Louisburg Square is a street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston , Massachusetts , bisected by a small private park. The park, which is bounded by Pinckney Street to the north and Mount Vernon Street to the south, is maintained by the Louisburg Square Proprietors. While the Proprietors pay taxes to the City of Boston, the city does not own the park or its garden.
41-529: Louisburg Square was named for the 1745 Battle of Louisbourg , in which Massachusetts militiamen led by William Pepperrell , who was made the first American baronet for his role, sacked the French Fortress of Louisbourg . Louisburg Square has become one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the United States, with townhouses listing for over $ 15,000,000. The park itself is a small grassy oval surrounded by
82-510: A wrought-iron fence; there is no public access. There is a statue of Christopher Columbus at the north end, and of Aristides the Just at the south end. The Greek Revival houses around the square reflect the rarefied privilege enjoyed by the 19th-century upper class in Beacon Hill. The square was surveyed in the 1820s, and the houses around it were designed and built between 1834 and 1847. One of
123-688: A battery at Lighthouse Point . He had hauled ten cannon from the Royal Battery. He shelled the Island Battery for five days and on June 27 the French Battery was silenced. On June 27, French and native reinforcements led by Paul Marin were prevented from reaching Louisbourg in the Naval battle off Tatamagouche . The New Englanders' landward siege was supported by Commodore Warren's fleet and, following 47 days (six weeks and five days) of siege and bombardment,
164-419: A land attack. The low rises provided attackers places to erect siege batteries. The fort's garrison was poorly paid and supplied, and its inexperienced leaders mistrusted them. The colonial attackers were also lacking in experience, but ultimately succeeded in gaining control of the surrounding defences. The defenders surrendered in the face of an imminent assault. Louisbourg was an important bargaining chip in
205-614: A location in Boston is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Siege of Louisbourg (1745) The siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg , the capital of the French province of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island ) during the War of the Austrian Succession , known as King George's War in
246-510: A military base nearby. "Garrison towns" ( Arabic : أمصار , romanized : amsar ) were used during the Arab Islamic conquests of Middle Eastern lands by Arab - Muslim armies to increase their dominance over indigenous populations. In order to occupy non-Arab, non-Islamic areas, nomadic Arab tribesmen were taken from the desert by the ruling Arab elite, conscripted into Islamic armies, and settled into garrison towns as well as given
287-520: A narrow margin the support of the Massachusetts legislature for an attack on the fortress. He and the governor of the Province of New Hampshire , Benning Wentworth , sought the support of other colonies. Connecticut provided 500 troops, New Hampshire 450, Rhode Island a ship, New York ten cannons, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey funds. The force was under the command of William Pepperrell of Kittery (in
328-631: A number of military campaigns fought between the French and their allies and the English in the region. Under the Treaty of Utrecht , which ended the War of the Spanish Succession , the French colony of Acadia had been ceded to Great Britain. The tribes of Wabanaki Confederacy had a long history of raiding British settlements along Northern New England in present-day Maine. During the 17th and early-18th century,
369-480: A share in the spoils of war . The primary utility of the Arab-Islamic garrisons was to control the indigenous non-Arab peoples of these conquered and occupied territories, and to serve as garrison bases to launch further Islamic military campaigns into yet-undominated lands. A secondary aspect of the Arab-Islamic garrisons was the uprooting of the aforementioned nomadic Arab tribesmen from their original home regions in
410-633: The Arabian Peninsula in order to proactively avert these tribal peoples, and particularly their young men, from revolting against the Islamic state established in their midst. In the United Kingdom , "Garrison" also specifically refers to any of the major military stations such as Aldershot , Catterick , Colchester , Tidworth , Bulford , and London , which have more than one barracks or camp and their own military headquarters , usually commanded by
