Battle of Saint-Eustache

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Saint-Eustache was a decisive battle in the Lower Canada Rebellion in which government forces defeated the principal remaining Patriotes camp at Saint-Eustache on December 14, 1837.

After the victory at Saint-Charles, the government forces were in a position to prepare attacks on Patriote camps to the north, including those at Saint-Benoît and Saint-Eustache. The government force, led by John Colborne, numbered 1,280 regular soldiers from the 1st and 32nd Regiments of Foot and reinforced by the newly arrived 83rd Regiment of Foot, supported by artillery and 220 Loyalist volunteers. The Patriote organization was primitive; many members did not even have firearms. They thought they could get 800 combatants, but eventually fielded only 201 men, led by Jean-Olivier Chénier and Amury Girod. They lay barricaded in the convent, the church, the rectory and the manor in the centre of the village.

Amury Girod left as the skirmish was sparked, supposedly to get reinforcements at Saint-Benoît. Suspected of treason, fellow Patriotes went after him, and he would eventually commit suicide.

At the battle site, Colborne placed his troops around the village and had his soldiers advance systematically to tighten the vice on the defenders. Towards noon, he ordered the artillery to open fire on the centre of the village and then to advance up the main street and break down the doors of the church, where many Patriotes had taken refuge. Two companies of the 1st Regiment of Foot were able to take the rectory nearby, and they set it on fire so that the smoke would make it difficult for those defending the church to see. The grenadiers of the 1st Regiment of Foot then took the manor and set it on fire as well. They were then able to enter the church through the vestry, which they also torched prior to withdrawing under the fire of the Patriotes in the balcony. Caught in the burning church, the Patriotes tried to get out by jumping from the windows, where Jean-Olivier Chénier finally attempted an escape. However, he was swiftly killed. The government forces fired at the rebels as they jumped out the windows to escape the fire. At this point the government troops made a final assault in a merciless struggle. This disastrous battle for the Patriotes lasted at least 4 hours; 70 Patriotes were killed, against only three government soldiers.

In the days that followed, soldiers and volunteers scoured the county of Deux-Montagnes. Saint-Eustache and Saint-Benoît were burned in a fire. In Saint-Joachim, Sainte-Scholastique and Sainte-Thérèse, the army burned the houses of the rebellion's leaders.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Saint-Eustache lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Saint-Eustache

Engine Arm Aqueduct, Warley

Scheduled monument · ~1.5 mi

Engine Arm Aqueduct, Warley, is a navigable aqueduct constructed in the late eighteenth century to carry the Engine Arm Canal across the Smestow Brook valley in Staffordshire. Built as part of the broader canal network expansion during the Industrial Revolution, the aqueduct demonstrates the engi…

Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Smeaton's Summit Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~2.1 mi

I do not have reliable established information in the scholarly record about Smeaton's Summit Bridge in Staffordshire with the confidence required to write a factually precise description. Rather than risk introducing unverified details, I would need access to the specific NHLE entry 1005903 and…

Brianboru100 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sandwell Priory, a Benedictine monastery

Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Sandwell Priory is a Benedictine monastery founded in the twelfth century in Staffordshire, England. The priory was established as a dependency of the Norman abbey at Worcester and became a centre of monastic life until its dissolution during the Reformation. The surviving remains, situated withi…

Sjwells53 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Perry Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~2.6 mi

Perry Bridge is a medieval stone bridge located in Staffordshire. The structure dates to the medieval period and represents an important example of bridge engineering from that era. As a scheduled monument, it reflects the significant medieval infrastructure development in the region and continue…

Oosoom / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Chances Glassworks, Smethwick

Scheduled monument · ~2.8 mi

Chances Glassworks is a nineteenth-century glass manufacturing facility located in Smethwick, Staffordshire. The works were established in the mid-nineteenth century and became significant as a centre of glass production during the Victorian industrial period. The site retains structures associat…

Row17 / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Roman forts at Metchley

Scheduled monument · ~3 mi

Metchley is a Roman fort situated near Birmingham in Warwickshire, England, dating to the late first century AD. The fort was established during the Roman advance into the Midlands, likely in the late 70s or early 80s AD, and served as a strategic military installation during the campaigns of Agr…

Chris Allen / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Other modern Battles

Battles near Battle of Saint-Eustache

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• Battle of Saint-Eustache · Wikipedia