Le Grand Dérangement

On September 5, 1755, John Winslow, under orders from Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawrence, announced to the Acadians that their homes and property were forfeit to the Crown and that they were to be removed from the colony.

Purportedly to protect British interest s in Nova Scotia, Governor Charles Lawrence had decided that the Acadians should be removed and dispersed throughout the American colonies. Th ey were held under guard until hired ships arrived to transport them and what few items they could carry. Th eir homes and farms were burned to prevent those who escaped from supporting themselves if they remained.

Forced to wait until October, many were in danger of starving. Upon arrival of the ships, the Acadians were herded on board, in many instances being separated from friends and family, despite assurances to the contrary. Initial transports were bound for Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina. Later ships delivered Acadians to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Georgia.

Portrait of Colonel John Winslow (1703-1774), resident of Marshfield, who commanded provincial troops in the expedition to Nova Scotia. He was instrumental in the capture of Fort Beausejour and played a major role in the detention and removal of the Acadians in the Grand Pré region. Courtesy of the Historic Winslow House Association.

Colonel Winslow

Map of North America, 1755

“

October 8th – began to Embarke the Inhabitants who went verry solentarily and Unwillingly. The women in Great Distress Carrying Their Children In their arms. Other[s], Carrying their Decrept parents in their Cartes and all their Goods in Great Confusion & appeard a sceen of woe & Distres.

- Journal of John Winslow
Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society

”

Following the deportation order, Acadian men were confined to prevent their escape. This detailed list enumerates each man’s family size and livestock holdings as well as listing his home village. Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

List of Acadians confined by Col. John Winslow, September 15, 1755
Following the deportation order, Acadian men were confined to prevent their escape. This detailed list enumerates each man’s family size and livestock holdings as well as listing his home village.
- Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society

This is a transcript of a letter from Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawrence to Captain Alexander Murray directing him to “take an eye for an eye…in short a life for a life” in cases where Acadians molested the troops or caused “mischief” while awaiting deportation. Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Memorandum for Capt. Murray, 1755
This is a transcript of a letter from Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawrence to Captain Alexander Murray direct ing him to “take an eye for an eye…in short a life for a life” in cases where Acadians molest ed the troops or caused “mischief ” while awaiting deportation.
- Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Proclamation read at the church at Grand Pré on September 5, 1755, announcing plans for the deportation of the Acadians. John Winslow found it very disagreeable to his natural make and temper. Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Proclamation read at the church at Grand Pré, September 5, 1755
Although required to announce to the Acadians plans for their deportation, John Winslow found it “very disagreeable to [his] natural make and temper.”
- Courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Eighteenth-century ships from a contemporary map of Bermuda, showing two styles used to transport Acadians to the American colonies: a snow and a sloop. Courtesy of the Hart Nautical Collection, MIT.

Eighteenth-Century Ships Taken from a contemporary map of Bermuda, these images depict two distinct styles of ships that were used to transport the Acadians to the American colonies. Generally mercantile in nature, they are (top and bottom) a snow and a sloop.
- Courtesy of the Hart Nautical Collection, MIT

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Le Grand Dérangement: The Deportation

On September 5, 1755, John Winslow, under orders from Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawrence, announced to the Acadians that their homes and property were forfeit to the Crown and that they were to be removed from the colony.