451-588: The British colonies . The northern British colonies regarded Louisbourg as a menace, calling it the "American Dunkirk " due to its use as a base for privateers . There was regular, intermittent warfare between the French and the Wabanaki Confederacy on one side and the northern New England colonies on the other ( See the Northeast Coast Campaigns of 1688 , 1703 , 1723 , 1724 ). For the French,
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#1732852652615492-561: The Careening Wharf on June 9. The next day, the French Governor Du Chambon sent 100 inexperienced French troops under the command of Sieur de Beaubassin. Gorham and his rangers were able to launch a surprise attack on the French troops, killing five of them. One of Gorham's (Indian) rangers was killed. (By June 11 (new style), Beaubassin's force was decimated with many Mi’kmaw fighters killed.) By June 21, Gorham had built
533-619: The Defence and the Boston Packet sent a plundering expedition on shore near "Laten". Upon landing, the British forces immediately launched an attack on the North East Harbour (present-day Louisbourg, Nova Scotia ). The act terrorized the French and they abandoned the Royal Battery with much of its armaments still operational. The British immediately occupied the battery and began firing at
574-451: The Fortress of Louisbourg also protected the chief entrance to Canada , as well as the nearby French fisheries. The French government had spent 25 years in fortifying it, and the cost of its defenses was reckoned at thirty million livres. Although the fortress's construction and layout was acknowledged as having superior seaward defences, a series of low rises behind them made it vulnerable to
615-422: The French garnison , itself from the verb garnir , "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters . A garrison is usually in a city , town , fort , castle , ship , or similar site. "Garrison town" is a common expression for any town that has
656-1417: The Pelham Ministry , but it went ahead nonetheless. In 1758 the fortress was captured again by the British during the Seven Years' War , this time permanently, as Île-Royale and much of New France was ceded to Britain under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris . 1. York County, Maine - William Pepperell 's Regiment (1st Massachusetts Regiment) 2. York County, Maine - Colonel Jeremiah Moulton 's Regiment (3rd Massachusetts Regiment) 3. Cumberland County, Maine - Colonel Samuel Waldo 's Regiment (2nd Massachusetts Regiment) 4. Bristol, Maine - Colonel Sylvester Richmond 's Regiment (6th Massachusetts Regiment) 5. New Hampshire – Colonel Samuel Moore (military officer) 's Regiment (of Portsmouth) 6. Connecticut – Major General Roger Wolcott 's Regiment 7. Worcester, Massachusetts - Colonel Samuel Willard (military officer) 's Regiment (4th Massachusetts Regiment) 8. Essex County, Massachusetts - Colonel Robert Hale (military officer) 's Regiment (5th Massachusetts Regiment) 9. Brigadier Joseph Dwight 's Regiment - Colonel of Artillery, (9th Massachusetts Regiment) 10. Colonel Shubael Gorham's Regiment (7th Massachusetts Regiment) Joined from England 22–23 May Joined from England 10–11 June Garrison A garrison (from
697-562: The French capitulated on June 28, 1745. News of the victory reached Governor Shirley in Boston on July 3 which, coincidentally, was commencement day at Harvard (usually a day of celebration in itself). All of New England celebrated the taking of France's mighty fortress on the Atlantic. Losses to the New England forces in battle had been modest, although the garrison that occupied the fortress during
738-671: The Island Battery and bombarded the battery for days. On June 6, Captain Brooks led 400 British troops against the Island Battery and were repulsed by the French troops. The French killed 60 British troops and took 116 prisoner. Later on June 7, Gorham commanded 650 troops to attack but was forced to retreat. The French killed 189 New Englanders in the failed assault. On June 9, the 100 British troops fight 100 French and 80 Indigenous. The British killed 40 and took seventeen prisoners. The French and Indigenous killed 6 British and wounded many more. Gorham and 40 rangers discovered 30 French canon at
779-513: The Wabanaki fought in several campaigns, including in 1688 , 1703 , 1723 , 1724 . Many of the British military leaders of the siege of Louisbourg came from Northern New England, whose family members were killed in the raids. In the summer of 1744, New Englanders' concerns of further attacks on the Northern New England increased after a French and Wabanaki force sailed from Louisbourg to
820-498: The colonial ships. Warren at first declined this offer, lacking authorization from London to assist. Only a few days later, he received orders from the Admiralty to proceed to protect the New England fisheries. The expedition set sail from Boston in stages beginning in early March 1745 with 4,200 soldiers and sailors aboard a total of 90 ships. The force stopped at Canso to reprovision. There they were met by Commodore Warren, enlarging
