First Battle of Bloody Creek
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Bloody Creek was fought on 10/21 June 1711 during Queen Anne's War
. An Abenaki militia successfully ambushed British
and New England
soldiers at a place that became known as Bloody Creek after the battles fought there. The creek empties into the Annapolis River
at present day Carleton Corner, Nova Scotia
, and was also the location of a battle in 1757.
The battle was part of an orchestrated attempt by the leaders of New France
to weaken the British hold on Annapolis Royal
. The British had only captured the fort the previous year
and they only had a very tenuous control of the area. The battle, in which the entire British force was captured or killed, emboldened the French and their native allies to blockade Annapolis Royal. Without heavy weapons, the force was unable to effectively attack the fort, and abandoned the siege when British reinforcements arrived by sea.
, the capital of the French colony
of Acadia
, was settled in 1604, one year after Acadia's founding, and served as the colonial capital for much of the next hundred years. It consequently became a focal point for conflict between the English
colonists of New England
and the Acadian inhabitants. It was destroyed in 1613 by English raiders led by Samuel Argall
, but eventually rebuilt. In 1690 it was captured
by forces from the Province of Massachusetts Bay
, although it was restored to France on 20 September 1697 by the Treaty of Ryswick
.
In the 1710 Siege of Port Royal
an expedition of New England militia and British marines under Francis Nicholson
again captured Port Royal. The town was renamed Annapolis Royal
, with Samuel Vetch
as the British Governor of Nova Scotia, and the fort was renamed Fort Anne
. This expedition left a garrison numbering about 450 men, that was composed of a combination of British marines and New England provincial militia. The garrison was reinforced with regular troops in the following months, however the British only had effective control of the fort and the nearby town. The terms of capitulation had included a provision in which the French residents within 3 miles (4.8 km) of the fort were to be protected, provided they took an appropriate oath to the British crown. A total of 481 Acadians were covered by this provision, but by mid-January 1711 only 57 had actually taken an oath.
When word of Port Royal's fall reached France, the marine minister Pontchartrain ordered Antoine Gaulin, the French Catholic missionary priest to the loosely allied Indian tribes
of present-day Maine
and New Brunswick
, to harass the British at Annapolis Royal so that they could not establish a firm foothold in the territory. Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
, the mixed-blood son of a French father and a Penobscot mother, was given military command of Acadia, and received similar orders.
, and the cut wood was floated down the river. In May 1711 Governor Vetch received reports that these work crews and others who supported the British were being harassed by Mi'kmaq and Abenakis opposed to British rule. In his reports he noted that the fort was "every day more and more Infested with skulking Indians", and that villagers within the banlieu (the three-mile protection area) were being harassed. Desperate for timbers to repair the fort, Vetch organized a force of 70 New England militia under Captain David Pigeon
to accompany the fort's engineer on an expedition up the river. Pigeon's instructions were to assure the loggers that they would be paid and protected if they brought the timber down to the fort, but that there would be "severity" if they did not.
Not long before Pigeon's party set out, an Indian force organized by Gaulin and Saint-Castin arrived in the area north of Annapolis Royal, with instructions to harass and ambush the British when the opportunity presented itself. The exact size and composition of this force is not known with precision. Vetch reported it to be 150, but other sources reported it to be as low as 50 men. Many historians report that the force was composed of Abenakis, although Geoffrey Plank and others claim that the force also included some Mi'kmaq. British Lieutenant Paul Mascarene
for a time thought that some local Acadians might have been involved, but thought this unlikely after learning of its recent arrival (literally the day before, according to one account) in the area. The identity and ethnicity of its leader is also uncertain; Governor Vaudreuil reported that it was led by someone named l'Aymalle.
and were thus unable to make an impression on the fort, and the fort was still accessible by sea. Gaulin went to Plaisance in Newfoundland for supplies and equipment to advance the siege; Governor Philippe Pastour de Costebelle provided supplies, but the ship had the misfortune to encounter a major British fleet
and was captured. That same expedition abandoned its goal of attacking Quebec when eight of its ships were lost on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River
; Governor Vetch, who had accompanied the expedition as a leader of the provincial militia, returned to Annapolis Royal with 200 provincial militia, after which the besiegers withdrew.
Annapolis Royal remained in British hands for the remainder of the war, but Acadians and Indians continued to resist the British after peace was reached and Acadia was formally ceded to Britain with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. This resistance was motivated by a French desire to recover Acadia and by the concerns of the Abenaki and Mi'kmaq, who had not been parties to Utrecht, to British encroachment on their lands and liberties after the war ended. The Indian disputes led to Dummer's War
in the 1720s; it was fought primarily in northern New England, but British settlements in Nova Scotia were also attacked. The disputes between the French and British over Acadia/Nova Scotia were not resolved until the British conquests of the Seven Years' War
and the expulsion of the Acadians in the 1750s. The site was again the scene of battle during the Seven Years' War, and has been identified by the Canadian
government as a National Historic Site.
