A Short Summary On The Siege Of 1758
The Siege of 1758
It was near midnight, June 1, 1758, when the lookouts on Cape Breton Island noticed something odd. The fog that had covered the island for weeks, now cleared enough to show lights off shore. Dawn revealed a large fleet laying outside Gabarous Bay, six miles west of Louisbourg. Worse yet, the ships flew a white banner with a red cross, the colors of Britian's Royal Navy.
The fortified towns of Louisbourg and Québec were the main French strongholds in North America. The British prime minister decided to attack both, with Louisbourg as the first target. When the decisive struggle began in 1758, Britain sent 39 warships, 155 transports, and nearly 30,000 soldiers and sailors. Louisbourg was defended by 10 naval vessels and nearly 7000 soldiers and sailors. This was to be the largest battle in North America until the American Civil War over 100 years later and is still the great sea borne invasion in North American history. (Editor's note: For a successful invasion the preferred ratio is at least 4:1 for the attacker. )
The commander-in-chief of the expedition was Major General Jeffery Amherst. Amherst's naval commander was Vice Admiral Edward Boscawen. Amherst's field commander, was recently promoted Brigadier General James Wolfe. A slender, sickly man who suffered from several maladies, but a shortage of courage was not one of …show more content…
Amherst promised the French regulars their lives, but no honors of war. No terms were offered to the Canadians or the Indians; if captured they would be treated the same as the garrison at Ft William Henry. Drucour refused these terms, but after he was presented with a request for surrender from the civilians, he accepted the conditions. As the British prepared to occupy the town, the Canadians and Indians fled in their canoes. The French troops were sent to England as Prisoners of War and remained there for five years. The civilian population was deported to
It was near midnight, June 1, 1758, when the lookouts on Cape Breton Island noticed something odd. The fog that had covered the island for weeks, now cleared enough to show lights off shore. Dawn revealed a large fleet laying outside Gabarous Bay, six miles west of Louisbourg. Worse yet, the ships flew a white banner with a red cross, the colors of Britian's Royal Navy.
The fortified towns of Louisbourg and Québec were the main French strongholds in North America. The British prime minister decided to attack both, with Louisbourg as the first target. When the decisive struggle began in 1758, Britain sent 39 warships, 155 transports, and nearly 30,000 soldiers and sailors. Louisbourg was defended by 10 naval vessels and nearly 7000 soldiers and sailors. This was to be the largest battle in North America until the American Civil War over 100 years later and is still the great sea borne invasion in North American history. (Editor's note: For a successful invasion the preferred ratio is at least 4:1 for the attacker. )
The commander-in-chief of the expedition was Major General Jeffery Amherst. Amherst's naval commander was Vice Admiral Edward Boscawen. Amherst's field commander, was recently promoted Brigadier General James Wolfe. A slender, sickly man who suffered from several maladies, but a shortage of courage was not one of …show more content…
Amherst promised the French regulars their lives, but no honors of war. No terms were offered to the Canadians or the Indians; if captured they would be treated the same as the garrison at Ft William Henry. Drucour refused these terms, but after he was presented with a request for surrender from the civilians, he accepted the conditions. As the British prepared to occupy the town, the Canadians and Indians fled in their canoes. The French troops were sent to England as Prisoners of War and remained there for five years. The civilian population was deported to