Naval battle off St. John (1696)

Action of 14 July 1696
Part of the King Williams War
Date 14 July 1696 Location Bay of Fundy, off present-day Saint John, New Brunswick Result French victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Captain Eames, Captain Paxen	Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville ]]
Strength
2 ships of the line with a province tender	2 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
unknown	none

The Action of 14 July 1696 was a naval battle between France and Great Britain toward the end of King Williams War in the Bay of Fundy off of present day Saint John, New Brunswick. The French ships of war Envieux and Profond captured the British frigate Newport ( 24 guns), while the British frigate Sorlings (34 guns) and a provincial tender escaped.

Background

Main article: King Williams War

In 1696, King William’s war was in its seventh year. D’Iberville was about to engaged in the Siege of Pemaquid (1696), the New England strong hold in present-day Maine. D’Iberville sailed from Rochefort, Charente-Maritime to Quebec City, where he took on board eighty troops and Canadians; then proceeded to Louisbourg, Cape Breton and embarked thirty Mi’kmaq, and departed for the St. John River.

Battle

On the 14 July, five leagues from St. John River, D’Iberville cast anchor in the fog. At 2:00 the fog began to clear and the French ships could see the three English vessels to windward, bearing directly for the river St. John. When they were one league off, the English observed the French vessels, and bore down on them.

Commander Simon-Pierre Bonaventure, Sr. of the French ship Profond masked her warlike character, keeping her ports closed until within musket shot. Both English vessels open fired on the French ships. Bonaventure opened the ports on the Profound and the English ships kept windward, (ticnnent le vent), and realizing they were out gunned, endeavoured to escape. The Profond tried to gain the wind on them, and the D’Iberville in the Envieux followed, contending with stormy weather.

D'Iberville, in the Envieux, fired upon the English frigate the Newport, under the command of Captain Paxen, and de-masted the frigate. The prize falling astern, came almost aboard the bows of the Envieux, and lowered her flag. M. d'Iberville left her to be manned by M. de Bonaventure, who gave her to Baptiste to take her to the river St. John, at which place he almost lost her among the rocks where she run aground.

D’Iberville in the Envieux continued to chase the larger ship the Sorlings, under the command of Captain Eames. The shot of the French ship passed beyond the chase, but night and fog closed their combat, which had lasted three hours, and the English ship escaped.

Aftermath

On July 15, 1696, the day after the battle, D’Iberville entered Saint John Harbour. After discharging stores for capital of Acadia at Fort Nashwaak, D’Iberville took on board 50 more Mi’kmaq and Pere Simon on August 2, 1696, set sail for Penobscot (present-day Castine, Maine. At Penobscot, where they arrived August 7th, they found Villieu and Montigny with twenty-five Canadians, Thury [Father], St. Castin [Sr.] and three hundred savages waiting for them. On the 14th August, D’Iberville led them all in the Siege of Pemaquid (1696).

Bibliography

• Francis Parkman
• Beamish Murdoch
• Hannay

Primary Sources

• According to Baudouin, who gives these details, there was no one in the French ships injured even by a wound, and he says that the Indians on board behaved well.