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
. An Abenaki militia successfully ambushed British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
soldiers at a place that became known as Bloody Creek after the battles fought there. The creek empties into the Annapolis River
Annapolis River
The Annapolis River is a Canadian river located in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.-Geography:Measuring 120 kilometres in length, the river flows southwest through the western part of the valley from its source in Caribou Bog near the villages of Aylesford and Berwick in western Kings County, to...
at present day Carleton Corner, Nova Scotia
Carleton Corner, Nova Scotia
Carleton Corner is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County . This village is the site of the Battle of Bloody Creek and the Battle of Bloody Creek .-References:*...
, and was also the location of a battle in 1757.
The battle was part of an orchestrated attempt by the leaders of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
to weaken the British hold on Annapolis Royal
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Known as Port Royal until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St...
. The British had only captured the fort the previous year
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
The Siege of Port Royal , also known as the Conquest of Acadia, was conducted by British regular and provincial forces under the command of Francis Nicholson against a French Acadian garrison under the command of Daniel d'Auger de Subercase, at the Acadian capital, Port Royal...
and they only had a very tenuous control of the area. The battle, in which the entire British force was captured or killed, emboldened the French and their native allies to blockade Annapolis Royal. Without heavy weapons, the force was unable to effectively attack the fort, and abandoned the siege when British reinforcements arrived by sea.
Background
Port RoyalPort Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
, the capital of the French colony
French colonization of the Americas
The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America...
of Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
, was settled in 1604, one year after Acadia's founding, and served as the colonial capital for much of the next hundred years. It consequently became a focal point for conflict between the English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
colonists of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and the Acadian inhabitants. It was destroyed in 1613 by English raiders led by Samuel Argall
Samuel Argall
Sir Samuel Argall was an English adventurer and naval officer.As a sea captain, in 1609, Argall was the first to determine a shorter northern route from England across the Atlantic Ocean to the new English colony of Virginia, based at Jamestown, and made numerous voyages to the New World...
, but eventually rebuilt. In 1690 it was captured
Battle of Port Royal (1690)
The Battle of Port Royal occurred at Port Royal, the capital of French Acadia, during King William's War , the first of the four French and Indian Wars. A large force of New England provincial militia arrived before Port Royal, which was surrendered without resistance not long after...
by forces from the Province of Massachusetts Bay
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
, although it was restored to France on 20 September 1697 by the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
.
In the 1710 Siege of Port Royal
Siege of Port Royal (1710)
The Siege of Port Royal , also known as the Conquest of Acadia, was conducted by British regular and provincial forces under the command of Francis Nicholson against a French Acadian garrison under the command of Daniel d'Auger de Subercase, at the Acadian capital, Port Royal...
an expedition of New England militia and British marines under Francis Nicholson
Francis Nicholson
Francis Nicholson was a British military officer and colonial administrator. His military service included time in Africa and Europe, after which he was sent as leader of the troops supporting Sir Edmund Andros in the Dominion of New England. There he distinguished himself, and was appointed...
again captured Port Royal. The town was renamed Annapolis Royal
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Known as Port Royal until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St...
, with Samuel Vetch
Samuel Vetch
Samuel Vetch was a Scottish soldier and colonial governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:...
as the British Governor of Nova Scotia, and the fort was renamed Fort Anne
Fort Anne
For a similarly named fort in New York City see: Fort AmsterdamFort Anne is a typical star fort built to protect the harbour of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The fort repelled all French attacks during the early stages of King George's War....
. This expedition left a garrison numbering about 450 men, that was composed of a combination of British marines and New England provincial militia. The garrison was reinforced with regular troops in the following months, however the British only had effective control of the fort and the nearby town. The terms of capitulation had included a provision in which the French residents within 3 miles (4.8 km) of the fort were to be protected, provided they took an appropriate oath to the British crown. A total of 481 Acadians were covered by this provision, but by mid-January 1711 only 57 had actually taken an oath.
When word of Port Royal's fall reached France, the marine minister Pontchartrain ordered Antoine Gaulin, the French Catholic missionary priest to the loosely allied Indian tribes
Wabanaki Confederacy
The Wabanaki Confederacy, as it is known in English, is a historical confederation of five North American Algonquian language speaking Indian tribes....
of present-day Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, to harass the British at Annapolis Royal so that they could not establish a firm foothold in the territory. Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia. He was a member of a successful privateering force at the time of Queen Anne's War, and led native and French forces in the defense of Acadia.- Biography :...
, the mixed-blood son of a French father and a Penobscot mother, was given military command of Acadia, and received similar orders.
