Dollard des Ormeaux is either the forgotten saviour of Montréal – martyred in the cause – or a naive opportunist seeking only the spoils of war. Whoever he really was, the fickle nature of history first touted him as a national hero, and then abandoned him as an anti-hero of Québec's Quiet Revolution. He left France to escape a mysterious dark past, and arrived in Ville Marie (Montréal) population 600, ready to begin anew. A new life in the New World suited him, and amid the tumultuous backdrop of potential famine and war, he managed to carve out an auspicious career, becoming Garrison commander within a few short years. 

By 1660, the threat of a full-scale Iroquois attack on Ville Marie seemed imminent. Rumours of war affected daily life, and a siege mentality began. Dollard des Ormeaux, against the advice of more seasoned Indian-fighters, set out with his group of very green volunteers to stop it. Before they left, they wrote their wills and received the Blessed Sacrament – as if they foresaw the events that would follow. 

After a ten day canoe trip up the Ottawa River, Dollard des Ormeaux and his men disembarked, and waited. Despite their advantage of high ground and surprise, they were vastly outnumbered as 700 Iroquois approached. What ensued was a rout, though Dollard des Ormeaux and his men did manage to hang on, essentially under siege, for seven days before they perished. The Iroquois did not attack Montréal. 

The deaths of Dollard des Ormeaux and his men were recounted by Catholic nuns and entered into official Church history. For over a century Dollard des Ormeaux became a heroic figure who exemplified personal sacrifice. But, there were other versions of the story, even then, that raised questions about his intentions and actions. Much later, when English Canada touted Dollard des Ormeaux as a poster boy for conscription in the Second World War, his French Canadian constituents abandoned him. When the Church lost its role as primary guardian of history during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960's, Dollard des Ormeaux's importance to French Canadians again became a subject of debate.