THE GILBRATOR OF NEWFOUNDLAND

A HISTORY OF WARFARE

1679-1762
 

SUBMITTED BY:

JAMES BAKER

HISTORY 4230
SPECIAL TOPICS IN NEWFOUNDLAND HISTORY

SUBMITTED TO:
SHANNON RYAN
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND

APRIL 20, 1999
 

CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES
MAY 6 1999
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
OF NEWFOUNDLAND
 

The island of Carbonear, located halfway between Carbonear and Freshwater, Conception Bay, is one of the more recognized historical sites in Newfoundland The island's rich history dates back nearly four centuries as it has become an icon for pirate lore and famous battles. After two unsuccessful attacks by French commanders' Pierre Le Mo)~ne d Iberville [in 1697] and Monsieur du Soubercase [in 1705], the island become known as the 'Gibraltar of Newfoundland' For a brief period, during the summer of 1762, the island of Carbonear came under French control. Count Joseph-Louis-Bernard Le Compte D Haussonville, a colonel in the French infantry, swept through Conception Bay destroying all the English settlements.' It was the third major assault on the island fort. On August 14, 1762, Carbonear Island was captured and burned by the French commander This paper will specifically address the attack by Pierre d lberville. While the second and third assaults by Governor du Soubercase and Count D'Haussonville will be discussed, the author's intent is to specifically deal with the attack by d'lberville. The reason for this is due to the lack of information regarding the second and third attacks. Finally, a commentary will be provided regarding the probable causes for both the French defeat and their final success in capturing Carbonear Island.

In the spring of 1696, Pierre Le Moyne d'lberville received orders from the French Government to destroy all English settlements in Newfoundland.2 Among d'lberville's group were 125 men (including his brother Jean Baptiste Le Moyne De Bienville) about eighty Canadian volunteers, twenty-five Indians and Abbe Baudion, a Recullet monk. D'lberville was also given command of two men-of-war vessels should the need arise to attack Newfoundland by sea. The French commander recognized that Carbonear was the most easily defended settlement in Conception Bay, and that the area was almost impossible to capture except by surprise attack from the land. D'lberville planned an overland march to take it, and its island, before embarking on the rest of his campaign. Without the island as a refuge for the English settlers, d'lberville reasoned that the remaining Conception Bay communities would fall quickly. However, his plan of strategy soon fell upon deaf ears.
| Very little information could be found on either Monsieur du Soubercase, Governor of Placentia or Count d' Haussonville. 2 Shortis, Henry F. [address to Newfoundland Historical Society] [s.l: Sun., 1907], pg. 8. [Note: Shortis uses this reference while Chris Rolton suggests that it was d'lberville who wrote to Governor Frontenac offering to lead a winter campaign to that the island for France.]

-D'lberville's cohort in the attack on Newfoundland. Jacques-Francois De Brouillan was a petty, bad-tempered bureaucrat De Brouillan believed that everything was to be done his way or no way. It was De Brouillan who stubbornly insisted on taking St. John's first, ignoring the advice of d'lberville that Carbonear should be taken initially via an attack by sea. Since d' Iberville was financing this campaign himself, he couldn t afford a spilt with the Governor of Fort St. Louis in Placentia. As a final compromise, d'lberville opted for an attack by land while De Brouillan was to attack by sea.

After capturing St. John's, De Brouillan insisted on staying in the town for the winter, but d lberville stood firm, citing the work he must do in Conception Bay. Another quarrel broke out between the two commanders. and on December 24,1696, De Brouillan gave up and headed back to Bay Bulls, where the two French men-of-war remained anchored. On January 20'h, 1697, d'lberville took Harbour Main and with three boats he had captured headed for Carbonear.

On the 24'h January, 1697, the French started for Carbonear after pillaging most of Conception Bay. While passing Harbour Grace, the French commander, upon reaching the mouth of Carbonear harbour found the island to be inhabited and fortified.3 [See Map 1 ] Even the look of the island must have worried d'lberville. He certainly didn't think he would find much resistance. Abbe Baudion describes the island as they saw it that day:

"It is scarped with high cliffs, except one landing at the west point, a pistol shot from the boom made of sloops. On the isle are four cannon, six pounders, besides which, only two sloops at a time can land, and then only in calm, which is not frequent in the winter."4

Over 200 inhabitants had fled to the island from all areas of Conception Bay and d'Tberville's entry into the harbour was met by a barrage of cannon shots. Keeping out of range he circled the island, but found no suitable landing place.

