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Here, Willard made his headquarters at the home of a Frenchman, Joe Blanchard, a son of Martin Blanchard, one of the earliest settlers in the Cobequid district. Though the civil rights of the Acadians to inherit had never been clarified the property in Blanchard’s estate, after his death for whatever it was worth, was claimed by Joe and his older brother, Pierre Blanchard. Only the previous year they had paid quit rents of 3s 4d a year for seven years.* This indicates that he and his brother had been living at Tatamagouche near Campbell’s for at least that time. Here, too, lived other Acadian families, whose names are now unknown. As soon as he arrived, Willard called together the nearby inhabitants and
gave them his orders. The real purpose of the expedition no one knew but
himself. Whether his plan for carrying it out had been given in his orders, or
one hastily devised by himself we do not know. It is however evident that before
his arrival at Tatamagouche he had determined what he was to do. And like what
was done in other arenas of the Expulsion, his scheme, by conduct close to
treachery, was to trick the French into a defenceless position, when unarmed
they could be taken without danger to his own men and without hope of escape for
themselves. Cunningly then, he told the inhabitants that he had orders from
Colonel Monckton to show them and to find out whether they were true friends to
the English as they pretended to be; that he must see every one of them, for
their Deputies could not answer for them. To this request the French could
hardly take exception. Orders were then given that all heads of the families were that night to be
warned to appear before Willard at his headquarters, at nine o’clock the next
morning. Some lived distant nine miles, and the news was taken to them by each
neighbour carrying it to his "nearest neighbour". Thus, in this manner
and by this ingenuity were the French summoned, obstentiously to meet Willard
and hear Colonel Monckton’s orders, but in reality to enter into imprisonment,
separation and banishment. Back |