861-429: The discontent by releasing back pay and supplies, the following winter was extremely tense, as the military leadership maintained a tenuous hold on the situation. Duchambon was even reluctant to send for help, fearing the message would be intercepted and spark further unrest. Word of the unrest did, however, make its way to Boston. In 1745, the governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay , William Shirley , secured by
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#1732852652615902-506: The expedition by 16 ships. In late March, the naval forces began to blockade Louisbourg, however ice fields were being swept from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the seas off Louisbourg that spring, presenting a considerable hazard to wooden-hulled sailing ships. The poor weather and general state of disorganization of the New England naval forces resulted in numerous delays to the expedition, however, they kept busy harassing French fishing and shipping in
943-481: The fishermen were reluctant to sail without adequate provisions. The military rank and file claimed that they were promised a share of the spoils from the Canso raid, which had instead gone to officers, who sold those same provisions and profited in the endeavour. In December 1744, the troops mutinied over the poor conditions and pay that was months overdue. Even after acting Governor Louis Du Pont Du Chambon managed to quiet
984-490: The following winter suffered many deaths from cold and disease. After the fall of Louisbourg, the New Englanders also assumed control of Port-La-Joye on present-day Prince Edward Island (which the French regained in battle the following year). Despite the British conquest of Louisbourg, the French and Wabanaki attacks continued on Northern New England in the campaigns of 1745 , 1746 , and 1747 . Duchambon's actions in
1025-471: The fortress. They repulsed a French and Indian attempt to re-take the battery the following day. The Island Battery was the most formidable and took the New Englanders six weeks to silence. The Island Battery, which had 160 troops, needed to be defeated before the Royal Navy could enter the harbour. On May 26, the 100 British troops under the command of Samuel Waldo turned the canons of the Royal Battery on
1066-444: The landing of British troops. After 1500 British were already on shore, 200 French troops arrived to repel the British, led by Pierre Morpain and De la Boularderie. Morpain retreated while De La Boularderie gave himself up as a prisoner. The British would land 2000 troops by the end of the day. While most of the troops were employed at attacking the Royal Battery, the Island Battery and Fortress Louisbourg, others were scouting around
1107-500: The last private residences built on Louisburg Square was 2 Louisburg Square, built in 1847 for wealthy merchant and philanthropist Thomas Handasyd Perkins Jr., known as "Short-Arm Tom", who lived at 1 Joy Street. Among the famous people who lived there in the 19th century were Atlantic Monthly editor William Dean Howells , architect Charles Bulfinch , painter John Singleton Copley , and teacher A. Bronson Alcott and his daughter, author Louisa May Alcott (who died there). Jenny Lind
1148-450: The military men took careful note of the fortress design, layout, and condition, as well as the size and condition of its garrison and armaments. These men were eventually released to Boston , where their intelligence, along with that provided by merchants who did business at Louisbourg, proved useful in planning the attack. The French, army and civilian alike, were not in the best of condition at Louisbourg. Supplies were short in 1744, and
1189-547: The mutiny and siege were the subject of inquiries upon his return to France in August 1745. Duchambon was protected from reprisals by the actions of François Bigot , Louisbourg's civilian administrator , who deflected much of the blame onto others. Duchambon retired from the service with a pension in March 1746. William Pepperrell and Peter Warren were both richly rewarded for their efforts. Warren, in addition to profiting from prize money,
1230-490: The nearby British fishing port of Canso , attacking a small fort on Grassy Island and burned it to the ground, taking prisoner 50 British families. This port was used by the New England fishing fleet; however, the Canso Islands (including Grassy Island) were contested by both Britain and France. The prisoners taken during the Canso raid were first brought to Louisbourg, where they were given freedom to move around. Some of