After landing at Carbonear, he sent a summons to the people of the island to surrender. His words were met with utter defiance. Several attempts were made to capture the island but they were in vain. Baudion writes:
3 Sayer, R. & Bennett, J. Carbonear and Harbour Grace. Cartographic material] London, No. 53 in Fleet Street: Printed for R. Sayer & 1. Bennet, 1770.[Note: This is a map of the area surrounding Carbonear Island and shows the mostly likely route taken by d'lberville.]
2

Montigny was detached at daybreak with 90 men in three sloops to take a little harbour called Mosquito between Havre de Grace and Carboniere....passing around Carboniere Island...we saw the enemy ranged in large numbers who fired cannons at us....There appeared to be 300 men lodged in barracks which they had built This same day we summoned the people of the island, who answered that they would fight, for this island is just as was described by our prisoners. I believe we cannot take it."

On January 26th, 1697, d'lberville, after promising some prisoners a sum of money, wished to learn more about the island. He was told of two possible landing places, but the scouting party of January 27'1' w as held back by snow, rough seas, and ice on the rocks.6 [See Map 2]

On the night of January 31st. a great attempt was made to take the island by surprise with ninety men and nine boats. When the French were within pistol range and ready to jump ashore, the sentry challenged them and fired. The Recullet monk writes:

"They [d'lberville's men] tried two landings at east and north points of the isle; a pistol-shot off, a sentinel called in a trembling voice: 'Qui vive?' Montigny was close enough to lay his hand on the rock...but in vain. The sentinel seeing that we withdrew, fired on us, without wounding anyone. The guard did not perceive us until we were already some distance off." On the 3rd of February, an angry and frustrated d'lberville left the area with ninety men in three sloops to take Bay de Verde. By the sixth. he had taken the sloop with the men he captured returning from the island. The men had gone to see if the island would shelter them and their families. After capturing the sloop, d'lberville sent one of his officers, De Boisbriant, some men and the Bay De Verde hostages as reinforcements.

Notwithstanding d'lberville's defeat by the islanders, he continued his march down the north shore. After taking Heart's Content and leaving ten men in charge, he took the rest of his group to trek across the barrens to complete his victory of capturing Carbonear Island. Arriving on February 10'h, the commander found that one of his men and three Irish allies had been captured by the English and were being held on the island. D'lberville was furious at this boldness and on the eleventh sent forty-nine men under De Montigny and De Boisbriant to burn Brigus and Port De Grave and the other settlements he had
4 Beaudion, Jean. Journal of Abbe Baudion: diary of a journev with M. d' Iberville from France to Acadia and from Acadia to Newfoundland [Translated from the French by H. Bedford Jones], St. John's: s.n., 1 923. ' Ibid. " "Early Sketch of Carbonear Island" Encvclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994. [Note: This map shows the possible landing sites mentioned in Abbe Baudion's diary.] 7 Beaudion, Journal of Abbe Baudion.

spared earlier, of whom many still had arms and wished to reach the island against the paroles which they had given.''

D lberville's forces were now widely dispersed. A few were being held on the island while others were guarding Bay de Verde, Old Perlican and Heart's Content. He made three more attempts to get Carbonear Island to surrender. On February 1 7th, d' Iberville wished to make an exchange of men but was refused. On the 18'th of February, he sent a boat with an Englishman to demand an exchange but was rebuffed. Next day an agreement was made to trade one Englishman for one Frenchman, or three Englishman for one Irishman. De Montigny and five men rowed out, taking the prisoners demanded for by the English. including the island commandant's brother. Out of gunshot range they met with an English skiff with six men aboard; none, however, were French. De Montigny was furious and asked why they had not done what they had agreed. Baudion states that the Englishmen gave poor excuses for their actions,

saying that they wanted to see the people whom they would get..." The Englishmen then petitioned for the commandant's brother to be released; Montigny refused but offered to go with them to the island while he waited for them to bring back his captured comrades. The men refused and returned to the island.

Later, the commander, mostly likely Captain Nicholas Peddle, along with his captain and major and four Englishmen, came out to speak to Montigny, who reproached them on their lack of faith in him as he had kept his part of the bargain. One Englishman half drew his sword at De Montigny's insolence toward the English. De Montigny then drew his sword, seized the Englishman and forced them into his sloop and took them back to the shores of Carbonear.

On the third try, d'lberville send some English prisoners to the island with the order that his men be released. Not only did the English threaten to fire on any French boat that dared to approach, they kept the French hostages and the Irish prisoners. D'lberville was incensed by their defiance. Leaving De Montigny and de la Perriere with forty men to keep watch on the island, d'lberville left for Heart's Content after burning much of the town. On March first, Montigny was to leave Carbonear and take all the prisoners to Bay Bulls while Boisbriant and a detachment was left at Heart's Content to keep watch on the affairs of Carbonear.
8 Ibid.
4

One final request was made of the island inhabitants on March 27th, 1697. Three English officers were permitted to go to the island who were accompanied by Montingy on the orders of d'lberville. Montigny sent one of the prisoners over the still ice-bound island to tell the islanders that, if they surrendered and recognized the King of France, they would be allowed to fish for the summer. They boldly refused. but allowed the men to return as De Montigny had threatened to ransom the other two for 10,000 pounds if he did not. The men offered to pay the ransom for their freedom but were refused. By April tenth Montingy returned to Bay Bulls with d Iberville, as he [Montigny] had done nothing with Carbonear since the twenty-seventh. According to Baudion, Carbonear "was the last remaining to the English in Newfoundland, all others being burned. ''° so ended the first attempted capture of the island of Carbonear. The French were forced to return to Placentia as the English fleet soon would be arriving. D'lberville, Nelson of the New World, had to leave Carbonear Island as he had found it: under English control.

