Naval battle off Tatamagouche

Naval Battle off Tatamagouche

Naval Battle off Tatamagouche - National Historic Sites of Canada Plaque

Date	15 June 1745 (old style)
Location	Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
Result	British victory

Belligerents

France
Wabanaki Confederacy
(Mi'kmaq militia and Maliseet)
Huron

Great Britain

Commanders and leaders

Paul Marin de la Malgue

Captain David Donahew
Captain Daniel Fones
Captain Robert Beckwith (Becket)

Strength

500 French; 700 natives from Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi'kmaq and Maliseet) and Huron
2 schooners
2 sloops
50 canoes (each with 14 natives)

over 175 men
four ships

Casualties and losses

"considerable slaughter” of French and Indians

none

The Action of 15 June 1745 was a naval encounter between three New England vessels and a French and native relief convoy en route to relieve the Siege of Louisbourg (1745) during King George's War. The French and native convoy of four French vessels and fifty native canoes carrying 1200 fighters was led by Paul Marin de la Malgue and the New England forces were led by Captain David Donahew. The New Englanders were successful. The Governor of Ile Royal Louis Du Pont Duchambon thought that the New Englanders would have ended their siege of Louisbourg had Marin arrived. (There were 1800 French soldiers at Louisbourg versus 4200 New Englanders.) Instead, the day following the battle, Duchambon surrendered Louisbourg to New England.

At the outbreak of the war, in May 1744, Captain David Donahue of the Resolution took prisoner the chief of the Mi'kmaq people of Ile Royale Jacques Pandanuques with his family to Boston and killed him.

In May 1745, Paul Marin de la Malgue led 200 troops and hundreds of Mi'kmaq joined a siege against Annapolis Royal. The siege was ended after three weeks when Marin was recalled to assist with defending the French during the Siege of Louisbourg (1745).

During the Siege at Annapolis, the Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi'kmaq and Maliseet) took prisoner William Pote and some of Gorham's Rangers. During his captivity, Pote wrote one of the most important captivity narratives from Acadia and Nova Scotia. While at Cobequid, Pote reported that an Acadian said that the French soldiers should have "left their [the English] carcasses behind and brought their skins." He also wrote about the Naval battle off Tatamagouch.

Captain Donahew in the Resolution (12 guns, 50 crew) was travelling with Captain Daniel Fones in the Tartar (14 guns, 100 crew); and Captain Robert Becket in the Bonetta (six guns). The two latter ships left the Resolution to pursue smoke from what they believed to be a French and native encampment. Shortly after they left, four French vessels appeared, led by Marin. Upon seeing the native canoes, Captain Donahew hoisted a French flag on his own sloop so the natives would think it was a French privateer with a prize. The wind dropped off and the Resolution was becalmed and surrounded by the French vessels and canoes. At 10:00 am on 15 June 1745, Donahew raised the British flag on his ship and a fierce two-hour battle ensued. Donahew reported firing at the four vessels two hundred rounds from his four pounders; fifty-three rounds from his three pounders, and "my swivel and small Arms continually playing on them.” The British reported there was a "considerable slaughter" of the French and natives.

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Wikipedia