th
July, and continued getting feebler, so that in a fortnight's time an
occasional shot was all that was fired. At the commencement of the siege
there were in Louisbourg 218 pieces of ordnance, exclusive of 11
mortars; but such was the effect of the English fire, not merely in
dismounting and disabling the guns, but (as the deserters reported) in
killing and wounding the gunners, that some days before the 27th July,
when the capitulation was signed, the French reply to our Artillery fire
was simply _nil_. The gallantry of the French commandant, the Chevalier
de Drucour, was undoubted; but he was sorely tried by the fears and
prayers of the unhappy civil population, to whom military glory was a
myth, but a bombardment a very painful reality. Madame de Drucour did
all in her power to inspire the troops with increased ardour; while
there were any guns in position to fire, she daily fired three herself;
and showed a courage which earned for her the respect both of friend and
enemy. But misfortunes came fast upon one another. A shot from the
English batteries striking an iron bolt in the powder magazine of the
French ship 'Entreprenant,' an explosion followed, which set fire to
her, and to two others alongside, the 'Capricieuse' and 'Superbe.' The
confusion which ensued baffles description; and not the least startling
occurrence was the self-discharge of the heated guns in the burning
ships, whose shot went into the town, and occasionally into the other
two men-of-war which had escaped a similar fate to that which befell the
three which have been named. Four days later, on the 25th July, a party
of 600 British sailors entered the harbour, boarded the only two ships
which remained, the 'Prudent' and 'Bienfaisant,' set fire to the former,
which had gone aground, and towed the latter out of the harbour to the
English fleet.
Their batteries being destroyed, the fortifications one vast breach,
their ships of war burnt or captured, and there being no prospect of
relief, the French commander had no alternative but capitulation. He
first proposed to treat, but was informed in reply, that unless he
capitulated in an hour the English fleet would enter the harbour and
bombard the town. So, after a little delay, he consented, on condition
that the French troops should be sent as prisoners of war to France.
The articles of capitulation were signed on the 27th July, 1758, and
immediately three companies of grenadiers took possession of the West
Gate, while General Whitmore superintended the disarming of the
garrison.
The expenditure of ammunition by the Royal Artillery during the siege
was as follows:—13,700 round shot, 3340 shell, 766 case shot, 156 round
shot fixed, 50 carcasses, and 1493 barrels of powder. Eight brass, and
five iron guns were disabled; and one mortar.
Of the English army, 524 were killed or wounded; and at the capture of
the place, there were 10,813 left fit for duty. The total strength of
the French garrison, including sailors and marines on shore, at the same
date, was 5637 of all ranks, of whom 1790 were sick or wounded.
After the capitulation many of the English men-of-war moved into the
harbour; and the demolition of the fortifications by the Engineers and
working-parties was methodically commenced. The approach of the winter,
and the heavy garrison duties, suspended the work for a time; and it was
not until the 1st June, 1760, that the uninterrupted destruction of the
works was commenced, under Captain Muckell of the Company of Miners,
assisted by working parties from the infantry, of strength varying
according to the work, from 160 to 220 daily. The miners and artificers
numbered a little over 100. The whole work was completed on the 10th
November, 1760, there having been only two days' intermission, besides
Sundays, one being the King's birthday, and the other being Midsummer
Day. The reason for keeping this latter day is thus mentioned in a MS.
diary of the mining operations at Louisbourg, now in the Royal Artillery
Record Office, which belonged to Sir John Ligonier:—"According to
tradition among the miners, Midsummer was the first that found out the
copper mines in Cornwall, for which occasion they esteem this a holy
day, and all the miners come from below ground to carouse, and drink to
the good old man's memory."
The fortifications of Louisbourg have never been rebuilt; and with the
disappearance of its garrison its importance vanished. Cape Breton and
the Island of St. John, now called Prince Edward's Island, fell into
English hands almost immediately, and have never since been ruled by any
other. The former is now part of Nova Scotia; its capital is no longer
Louisbourg, but Sydney; and its French population has vanished—being
replaced, to a great extent, by Highlanders from Scotland.
Although the purpose of this work has made the Artillery part of the
army's duties the most prominent in the chapter, it cannot be denied
that, to the ordinary reader, Wolfe is the centre of attraction. The
time was drawing near when the brave spirit which animated him at
Louisbourg was to fire his exhausted and weary frame, and raise him from
his sickbed to that encounter on the Plains of Abraham, which his own
death and that of his opponent were to render famous for all time. And
the fire which then breathed life for the moment into his own frame
inspired the men under his command at Louisbourg. The foremost duties,
the posts of danger, were always his; and with such a guide his
followers never failed. On one evening in June he was issuing orders to
his division, which was to be employed during the night in bringing up
guns to a new and exposed post. It was necessary to warn the men that
the fire of the enemy would be probably warmer than usual, to check the
working-parties: but with simple confidence, he said, "He does not doubt
but that the officers and soldiers will co-operate with their usual
spirit, that they may have at least their share in the "honours of this
enterprise." Of a truth, he who asks his men to do nothing that he will
not do himself,—who trusts them, instead of worrying and doubting them,—
and who holds before his own eyes and theirs that ideal of duty which is
of all virtues the most God-like, is the man to _lead_ men; and such a
man was Wolfe.
Louisbourg and Quebec—two words—yet on Wolfe's grave they would mean
pages of heroism.
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Footnote 23:
Murdoch.