The St. John River Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when Colonel Robert Monckton led a force of 1,150 British soldiers to destroy the Acadian settlements on the banks of the Saint John River until they reached the largest village of Ste Anne's Point (present day Fredericton, New Brunswick) in February 1759.

[4] On November 4, 1758, Robert Monckton entered the nearly vacant village and New England Rangers under his command chased down and scalped Acadians.

During the 1800s and early 1900s, Gagetown was a historic Loyalist community that served as a stop for river boats.

The nearby army training centre, CFB Gagetown, takes its name from the community, although its headquarters are in Oromocto.

[10] Gagetown has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summers, cold winters and plenty of precipitation year-round.