Uncle Jean Tavernier dit Laforest — Killed in the Battle of Long Sault

Jean Tavernier dit Laforest dit la Hochetière, my 10th great-uncle, (Armurier or gunmaker)

Born: 1632 Chateau Richer, Quebec

Died: May 1660), at the Battle of Long Sault

Jean Tavernier was the second companion of Dollard des Ormeaux, who volunteered to defend the colony of the Iroquois peril in 1660. The day before his departure for the Long Sault, he had made his will by which he bequeathed at the church of Montreal four acres of land

From Wikipedia: 

THE BATTLE OF LONG SAULT occurred over a five-day period in early May 1660 during the Beaver Wars. It was fought between French colonial militia, with their Huron and Algonquin allies, against the Iroquois Confederacy.

Adam Dollard des Ormeaux was a 25-year-old commander of Ville-Marie's garrison. In April 1660, Dollard requested permission from Governor Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve to lead an expedition up the Ottawa River to attack a war party of Iroquois. 

Many Iroquois warriors were encamped along the Ottawa and were preparing to destroy the settlements of Ville-Marie, Quebec and Trois-Rivières. So in order to prevent this, Dollard would surprise and ambush the Iroquois before they could begin their campaign. 

Assembling a force of sixteen volunteer riflemen and four Algonquin warriors, including Chief Mituvemeg, the expedition left Montreal in late April with several canoes, filled with food, ammunition and weapons.

The journey through the waterways to the Long Sault rapids was slow, it reportedly took a week to get past the strong current just off of Montreal island and they had to pass through what is today known as the Lake of Two Mountains, and then the Ottawa. 

It was on or about May 1, 1660 when the expedition finally reached their destination. Deciding the area to be a good place for an ambush, the French and their allies occupied an old Algonquin fort along the Ottawa made up of trees planted in a circle and cut down to trunks. 

Forty Hurons, under their chief Etienne Annahotaha, arrived at the fort not long after the French, they were happily greeted and joined the garrison for defence. Dollard ordered his men to reinforce the fortification by building a palisade around the wall of tree trunks but preparations were not entirely completed by the time the Iroquois arrived.

THE BATTLE

Over 200 Iroquois warriors were camped a few miles from Long Sault, they first made their appearance by advancing down the Ottawa in a fleet of canoes. Among the 200 were several Huron slaves who fought alongside their captors. 

Two canoes carrying five warriors were spotted by the French so Dollard decided to lay an ambush at a place where the Iroquois were most likely to land. Assuming correctly, Dollard's men drove off the enemy with musket fire and four of the Iroquois were killed or wounded. 

After this first skirmish, the fleet of canoes came in sight and began landing men. An immediate assault was made upon the fort but the Iroquois were repulsed, they then started preparing for a siege by building their own fort and siege works. 

But first they requested a parley. Suspecting it to be a ruse for a surprise attack, Dollard refused to consult with the Iroquois. In response the Iroquois attacked the French canoes. Undefended, the canoes were broken into pieces, set on fire and then used in a second assault to burn the walls of the French fort. 

Again the French and their warrior allies resisted and defeated the attacking Iroquois. Many natives were killed in the second attack, including the Seneca commander.

When the Seneca chief fell dead, a few Frenchmen fought their way out of the fort to the chief's body where they cut his head off and placed it on the palisade. After their chief was killed, the Iroquois launched a third attack but it was also repulsed and as result, a canoe was sent up the river to another war party of 500 men, who were on their way to sack Ville-Marie. 

Abandoning the advance towards Ville-Marie, the 500 warriors proceeded to Long Sault. When they arrived, it was the fifth day of fighting, the natives constructed mantelets made from three logs attached together to form a shield from musketry. 

Before the arrival of reinforcements, the Huron slaves shouted to the Hurons within the fort, assuring them that they would be treated well if they abandoned the French. All of the Hurons, except the chief, deserted at this point and joined the Iroquois and their Huron slaves. Deserting proved to be a mistake, all but five of the Hurons were killed, the remaining returned to Ville-Marie where they relayed the story of the defeat to the French colonists. 

When a fourth and final attack was launched, the Iroquois advanced with their mantelets ahead of them. The French and their allies could not hold out any longer, their corn dust food and muddy water was nearly exhausted. When within range, the French opened fire but the mantelets were capable of stopping the incoming musket balls.

With knives and axes the Iroquois hacked a breach through the fort's walls and started pouring in while others climbed on top of the structure for the attack. 

Standing atop one of the walls, Dollard ignited a keg of gunpowder which he intended to throw over the wall onto the Iroquois but when the bomb left his hands, it struck the palisade and exploded within the fort, killing or wounding many of the defenders. 

When the Iroquois were finally inside, Dollard and the others were quickly overpowered. Four Frenchmen were found alive: three of them were seriously wounded and burned alive within the fort, and the fourth was taken prisoner before being tortured and killed later on.

See the rest of the story at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Sault#/media/File:Battle_of_Long_Sault_1660.jpg

LINEAGE:

Jean Tavernier dit Laforest dit la Hochetière (1632 - 1660) — 10th great-uncle

Eloi Tavernier (1596 - 1651) — Father of Jean Tavernier dit la Hochetière

Marguerite Tavernier (1627 - 1697) — Daughter of Eloi Tavernier

Pierre Gravel (1647 - 1677) — Son of Marguerite Tavernier

Augustin (Lieutenant ) Gravel (1677 - 1736) — Son of Pierre Gravel

Joseph Placide Gravel (1721 - 1769) — Son of Augustin (Lieutenant ) Gravel

Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere (1757 - 1779) — Daughter of Joseph Placide Gravel

Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier) dit Lagacé (Lagasse) (1776 - 1840) — Son of Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere

Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé (Lagace) (1808 - 1883) — Daughter of Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier) dit Lagacé (Lagasse)

Lucy Passino (Pinsonneau) (1836 - 1917) — Daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé (Lagace) — my 2nd great-grandmother