Saturday 11 April 2020

Guns of Fort Niagara

 From Old Fort Niagara's Facebook
'In normal times, the guns of the Dauphin Battery greet visitors as they make their way toward the Gate of Five Nations. The battery, named after the heir to the French throne, was constructed in 1756 to protect the approach to the gate and cover the road to Niagara Falls. Until the French and Indian War, Fort Niagara was armed only with relatively light artillery. After the defeat of General Braddock at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, 1755, several guns from Braddock’s captured artillery train were sent to Fort Niagara. New France’s Governor-General Vaudreuil noted In September 1755, “The artillery taken from the English at Fort Duquesne will remain at Niagara.” Braddock’s artillery arrived at Fort Niagara in March 1756. Four guns were mounted in the Dauphin Battery in late June or early July. Shortly thereafter, at least some of Niagara’s artillery was sent to the siege of Oswego. After that fort fell to the French in August, some of the newly captured guns were probably sent to Niagara. Today’s battery mounts 3 six-pounders and 2 twelve-pounders.'
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Old Fort Niagara .

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