Source: United States Library of Congress
Rare Book and Special Collections Division
(Above) Title Page, Volume Two
John Knox
was a British soldier who fought in the campaigns in
North America, 1757-1760; and, kept a diary of his experiences.
| 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... |
|
our people of both sexes, of all ages; and dragging some, whose
lives they chose to spare, into a horrible captivity. Such was
the unbounded power of France in the new world, and such the
state of British America in the year 1757.
A respectable armament, under the Earl of Loudon and Admiral Holborne, was sent out this year, to reduce the islands of Cape Breton and St. John [Prince Edward Island], hoping thereby to curb the unparalleled insolence of these restless, and, I may add, faithless invaders; those isles, by their situation in the gulph of St. Lawrence, being deemed barriers to Canada [Quebec], and the keys of the eastern navigation into the bowels of their country; at the same time General Webb was left at Albany to assemble a body of provincial troops to cover Fort William-Henry on Lake George, garrisoned by a body of regulars under Colonel Monroe. How the expedition to the eastward miscarried, and what befel the brave but unfortunate Colonel and his abandoned forces, would, I am of opinion, be unacceptable in the recital, especially as these events are slill recent in all mens' remembrance: suffice it to say, the one did not take place, and the other was wrested from us and demolished, its garrison, after a gallant defence, being obliged to capitulate; and fell afterwards a prey, by the connivance of the French, contrary to that good faith which should subsist between Christian nations, to the fury of a merciless savage enemy, and this in the presence of the Marquis de Montcalm and his whole army. The enemy, farther encouraged by these successes, continued their depredations, spreading terror throughout our back settlements, and threatening destruction to our fortresses in Nova Scotia, which they flattered themselves they mould be able to effect by surprise, with strong detachments from Louisbourg; but, by the disposition made of the forces by the Earl of Loudon, their intentions were defeated: his Lordship having reinforced the garrisons at Halifax, Annapolis, Fort Cumberland, &c. assigning the command of the troops in that province to Major-General Hopson, while he, with the remainder of the army, proceeded to the southward, to stop the enemy's career in that quarter. |
|
In the year 1758 our affairs assumed a better aspect; for, though the
army led by General Abercromby, then Commander in Chief, towards
Crown-Point, were roughly handled in storming the lines at Ticonderoga,
with very considerable loss, yet the success of the armament against
Cape Breton, under Admiral Boscawen and Major-General Amherst, and the
happy consequences thereof, in a great measure, compensated for that
fatal blow, and paved the way to our future conquests.
After the reduction of this important island, with that of St. John, the General detached Brigadier Monckton up the bay of Fundi, and Brigadier Wolfe up the River St. Lawrence, to the bays of Chaleurs and Gaspee, who respectively executed their orders in so masterly a manner, that the British forts and settlements in the province of Acadia were completely secured against any attempts from the enemy, the Indians of those countries, and the other barbarous inhabitants, being routed from almost every corner, with the loss of many lives, houses, and effects, the just punishment of all traitors; besides, numbers of them, who fell into our hands, were transmitted, in captivity, to Europe: in these expeditions Brigadier Monckton re-established a fortress on the north side of Fundi Bay, at the entrance of the River St. John; dignified it with the name of Frederic, and reinforced all the garrisons throughout the province, wherein he himself commanded the following winter. General Abercromby, after his undeserved discomfit at Ticonderoga, took post at Lake George, with the remainder of his army, to cover the frontiers of New-York, Albany, and New-England: thence he detached a corps of three thousand men to Lake Ontario, where he reduced Fort Frontenac, the object of the enterprise; and destroyed an immense quantity of stores, provisions, and artillery, which proved a severe stroke to the enemy on that side, as there was their grand magazine, whence the numerous chain of forts they had established to defend their incroachments were to have been supplied. The Colonel made many prisoners, took nine armed vessels, from eight to... |
|
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. |