1755, September the 4th. This Morning Sent for Docter Rodion and Delivd him a Citation to the Inhabitants with a Strict Charge to See it Executed. which he Promist Should be Faithfully Done.

A Fine Day and the Inhabitants Very Busy about their Harvest, &c. September 5th. This Morning had returns of the Horns of the Several Companys and ordered Such as had them to Deliver up what Cartherages they had to Compleat those who had No Horns which near about Did it & then Ddd out to those who had Hornes Powder at half a Pound Each to the amount of Half a Barrell and Twelve Balls to Each half Pound of Powder. ordered the whole Camp to Lye upon their arms this Day.

Att Three in the afternoon The French Inhabitants appeard agreable to their Citation at the Church in Grand Pre amounting To 418 of Their Best Men upon which I ordered a Table to be Sett in the Center of the Church and being attended with those of my officers who were off Gaurd Delivered them by Interpretors the King's orders In the Following woords:

GENTLEMEN,

I have Received from his Excellency Govenor Lawrance. The Kings Commission which I have in my hand and by whose orders you are Convened togather to Manifest to you his Majesty's Final resolution to the French Inhabitants of this his Province of Nova Scotia. who for almost half a Centry have had more Indulgence Granted them, then any of his Subjects in any part of his Dominions. what use you have made of them. you your Self Best Know.

The Part of Duty I am now upon is what thoh Necessary is Very Disagreable to my natural make & Temper as I Know it Must be Grevious to you who are of the Same Specia.

But it is not my Buisness to annimedvert, but to obey Such orders as I receive and therefore without Hessitation Shall Deliver you his Majesty's orders and Instructions vizt.

That your Lands & Tennements, Cattle of all Kinds and Live Stock of all Sortes are Forfitted to the Crown with all other your Effects Saving your money and Household Goods and you your Selves to be removed from this his Province.

Thus it is Preremtorily his Majesty's orders That the whole French Inhabitants of these Districts, be removed, and I am Throh his Majesty's Goodness Directed to allow you Liberty to Carry of your money and Household Goods as Many as you Can without Discomemoading the

Vessels you Go in. I Shall do Every thing in my Power that all Those Goods be Secured to you and that you are Not Molested in Carrying of them of and also that whole Familys Shall go in the Same Vessel. and make this remove which I am Sensable must give you a great Deal of Trouble as Easey as his Majesty's Service will admit and hope that in what Ever part of the world you may Fall you may be Faithfull Subjects, a Peasable & happy People.

I Must also Inform you That it is his Majesty's Pleasure that you remain in Security under the Inspection & Direction of the Troops that I have the Honr. to Command. and then Declared them the Kings Prisoners..

After Delivering These Things I returned to my Quarters and they the French Inhabitants Soon Moved by their Elders that it was a Great Greif to them, that they had Incurd his Majty's Displeasure and that they were Fearfull that the Suprise of their Detention here would Quite over Come their Familys whome they had No Means to apprise of these their Maloncolly Circumstances and Prayd that parte of them might be returned as Hostages for the appearance of the rest and the Biger number admitted to Go home to their Families, and that as some of their Men were absent they would be obliged to Bring them in. I Informed them I would Consider of their Motion, and reporte.

And Immediatly Convened my officers, to advise, who with Me all agreed that it would be well that they them Selves Should Chuse Twenty of their Number for whome they would be answerable vizt Ten of the Inhabitants of Grand Pre & Village & other Ten of the River Cannard and Habitant nd they to acquaint the Families of their Districts how Maters where and to assure them that the women & children Should be in Safety in their absence in their Habitations and that it was Exspected the Party Indulged Should take Care to Bring in an Exact Account of their absent Bretheren & their Circumstances on the Morrow.

...

Septr 5th. The French People not having any Provissions with them and Pleading Hunger Begd for Bread on which I Ddd them and ordered that for the Future they be Supplyd from their respective Familys. Thus Ended the Memerable fifth of September, a Day of Great Fatigue & Troble. . . .

1755 Septr 7. Proved a Very Buissy Day, advice arived from Every Quarter which I Answered as well as I Could in the Foregoing Letters. the French remd in Quiate. We mounted Gaurd with half our Party Capt Adams & Osgood Doing Duty by Turns. Capt Hobbs Sick. we

all Lay on our Arms Since Detaining the French hear. Kept a Good Look Out & I not wanting in Turning out at all Times when I waked So that I was on Both watches.

