Siege of Fort at Number 4 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Fort at Number Four |
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| Part of King George's War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Great Britain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Joseph Boucher de Niverville | Phineas Stevens | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10 French troops, 60 Abenaki warriors | 32 provincial militia | ||||||
The Siege of Fort at Number Four was a short but important battle during King George's War. It happened from April 7 to 9, 1747, in what is now Charlestown, New Hampshire. A group of French soldiers and Native American warriors tried to capture the Fort at Number 4. This fort was called "Number Four" because it was the fourth piece of land surveyed in the area. The French and Native forces were led by Ensign Joseph Boucher de Niverville. However, the British defenders, led by Captain Phineas Stevens, were ready. Their dogs warned them about the attackers. The British successfully defended the fort, stopping attempts to burn it down and refusing to surrender. The attackers eventually left, short on supplies.
Why Was Fort Number Four Important?
Early Settlements and Fort Dummer
In the 1720s, during a conflict called Dummer's War, the Province of Massachusetts Bay built Fort Dummer. This fort was located in what is now Brattleboro, Vermont. Over the next few years, settlers from Massachusetts moved north along the Connecticut River. They created small towns on the edge of the wilderness. The farthest north of these towns was called Number Four. It was about 34 miles north of Fort Dummer.
Who Owned the Land?
In 1741, King George II decided that the land where Number Four was located belonged to the Province of New Hampshire. Because of this, Massachusetts stopped protecting Fort Dummer and Number Four. New Hampshire, which didn't have any towns close by, also refused to protect them. So, in 1744, the settlers at Number Four built their own fort. This was the Fort at Number 4, designed to keep them safe.
The Start of King George's War
When King George's War began, Massachusetts reluctantly sent some soldiers to help protect the area. During the summer of 1746, French and Native raiding parties often attacked Number Four. These attacks were organized by the leaders of New France. The soldiers from Massachusetts helped defend the fort. However, the attacks were so severe that the settlers left Number Four. The fort was empty during the winter of 1746–47.
Captain Stevens Arrives
In the spring of 1747, Captain Phineas Stevens and 30 soldiers from the province moved into the fort. Captain Stevens brought several dogs with him. These dogs were very helpful because they barked loudly whenever strangers were nearby, giving an early warning.
French Plans to Attack
The Marquis de Beauharnois was the governor of New France. He had been fighting against the British colonies like New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia. This was especially true after the fall of Louisbourg in 1745, which cut off important trade goods. In early 1747, he sent a group south to attack. This group included 10 French colonial soldiers, called troupes de la marine, and 60 Abenaki warriors. They were led by Ensign Joseph Boucher de Niverville.
The Siege Begins
First Warning and Attack
On April 7, just eleven days after Captain Stevens and his men arrived, Boucher de Niverville's force reached Number Four. They tried to hide in the woods around the fort. However, one of Stevens' men was alerted by his dogs, who wouldn't stop barking. The man cautiously left the fort with some dogs to investigate. He was shot and slightly wounded, then quickly returned to the fort. Boucher de Niverville's group then fired their muskets at the fort, but their shots didn't do much damage.
Fighting the Fire
The attackers then tried to burn the fort down. They set fire to buildings on the side of the fort where the wind was blowing. The defenders had plenty of water inside the fort. They came up with a clever way to fight the flames. Some men went outside the fort walls and dug trenches close to the walls. Inside these trenches, they were safe from enemy gunfire. They used buckets of water passed from inside the fort to keep the fort's wooden walls wet, stopping the fire from spreading.
Demands for Surrender
When burning the fort failed, Boucher de Niverville asked for a break in the fighting for the night. He wanted to talk the next morning. Stevens agreed. The next morning, Boucher de Niverville demanded that Stevens surrender the fort. Stevens refused. He went back inside the fort and talked with his men. They all agreed with his decision not to give up. Boucher de Niverville's force continued to shoot at the fort that day and into the evening, but their shots were not effective. They also tried to set the fort on fire with fire arrows, but the defenders easily put out these flames.
A Request for Food
On the morning of April 9, two Native Americans from the attacking force came forward. They asked to talk. They offered to stop fighting if the fort's defenders would give them food. Stevens refused. Instead, he offered to take hostages, who could be exchanged for British prisoners later, in return for food. The Native Americans refused this offer. After a short exchange of musket fire, the French and Native forces gave up and left.
What Happened Next?
Boucher de Niverville's group was hungry when they left. They moved further south. According to one report, they destroyed "three meeting-houses, several fine barns, about one hundred dwellings, mostly of two stories, furnished even to chests of drawers, and killed five to six hundred sheep and hogs, and about thirty horned cattle."
Sir Charles Knowles, an important officer in the Royal Navy, was in Boston when he heard about the brave defense of Number Four. He was very impressed by Captain Stevens' leadership. As a reward, he sent Stevens a special sword with a silver handle. Because of this honor, the settlers of Number Four decided to rename their community Charlestown, in Sir Charles Knowles' honor. Today, a reconstructed version of the fort, built in 1960, is an open-air museum. It helps people learn about what life was like during King George's War.
Images for kids
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The present-day reconstruction of Fort at Number 4
