Battles & Campaigns · 1762
Battle of Signal Hill
Signal Hill, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
What happened
A British force under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst fought French troops under Guillaume de Bellecombe, part of a French force holding St. John's. In the Seven Years' War, the French had captured St. John's in Newfoundland. A British force landed nearby and, before dawn on 15 September, climbed Signal Hill above the harbour and surprised the French guard. The French fell back to the town's fort, and three days later the garrison surrendered.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the last battle of the Seven Years' War in North America. The British kept St. John's, valued for its harbour and fisheries.
What came next
Signal Hill later became a National Historic Site of Canada.
Timeline
- 13 September 1762British troops land at Torbay.
- 15 September 1762The British take Signal Hill.
- 1897-1900Cabot Tower is built on the hill.
- 12 December 1901Marconi receives the first transatlantic wireless signal.