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University of Louisiana acquires British commander's 1755 papers

Tues, Oct 30, 2001
From the Ottawa Sun
University of Louisiana acquires British commander's 1755 papers

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -- A 1755 letter written by a top British military commander involved in the expulsion of the Acadians is now on display at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. British Maj.-Gen. John Winslow of Massachusetts wrote the report that was placed on display Monday at the school's Dupre Library. Lafayette history Prof. Carl Brasseaux called the letter "the most important Winslow report that remained in private hands."

Winslow commanded the deportation operation at Grand Pre, the largest Acadian settlement in Nova Scotia. The one-page letter, written to a physician in Massachusetts, tells of the deportation of hundreds of Acadians from Grand Pre and indicates that the British forces executed one and perhaps two people who challenged their authority.

One part of the letter reads: "Have had no uncommon disturbance. The young fellows look in on their head, to desert our party. Kil'd one and I believe one other as he has not been heard of and the rest return. I yesterday began to burn the out posts & march this afternoon to proceed on that business."

Yale University and other major college archives sought to acquire the document, said Charlie Triche, Dupre Library's director. Triche credited singer-songwriter Zachary Richard for alerting the university about the document's availability. Triche said he immediately called the document's owner after Richard told him it was for sale. "We moved very, very fast," Triche said. "Within an hour of finding out about it, we had it." University officials did not disclose the cost of the document.

The Acadian deportation, known as the Grand Derangement, resulted in the deportation of about 11,000 Acadians between 1755 and 1758. Approximately 3,000 others hid in the forests of the Maritimes and Quebec. Others sailed south to Louisiana and other states. The expulsion ended in 1763 with a peace treaty between France and Britain. Winslow's correspondences make up much of the documentation about the deportations.

Officials said the 20-by-17 centimetre letter is yellowed but otherwise well preserved. It will eventually be stored away from damaging light and dust, and a high-resolution scanned copy will be available to the public.

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