Empires Collide - The French and Indian War 1754-63 - Ruth Sheppard by Ruth Sheppard & William M. Fowler

Author:Ruth Sheppard & William M. Fowler
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

EXILE

The strategically important area of Acadian Nova Scotia had long been a problem area for the British, as the Acadians were subjects of the British Crown, but only as a result of treaty agreements. They were French-speaking, and naturally sympathetic to the French. As well as building forts, including Beausejour, to defend their interests in the region, the French authorities deliberately stirred Acadian aspirations to independence. Therefore, after the British had captured Fort Beausejour in 1755, they had to deal with the Acadians who posed a risk to the security of Nova Scotia. The British solution was an oath of allegiance to the British Crown, which the Acadians were required to adhere to. Many of the population, however, had no desire to swear allegiance, they wished to remain neutral, and exempt from military duty. British commanders reported that their mood changed from neutral to hostile when rumors began to circulate of a French fleet arriving in the Bay of Fundy. The British were in a difficult position. The area needed to be secure, and there were also British land speculators waiting to cash in on the excellent lands occupied by the Acadian farms.

British military and colonial officials met in Halifax, and determined that the Acadians should be forcibly removed from their homes and transported to the Thirteen Colonies. They decided against sending them to Quebec or Louisbourg because in either place they would provide valuable reinforcements for the militia. The Acadian villages were emptied and the settlers marshaled toward the Bay of Fundy where, over the course of the fall of 1755, ships arrived from the Thirteen Colonies to transport the people. In the end more than 6,000 men, women, and children were transported. Some Acadians, upon receiving word of the British plan, escaped to Quebec. Other groups of people withdrew into the woods of Nova Scotia. Some of the men in these groups carried out a guerrilla campaign against the British over the coming years. Many of the Acadian homes and farms were burned to prevent escaped refugees returning to their homes. The British government also hoped that people would surrender to British authorities once they realized their position was hopeless. Many of the Acadians who were sent to the Thirteen Colonies eventually made their way to Louisiana. Some returned to Acadia after the Treaty of Paris and their descendants continue to live in the same districts today. The story of the Acadians was later made famous in Longfellow’s poem Evangeline.

The British continued their policy of evacuation for most of the war. Following the seizure of Louisbourg in 1758, General Amherst decided to round up and transport the civilian populations in and around Louisbourg, as well as the French colonists on Ile Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island). All colonists who took up arms were considered prisoners of war and were subsequently transported to Great Britain along with the French soldiers. Colonists who did not take up arms were sent to France. More than 8,000 people were transported from Cape Breton and Ile Saint-Jean.

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