In November, 1754, Governor Lawrence wrote to Shirley, at Boston, that he had reason to believe the French were contemplating aggressive measures at Chignecto, and he thought it was quite time an effort was made to drive them from the north side of the Bay of Fundy.Col.
Monckton carried this letter to Governor Shirley.The governor entirely agreed with the suggestion it contained, and had already taken some steps to bring about so desirable an end to the troubles the Government was experiencing on the Isthmus.
The matter was kept as secret as possible, but efforts were immediately made to raise a force to capture Fort Beausejour, the new fort built by the French on the high ground overlooking Beaubassin, on the north-west side of the Missiquash.So successful were they in getting up the expedition that, on the 23rd of May, everything was ready and the force set sail from Boston.
The expedition numbered two thousand men, under the command of Lieut.-Col.Monckton, with Lieutenants Winslow and Scott under him.They called at Annapolis, and were joined there by three hundred regulars of Warburton's regiment, and got a small train of artillery.Fort Lawrence* was reached on 2nd June, and the next day all the troops were landed and camped around the fort.
[FOOTNOTE: *The fort at Fort Lawrence, was situate on the high land that separates the valleys of the Missiquash and La Planche rivers, a little less than two miles distant from Fort Beausejour.It was constructed in the month of September, 1750.Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence arrived at the Isthmus with a strong force, consisting of the 48th Regiment, and three hundred men of the 45th Regiment."The Indians and some of the French were rash enough to oppose the landing of so formidable a body of troops, but they were driven off after a sharp skirmish, in which the English lost about twenty killed and wounded." Ashort distance from where they landed Colonel Lawrence erected a picketal fort with block-houses, which was named for himself.Agarrison of six hundred men was maintained here until the fall of Beausejour.END OF FOOTNOTE]
Vergor, the French General in command at Beausejour, called on all the Acadians capable of bearing arms to come into the fort and assist in its defence.The Acadians, however, would not obey this order unless Vergor would make a refusal to comply punishable with death.This would given them an excuse with which to meet the English if the fort were taken.
On the 4th June, the English broke camp and marched north from Fort Lawrence, a distance of about two miles along the ridge of high land;then, entering the Missiquash valley, they crossed over to Pont a Buot, or Buot's Bridge, which spanned the Missiquash River.This bridge was near what is now Point de Bute Corner.Here the French had a blockhouse garrisoned with thirty men.There was also a breastwork of timber.This place was defended for an hour by the French, and then, setting fire to the little fort, they left the English to cross over without opposition.The victorious force camped that night on the Point de Bute side of the Missiquash River.
At this day it is difficult to account for the slight value the Acadian seemed to place upon his home.He appears to have been always ready to set it on fire at the least danger of its falling into the hands of the English.The sixty houses that stood between Buot's Bridge and Beausejour all went up in flame that night, fired by the French soldiers as they retired before the English.
From the 4th until the 13th of June the English were engaged in cutting roads, building bridges, transporting cannon, and getting these into position north of the fort, on the high ground, within shelling distance.During this time the French had been strengthening their defences and making other arrangements for withstanding a seige (sic).
