The governor of New France was Count Frontenac, a man of action, keen, fiery, and daring, a splendid executive, an able commander, and well called the Father of New France. Gathering his Frenchmen and Indians as quickly as possible, Frontenac formed three war parties on the St. Lawrence in the winter of 1689-90. Click here for a 15-minute video posted on June 15, 2024 by Classic History about the French and Indian Wars that followed.

The army at Montreal was to march against Albany; that at Three Rivers was to ravage the frontier of New Hampshire, and that at Quebec the frontier of Maine, home of the Abenaki Indians.

Fontanac’s army was successful in capturing Quebec and much of Northern New England before the English fought back, regaining much of their lost territory and ending the War in 1697.

Philip of Anjou was then proclaimed as the King of Spain in November 1700 and began Queen Anne’s War, moving into French terretory in Detroit and Louisiana. A band of French and Indians attacked the settlement at Deerfield in 1704 resulting in the death of 49 and the capture of 100.