Fort Anne

About

Fort Anne is a historic fort protecting the harbour of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. It was built by Scottish settlers in August 1629 as Charles Fort. For the first 120 years of the fort's service period, the settlement of Port Royal, later Annapolis Royal, was the capital of the New France colony of Acadia and British North America colony of Nova Scotia. In 1917, Fort Anne became the first National Historic Site of Canada. Although no longer in active service, it is the oldest extant fort in Canada. Fort Anne has provided more defensive service than any other fort in North America, having been attacked and blockaded at least 19 times over a service period of 225 years, from the Acadian Civil War through to the American Revolutionary War. The fort also contains the oldest military building in Canada and the oldest building administered by Parks Canada, the 1708 powder magazine. The importance of Port Royal as a settlement site was first recognised by Pierre Dugua, Lieutenant General of New France, in 1604. After the nearby fortified habitation he constructed was destroyed by a raid from Virginia in 1613, a new fort was built on the current site by Scottish settlers in 1629 under the...

From top and left to right: officer's quarters containing museum, 1702 map, officer's quarters, view from fort looking south, French mortar, earthen ravelin with officer's quarters The Annapolis Basin was part of a larger areas known as "Kespukwitk" meaning "Land's End" in the Mi'kmaq language and covered the southern peninsula of modern Nova Scotia. Allains Creek, was the site of a traditional Mi'kmaq campsite as it was on a key canoe and portage route across southern Nova Scotia. Nonetheless, Pierre Dugua chose a site on the opposite side of the Annapolis Basin to build his habitation in 1605. When the habitation was destroyed in 1613, it was not rebuilt despite the continued settlement of the area by the French.

Main article: Port-Royal (Acadia) In 1629, the first fort on the site of present-day Fort Anne was constructed by Scottish settlers. Although the Scottish expedition was aware of the French fortified habitation at Port Royal on the other side of the Annapolis Basin, they chose a new site at the confluence of the Annapolis River and Allains Creek. This site received the natural protection of the rivers and was adjacent to an agricultural area that was previously developed by the French. Construction of the new fort began on 1 August 1629 and was completed within a few weeks. According to Richard Guthry, a witness of the time, "The first of August...was the foundation of our fort laid." Although the fort would be redeveloped several times, Charles Fort, through its successor Fort Anne, is arguably the oldest extant European construction in Canada.

"The platt of the fort wes drawen by Captane Ogilvie in forme of a pentagonon, with many horne works good both for offence and defence...befor the latter end of the month the fort with the infinit pains and alacrity both of sea and land men was finished, eight pieces of ordinance planted, four demi culvering, and four minion, out magasene built and stored, the Generals house formed."

Main article: Port-Royal (Acadia) In 1632, Acadia, along with Quebec and Cape Breton Island, reverted to French control due to the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. As a result, Charles Fort was handed over to the French. A new earthwork fort was constructed to replace the Scottish fort by 1643. The fort would be attacked three times over the next 22 years. It repelled the first two attacks by fellow French settlers during the Acadian Civil War, but fell to the English in 1654.

- Main article: Acadian Civil War Battle of Port Royal (1640) - Charles de La Tour attacked Port Royal with two armed ships. Port Royal Governor D'Aulnay 's captain was killed, nonetheless La Tour and his men were forced to surrender.

Battle of Port Royal (1643) - In 1643 La Tour tried to capture Port Royal again. D'Aulnay resisted the attack, with seven of his men wounded and three killed. La Tour did not attack the fort, which was defended by twenty soldiers. However, he burned the mill, killed the livestock and seized furs, gunpowder and other supplies.

Battle of Port Royal (1654) - In 1654, 100 New England volunteers and 200 English soldiers attacked approximately 130 defenders of Port Royal. After initial resistance, the outnumbered French surrendered. The English occupied Acadia for the next 16 years with a small garrison.

