FORTRESS SECURITY AND MILITARY JUSTICE AT LOUISBOURG, 1720-45

BY

MARGARET FORTIER

1980

Report H E 14

Fortress of Louisbourg

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INTRODUCTION

A fortress, according to a dictionary of French military terms, was a military stronghold which contained a civilian population within its walls. [1] In modern use, fortresses are usually thought of in terms of massive defenses with detached batteries dependent upon the main works. Louisbourg became a fortress as its mutually flanking bastions and the batteries encircling the harbour rose to enclose and protect its inhabitants. But even from the beginning, when the town of Louisbourg was surrounded only by marsh and hills, Louisbourg was governed as a Place De Guerre similar to those fortresses which dotted France protecting its frontier and coast against invasion; a fortified town wherein authority lay with the military.

Economic considerations were responsible for the selection of Louisbourg as the fortress site. Continued use of its fine harbour for fishing and commerce, and the resultant growth of the population along its shores had forced the movement of the colony's principal settlement from Port Dauphin in 1717, although the latter would have been the easier site to fortify. However, despite the importance of economic factors, Louisbourg was not intended to become just a fortified military base existing side by side a civilian community. Nor was its existence merely incidental to the commercial and fishing activities which had determined its selection. France also sought a power base from which to secure its claim to the area, to protect those engaged in fishing and trade, and to guard the entrance to the St. Lawrence River and the interior of French North America. It was for this "show of strength" so important in international politics, that Louisbourg was to become a Place De Guerre. The fortress at Louisbourg, therefore, had a dual role; to serve notice to France's enemies that she intended to protect her valued interests in the North Atlantic, while at the same time protecting the community in which those interests were centered.

Though smaller in size and administrative set-up than those in France, Louisbourg, as a Place De Guerre, was governed as far as possible according to the regulations laid down for such establishments, and the civilian community, forced to operate within a military setting, would have found its life greatly affected by these rules. The authority of the military "gouverneurs particuliers" (as opposed to "gouverneurs générales" whose jurisdiction might include several Places De Guerre) who commanded Places De Guerre extended to "everything contained in the confines of the places the King has entrusted to them, whether military personnel or inhabitants; it extends over the latter even in the small towns and villages under the jurisdiction of their government ..."[2] Security procedures, prescribed in great detail in the ordinances of the king, controlled access to and from the city, regulated movement within and upon the walls - particularly at night - and called for the posting of guards both to protect against enemy forces and to maintain order within the walls themselves.

Louisbourg had factors working both for and against its security. The season during which an attack might. be launched was relatively short. The town was a fair distance from the closest enemy base, and the possibility of a surprise assault was remote. On the other hand, since Louisbourg was of enormous strategic and economic importance, there was every reason to expect that it would become directly involved in a war if international conditions deteriorated. Its fortifications were simple and easily manned, but they were disadvantageously placed in relation to neighbouring hills. And, its garrison, while large enough to guard the place, was not sufficient to mount a protracted defense. Easily cut off from sources of supply, Louisbourg was extremely dependent on the French navy which operated from its harbour.

In the early stages of its development Louisbourg's security measures would have only faintly resembled those stipulated in the ordinances, as it had only one guardpost and a total guard for a three day period of under 60 men. Nevertheless, the daily mounting of the guard, small though it was, was probably carried out with some attention to form, and additional care was undoubtedly taken during the evening hours. As the fortifications were completed, the town gates built, and the guardhouses established, Lpuisbourg's security would have come to conform more and more to the practices outlined in the ordinances and military manuals of the day. While there is no detailed account of the procedures used in Louisbourg prior to 1745, there is sufficient evidence to assume that by 1744 the fortress was being administered like any Place De Guerre.

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