Book #1: Acadia. TOC
Part 7,
The Second Siege of Louisbourg: 1758: TOC
Ch.04 -- "Action at Sea, Off of Louisbourg
-- 1755-1757."

During the years immediately leading up to the siege of Louisbourg in 1758, there were great numbers of English and French war ships in Nova Scotian waters; like no other time since the years 1745 and 1746. (It will be recalled that it was in 1745 that Warren's fleet was at Louisbourg; 1746 was the year that the Duc d'Anville's fleet was sent by the French to take revenge.) Depleted treasuries, especially that of France, drove the parties to the tables at Aix-la-Chapelle. It was there that a treaty was signed in the fall of 1748, and, The War of the Austrian Succession was brought to an end. Unresolved issues, however, continued to seethe such that the parties in 1756 went at it again and a new war began. This war has been labeled by historians as the Seven Years War. Its outcome was to have a profound effect on the future geo-political makeup of North America.

A brief observation concerning the relative naval strengths of France and England at this point would be in order. From 1714 to 1752 the number of English war ships advanced from 247 to 291, 44 ships, net, having been added in 38 years; while, for England, from 1752 to 1760, the numbers increased from 291 to 412, an addition of 121 in 8 years. Von Ruville sets out a table showing the disposition of the English fleet during the year 1756. Thirty-two ships of the line (out of 125) and 22 lesser types (out of 79) were to be found in the waters of the West Indies and North America. In comparison: the French fleet, which, at the beginning of the century during the reign of Louis XIV, was the equal of England's, had been allowed to slip, such that, in 1747, the number of French ships of the line had sunk to just, but 31. It should be noted, too, that there was at this time no facilities in North America, either for the English or the French, such that it was possible to leave any of these large ocean going sailing vessels at their stations during the winter.1

In 1755, France and England were to send sizeable fleets to North America. At the first of the year, the English cabinet authorized the sending of a naval squadron to America with instructions, notwithstanding that the countries had yet to declare war, to "fall upon any French ships of war that shall be attempting to land troops in Nova Scotia or to go to Cape Breton or through the St. Lawrence to Quebec."2 The intelligence was that the French were going to build up their military presence in America. The aim was to catch the French fleet in a net of British war ships. Admiral Boscawen was put in charge of two fleets, his and another under Admiral Holburne. The combined fleets amounted to 21 war vessels which cruised between Halifax and the southern coast of Newfoundland. In June, four French naval ships3 were to fall into the net, an event which I have already dealt with, "The Taking of the Alcide and the Lys."

Boscawen was to spend a lot of time in Halifax during the summer and fall of 1755, indeed, he was consulted by Governor Lawrence when the decision was being considered to deport the Acadians. His naval ships were back and forth, and, were to bring into Halifax a number of French prizes for condemnation and sale. It would seem that the larger part of his fleet was to continue to cruise Nova Scotian waters until late in the fall, when they set sail for England, with pickled Acadian beef in their holds which Joshua Maugher had rustled up from the vacated Acadian farms. Boscawen was to leave behind at Halifax four warships and two sloops, despite the lack of a careening wharf.4 The following spring the six vessels at Halifax, having been made ready for another season, were joined by two more which came over with a new commander, Commodore Holmes; in 1756, presumably, Boscawen was off to other waters.

C. Ochiltree Macdonald, in his splendid little book, The Last Siege of Louisbourg, was to describe the only engagement that was to place in Nova Scotia during 1756:

"... in July an indecisive battle was fought off the port [Louisbourg] between the ships sent out of Halifax to destroy them [privateers] and M. Beausier's squadron [of French warships]. While returning from Quebec to Louisbourg, on July 26th, M. Beausier sighted the British three leagues southward of Louisbourg, and bore down on them before a northerly gale. But they tacked in order to stand off and, fearing to fall to leeward of Louisbourg, into which he was carrying provisions, Beausier went into the harbour to land them, and started in quest of the English at 5 o'clock next morning, with the Héros, 74; Illustre, 64; the frigate Syrene, 36; and a 36-gun frigate. Sighting the Grafton and Nottingham, 70 guns, and a Jamaica sloop, about noon, he crowded all sail to come up with them, and the Syrene briskly attacked the sloop; but the Grafton and Nottingham beat her off. M. Beausier bore up to her support under press of canvas, and opened fire upon the Grafton, leaving the Nottingham, which lay upon his quarter, to the Illustre; but a calm coming on at that moment, the Illustre could not support him, and the Héros lay exposed to the guns of the Grafton and Nottingham until the Illustre came to her assistance at 7 o'clock in the evening, before a rising gale. The dusk falling upon the sea terminated the combat, and the French bore off the Héros to Louisbourg, where she arrived next morning, with two hundred shot in her hull and masts, others between wind and water, 18 of her crew killed and 48 wounded, the tattered flag of France still flying triumphantly at her mast head."5