Chapter VIII

“William Shirley,” said Grandfather, “had come from England a few years before, and begun to practise law in Boston.  You will think, perhaps, that, as he had been a lawyer, the new governor used to sit in our great chair, reading heavy law-books from morning till night.  On the contrary, he was as stirring and active a governor as Massachusetts ever had.  Even Sir William Phips hardly equalled him.  The first year or two of his administration was spent in trying to regulate the currency.  But, in 1744, after a peace of more than thirty years, war broke out between France and England.”

“And I suppose,” said Charley, “the governor went to take Canada.”

“Not exactly, Charley,” said Grandfather, “though you have made a pretty shrewd conjecture.  He planned, in 1745, an expedition against Louisbourg.  This was a fortified city, on the Island of Cape Breton, near Nova Scotia.  Its walls were of immense height and strength, and were defended by hundreds of heavy cannon.  It was the strongest fortress which the French possessed in America; and if the king of France had guessed Governor Shirley’s intentions, he would have sent all the ships he could muster, to protect it.”

As the siege of Louisbourg was one of the most remarkable events that ever the inhabitants of New England were engaged in, Grandfather endeavored to give his auditors a lively idea of the spirit with which they set about it.  We shall call his description

THE PROVINCIAL MUSTER

The expedition against Louisbourg first began to be thought of in the month of January.  From that time, the governor’s chair was continually surrounded by counsellors, representatives, clergymen, captains, pilots, and all manner of people, with whom he consulted about this wonderful project.

First of all, it was necessary to provide men and arms.  The legislature immediately sent out a huge quantity of paper money, with which, as if by magic spell, the governor hoped to get possession of all the old cannon, powder and balls, rusty swords and muskets, and every thing else that would be serviceable in killing Frenchmen.  Drums were beaten in all the villages of Massachusetts, to enlist soldiers for the service.  Messages were sent to the other governors of New England, and to New York and Pennsylvania, entreating them to unite in this crusade against the French.  All these provinces agreed to give what assistance they could.

But there was one very important thing to be decided.  Who shall be the General of this great army?  Peace had continued such an unusual length of time, that there was now less military experience among the colonists, than at any former period.  The old Puritans had always kept their weapons bright, and were never destitute of warlike captains, who were skilful in assault or defence.  But the swords of their descendants had grown rusty by disuse.  There was nobody in New England that knew any thing about sieges, or any other regular fighting.  The only persons, at all acquainted with warlike business, were a few elderly men, who had hunted Indians through the underbrush of the forest, in old Governor Dummer’s war.