The Battle of Restigouche was a naval battle fought in 1760 during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
(known as the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
in the United States) on the
Restigouche River
The Restigouche River (french: Rivière Ristigouche) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec.
The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the App ...
between the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and the small flotilla of vessels of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
,
Acadian militia
The military history of the Acadians consisted primarily of militias made up of Acadian settlers who participated in wars against the English (the British after 1707) in coordination with the Wabanaki Confederacy (particularly the Mi'kmaw milit ...
and Mi'kmaq militias.
New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
'. Hunter Publishing, Inc; 2001. . p. 134 The loss of the French vessels, which had been sent to support and resupply the troops in
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...
after the fall of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, marked the end of any serious attempt by France to keep hold of their colonies in North America.
[Keith Muckelroy. ]
Maritime Archaeology
'. Cambridge University Press; 1978. . p. 117 The battle was the last major engagement of the Mi'kmaq and Acadian militias before the
Burying of the Hatchet Ceremony between the Mi'kmaq and the British.
Background
Quebec had fallen to the British in September 1759, at the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...
, but French forces remained in New France in large numbers. Supplies were important because France ran their colonies and military such that the colonies were wholly dependent on products and manufacturing of the motherland. Several appeals to the French government for reinforcements met with indifference or neglect, partly because the French navy had been smashed at the
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' in French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off the coast ...
in November 1759.
On April 10, 1760, the frigate ''Le Machault'' under Lieutenant Francois La Giraudais sailed from
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
with five merchant ships carrying 2,000 casks of provisions and 400 troops.
Francois-Gabriel D'Angeac commanded reinforcement troops because of his familiarity with the area.
On April 11, during the outward journey, the ships in the flotilla were forced to disperse in order to run the British blockade off France. Two merchant vessels were seized, and two weeks later another ran aground in the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. The three remaining vessels rendezvoused in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence
The Gulf of St. Lawrence () is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semi-enclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, at an average depth of .
...
on 15 May, only to find that a British fleet had already arrived in Quebec. Seeking a safe harbour, they sailed for
Chaleur Bay
frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is seen to the east.">Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula ...
and anchored in the
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
of the
Restigouche River
The Restigouche River (french: Rivière Ristigouche) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec.
The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the App ...
near the Mi'kmaq settlement of
Listuguj on 18 May. Here they enlisted the help of the locals and some Acadien refugees in exchange for feeding and arming them.
In the meantime, a force of Royal Navy ships under Captain
John Byron
Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...
sailed from
Louisbourg
Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.
History
The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...
to intercept the French flotilla. They arrived in Chaleur Bay on June 22, blockading any attempt by La Giraudais to escape. He responded by sailing further upriver where the deeper draft British ships would have difficulty following. There he turned ''Le Machault'' broadside, scuttled some schooners as a barrier and placed a battery of cannon ashore to strengthen his position.
On October 26, 1759, after the fall of Quebec, the French priests who had been an integral part of the leadership of the Acadian militia and Mi'kmaq militia began to negotiate for peace. Father Manach accepted in the name of the Acadians at Richibucto (N.B.) and Baie des Ouines (Bay du Vin) the peace proposals put forward by "
Commandant Henry Schomberg">lexander?Schomberg" Father Maillard and Joseph-Charles Germain also agreed to local capitulations.
[Ronald E. Gaffney ]
Battleground: Nova Scotia: The British, French, and First Nations at War in the Northeast 1675–1760
' Xlibris Corporation; December 4, 2015. p. 85 These initiatives were severely criticised by French officer at Restigouche
Jean-François Bourdon de Dombourg
Jean-François is a French given name. Notable people bearing the given name include:
* Jean-François Carenco (born 1952), French politician
* Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832), French Egyptologist
* Jean-François Clervoy (born 1958), Fre ...
. He prepared a file on the missionaries, whom he accused of treason. The Battle of Resitgouche was one of the few battles the Acadians and Mi'kmaq undertook without the sanction of the French priests.
Battle
An Acadian militia and Mi'kmaq (Mi'gmaq) militia, totalling 1,500 fighters, organized in the Battle of Restigouche. The Acadians arrived in about 20 schooners and small boats. Along with the French, they continued up the river to draw the British fleet closer to the Acadian community of Pointe-Ă -la-Batterie, where they were ready to launch a surprise attack on the British. The Acadians sunk a number of their vessels to create a blockade, upon which the Acadian and Mi'kmaq fired at the ships. On June 27, the British succeeded in manoeuvring just beyond the chain of sunken ships. (One of the British ships, , was almost lost) Once the British were in the range of the battery, they fired on the battery. This skirmish lasted all night and was repeated with various breaks from June 28 to July 3, when the British overwhelmed Pointe-Ă -la-Batterie, burning 150 to 200 buildings which made up the Acadian village.
