"The Siege of Louisbourg " Topic

"Louisbourg was a fortress town on the northeastern coast of Cape Breton Island (or ‘Ile Royale' as it was known by the French) in the eighteenth century. With its own excellent harbour, capable of holding an entire fleet of men-of-war, it served to protect French interests in the vital cod industry, as well as the gateway to the St. Lawrence River, and the heart of New France at Quebec. Built at a cost of over thirty million livres, it was deemed to be impregnable…

…Two very important factors that lead to the death of Louisbourg happened many months before the invasion armada was ever seen from its ramparts. The first was the coming to power of William Pitt, whose global strategy was to offer only a token force on the European continent, along with subsidies to finance the armies of Britain's allies, while using the bulk of her own army and navy to wage war on the colonies of her ancient enemy, bringing her economy to ruin, and ultimately forcing her to sue for peace.

The second factor made the first all the more viable – the Royal Navy's victory at the Battle of Cartagena, leading to the remainder of the French navy being bottled up in their harbours. A previous attempt had been made on Louisbourg in 1757, but the presence of a sizeable enemy fleet, and an untimely hurricane, assured its failure. This time, with the French unable to venture out from their ports, there would be no major naval force in attendance, and very little in the way of reinforcements. New France was on its own…"
Full article here.
link

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

If you're ever on Cape Breton Island, drop by the reconstruction. Never quite got there but bought a great coffee table book, showing both the reconstruction and reenactors.

Buenos Dias, Frank

Thanks for the info my friend Frank!.

Amicalement
Armand

It's a great site, FPR! Almost the end of the world but worth the drive!