Point of Interest
The 1696 British Assault on Fort Nashwaak
Street Address: Barker's Point, Fredericton, NB
Governor Villebon, operating from Fort Nashwaak, terrorized the British settlers of New England. He encouraged the First Nations people to remain actively hostile to the British and ensured that there were frequent raids along the frontier. In retaliation, under the authority of the Colony of Massachusetts, Major Benjamin Church with 500 men raided Acadia. After successfully pillaging the French settlements along the Maine coast, Chignecto, and the mouth of the St John River, Church was joined by Colonel John Hawthorne with 200 additional men. Together they set out to destroy Fort Nashwaak. Villebon was aware of their intent and he prepared his defences. His 100-man garrison threw up new entrenchments and mounted additional guns. Two French ships were sunk in the St John River to impede the British fleet, and the local French inhabitants and the friendly First Nations were requested to assist in the defence.
On October 18, after an exchange of shots from their ships, the British troops disembarked opposite the fort, landed three cannons, and threw up earthworks on the south bank of the Nashwaak River, near where the Fort Nashwaak Motel now stands. A fierce exchange of cannon and musket fire followed for two days, with the advantage going to the better sited and manned French guns. It became readily apparent to the British that a long siege would be required to capture the fort and, with the advanced season, this was impractical. The British re-embarked and departed, having suffered eight killed and seventeen wounded. The French lost one killed and two wounded.