The Peace of Ryswick in 1697 put a temporary halt to French aggression against the English, but by 1705 the French had renewed their campaign to end English rule in Newfoundland. The French left a path of destruction burning and pillaging settlements from Holyrood to Carbonear.l'

In November of 1704, Monsieur du Subercase sent a request to the governor-general of Quebec, the Marguis de Vaudreuil, requesting troops to aid in his plan to plunder and destroy all English settlements in Newfoundland. The Marquis sent du Subercase ninety French regulars and one-hundred Abnaki Indians. On the fourteenth of January, 1705, du Subercase set out with 450 men to retrace d'lberville's path of destruction nine years prior.

The French easily took the Southern Shore communities but had difficulty in capturing the well-defended Fort William. While the city had been captured, Fort William remained under English control Nan Subercase then ordered Montigny'2 to take one hundred troops and destroy all the communities in both
'9 Ibid.

Ibid. " Madden, Dermot "Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994. 12 Robert Barron alludes that this commander is the same Motigny who served under d'lberville in 1697. No collaborating evidence could be found so therefore the assumption will be made that this Montigny is the same who served under d'lberville.

Trinity and Conception Bays. This campaign caused greater strife to those who might oppose the French as no quarters were given to any who opposed.''l3

Montigny easily captured the small English settlements but upon his arrival to Carbonear found that 300 settlers had fled to the Island for refuge against the French threat. The capture of the town proved fruitful for the soldiers as Carbonear, in 1705, contained thirty houses and families. Like d'lberville before him. Montigny tried several attempts to capture the illustrious island fort, but he was unsuccessful in each attempt. One can imagine the frustration that Montigny was feeling after failing to capture Fort William and now, with a chance to redeem himself, his failure to capture Carbonear Island. One of the defenders of the Island reported that Montigny paid 500 pounds out of his own pocket and "resolved to have it of us and have our lives and will wait all Summer [sic] to take vengeance on us for keeping the Island, for which he says he will lose his commission.'" But his determination must have faltered in the resistance as the weeks passed and the island settlers remained strong against him.

Knowing that the English would arrive before French troops would, Montigny returned to Placentia, once again leaving Carbonear Island under British control. In accounting their defeat, the French stated that they had failed to take the island because they were short on provisions and island was difficult to traverse during the winter. They failed to mention the resistance of the British as a possible cause for their [the attackers'] failure.

The resistance itself was led by John Pynne, who was later rewarded for his bravery by being appointed commander of the garrison on the island in 1709. On December 21st' of the same year, the residents petitioned Queen Anne to send reinforcements as St. John's had been captured. The settlers pledged their allegiance to defend the island from the French until such a time that English forces could be dispatched. The letter to Queen Anne, signed by several residents on Carbonear, stated that:

"May it please our Gracious Queen Ann of Great Britain France and Your Land and Defender of ye faith We your Majesties most Loyal Subjects with humble submission do send this express to give intelligence to your Gracious Majestie [sic] of ye unfortunate news of the taking of your Majesties Fort at St. John's the 21 " of December anno Domini [sic] 1709 and your castle surrounded ye most day following the Enemy
1l Shortis, [address], p. 11. 14 Barron, Robert. "Carbonear Island The Newfoundland Fortress", The Newfoundland Herald, vol. 51, no. 28,pg. 11. 5 Ibid., pg. 11.

whose in number about one Hundred and Sixty they received little or none resistance and your majesties subjects are in Deplorable Condition under Great Confinement in St. John s, we your majesties Loyal Subjects that resides on this Island will by God assistance Defend our selves from this party of French till your ma jestie [sic] will send us relief which no humble beg to be with all expedition, for we understand by our spas that we have sent, that they are fortifying the fort more and that they have sent an express to France by a ship they have in ye Country for more incur, we Humble beg of your magestie [sic] to take into consideration to grant us relief with expedition, or else the French ships will be here to ye eternal ruin of we your Majesties subjects and ye loss of ye little part of this province we possess-
God preserve Queen Ann
January sixth. 1709 ""

The Treaty of Utrect in 1713 brought of period of peace to Newfoundland that would last nearly fifty years. Little is known from this period but Shortis surmised that the British began erecting fortifications around 1745 due to the Jacobite rebellion. By 1750, the island was a regular military outpost with an artillery officer, fort officer and about fifty men. With the beginning of the Seven Years War in 1756, Newfoundland once again became the battle ground for the conflict between England and France. However. the fort on the island had become so neglected that when Count D'Haussonville attacked in the summer of 176', it was easily captured.

