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DAUPHIN BASTION

Preliminary Report

(1720 - 1745)

BY

MARGARET FORTIER

(Under the supervision of B. C. Bickerton)

January, 1966

(Fortress of Louisbourg Report H B 6)

NOTE:
Presently, the illustrations and graphs are not included here.
For these, please consult the original report in the archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg

FORWARD

Dauphin Bastion Preliminary Report (1720-45) was undertaken by Mrs. Fortier in October for completion between the dates December 15, 1965 and January 8, 1966, in an effort to give support at as early a date as possible to the work of the Interpretation Section. Unforeseen circumstances - Mrs. Fortier's visit to Louisbourg and various difficulties encountered in assembling the final version - have delayed the completion of the report. In order to compensate for this delay, I am recommending to the Research Director that this report also be used by the Archaeologists for the planning of their excavation of the site.

While this report is a fairly comprehensive survey of the Dauphin Bastion up to 1745, it draws relatively little on the evidence after that date. This is the deliberate arrangement I made in order to cope with the circumstances of time and urgency. The second Dauphin report will be more comprehensive and more carefully prepared. It will not be ready until the end of April due to the fact that we are already behind schedule.

The only vital post-1745 characteristic - the Cavalier has been drawn and located for the convenience of the Archaeologist planning the Dauphin excavation. Included among the illustrations which accompany the text is a composite drawing prepared by Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Fortier from the information gathered from both plans and documentary evidence. Since no historic plan has been found which adequately represents the Dauphin Bastion as it stood in 1745, it was thought necessary to consolidate information and arrive at as close an approximation of the work as possible. As far as can be determined, therefore, this drawing, Figure 14, represents the Dauphin Bastion as it stood at the beginning of the first siege.

Both Mrs. Fortier and I have reservations about the report, but as I have pointed out to her, it has had to be prepared under conditions of considerable stress and uncertainty. The preliminary survey prepared by Mr. Pothier saved us valuable time but as it did not go beyond a description of the written evidence it was necessary
for Mrs. Fortier to develop the course of the study and determine and project its results. She has had to work against time and in changed personal circumstances. Within the limits of its purposes, and in spite of these circumstances, Mrs. Fortier has produced a most commendable report.

B.C. Bickerton, Senior Historian.

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