Main article: Acadian Civil War Battle of Port Royal (1640) - Charles de La Tour attacked Port Royal with two armed ships. Port Royal Governor D'Aulnay 's captain was killed, nonetheless La Tour and his men were forced to surrender.

Battle of Port Royal (1643) - In 1643 La Tour tried to capture Port Royal again. D'Aulnay resisted the attack, with seven of his men wounded and three killed. La Tour did not attack the fort, which was defended by twenty soldiers. However, he burned the mill, killed the livestock and seized furs, gunpowder and other supplies.

Battle of Port Royal (1654) - In 1654, 100 New England volunteers and 200 English soldiers attacked approximately 130 defenders of Port Royal. After initial resistance, the outnumbered French surrendered. The English occupied Acadia for the next 16 years with a small garrison.

The English period lasted 16 years, during which time the fort saw no major action. In 1667, Port Royal was returned to France as a result of the Treaty of Breda. Although under English rule, the population remained majority French.

Main article: Port-Royal (Acadia) The second French period lasted 43 years. During King William's War (1688–1697), the fort was attacked three times. In 1689, a completely redesigned fort was begun that was around six times the size of the previous fort established by the Sir William Alexander in 1629 and strengthened by Governor D'Aulnay around 1643. Also around this time, the street layout adjacent the fort were altered to accommodate the massive new project. However, construction was only two weeks underway when all work was halted, leaving Port Royal without a working fort. When soldiers arrived from New England in 1690, it quickly succumbed to their attack, but was only briefly occupied. It was attacked two more times before the end of the war, but there was no territorial expansion by the English.

Work was recommenced on the fort in 1702, approximately on the footprint of the 1689 construction, but this time adhering to a Vauban configuration which remains largely intact to this day. From a defensive perspective, the Vauban star shape and gently sloping walls soften the angle of impact from incoming fire. The low profile of the walls reduce the size of the target. The soft earth has more mass to withstand impacts as well as reduces the quantity of projectiles if impacts occur. From an offensive perspective, the star shape enables more cannons to fire, no matter the angle of attack. Due largely to the revised fort configuration, when hostilities erupted during Queen Anne's War (1702-1713), the fort repelled three initial British attacks. However, It succumbed in 1710 to an overwhelming British force of 2,000 troops and 36 ships. The French made a minor attempt to retake the fort in 1711, but were unsuccessful.

- Main article: King William's War Battle of Port Royal (May 1690) - On 19 May 1690, a large force of New England provincial militia led by Sir William Phips arrived before Port Royal. The Governor of Acadia, Louis-Alexandre des Friches de Menneval, had only 70 soldiers and the fort was not prepared for an attack. Meneval quickly surrendered without resistance not long after the New Englanders arrived. After disagreements on the terms of surrender, the New Englanders plundered the Town and the Fort.

Battle of Port Royal (June 1690) - In June 1690, more soldiers arrived, this time from the Province of New York. They left after burning and looting the settlement.

Raid on Port Royal (1693) - English frigates from New England attacked Port Royal, burning almost a dozen houses and three barns full of grain.

- Main article: Queen Anne's War Blockade of Port Royal (1704) - In July 1704, in retaliation for the Raid on Deerfield, Major Benjamin Church blockaded Port Royal for 14 days. The fort had recently been upgraded in 1702 with a Vauban design, and those inside awaited an attack, which was not forthcoming. Church moved on to conduct the Raid on Grand Pré, Raid on Pisiguit, and Raid on Chignecto. He then returned to Port Royal and after a brief exchange of gunfire, returned to Boston.

Siege of Port Royal (June 1707) - In June 1707, Colonel John March, the most senior officer in Massachusetts was sent to capture Port Royal. Daniel d'Auger de Subercase, the Governor of Acadia, successfully defended the fort.

Siege of Port Royal (August 1707) - In August 1707, a second siege was launched by Colonel Francis Wainwright and lasted eleven days. Subercase and his troops killed sixteen New Englanders and lost three soldiers. This second attack on the fort during Queen Anne's War was unsuccessful.