Maritimes - Fort Edward

Fort Edward is located in Windsor, Nova Scotia. It was an important British fort and was built to withstand Mi'kaq, Acadian and French attacks. In 1750, the British failed to take the Acadian settlements of Chignecto (the ithsmus between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) and ordered the local Acadians to burn down thier Catholic church so a fort could be built on the strategically positioned land.

After the Battle of Fort Beausejour in 1755 (go here for my post), Fort Edward was the central point where local Acadians were rounded up during the Bay of Fundy campaign. More than 7000 Acadians were sent away during this event. During the expulsion there were Acadian and Mi'kmaq raids on the fort, which did damage a warehouse. These raids were for nought.

During the American Revolution and the War of 1812, the fort was garrisoned and used to house privateer prisoners of war.

During WW1, the fort was used as a training base. In particular it was the site used to train the Jewish Legion. They were to be used to free the Palastinian area from the Ottoman Empire and they participated in the Jordanian Valley actions in 1918.

In 1920 the fort became a national historic site. In 1992 the blockhouse was designated a federal heritage building and is the oldest surviving blockhouse in North America. Here is a look at the inner architecture of the blockhouse.