Avalon Peninsula campaign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Avalon Peninsula campaign |
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| Part of King William's War | |||||||
 A picture showing the French attacking English settlements in Newfoundland in 1696 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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 English colonists |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan Louis-Simon le Poupet de la Boularderie |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 124 marines, and Abenaki Indians, several ships | over 100 English colonists | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | 100 English killed, many times that number captured, and almost 500 deported | ||||||
The Avalon Peninsula campaign was a series of attacks during King William's War. French forces, led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Governor Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan, destroyed 23 English settlements. These attacks happened along the coast of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland. The campaign lasted for three months. It started with a raid on Ferryland on November 10, 1696. The attacks continued along the coast, ending near Heart's Content.
After a battle called the Siege of Pemaquid, d'Iberville joined forces with Father Jean Baudoin. They led soldiers from Canada, Acadia, Mi'kmaq, and Abenaki groups. Together, they attacked English settlements in Newfoundland. They destroyed almost every English village. Over 100 English people were killed. Many more were captured. Nearly 500 people were sent away to England or France.
Contents
Why the Campaign Happened
During this time, the only French settlement in Newfoundland was Plaisance. Before d'Iberville arrived, the French Governor of Newfoundland, de Brouillon, wanted to get back at the English. The English had attacked French areas earlier. So, he ordered a French navy group to attack St. John's.
In 1694, this attack on St. John's was not successful. But two years later, the French tried again. On September 12, 1696, the Governor of Quebec, Frontenac, sent Pierre Le Moyne Sieur d'Iberville to Newfoundland. Just the month before, d'Iberville had won an important battle. This was the Siege of Pemaquid in what is now Maine.
The Attacks Begin
The Newfoundland campaign used a new way to attack. It involved both land and sea forces. D'Iberville attacked from land, while Sieur de Brouillan attacked from the sea. D'Iberville's land attack was the first of its kind in Newfoundland. Because of this, the port villages were only ready for attacks from the water.
D'Iberville left Plaisance on November 1. He had 124 men, including soldiers, Acadians, and Indigenous people. They marched about 80 kilometers (50 miles) across the Avalon Peninsula. The journey took nine days.
Attacking Ferryland
On November 9, Sieur de Brouillan started attacking Ferryland from the sea. D'Iberville arrived on November 10. His troops then took over Ferryland. Meanwhile, the 110 people living in Ferryland ran away to Bay Bulls. They started building defenses there.
Raids on Coastal Towns
D'Iberville used small boats he had taken from Ferryland to go after Bay Bulls. On his way, he captured Cape Broyle on November 12. He then captured Bay Bulls on November 24. They also took a large merchant ship there.
On November 24, d'Iberville marched for three hours from Bay Bulls. He met up with his 20 scouts. These scouts had been checking the paths to St. John's. Two days later, he found 30 English soldiers on a hill near Petty Harbour. On November 26, d'Iberville attacked, and the English quickly gave up. D'Iberville and his men now controlled this small port. It was only eight kilometers (five miles) south of St. John's. However, some people from Petty Harbour escaped to St. John's. They warned everyone there.
The Siege of St. John's
As d'Iberville marched into St. John's, English residents came out to stop the French. A big battle happened in the Waterford Valley and on the Kilbride Heights on November 28. Out of 88 English defenders, 34 died in the fight. The English soldiers broke apart and quickly ran back to St. John's.
When d'Iberville got closer to St. John's, the English settlers scattered. Many sailed away, while others hid in the forests. Some settlers and soldiers found safety inside Fort William. For three days, the French attacked Fort William. On November 30, the English commander, Governor Miners, gave up. He agreed to surrender if the English were allowed to leave St. John's. About 230 men, women, and children were sent on a ship to Dartmouth, England. Sadly, another 80 refugees drowned when their ship sank near Spain.
After destroying St. John's, the French marched to Torbay (December 2) and Portugal Cove (December 5 and January 13). There were some arguments between de Brouillan and d'Iberville over what they had taken. On December 25, de Brouillan left for Plaisance. The French then burned 80 small fishing boats in the harbor on January 2.
Raids on Conception Bay
The villages in Conception Bay were the next targets. Holyrood was attacked first on January 19. Then came Harbour Main (January 20) and Port de Grave (January 23).
The Battle of Carbonear
On January 24, 1697, about 200 people from Carbonear moved to Carbonear Island. They successfully fought off the French and Indigenous attack on January 31. D'Iberville only had 70 men for this attack. The rest were busy fighting in other small battles, holding villages, and guarding prisoners.
After leaving Carbonear, d'Iberville attacked Old Perlican (February 4), Bay de Verde (February 6), Hants Harbour (February 7), New Perlican, and Hearts Content (February 9). In many cases, the local fishermen had already run away to Carbonear. There was an attempt to trade prisoners, but it didn't work (February 18). Feeling frustrated, d'Iberville then attacked Brigus (February 11) and Port de Grave (February 11). Carbonear Island continued to hold out. But d'Iberville burned their empty settlement on February 28 before leaving.
D'Iberville then went to Heart's Content. From there, he walked with a small group across the narrow strip of land connecting the Avalon Peninsula. He arrived at Plaisance on March 4. D'Iberville then collected his war gains, his scattered troops, and about 200 prisoners at Bay Boulle (March 18-May 18). French attacks by sea on the remaining settlements continued into the spring (March 27-April 19).
What Happened Next
D'Iberville never returned to Newfoundland. These attacks badly damaged the English settlements there. Almost every English village in Newfoundland had been destroyed. The English population had been greatly reduced. Only Bonavista, which d'Iberville didn't reach, and the island stronghold at Carbonear remained. It's thought that 80% of families were killed, left their villages, were captured, or were sent away.
However, the English were able to take back their Newfoundland land in the summer of 1697. A large group of 1500 troops came to help. They found St. John's and all the English harbors on the Avalon empty, robbed, and every building destroyed. The English slowly began to rebuild and resettle. Because of this campaign, the English government decided to build strong, permanent defenses for Newfoundland. Before, the English had not built lasting forts or army bases there. They saw Newfoundland mostly as a place for seasonal fishing. But d'Iberville's destructive campaign showed how easily the poorly defended colony could be attacked. The next year, construction began on well-designed forts at Fort William.
D'Iberville continued his battles with the English, including the Battle of Hudson's Bay.
