Battle of Saint-Eustache

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Saint-Eustache


caption=Government troops scatter the insurgents and torch the church at the "Battle of Saint-Eustache".
partof=the Lower Canada Rebellion
date=December 14, 1837
place=Saint-Eustache, Quebec
result=British Victory In 1837
combatant1=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
Loyal volunteers
combatant2=
commander1=John Colborne (army)
Maximilien Globenski (volunteers)
commander2=Jean-Olivier Chénier †
strength1=1,280 regulars
220 militia
6 guns
strength2=200 militia
casualties1=3 dead
casualties2=70 dead
120 capturedref|losses|

The Battle of Saint-Eustache, fought on December 14, 1837, was a decisive battle in the Lower Canada Rebellion in which British forces defeated the principle remaining Patriotes camp at Saint-Eustache.

Prelude

After the victory at Saint-Charles, the British were in a position to prepare attacks on Patriote camps to the north, including those at Saint-Benoît and Saint-Eustache. The British army, led by John Colborne, numbered 1,280 regular soldiers, an artillery with cannons, and 220 Loyalist volunteers. The Patriote organization was primitive; many members did not even have firearms. They thought they could get 800 combatants, but eventually fielded only 200 men, led by Jean-Olivier Chénier and Amury Girod. They lay barricaded in the convent, the church, the rectory and the manor in the centre of the village. Amury Girod left as the skirmish was sparked, supposedly to get reinforcements at Saint-Benoît. Suspected of treason, fellow Patriotes went after him, and he would eventually commit suicide.

Battle

At the battle site, Colborne placed his troops around the village and had his soldiers advance systematically to tighten the vice on the defenders. Towards noon, he ordered the artillery to open fire on the centre of the village and then to advance up the main street and break down the doors of the church, where many Patriotes had taken refuge. Two companies of the 2nd Regiment were able to take the rectory nearby, and they set it on fire so that the smoke would make it difficult for those defending the church to see. The grenadiers of the 1st Regiment then took the manor and set it on fire as well. They were then able to enter the church through the vestry, which they also torched prior to withdrawing under the fire of the Patriotes in the balcony. Caught in the burning church, the Patriotes tried to get out by jumping from the windows, where Jean-Olivier Chénier finally attempted an escape. However, he was swiftly killed to the cry of "Remember Weir!", a reference to George Weir. At this point the British troops made a final assault in a merciless struggle. This disastrous battle for the Patriotes lasted at least 4 hours; 70 Patriotes were killed, against only three British soldiers.

Aftermath

In the days that followed, soldiers and volunteers terrorized the county of Deux-Montagnes. Saint-Eustache and Saint-Benoît were looted and burned. In Saint-Joachim, Sainte-Scholastique and Sainte-Thérèse, the army burned the houses of the rebellion's leaders.

Some of the rebels tried to make it to the American border. But hundreds were taken prisoner. Patriote leaders Dr. Wolfred Nelson and the journalist Jean-Philippe Boucher-Belleville were among them.

Note

The church was burnt and destroyed, except for the facade, which still exists today. The rest of the church has been rebuilt. The facade still shows the marks of British cannon impacts.

External links

* [http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/page_426.asp?flash=1 The British Strike North of Montreal]