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19 - History of New Brunswick by Peter Fisher · History of New Brunswick

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  Speaker 1: Section nineteen of History of New Brunswick. This LibriVox recording
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  Speaker 1: is in the public domain recording by Roger Moline. History
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  Speaker 1: of New Brunswick by Peter Fisher. Section nineteen remarks on
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  Speaker 1: the state of that part of ancient Nova Scotia lying
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  Speaker 1: north of the Bay of Fundy, now in the Province
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  Speaker 1: of New Brunswick. Prior to the year seventeen fifty four,
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  Speaker 1: the French government, in defiance of former treaties, continued to
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  Speaker 1: erect forts around the harbor of Saint John, and to
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  Speaker 1: send troops for the defense of this part of the country,
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  Speaker 1: considering it theirs, and to employ the natives to harass
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  Speaker 1: and murder the settlers in the district of Maine, thus
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  Speaker 1: for many years preventing the settlement of that part of
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  Speaker 1: the British dominions as far west as that district of
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  Speaker 1: province extended. And the French more recently built a fort
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  Speaker 1: and named it Beau Sagore, at the head of the bay,
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  Speaker 1: from which place they supplied with arms, et cetera, the
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  Speaker 1: tribes of Indians who inhabited the coasts of the Gulf
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  Speaker 1: of Saint Lawrence and the rivers that fall into the same.
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  Speaker 1: The Indians were also employed to check and prevent the
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  Speaker 1: settlements of the country called Minas Cobequits and other parts
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  Speaker 1: of the province on the peninsula of Acadia or Halifax.
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  Speaker 1: To prevent the continuance of such depredations, the British government
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  Speaker 1: sent an expedition in seventeen fifty four to take possession
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  Speaker 1: of this fort, which was not obtained till after an
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  Speaker 1: obstinate resistance from the French, who, for some years after
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  Speaker 1: it was reduced, continued to fortify their settlements on the
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  Speaker 1: banks of the River Saint John at Passamaquaddy, and to
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  Speaker 1: employ the natives in the service to prevent the English
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  Speaker 1: from extending their settlements eastward of the rigs Kennebec, and
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  Speaker 1: the inhabitants were continually harassed and often murdered by savages
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  Speaker 1: frequently sent by the French for that purpose, at Kennebec
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  Speaker 1: and many miles westward for a long course of time.
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  Speaker 1: In the year seventeen fifty eight, an expedition was sent
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  Speaker 1: from Halifax or Boston to reduce the only remaining French
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  Speaker 1: forts of any considerable strength north of the Bay of Fundy,
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  Speaker 1: situated on the west side of the river below the
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  Speaker 1: falls within the present limits of the city of Saint John.
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  Speaker 1: But the French commander, having received notice of this expedition
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  Speaker 1: some time before its arrival, removed all the light stores
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  Speaker 1: further up the sunk all his heavy guns, as reported
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  Speaker 1: by frenchmen who were present, and demolished the fort. He
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  Speaker 1: first made his retreat only about four leagues above the falls,
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  Speaker 1: where he had previously erected works surrounded by a thick wood,
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  Speaker 1: in order to be covered by Indian soldiers who will
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  Speaker 1: never fight on open ground nor suffer themselves to be
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  Speaker 1: driven within the walls of a garrison by a besieging force.
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  Speaker 1: The French soon after retired to Saint Anne's and not
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  Speaker 1: long afterwards to Canada. The demolished fort was rebuilt on
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  Speaker 1: the ground of the old one and garrisoned the winter
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  Speaker 1: following by a body of provincial troops and a company
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  Speaker 1: of rangers sent from Louisbourg. The same company of rangers,
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  Speaker 1: as a scouting party in March seventeen fifty nine, marched
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  Speaker 1: up the river on the ice as far as Saint Anne's.
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  Speaker 1: The few inhabitants below that village had either fled before
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  Speaker 1: this party appeared to Saint Anne's or into the woods,
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  Speaker 1: and no prisoner was taken to give information concerning the
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  Speaker 1: situation or strength of the enemy. Yet they continued a
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  Speaker 1: forced march as far up as Saint Anne's, where they
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  Speaker 1: found the village deserted. They set fire to every building
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  Speaker 1: in it and returned with great precipitation to the Fort Frederick,
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  Speaker 1: expecting to be pursued by the enemy. This company was
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  Speaker 1: early this spring ordered to join the expedition against Quebec.