Prelude
The first winter was a particularly difficult one for the British garrison, which was reduced by early 1711 to about 240 "effective men Officers included" due to death, disease, and desertion. They had ongoing difficulty getting provisions and materials needed to repair the fort because of the reluctance of the Acadians to help. This reluctance was fueled in part by the activities of Saint-Castin and Gaulin — the Acadians in Annapolis Royal refused to do the necessary logging, citing the danger of Indian attacks. To counter this, the British began sending out armed parties to protect the loggers. These logging parties were sent into the woodlands up the Annapolis RiverAnnapolis River
The Annapolis River is a Canadian river located in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.-Geography:Measuring 120 kilometres in length, the river flows southwest through the western part of the valley from its source in Caribou Bog near the villages of Aylesford and Berwick in western Kings County, to...
, and the cut wood was floated down the river. In May 1711 Governor Vetch received reports that these work crews and others who supported the British were being harassed by Mi'kmaq and Abenakis opposed to British rule. In his reports he noted that the fort was "every day more and more Infested with skulking Indians", and that villagers within the banlieu (the three-mile protection area) were being harassed. Desperate for timbers to repair the fort, Vetch organized a force of 70 New England militia under Captain David Pigeon
David Pigeon
David Pigeon led a company of provincial New England militia from the garrison at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia up the Annapolis River aboard the whaleboat Devonshire, and was ambushed in the Battle of Bloody Creek on June 10, 1711 . He was a major in Sir Charles Hobbey's Regiment, the North...
to accompany the fort's engineer on an expedition up the river. Pigeon's instructions were to assure the loggers that they would be paid and protected if they brought the timber down to the fort, but that there would be "severity" if they did not.
Not long before Pigeon's party set out, an Indian force organized by Gaulin and Saint-Castin arrived in the area north of Annapolis Royal, with instructions to harass and ambush the British when the opportunity presented itself. The exact size and composition of this force is not known with precision. Vetch reported it to be 150, but other sources reported it to be as low as 50 men. Many historians report that the force was composed of Abenakis, although Geoffrey Plank and others claim that the force also included some Mi'kmaq. British Lieutenant Paul Mascarene
Paul Mascarene
Paul Mascarene was a Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia from 1740 to 1749. He had an extensive military career throughout his life, during the events of British and French conflict that led to the Seven Years' War.-Biography:...
for a time thought that some local Acadians might have been involved, but thought this unlikely after learning of its recent arrival (literally the day before, according to one account) in the area. The identity and ethnicity of its leader is also uncertain; Governor Vaudreuil reported that it was led by someone named l'Aymalle.
Battle
The New Englanders departed Annapolis Royal on 10/21 June in a whaleboat and two flatboats, heading up the Annapolis River. Because they were delayed by the tide, word of the force's departure preceded them, giving the Indians time to set up an ambush near the mouth of what later became known as Bloody Creek. The whaleboat was faster on the water, and was about a mile (1.6 km) ahead of the flatboats when it reached the ambush site. The surprise was complete: all but one of the whaleboat's men were killed. Hearing the gunfire, the flatboats hurried to catch up, and carelessly made directly for the whaleboat. This exposed them to fire from Indians on the shore, and they suffered further significant casualties before they were surrounded and the survivors surrendered. Sixteen were killed, nine wounded, and the rest were captured.Aftermath
The victory at Bloody Creek rallied the local resistance, and prompted many of the Acadians who were nominally under British protection to withdraw to the north. Soon thereafter a force of some 600 warriors, including Acadians, Abenaki, and Mi'kmaq, gathered and blockaded Fort Anne under the leadership of Gaulin and Saint-Castin. The defending garrison was small, but the attackers had no artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and were thus unable to make an impression on the fort, and the fort was still accessible by sea. Gaulin went to Plaisance in Newfoundland for supplies and equipment to advance the siege; Governor Philippe Pastour de Costebelle provided supplies, but the ship had the misfortune to encounter a major British fleet
Quebec Expedition
The Quebec Expedition, or the Walker Expedition to Quebec, was a British attempt to attack Quebec in 1711 in Queen Anne's War, the North American theatre of the War of Spanish Succession...
and was captured. That same expedition abandoned its goal of attacking Quebec when eight of its ships were lost on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
; Governor Vetch, who had accompanied the expedition as a leader of the provincial militia, returned to Annapolis Royal with 200 provincial militia, after which the besiegers withdrew.
Annapolis Royal remained in British hands for the remainder of the war, but Acadians and Indians continued to resist the British after peace was reached and Acadia was formally ceded to Britain with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. This resistance was motivated by a French desire to recover Acadia and by the concerns of the Abenaki and Mi'kmaq, who had not been parties to Utrecht, to British encroachment on their lands and liberties after the war ended. The Indian disputes led to Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
in the 1720s; it was fought primarily in northern New England, but British settlements in Nova Scotia were also attacked. The disputes between the French and British over Acadia/Nova Scotia were not resolved until the British conquests of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
and the expulsion of the Acadians in the 1750s. The site was again the scene of battle during the Seven Years' War, and has been identified by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
government as a National Historic Site.