Vaughan now led forward a party after the retreating enemy, who, finding
themselves pursued, set fire to thirty or forty houses outside the city
walls.
On the next day, the work of landing the rest of the army, the artillery
and stores, was pushed to the utmost, though the heavy surf rendered
this a work of uncommon difficulty. Pepperell now pitched his camp in an
orderly manner next the shore, at a place called Flat Point Cove, where
he could communicate with the transports and fleet, and they with him.
He now took his first step towards clearing the two miles of open ground
lying between him and Louisburg harbor, with the view of fixing the
location of his batteries, and of driving the enemy inside the walls of
the fortress.
Royal Battery deserted.
To this end four hundred men were sent out to destroy the enemy’s
magazines situated at the head of the harbor, Vaughan again marching
with them. This detachment having set fire to some warehouses containing
naval stores, the smoke from which drifted down upon the Royal Battery,
the officer in command there, convinced that the provincials were about
to fall upon him, spiked his cannon and abandoned the works in haste,
though not till after receiving permission to do so.
In the morning, as Vaughan was returning to camp with only thirteen men,
the deserted appearance of the battery caused him to carefully examine
it, when, seeing no signs of life about the place,—no flag flying or
smoke rising or sentinels moving about,—he sent forward an Indian of his
party, who, finding all silent, crept through an embrasure, and undid
the gate to them. Vaughan then despatched word to the camp that he was
in possession of the place, and was waiting for a re-enforcement and a
flag; but meantime, before either could reach him, one of his men
climbed up the staff, and nailed his red coat to it for a flag.
Vaughan attacked.
At about the same hour Duchambon was sending a strong detachment back to
the battery, to complete the work of destruction that his lieutenant had
left unfinished. At least this is his own statement. It was supposed
that the battery was still unoccupied or occupied weakly, otherwise the
French would hardly have risked much for its possession. When this
detachment came round in their boats to the landing-place, near the
battery, Vaughan’s little band attacked them with great spirit, keeping
them at bay until other troops had time to join him, when the
discomfited Frenchmen were driven back whence they came.
Advantage of this Capture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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