On the rainy morning of August 5, 1689, Iroquois warriors used surprise to launch their nighttime raid against the undefended settlement of Lachine.
 They traveled up the Saint Lawrence River by boat, crossed Lake Saint-Louis, and landed on the south shore of Montreal Island.
 While the colonists slept, the invaders surrounded their homes and waited for their leader to signal when the attack should begin.
They attacked the homes, breaking down doors and windows, and dragging the colonists outside, where many were killed.
 When some of the colonists barricaded themselves within the village's structures, the attackers set fire to the buildings and waited for the settlers to flee the flames.

According to a 1992 article, the Iroquois, wielding weapons such as the tomahawk, killed 24 French and took more than 70 prisoners.
Justin Winsor in Narrative and Critical History of America (1884) stated "it is estimated that more than two hundred persons were butchered outright, and one hundred and twenty were carried off as prisoners".
Other sources, such as Encyclopædia Britannica, claim that 250 settlers and soldiers lost their lives during the "Massacre."
The Iroquois wanted to avenge the 1,200,000 bushels of corn burned by the French, but since they were unable to reach the food stores in Montreal, they kidnapped and killed the Lachine crop producers instead.
Lachine was the main departure point for westward-traveling fur traders, a fact which may have provided extra motivation for the Mohawk attack.
On the rainy morning of August 5, 1689, Iroquois warriors used surprise to launch their nighttime raid against the undefended settlement of Lachine.  They traveled up the Saint Lawrence River by boat, crossed Lake Saint-Louis, and landed on the south shore of Montreal Island.  While the colonists slept, the invaders surrounded their homes and waited for their leader to signal when the attack should begin. They attacked the homes, breaking down doors and windows, and dragging the colonists outside, where many were killed.  When some of the colonists barricaded themselves within the village's structures, the attackers set fire to the buildings and waited for the settlers to flee the flames.
According to a 1992 article, the Iroquois, wielding weapons such as the tomahawk, killed 24 French and took more than 70 prisoners. Justin Winsor in Narrative and Critical History of America (1884) stated "it is estimated that more than two hundred persons were butchered outright, and one hundred and twenty were carried off as prisoners". Other sources, such as Encyclopædia Britannica, claim that 250 settlers and soldiers lost their lives during the "Massacre." The Iroquois wanted to avenge the 1,200,000 bushels of corn burned by the French, but since they were unable to reach the food stores in Montreal, they kidnapped and killed the Lachine crop producers instead. Lachine was the main departure point for westward-traveling fur traders, a fact which may have provided extra motivation for the Mohawk attack.
Lachine massacre