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32X

SIEGE

— OF —

THE FORT OF ST. JOHNS

n 1775

Written in Fiench by L'jcien Huot^ and translatec »y

Geo. H. Flint.

1889 ;

Niiws Publishing House,

S<. Johns, P. Q.

IN 177S.

Written in Freneli by JLucicn fluot and Translated by

Geo. H. Flint.

LcT^t year, while digging at the mouth of a little creek which runs

throi:gh the farra wjiere my family spend the holidays, and in clearing

Ulhe shore of the Richelieu River at the junction of the two streams in

t-r to make a dock worthy of the steam yacht "La Mouchc," I

^.^.,;nd some very interesting relics at a depth of two or thiee feet.

[Die first was an unexploded iron shell, the wooden stopper still in its

)lace. Then I turned up other iron missiles of different sizes, — a

)]undcrbuss, bar shot, grape shot, &c., and also a horse shoe and

stirrup, all in a perfect state ot" preservation.

To whom had these things belonged was a natural question.
Were they left there dm-ing the French regime or at a more recent
late? The rust which had formed on them and the thickness of the
soil which had accumulated over them seemed to indicate that many
years had passed since they had found this resting place.

Had these missiles been fired by the garrison of the fort while

)ractising? Had the stirrup and horse shoe belonged to an officer

|»vho had lost them while hunting, or to some young man of the time,

who, returning late on a dark night from a visit to a fair friend, had, on

irriving at the creelc, taken a leap beyond his horse's power and landed

leej) in the mire? Or had this been the scene of one of the battles

50 frequent in those early days as the presence of these many ai tides

would seem to indicate? ,

Although of military descent, my military education is very limited
land I know but little about materials of war. The position of an army
jniany years ago cannot be located definitely by the discovery of cannon
land musket balls at the present, neither can the age or nationality
lof those who fired them be definitely determined by their shape and
[size, because at one time the French and the English used their enemy's

i ,■

— 2.--

arms whenever they chanced to lay hold of them. The horse shoe,
however, is more within the scope of my scientific knowledge, and I
confess that it is my opinion it never shod a farm horse. This is easily
seen by its lines. Whether the blacksmith who forged it was French,
English or .American, and "-hatever the century in which he lived, he
deserves the credit which is the due of a good workman.

.Since the foundation of the colony, St. Johns has always been
important from a military point of view. Here the French built a fort
to defend the possession of the Richelieu against attacks by way of
Lake Chamjilain, this river at that time forming the route of commu-
nication between Montreal and the neighboring country.

THE FIRST FORT.

According to Garneau, the historian, the first fort was built in
1665, by order of M. De Tracy, the Governor of the Colony, simul-
taneously with that of Chambly and several others. The plan of this
first fort, a draft of which is in the Parliamentary Library at Ottawa,
indicates that it was roomy and elegant in construction, the four
angles being formed by bastions several storeys high, with ])innaclcs,
which must have given it a very fine ajjpearance, The trenches which
surround the present military school would therefore date from that
time — more than two hundred years ago.

Although St. Johns was the first outpost erected to guard the
colony of Montreal against an attack from that direction, the history
does not mention that any important fight ever took place under its
walls during the period of continuous war between the French and
English. It was the rcndez-vous for all the expeditions to Lake Gham-
phun and Lake George. It was well situated for the purpose. Stand-
nig at the head of the Chambly rapids, where the navigation of Lake
Chamjilain, at least for war boats, ended, at a time when the waters of
that lake were constantly furrowed by important naval forces, St. Johns
formed the south angle of a triangle comi)leted by Chambly and La-
l)rairie, which had to be crossed before the French colony could be
entered and Montreal attacked. (*)

BEFORE AND SINCE THE CONQUEST.'

A military force of more or less importance, therefore, had always
been stationed in St. Johns up to the time of the conquest. But as no
important engagement took place during that period it is not probable
that the shell and balls found by me could be traced to it. If I am
not mistaken target shooting was not as fashionable then as it is to-
day. The battle fields afforded sufficient practice, and, moreover, the
scarcity of ammunition, CBpecially for the artillery, made it necessary
for it to be kept in re serve for an enemy.

I had, therefore, to come to the conclusion that the missiles I
had found dated from the siege of the fortof St. Johns by Montgomery

(•) At that time the wholo sheet of water as far as St. Johns was called the
" Lake." In fact, the absence of current In this wide part of our river makcH It ap-
pear as if It farmed a portion of Lake Champlaiu.

— 3.—

in 177S. and that the stirrup must have belonged to a rider of a hundred
years past. Since that date several generation:> have followed each
other, and the remembrance that i fight took place there has almost
died out. In the meantime military science has progressed, imple-
ments of war have been greatly improved, and human beings can now
be attacked and destroyed with much greater ease and certainty.
The arms of that period, not being sulhciently murderous to meet the
exigencies of the ])resent civilization, have gone out of date, and being
of no value would have been completely forgotten were not men endow-
ed with the faculty of memory and did they not profess a very high
regard for things which have passed.

II.

After the battle of the Plains of Abraham, which gave the pos-
session of Quebec to the English, and during which Wolfe and Mont-
calm, the commanding generals of the two armies, were slain, iheSieur
De Roquemaure, who commanded at St. Johns, had the fort blown up
and burnt, by order of the Marquis de Vaudreuil, who determined
that it should not be surrendered to the English army. This took
place on August 31st, 1760, three days after the Sieur De Bougainville
had tied from Isle-aux-Noix, on the api roach of a formidable English
army.

No hope now was left to the liule French abandoned army in
Canada, and the capitulation of Montreal, which soon followed, put
an end to a conflict which had lasted nearly aoo years.

During the fifteen years of peace which ioUowed, up to the
American Revolution, the ashes of the Fort of St. Johns were not dis-
turbed, and it was only in 1775, after the first expedition of the cele-
brated Colonel Ethan Allen, at the head of his " Green Mountain
Boys," that General Guy Carleton, the Governor of Canada, decided
to rebuild the fort.

In the same year it was besieged by General Montgomery. Thus
it is now 113 years since this famous siege took place. This expedi-
tion has been known in this part of the country as ^^ Invasion i/es
Bostonnais^' "the Invasion of the Bostonians."

The citizens of Boston had taken \\\> arms ii\ revolt against Eng-
land on account of the imposition of certain taxes which they con-
sidered to be unjust, and this led to the revolution which lost to Eng-
land half of this continent.

It was at this time that a young Vermonter, Ethan Allen, from
the neighborhood of Burlington, with his friend, Seih Warner, took
command of a comi)any of his fellow citizens. They distinguished
themselves by their audacity and pluck in several encounters and
were nicknamed " the Green Mountain heroes" of 1775. The Green
Mountain Boys were the terror of the whole neighboring count y. (*)

One of their first exploits was the capture of fort Ticonderoga,

(*) Green Mountain is tlie Enfillsh translation of Montagne Vcrte or Vermont
which is the name retained by the State on the other side 01 the bouurlary Hue.

—4.—

which ])reviously had been called Carillon. Allan surprised it during
the night at the head of a small party of his men. Their entrance was
effected so cleverly that the sentry did not even have time to awaken
the commanding officer who was made prisoner in his bed.

After having taken possession of Crown Point, on Lake Cham-
plain, one of their parties led by Arnold, during the month of May,
advanced to Isle-aiix-Noix. and on as far as St. Johns, where but
twelve men had been left in charge of the stores. He took possession
of the munitions of war including the provisions and also of the gun
boat ** George." Then, following the Laprairie road, he took up a
position in the bush-es of Lacadie to receive in good style the British
soldiers whom he expected would be sent in pursuit of him. They
not making their api)earance, he quietly retired, taking to Lake Cham-
plain in the gun boats 'he stores of the Fort, postponing to a more
favorable opportunity his contemplated surprise to the inhabitants of
Montreal.

