Siege of St. John's

Siege of St. John's
Part of Queen Anne's War
Extract of a 1744 map showing southeastern Newfoundland. Plaisance is marked in blue, St. John's and smaller English settlements are marked in red.
Date 1 February – 5 March 1705 Location St. John's, Newfoundland Result French assault called off after heavy losses
Belligerents
France  Mi'kmaq  Abenakis	England
Commanders and leaders
Daniel d'Auger de Subercase Josué Dubois Berthelot de Beaucours Chief Escumbuit Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville Jacques Testard de Montigny	John Moody Robert Latham
Strength
450 Marines and Canadian Militia	50–60 soldiers and militia
Casualties and losses
200	3 killed 200 civilians captured

The siege of St. John's was a failed attempt by French forces led by Daniel d'Auger de Subercase to take the fort at St. John's, Newfoundland during the winter months of 1705, in Queen Anne's War.^[1] Leading a mixed force of regulars, militia, and Indians, Subercase burned much of the town and laid an ineffectual siege against the fort for five weeks between late January and early March 1705. Subercase lifted the siege after running out of provisions and gunpowder.

The siege was part of a larger-scale expedition that was an attempt to repeat the highly destructive expedition led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1696. Many outlying English communities were destroyed by Subercase's men, leading to reprisal raids by the English. Fishing activities on both sides suffered for the duration of the war, which ended with the French cession of its claims to Newfoundland.