| Battle at Port-la-Joye | |||||||
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| Part of King George's War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| France, New France Mi'kmaq | British America Great Britain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch de Ramezay (overall French commander) Nicholas Antoine Coulon de Villiers (French commander), Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot, Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson |
William Pepperrell (overall British commander) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 300 Canadiens; 200 Mi’kmaq | 200 New England troops | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 Mi’kmaq killed, 1 wounded | almost 40 British soldiers killed or captured | ||||||
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The Battle of Port-la-Joye was a battle in King George's War that took place between New England and Canadien forces on the banks of present-day Hillsborough River, Prince Edward Island in the summer of 1746. French officer de Ramezay sent French forces to Port-la-Joye where they surprised and defeated a company of Massachusetts militia in two man-of-war and 200 troops that were gathering provisions for Louisbourg.[1]
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After the first fall of Louisbourg, British commander William Pepperrell sent an expedition against Ile Saint Jean in July 1745. This force divided, one part going to Three Rivers (present-day Georgetown/Brudenell), the other to Port-La-Joye. At Three Rivers, Acadian Jean Pierre Roma and others did not give any resistance because they only had one six pound cannon to mount a defence.[2] Roma, along with his son and daughter escaped into the woods where they witnessed the New Englanders burn the village. The family then escaped to Saint Peters (PEI) and then went on to Quebec, remaining there until the end of the war.[3]
At the same time, in July 1745, the other English detachment landed at Port-la-Joye. Under the command of Joseph de Pont Duvivier, the French had a garrison of 20 French troops at Port-la-Joye.[4] The troops fled and New Englanders burned the capital to the ground. Duvivier and the twenty men retreated up the Northeast River (Hillsborough River), pursued by the New Englanders until the French troops received reinforcements from the Acadian militia and the Mi'kmaq.[5] The French troops and their allies were able to drive the New Englanders to their boats, nine New Englanders killed, wounded or made prisoner. The New Englanders took six Acadian hostages, who would be executed if the Acadians or Mi'kmaq rebelled against New England control.[6] The New England troops left for Louisbourg. Duvivier and his 20 troops left for Quebec. After the fall of Louisbourg, the resident French population of Ile Royal were deported to France. The Acadians of Ile Saint-Jean lived under the threat of deportation for the remainder of the war.[7]
The following year, in an effort to recapture Acadia, an expedition under the command of Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch de Ramezay was sent from Quebec to work with the Duc d'Anville Expedition. De Ramezay's force arrived in Nova Scotia in July 1746. He had 700 soldiers and 21 officers. He made camp at Chignecto, where he was met by 300 Abenaki from St. John River and about 300 Mi'kmaq from Nova Scotia. The total French-Indian force numbered close to 1,300 men.[8] De Ramezay's soldiers spent the summer and the fall waiting for the arrival of the long overdue D'Anville expedition. During this time period, Ramzay sent troops to British-occupied Port-La-Joye on present-day Prince Edward Island.
Ramezay initially sent French officer Boishébert to Ile Saint-Jean on a reconnaissance to assess the size of the New England force.[9] Boishebert learned there were two English man-of-war and 200 troops - the HMS Shirley and HMS Ruby - at Port-la-Joye boarding supplies for Louisburg.[10] On board the vessels were at least two of the Acadian hostages taken by New Englanders the year before.[11] After Boishebert returned, Ramezay sent Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson along with over 500 men, 200 of whom were Mi'kmaq, to Port-La-Joye.[12]
On July 11, de Montesson and the Canadiens caught the New England troops by surprise on the banks of the Northeast River (Hillsborough River), close to Port-la-Joye. In the initial assault the French and Mi'kmaq killed or imprisoned forty English. The rest of the English retreated to the shelter of their ships in the harbour. On July 23, 1746, de Montesson returned to de Ramezay at Chignecto with two of the Acadian prisoners the New Englanders had taken previously, numerous English prisoners and the Acadian pilot.[13]
Months later Ramzey was unsuccessful in his attack on Annapolis Royal because of the failure of the Duc d’Anville Expedition to arrive at the capital. The following year Ramezay would have victory at the Battle of Grand Pré.
Endnotes