![Dessin du Machault (1791)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Dessin_du_Machault_%281791%29.jpg)
The militias retreated and re-grouped with ''Le Machault''. They sunk more schooners to create another blockade and created two new batteries, one on the North shore at Pointe de la Mission (today
Listuguj, Quebec), and one on the South shore at Pointe aux Sauvages (today
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton is a city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-Ă -la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.
Fores ...
). They created a blockade with schooners at Pointe aux Sauvages.
On July 7, Byron spent the day getting rid of the battery at Pointe aux Sauvages and later returned to the task of destroying ''Le Machault''. By the morning of July 8, ''Scarborough'' and ''Repulse'' were in the range of the blockade and face to face with ''Le Machault''. The British made two attempts to defeat the batteries and the militias held out. On the third attempt, they were successful.
Despite La Giraudais' positioning, Byron was able to negotiate the shallower waters and on July 3, confronted the French defensive line. At close range and in calm winds, the battle commenced. Despite being outgunned, the French inflicted heavy damage on the British before Byron succeeded in silencing the shore batteries. ''Le Machault'' and the merchant ships ''Bienfaisant'' and ''Marquis-de-Malauze'' then withdrew further upriver with the British in pursuit. For the next several days the two forces engaged in a running battle, but La Giraudais recognized that he could not win a battle of attrition and on July 8 he had ''Le Machault'' and ''Bienfaisant'' scuttled to prevent the capture of their cargo (''Marquis-de-Malauze'' was spared due to the prisoners that she contained in her hold). The remaining French force then withdrew to the shore and the safety of Listuguj while Byron returned to Louisbourg.
Aftermath
The Battle of the Restigouche ended with all the French ships and most of the Acadians' boats sunk, but the British were not successful in landing because of the number of muskets on shore. The Acadian militia and Mi'kmaq had made their last stand here and survived. In spite of this, many Acadian settlers were forced out and settled elsewhere,
[Lucille H. Campey. ]
Les Écossais: The Pioneer Scots of Lower Canada, 1763-1855
'. Dundurn; June 5, 2006. . p. 258 and by the next year the Mi'kmaq and other local First Nations had made treaties promising peace and trade with Britain, to the exclusion of French influence.
The loss of important provisions hastened the fall of New France. Without outside support and surrounded by three separate British forces,
Montreal fell on September 8. La Giraudais finally surrendered on October 29, six days after hearing the news of the capitulation. Byron later commanded the British fleet that was defeated at the
Battle of Grenada
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfather ...
in 1779, as well as becoming governor of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
.
Legacy
![Proue Machault](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Proue_Machault.jpg)
Today, the site of the battle is a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...
known as Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site.
Fabulous Quebec
'. Ulysses Travel Guides; 2004. . p. 99 An interpretive centre located in
Pointe-Ă -la-Croix, Quebec
Pointe-à -la-Croix (''Cross Point'' in English) is a municipality located on the Restigouche River in the Gaspésie region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is situated across from the city of Campbellton, New Brunswick.
In addition to Pointe-Ă -la- ...
features artifacts recovered from the site, displays and a film about the battle, and a 1:32 scale model of the 18th century
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
''Le Machault''.
[Mark Lightbody. ]
Canada, a Travel Survival Kit
' Lonely Planet; 1992 . p. 316 In the summer, costumed interpreters portray the
Acadians
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...
,
Micmaq, sailors and French soldiers who participated in the 1760 battle.
References
External links
"The Battle of the Restigouche" at Canada's Digital Collections*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Restigouche, Battle of
Conflicts in Acadia
Military history of New England
Military history of the Thirteen Colonies
Conflicts in New Brunswick
Battles of the French and Indian War
Naval battles of the Seven Years' War
Naval battles involving Great Britain
Naval battles involving France
Battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
New France
1760 in France
Conflicts in 1760
National Historic Sites in New Brunswick
National Historic Sites in Quebec
Battle of Restigouche
The Battle of Restigouche was a naval battle fought in 1760 during the Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War in the United States) on the Restigouche River between the British Royal Navy and the small flotilla of vessels of the F ...
Military and war museums in Canada
History museums in Quebec
Tourist attractions in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Conflicts in Nova Scotia
1760 in Canada