Lévis Forts

The Lévis Forts were a series of three forts located on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Lévis, Quebec, Canada. They were at shooting distance of one another which allowed the defense of a wide area without the cost of a continuous defensive wall. The first one was built (1865-1872) by the British Army and the other ones by private businesses (1865-1869). The costs were almost identical for all three, ranging from 57,600 to 59,762 pounds.

Lévis Forts

Established	1865
Location	Saint Lawrence River in the Province of Quebec, Canada.
Type	forts
Website	www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/levis/index_e.asp
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Lévis Forts National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1920

During the American Civil War, Great Britain claimed to remain neutral in the conflict. However, the cotton directly imported from the south of the United States still had a great importance in the British textile industry. Following the Civil War, the British were still expecting an American invasion of Canada.

The tense political relationship between Austria and Prussia had the British worried about their wood supply, if the access to the Baltic Sea was blocked. The Canadian forests would then be used as Great Britain's main wood supply.

Lieutenant-Colonel William Jervois was sent to Canada to establish the Canadian defence plan. He suggested that detached forts be built on Pointe-Lévy, on the south shore of Quebec City. The original plans recommended 5 forts, of which 3 were actually built. None of the three were ever occupied as they were no longer considered necessary after the signing of the Treaty of Washington in 1871.[1]