Imagine an "easy" way to travel over land from region to region. You'd choose to go by boat. You just sit there and paddle. No walking! Until you have to portage at a "carrying place." The Richelieu River gives you just the boulevard you'd desire. It gives you a path from Montreal south through the Quebec countryside to Lake Champlain, the Hudson River and New York City. You may be certain it has been used for just that purpose for centuries. Today, we follow in these same footsteps as we leave the Saint Lawrence and head to Lake Champlain.
And, as we will see, this route became the path for battles and warfare between factions. Starting in the 1600s, the French and the Iroquois fought each other using this route. Predecessor wooden structures controlled the Richelieu where Fort Chambly stands now. In the 1700s, the French and Indian War and the early Revolutionary War saw troop movement and battles focused on this area as well. And in the early 1800s, Americans and British fought here in the War of 1812.
Here you can see where we left the Saint Lawrence at Sorel and headed south. We spent the night of July 11 at Bassin de Chambly, where the boat symbol is on the picture. Saint Hillaire is notable because of the large hill just to the east of the River. Recall that there is a string of dormant volcanic intrusions stretching from Montreal's Mont Royal eastward to the White Mountains and the seamounts off the New England coast. The hill at Saint Hillaire is one of those intrusions.
On Thursday we head further south to the Canada - US border and Rouses Point, New York. But we have to get past a series of rapids and waterfalls by taking the Chambly Canal. There are 12 locks here that will carry us up to rejoin the Richelieu above the rapids.
Where the boat symbol is on this chart is where Fort Chambly was built. It has been restored and is a magnificent stone structure. It dominates the rapids, as you can see here.
It was impressive. It was built between 1709 and 1711 to protect New France from the threats of Great Britain. There were three wooden forts that occupied this site in the 1600s to serve in defending the French colonies of Quebec from the Iroquois.
Here are the rapids alongside the Fort.
And here is another photo of the Fort that shows just how substantial it was as an outpost to protect New France from the British.
You can see the "arrowslits" in the walls as well as the massive stone walls. The construction looks similar to what one might see in Quebec City.
Even the sides of the Fort away from the Richelieu River rapids were highly defensive. The French knew the British could be cunning and aggressive if they wanted the Fort.
By 1775 and 1776, the Americans attacked and took possession of Fort Chambly as well as Fort Saint-Jean and even Montreal. But they were unsuccessful in taking Quebec City.
British reinforcements counter-attacked the Americans and drove them south, back to the 45th parallel. As [art of this, General John Burgoyne arrived in Quebec in 1776 and led the effort to expel the Americans from Quebec. Burgoyne led his troops further south and lost decisive battles at Bennington and Saratoga.
After the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 brought troops and military interest to Fort Chambly again. By 1814, there were 6000 troops stationed at Fort Chambly. It became a staging area for attacking the U.S. on Lake Champlain.
Finally, in 1840, the British favored Saint-Jean over Chambly for military development. Fort Chambly was dismantled in 1869 after Canadian independence.
Many structures from the earl 1800s survive, including this former soldiers' barracks.
And the commandant's house.
Now it is time to travel south on the Chambly Canal around the rapids of the Richelieu River.
That's the next post!
Cheers,
Brio
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