There are several sites throughout the City of Saint John which portray our unique and varied military history. Fort La Tour, Fort Howe and Carleton Martello Tower are three of the most significant.

Fort La Tour
A national, as well as a provincial historic site, Portland Point, includes Fort La Tour. This small piece of ground is a testament to over 4000 years of New Brunswick history as archaeological digs have uncovered evidence of the burial of the early Red Paint Aboriginal People. The name of the site commemorates Charles de Saint Etienne de La Tour who, in 1631, constructed a fort and headquarters here for his trading concerns in Acadia. It is also the site of the dramatic story of Canada's first heroine. Rivalry between La Tour and Charles de Menou, Sieur d'Aulnay, who had been granted rights to what is now Nova Scotia, broke into open hostilities. There were several bloody confrontations but the climax came on April 16, 1645 when La Tour's wife, Francois Marie Jacquelin, was forced to lead the fight to repel d'Aulnay and his troops because her husband was in Boston. She and her men fought valiantly but were betrayed and the invaders gained entrance to the Fort. D'Aulnay treacherously murdered all of the defenders except Francois Marie who is reputed to have died shortly thereafter.

Fort LaTour Provincial and National Historic Site. Photo: Rob Roy

The site which is part of Harbour Passage, is now being studied for a multi-million dollar development by the Fort La Tour Development Authority.

Fort Howe
The story of Fort Howe does not include the human drama of Fort La Tour but its rocky cliffs are the site of some of the oldest rock formations in the world. The rocks found here were formed in North Africa more than one billion years ago. These ancient limestones broke away, were pushed by wind and current across the Atlantic Ocean until they collided with the North American continent where the force of the collision bound them together.

View of the Saint John Harbour from Fort Howe, circa 1915*

During the American Revolution, Fort Howe was built and manned by British soldiers to defend this area from American invaders and privateers. They were here to welcome and salute the boatloads of Loyalists when they arrived in Saint John. William Cobbett, described as "the most powerful writer England ever produced" was stationed here with the 54th Regiment. It was also here that he met Ann Reid, who was later to become his wife.

Fort Howe today.

As well as military duties, the soldiers acted as police and Fort Howe was the site of the first jail in Saint John.

Carleton Martello Tower
For many years, the west side of Saint John Harbour was a separate community called Carleton.

During the war of 1812, a military defense post was constructed by the British on the western side of St. John Harbour to provide protection against a feared American overland invasion. It was called Carleton Martello Tower. Sixteen martello towers were constructed in British North America. Today, Carleton Martello Tower is one of eleven of these architectural curiosities still standing. The prototype at 'Mortello Point', Corsica was built by the French and successfully withstood a British naval attack in 1794. In 1866, our Tower was supplied with guns and men to ward off the threat of attack by Fenians, a radical Irish-American group who hoped to capture British North America as ransom for Irish independence. Its final military duty occurred during the Second World War when the concrete superstructure was added to serve as a fire command post. It is maintained by National Historic Parks and is open to visitors in the summer months. Bilingual interpreters are on site. Family rates are available.

* Photos courtesy of Vintage Photo & Frame.

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