Perched atop the Beauséjour ridge in Aulac, New Brunswick, are the ruins of a fort built in 1750, besieged in 1755 and abandoned in the 1830's. Nestled between the Bay of Fundy and the Isthmus of Chignecto, Fort Beauséjour (later named Fort Cumberland), was of primordial importance during the colonial wars, and witnessed two significant battles. The battle of 1755 was one of the first geo-political dominos leading to the fall of France in the new world; events which formed the very foundations of Canada, and the modern border between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. This session's topic lies at the confluence of history and technology. Alongside historical accounts, GIS mapping software permits a fresh perspective when looking at how geography impacted historical battles and events. Within historical research, we learn of the main designer of the fort; Luc De La Corne, who professed to be a student of Sébastien Le Prestre, Marquis of Vauban, the famed French master defence architect. Except… cracks begin to show when exploring deeper into this claim. Numerous inefficiencies at Fort Beauséjour, and crucial design mistakes run directly counter to Vauban’s specific rules, which we can visualize using GIS. One fatal flaw was the gentle ridge rising above the fort, eventually providing cover to the attacking forces, and leading into the quick capitulation. Although this flaw was historically documented and seemingly ignored, modern GIS technology provides the ability to graphically explore some of these historical concerns, and their consequences. GIS provides us with a fresh geographical lens to some historical discussions, and Christophe Lirette used this perspective to support his thesis - that De La Corne ignored the numerous, very specific rules of Vauban; which the enemy forces used to their advantage, eventually costing the French empire dearly, in June of 1755. The thesis challenges the very notion that Fort Beauséjour is accurately described as being a Vauban style fort. Join us as we explore what GIS can teach us about history!