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  • Writer's pictureSi Biggs

Siege of Port Royal, Nova Scotia

Unit/ Formation: Marine Regiments


Location: Canada


Period/ Conflict: Queen Anne's War


Year: 1710


Date/s: 5 – 13 October 1710


Port-Royal’s period as the French capital of Acadia ended in the fall of 1710, when a large expedition led by Francis Nicholson, a British officer, took control of the fort after a week-long siege.

Nicholson’s fleet of 35 ships and 2000 British and New England troops vastly outnumbered the French forces.


A Battalion of Marines under Colonel Robert Reading began landing on 6th October both north and south of the fortress and the town.


Military engineer's drawing of Port Royal, 1702

The Marines were then joined by four New England regiments. The landings took place without incident, with fire from the fort answered by one of the fleet's bomb ships at long range.


By 12 October, the siege trenches had advanced, and cannons that were within 91 m of the fort opened fire, by the end of the day, the parties reached an agreement on the terms of surrender, which was formally signed the next day.


On October 16, Governor Daniel D’Auger de Subercase surrendered the fort and an area of five kilometres around the village. The British renamed Port-Royal, Annapolis Royal, and once again, Acadia became Nova Scotia.



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