It was immediately after this that the Governor, General Guy
Carleton, decided to rebuild in a substantial manner the fort of St.
Johns. To this end he sent from Quebec and Three Rivers all the
troops that were there, under the command of Major Preston, together
with considerable artillery and ammunition. There were also sent
carpenters and ship builders so that while the fort was being built
som.e gun boats might be under way. One of the latter, the " Royal
Sauvage," carrying several guns, was sunk in front of the fort during
the siege, by the floating artillery of Montgomery.

At low water, now, at the south angle of the fort, can be seen the
skeleton of a boat, whose strong ribs stand erect almost to the level of
the water and are a cause of terror to the rowers of the numerous
light skifts which now wrinkle these waters. Might this not be the
solid' frame of the " Royal Sauvage," which has been sleeping there
for over a century ?

■:i

IIL

The United States Congress having entrusted the invasion of
Canada to Generals Schuyler and Montgomery, they selected Crown
Point as their place of meeting.

Chevalier DeLorimier, a brave young French Canadian, who ex-
ercised considerable influence over the Indians of the St. Louis Rapids
(Caughnawaga) had offered his services to the Governor of Canada,
who employed him as scout, his special duty being to keep him posted
on the movements of the American army of Lake Champlain.

One evening in the month of Augiist, while DeLorimier was re-
turning from the lake in a canoe paddled by three Indians, and when
near the mouth of the Lacolle river three shots were fired at them
from a boat at the shore. Two of his Indians were wounded, one iii
the neck and the other in the leg. DeLorimier and the unwounded
Indian replied by firing at the bush in the direction froni which the

■T^

—5.-

shots had come and there was no response. Next mociing, on return-
ing to his work, he found the dead body of an American officer lying
on a bed of leaves at the place from which the attack on the previous
evening had come. It was the body of Captain Baker who had been
shot in the forehead. This was the first blood .shed in the war between
the United States and Canada at the opening ot the American revolu-
tion.

As iiKiy be readily understood, DeLorimier was what is called "a
good shot." He had not missed his target this time, and he was not
in tjie habit of missing. Vigorous, strong, courageous and brave, he
was the very man to inlluence the Indians who recognized in him the
perfect tyi)c of hunter and wood runner. His fine figure and his in-
Lelligence together with a little blue blood rendered him one of the
most distinguished French Canadians of the time. After having been
advanced several grades during the war of the conquest in Avhich he
had served his apprenticeship, he went to reside in l/achine with his
brother Charailly, and was supporting his old mother and a young
sister. But the smell of gunpowder made him abandon family and
eveiything to fiy to the front.

On the fifdi of September Generals Schuyler and Montgomery
landed an army of nearly 2,000 men at Islc-aux-Noix. The next day
a division of nearly 1,400 men under the command of General Schuyler
came further down the stream and landed at the mouth of the little
river that is no v known as the " Bernier," about a mile above the fort,
of St. Johns.

During the time the enemy were landing and entrenching, DeLo-
rimier with 90 Indians was keeping a sharp look out after them. He
was also accompanied by his brother and Ca])tdin Tice. When they
arrived at the little river they could plainly see the Americans on the
other side. They opened fire and marked several of them, especially
officers. The Americans, frightened by the shots of an invisible enemy,
began to run in the direction of their boats. Soon, however, they re- .
turned and continued to entrench themselves, being fully determined
to resist any attack. A few of the Indians swam the creek and rushed
to the attack, yelling their war cry. They were led by the grand chief
" Sotsiennouane," who was nicknamed the " grenadier." Bearing no
other arms than a kind of lance and DeLorimier's hunting knife, he
rushed forth and killed three Americans before falling deadly wounded.
The Americans, frightened by the sight of such formidable and deter-
mined warriors, fied to Isle-aux-Noix, leaving their dead on the field.
" Te Deum " services were offered in all the churches of the Province
in acknowledgement of this successful action.

This important victory should not be forgotten. The battle field
should be marked by the erection of a monument upon which the
heroic names should be engraved and handed down to future ages.
With ail due respect to the memory of Bernier, whose name has been
given to this river and without disputing his right to the never ending
gratitude of his countrymen, would it not be more proper that the

•6.—

natnc of this liille stream, whose waters were reddened by the I)lood
of the brave Indian chief, and whose shores witnessed a feat of intre-
pid courage which forms one of the noblest pages in oar history, should
recall one of the heroes of those days. The " Chevalitr's " river no
doubt would be a fitting name > bring to mind the gallant comman-
der ot that small body — Chcva. :r Del.orimier — but it might be still
more appropriate to give it the name of " Grenadier" river in memory
of the grand old chief of Caughnawaga whcf*with an ordinary hunting
knife rushed upon a little army and had time to kill three of their
number, armed to the tcetli, and to attack the fourth before falling.

In any case the old name " Montgomery Creek," would be better
than the name it now bears, which name is immortalizc.'d already by a
lint of fiirms which these famous pioneers, the Berniers, have settled,
iind which they have made one of the richest plots of land in the
neighborhood.

IV.

General Schuyler, disgusted by such a misadventure as that re-
lated in the last chapter, feigning ill-health, retired" to Ticonderoga
and left the command of the army to General Montgomerv. The
latter was a distinguished officer and had the advantage of knowing
the country well. Of Irish origin, he had joined the Jkitish army at the
age of tifteen, and at twenty-one, being then a captain, he had witnessed
Wolfe's death on the Plains of Abraham. At the period of the nar-
rative, when he undertook to besiege Quebec again and to reconquer
Canada, he was but thirty-seven. During the interval he had left the
British army and settled in the United States, where he married a
young lady of noble character and of good family, the daughter of
Judge Livingstone, of New York, and retired on a farm on the Hudson,
fie was here when, called by the new country of his adoption, he bade
farewell to his young wife in the memorable words : " You will never
have to blush for your Montgomery, adieu," and he kept his word.

The intrepid bravery he exhibited in forcing the artillery of the
Quebec Citadel, on the following 31st December, was but an indica-
tion of his character. At the head of a small party of picked men, he
^.'as the first to be mowed down, a victim to his daring. His poor
widow, who for forty years wore mourning in his memory, never indeed
iiad to blush for him. She put aside that grand mourning attire, only
on the eve of the day that the remains of her beloved " soldier," as
£he called him, were borne in triumph in front of that same residence
on the Hudson forty years after the sad leave-taking with his beloved
wife. Taken from Quebec, where they had been buried, after having
been found under the snow on New Year's day, 1776, these glorious
remains, in 1818, were carried in triumph on a steamer which had been
chartered for the purpose by Mayor Dewitt Clinton, and deposited in
the porch of St. Paul's Church, Broadway, New York; where a monu-
ment, that had been brought from Paris, was ready to receive them.

—7.

To-day, notwithstanding the protection of the i)orch of the church, the
fine marbles of that artistic monument are darkened ; but still more
than one passing by on that busy street stoi) to admire it, and Mont-
gomery is one of the best known names in American history.

On the 17th of September, after General Schuyler's departure, .
Montgomery again advanced to St. Johns in boatb, and effected a
landing at the mouth of the Little Bernier river, the same place where
lliey had been rejjulsed a fortnight before. I'he main body ol the
armv was barricaded at this place whilst a battalion under command
of Major Brown was sent on to encamp on the north side of the fort,
on what was at that time called the " biu point," about a mile down
the river. Sentries were posted along the edge of the forest at Coteau
lies Hetres (beech hillock) ainl a battery placed on the east side of the
river, 'I'hus the fort was entirely surrounded and the only possible
way for the garrison to communicate with Montreal or ChamDly was
by the river.

The garrison was composed of a portion of the " Royal Fusiliers "
or 7th regiment, and also of the 26th regiment, in all 500 men, under
command of Major Preston. There were besides 120 French Cana-
dian volunteers headed by Mr. DeLongueuil who had come to their
aid.

Fifteen years had passed since the conquest, and during these
fifteen years all government offices as well as military charges had
passed into the hands of the British bureaucracy, without an excep-
tion. It was under these circumstances, whde no personal considera-
tion nor national sentiment could influence them, that 120 Fre,nch
Canadians the pick of the nobility, professional men and merchants
of Montreal, were the first to come forward to defend their new gov-
ernment, whilst the F-nglish colonists themselves were inclined to favor
the rebels, their friends of Boston and New York, who had their sym-
pathies and to whom they gave assistance openly on several occasions.