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  Speaker 1: The fort was garrisoned with a company of more of
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  Speaker 1: provincials till the next or second year, when they were
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  Speaker 1: relieved by a company of one of the Highland regiments.
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  Speaker 1: The fort afterwards continued to be garrisoned by a company
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  Speaker 1: of some British regiments under different commandants, until seventeen seventy,
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  Speaker 1: when the British troops were embarked from every post in
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  Speaker 1: the province on account of some disorders that had recently
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  Speaker 1: been committed in Boston. The barracks and stores were, by
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  Speaker 1: order of Government, placed under the care of one of
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  Speaker 1: the inhabitants residing near the several forts specially authorized by
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  Speaker 1: government for that service. In seventeen seventy four, a corporal
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  Speaker 1: and six privates were sent to reside in the barracks
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  Speaker 1: of Fort Frederick. In May seventeen seventy five, a brig
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  Speaker 1: was sent from Boston to procure fresh provisions for the
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  Speaker 1: British Army then in that town from the settlement of
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  Speaker 1: the river Saint John. The same vessel was laden with stock, poultry,
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  Speaker 1: and sundry other articles, most brought from Majorville in small
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  Speaker 1: vessels and gondolas, all which had been put on board
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  Speaker 1: within about fifteen days after the brig had arrived. While
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  Speaker 1: she was waiting for a fair wind and clear weather,
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  Speaker 1: an armed sloop of four guns and full of men
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  Speaker 1: from Machias came into the harbor, took possession of the brig,
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  Speaker 1: and two days after carried her off to Machias. But
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  Speaker 1: the first night after her arrival, the enemy made the
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  Speaker 1: small party in the fort prisoners, plundered them of everything
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  Speaker 1: in it, and set fire to all the barracks, but
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  Speaker 1: at that time they did not molest any of the inhabitants.
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  Speaker 1: On the opposite side of the river. Early next spring,
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  Speaker 1: an armed brig from Machias entered the harbor, after having
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  Speaker 1: taken a vessel from the West Indies belonging to Portland.
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  Speaker 1: Which they immediately sent to Boston. The two armed vessels
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  Speaker 1: continued more than a week in the harbor and sent
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  Speaker 1: an officer with a boat full of men to Majorville.
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  Speaker 1: They did no material injury to the settlers. In seventeen
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  Speaker 1: seventy six and seventeen seventy seven, large parties of armed
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  Speaker 1: men came into the river Saint John in whale boats
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  Speaker 1: from Machias and passed through the falls in their boats,
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  Speaker 1: and took possession of several empty buildings on the west
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  Speaker 1: shore of the river against the present settlements, called the
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  Speaker 1: Indian House, and occupied them for barracks. Whence they came
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  Speaker 1: over every day to Portland shore and marched along the
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  Speaker 1: tongue of land between the harbor and the water above
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  Speaker 1: the falls, in order to capture any vessels that might
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  Speaker 1: enter the river, and to prevent the landing of marines
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  Speaker 1: or seamen from any British ship. In seventeen seventy seven,
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  Speaker 1: the Vulture Sloop of War was stationed in the bay
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  Speaker 1: between Annapolis and Saint John for the protection of these
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  Speaker 1: places and to prevent the enemy from venturing further up
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  Speaker 1: the bay to plunder the towns of Horton. Cornwallis and
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  Speaker 1: other settlements at the waterside in different places. But it
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  Speaker 1: was soon found that these towns could not be secured
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  Speaker 1: from depredations, as the enemy would pass by all large
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  Speaker 1: ships of war in the night and in fogs. Early
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  Speaker 1: in the summer of seventeen seventy seven, the vulture came
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  Speaker 1: into the harbor of Saint John, while the Machayas party
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  Speaker 1: were at their headquarters above the falls. End of section nineteen,
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  Speaker 1: recording by Roger Molin