Fort Menagoueche () (1751, destroyed 1755, present historic site) was a French fort at the mouth of the
St. John River,
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
, Canada. French Officer
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot and
Ignace-Philippe Aubert de Gaspé built the fort during
Father Le Loutre's War
Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...
and eventually burned it themselves as the French retreated after losing the
Battle of Beausejour. It was reconstructed as Fort Frederick by the British.
Due to the succession of strategic French and British forts at this location, the site was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
in 1923.
History
Despite the British
Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mi'kmaq.
Father Le Loutre's War
Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...
began when
Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish
Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749. Some Mi'kmaq believed the British were violating earlier treaties (1726), which were signed after
Father Rale's War. The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749),
Dartmouth (1750),
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
(
Fort Sackville) (1751),
Lunenburg (1753) and
Lawrencetown (1754).
[John Grenier. ''The Far Reaches of Empire: War in Nova Scotia, 1710-1760.'' Oklahoma University Press.]
Within 18 months of establishing Halifax, the British also took firm control of peninsula Nova Scotia by building fortifications in all the major Acadian communities: present-day
Windsor (
Fort Edward);
Grand-Pré (
Fort Vieux Logis) and
Chignecto (
Fort Lawrence). A British fort already existed at the other major Acadian centre of
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Ply ...
.
Cobequid
The old name Cobequid was derived from the Mi'kmaq word "Wagobagitk" meaning "the bay runs far up", in reference to the area surrounding the easternmost inlet of the Minas Basin in Nova Scotia, Canada, a body of water called Cobequid Bay.
Cobeq ...
remained without a fort.
The only land route between
Louisbourg
Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.
History
The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...
and Quebec went from
Baie Verte through Chignecto, along the
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy () is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world.
The bay was ...
and up the St. John River. With the establishment of Halifax, the French Canadians recognized at once the threat it represented and that the St. John River corridor might be used to attack
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
itself. To protect this vital gateway, at the beginning of 1749, the French strategically constructed three forts within 18 months along the route: one at Baie Verte (
Fort Gaspareaux), one at Chignecto (
Fort Beausejour) and another at the mouth of the
St. John River (Fort Menagoueche).
Establishment
Acadians had lived in the St. John valley almost continuously since the early seventeenth century.
[Plank, p. 164] After the Conquest of Acadia (1710), Acadians migrated from peninsula Nova Scotia to the French-occupied Saint John River. These Acadians were seen as the most resistant to British rule in the region.
The St. John River residents had always proven effective at resisting the British. The
Maliseet militia, from their base at
Meductic, conducted effective warfare along with the Mi'kmaq militia against New England throughout the colonial wars. As late as 1748, there were only twelve French-speaking families living on the river.
The French built a fort at the mouth of the St. John River in April 1748. In the fall of 1748, after
King George's War
King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...
, the Acadians and Mi'kmaq prevented
John Gorham from landing to acquire an oath of allegiance. His rangers were fired upon and he took two Mi'kmaq prisoner. In 1749, at the beginning of
Father Le Loutre's War
Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...
,
Boishebert rebuked British naval officer
John Rous at St. John. Boishébert built
Fort Boishebert after withdrawing from the mouth of the Saint John River under the terms of an agreement arranged by Captain
John Rous and Edward How.
Boishebert abandoned
Fort Boishebert and moved further down the river to build Fort Menagouche. With 65 Canadians and 120 natives, he rebuilt the ruined Fort St. Jean. Fort Menagoueche was effectively a fortified
warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...
manned by a small garrison. It was built in 1751 by the order of the
Marquis de la Jonquière as a
way station between
Fort Beauséjour
Fort Beauséjour (), renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755, is a large, five-bastioned fort on the Isthmus of Chignecto in eastern Canada, a neck of land connecting the present-day province of New Brunswick with that of Nova Scotia. The site was strate ...
and
Louisbourg
Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.
History
The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...
and
Québec
Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...
.
The fort was subsequently abandoned in 1751 by Sr. de Gaspe when the French reestablished their control and fortified the mouth of the Saint John River with Fort Menagoueche. In 1749, Boishebert assigned Acadian
Joseph Godin dit Bellefontaine to lead the
Acadian militia in the St. John Region.
In April 1755, while searching for a wrecked vessel at
Port La Tour, Cobb discovered the French schooner ''Marguerite'' (''Margarett''), taking war supplies to the Saint John River for Boishébert at Fort Menagoueche. Cobb returned to Halifax with the news and was ordered by Governor Charles Lawrence to blockade the harbour until Captain William Kensey arrived in the warship
HMS ''Vulture'', and then to assist Kensey in capturing the French prize and taking it to Halifax.
Communication with Fort Beauséjour across the
Isthmus of Chignecto
The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America.
The isthmus separates the waters of Chignecto Bay, a sub-basin of the Bay of ...
was at first via an ancient
portage
Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...
route, but, in 1754, a road was built linking the two forts. Communication by sea was possible in the summer to Québec, Louisbourg and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Immediately after the
Battle of Fort Beauséjour (1755), Robert Monckton sent a detachment under the command of
John Rous to take Fort Menagoueche. Boishebert knew that he faced a superior force so he burned the fort and retreated up the river to undertake guerrilla warfare. The destruction of Fort Menagoueche left Louisbourg as the last French fort in Acadia. Boishebert made his first strike in the
Battle of Petitcodiac.
With the decommissioning of
Fort Frederick (Maine), the British then reconstructed the fortress at St. John and named it
Fort Frederick during the
St. John River Campaign (1758).
[Roger Sarty and Doug Knight. ''Saint John Fortifications''. 2003. p. 31; John Grenier. ''The Far Reaches of Empire: War in Nova Scotia, 1710-1760.'' Oklahoma University Press.pp. 199-200; F. Thériault, p. 11]
See also
*
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
*
St. John River Campaign
*
Fort Boishebert
*
Fort Beauséjour
Fort Beauséjour (), renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755, is a large, five-bastioned fort on the Isthmus of Chignecto in eastern Canada, a neck of land connecting the present-day province of New Brunswick with that of Nova Scotia. The site was strate ...
*
List of French forts in North America
References
Further reading
*
*
{{NHSC
Military history of Acadia
Military history of Nova Scotia
Military history of New England
Military history of the Thirteen Colonies
Military history of Canada
Menagoueche
Buildings and structures in Westmorland County, New Brunswick
Menagoueche
National Historic Sites in New Brunswick
Menagoueche
Government buildings completed in 1751
Military installations established in the 1750s
French forts in North America
Forts or trading posts on the National Historic Sites of Canada register
1751 establishments in the French colonial empire