On the first sign of danger the i^rench Canadians of Montreal
held meetings, consulted with each other, listened to the reading of
])ressing invitations sent to them by the American Government, the
congress and by General Washington. Whilst the English popula-
tion was favoring the movements of the enemy our ancestors of French
origin, remembered that they had sworn their faith and loyalty to the
British king, their new master, and laying aside their nationrd feeling
in presence of their duty, they did not hesitate to offer their services
to General Guy Carleton, then Governor of Canada, who accepted
them as volunteers.

This handful of volunteers without commission or rank, com-
manded by the Baron de Longueuil, comprised amongst others De
Belestre, I)e Lotbinidre, De Boucherville, St. Luc De Lacorne, Che-
valier De la Bruere, De St. Ours, De Montigny, D'Eschambault, De
la Magdelaine, De Montesson, De Rigaudville, De Salaberry, De Ton-
nancourt, De Florimont, Jucherau Duchesnay, Perthuis, Hervieux,
(Gaucher, Giasson, Campion Beaulieu, Des Aulniers, Lamarque, De

1 ■ 1

—8.—

Musseau. Foucher, Marquis, the two De Lorimiers, Monnier, De La-
valtrie, De Lamoraudi^re, Beaulieu, Des Riiisseaux, Tv^ssicr, Antoine
Dupre, De RicherviUe, I^e^luc, Rainvillc, Chenier, De Belleleuille, &c.

The fortress of St. Johns, as the Americans called it, was con-
structed of two forts, running paralltl to each other and surrounded
by trenches which still remain. It was well supplied with cannon and
ammunition, but not sufficiently provisioned to sustain a long siege.

The Canadians, on the apjjearance of the enemy, made a sortie
and offered fight without much result. Several of them were killed,
among others Des Aulniers and Perthuis ; De LaBruerc had both
aiins shot, and St. Luc de Lacorne died from wounds received during
tlie siege. They captured a few prisoners, among whom was Captain
Hazen, a retired officer who had resided on the Iberville side and who
had previously joined the American army.

Chevalier De Lorimier twice succeeded in leaving the fort in
order to procure assistance from the Governor to relieve the garrison.
It was easy enough for him to leave but very difficult to return. Once
in the night he got back into the fort by imitating the Jumps and bleat-
ing of a deer, and did it so naiurally, as he himself relates, that he
heard the sentries remark, as he passed through them, *' there goes a
deer." The Americans having hear^i from tfte Indians how he got
back into the fort swore they would take him if he made another at-
tempt. In this, however, they wp'-e equally unsuccessful, for shortly
afterwards he did mi,ke another attem[)t in which he was successful,
and by the vigor of his legs and rapidity of his running outstripped
the different })arties placed in the woods for the purpose of surround-
ing him. Captain Brown, who commanded at Laprairie, sent a com-
pany specially for the purpose of securing him, but on their reachiiig
Caughnavaga he jumped into a canoe, crossed over to Lachine in
sight of them, escaped the balls and shot whizzing on every sidj of
him, and on arriving at Dachine bid them gogd-bye.

Meanwhile the Americans occui)ied all tin; neighboring country,
including the forts of Lapfairie and Longueuil. Colonel Ethan Allan
at the head of his " Green Mountain Boys," had at the beginning
joined the army under Montgomery, but finding the siege too slow a
business for him, he visited the country, and, aided by some English
people such as Hazen, of Iberville, and the Livingstons of Chambly,
he gained the confidence of a certain number of French Canadians
and formed a camp at Point Olivier, oi)posite Chambly. On Sunday,
the twenty-fourth of Se])tember, he crossed over from Boucherville to
Longue Point, and while making prejiarations to raid Montreal, he
was surprised ani-l made prisoner at Mijon's creek, »iow Maisonneuve.
On the eighteenth of October, Major Stoj)ford, who commanded at
Chambly, surrendered that fort to Major Brown, wlio made him and
his command prisoners of war. Stopford made no effort to defend the

!f!R

mmm

^^^

fort, he did not even fire a cannon. The garrison only comprised
about one hundred men, but the, quantity of arms, ammunition and
provisions of all sorts kejit in reserve in the place was considerable ;
besides that it also contained the colors of the two regiments, which
uere so gallantly engaged in defending the fort of St. Johns. The
men were sent to Boston as prisoners of war, the flags were sent to the
congress, the women and children, numbering in all seventy, were set
free, and the arms and ammunition were brought to the camp at St.
Johns. These supplies were of great service to the beseigers as nearly
all Montgomeiy's supplies were exhausted.

Meanwhile Gen. Guy Carleton, although urgently re(]uested by
the inhabitants of Montreal, where he was stationed, and urged by the
volunteers from the country who came to assist him, did not make an
effort to fight his «vay to St. Johns or to come to the rescue of the be-
seiged. Chenier and Leduc had succeeded in leaving the fort to biing
him news. Richerville and the other Leduc had also found their way
out and brought letters from Major Preston. At length, on the twenty-
seventh of October, the Governor seemed to make an effort to cross over
to Longueuil from St. Helen's Island, which he had fortified. He was,
however, compelled to retire without securing any advantage.

The two De Lorimiers at the head of a party of Indians, and ac-'
companied by the Canadian volunteers, while moving to the front, rnd
braving the fire of the shore, had also to retire in consequence of the
regulars not coming to their su{)port.

Discouraged, short of victuals, crushed by the number of the
enemy, and having stood a fire always increasing in intensity sincc-
the surrender of Chambly, the gallant garrison of St. Johns decided at
last to accept the terms of cai)itulation offered by Nlontgomery, and
laid down their arms on the third of November, at ten o'clock in the
morning. (*) The officers were granted the privilege only accorded
to the brave, to keep their swords, but all without exception were
immediately sent to Bos\on as prisonners of war.

During the siege the French Canadian volunteers distinguished
themselves by their bravery and endurance, though the historians
neglected to record their appreciation of those defenders of St. Johns
at its true value. They were the first to fight, and indeed the only
ones who were killed outside the walls in offering an open fight to the

(*) It siioins from TlornceWalp^ile's, journal that tlie news of the capitiihitlon
of tli8 fortress of Sf. John.s produced th(> greatest oxelteincnl in England, and
tlirew the mlnlstorH (excepting only l.oni North) Into the greatest consternation.
He says : "On the 28th Decfrnber, accounts came that t!arIeton had deserted Mon-
treal, which the Provincials took, and hud sliut him lelf up in Q,nebe'i, having but
Till) men, all they had kept for the guard of the whole Province and the Canadians,
whom ho could not trust , for the Canadians, in spite of the restoration of tlieir
religion, loaned towards the Provincim."

Wo have already shown that this view of the position of the Canadians, as
he calls thism as far as tliey apply to French-Canadians, was not the correct one.
Willi taut few exccptious, when left alone and given their own leaders, they stood
side by side with the regular English forces in defence of their country, and if they
had been aided by General Carleton, Montgomery would have been compelled to
have raised the siege of St. Johns.— [G. V.

-10.—

enemy. Faithful to the last our ancestors did not spare their lives in
defence of their country.

This heroism and generosity on their part, contributed mucli more
than has generally been acknowledged, to preserve Canada to the
British Crown. Without them St. Johns would probably have sur-
rendered as Charnbly and Montreal did without fighting. If Mont-
gomery, instead of spending two months in the then unhealthy marshes
of St. Johns, had immediately and early in the season reached Quebec
with a fresh army after taking ])ossession of the country, the fate of
the colony might have been far different from what it has been.

Since then, many a time our fellow countrymen, who have dis-
played equal courage in upholding the British flag, both politically and
socially, have been accused of Anglomania, a reproach unjust and un-
called for. As well might they find fault with the noble heroes who,
first at St. Johns and the Cedres and then at Chateauguay, traced for
us, with their swords, the path of duty and honor.

