Fort St. Jean
|
Fort LaTour was fortified with a garrison of fifty men who, under Francoise Marie Jacquelin, had repulsed the forces of Sieur d'Aulnay de Charnisay, a French seigneur based in Port Royal, many times during the absence of her husband, Sieur Charles LaTour.However, Francoise Marie Jacquelin and her men were eventually defeated, and the fort destroyed.
"HEROINE OF ACADIE"
Fort St. Jean, located in St. John, New Brunswick was built by Charles de Saint-Etienne de LaTour, who fought to preserve the colony of Acadia through many adversities.
LaTour built his fort at the mouth of where now stands the city of Saint John. It was to be a strong bastian against his rival d'Aulnay and a suitable home for his bride Francoise.
Francoise Marie Jacquelin was born in Nogent-le-Rotrou, a town on the border of Normandy and the Loire, 145 kilometers west of Paris.
It was she who led the desperate defense of Fort St.Jean on April 16,1645 when it was attacked by d'Aulnay.
The Capuchins claim she was interred somewhere behind the fort in the same general area as the soldier's grave.
Somewhere as yet undiscovered behind the ruins of Fort St.Jean lie the remains of
________________________________________________________________
"Her sultry figure to this day still
walks the imaginary palisades at night.
Her eyes searching the bay for her love
to return and be by her side to fight.
Her tears glitter in the moon lite sky
as she holds a pink rose to her breast.
Never will she surrender Fort Saint-Jean,
victory is her only quest.
Through the silence of the nightly shadows
fifty-two souls you can hear.
The rattling of sabers... the breaching of
muskets and the painful screams torture the ear.
Betrayed by men of God on that most holy day
they fought to the end.
She had become through destiny their leader
and in her heart she was also their friend.
Few know of this lady of courage and the
sacrifice they all made on this faithful day.
Yet never do I paddle by without lowering
my head and for her I always pray.
For three days she valiantly fought off her
foe in this murderous act of sin.
She is and always will be our Heroine of
l'Acadie...Francoise Marie Jacquelin.
|