for the years 1757, 1758, 1759, and 1760...
by Captain John Knox, published 1769
page 443
Source: United States Library of Congress
Rare Book and Special Collections Division
(Above) Page 443 image (first five lines mostly obscured)
| In the year 1757 we [Great Britain] were said to be Masters of the province of Nova Scotia, or Acadia, which, however, was only an imaginary possession; it is true, we had a settlement in Chebucto harbour, namely, Halifax; a garrison at Annapolis Royal, one at Chiquecto [Chignecto], called Fort Cumberland; and three other insignificant stockaded intrenchments, Fort Sackville [at the head of Bedford Basin], Lunenburgh, and Fort Edward [Windsor], all in the southern peninsula; but the troops and inhabitants of those several places could not be reputed [regarded] in any other light than as prisoners (surrounded by French troops), the French being possessed of the north and north-east, with all the interior parts of it, considerably above three fourths of the whole; together with its islands, of which the principal are Cape Breton and St. John [Prince Edward Island]. The condition of our provinces, west and south of Acadia, was truly alarming, the enemy having drawn a line from Cape Canseau [Canso], on the east side of the peninsula, opposite to Cape Breton, across the bay of Fundi, to the river Penobscot in the province of Main, through New-Hampihire, New-England, and along the frontiers of Albany, through New-York and Pennsilvania, excluding also the greatest part of Virginia, by the Allegany mountains, down through the Carolina's and Georgia, as far south as Cape Escondide, in the gulph [gulf] of Mexico, claiming all the countries, lake, and rivers, north and west of this line: which immense extent of territory they secured by a chain of forts, thereby depriving us of the greatest part of our most valuable settlements, and the benefit of the fur-trade with our Indian allies on the Lakes Champlain, Erie, and Ontario. Moreover, by frequent sorties and excursions from these numerous posts, which they could reinforce at pleasure, they continually struck terror into the unfortunate inhabitants of those countries, by scalping and otherwise barbarously butchering... |
John Knox
was a British soldier who fought in the campaigns in
North America, 1757-1760; and, kept a diary of his experiences.
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Timeline of the Seven Years War 1754-1763
The period 2004-2013 is the 250th anniversary of the Seven Years War, a.k.a. the French and Indian War. Includes important events in Nova Scotia. |