York Factory
La Pérouse then collected most of the company's small boats, and sailed for York Factory, a company outpost on a peninsula between the Hayes and Nelson Rivers, on August 11. According to Pérouse's report, he arrived in the area, about 5 leagues (15 miles; 24 km) from York, on August 20. The fort's defenses faced the Hayes River, where the company ship King George was anchored, and the fast-flowing Hayes River would have made an approach there impractical in the face of that opposition.
La Pérouse sailed into the mouth of the Nelson, and moved the troops to the smaller company ships on August 21 to prepare for an amphibious landing, with the plan of approaching the fort from the rear, a distance of about 16 miles (26 km). He then proceeded with his engineer to take soundings in the Nelson River, and discovered that even the smaller boats would have difficulty approaching proper land due to its shallowness. His small boat then became mired in mud by the receding tide, and did not become freed until 3 am the next morning. Captain Langle then proposed to Major Rostaing, the commander of the troops, that they cross the muddy shallows on foot. He was agreeable, and the troops then set out to across the shallows. Unknown to them, conditions improved only marginally once land was reached, and they spent the next two days wading through bogs and muck to reach the fort. While they did this, La Pérouse returned to the fleet, because bad weather was threatening the safety of the fleet. Both frigates lost their anchors when sharp rocks underwater cut through their cables in the turbulent conditions.
York Factory was occupied by 60 white men and 12 Indians. When the French ships were spotted, Governor Humphrey Marten loaded trade goods onto the King George so they would not fall into French hands. When the French arrived on August 24, Marten surrendered the fort. (Although La Pérouse sent a frigate after the King George when she sailed off during the night after the fleet's arrival, her captain, Jonathan Fowler, successfully eluded the pursuit due to his superior knowledge of the shallow waters of the bay.) Major Rostaing took the British of the garrison prisoner, destroyed what goods he could not take, and burned the wooden fort to the ground. He was careful to preserve a cache of supplies for use by Indians that came to fort to trade. (These acts of kindness and others by La Pérouse in the treatment of his captives brought him recognition from Hearne, Louis XVI, and the British government.)
La Pérouse did not learn of the capitulation until August 26, and continuing bad weather and difficulties with the frigates meant that he did not effect a junction with Rostaing until August 31. The terms of capitulation included the surrender of Fort Severn, another small outpost. He chose not to actually go to Fort Severn on account of the lateness of the season and the poor condition of his ships and men, who were suffering from scurvy and other maladies. During the process of loading goods and supplies onto the fleet, five small boats overturned and 15 men drowned.
Read more about this topic: Hudson Bay Expedition, Expedition
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