Siege of Fort Nashwaak (1696)

Siege of Fort Nashwaak (1696)
Part of King William's War
Colonel Benjamin Church: Father of American ranging
Date October 18–20, 1696 Location Nashwaak, Acadia (present-day Fredericton, New Brunswick) Result French and native victory
Belligerents
France Mi'kmaq, Acadians	New England
Commanders and leaders
Governor Villebon Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste Simon-Gérard de La Place Rene Damours Mathieu Damours Charles La Tourasse †	Benjamin Church John Hathorne
Strength
100	400 New England troops and native warriors,
Casualties and losses
one killed and two wounded	conflicting reports: British: 8 killed and 17 wounded; French report 20-25 killed many more wounded

The Siege of Fort Nashwaak occurred during King William's War when New England forces from Boston attacked the capital of Acadia, Fort Nashwaak, at present-day Fredericton, New Brunswick. The siege was in retaliation for the French and Indian Siege of Pemaquid (1696) at present day Bristol, Maine. In the English Province of Massachusetts Bay. Colonel John Hathorne and Major Benjamin Church were the leaders of the New England force of 400 men. The siege lasted two days, between October 18–20, 1696, and formed part of a larger expedition by Church against a number of other Acadian communities.

During King William's War - the first of the four French and Indian Wars - French and Natives were victorious in the Siege of Pemaquid (1696) (present day Bristol, Maine) earlier that year. In the Siege of Pemaquid, the French and natives had destroyed Fort William Henry, which the English colonial militia leader Benjamin Church himself assisted in erecting. In response to the defeat, the following month Benjamin Church led a devastating raid on Chignecto and then laid siege to the capital of Acadia, Fort Nashwaak in 1696.

Fort Nashwaak was a four-sided log palisade erected by Governor Villebon in 1691-92, who had decided to relocate the capital from Fort Jemseg as he felt a setting further up river would be safer from attack. Called by Villebon Fort St. Joseph, it was located on the north bank of the Nashwaak River at its junction with the Saint John River. The site offered the additional strategic benefits to Villebon of being situated near the Maliseet capital of Meductic and of being on a traditional portage route.

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