Septr 10. The French this Morning Discovered Some Uncommon Motions among them Selves which I did Not Like. Called my officers togather and Communicated to them what I had observed, and after Debating Matters it was Determined Neme Contra Dissent, that it would be best to Divide the Prisoners, and that as there was Five Transporte Idle which Came from Boston, it would be for ye Good of his Majestys Service and that it Tended to the Better Security of the whole, That Fifty men of the French Inhabitants be Embarkd on Board Each of the five Vessels, taking First all their young men, and that Capt Adams in the Warren be Desierd and Directed as he was a Vessel of Force & in his Majestys Service to Take the Transportes under his Directions and when the Prisoners were Embarked to Give Such Orders to the Masters of the Transportes as would be best for his Majesty's Service, and also Determind that Six Non Commission officers or Private men be put on Board Each Transporte as a Gaurd and that Capt Adams and the Masters be Immediately Ordered to Get things in readiness for that Service after which I Sent for Father Landrey Their Principal Speaker who Talks English and Told him the Time was Come for part of the Inhabitants to Embarke and that the Number Concluded for this Day was 250 and that we Should begin with the young men and Desierd he would Inform his bretherin of it. he was greatly Surprised. I Told him it must be Done and that I Shoud order the whole Prisoners to be Drawn up Six Deep, their young men on the Left, and as the Tide in a Very Little time Favoured my Design Could not Give them above an Houer to Prepare for going on Board, and ordered our whole Party to be under Arms and Post them Selves between the Two Gates & the Church in the rear of my Quarters, which was obeyed, and agreable to my Directions The whole of the French Inhabitants where Drawn together In one Body their young men as Directed on the Left. I then orderd Capt Adams with a Lievt 80 Non Commission officers and Private Men to Draw of from the main Body to Gaurd the young men of the French amounting to 141 Men to the Transports and order ye Prisoners to March. they all answered they would No go without their Fathers. I Told them that was a word I did not understand for that the Kings Command was to me absolute & Should be absolutely obeyed & That I Did not Love to use Harsh Means but that the time Did not

admit of Parlies or Delays and Then ordered the whole Troops to Fix their Bayonets and advance Towards the French, and Bid the 4 right hand Files of the Prisoners Consisting of 24 men wch I told of my Self to Divied from the rest, one of whome I Took hold on (who oposed the Marching) and bid March. he obeyed & the rest followed. thoh Slowly, and went of Praying, Singing & Crying being Met by the women & Children all the way (which is 1 mile) with Great Lamentations upon their Knees praying &c.

I then ordered the remaining French to Chuse out 109 of Their marryed men to follow their young People (the Ice being Broke) they readily Complyed and Drew up in a Body as said the number who upon Capt Adams return I ordered of under a Gaurd Commanded by Capt Osgood one Subaltern 80 non Commission officers and Private men. who marched of them, but when he Came to put them on board the Vessels Found them but 89 Instead of 109. So that the Number Embarqued was but 230 and Thus Ended this Troblesome Jobb, which was Scheen of Sorrow. After this Capt Adams with the Transports Fell Down from Gaspereau and anchored in the Mouth of that river and Piziquid.

Journal of Colonel John Winslow, in Nova Scotia Historical Society, Report and Collections, 1882-1883 (Halifax, 1883), III, 87–110 passim.

127. A French Account of Braddock's Defeat

(1755)

ANONYMOUS

(TRANSLATED BY E. B. O'CALLAGHAN, 1843)

This brief account from the victor's side, found in the archives at Paris, shows how nearly the fortunes of war had gone the other way. - Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 577-579; Parkman, Montcalm and Wolfe, I, ch. vii; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 132.

M.

DE Contrecœur, Captain of Infantry, Commandant of Fort Duquesne, on the Ohio, having been informed that the English were taking up arms in Virginia for the purpose of coming to attack him, was advised, shortly afterwards, that they were on the march. He dispatched scouts, who reported to him faithfully their progress. On the 17th instant he was advised that their army, consisting of 3000 regulars

from Old England, were within six leagues of this fort. That officer employed the next day in making his arrangements; and on the ninth detached M. de Beaujeu, seconded by Mess" Dumas and de Lignery, all three Captains, together with four Lieutenants, 6 Ensigns, 20 Cadets, 100 Soldiers, 100 Canadians and 600 Indians, with orders to lie in ambush at a favorable spot, which he had reconnoitred the previous evening. The detachment, before it could reach its place of destination, found itself in presence of the enemy within three leagues of that fort. M' de Beaujeu, finding his ambush had failed, decided on an attack. This he made with so much vigor as to astonish the enemy, who were waiting for us in the best possible order; but their artillery, loaded with grape (à cartouche), having opened its fire, our men gave way in turn. The Indians, also, frightened by the report of the cannon rather than by any damage it could inflict, began to yield, when M. de Beaujeu was killed. M. Dumas began to encourage his detachment. He ordered the officers in command of the Indians to spread themselves along the wings so as to take the enemy in flank, whilst he, M. de Lignery and the other officers who led the French, were attacking them in front. This order was executed so promptly that the enemy, who were already shouting their "Long live the King," thought now only of defending themselves. The fight was obstinate on both sides and success long doubtful; but the enemy at last gave way. Efforts were made, in vain, to introduce some sort of order in their retreat. The whoop of the Indians, which echoed through the forest, struck terror into the hearts of the entire enemy. The rout was complete. We remained in possession of the field with six brass twelves and sixes, four howitzcarriages of 50, 11 small royal grenade mortars, all their ammunition, and, generally, their entire baggage. Some deserters, who have come in since, have told us that we had been engaged with only 2000 men, the remainder of the army being four leagues further off. These same deserters have informed us that the enemy were retreating to Virginia, and some scouts, sent as far as the height of land, have confirmed this by reporting that the thousand men who were not engaged, had been equally panic-stricken and abandoned both provisions and ammunition on the way. On this intelligence, a detachment was dispatched after them, which destroyed and burnt everything that could be found. The enemy have left more than 1000 men on the field of battle. They have lost a great portion of the artillery and ammunition, provisions, as also their General, whose name was M' Braddock, and almost all their officers.