This siege had lasted forty-five days, and to form an idea of the
vigor of the enemy's fire it will be sufficient to mention that on the
first of November, Gen. Wooster, whom the Congress had sent to helj)
Montgomery, having established a battery of four cannons and six
mortars in a bulwark (redoute) built on the north-west side of the fort,
at a distance of 250 yards, the Bostonians fired during that day 840
cannon shots besides 120 bomb shells. These relics of past warfare
are still found almost in every direction. Colonel d'Orsonnens, in
making a garden within the old lines of the fort, found several of
them, and the old farmers of St. Johns remember having found some
on the farms in the neighborhood.

I have found them myself at a distance of from 300 to 400 yards
from the fort, but these probably were fired from the fort, not at it, as
it is not probable that the enemy would miss the target so widely,
unless these missiles could possibly have been shot by the American
gun boats which were anchored some distance on the river and formed
the floating battery of the south. The official report describes the
finding in the fort of 20 brass pieces of artillery of which two were 24
pounders, one twelve pounder, four six jjounders, two four pounders,
eight three pounders, and two eight inch howitzers. Also 6 iron guns
nine pounders, i eight pounder, 11 six pounders, i five pounder, i
four pounder, 2 three pounders besides three 5'-^ inch mortars and
four 4 2-5 inch.

VI.

At that date this part of the country was far from being settled to
any extent. In fact these endless wars rendered" the neighborhood
of a fort a place of very little security for the settlers. There were
some few houses near the river on each side, although very little can
1)6 found in the documents of the time to trace them now. There
must have been a few between St. Johns and Isle-aux-Noix, as Per-

—11.

thuis was killed and De Labrudre had both his arms broken in defend-
ing one of them, six miles above St. Johns at the first " grand point"
now called " Point a la Mule." (i)

The Captain Hazen above mentioned had his residence on the
east side of the river nearly opposite the fort, and he had farms on the
west side on the road from St. Johns to Chambly near the Savanna.
On the evening that De Lorimier left the fort for Montreal, having
Captain Hazen in charge, who had been taken ])risoner in the enemy's
camp, they, in the darkness of the night, got lost in the woods, and
in the morning being near the Savanna (now St. Luke), Captain Hazen
directed De Lorimier to the house of one of his farmers situated near
the river where they got some food. It was that same Captain Hazen
who was afterwards Governor of Montreal during a part of the follow-
ing winter while Montgomery was besieging Quebec. He must there-
fore have l5een let free in the meantime, or have made his escape
from his captors.

In locating as nearly as possible persons and properties that
then existed, there will always be more or less difliculty, especially in
a new country as this country then was. For instance it has been
coiitended that Captain Hazen's residence was situated where the
McGinnis or Whitfields now live, on the property formerly owned by
(General Christie ; and this at first sight seems plausible since the
pretty littla river which divides these two properties is called Hazen
river and the bridge which spans it is called Hiizen bridge. Later on,
however, a tanner named Hazen had his tannery on that river, and
the probability is that the river was named after him instead of the
Governor of that name.

It seems from a claim made to the Government by the widow
Babuty that barns belonging to the Babuty (2) fswnily had been de-
stroyed during the siege to prevent the enemy securing shelter behind
them. The stone house which has since been used as a i)owder maga-
zine, was then the residence of the Babutys. It is mentioned in a
council of war held by Montgomery, who intended to establish a bat-
tery at a distance of 400 yards on the north side of the south fort, and
in the direction of that stone house. The little plar. which was fyled
with the Babuty's claim shows that the powder magazine was then in
another place inside of the fort. It is also said in that claim that the
IJabuty residence was only 60 yards from the fort, and the farm upon
which it was built was six acres wide on the river by a depth of 30
acres; and bounded on the south side by the Vrenc li of the fort, which
formed the line of division. I'hc trench which row surrounds this
house, called the powder magazine, did not exist at that time. l"he
ground upon which this house is built did not belong to the govern-

(1) That place was also culled " lo diHrolt," the narrowH, no doubt on account
of the njiri'ownoRH of the river in that plmio.

(2) Babuty or Haberty, the copy made by Rev. Mr. Verreau of the t)rlginal
claim reads Babuty, whilist the local deed^* since druwn read Baberty

without succesH to tind this document In the archives at Ottawa,
been lout.

I tried but
It seems to have

\\\

■12.—

ment, and it is only later that it must have been acquired.

The St. Johns fortress, as the American officers called it in their
correspondence, appeared to be then composed of two forts defended
all round by a pallisade of posts and a trench full of water, which had
to be crossed by a "/<?/// levis" flying bridge, the nature of which
can be surmised from the relics of the old one at Isle-aux-Noix.

The south fort was built at the place where is now built the mili-
tary school, while the other, the northern fort, was inside the bulwarks
now deserted, which are situated on the north-west side of the railway
io Rouse's Point. There was a communication between the two by
means of a deep trench, which is still visible. No where can we find
the men ion of a church, nor village, nor parish of St. Johns, although
the parishes of Chambly are often mentioned. I am tl:^ercfore inclined
to believe there was no village then.

Shortly after, however, a small group of houses was built on the
present site of Richelieu street. In 1812 it was known under the
name of " La Roquerie," probably a corruption of *' Ropery," which
once had been established there. Some clearings had been made
around the fort also at Coteau des Hetres, Beach hillock, now St.
Luke. Outside of that the forest extended as far as Laprairie with-
out interruption.

As already mentioned Montgomery's army formed two camps.
The main body had remained at the little river Bernier, a mile above
the fort, where he had it entrenched and protected. To avoid sur-
prise the camp had been formed beyond that river, which formed a
natural trench, to protect the works which were probably built of logs.
No earthworks of any importance were made, as no trace of them can
now be fonnd, neither on the Pinsonnault nor the Bourgeois farm,
TiOr in the neighborhood.

The square (excavation which is to be seen near the river on the
Towner farm is the remains of an old brick yard ; and as to the earth
work which foliow.s the little river on this side, and wiiich resembles
a ntililary work as seen from the present main road, the farmers state
that it was built more recently to prevent the iloodmg of that river.

That portion of the Pinsonnault farm which was cleared by old
Mr. L'Ecuyer, upon which took place the first fight between the Can-
adians and the Bostonians, In which De Lorimier with his ninety men
routed 1400 regulars, headed by two generals, should be for us the
citizens of St. Johns an object of special attention.

There is at this place a mineral spring, highly recommended for
its medicinal properties by the physicians who tested it. This spring
was first discovered by the deer of the, forest. A deep track leading
to it had been made by them in constantly passing to and fro for the
purpose of drinking its cool and slightly salted water.

This would be a pretty situation for a kiosque, and a company
could no doubt secure the privilege by a lease under moderate con-
ditions from the proprietor. It would be quite an attractioft^ for the

whi(

lity,

—18.—

locality, and at the same time would be a memento of the spot where
the brave "Grenadier" fell.

VII.'

The second camp of the Americans was at the big point a mile
below the fort.

That is vhe point from which is obtained an uninterrupted view
of the river as far as St. Therese island and which is now adorned
with the cosy villa of our friend Judge Chagnon, and which for two
months was occupied by the American camp. The bridge over the
creek, which empties into the bay behind, had been cut in order to
interrupt communication b\' the road from Chambly and Taprairie,
and also to prevent a surprise on that side.

At that time the Laprairie road joined the Chambly road at this
bridge. After the farms were sold, this part of the old road between
the river and the Beach hillock was abolished, and replaced by the
present one.

The soil on which the camp was placed was heavy clay, and as
at that season of the year, a great deal of rain fell, the soldiers in their
letters to their friends complained a good deal about its unhealthiness.
In spite of the mud, however, and of the sickness, the troops managed
to enjoy themselves much better in this, 'than in the General's camp.
Several cart-loads of rum and provisions, forwarded from Chambly,
and intended for the fort, were seized and the men having nothing to
dD, spent their time in singing songs -ind joking, while at the same
lime indulging in prospect of future victory which was however very
slow to come.

