Siege of Fort at Number 4
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Fort at Number Four (April 7–9, 1747) was a frontier action at present-day Charlestown, New Hampshire
during King George's War
. The Fort at Number 4
(named so because it was located in the fourth of a series of recently-surveyed township land parcels), was unsuccessfully besieged by a French and Indian force under the command of Ensign Joseph Boucher de Niverville. The British defenders were alerted to the presence of the besiegers by their dogs, and were well-prepared to defend the fort. They successfully fought off attempts to burn the fort down, and turned down demands that they surrender. Some of Niverville's Indians, short on provisions, attempted to bargain with the fort's defenders for supplies, but were rejected.
, the Province of Massachusetts Bay
had constructed Fort Dummer
at present-day Brattleboro, Vermont
. In the following years, settlers from Massachusetts, which laid claim to the territory, moved up the Connecticut River
, establishing small frontier settlements. The most northerly of these, 34 miles (54.7 km) north of Fort Dummer and located at the site of present-day Charlestown, New Hampshire
, was called Number Four. In 1741, King George II
declared that the territory belonged to the Province of New Hampshire
. Massachusetts withdrew its protection from both Fort Dummer and Number Four, and New Hampshire, none of whose existing settlements was near these places, also refused to provide protection. In 1743 the settlers at Number Four constructed a wooden stockade fort
to provide for their own protection.
Massachusetts reluctantly agreed to provide some militia forces to the area when King George's War
broke out. During the summer of 1746 Number Four was repeatedly attacked by French and Indian raiding parties organized by the authorities of New France
, and these militia had provided timely defense. The severity of the attacks, however, prompted the settlers to abandon Number Four, which remained unoccupied during the winter of 1746–47. The fort was then occupied by Captain Phineas Stevens
and 30 provincial militia in the spring of 1747. Stevens brought with him several dogs, which provided early warning of the arrival of strangers.
The Marquis de Beauharnois
, New France's governor, had waged a war against the frontiers of the northern British colonies (New York
, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia
) since the fall of Louisbourg
in 1745 had dried up supplies of important trade goods and provisions. In early 1747 one of the parties he sent south consisted of 10 French troupes de la marine
(the colonial troops) and 60 Abenaki warriors under the command of Ensign
Joseph Boucher de Niverville. Some English accounts of the action report Niverville's claims that he had several hundred men; they also incorrectly identify the party leader as "General Debeline".
When the attempt to burn the fort failed, Niverville requested a cessation of hostilities for the night, to be followed by a parley
the next morning. Stevens agreed, and refused Niverville's demand in the parley that he surrender. Upon returning into the fort he held council with his men, who all agreed with the decision. Niverville's force ineffectually continued to fire on the fort that day and into the evening. Attempts to ignite the fort with fire arrows were easily quenched by the defenders.
On the morning of April 9, two Indians came forward and requested a parley. They offered to cease hostilities in exchange for provisions. Stevens refused, offering instead to accept hostage
s, to be exchanged for British prisoners later, in exchange for food. The Indians refused, and after a desultory exchange of musket fire, the French and Indian force withdrew.
Sir Charles Knowles, a Royal Navy
admiral, was in Boston
when news of the spirited defense of Number Four arrived. He recognized Stevens' leadership by sending him a silver-hilted sword. As a result, the settlers of Number Four decided to name the community Charlestown in Knowles' honor. The reconstructed fort is now a living history museum, recreating the era of King George's War.
Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation Association....
during King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
. The Fort at Number 4
Fort at Number 4
The Fort at Number 4 was the northernmost British settlement along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire until after the French and Indian War. Now known as Charlestown, it was more than from the nearest other British settlement at Fort Dummer. Construction began in 1740 by brothers Stephen,...
(named so because it was located in the fourth of a series of recently-surveyed township land parcels), was unsuccessfully besieged by a French and Indian force under the command of Ensign Joseph Boucher de Niverville. The British defenders were alerted to the presence of the besiegers by their dogs, and were well-prepared to defend the fort. They successfully fought off attempts to burn the fort down, and turned down demands that they surrender. Some of Niverville's Indians, short on provisions, attempted to bargain with the fort's defenders for supplies, but were rejected.
Background
In the 1720s, during Dummer's WarDummer'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...
, 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...
had constructed Fort Dummer
Fort Dummer
Fort Dummer was a British fort built in 1724 by the colonial militia of the Province of Massachusetts Bay under the command of Lieutenant Timothy Dwight in what is now the Town of Brattleboro in southeastern Vermont. The fort was the first permanent European settlement in Vermont...
at present-day Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
. In the following years, settlers from Massachusetts, which laid claim to the territory, moved up the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
, establishing small frontier settlements. The most northerly of these, 34 miles (54.7 km) north of Fort Dummer and located at the site of present-day Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation Association....
