A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs: The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861Wrong, George McKinnon
History
A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs: The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861
Wrong, George McKinnon
La Malbaie (Québec); Nairne family; Nairne, John, -1802
At once after the disaster, the Highlanders were moved back to their old
camp at Point Levi. Some idle days followed. But, on August 15th, a
detachment which included Fraser was sent to the Island of Orleans. It
was bent on the work of desolating the Canadian parishes, the people of
which still persisted in warring on the British. On Thursday, August
16th, the detachment, consisting of about 170 officers and men, marched
the length of the Island of Orleans and on the 17th it crossed to St.
Joachim--the fertile flats lying almost under the shadow of Cap
Tourmente: Fraser was drawing near to the Malbaie country. He writes:
"Friday, 17th August.--Crossed from the Isle of Orleans to St. Joachim.
Before we landed we observed some men walking along the fences, as if
they intended to oppose us and on our march up to the Church of St.
Joachim, we were fired on by some party's of the Enemy from behind the
houses and fences, but upon our advancing they betook themselves to the
woods, from whence they continued popping at us, till towards evening,
when they thought proper to retire, and we kept possession of the
Priest's house, which we set about fortifying in the best manner we
could." They remained quietly at St. Joachim for some days. But they
were getting ready for the grim task of desolating the parishes lying
between St. Joachim and Montmorency. Fraser tells the story with
soldier-like brevity, but obviously he hated the work.
"Thursday, 23rd.--We were reinforced by a party of about one hundred and
forty Light Infantry, and a Company of Rangers, under the command of
Captain Montgomery of Kennedy's or forty-third Regiment, who likewise
took the command of our detachment, and we all marched to attack the
village to the west of St. Joachim, which was occupied by a party of the
enemy to the number of about two hundred, as we supposed, Canadians and
Indians. When we came pretty near the village, they fired on us from
the houses pretty smartly; we were ordered to lie behind the fences till
the Rangers, who were detached to attack the Enemy from the woods, began
firing on their left flank, when we advanc^d briskly without great
order; and the French abandoned the houses and endeavoured to get into
the woods, our men pursuing close at their heels. There were several of
the enemy killed, and wounded, and a few prisoners taken, all of whom
the barbarous Captain Montgomery, who commanded us, ordered to be
butchered in a most inhuman and cruel manner; particularly two, who I
sent prisoners by a sergeant, after giving them quarter, and engaging
that they should not be killed, were one shot, and the other knocked
down with a Tomahawk (a little hatchet) and both scalped in my absence,
by the rascally sergeant neglecting to acquaint Montgomery that I wanted
them saved, as he, Montgomery, pretended when I questioned him about it;
but even that was no excuse for such an unparalleled piece of barbarity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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