"New France" consisted of the area colonized and ruled by France in North America from the 16th to the 18th century. At its peak in the early 18th century its territory was huge, stretching from Newfoundland to the Gulf of Mexico. This title reviews the lengthy chain of forts built to guard the French frontier in the American northeast from the province of Quebec through New York State to Pennsylvania and Indiana. Among the sites examined are forts Chambly, St. Frédéric (Crown Point), Carillon (Ticonderoga), Duquesne (Pittsburgh, PA), Ouiatenon (Quebec) and Vincennes (IN).
These forts, some of them well-preserved and popular tourist destinations, ranged from large and elaborate, stone-built structures with classic, Vauban-style elements, to little more than cabins surrounded by stockades. Some, such as Chambly, looked more like medieval castles in their earliest forms. Formerly Senior Curator with National Historic Sites of Canada, historian René Chartrand examines the different fort-types and the French military technology that went into their construction, and describes the strategic vision that led to their construction, their part in the conflicts with the British colonies in the east and the Indian nations of the interior, and their effect on trade.

René Chartrand was born in Montreal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and books including almost 20 Osprey titles and the first two volumes of ‘Canadian Military Heritage’. Also a student of wines, he currently lives in Hull, Quebec, with his wife and two sons.

Rene Chartrand's profile page

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“This volume follows the author's French Fortresses in North America 1535-1763... The earlier book described the defenses of Louisbourg, Quebec, Montreal and New Orleans; this one covers the smaller French forts between Newfoundland and the Ohio River Valley.... Covering a wide range of styles and locations, this is an excellent book on an interesting subject. I highly recommend it.” —Bolling Smith, Coast Defense Journal (September 2008)
“Rene Chartrand's The Forts of New France in Northeast American 1600-1763 is for any library strong in early military technology. It covers the area ruled by France in North America from the 16th to the 18th centuries, discussing for design, technology and defensive strategies and providing full-color illustrations: maps, charts and photos.” —The Bookwatch (September 2008)
“In this book, author Rene Chartrand covers the methods of construction as well as the major parts of ... fortresses. Every site that has had a fortress built upon it is covered to some extent ... To help us visualize what some of these may have been like, Brian Delf has provided superlative illustrations of not only the physical layout, but also some of the action that took place at these locales. Overall, another fine book in this series and one that should be on the shelves of anyone interested in this particular time and place in North American history.” —Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (September 2008)
“This book is a must for those interested in the struggle between the French and English in America during the 17th and 18th centuries, especially since there are few other books available on this topic.” —J.E. Kauffman, SiteO Newsletter (June 2008)