Battle of Long Sault facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Long Salt |
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| Belligerents | |||||
 FranceHuron Algonquin |
Iroquois | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Adam Dollard des Ormeaux † Etienne Annahotaha (fr) † Mituvemeg † |
unknown | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 17 French militia 44 Huron warriors 1 fort |
~700 warriors 1 fort |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 54 killed 1 captured (killed later) 1 fort captured |
Very Heavy | ||||
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The Battle of Long Sault was a major fight that happened in early May 1660. It lasted for five days during the Beaver Wars. This battle was between French settlers and their Huron and Algonquin friends, fighting against the Iroquois Confederacy.
Some historians think that the Iroquois stopped their plan to attack French towns because one of their leaders died in this battle. Others believe the battle gave the Iroquois enough "trophies" (like prisoners or items taken from enemies) to make them change their minds.
Why the Battle Happened
Adam Dollard des Ormeaux was a 24-year-old leader of the soldiers in Ville-Marie (which is now Montreal). Dollard asked for permission to go up the Ottawa River. His goal was to attack a group of Iroquois warriors.
Many Iroquois warriors were gathered along the Ottawa River. They were getting ready to attack and destroy the French towns of Ville-Marie, Québec, and Trois-Rivières. To stop this, Dollard planned to surprise the Iroquois before they could start their attack.
He gathered a group of sixteen volunteer riflemen and four Algonquin warriors. One of these was Chief Mituvemeg. They left Montreal in late April with several canoes. These canoes were full of food, ammunition, and weapons.
The trip up the waterways to the Long Sault rapids was slow. It took about a week to get past the strong currents near Montreal island. They had to travel through what is now called the Lake of Two Mountains and then the Ottawa River.
Around May 1, the group finally reached their destination. Dollard thought this area was a good spot for a surprise attack. The French and their allies took over an old Algonquin fort along the Ottawa River. This fort was made of trees planted in a circle and cut down to trunks.
Forty Hurons, led by their chief Etienne Annahotaha (fr), arrived at the fort soon after the French. They were welcomed and joined the defenders. Dollard told his men to make the fort stronger. They started building a palisade (a fence of strong wooden stakes) around the tree trunks. However, they had not finished preparing when the Iroquois arrived.
The Battle Begins
More than 200 Iroquois warriors were camped a few miles from Long Sault. They first appeared by coming down the Ottawa River in many canoes. Among these 200 were some Huron slaves who fought with their captors.
The French spotted two canoes carrying five warriors. Dollard decided to set up a surprise attack where the Iroquois were most likely to land. He guessed correctly. Dollard's men fired their muskets and drove off the enemy. Four of the Iroquois were killed or hurt.
After this first small fight, the main group of canoes came into view. The Iroquois began landing their men. They immediately attacked the fort, but the French fought them off. The Iroquois then started getting ready for a long attack. They built their own fort and defenses.
First, they asked to talk. Dollard thought it was a trick for a surprise attack, so he refused to speak with the Iroquois. In response, the Iroquois attacked the French canoes. The canoes were not protected. They were broken into pieces, set on fire, and then used in a second attack to try and burn the walls of the French fort. Again, the French and their warrior friends fought back and defeated the attacking Iroquois. Many native warriors died in this second attack, including the leader of the Seneca warriors.
When the Seneca chief fell dead, a few Frenchmen bravely fought their way out of the fort. They reached the chief's body, cut off his head, and placed it on their palisade. After their chief was killed, the Iroquois launched a third attack. But this attack was also pushed back.
As a result, a canoe was sent up the river to another group of 500 Iroquois warriors. This larger group was on their way to attack Ville-Marie. They changed their plans and headed to Long Sault instead.
When these reinforcements arrived, it was the fifth day of fighting. The native warriors built special shields called mantelets (fr). These were made from three logs tied together to protect them from musket balls.
Before the reinforcements arrived, the Huron slaves with the Iroquois shouted to the Hurons inside the fort. They promised them good treatment if they left the French. All of the Hurons, except Chief Annahotaha, left the fort at this point. They joined the Iroquois and their Huron slaves.
Leaving the fort turned out to be a mistake. All but five of these Hurons were killed. The remaining five returned to Ville-Marie. There, they told the French settlers the sad story of the defeat.
When a fourth and final attack began, the Iroquois moved forward with their mantelets in front of them. The French and their allies could not hold out much longer. Their food (corn dust) and muddy water were almost gone. When the Iroquois were close enough, the French opened fire. However, the mantelets were strong enough to stop the musket balls.
With knives and axes, the Iroquois cut a hole through the fort's walls. They started pouring in while others climbed on top of the structure to attack. Dollard stood on one of the walls. He lit a keg of gunpowder, planning to throw it over the wall onto the Iroquois. But when the bomb left his hands, it hit the palisade and exploded inside the fort. This killed or wounded many of the defenders.
When the Iroquois were finally inside, Dollard and the others were quickly defeated. Four Frenchmen were found alive. Three of them were badly wounded and died inside the fort. The fourth was taken prisoner and later died.
What Historians Say Now
For a long time, Dollard des Ormeaux was seen as a great hero in New France and Quebec. People believed he was a martyr who bravely gave his life for the church and the colony. Historians in the 1800s wrote about the battle as a religious and national story. They said that Dollard and his men purposely sacrificed themselves to protect New France.
However, there were other versions of the story even back then. These versions questioned Dollard's true reasons and actions. Today, many historians think that Dollard and his men went up the Ottawa River for other reasons. They might not have even known about the approaching Iroquois.
Still, Dollard's actions did temporarily stop the Iroquois army from reaching its goal in 1660. This allowed the settlers to harvest their crops and avoid a famine.
Some historians believe that all the Frenchmen, including Dollard, died in the final explosion of the gunpowder keg. This bomb did not go over the wall and landed inside the fort. Others say that some Frenchmen were captured and later died. There are also different stories about who told the French in Ville-Marie what happened to Dollard des Ormeaux. Some say it was Huron survivors, while others say Catholic nuns told the story.
Modern historians look at the story differently. They have new ideas that are not like the traditional tales. For example, some think Dollard's reason for going west from Ville Marie might not have been to stop the Iroquois war party. At that time, it was known that the Iroquois finished their fur hunting trips in the spring. A brave Frenchman with military experience, like Dollard, might have wanted to test his courage by risking the trip up the Ottawa River.
Some historians also suggest that the Iroquois did not continue to Montreal because it was not how they usually fought wars. Iroquois war parties looked for battle trophies and wanted to take prisoners. If Dollard des Ormeaux and his group did stop the Iroquois attack for five days, their defeat would have met that goal of Iroquois warfare.
Historian Mark Bourrie is unsure about the "heroic martyr" story of Dollard. But he agrees that "the big Iroquois army to the south of the Long Sault was close to Montreal." He thinks they "might have been heading for [it]." In that case, the claims from 19th-century historians about the battle's importance "may be true." The battle might be seen as "French Canada's Alamo."
