Canada Day - some of our history

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Canada Day would not be the same if it were not for at least some recollections of our great country and what it took to build. So much is always said about our founding fathers and the actual act of confederation in 1867 but I have my favourite stories also, especially since I grew up not terribly far from where this battle took place.

A Discovery

Historians and chroniclers for nearly two centuries made no mention of this episode in the Iroquois wars of the 1660s. It was lost to time only that in the 19th century, a discovery by Dollier de Casson’s unveiled — in my mind — an incredible act of bravery and how much this land of ours meant to the new Europeans living here. That discovery was a manuscript of the Histoire du Montréal, which gave detailed accounts of the combat of May 1660 — otherwise known as, “the Battle of the Sault”.

The Man

Adam Dollard, Sieur des Ormeaux was only 24 and was described as an “officer” and reported as the garrison commander of the fort of Ville-Marie, which was a title that he shared with Pierre Picoté de Belestre. Some historians feel he was a scoundrel and a hot head, but honestly it would have been unthinkable for Governor of New France, Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve to promote to garrison commander any officer whose conduct had not been irreproachable. So for me, let it suffice to say that Dollard led an orderly life at Montreal and that he was well thought of by his superiors and his fellow-townsmen.

The Plan

Although Indian raids during this period were not constant, when they did occur, they terrified the inhabitants of New France. Initially, the colonists felt helpless to prevent them. Dollard, through his fur trading companions got wind of a pending attack on Montreal. Over 900 Iroquois, in two separate parties, were moving to unite as a prelude to their attacks on Montreal, Trois Riviere and Quebec.  Adam Dollard recognised the situation and decided to take action. He approached the governor of New France (Maisonneuve) to propose that he, along with a small force of volunteers, could set up a defensive position which could as much as possible, ward off the attack enabling the settlers to escape famine by harvesting their crops, and to allow time for reinforcements to arrive at Ville-Marie.  He wanted to make his stand near the rapids of Chute a Blondeau, on the Ottawa River just above where it and the St. Lawrence Rivers meet — a place called the Long Sault. 

Maisonneuve granted Dollard’s request. Dollard then began his recruitment and by the end of April, 16 men had come forward. Like him, all came from Montreal. These young men were all of humble station: discharged soldiers, farmers and artisans. They all had mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and of course sweethearts. 

Their names were: 
Alonié Delestre, (31); René Doussin, (30); Sieur Jean Tavernier de La Forest, dit La Lochetière, (28); Roland Hébert dit Larivière, (27); Étienne Robin dit Des Forges, (27); Jean Valets, (27); Augier dit Desjardins, (26); Jean Lecompte, (26); Jacques Brassier,(25); Simon Grenet, (25); Nicolas Josselin, (25); Nicolas Tiblemont, (25). François Crusson dit Pilote, (24); Robert Jurie, (24); Christophe Jacques Boisseau dit Cognac, (23); and Louis Martin, (21).

With no doubt in their minds as to their fate, the 17 young men confessed, some made their wills and all received the last sacrament in the stone chapel of the Hotel-Dieu. They knew that if their efforts failed, they would all die — either by musket and tomahawk in the burning villages or by barbarous torture after capture. 

Travelling and Battling

After two weeks of arduous travel, Dollard and his men reached the eastern side of the Long Sault rapids. They found an abandoned stockade close to present day Saint-André-Est. The group was joined by a party of 40 Huron under their chief, Anahotaha, as well as by four Algonquin. After two days, scouts at the head of the Sault spotted two Iroquois canoes coming towards the stockade. The Frenchmen and their allies ambushed the canoes but one brave escaped enabling him to warn the main party. Forty or fifty canoes soon landed, and the Iroquois warriors immediately rushed the stockade. Dollard and his men fired volley after volley into them — they broke. A second attack was launched but it too failed. When a third attack failed, the Iroquois retreated and held a council of war.
For five days, there was a lull in the fighting. Renegade Huron — fighting with the Iroquois— directed a constant barrage of taunts and promises toward Dollard’s Huron allies causing much unrest amongst the superstitious tribesmen. One by one, his allies jumped over the barricades to join the Iroquois.  Only the chief, Anahotaha remained in the end. Inside the stockade, the 22 men stood by their loopholes. They became more and more exhausted due to small night-time raids and like their hope, their water and food had almost vanished. Escape or rescue was impossible all they could do was to buy some time to save their families.

A plaque of the battle at the foot of the Maisonneuve Statue in Old Montreal.

On the fifth day, more than 500 warriors from the Richelieu arrived and now over 700 hundred Iroquois faced Dollard and his men. For three days, the Iroquois prepared for the final assault, keeping up the day-and-night harassment against small band of defenders.

On the morning of the fourth day, the assault was delivered from all sides, spearheaded by volunteers carrying torches and crude shields. The attack was beaten back. A second assault reached the barricades, and the braves started to set fire to the stockade. In desperation, Dollard tried to toss a hand-made grenade filled with musket balls and gunpowder over the stockade into the midst of the attackers. The grenade struck the top of the barricade and fell back into the stockade. It exploded killing several of the defenders and blinding others. In the following confusion, the Iroquois gained the barricade. In hand-to-hand fighting, Dollard and the others were quickly overpowered. Four Frenchmen were found alive: three of them were seriously wounded and burned alive within the fort, and the fourth was taken prisoner before being tortured and killed later on. The epic of the Long Sault was over.

“These brave men carried out . . . the finest feat of arms recorded in modern history; more than that, in the history of the Greeks and Romans, nothing is comparable to the action of these heroes who sacrificed their lives for the pure motives of the Faith” (Faillon).

Statue in La Fontaine Parc - Montreal

The Iroquois returned to their own territories. They reasoned that, if Dollard and his few followers could cause them so much trouble at the Long Sault, an attack on Montreal would be far too costly.

Davy and Adam

Growing up on American westerns (Thanks to Walt Disney) we all knew the story of The Alamo and the heroic deaths of Davy Crocket and Jim Bowie against the overwhelming odds of Santa Anna’s Mexican Army, but most Canadians don’t know of the battle at Long Sault. Thankfully I did learn this history at my elementary school in grade 8. To me, this was Canada’s Alamo.  

Adam Dollard des Ormeaux and Anahotaha are two heroes of New France — and the start of Canada.