Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)

Fort Saint-Jean (Québec)
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada
Fort Saint-Jean on Richelieu River in Quebec circa 1748
Coordinates	45°17′46″N 73°15′7″W / 45.29611°N 73.25194°W / 45.29611; -73.25194
Type	Fort
Site information
Controlled by	France; United Kingdom; Continental Army; Canada
Site history
Built	1666 to 1775
In use	1666 to present day
Battles/wars	Siege of Fort Saint-Jean
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Fort Saint-Jean National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1923

Fort Saint-Jean is a fort in the Canadian province of Quebec located on the Richelieu River. The fort was first built in 1666 by soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment of France who had travelled to New France to assist the young colony. It was part of a series of forts built along the Richelieu River. Over the years, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times, but it is, after Quebec City, the military site that has been occupied non-stop for the longest time in Canada. The fort is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada,^[1] and it currently houses the Royal Military College Saint-Jean. The fort has been continually occupied since 1748, and is the core from which the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec grew around. Fort Saint-Jean played a crucial role in the British defense strategy during the 1775 American invasion of the Province of Quebec.