Battle of Saint-Pierre
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Saint-Pierre was a military confrontation on March 25, 1776, near the Quebec
village of Saint-Pierre, south of Quebec City
. This confrontation, which occurred during the Continental Army
's siege of Quebec following its defeat at the Battle of Quebec
, was between forces that were both largely composed of Canadien militia, including individuals on both sides of the conflict that had been recruited in the same communities. The Patriot
forces routed the Loyalist
forces, killing at least 3 and capturing more than 30.
, the Second Continental Congress
had invited the citizens of the Province of Quebec
to join them, first by addressing letters to them, and then by invading the province
with the goal of ousting the British government of General Guy Carleton
. The invasion reached a peak on December 31, 1775, when the Continental Army
, under the command of General Richard Montgomery
, was defeated before the gates of the city of Quebec
. The battle resulted in the death of Montgomery and the capture of over 400 men.
Following the defeat, the remnants of the Army, now under the command of General Benedict Arnold
, besieged the city. During this time, they worked to recruit French-speaking Canadiens to support their efforts toward independence, while Carleton and the British worked to build Loyalist
support among the Canadiens.
, crossed the Saint Lawrence River
by canoe and reached the city of Quebec. He brought news to General Carleton that the Americans were setting up a gun battery at Pointe-Lévis
, on the south shore of the river, across from the city. This battery would command the city's harbor and shipping on the river. Chasson also told Carleton that people to the south of the city were prepared to rise up against the Americans.
Carleton gave Chasson instructions to deliver to Louis Liénard de Beaujeu, the seigneur
of the Île-aux-Grues (Crane Island), an island in the Saint Lawrence, and a man with previous military experience in the French and Indian War
. The instructions included intercepted communications from Arnold describing the difficult conditions in the siege camp and an amnesty for people who had previously supported the Americans but were now willing to assist the British. Beaujeu, who had previously been asked to raise militia in support of the British, set about raising a force to make an attack on the unfinished battery at Pointe-Lévis. By March 23, he had assembled over 100 men at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière
. When this force reached Saint-Thomas on the night of March 24, it was joined there by an additional 70 men. An advance guard from this force, numbering 46, was sent to Saint-Pierre
under the command of Couillard and Gaspé, where they established a base at the house of Michel Blais, a Loyalist and former commander of the local militia.
friendly to the Americans notified the commander at Pointe-Lévis of the recruiting activity. In response, General Arnold, sent a detachment of 80 Americans under John Dubois to deal with the situation. Pierre Ayotte
and Clément Gosselin
, recruiters working for Moses Hazen
, the commander of the 2nd Canadian Regiment
, raised about 150 men who joined the Americans. These forces headed up the southern shore to investigate the reports. Some of these recruits were from the same villages from which Beaujeu had recruited men. A small band of militia from Beaumont went to Saint-Michel and arrested Chasson, who was planning to return to the city.
The Loyalist advance guard was surprised by the arrival of the Patriot forces at Saint-Pierre, and barricaded themselves in the house, where they were attacked by Dubois' men with musket and cannon. While a few escaped, the majority surrendered, and three were killed. Their priest, Charles-François Bailly de Messein
, was injured in the battle. It is said that, because both sides recruited in the same areas to build their militias, that there were some families whose members fought against each other in this battle.
The skirmish itself had no notable effect on relations between the people and the occupying Americans, which were already deteriorating as the siege dragged on. This was due in part to the fact that the Americans, rather than paying for their supplies in coin, paid with Continental paper currency or promissory notes, deemed to be of little worth by the locals.
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
village of Saint-Pierre, south of Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. This confrontation, which occurred during the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
's siege of Quebec following its defeat at the Battle of Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1775)
The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
, was between forces that were both largely composed of Canadien militia, including individuals on both sides of the conflict that had been recruited in the same communities. The Patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
forces routed the Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
forces, killing at least 3 and capturing more than 30.
Background
Early in the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
had invited the citizens of the Province of Quebec
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
to join them, first by addressing letters to them, and then by invading the province
Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...
with the goal of ousting the British government of General Guy Carleton
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, KB , known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Irish-British soldier and administrator...
. The invasion reached a peak on December 31, 1775, when the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, under the command of General Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the failed 1775 invasion of Canada.Montgomery was born and raised in Ireland...
, was defeated before the gates of the city of Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1775)
The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
. The battle resulted in the death of Montgomery and the capture of over 400 men.
