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#11 Fort BeausejourTo counteract the English building Fort Lawrence, the Governor General of New France, Jacques-Pierre de la Jonquiere ordered the construction of Fort Beausejour. The Fort was built to the west of Fort Lawrence at Point-a-Beausejour. This site overlooks the Missaguash River and the Cumberland Basin.
Fort Beausejour was named after an early settler, construction started in April of 1751. Lieutenant Gaspart-Joseph de Lery was in charge of the construction phase. The Fort consisted of palisade walls in the shape of a pentagon with fiove metre high earthwork and bastions at the angles.
By 1754 Fort Beausejour was a much more substantial structure then the nearby Fort Lawrence. Fort Beausejour had four inside casements, a powder magazine, barracks, officer quarters, and could house 800 men. On the outskirts of the fortress there homes, stores, a hospital, and a church.
Fort Beausejour was captured by the English on June 16, 1755 and was renamed Fort Cumberland. The fortress saw action during the Eddy Rebellion of 1776 but was abandoned in 1835. It was restored in the 1920's and is one of the province's most important historic sites.
background by Cleadie / man with quill graphic by J. O'Donovan
Page mounted: 11 Sep 1999
Updated:Sunday, 01-Apr-2007 09:56:42 MDT