If the ghosts of those soldiers v/ho fell victims of their thirst for
independence, and whose bones have been since quietly resting in
the neighborhood should ever take a notion to visit the site of their
old camp they would find that cheerfulness still characterizes the old
c;imp ground, and that singing and music can sometimes be heard by
new generations of people from both countries, now no more enemies,
on this historic spot.

When passing that point, and the eye takes in the calm picture,
formed by the silvery surface of the river, above which the sparrows
constantly play in summer, have you never noticed that the curtain
which is formed by the shade of the old willows and evergreen trees
in the back ground, is one of gloom and sadness? Why is this spot,
which is certainly the prettiest and the most picturesque in this loca-
lity, so deserted? Here are elegant sites suitable for pretty resi-
dences, and if a street were opened, which would only be the con-
tinuation of one already existing, the distance from the town would
be very sh^rt.

Some sweet genius must have protected these grounds against
modern diggings, in order that the bones which sleep there in peace
might not be troubled. A good many soldiers of the camp of Major

-14.--

Brown, later of General Wooster, died, and I would not be surprised
if the old willow'5 should cover their graves with their shadows. In
any case the cemetery of that camp must have been but a short dis-
tance, -although nothing now remains to indicate its exact situation.

The soldiers defending the fort, who fell during the siege were
buried inside its walls. It is not impossible, however, that the mili-
tary cemetery which now lies outside in the government field, on the
south side of the fort, dates from that time. If so, it would then con-
tain the remains of our brave defenders, though no inscription to that
effect has been discovered. In the documents of that time I found
nothing which indicates the place of burial, or any reference to it.

With the exception of that little cemetery, very much forgotten
and abandoned, everything else has been levelled. That famous
baf.ery which was placed by General Wooster on a piece of rising
ground on the nortii west side of the fort, and distant from it 250
yards, was on the lots now occupied by the residences of Messrs.
Walmsley, Coote and Wilkinson, and Mrs. McDonald. There was
at that place a sand hill which has since been removed. The earth
works of that battery have also disappeared, having been removed
when the railroads where cut through them, and the ground levelled
to make the present G. T. R. yard.

The position of the Ijattery on the eastern side of the river is not
easily found, although at low water it is still possible to locate it. It
was built and sheltered by earth works in the usual way. At that
time the river was a little narrower than it is to-day. Franquet, the
French Government engineer, in 1752 estimated its width opposite
the fort at 120 toises.

A block house and wooden bulwarks were also -built on the
same spot which soon rotted away, but since that time the level of
the river rising, isolated that place from the shore during the greater
part of the year, and made of it a little island which became known
as the " blagousse," a corruption of the word block-house. It was
taken possession of by the young people of the i)lace for bathing,
tishing and picknicking purposes. Hon. Felix Marchand still re-
members being one of the bathers at the " blagousse " when lie was
young. Mr. Walmsley also remembers having cast the Hy at the same
place. Little by little, however, the water encroached on the spot, so
that the bathers and fishers had to seek other places for their purpose,
and the little island has now been reduced to a modest shoal, hardly
noticeable at low water mark.

There exists in St. Johns a particular relic of Montgomery. A
snuffbox which belonged to him is now owned by his namesake, our
fellow-citizen, Mr. R. C. Montgomerie. After the death of the General
this relic was given by his father to an ancestor of Mr. Montgomerie ;
these two families, though not related, being on terms of friendship.
An old inscrii)tion recalls the name of the first owner of the i)recious
relic. The family of the General and the family of our Mr. Montgo-
merie's ancestors werei then living in England and it is one hundred

-15.-

vears after that this valuable talisman fouinl its way to this historical
ground, and influenced its present owner to settle amongst us.

We have seen that tlie young General had decided to resume his
military career In America. It was here at the siege of the fort of St.
Juhns that he re-opened it, in taking the command in chief of that
expedition in 1775, amidst numberless embarrassmenls, caused by the
want of discipline ofi^ie officers and recruits of whom he had been
given the command.

"The sword of Montgomery," which is carefully preserved in
Quebec, contributed the title which Mr. LeMoinc has given to a very
interesting study.

^i!

VIII.

The first inhabitants of St. Johns were English-speaking peo])le,
military men who received land grants, or who, after service in the
garrison of the fort, settled on the lands around it.

Most of these families have now disappeared. The Walmsley,
Pierce, and Mott famiUes still remain. The McDonalds, Whites,
Charltons, Lavicounts, Cootes, Smiths, Futvoyes, and others came
later, about the time the Frencli Canadians began to settle here. The
McCumining family, whose name was first given to Champlain street,
has also disappeared, as well as others of that period.

The oldest French Canadian families are the Marchands, Fre-
rhcttes, Bourgeois, and Dubois. It was Mr. Gabriel Marchand,
ijther of Hon. Felix Marchand, the present local member of Parlia-
ment for St. Johns county and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of
Quebec, who founded, in 1802, the first business house of any im-
portance in this town. It was situated on the present site of The
News printing establishment. Mr. Marchand was a Quebecker, and
allied hy marriage to the McNider family, rich lumber merchants of
iliat place. He made, in company with the latter, large cuttings of
lumber in the direction of Lake Champlain, and among his plucky
captains was Mr. Cliarland, the grandfather of the Judge. Mr. Mar-
chand's brother and partner, Mr. Francis Marchand, was the grand-
father of the present Mr. Henri Marchand. prothonolary. A third
brother, Mr. Louis Marchand, was the ancestor of the family bearing
the same christian name. Mr. Gabriel Marchand long lived bearing
the esteem, respect and confidence of his fellow citizens. He was
Lt.-Colonel of the Kent regiment, and made his mark by his integrity
and intelligence. From the same period date Messrs. Edouard and
Ambroise Bourgeois. The latter was the father of Mrs. Jobson, the
late Mrs. Paradis, and Mrs. W\ Marchand.

Messrs. Francois Langelier and Henry Larocque may also be
counted among the pioneer merchants of St. Johns, and although ar-
riving much later, they succeeded, by their activity and spirit, in giv-
ing a strong impulse to the advancement of this new town, of which
tliey were both elected mayors for several consecutive years.

( s,.

Ill

--16.

It was in 1818 that the first Episcopal Church was built, and in
1828 the Catholic Church was erected.

In speaking of old families we recall a very singular episode, or
more correctly a very romantic story or legend, which is to be found
in the memoirs of that time, and of which lieutenant Jones, of Bur-
goyne's army, was the hero.

In 1777, two years after the siege of St. Johns, the brilliant Gen-
eral Burgoyne, who had command of the Lake Champlain expedition,
was advancing on Ticonderoga, whose garrison took llightat the news
of his ai)proach. and whose inhabi^aals also took refuge in the country
to hide themselves from the invading force. Among them was the
McCrea family. A daughter, the pretty Jenny, was betrothed to
lieutenant Jones before mentioned. Instead of hiding with the rest,
Jenny rejoiced at the approach of the army in the hope of seeing her
betrothed, while the heart of the latter was filled with anguish at the
thought that his beloved Jenny, by the fortune of war, was to be found
amongst the people he had been sent 10 invade. Some Indians, sent
ahead of the army as scouts, met two women on the road, one of
whom was Jenny. Always cruel, they did not hesitate an instant to
kill the two women and to scalp them. Jones, anxious and struck by
a sad i)re3entiment, darted forward to tliem, when he at once discov-
ered the fair and beautiful curls of his bride, hanging from the bloody
belt of one of the barbarians. He immediately rushed on the Indian
with such' fury that at the first blow he stretched him dead at his feet;
then snatching the scalp he ran away with that sad relic of his beauti-
ful Jenny, who v/as the dearest to him of all in the world.

With death in his heart, and being refused permission to leave
the army, he deserted, and took refuge in a house on the shores of
the Richelieu river, when he devoted the rest of his life to the worship
of the fair curls of his unfortunate bride. Each follow ing year, the
anniversary of the scalping was for him the renewal of deep mourning
which lasted for fifteen days. During that time he locked himself in
his room, refusing even io meet any friend or any member of his
family.