Following the defeat, the remnants of the Army, now under the command of General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, besieged the city. During this time, they worked to recruit French-speaking Canadiens to support their efforts toward independence, while Carleton and the British worked to build Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
support among the Canadiens.
Loyalist militia recruitment
Early on the morning of March 14, 1776, Jean-Baptiste Chasson, a Canadien miller from Saint-VallierSaint-Vallier, Quebec
Saint-Vallier is a small village of about 1,100 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region, located in the province of Quebec in Canada....
, crossed 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...
by canoe and reached the city of Quebec. He brought news to General Carleton that the Americans were setting up a gun battery at Pointe-Lévis
Lévis, Quebec
Lévis is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre Laporte Bridge, connect western Lévis with Quebec City. The Société de transport de...
, on the south shore of the river, across from the city. This battery would command the city's harbor and shipping on the river. Chasson also told Carleton that people to the south of the city were prepared to rise up against the Americans.
Carleton gave Chasson instructions to deliver to Louis Liénard de Beaujeu, the seigneur
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
of the Île-aux-Grues (Crane Island), an island in the Saint Lawrence, and a man with previous military experience in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. The instructions included intercepted communications from Arnold describing the difficult conditions in the siege camp and an amnesty for people who had previously supported the Americans but were now willing to assist the British. Beaujeu, who had previously been asked to raise militia in support of the British, set about raising a force to make an attack on the unfinished battery at Pointe-Lévis. By March 23, he had assembled over 100 men at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec
Saint-Anne-de-la-Pocatière is a parish municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in the Kamouraska Regional County Municipality.-Municipal council:* Mayor: Miles McCall...
. When this force reached Saint-Thomas on the night of March 24, it was joined there by an additional 70 men. An advance guard from this force, numbering 46, was sent to Saint-Pierre
Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec
Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud is a parish municipality in Quebec....
under the command of Couillard and Gaspé, where they established a base at the house of Michel Blais, a Loyalist and former commander of the local militia.
Americans warned
Habitants from BeaumontBeaumont, Quebec
Beaumont is a village of about 2,100 people 10km east of Lévis, next to the Saint Lawrence River, in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality. It is a mostly rural community, with most people working in Lévis as there are no major businesses in Beaumont...
friendly to the Americans notified the commander at Pointe-Lévis of the recruiting activity. In response, General Arnold, sent a detachment of 80 Americans under John Dubois to deal with the situation. Pierre Ayotte
Pierre Ayotte
Pierre Ayotte was a French-Canadian soldier. During the American Revolutionary War, he served in Moses Hazen's Canadian regiment. Ayotte helped to raise troops for the American cause at the Battle of Saint-Pierre, as well as serving under the regiment for the rest of the aftermath of the Battle of...
and Clément Gosselin
Clément Gosselin
Clément Gosselin was a French Canadian soldier who served in Moses Hazen's 2nd Canadian Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
, recruiters working for Moses Hazen
Moses Hazen
Moses Hazen was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rangers. His service included particularly brutal raids during the Expulsion of the Acadians and...
, the commander of the 2nd Canadian Regiment
2nd Canadian Regiment
The 2nd Canadian Regiment, also known as Congress' Own or Hazen's Regiment, was authorized on January 20, 1776, and raised in the province of Quebec for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Moses Hazen. All or part of the regiment saw action at the Staten Island,...
, raised about 150 men who joined the Americans. These forces headed up the southern shore to investigate the reports. Some of these recruits were from the same villages from which Beaujeu had recruited men. A small band of militia from Beaumont went to Saint-Michel and arrested Chasson, who was planning to return to the city.
Conflict
Charles-François Bailly de Messein
Charles François Bailly de Messein was a priest active in the British province of Quebec during the American Revolutionary War...
, was injured in the battle. It is said that, because both sides recruited in the same areas to build their militias, that there were some families whose members fought against each other in this battle.
Aftermath
Beaujeu, his plans uncovered, disbanded the militia and went into hiding on Île-aux-Grues. After Dubois established that the action had been sanctioned by the British, some of the prisoners were released after promising not to take up arms again. The remaining 21 prisoners were sent to the American camp outside Quebec.The skirmish itself had no notable effect on relations between the people and the occupying Americans, which were already deteriorating as the siege dragged on. This was due in part to the fact that the Americans, rather than paying for their supplies in coin, paid with Continental paper currency or promissory notes, deemed to be of little worth by the locals.