Raid of Roderick MacKenzie

The raid of Roderick MacKenzie is an event of the Grand Disturbance which took place in 1761 in the Baie of Heats, where now the New Brunswick is.

Following their victory in the Battle of Ristigouche, the English débarasser Acadien S wanted being lived with bay of Heats and the Fleuve Miramichi. The government ordered to them to return the weapons and to emigrate with Quebec. The majority were unaware of the request and remained on the spot. The governor Murray charged the French Pierre With Calvet with carrying out a Recensement population, which had in July place and August 1761. Following this census, Colonel Forster, ordering English troops of Nova Scotia, instructed the Captain Roderick MacKenzie to go in the area to capture all the Acadian ones there.

The raid is known mainly according to description that made Gamaliel Smethurst of it, a merchant given up by his captain.

Party on September 19th, 1761 with about fifty Highlanders, MacKenzie went initially to Nipisiguit where it arrived the November 29th, guided by Etienne Echbock, chief of the Micmacs of Pokemouche. It there made approximately 180 prisoners among the most important families, captured the boats, 11 Sloop S and Chaloupe S and made burn houses. To control the boats, it kept some people as an hostage in guarantee of their good behavior. The November 30th, it captured the Acadiens team members on the boat of Gamaliel Smethurst whereas this last was on the beach. Several people took refuge in the forest, and some were left on the spot, that is to say old men or patients. It went a little later to Caraquet. Smethurst does not mention passage of MacKenzie with Caraquet, but one knows that 20 of the 174 inhabitants are captured, the others left on the spot or enfuits. MacKenzie made then a turn at a place called Chipagon. According to the descritpion of Smethurst, this place would be located at the north of the brook of the Launch, that is to say in the current village of Bas-Caraquet. On the 11 families (43 inhabitants), it captured 5 of them there.

With its passage to Néguac, it found the village given up, the Acadian ones being hidden in the forest. Roderick Mackenzie made in all 787 prisoners and captured 13 boats. Not having enough space on the boats, the majority were left on the spot under the monitoring of the Amerindians, with the promise which it was going to return the next year to capture them. The majority of the survivors are flees in among places of bay of Heats, as with Miscou or Bonaventure. A part returned a few years later in their villages of origin.

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