At his death, which was premature, the scalp of Jenny McCrea
was laid beside him in his grave. (*)

(*) Tills circumsfance was mptitioned by the celebratod Edward Burke in the
British House of Oommons during his grcnt ppepcli on Feb. «, L77S, and made a very
grpat impression on the lloa-e, ho inuoli so thatOovernor Johnston, who was pres-
ent, stated that if the public had been permitted to hear it .as it was delivered, it
wonhl have jiroduced such an excitement as would have caused the ministers of
the day to be lorn to piecros. Horace Walpole, in his memoirs, tlius speaks of it :
" 'J"he (ith was memorable for the chef d'ocnrre of IJurke's oraMons He called
BurKoj'ue's talk wth the Indlatjs ' th^Rnbllmlty of bombastic absurdity,' in which
he demanded the assistance of seventeen Indian nations by considerations of our
holy religion, by reeard for our constitution ; and though he enjoined them not to
scalp men, women or children alive, ho promised to pay them for any scalps of the
dead ; l)ul, added Burke, the Invitation was just .as If at a riot on 'I'owor Hill,— the
keeper of the wild beasts had turned them loose wUh this advice: My gentle lions,
my stntimtntiil wolves, my tender-hearted hyenas, go forth, but take care not to
hurt men, women or children. He then grew serious, and as the former part had
oxtMted the warmest and most continued burstB of laughter even from Loi'd North,
Rigby, and the ministers themselves, so he drew such a pathetic picture of the
oruel'ty of the King's army, particularly in the case of a young woman whose ran-

—17.—

i.i

This faithful lieutenant was probably a member of one of those
families of the same name which still reside in the locality. If not a
member of the Jones family that owns the bridge connecting Iberville
with St. Johns, possibly then a member of that other family of Jones
living m Sabrevois.

We could scarcely realize to-day, when visiting the pretty towns
of Vermont, and admiring the long lloating hair, carelessly worn by
•he young American girls, that hardly a hundred years ago, more than
one equally beautiful and attractive were scalped for the sake of their
linir, while others were taken prisoners to be sold like slaves.

Those expeditions which had for their object the destruction of
the villages on both sides of the frontier, were often made the excuse
.'fall sorts of atrocities, the Indians who accompanied the marauders
I'Uen bursting from all restraint and acting in the most barbarous
;r., inner.

It is reported that in 1677 two ladies of good society from the
\iilage of Hartford — Mrs, Wait and Mrs. Jennings — were captured by
Indians who brought them to Chambly and swapj^ed them for some
1 inn. It was only in the following wmter that their husbands suc-
ceeded in tracing them and obtained their liberty for the ransom of

.L'200.

These facts show conclusively the immense improvement which
ihis part of the country has undergone since that period.

The town of St, Johns, in spite of the immense drawback caused
h\ the fire of 1876, has within a period of a little over fifty years,
grown to be a town of much importance, and there i no reason why
the progress of the next fifty years will not compare favorably with
that of the first half of the century. This town, now that it has ceased
to be an outpost of military strategy, occupies a most favorable situ-
ation lor trade and commerce with our neighbors of the United States,
The most friendly feeling exists between the people of the two coun-
tries, and instead of war and bloodshed, which characterized its ear-
lier history, there is a constant display of kindliness and mutual res-
I'LCt, and it is to be hoped that such scenes ot animosity and strife
which we hdPve faintly but faithfully endeavored to describe have
passed away forever.

The only reminiscence of a military character which still has a
place in St. Johns is the well-conducted military school which has
taken the place of the fortress. Beautiful lawns and flower gardens
now occupy the place formerly occupied by masked batteries and glit-
tering bayonets, and, thanks to the improved civilization of the nine-
teenth century, we can quietly rusticate outside of its walls without
(Ir.nger of being scalped. We can also find our way inside of the
fortress without fear of being taken prisoner.

The proverbial hospitality of the Commandant and Madame
d'Orsonnens, and the courtesy of the officers, make the visitors forget

som (not beauty) they quarreled over and murdered her, that he drew Iron tears
•lown Barre'H cheek, who Implored him to print his speech, and said, with many
invectives against the Bishops, that It ought to be pasted in every chnrcli unlcr
their proclamation for the fast, and that he himself would paste it upon some."

n i

-18.

that these are military quarters ; or if we do not forget the purpose
for which the school is established, we arc deeply indebted to them
for the efforts which are made to enliven the ])lace and to add to its
enjoyment. An open-air band concert every Thursday evening in
summer brings crowds of listeners in boats silently gliding on the
river, and reminding us in some small degree of Venetian scenes.
With all the attractions and advantages, therefore, which St. Johns
possesses^ we can form but a very faint idea of what it may yet be-
come ; and while in the last century such great advances have been
made, may we not anticipate that (in consequence of the accelerated
progress which is now being made in every department of human f,n-
terprise and skill) a far more rapid proportionate advance may char-
acterize its history during the next hundred years to come.

The present civic administration under the presidency of Mayor
McDonald seems to encourage energetic action in the way of public
improvements, and if the citizens would second these efforts, and
take advantage of circumstances, there is no doubt whatever that St.
Johns would become not only an important town in a business point
of view, but also a centre of attraction equal, if not superior, to any
of the charming American towns which border on Ivake Champlain.

After Writing the foregoing, I discovered that I had made an
error which it is important that I should rectify.

Contrary to what is stated in Garneau's history, the first fort of
St. Johns was not built in 1665, but in 1748 by order of M. De La
Galissonnierc, at the time Governor of Canada, and under the direc-
tion of Sieur De Lery, jr., engineer of the works.

It was the fort of St. Therese which was built in 1665, and in the
same year the forts of Chambly and Sorel.

This fort ofcSt. Therese was at the head of St. Therese rapids,
about three leagues above Chambly and about one league below St.
Johns, This fort was demolished in 1747 and the materials used in
building the fort of St. Johns, which was placed at the head of the
St. Johns rapids.

The road from Laprairie to St. Johns was then constructed and
by it the distance between Montreal and Lake Champlain was con
siderably shortened and the portages of the ra[)ids of Chambly, Saint
Therese and St. Johns avoided. I am indebted for these n^v
details to Rev. Mr. Verreau, who obligingly pointed out to me in his
rich library, the "Historical Documents of the State of New York,"
published by E. B. O'Callaghan at Albany in 1858. In that publica-
tion there is a report of Mr. De LaGallissonnidre and Intendent Bigot
on the construction of the fort. It is stated in that report that tlio
total cost of construction was fifty thousand francs, although eachloaJ
of earth only cost a penny, " two sous."

It was in the month of August 1852 that the French Governni'

—19.—

engineer, Franquet, visited this fort then under the command of M.
U'Artigny.

Those who take an interest in the history of our country stand
very much indebted to the Rev. M. Verreau for the information he is
enabled to impart. It is from his work, " Invasion du Canada," that
I have gathered tlie details of this narrative of the siege of the fort of
St. Johns, and with his permission I have copied from that work the
journal kept by Foucher, one of the volunteers defending the fort.

This journal, inserted in " Sanguinet's " manuscript without ac-
knowledgement of the writer, leaves some doubt as to its origin.

However, it seems well established that " Foucher," a notary of
Montreal and one of the volunteers defending the fort, kept during
the siege a journal of the i)rincipal events connected with it.

As there is no other manuscript in existence which can possibly
be attributed to him, and as some subsequent historians have made
reference to it as his, there can be but little doubt about its authorship.

Mr. R. Bellemare, who was an intimate friend of Mr. Jacques
Viger, to whom we are indebted for the preservation of the manuscripts
T)i' that period, seems well disposed to adopt this theory, and Rev.
Mr. Verreau himself does not hesitate to admit that it is a very i)ro-
bable one. My friend Mr. Joseph Desrosiers, who has an inquisitive
disposition, has not been able to add to my information on this sub-
ject.

