Battle of La Prairie

Last updated

Battle of La Prairie
Part of King William's War and the Beaver Wars
Plan de la Prairie de la Madeleine 1704.jpg
1704 map of La Prairie
DateAugust 11, 1691
Location
Result French victory
Belligerents
Royal Standard of the King of France.svg  France
Royal Flag of France.svg  New France
English Red Ensign 1620.svg New York
Flag of England.svg  England
Mohawk
Mohicans
Commanders and leaders
Royal Standard of the King of France.svg Callière English Red Ensign 1620.svg Pieter Schuyler
Strength
700-800 regulars, militia and Indians 120 militia
146 Indians
Casualties and losses
45 killed
60 wounded
37 killed
31 wounded

The Battle of La Prairie was an attack made on the French colonial settlement of La Prairie, New France on August 11, 1691 by an English, Mohawk and Mohican force coming north from Albany, New York. The force, led by Major Pieter Schuyler, initially intended to attack Montreal, but was repulsed with significant casualties by the French and their Indian allies.

Contents

Background

During the summer of 1691, an English and Indian force led by Major Pieter Schuyler, consisting of 120 militiamen from Albany and 146 warriors from the Mohawk and Mohican tribes, attacked French colonial settlements along the Richelieu River south of Montreal. Louis-Hector de Callière, the local French governor, responded by amassing 700-800 French marines, militiamen and Indian allies at Fort Laprairie, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River.[ citation needed ]

Battle

Schuyler's men surprised the much larger French force in a rainstorm just before dawn on August 11, inflicting severe casualties before withdrawing towards the Richelieu River. The Anglo-Indian force might have remained intact but instead was intercepted by a French force of 160 men led by Philippe Clément du Vuault de la Valrennes that had been detached to block the road to Chambly. The two sides fought in vicious hand-to-hand combat for approximately an hour, before Schuyler's men broke through the French and retreated.[ citation needed ]

Aftermath

The French had suffered the most casualties during Schuyler's initial ambush, but the casualties the Albany force suffered after Valrennes' counterattack meant that they had incurred the greater proportion of loss. Instead of continuing his raids, Schuyler was forced to retreat back to Albany. The battle was also the subject of a 19th-century poem by William Douw Schuyler-Lighthall. In 1921, the site of Valrennes' counterattack was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. [1]

Notes

  1. Second Battle of Laprairie . Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada . Retrieved 22 April 2012.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Livingston the Younger</span> American mayor

Robert Livingston the Younger, sometimes known as Robert Livingston Jr., or The Nephew was a wealthy merchant and political figure in colonial Albany, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville</span> French soldier (1661–1706)

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana in New France. He was born in Montreal to French colonist parents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver Wars</span> 17th c. wars between Hurons and Iroquois

The Beaver Wars, also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars were a series of conflicts fought intermittently during the 17th century in North America throughout the Saint Lawrence River valley in Canada and the lower Great Lakes region which pitted the Iroquois against the Hurons, northern Algonquians and their French allies. As a result of this conflict, the Iroquois destroyed several confederacies and tribes through warfare: the Hurons or Wendat, Erie, Neutral, Wenro, Petun, Susquehannock, Mahican and northern Algonquins whom they defeated and dispersed, some fleeing to neighboring peoples and others assimilated, routed, or killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1701 in Canada</span>

Events from the year 1701 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Prairie, Quebec</span> City in Quebec, Canada

La Prairie is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Roussillon. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 23,357.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil</span> French politician

Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was a French military officer who served as Governor General of New France from 1703 to 1725, throughout Queen Anne's War and Father Rale's War.

La Prairie is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1896, 1968 to 1997 and again since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendrick Theyanoguin</span> Mohawk leader

Hendrick Theyanoguin, whose name had several spelling variations, was a Mohawk leader and member of the Bear Clan. He resided at Canajoharie or the Upper Mohawk Castle in colonial New York. He was a Speaker for the Mohawk Council. Hendrick formed a close alliance with Sir William Johnson, the Superintendent of Indian affairs in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter Schuyler</span> British colonial military leader, acting governor of New York 1657–1724

Pieter Schuyler was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions – twice for brief periods in 1709, after the death of Lord Lovelace, and also from 1719 to 1720, after Robert Hunter left office.

Jacques de Lamberville was a Jesuit missionary and the younger brother of Jean de Lamberville, also a missionary. He came to New France from France at the age of 34 and became part of the Iroquois missions. There, his most famous convert was Kateri Tekakwitha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military of New France</span>

The military of New France consisted of a mix of regular soldiers from the French Army and French Navy supported by small local volunteer militia units. Most early troops were sent from France, but localization after the growth of the colony meant that, by the 1690s, many were volunteers from the settlers of New France, and by the 1750s most troops were descendants of the original French inhabitants. Additionally, many of the early troops and officers who were born in France remained in the colony after their service ended, contributing to generational service and a military elite. The French built a series of forts from Newfoundland to Louisiana and others captured from the British during the 1600s to the late 1700s. Some were a mix of military posts and trading forts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude de Ramezay</span> Canadian politician

Claude de Ramezay,, was an important figure in the early history of New France. He was a military man by training and rose to being commander of the colonial regular troops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville</span>

Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville was a colonial military officer of New France in the French Marines in Canada. He is best known in North America for leading the raid on Deerfield, in western Province of Massachusetts Bay, against English settlers on 29 February 1704 during Queen Anne's War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohawk Valley raid</span>

The Mohawk Valley raid was conducted against three Mohawk villages located in the Mohawk River valley by French and Indian warriors under the overall command of Nicolas d'Ailleboust de Manthet. The action, part of a long-running French-Iroquois conflict and King William's War, which pitted the French against the Iroquois-allied English, resulted in the destruction of three villages, including critical stores of food. Many Mohawk were either killed or captured, with the latter intended to populate Christian Indian villages near Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Laprairie</span> Building in Quebec, Canada

Fort Laprairie was constructed in 1687, and served as a military fort in New France until 1713. The fort was attacked by Major Peter Schuyler on August 11, 1691, but resisted to the invaders. The British and Dutch colonists were commanded by Major Pieter Schuyler.

Philippe Clément du Vault de la Valrennes was a French military officer. He was captain of the Normandy Regiment and captain of the colonial troops in New France from 1685 to 1693.

Dirck Wesselse Ten Broeck, also known as Dirck Wessels, was a prominent early settler of Albany, New York. He is known as "the progenitor of the Albany family of Ten Broecks."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Wilton (New York)</span>

The Battle of Wilton was a battle fought in 1693 in Wilton, New York between Colonial Militia and allied Native forces on one hand and French forces and their Native allies as part of King William's War.

Nicolas d'Ailleboust de Manthet, also known as Nicolas de Manthet, born 1664, killed in action 1709, was a Canadian captain in the French marines serving in Canada. He was one of the leaders of the French and Indians at the Schenectady massacre 1690.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Schuyler</span> American politician

Johannes Schuyler was a prominent American of Dutch ancestry who served as the 10th Mayor of Albany, New York from 1703 to 1706, and later was a member of the provincial assembly. He was the paternal grandfather of U.S. Senator Philip Schuyler and Mayor Abraham Cuyler.

References

Further reading