1271-467: The peace negotiations to end the war, since it represented a major British success. Factions within the British government were opposed to returning it to the French as part of any peace agreement, but these were eventually overruled, and Louisbourg was returned, over the objections of the victorious British North Americans, to French control after the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle , in return for French concessions elsewhere. From 1688 onward there had been
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1312-466: The perimeter of the fortress, destroying small fishing villages. On May 8, the Mi'kmaq defended against an attack on near-by Margaret's Bay and killed seven of Warren's troops. On May 11, the English killed or took prisoner seventeen French and the French wounded three English. On May 19, Edward Tyng in the vessel HMS Prince of Orange along with the ship Massachusetts destroyed St. Ann's Bay, burning
1353-513: The portion of the Massachusetts colony that is now the state of Maine ), and a fleet of colonial ships was assembled and placed under the command of Captain Edward Tyng . Governor Shirley sent to Commodore Peter Warren , the chief officer of the Royal Navy 's West Indies station, a request for naval support in the event of an encounter with French warships, which would significantly outclass any of
1394-480: The shores close to the fortress. They tried to land their whale boats at Flat Point Cover while covered by the fire power of the Lord Montague , Boston Packet and Massachusetts . Gorham was repelled by 20 French troops that occupied the cove. Gorham quickly regrouped with several other vessels and the operation was re-directed to Kennington Cove. The French troops were unable to re-position themselves in time to stop
1435-463: The town and shipping. They killed 20 people and took 25 prisoners. The French killed one British soldier. On May 21, the Prince of Orange was joined by the Defence , and together they destroyed Ingonish , burning a town of 80 houses. They continued on to destroy the towns of Bradore and Bayonne. On May 23, 20 British troops from Jeremiah Moulton 's Regiment attacked a small village. While they were in
1476-531: The village, they were surrounded by 100 fighters made up of French and Mi'kmaq. They killed 18 of the 20 British troops. On May 30, the Mi'kmaq at Chapeau Rouge ( L'Ardoise ) attacked thirteen English soldiers from Captain Fletcher's crew on the Boston Packet , who were seeking wood and water. They killed seven English soldiers, three of whom were scalped. They also took three prisoners, two of whom were later found butchered and one later died of wounds. On June 24,
1517-407: The waters surrounding Île-Royale. With the ice fields gone by late April, the siege began in earnest. Pepperell's land forces sailed in transports from Canso. On May 2, he besieged Port Toulouse (present-day St. Peter's, Nova Scotia ) as well as destroying several coastal villages in the area between Canso and Louisbourg. On May 11, John Gorham and his rangers led the charge to land troops on
1558-429: Was dispatched from France to retake Louisbourg and recover Acadia in 1746. However it was destroyed by storms, disease, and British naval attacks and never reached the fortress. The British government made plans, based on suggestions by Shirley and Warren, for a follow-up expedition to seize Quebec . For a variety of reasons, including a late start and contrary winds, the 1746 expedition did not leave European waters, and
1599-586: Was instead diverted to raid the French port of Lorient . Although the idea was also considered for the 1747 campaign season, it again failed to bear fruit. When the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, Louisbourg was returned to France in exchange for the return of Madras to Britain, and the withdrawal of French troops from the Low Countries . The decision to withdraw from Louisbourg came under fierce attacks in London from opponents of
1640-622: Was married in the parlor of a house on Louisburg Square. As of 2014, it is one of the most expensive residential neighborhoods in the USA; townhouses on Louisburg Square sold for $ 11.5 million in 2011 and $ 11 million in 2012, for instance. The square is often included in walking tours and guidebooks. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his wife Theresa Heinz, own the townhouse at 19 Louisburg Square. 42°21′30.35″N 71°04′07.08″W / 42.3584306°N 71.0686333°W / 42.3584306; -71.0686333 This article about
1681-514: Was promoted to rear admiral . Pepperrell was made a baronet by King George II and given a commission as colonel of a new regiment , numbered 66th at the time (but not to be confused with the later 66th Regiment of Foot ). Governor Shirley was also given a colonel's commission to raise his own regiment . Both France and Britain planned expeditions to North America in the wake of the capture. The great Duc d'Anville Expedition led by Admiral Jean-Batiste, De Roye de la Rochefoucauld, Duc d'Anville