I am also indebted to Hon. Mr. Marchand and Mr. Walmsley of
St. Johns for many details of the past, which have aided me very much
in tracing the different localities mentioned, also the situation of the
army. The co-temporary memoirs of the time are, in many places,
iunbigious and often contradictory, and therefore the recent investiga-
tions from reliable sources are the more valuable. Mr. Marchand has
contributed to the columns of the Franco-Canadien a short but verv
iriteresting article on the siege of the fort.

1 must confess that in addition to the above sources of informa-
tion I have old family papers, dating from the time of the siege, which
stimulated my curiosity, and contributed largely to the pleasure of
tracing these events. Among these paj^ers are letters addressed by
olUcers of Montgomery to Colonel Dumont of Quebec, my great grand-
father.

When Governor General Guy Carleton decided to rebuild the
fort of St. Johns, he also resolved to re-organize the old militia, and
tor this purpose he appointed two colonels, one for the district of
Quebec, Colonel Dumont, and one for the district of Montreal, Colonel
De Rouville. Neither of these would accept the position and the
militia was not then re-organized. Our ancestors, although well dis-
iiosed individually to place their services at the disposal of the King
of England, would not, however, compromise their nationality in a
civil conflict with which they had nothing to do.

This Colonel J. Bte. Dumont, who was a rich merchant of Que-
l)ec, had his residence on the plains of Abraham, precisely where
Montgomery encamped with his army during the siege of the city.

—20.—

This residence was taken possession of by the Americans and used as
their military hospital. After the siege the British troops set fire to
it and destroyed it. The old Colonel himself being looked upon m a
suspicious way by the authorities, since he refused to accept a com-
mission in the army, wa.; imprisoned, and died shortly afteV his release.
His early demise was due to the grief caused by such unjust treat-
ment, and his family left the district of Quebec soon afterwards.

1 gather these facts from several letters to Colonel Dumont,
among others one from Colonel Van Ness, of General VVooster'sarmy,
under date of June 1776, one from Hon. James Livinglon dated Jan
uary 6th 1797, and one from Hon. E. Gerry, an ex-member of Con-
gress, dated Cambridge, April 13th 1807. ^ , ,

It was the grand son of this Colonel Dumont, Lieutenont-Colonel
A. Montaigne Dumont, who was at Chateauguay under DeSalaberry,
as Captain of the 2nd regiment of Vercheres, of which regiment he
was afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel.

This time again, at Chateauguay, the sentiment of duty was
stronger than that of national feeling. He died leaving no heirs but
the children ot his sister who had married my grandfatherat Chambly.

—21-

FOUCHER'S JOURNAL.

SIEGE OF THE FOR TIFICA TION A T ST. JOHNS BY THE

BOSTONIANS IN 1775.

Sept. i8tli. — The Bostonians arrived at St. Johns in two sloops
and barges, numbering about one thousand men. Major Preston,
who commanded this fort, sent on the same day about thirty men of
the Canadian troops to bring in the cattle which was in the bush near
St. Johns. Soon after he was informed by a Canadian that there wore
two or three hundred Bostonians on the other side of a bridga about
half a league from St. Johns, who were raising fortifications and who
had taken four cart loads of ])rovisions which were on their way to
St. Johns, and also the cattle he had sent for ; and that the bridge
was already demolished, so that communication between St. Johns
and La Prairie de la Magdeleine was cut off by the enemy. Imme-
diately Major Preston ordered out one nundred men under command
of Captain Strong, together with one hundred Cana^'ian volunteers
and a piece of artillery to feel the enemy. This detachment ad^^anced
and the Bostonians fired upon them. I'he fire was brisk on both sides
and lasted about half an hour. The enemy left the battle field and
was pursued for some distance. The Srs. Moses Hazen and Toker,
and also Hazen's servant, who were within the enemy's line, were
made ))risoners and brought to the fort. Beaubien, Desauniers, a
Canadian volunteer, and a soldier of the 26th regiment were shot ;
another soldier was dangerously wounded. During this action the
artillery of the fort and of the gun boat, continued to fire for three
hours; the enemy kept up the fire in return; but the above mentioned
were the only casualiiies on our side.

Sept. 19th. — On the nineteenth the Sieur Monin with two Cana-
dian volunteers were sent on a scouting expedition along the south
side of the river, but they did not see anything.

Sept. 20th. — On the twentieth, two of the enemy's boats were
carried by the current past the forth on the south side of the river. A
cannon and some musketry shots were fired at them, and on a party
being sent out, they were secured and found to contain five barrels of
pork, one barrel of flour, one barrel of biscuits, and one man who was
asleep and only awoke when the shots were fired. This man gave
the information that in the fight at the bridge on the eighteenth, seven
of their men had been killed and seven wounded. He stated that
their force consisted of seven hundred men in the camp, who were
fortifying their position and erecting batteries for the purpose of
storming the fort. He said also that they had three mortars and six
pieces of cannon.

Sept. 22nd. — On the twenty-second a deserter from the enemy

' \

—22-

1 1

I . I

came to the fort, carrying his rifle on his back, and informed us that
the enemy were building a battery on a big point, that their entire
force consisted of three hundred men in the camp, five hundred 1)lock-
ading o..r fortificatins, and two hundred spread over the country — in
all one thousand men. He also gave the information that they were
short of provisions, that he was the first deserter, but that before long
there would be a good many more. Immediately after his arrival we
kept up a cannonade on our side for over an hour.

At four o'clock in the afternoon all the Canadian volunteers were
sent to pull down three houses near the first fort, to prevent the
enemy seeking shelter behind them, and while some were working at
the buildings, others were watching in the bush to prevent surprise
or attack. Sixty soldiers were sent to Moses Hazen's house on the
south of the river to take his sheep for the use of the forts. Hazen's
servant who, with his master had been taken prisoner on the eighteenth,
was sent with the party to show where the sheep were, but he deserted
to the Bostonians and the party came back without the sheep, no one
being willing to point out where they were. They brought into the
fort Hazen's farmer, his wife and their son. The two forts kept up a
fire on the enemy during the whole time.

Sept. 23rd.—r- On the twenty-third, a second Bostonian deserter
arrived, who stated that dysentery vA-as raging among their men and
thinning their ranks ; that they saw no more Canadians nor Indians
with them, that however once in a while, some one would come out
of curiosity, who returned immediately, and that none of them v/ould
take arms in their favor. He stated also that Montgomery was about
to attack our lortifications, which he thought were single, not double,
as they were j that several Bostonians talked of deserting and that
M. Montgomery had given it out that Major Preston had given orders
to hang all the deserters who made an appearance. This day a good
many bomb-shells and cannon balls were fired at the enemy. M.
Mp,cka}e and several voluntreers with fifteen soldiers were posted as
guards at the skirting of the bush, to facilitate the transfer in boats of
the materials of several houses which had been demolished, in order
to form a line of communication between the two forts. During this
time two women were seen in a canoe who apparently had some diffi-
culty in landing at the fort. Five men having been sent in a boat to
assist them, they proved to be two women who were living at Mr.
Hazen's, where the Bostonians had gone and taken possession of all
the cattle. Mr. Hazen was sent to Montreal under the charge of Che-
valier de liOrimier, the former pledging his word of honor and giving
a lien on all his property that he would give satisfactory reasons to
General Carleton for having been found with the Bostonians in the
encounter of the eighteenth. In reply to our cannon the Bostonians
fired several volleys at the observatory boat, which returned the com-
pliment with its twelve pounder. They also aimed two pieces of can-
non at the schooner. The first shot carried away a spar and split a
piece of the mast; the second shot broke its shackles and the third
stove a hole in its waist four feet from the front. The boat imme-

—23—

diately withdrew to the shore ; the enemy witnessing its confusion
shouted " hurrah " five or six times.

Sept. 26th. — On the twenty-sixth, a Bostonian deserter arrived at
the fort, giving us the information tha'. only six hundred men were
left in the camp, including two companies of seventy men each from
New York which had joined the camp two days before ; that they had
only a few bomb-shells left, and these not of the same size as the
mortars; that the water was knee deep in the camp; that the invad-
ing force suffered great hardships, having no blankets to cover them ;'
that Montgomery had received a letter from Congress requesting him
to make haste if he saw his way to do something, and if not togiv" up
the enterprise. He assured us also that the Bostonians had suffered
much from our bomb-shells; that on the day before he left, the alarm
was so great in the camp that the whole force withdrew into the
woods, leaving no one to take charge of the artillery during the night,
and that in consequence the captain of artillery was taken to the guard
room and locked up ])risoner.