, was called Number Four. In 1741, King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
declared that the territory belonged to the Province of New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. Massachusetts withdrew its protection from both Fort Dummer and Number Four, and New Hampshire, none of whose existing settlements was near these places, also refused to provide protection. In 1743 the settlers at Number Four constructed a wooden stockade fort
Fort at Number 4
The Fort at Number 4 was the northernmost British settlement along the Connecticut River in New Hampshire until after the French and Indian War. Now known as Charlestown, it was more than from the nearest other British settlement at Fort Dummer. Construction began in 1740 by brothers Stephen,...
to provide for their own protection.
Massachusetts reluctantly agreed to provide some militia forces to the area when King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
broke out. During the summer of 1746 Number Four was repeatedly attacked by French and Indian raiding parties organized by the authorities 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...
, and these militia had provided timely defense. The severity of the attacks, however, prompted the settlers to abandon Number Four, which remained unoccupied during the winter of 1746–47. The fort was then occupied by Captain Phineas Stevens
Phineas Stevens
Capt. Phineas Stevens was a distinguished officer noted for his defense of the Fort at Number 4 during a siege in April 1747, when a combined force of French and Indian soldiers failed to capture the fort and the 32 British soldiers defending it...
and 30 provincial militia in the spring of 1747. Stevens brought with him several dogs, which provided early warning of the arrival of strangers.
The Marquis de Beauharnois
Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois
Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois was a French Naval officer who served as Governor of New France from 1726 to 1746.Charles had two brothers who also impacted the history of New France...
, New France's governor, had waged a war against the frontiers of the northern British colonies (New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
) since the fall of Louisbourg
Siege of Louisbourg (1745)
The Siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale during the War of the Austrian Succession, known as King George's War in the British colonies.Although the Fortress of...
in 1745 had dried up supplies of important trade goods and provisions. In early 1747 one of the parties he sent south consisted of 10 French troupes de la marine
Troupes de la marine
See also Troupes de Marine for later history of same Corps.The Troupes de la Marine , also known as independent companies of the navy and colonial regulars, were under the authority of the French Minister of Marine, who was also responsible for the French navy, overseas trade, and French...
(the colonial troops) and 60 Abenaki warriors under the command of Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Joseph Boucher de Niverville. Some English accounts of the action report Niverville's claims that he had several hundred men; they also incorrectly identify the party leader as "General Debeline".
Siege
On April 7, eleven days after Captain Stevens and his men arrived, Niverville's force arrived at Number Four. Although they remained concealed in the woods that surrounded the fort, one of Stevens' men was alerted to the enemy presence by his dogs, which refused to stop barking. Cautiously leaving the fort with some of the dogs to investigate, he was eventually fired on and slightly wounded, after which he retreated into the fort. Niverville's party fired ineffectual volleys of musket fire at the fort, and then set on fire buildings on the windward side of the fort in an attempt to burn it down. The defenders, who had plentiful access to water, seized upon an ingenious method to keep the flames at bay. Some of the men were sent outside the walls, where they then dug trenches near the walls. Inside the trenches, men were protected from hostile musket fire, and were also able to use water passed in buckets from inside the fort to keep the fort's timbers wet.When the attempt to burn the fort failed, Niverville requested a cessation of hostilities for the night, to be followed by a parley
Parley
Parley is a discussion or conference, especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parler, which is the French verb "to speak"; specifically the conjugation parlez "you speak", whether as imperative or indicative.Beginning in the High Middle...
the next morning. Stevens agreed, and refused Niverville's demand in the parley that he surrender. Upon returning into the fort he held council with his men, who all agreed with the decision. Niverville's force ineffectually continued to fire on the fort that day and into the evening. Attempts to ignite the fort with fire arrows were easily quenched by the defenders.
On the morning of April 9, two Indians came forward and requested a parley. They offered to cease hostilities in exchange for provisions. Stevens refused, offering instead to accept hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s, to be exchanged for British prisoners later, in exchange for food. The Indians refused, and after a desultory exchange of musket fire, the French and Indian force withdrew.
Aftermath
Niverville's hungry force then moved further south, destroying, according to one report, "three meeting-houses, several fine barns, about one hundred dwellings, mostly of two stories, furnished even to chests of drawers, and killed five to six hundred sheep and hogs, and about thirty horned cattle."Sir Charles Knowles, a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
admiral, was in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
when news of the spirited defense of Number Four arrived. He recognized Stevens' leadership by sending him a silver-hilted sword. As a result, the settlers of Number Four decided to name the community Charlestown in Knowles' honor. The reconstructed fort is now a living history museum, recreating the era of King George's War.