BATTLE OF SIGNAL HILL

The 'Battle of Signal Hill' (September 15, 1762) was the final battle of the French and Indian War and forced the French to surrender St. John's to the British under the command of Colonel William Amherst.

Contents

French occupation

The battle

Consequence

Further reading

French occupation

On June 27 1762, French forces under Comte d'Haussonville forced the British capitulation of St. John's. During the following weeks, d'Haussonville, under the orders of the Chevalier de Ternay, was able to consolidate the French position in Newfoundland. His defence system consisted of several advanced posts, equipped with artillery, around Signal Hill.
But on September 13 1762, Ternay and Haussonville were unable to counter the enemy landing at Torbay, a few miles to the north. In order to hamper the British advance, they dispatched a detachment to guard the bare summit of Signal Hill, a strategic point dominating the entire surroundings.

The battle

At dawn on September 15 1762, British troops climbed the hill held by the French.
The surprise was total, and the engagement brief but fatal. The commander of the French detachment, Guillaume de Bellecombe, was seriously wounded. On the British side, a bullet shattered the legs of one of Amhert's officers, MacDonell. The French withdrew to the fort.

Consequence

At the close of the battle, Signal Hill was in the hands of the British. Strengthened by this advantageous situation, they obtained the capitulation of the French garrison of St. John's 3 days later.

Further reading

★ Georges Cerbelaud-Salagnac, ''La reprise de Terre-Neuve par les Français en 1762'', revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer, tome LXIII, 1976, numéro 231

★ Major Evan W. H. Fyers, ''The Loss and Recapture of St.John's, Newfoundland, in 1762,'' Army Historical Research, Volume XI, 1932

★ André de Visme, ''Terre-Neuve 1762 : Dernier combat aux portes de la Nouvelle-France'', Montréal, 2005 (ISBN = 2-9808847-0-7)