The Fall of New France

Good times in New France New France was growing. The plan put in place by Jean Talon was working. What started off as a small colony trying to survive the harsh winters had made great growth. Why? Jean Talon’s plan Economic development Natural population increase Immigration from France All of these reasons helped make New France a prosperous colony of France. During this time, the territory of New France expanded. At its greatest size, New France covered the east coast of Canada, all the way through the Great Lakes, up Hudson’s Bay and down to the Gulf of Mexico! But the British colony in North America was also growing. Their land area wasn’t as big, but their population was much greater. They were also very interested in expanding their area into the area that was part of New France.

One big war! There seemed to be constant minor conflicts between the two colonies. Historically, England and France seemed to be always fighting! One war between the two countries, called the One Hundred Years War, actually lasted 116 years! Both countries owned land around the world. Wherever their land was close to each other, battles and war broke out. Of course these wars had eventual winners. When one country won a war, then the other country had to give up something, like property, possessions or money. This point will become important later on…

Disagreements No other countries in Europe fought as hard or as often as France and England. Though the countries were only separated by a small channel (the English Channel which is only 45 km wide), the countries were completely opposite of each other. England spoke English and France spoke French. England was mostly Protestant religion while France was mostly Catholic religion. The countries used different systems of government and different money, too. Their customs were different and their lifestyles were also very different. Yet both countries were rich, powerful and ready to expand their world territories.

These differences transferred to the colonies in North America as well. While the French in North America were mostly farmers, the English in North America were moving into cities and developing industry.

Fort Louisbourg Fort Halifax To protect themselves from each other, each side built big forts to make sure the other would not attack. If one side did attack, the other side could defend itself. Most of the forts were built in the area where the two sides were geographically close. This area was in what is now the east coast of Canada. In Nova Scotia, the French built a massive fort called Fort Louisbourg. Not far from that fort, also in Nova Scotia, the British built Fort Halifax. Some of the other forts the two countries built were so close to each other, the soldiers from one fort could see soldiers from the other fort! Conflict was bound to happen…and it did.

Britain and France battle Let’s get back to the British and the French. While the Acadians were being scattered around North America, Europe and part of the Caribbean, France and Britain were still very busy trying to conquer all of North America. As both sides expanded within North America, it was inevitable that fighting would break out…again!

Here is how it started: In 1749, Britain granted hectares of land in the Ohio Valley to a group of Virginia business men for the purpose of settlement. The only problem was that France claimed this land as their own. To secure and strengthen their hold on the area, the French built a series of forts very near where the British were going to settle.

A young George Washington and Fort Necessity In 1754, the French built a large and strategically placed fort called Fort Duquesne at the meeting of two main rivers, the Allegheny and the Monongahela. The British responded by sending 22 year old Lieutenant-Colonel George Washington (yes, the same George Washington) and his men to take back the area from the French. Just south of the fort, Washington encountered a small group of French soldiers. He and his group attacked them killing 10 and taking 22 hostage. This started the famous Seven Years War (called the French and Indian War in the USA).

The French sent more troops to the area, mostly Natives. Washington quickly built a very small fort called Fort Necessity. It was very small! This picture below shows an exact replica of the fort.

The Thin Red Line The fort was not enough: the French quickly defeated Washington and captured the fort. In 1755, the British sent General Braddock to the area with soldiers. Their goal was to try to capture Fort Duquesne again. The British attacked the French in their usual style of fighting. In this style, the British soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder in a long line and slowly walked towards the enemy. With their bright red uniforms and slow marching speed, it was hard to miss the British! It was given the nickname of ‘The Thin Red Line.’

It sounds crazy! The British soldiers slowly walked side by side towards the enemy soldiers who would be firing their guns at them the entire time. This line of soldiers could be over 1 km across! How were they not slaughtered?

Firstly, the guns at that time were muskets and were very poor in quality. They often misfired. When they did fire, they were very inaccurate. A soldier might aim straight but the lead ball that was shot out might go left or up or down or right. There was no way of really aiming. Also, when a soldier did get hit, the red uniform camouflaged his bleeding, making it look like the soldier wasn’t hit. And lastly, when a soldier was hit and fell, the line would simply fill in the space while they marched forward, making it look like the bullets had no effect on the advancing soldiers. The British were so successful using this method they seldom lost. Some enemies even refused to fight them because they knew they would lose.

The French, with mostly Native soldiers, were not interested in this old style of fighting which they often lost. The French had recently adopted the Native style of Guerrilla Warfare, which is a different style of fighting. It used surprise ambushes, hiding behind rocks and trees and secretly shooting at the enemy. The French and Natives easily won. More than two-thirds of the British soldiers were killed even though the British had outnumbered the French more than 2-1.