Avalon Peninsula Campaign The Avalon Peninsula Campaign occurred during King Williams War when forces of New France , led by Pierre Le Moyne d ' Iberville , destroyed 23 English settlements along the coast of the Avalon Peninsula , Newfoundland in the span of three months . The campaign began with raiding Ferryland on November 10 , 1696 and continued along the coast until they raided the village of Heart ' s Content ( See Map of the Campaign ' s raids and battles . ) After the Siege of Pemaquid ( 1696 ) , d ' Iberville along with Father Jean Baudoin led a force of Canadians , Acadians , Mi ' kmaq and Abanakis in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign . They destroyed almost every English settlement in Newfoundland , over 100 English were killed , many times that number captured , and almost 500 deported to England or France . Historical context . During this time period , the only French settlement on Newfoundland was Plaisance . Prior to the arrival of d ' Iberville , Newfoundland ' s French Governor de Brouillon ordered a French naval squadron under Chevalier Nesmond to lay siege to St . John ' s in retaliation for earlier English attacks . In 1694 , Nesmond set sail from Plaisance to lay siege St . John ' s . This siege was unsuccessful . Two years later , however , the French made a second attempt . On September 12 , 1696 , Quebec ' s Governor Frontenac sent Pierre Le Moyne Sieur d ' Iberville to Newfoundland . The previous August , d ' Iberville had just been victorious in the Siege of Pemaquid , on the coast of present - day Maine . The campaign . The Newfoundland campaign involved a novel strategy : both a land and sea assault of the villages . D ' Iberville attacked by land while Sieur de Brouillan attacked by sea . D ' Iberville ' s strategy of attacking the settlement by land was the first recorded in Newfoundland and , as a result , the port villages were only prepared for an assault by sea . D ' Iberville left Placentia on All Saints ' Day ( November 1 ) with his detachment of 124 men ; soldiers , Acadians , and Indians . It was an , nine - day march across the Avalon Peninsula . Siege of Ferryland . On September 9 , Sieur de Brouillan began the Siege of Ferryland . D ' Iberville arrived on November 10 , the troops sacked Ferryland . Meanwhile , the 110 people of Ferryland fled to Bay Bulls and set about fortifying it . Raid on Cape Broyle . D ' Iberville set out against Bay Bulls using the small boats he had taken in Ferryland . On his way Cape Broyle was captured on November 12 . Raid on Bay Bulls . He then captured Bay Bulls on November 24 , including a 100 - ton merchant ship . Raid on Petty Harbour . On November 24 , after a three - hour march from Bay Bulls , d ' Iberville met up with his group of 20 scouts who had been sent to study the approaches to St . John ' s . Two days later , he encountered a detachment of 30 English soldiers posted on a hilltop near Petty Harbour . On November 26 , d ' Iberville charged and the enemy surrendered immediately . D ' Iberville and his men were in command of the small port just eight kilometres south of St . John ' s . However , some colonists from Petty Harbour escaped to St . John ' s , where they alerted its residents . Siege of St . John ' s . As d ' Iberville marched into St . John ' s from Petty Harbour , English residents marched out the Waterford Valley to meet and repel the French . A pitched battle occurred in the Waterford Valley ( Burnt Wood ) and on the Heights of Kilbride ( November 28 ) . Of the 88 English defenders , 34 died in the battle . The English broke ranks and hastily retreated to St . John ' s . As d ' Iberville approached St . John ' s , the English settlers scattered . Many sailed away , others escaped to the forests . A number of settlers and soldiers took refuge in Fort William . For three days the French laid siege to Fort William . On November 30 , the English commander , Governor Miners , surrendered on condition that the English be allowed to leave St . John ' s . 230 men , women and children were sent off in a ship and duly arrived in Dartmouth , England . However a further 80 refugees were drowned when their ship foundered off the coast of Spain . After destroying St . John ' s , the French marched on Torbay ( December 2 ) , and Portugal Cove ( December 5 and January 13 ) . Internal struggles between de Brouillan and d ' Iberville over the spoils of war followed . On December 25 de Brouillan left for Plaisance . The French burnt 80 shallops in the harbour ( January 2 ) . Raid on Conception Bay . The villages on Conception Bay were the next targets . Holyrood ( January 19 ) was first followed by Harbour Main ( January 20 ) and Port de Grave ( January 23 ) . Battle of Carbonear . On January 24 , 1697 , two hundred permanent residents of Carbonear withdrew to Carbonear Island and successfully fended off the French and Indian attack on January 31 . D ' Iberville had only 70 men , the rest were dispersed in local skirmishes , holding villages and prisoners . Leaving Carbonear d ' Iberville then attacked Old Perlican ( February 4 ) , Bay de Verde ( February 6 ) , Hants Harbour ( February 7 ) , New Perlican and Hearts Content ( February 9 ) . In many cases the local fishermen had fled to Carbonear . There was an unsuccessful attempt at a prisoner exchange ( February 18 ) . Frustrated , d ' Iberville then sacked Brigus ( February 11 ) and Port de Grave ( February 11 ) . Carbonear Island continued to hold out but d ' Iberville torched their evacuated settlement on February 28 before leaving . D ' Iberville then headed to Heart ' s Content before walking in a small group across the Avalon Peninsula isthmus . He arrived March 4 at Plaisance . D ' Iberville then picked up his spoils of war , his scattered troops and approximately 200 prisoners at Bay Boulle ( March 18 - May 18 ) . French attacks by sea on the remnants of the settlements continued into the spring ( March 27 - April 19 ) . Aftermath . D ' Iberville never returned to Newfoundland . These raids devastated the English settlements of Newfoundland . Every English settlement in Newfoundland had been destroyed and the English colony had been depopulated , except for Bonavista , which D ' Iberville did not reach and the island holdout at Carbonear . Estimates of eighty percent of the families were killed , deserted the village , were taken prisoner or were deported . However the English were able to recapture their Newfoundland territory in summer of 1697 with a strong relief force of 1500 troops . They found St . John ' s and all the English harbours on the Avalon abandoned , pillaged and every building destroyed . The English slowly began to rebuild and resettle . As a result of the campaign , the English government created permanent defences for Newfoundland . Previously the English had not built permanent fortifications or garrisons in Newfoundland as it was regarded as a seasonal fishing base . However d ' Iberville ' s devastating campaign had demonstrated the threat to the poorly defended colony . The following year construction began on professionally engineered fortifications at Fort William . D ' Iberville continued his battles with the English , with the Battle of Hudson ' s Bay . References . Endnotes