Page 21 - A Tourist in Louisbourg, 1858

ISSUE : Issue 36

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1984/6/1

the New England prisoners were cruelly- dealt with in the fortress of Louisburgh; and requested him to write a letter, in the name of humanity, to Duchambon, Gover? nor, in behalf of those suffering saints: "expressing his approbation of the conduct of the English, and entreating similar usu- age for those whom the fortune of war had thrown in his hands." The Marquis wrote the letter; thus it begins: "On board the 'Vigilant,' where I am a prisoner, before Louisburgh, June thirteen, 1745." The rest of the letter is unimportant. The confes? sion of Captain Stronghouse, that he was a prisoner, was the point; and the conse? quences thereof, which had been foreseen by the filibustering besiegers, speedily followed. In three days Louisburgh capitu? lated. Then the Rev. Samuel Moody greatly distin? guished himself. He was a painful preacher; the most untiring, persevering, long- winded, clamorous, pertinacious vessel at craving a blessing, in the provinces. There was a great feast in honor of the oc? casion. But more formidable than the siege itself, was the anticipated "grace" of Brother Moody. New England held its breath when he began, and thus the Reverend Sam? uel: "Good Lord, we have so many things to thank Thee for, that time will be infinite? ly too short to do it; we must therefore leave it for the work of eternity." Upon this there was great rejoicing, yea, more than there had been upon the capture of the French stronghold. Who shall say whether Brother Moody's brevity may not stretch farther across the intervals of time than the longest preaching ever preached by mortal preacher? In three years after its capture, Louis? burgh was restored to the French by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Ten years after its restoration, a heavier armament, a greater fleet, a more numerous army, be? sieged its almost impregnable walls. Under Amherst, Boscawen, and Wolfe, no less than 23 ships of war, 18 frigates, 16,000 land forces, with a proportionable train of can? non and mortars, were arrayed against this great fortress in the year 1758. Here, too, many of our own ancestral warriors were gathered in that memorable conflict; here Gridley, who afterwards planned the re? doubt at Bunker Hill, won his first laur? els as an engineer; here Pomeroy distin? guished himself, and others whose names are not recorded, but whose deeds survive in the history of a republic. The very drum that beat to arms before Louisburgh was braced again when the greater drama of the Revolution opened at Concord and Lex? ington. The siege continued for nearly two months. From June 8th until July 26th, the storm of iron and fire--of rocket, shot, and shell--swept from yonder batteries, upon the castellated city. Then when the King's, the Queen's, the Dauphin's bastions were lying in ruins, the commander, Le Chevali? er de Drucour, capitulated, and the lilies of the Bourbon waved over Louisburgh no more. And here we stand nearly a century after, looking out from these war-works upon the desolate harbor. At the entrance, the wrecks of three French frigates, sunk to prevent the ingress of the British fleet, yet remain; sometimes visited by our still enterprising countr5nnen, who come down in coasters with diving-bell and windlass, to raise again from the deep, imbedded in sea- shells, the great guns that have slept in the ooze so long. Between those two points lay the ships of the line, and frigates of Louis; opposite, where the parapets of stone are yet visible, was the grand bat? tery of 40 guns: at Lighthouse Point yon? der, 2,000 grenadiers, under General Wolfe, Dine In the 18th Century! Dining at Fortress Louisbourg offers a unique experience to turn the clock back several hundred years. Food is pre? pared from authentic 18th Century recipes and served in the atmosphere of that era. L'Epee Royale (Inn) full course meals Hotel de la Marine (Cabaret) light nourishing fare Destouches House (Cafe) pastries and beverages King's Bakery freshly baked soldiers bread The Fortress of Louisbourg is a National Historic Park, open June 1st to September 30th, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Cape Breton's Magazine