Contrary to you I am not surprised there is no painting or illustration of this event as it is practically unknown to the public, the Phipps venture being remembered in history teaching only by Frontenac’s answer to the emissary.

I may already have some photos of the area but will have to check. In any event, i shall stop in Rivière-Ouelle on my next trip down the River sometimes in July probably.

In the mean time, you could contact me at my email address below for future exchanges of info and material on this matter.

By the way, we are close neighbors as I reside in Eastern Townships.

Gilbert Beaulieu
450-293-0247
beaug6@gmail.com

I do not know of any other painting or illustration of the Battle of Rivière-Ouelle other than the one in H. R. Casgrain’s book. I went to Rivière-Ouelle and Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière quite a few times and never saw anything of the like nor heard anything about such a production.I searched the Quebec archives and did not get any result.

I am positive that, with some research you could gather the proper information to create the scene.

R.-O. is on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The river is wide so the north bank appears as a thin line low on the horizon.

At the time of the event, most land concessions were along the St. Lawrence shore, east of the river, extending inland to the heart of the village. There was a road along the river and the houses, barns, etc. were visible from the ships. The shore being rocky, even at high tide, access was minimal. Some concessions were inland on the south of the R.-O. river

The R.O. river, upon reaching the village, is quite wide and runs N.N.W. towards the St. L. River, thus forming a somewhat narrow point of land at the mouth of the river.

R.-O was the first real village so far east on the St. L. River. No doubt that Phipps, following the English troops practice of the times, wanted to destroy it and the others further up on his way to Quebec.

Thus his throwing anchor and sending a few dozen men in row boats to do the job. The surprise he got plus the fact it was early fall made him haul anchor and go direct to Quebec.

Note, for the painting,
1. Phipps was supposedly leading around 40 to 50 ships, but the difficulty of going up the river against the strong flow and the generally southwest to northeast wind, his line of ships must have been extending many miles.They had been at sea for a few weeks after leaving Port-Royal and he probably saw an opportunity to give a break to his troops as much as getting free fresh food from the taken cattle, poultry, etc.

So a few ships in the background would set the scene. **These were not as big ships as the ones crossing the ocean. Some research on the internet, at the National Congress Library or the N.Y. Library could give you some designs of the ships of the era.

2. The soldiers were militia men hired for the venture, not wearing the regular army garb but more or less their usual clothing. Same for the sailors. Again a research for the clothing and arms of the period would give you the details needed for the assaillants.

3. Same for the clothing of the R.-O. inhabitants, though most of them would be partially hidden behind rocks or trees. By the way I am not that certain the priest Francheville was owning and holding a gun then as shown in the Casgrain illustration.

4. The scene could show the sailors holding 2-3 rowboats steady with their rows planted in the water, other on their way in, some soldiers already on the shore with others straddling the boats sides or already in the water with the ones on the shore expressing their surprise or turning to scramble back into the boats and a few helping the wounded ones, with maybe a few guns dropped on the ground.

Wouldn’t that make a beautiful painting?

I think I have illustrations of the inhabitants clothing of the era. I’ll look it up.

Genealogy wise, I am a descendant of Pierre Hudon dit Beaulieu from both his sons Nicolas (direct line) and Jean-Bernard. I have much info on the first Hudon generations and the origin in France.

Let me know if there is anything I may help you with.

Gilbert Beaulieu
beaug6@gmail.com
450-293-0247