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Acadian Retreat Part III

From June to November British Forces would expand their campaigns against the Acadians in the Maritimes, with expeditions up the Penobscot, St. John, Miramichi and Restigouche rivers, and along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

On the St. John, Colonel Robert Mockton led 1000 British troops and New England Rangers who were led by Joseph Goreham, Benoni Danks, and Moses Hanzen and Major George Scott. Acadian resistance was led by Joseph Godin-Bellefontaine. Fierce frontier warfare resulted in the deaths of over 80 British soldiers and New England Rangers and the death of George Scott. Over 120 Acadians settlers and militia members were killed and an unknown number of their native allies. At least three villages and camps were burned to the ground. Only 376 Acadians were taken captive and deported to France. Joseph Godin led a retreat of the survivors further inland, abandoning the remaining camps on the river, which the Rangers later burned.

General John Mordaunt led another bloody campaign up the Mirimichi river, taking some 1500 British soldiers and a few dozen rangers. More frontier fighting led to the deaths of 102 British soldiers and 12 New Englanders, and over 270 Acadians. 490 Acadians were taken prisoner and deported.

In comparison to the other Colonel James Wolfe managed to lead a far more peaceful campaign up the Restigouche River and along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Over 200 fishing vessels were burned, as well as several camps, but no major fighting or massacres were beheld. No deaths of either British or Acadians were had and 260 were taken prisoner to be deported. Remaining Acadians again fled inland.

Along the Penobscot River, the smallest of the refugees retreat locations, 150 Acadians were captured for deportation and only a few camps were burned, without any deaths from fighting. It was conjectured that more could have been done by Amherst had orders to attempt to take Quebec before the end of the year, and began winding the Maritimes campaigns down in early fall in order to prepare for an expedition against Quebec City. He was only awaiting the arrival of crucial supply ships from England before the Quebec campaign could begin.

Out of near 14,000 Acadians in the Maritimes at the start of the war, the British led campaigns resulted in the deportation of some 1,500 Acadians to New England, and around 3,200 Acadians to France. Around 1300 died in the skirmishes or to starvation during the winter while the remaining population integrated into the Native communities, or fled further inland into Quebec.