Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 16

The Battle of the Restigouche

by Judith Beattle and Bernard Pothier

Chaleur Bay

Why, when faced by the fact that the British had won the race to the St. Lawrence, did the French turn to Chaleur Bay for refuge? The secret instructions under which Giraudais was operating clearly stated that in such an event the fleet was to proceed to Louisiana and St. Domingue to discharge the troops and goods.¹ For some reason, the fleet disobeyed these orders.

Chaleur Bay would appeal to the men on the three French ships for several reasons. The troops were predominantly former members of the company of Ile Royale. Some had been on expeditions in the Miramichi-Chaleur Bay area about the time of the capture of the Fortress of Louisbourg² and knew of the posts in the area. They also knew that the British had little accurate information about this part of Acadia. But their most pressing need was food. Even though the French carried foodstuffs in their cargo, their own rations were depleted; much of the beef and horse flesh supplied for their rations was rotten,³ the biscuit had been used and fresh bread could not be baked aboard ship. Fresh water was also needed. Of all the areas where their needs could be met, it was felt that the Restigouche River would best fulfill all requirements.

By 1760 Restigouche River was a centre for Acadian refugees. A mission to the Micmacs, active since the early 1700s, formed the nucleus of the settlement at Old Mission Point. After the expulsion order in 1755, escaping Acadians made their way to the Saint John, Miramichi and Chaleur Bay areas. Macbeath dates the prominence of the Chaleur Bay area from 1758 "when Louisbourg fell and the Miramichi and St. John were raided."⁴ Families began to gather from Ile Saint-Jean and Gaspé when the French set up a post near Pointe à Bourdeau on the Restigouche,⁵ but the difficulty of sending stores to this area caused great suffering to the growing group of refugees. Bourdon, the head of the post, wrote in April 1760, "La disette est si grande qu'après avoir mangé les animaux domestiques nous avons été obligés de manger des peaux do boeuf et de castor pour subsister⁶ Not only did the French ships sorely need a safe, secluded harbour in which to prepare themselves for a long voyage, but the residents of the Restigouche sorely needed the stores the ships carried.

About 18 May the fleet and its train of prizes proceeded into Chaleur Bay. Near its mouth they discharged St. Simon, the swiftest and most trustworthy of the troops, to carry news from France and from the ships overland to Montreal. The next day the troops were landed on the north shore (at Pointe à la Batterie) and a camp established. While one party of sailors set to work building a battery, another unloaded one of the prize ships, the Augustus, to serve as a scout. Ovens were built to bake bread and fresh water was obtained.

Captain D'Angeac, now commander of all the troops, discovered the desperate straits of the Acadians at Bourdon's post.

J'ai trouvé dans ce Sejour de Misere plus de mille cinq cents ame Extenué de nanisions et mourant de faim ayant été obligé de mange des paux de Castore pendant tout l'hiver a qui je fait donner une demie Livres de farine par jour et un Cartron de Boeuf en atendant des ordres de Monsieur le Marquis de Vaudreuil ce petit secours les a tiré de portes de la mort ce que je continue jusqu'à ce jour.⁷

Each day, as word spread of the fleet's cargo, Acadians gathered to share the food. But little was done either to protect the fleet or to relieve it of its cargo. The only precaution taken was to send out, on 12 June, a reconnaissance craft under the Sieur Lavary le Roy, a first lieutenant from the Machault. While waiting for the messenger to return from Vaudreuil in Montreal, the French considered themselves to be well-protected in their harbour.

2 "A Plan of Ristigouche Harbour, In Chaleury Bay, Surveyed in 1760, by the Kings Ship Norwich. One Sea League Equal to 3 Miles." (Public Archives of Canada.)