For the French, the bitter end was clearly at hand. As the New Englanders and their British naval brethren formulated plans for a final combined-arms assault on the fortress, Duchambon attempted to weigh his options. There were none. On June 26th, all firing ceased while the French considered terms of surrender. Much of the town was in ruins with many breaches in the fortifications. Of the estimated 1,300 defenders, 50 were dead and 80 to 95 too badly wounded to be of further service in defending the walls. Powder was running low and many cannon had been dismounted or destroyed. Morale within the town could only be described as that of unremitting despair. Everyone, from the commander down to the meanest inhabitant, had had enough. At a council of war the members voted unanimously to capitulate. Duchambon sent the following note to Pepperell and Warren:

Desirous of putting a stop to acts of hostility; and prevent the effusion of blood on one side and on the other, I send you an officer of our garrison to deliver you the present [letter], in order to desire on you a suspension of arms, for so long a time as shall be needful for me to make proposals to you, upon the conditions of which I shall determine to deliver up to you, the place which the King my master has entrusted me with.

On June 28th, surrender terms were agreed upon. The French were extended the full honors of war and were allowed to march out of the city under arms with drums beating and flags flying. That same afternoon, Warren and Pepperell entered the city and took formal possession of Louisbourg. Thus passed from French possession the most formidable fortress in North America, wrested from their grasp by an improvised force of New England "amateurs" and British professionals.

Louisbourg's Vulnerability During the Occupation

With the fall of Louisbourg, the French threat was diminished, but not eliminated. The great fortress needed to be garrisoned with sufficient numbers of troops to prevent it from falling back into the hands of any French relief expedition that should arrive. This was a problem for Governor Shirley as his army rapidly began to evaporate. With the French soldiers and inhabitants now embarked to France, the victorious New Englanders now fell prey to bad weather, epidemics, and homesickness. Most of the soldiers had enlisted on the strength that they would be discharged upon the taking of Louisbourg. Many of them had expected much booty and plunder to be had. Those who were disappointed in this respect lent their voices to the increasing rumblings of discontent that could be heard. The threat of mutiny was taken seriously enough so as to necessitate Governor Shirley himself to go to Louisbourg to mollify the troops with promises of more money.

Pepperell had already sent home around 700 men who were either sick or had pressing family business. At the same time he requested reinforcements, fearing that the French would be back at any time to reconquer the place. The British promised a reinforcement of troops from Gibralter, but they were very slow in coming. By the end of January, 1746, 561 men had died at Louisbourg and 1,100 were sick. The New England Garrison was reduced to 1,900 men, counting the sick, and the regiments from Gibralter would not arrive until April. The situation was a dangerous one if the French should reappear.

In April, 1746, the remaining New Englanders of the initial invasion force were at last relieved and sent back to New England. The relief force consisted of two newly-raised regiments, one raised by Pepperell, the other raised by Shirley, and the two regiments from Gibralter. For the remainder of the war the garrison's strength would range in effectives from 2,500 to 1,800.

On May 22, 1746, the garrison consisted of the following:

Fuller . 613
Warburton 613
Shirley . 517
Pepperell 417
Artillery 64
Framlon 300
Total 2524

King George's War 1744-1748

Declaration of War
The Siege of Louisbourg
The Capitulation of Louisbourg
Plans for Further Conquests
The Border Wars
The Peace of Aix-La-Chapelle
Conclusions and Critique