LiciU.-Gcn. Sir William Peppcrrcll, Bart. 265
the grand or royal battery, of t\venty- it to say that the place capitulated after eight forty -twos, and two eighteen- a seven-weeks arduous attack by land pound cannon. . . . The entrance to and sea. The cross of St. George had the town was at the west gate, over a supplanted the lilies of France. On drawbridge, which was protected by a the 17th of June, 1745, Gen. Pepperrell circular battery of thirteen twenty-four- marched into the town at the head of pound cannon. These works had been his troops, and received the keys : al- twenty - five years in building, and, though Commodore Warren had vainly though unfinished, had cost France not flattered himself that he or one of his less than six millions of dollars." It is officers should have the honor of re- worthy of notice that only New-Eng- ceiving the surrender of the place. He land troops took part in the siege. Col. had even gone so far as to send a letter Pepperrell was selected to command the to the French governor, ordering him to forces, with the rank of lieutenant-gen- deliver the keys to some one whom he eral. He already occupied the next should afterwards designate. Gen. Pep- highest post to that of the governor ; perrell did not know of this action at the viz., president of the council. He time ; and he probably never learned of was also very wealthy and popular, and it, as they continued to be good friends, likely to draw soldiers to his stand- Very likely he knew of Warren's desire ard, as indeed proved to be the case, to assume the glory ; for this was the ^^ Nil desperandiim Chris to duce,'^ was general opinion among the people of the motto of the invaders. Col. Pep- New England at the time, and, indeed, perrell advanced five thousand pounds feeling ran very high on the subject. from his own fortune, and threw himself Dr. Chauncey expressed their senti- into the work of preparation with all ments when he wrote the following to the impetuosity of his nature. Gen. Pepperrell. He said, " If the high The West India squadron under admiral of England had been there, he Commodore Warren, which was to co- would not have had the least right to operate with the New-England troops, command an>"where but aboard his own failed to arrive at the appointed time : ships." A good instance of the Amer- but they set sail without them on March ican spirit thirty years prior to the 24, 1745, and after a short passage Revolution.
reached Louisburg, and began at once Smollett says, "The conquest of
to disembark and invest the town. On Louisburg was the most important
the 24th of April, Warren and three of achievement of the war of 1744."
his men-of-war joined them, and others Ward, in his edition of " Curwen's
arrived later. It appears that they took Journal of the Loyalists," says, "That
part in the bombardment to some ex- such a city should have yielded to the
tent, but most of the work had neces- farmers, merchants, and fishermen of
sarily to be done by the land forces New England, is almost incredible,
with their heavy siege-guns. The ships The lovers of the wonderful may read
also served to good purpose in prevent- the works which contain accounts of
ing re-enforcements and supplies from its rise and ruin, and be satisfied that
entering the harbor. But space will not truth is sometimes stranger than fic-
permit a detailed account of the capture tion."
of the " Dunkirk of America." Suffice He received a letter from the Duke
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