Fort Beauséjour

Fort Beauséjour, on the west bank of the Missaguash River near present-day Sackville, New Brunswick was built 1751-55 by the French as a counter to nearby British Fort Lawrence (near Amherst, NS). Fort Beauséjour was in poor condition in June 1755 when an attacking force of Massachusetts volunteers and British regulars laid siege. Within 2 weeks, and after suffering a direct hit on a "bombproof" shelter, French commander Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor capitulated. The British renamed the site Fort Cumberland and strengthened the works.

In November 1776, during the AMERICAN REVOLUTION, Fort Cumberland, under Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Goreham of the Royal Fencible Americans, thwarted an attack by New England colonial rebels. Some repairs were made to the fort at the beginning of the WAR OF 1812, and a military presence remained there until 1833. In 1926 Fort Beauséjour National Historic Park was established.

Author ROBERT S. ALLEN

Links to Other Sites
New Brunswick: Our Stories, Our People
Explore the history of New Brunswick in this extensive online multimedia exhibit. Features an interactive timeline, glossary, illustrations, maps, and more. From the Virtual Museum of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick.

Fort Beauséjour National Historic Site of Canada
The website for Fort Beauséjour National Historic Site of Canada in New Brunswick. This historic site commemorates the role of the fort in the struggle between France and Britain, and subsequently between Britain and the American colonies, for North America, 1751-1783. From Parks Canada.

The Canadian Register of Historic Places
Canada is home to a vast array of fascinating historical sites. Many of them are illustrated and described in this searchable online database of Canadian historic places that are of local, provincial, territorial, and national significance.