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Although there is no other account available of the
destruction of the village of Tatamagouche, there is every reason to believe that Willard wrote, so
far as he did, an honest and an accurate portrayal of the last days of Acadian
Tatamagouche. This is how he wrote it:
"Told them that they must to with me to fort cumberland and Burn all
their Buildings which made them Lock very sober & Dejected one of the
french Askt me for what reason for he said he never had taken up arms
against the English Since they had the fight att menas* and since swore by the bible
that
he Never would: before Maj: Philips of
anopilis:; and he was ready to swear now and all the Rest mad the same Reply: After this I told them they
was Rebbelios the french man askt me In what I answered him In harbouring the Indains from Saint
Johns Island to go to the
English Settlements in New England and novicotia and finde them provitions and ammonition which
they answered me and Said they was oblige to or the Endians woul Kill them
and I told them if they had been true they might of ben protected by the English and I told them they might Cary their familys
with them if they thought beest and upon that they ast me for to have the Liberty to go with their
familys to the the Island of Saint Johns but soon an swered them it Did not Lie in my power to Do itt and
they askt me Liberty for 2 hours to Consult wether they thought Best to Cary
their familys I granted them the Liberty, and after they had Consulted with
Each other they sent for me and they mad this Reply that they had shose to
Leave their familys which I Readyly granted for I Did not want the Trouble
of the women and shildren"**
All night the French were kept guarded and closely confined in the house and
there were probably about twenty of them. What contact, if any, they had with
their women and children we do not know.
*The largest French village in the Minas area was Grand
Pre.
**Willard’s Diary ibid. as edited by Dr. J. C. Webster p 39
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