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Books, Maps & Other Resources  Quebec, Canada  Genealogy & History More Canadian Resources | More Quebec Resources BOOK - The Fortifications of Île Aux Noix, A portrait of the defensive strategy on the Upper Richelieu Border in the 18th and 19th centuries By André Charbonneau Published by Department of Canadian Heritage, Ottawa, 1994 
As a key element in Canada's defense strategy during the past two centuries, Île aux Noix has been the stuff of myth making. André Charbonneau, an historian with Parks Canada, has set the record straight with the first-ever detailed study of Île aux Noix and other military positions along Quebec's Richelieu River. His research casts new light on defence strategies that helped define our nation.Brief background on Île aux Noix
The book first examines how the fortifications proposed for Ile aux Noix were designed. The author shows this to be a complicated process, for the purpose for fortifying Ile aux Noix changed over time. At times, the fortifications were to serve as a supply point from which troops would advance south to raid the enemy. At other times, the fort was to serve as a defensive work to hold back the attacking force until a field army could be mobilized to protect Canada. The questions that were consonantly asked where; what are we trying to protect, why are we trying to protect this object, from what direction is the attack going to come, how much manpower can we station at the site, what materials are available to build with, what is the budget, how much time do we have to build the fortifications, and from what type of force are we preparing to defend against. The problem was that the answers kept on changing. The French in building their fort at Ile aux Noix designed it first as a fortified supply point for raids south into the Hudson River Valley. Then, they redesigned it as a major blocking point against a British attack down Lake Champlain against Montreal. When the British eventually attacked the fort, the French fort would prove too large for the garrison and orientated in the wrong direction to defend against the attack made on it. The British asked the same questions posed above when they went to build their fort at Ile aux Noix. It was at first to serve as a fall back position if the French launched an overwhelming attack down the St. Lawrence and recaptured Montreal. Then, it became the front line fort to defend against an American attack against Montreal. The result was a wealth of different designs proposed for the fortification at He aux Noix. The author discusses and illustrates a compendium of designs proposed by various British engineers for Ile aux Noix. He then traces the design and building of the fortification eventually approved for the island. Fort Lennox. Construction of Fort Lennox started in 1819 and was completed in 1829. Protected by a wet moat and encased within the earthen ramparts were six stone buildings: officer quarters, barracks, guard house, magazine, and store rooms. The fort would be garrisoned by the British Army until 1870. This book is a must for those interested in the design and building of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century fortifications. There are over 100 drawings plus photographs and maps that bring life to the text. An army of footnotes delve deeper into the story of Fort Lennox. Those who peruse the bibliography will find listed a gold mine of little known Canadian sources on fortifications. A great addition to any library that seeks to tell the story of fortifications. The books offered here are new and uncirculated originals. 382 Pages 6" X 9" Softcover Maps Fold out Fort Lennox plan/cross-section Illustrations Bibiography Appendix items (A-F) Published by Department of Canadian Heritage, Ottawa, 1994 ISBN-10: 0660151944 ISBN-13: 978-0660151946
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