In May 1762, a French navel squadron left the port of Brest with for ships and 732 officers and troops to capture the garrison at St. John' s. According to Prowse, the squadron under the command of the Count and Admiral de Ternay landed at Bay Bulls on June 24'h, 1762. The ground attack was led by d'Haussonville and after capturing Fort William, he moved onto Carbonear. The attack on the island took place in the fading months of the Seven Years War. On August 14th, 1762, Carbonear Island came under French control without as much as a battle.

While the island was secured by the British shortly after, their defeat, however, was not the celebration it might have been for the French. The French success lay in the fact that, unlike previous attacks, this one took place on the summer when most of the able-bodied men were at sea. Secondly, the fort by 1762 was left in disrepair aRer the English had pulled out. Only a few elderly men remained to maintain the guns and ordnance stores. Thirdly, a contributing factor was that the English spent millions of pounds protecting the colony of Nova Scotia while outport Newfoundland was left virtually defenselessly
16 "Carbonear Island in Newfoundland" [Carbonear Islanders' appeal to Queen Anne]. Dated January 11, 1709. s.v. "Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Cuff, 1985-1994. '' Shortis, [address], p. 11. 't Barron. "The Newfoundland Fortress", pg. 11.
 

Without the determination of the settlers in both 1696 and 1705, the island would have surely fell into French hands.

One can surmise that the final capture of the island might have been avoided, as indeed the capture of St. John's and surrounding areas, had the British government taken the advice of William Downing and Tholllas Oxford, two Newfoundland merchants, in early 1676. Both men sent proposals to the Priv) Council requesting that both St. John's and Carbonear Island be fortified to protect British subjects from French aggression. While this petition was ignored, the Newfoundland settlers proved to be a surmountable enemy to the French, especially in Carbonear. The island became famous for the battles fought over her as she helped protect the inhabitants of Conception Bay. Carbonear Island is indeed worth the title Gibraltar of Newfoundland.'
 
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barron, Robert. The Newfoundland Herald, vol. 51, no. 28, pg. 11.

Bates, Allison. 'Pynne, William." Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994.

Beaudion. Jean. Journal of Abbe Baudion Dears of a Journey with M. d'lberville from France to Acadia and from Acadia to Newfoundland [Translated from the French by H. Bedford Jones], St. John s: s.n., 19'3.

' Carbonear Island" in Information About the Town of Carbonear. URL: http: w ww.publib.nf.ca/CAP/east/Carbonear/carbisland.html.

Carbonear Island in Newfoundland" [Carbonear Islanders' appeal to Queen Anne]. Dated January 11, 1709. s.v. "Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Cuff, 1985-1994.

Coish, Calvin. "Three Cheers for Carbonear." The Atlantic Advocate, Vol. 72, No. 5(January 1982).

Early Sketch of Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994.

Madden, Dermot "Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994.

Sayer, R. & Bennett, J. Carbonear and Harbour Grace. [cartographic material] London, No. 53 in Fleet Street: Printed for R. Sayer & 1. Bennet, 1770.

Shortis, Henry F. [address to Newfoundland Historical Society] [s.l: s.n., 1907]

Stockwood, Wayne. "Cleron D'Haussonville, Comte D'Haussonville, Joseph-Louis-Brnard-De" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994.

"The Early Story of Carbonear" Stationers' Festival, May 16-19, 1987. Supplement to The Compass, May 13, 1987, pg. 8-9.
 

WORKS CITED
Barron. Robert. The Newfoundland Herald, vol. 51, no. 28, pg. 11.
Beaudion, Jean. Journal of Abbe Baudion: diary of a journev with M. d'lberville from France to Acadia and from Acadia to Newfoundland [Translated from the French by H. Bedford Jones], St. John's: s.n., 1923.
Carbonear Island in Newfoundland" [Carbonear Islanders' appeal to Queen Anne]. Dated January 11, 1709. so Carbonear Island' Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Cuff, 1985-1994.
Early Sketch of Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-
1994
Madden, Dermot "Carbonear Island" Encyclopedia of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John's: Cuff, 1985-1994.
Sayer, R. & Bennett, J. Carbonear and Harbour Grace. [cartographic material] London, No. 53 in Fleet Street: Printed for R. Sayer & 1. Bennet, 1770.
Shortis, Henry F. [address to Newfoundland Historical Society] [s.1: s.n., 1907]