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Chapter 11: 1758 part 7
Campaign against New France
The long planned invasion of New France would begin with the Siege of Louisburg, though it did not get off to an easy start. Plagued by weather delays, the participating British fleet had not fully assembled to depart from Halifax until June 1st, and then arrived at Gaberus Bay on June 5th.
France too was also beset by weather and its own problems at home and was forced to send fleets as they became available to supply and reinforce Louisburg. Only Atlantic fleet ships were available to assist, since the Mediterranean fleet, having returned to Toulon for repairs after the battle of Malaga. By summer though they had sent enough food supplies to New France to eliminate the dangers of hunger that was facing the French settlers and fighting forces in North America. Though some in the court even said it was enough to risk food shortages in southwestern France.
Despite trying however, France could not maintain the pace of reinforcements that the British did, who had every intentions of matching and surpassing any French fleet build up, so as not to repeat the events of last year.
Siege of Louisburg
The late British arrival on June 5th, had given France a bit more time to prepare defenses, and the weather was still foul, prevented the British from moving more than a frigate into position to bombard the improvised defenses. It was enough however to blockade the 6 French ships f the line and 2 frigates that were now stuck in the harbor, trapped by the British fleet.
The French frigates Heroine and Friponne had evaded the British earlier in the spring and deliver much needed supplies to Louisburg before returning back to France. The Magnifique had also tried but was prevented by ice and went on to Quebec. The Raisonable had made it just prior to the British fleet’s arrival, and the Brilliant has just left a few days prior after delivering her goods and reinforcements before the British arrived. 12 other ships of the line that were intended to reinforce the French fleet arrived too late, and upon seeing the British fleet went around the isle to the north shore to deliver some men and supplies before continuing onwards to Quebec.
British Forces:
26,000 soldiers and sailors
27 ships of the line, 13 frigates
~150 transport vessels
HMS Namur (90), Royal William (84), Princess Amelia (80), Terrible(74), Dublin (74), Invincible (74), Vanguard (70), Northumberland (70), Prince Fredrick (70), Grafton (70), Orford (70), Somerset (70), Buford (68), Devonshire (66), Lancaster (66), Bedford (64), Captain (64), Nottingham (60), Pembrooke (60), Kingston (60), York (60), Prince of Orange (60), Defiance (58), Centurion (50), Sutherland (50), Norwich (50), Lichfield (50)
Operating in the area during the siege:
Formidable (80), Magnifique (74), Algonquin (74), Heros (74), Illustre (64), Leopard (64), Bizarre (64), Belliqueux (64), Hardi (64), Sphynx (64), Dragon (64), Apollon (58), Aigle (50)
Frigates:
In Harbor: Fidele (24), Topaze (24)
Operating in the area during the siege: Friponne (24), Heroine (24)
The siege began with the HMS Rainbow (44) maneuvered through the rough seas to bombard some of the outer defense. Although the ship kept up fire for two days, this proved to be a mistake. Little damage was done and a rogue gust heaved the vessel into the rocks, where it became turned and lodged and its gun became less effective. While the sailors quickly sought to free their vessel by lightening the load, the French took advantage and moved cannon to pulverize the paralyzed vessel. After the death of over three dozen men, the British were forced to abandon the vessel, and watch helplessly as the French cannon took it apart.
Things would begin to change however as soon that the weather turned more agreeable a mere two days later. British Field Marshal Jeffrey Amherst ordered John Mordaunt to lead the attack, sending a flotilla of men on June 9th, to attack the French positions.
Mordaunt was still bitter over being the subject of an inquiry over the failed raid of Rochefort, despite being proved innocent and commended for action during the retreat that saved the lives of more men. Seeking glory to restore his reputation, he proved overzealous in his attack only to find that the French defenses held and the Mordaunt finally acquiesced when his half his force pulled back when subordinate officer James Wolfe ordered a retreat after a fierce battle. It became necessary for the British to seek other approaches to the fortress.
After two days, a protected inlet was discovered that allowed the British to make a beachhead, and forced the French shore defenders to withdraw back to the fortress. The rough terrain and very heavy seas however made the movement of men and siege equipment extraordinarily difficult.
Amherst ordered Mordaunt to seize Lighthouse point because it had a commanding view of the harbor, and he took a force of 1200 men to do so. His overzealousness again caused him to carelessly miss the French, Acadia and Mi’kmaq militias that waited in ambush. After Mordaunt was shot by musket fire and fell unconscious, Wolfe took command and forced the French to flee and seized their objective on June 16th.
