In May 1745, the fort was first under siege by New England troupes consisting of 4,000 colonials in ninety ships under the command of William Pepperell, the owner of a shipping line. Only the boat blocking entry into the harbor, commanded by Sir Peter Warren, was British in origin. One thousand four hundred French soldiers directed by Governor Louis DuPont Duchambon, as well as 2,000 inhabitants of Louisbourg fought against some 8,000 English. After a several week battle, the French surrendered the fortress to the English. The city was therefore completely occupied by New England troupes which were later replaced by British troupes.

With the « Traité d’Aix-la-Chapelle » of 1748, the French regained Cape Breton in 1749 and reinforced Louisbourg’s fortifications.

The second siege of Louisbourg took place in the summer of 1758. General Amherst headed the British troupes, but it was General Wolfe who systematically and vigorously ran the city’s siege. This time around, Louisbourg was better prepared for the attack. The French soldiers had high spirits, there was plenty of food and guns, and the population had grown to 8,000 people. This second battle went on for 2 months until July 26th when the French governor, Chevalier de Drucour, surrendered to Admiral Edward Boscawen. With this victory, the British not only gained Cap-Breton, but Prince-Edward-Island as well.

During the next decade, Louisbourg was a British garrison city. However another port, established in Halifax, served better the British than Louisbourg’s port and fearing that the French would reclaim the fort, the British dismantled the

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