Sept. 27. — On the twenty-seventh several cannon balls and bombs
were fired at the enemy who replied with vivacity. We had a soldier
of the 26th regiment wounded.

Sept. 28th. — On the twenty-eighth, two more deserters came in
who reported that Montgomery was stopping at the Big Pc>ipt. that'
the battery firing at us only contained two pieces of cannon and two
mortars ; that there were only two cannons on each of their sloops
and each of their floating batteries. He also said that Montgomery
had sent seventeen boats to bring provisions from the " Grand Point"
and a big mortar from Carillon. He gave the news that Allen, with
a portion of his party, had been made prisoner at Long Point, near
Montreal, by the gentlemen of the city, and had been locked up a
I)risoner of war. The same day, the 28th, at ten o'clock six Indians
arrived without arms, a little in lic[uor, who confirmed the report about
the capture of Captain Allen with a portion of his party.

Oct. 1st. — On the first of October the enemy fired a large num-
ber of cannon balls and bombs at the two forts. Two Indians came
in who soon after went away.

Oct. 2nd On the second October our rations were reduced to

one-half. During the night, the noi'-e of several boats of the enemy
were heard, and notwithstanding that a close watch was kept, two of
them succeeded in passing the fort without being seen.

Oct. 4th. — On the fourth several Bostonians were noticed on the
south side of the river near Moses Hazen's house. Several cannon
shots were fired at them, to which the enemy replied in the same way.
At about five o'clock, Mr. Monin, a distinguished otficer, left the fort
to Itring in eight or ten cows which had made their appearance near
the bush. He succeeded in bringing in six of them, in spite of the
shots from the enemy,which he avoided by a tumbling narch. The
sieur Moquin, a volunteer, went for the two others which greatly re-
plenished our stock of provisions.

' \

—24-

Oct. 5tli. — On the fifth, two cows left the enemy's camp and came
in a straight line to join the others which had been caught. The
same night, with the consent of Major Preston, rrthan named Chenier
and two Leducs left the fort to carry news to General Carleton.

Oct. 6th. — On the sixth nothing important occurred.

Oct. 9th. — On the ninth of October, Mr. Mackaye with Mr. Mo-
nin and twenty Canadian volunteers were sent as scouts towards Mr.
Montgomery's camp to capture some prisoners. They discovered a
party of eight enemies under shelter. A short fight followed in which
some iJostonians were killed and one made prisoner. He reported
that the deserters who had left our forts on the 27th September and
on the 7ih inst., were prisoners in the enemy's camp. He assured us
there was only one thousand Bostonians in their several camps in-
cluding the forces scattered over the country on the south side, with
some Canadians, as well as those who were at the breast works near
Mr. Ha-'-eii's house. During the night Major Preston sent Mr. Ri-
cherville and the sieur Leduc to carry a letter to General Guy Carle-
ton at Montreal and inform him of the state ailairs at the fort of St.
Johns.

Oct. loth — On the tenth the enemy fired considerably and des-
patched nineteen boats loaded with two hundred sick men together
with a Colonel to Grand Point.

Oct. iolh-i4th. — From the tenth to tiie fourteenth nothing extra-
ordinary occurred except much firing on both sides. Mr. Freeman,
lieutenant in 7th regiment, was struck with a cannon ball in liis back
which laid him dead in the middle of the yard.

Oct. i4tlM7th. — From ilie fourteenth to the 17th, the fire con-
tinued severe on both sides and the houses near our camp were much
damaged. Messieurs Robertson, Rainville and Antoine Dupre left
during the night to carry letters to General Guy Carleton.

Oct. 20th. — On the twentieth Mr. Montgonury sent a messenger,
accompanied by a drummer, to our fort to intorai Major Preston that
on the eighteenth of the present month the fort of Chambly had sur-
rendered after a siege of a day and a half; the first day only one can-
non having been fired at the fort and two the second half day, and
that they had taken in the fort thirteen thousand two hundred pounds
of po.ider, fifty barrels of Hour and the flags of the two regiments
which were at St. Johns, without any loss of either killed or wounded
on either side. The surrender of the fort under these circumstances
was very extraordinary, the more especially as the fort itself had re-
ceived no damage. The commandant of the fort of Chambly request-
ed Major Preston to let ten boats pass in front of the forts to carry
the garrison women and children who were made prisoners. This
was granted on the condition chat the boats would pass on the south
side of the river. There was in the fort at Chambly when it surren.
dered, ten howitzers, five mortars, two four pounders and three huti.
dred bomb-shells. It was a matter of great surprise that the com_
mandant should have surrendered without offering more resistance
This day M. Lacorne, a Canadian officer, died at half past four. Ral

-25—

lions were brought down to half a pound of brcp.d and a quarter pound
. r pork per man a day.

Oct. 29th. — On the twenty-ninth of Oruihcr Messieurs Mackaye
und Monin, with twenty vohinteers went ou: ;itday break towards the
ineniy'scamp and captured one prisoner. Me informed us that (len-
' cd Guy Carlelon had attempted to cross ever to Longueuil ])ut had
been repulsed, and that Mr. Montgomery, hy ilic assistance of provi-
.-ions, ammunition and artillery found in the fori at Chambly, expect-
t(l to take the fort of St. Johns in a short time.

Nov. ist. — The tire continued on both sidles as usual, but on the
liist of November, at nine o'clock in the morning, the enemy unmask-
nl another battery which had been concealed uji to that time. This
battery was built on the side below our forts anil began a most violent
ciMinonade, which lasted without any ccj-s-iticm until four o'clock in
■.:ie afternoon. Kight hundred and hfiy shots u ere fired by the enemy
besides one hundred and twenty bombs. During this fire several of
Hir men were wounded, after which M. Montgomery sent a flag to
•iii forts with a man named Lacoste, a barber ui' i\|ontreal, who had
i>ecn taken prisoner in die F/jngueuil affair, bearing a letter to Major
I'reston, requiring him to surrender. Tiie letter gave information of
("reneral Carletori's defeat, assuring Major Preston that he need not
iwok for any assistance from tliat (juarter aii;l therefore to prevent the
iiirther effusion of blood, which a fruitless a;i<l obstinate defence would
caiise, he would recommend a surrender of the fort. Captain Stron
leu.n-ned with the tlag to ask that hostilities should cease until to-
morrow afternoon.

Nov. and On the second of November, I'aptain William of the

anillery went to ihe enemy's camp with pro])Ositions of capitulation,
and came back three hours after. \Vith permission of Mr. Montgo-
mery, Mr. Andre, lieutenant of the 7th reginient, went to the enemy's
sloop accompanied by a drummer to ascertain from Sieur ]. Bie. Des-
igns, who also had been made ])risonerat ]-ongueuil, if what Lacoste
I'.ad told Major Presion was true and the suspension of the arms was
cDiitinued all day. In the evening Major Preston signed the capitu-
lation with Mr. Montgomery. It was granted thai some oHicers would
lie allowed to go to Montreal, to bring clothing for the prisoners.
''onse(iuently ^ome officers of the regiment accompanied l)y Messieurs
Hoivieux and^ff'^Iagdeleine started for that purpose.

Nov. 3rd. — On the 3rd, at ten o'clock in the morning, the troo})3
;'ju! the Canadians who were found in the fort were ordered to lay
(i nvn their arms in presence of two companies of Bostonians, but the
"Iticers were allowed by (ieneral Montgomery to retain their swords.

During the siege of St. Johns, which lasted forty-five days, there
Were only fourteen men killed or who died frcut their wounds, seven-
teen or eighteen inv^alided and about sixty slightly wounded.

Jlfui of Foiichers Journal.

l.UCIEN HUOT.