Quaint and Historic Forts of North AmericaHammond, John Martin
History
Quaint and Historic Forts of North America
Hammond, John Martin
Fortification -- North America; Fortification -- United States; Historic buildings -- United States
The summer of 1632 saw the little settlement in French hands and
under the guidance of Emery de Caen, a fiery French Huguenot.
The next year found the colony once more in the direction of the
veteran Champlain. It is not clear why de Caen was given power
for this one year. On Christmas Day, 1635, the Father of New
France passed peacefully away in the fort which had seen so many
of his earthly activities. His body was laid to rest in a “chambre
particulier,” according to old record. Late investigation inclines
to the belief that Champlain’s last resting place was a niche
hollowed out of the stone half way down Mountain Hill in full view
of the strand on which his early “Habitation” was built.
The successor of Champlain, M. de Montmagny, a Knight of Malta,
rebuilt of stone Champlain’s fort shortly after his arrival in
1636, and Castle St. Louis had now a most martial appearance. Close
to the castle was the Jesuit presbytery, this close conjunction
of church and Mars well typifying the union of powers which held
authority in the colony. All public functions were religious in
character and the black-robed priests held the balance of power in
the council-room.
Throughout the quarter century following Champlain’s death the
threat of Iroquois marauding hung over the little city and in
1660 Castle St. Louis witnessed a strange spectacle. It was the
burning at the stake by the French of an Iroquois captive as a
retaliation against the savages for their outrages. The Indian met
his fate with fortitude, but reviled his captors unceasingly and
predicted a dire future for the city. At length death put an end to
his sufferings and his predictions. His spirit, according to the
priests who were standing by, winged its way to the place of the
redeemed, having been freed from sin by the fiery ordeal through
which its body had passed.
Time went its way and brought the second siege of Quebec to Castle
St. Louis. The bold and impetuous Frontenac was now at the helm of
state and it was due to a three-headed expedition of his against
the English colonies that this second siege was brought about.
Incidentally, this expedition may be looked upon in another light
as the opening blow in that long struggle between New France
and New England which was to result in the extinguishing of the
latter power in the New World. Three war parties set out from the
fortifications at Quebec, Montreal and Three Rivers. The first
reached the Dutch settlement of Corlaer (Schenectady) on the Hudson
and brought about the horrible and historic Schenectady massacre.
In similar fashion the other parties fell upon towns in New
England. The northern English colonies which had hitherto been kept
asunder by jealousies united against a common foe and equipped an
expedition which was to set forth from Massachusetts against Quebec.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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