History Browser

The men of the British 43rd Regiment of Foot were part of a 2,000 strong army under Lietenant-Colonel Robert Monkton that took Fort Beauséjour after a brief siege in the summer of 1755. At left can be seen men of the grenadier company, distinguished by their pointed mitre headdresses. In the centre are ordinary soldiers who have the tricorne hats worn by most of the regiment. The young men to the right are drummers, wearing coats with reversed colours (white with red facings instead of red with white). This was intended to make drummers easy to spot in a fight, which was important, since drum beats were used to give orders. The presence of women and children seem odd in a military encampment, but each British regiment would have a small number of soldiers' families following them on campaign. Reconstruction by Lewis Parker. (Parks Canada)

When war began in 1755, the British took the offensive immediately in Nova Scotia, attacking and capturing both French forts on the disputed isthmus of Chignectou. Fort Beauséjour fell on June 17 after a short formal siege, while Fort Gaspareau was taken shortly after without a fight.

This view of the interior of Fort Beauséjour shows some of the activities that took place there just before the Seven Years' War. In the foreground, men are moving supplies. In the centre, an officer talks with a missionary who accompanies a pair of Abenakis. A left, a detachment of French soldiers escorts an English deserter. Reconstruction by Lewis Parker. (Parks Canada)

Throughout late 1775 and into the summer of 1776, the garrison of Nova Scotia increased in numbers. Colonial regiments raised in America from loyal subjects were an important part of the garrison. Along with additional British regular troops, they secured the colony for the Crown.

The American rebels' attack on Nova Scotia came in November 1776, against Fort Cumberland. Colonel Goreham's determined defence of the run-down fortification was enough to hold it until reinforcements arrived. This was the last serious threat to the colony from the rebels.

Situated at the head of the Bay of Fundy on the border between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Fort Beauséjour stands at a crossroads of natural and cultural history. This National Historic Site was founded in 1926 and recalls an era when European imperial forces struggled for control of colonial lands in eastern North America. Website is currently under development and has contact information only.

The Isthmus of Chignecto was a contentious region, claimed by both Britain and France in the 1750s. Both sides maintained garrisons and built forts in the area to reinforce their claims.