By June 24th, British artillery was finally in place to rain down up the fortress and soon destroyed the walls and several buildings, then turned their fire on the ships in the harbor.
After a month of siege, the British were no closer to eliminating the French ship and the French made no surrender. Thin finally on July 25th, during heavy fog and under the cover of the dueling French and British artillery, Admiral Boscawan sent a cutting out party to attempt to destroy some of the French ships in the harbor. They succeeded in setting fire to the Prudent and the Celebre, but failed to capture the Bienfaisant before falling to French forces.
Unwilling to advance fully into the harbor to take on both the French ships and the fortress artillery the British continued shelling the French ships, and finally after 5 more days of attempts, hot shot finally caught the Capricieux and the Bienfaisant on fire.
With only 2 Ships of the line, and two 2 frigates in the harbor, and heavily battered French defenses, the British finally decided to enter the harbor. They did not want to draw out the siege for much longer in case the French would attempt to relieve it, and feared about their out supplies of shot and powder running low after so many days of bombardment.
The French, had one more surprise to play. In a last desperate attempt, they had converted the frigate Topaze into an improvised fire ship, in case the British sailed into the harbor in force, which they proceeded to do on August 1st. While the Entreprenant and Raisonable put up a valiant last fight against heavy odds, the Topaze alighted and sailed with the wind into a mass of British ships. Several smaller transport vessels did become engulfed, but for the most part, most of the British ships avoided this last desperate action. This was a little too well in fact for HMS Kingston, which was forced to run aground to evade the blazing Topaze. Miraculously, in the midst of the confusion, while the Entreprenant sank to British fire, and the Raisonable ran was run aground, and burnt by the French to avoid its capture, the Fidele slipped out of the harbor. Also during the confusion, the Acadia and Mi’kmaq militias escaped westwards, to the small boats that had arrived in to return home to the mainland.
The French land batteries got a few more licks in, pulverizing the immobile Kingston to the point it was no longer salvageable, and damaging some of the British fleet before the British guns silenced them.
The British made an assault against the next day fortress the August 2nd, but despite the loss of all ships, the French resisted the attack, holding on to the hope of the siege being lifted. Not wanting to risk more casualties the British switched back to bombarding the fortress, hoping to starve the French out. It would take another 15 days before the French ran out of supplies and finally surrendered on August 17th.
Battle Results:
British Fleet: Loss of Rainbow (40), Kingston (60), and 12 small transport vessels. Moderate, repairable damage to four ships. Prince Fredrick (70) condemned to a harbor hulk after damage assessment.
British Forces: 1280 killed and wounded.
French Fleet: Loss of Entreprenant (74), Prudent (74), Bienfaisant (64), Celebre (64), Capricieux (64), Raisonable (64), Topaze (24)
French Forces: 650 killed and wounded, 6,800 surrendered.
British Victory
Being far too late in the year, the British would be unable to pursue an attack on Quebec during the year of 1758, and would also have very limited time in which to pursue control over the rebellious Acadian and Mi’kmaq populations that had been plaguing British settlements with raids in the Maritimes prior to the arrival of winter.
Battle of Glace Bay
During the siege Louisburg, a British scouting squadron was patrolling around the island on the lookout for French attempts to reinforce or lift the siege, when they ran in to the French Squadron that had been aiming to do just that north of Louisburg. The French ships that could not reach Louisburg earlier and had moved on towards Quebec had resupplied there put to sea again, aiming to seek a way to relieve the siege or return to France.
On August 19th, 10 French ships of the line escorting some supply vessels bore down on the smaller British squadron of 2 ship of the line and 3 frigates and quickly formed up a line of battle against them.
British Forces:
HMS Prince of Orange (60), Defiance (58), Juno (32), Adventure (32), Scarborough (22)
In a short battle the French were victorious against the British ships who had tried to flee, sinking the Juno and the Prince of Orange, and capturing the Defiance. However, the remaining two frigates of the British squadron were able to escape, quickly fleeing back to the larger fleet at Louisburg.
The lightly damaged French ships put in at the bay for minor repairs from the battle, to secure the captured ship and refresh their water from the village. There they received word of fall of Louisburg, and decided to continue on to France to bring word.
Battle Results:
British Fleet: Loss of Prince of Orange (60), Juno (32). Capture of Defiance (58)
French Fleet: Minor damage.