Battle of Signal Hill

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Battle of Signal Hill
Part of the Seven Years' War French and Indian War
Signal Hill
Date September 15, 1762 Location St. John's, Newfoundland Result British victory
Combatants
France	Great Britain
Commanders
Guillaume de Bellecombe	MacDonell
Strength
295 regulars	200 regulars
Casualties
10–20 dead or wounded	4–5 dead 19 wounded

Seven Years' War in North America: The French and Indian War
Jumonville Glen – Great Meadows – Fort Beauséjour – Monongahela – Lake George – Fort Bull – Fort Oswego – Fort William Henry – Louisbourg - Fort Carillon – Fort Frontenac - Fort Duquesne – Fort Ligonier – Ticonderoga – Fort Niagara – Beauport – Quebec – Sainte-Foy – Restigouche - Thousand Islands – Montréal - Signal Hill

The Battle of Signal Hill was fought on September 15, 1762 in the closing months of the French and Indian War. Although modest as regards the number of troops, the battle was the final battle of the Seven Years' War in North America and forced the French to surrender St. John's to the British under the command of Colonel William Amherst.

Contents 1 The first step: The capture of St. John's 2 The battle 3 Consequence 4 Further reading

[edit] The first step: The capture of St. John's

The French hold on St. John's, achieved by Count d'Haussonville, had lasted since June 27, 1762, following the capitulation of the British. During the following weeks, d'Haussonville, under the orders of the Knight of Ternay, was able to consolidate the French position in Newfoundland. His defence system consisted of several advanced posts, equipped with artillery, around Signal Hill.

But on September 13 1762, Ternay and Haussonville were unable to counter the enemy landing at Torbay, a few miles to the north. In order to hamper the British advance, they dispatched a detachment to guard the bare summit of Signal Hill, a strategic point dominating the entire surroundings.

[edit] The battle

At dawn on September 15 1762, British troops climbed the hill held by the French. The surprise was total, and the engagement brief but fatal. The commander of the French detachment, Guillaume de Bellecombe, was seriously wounded. On the British side, a bullet shattered one of commander MacDonell's legs. The French withdraw to the fort.

[edit] Consequence

At the close of the battle, Signal Hill was in the hands of the British. Strengthened by this advantageous situation, they obtained the capitulation of the French garrison of St. John's 3 days later.

[edit] Further reading

• Georges Cerbelaud-Salagnac, La reprise de Terre-Neuve par les Français en 1762, revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer, tome LXIII, 1976, numéro 231
• Major Evan W. H. Fyers, The Loss and Recapture of St.John's, Newfoundland, in 1762, Army Historical Research, Volume XI, 1932
• André de Visme, Terre-Neuve 1762 : Dernier combat aux portes de la Nouvelle-France, Montréal, 2005 (ISBN = 2-9808847-0-7)