Acadias Warrior Priest

Download or read book Acadia's Warrior Priest written by Peter L. McCreath and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In recent years, it has become fashionable to judge people and events from the past on the basis of the values of the present. Accordingly, in reviewing the history of Nova Scotia, no person has been maligned to the extent to which the Founder of Halifax, Governor Edward Cornwallis, has been villainized. There is no question, Cornwallis was a tough - some would say, ruthless - individual; ask any Scot who survived the Battle of Culloden or the Jacobite 'pacification' that followed. But, was Cornwallis, in fact, as much of a villain within this region that he has been portrayed in recent years, especially by modern writers and columnists? Through Treaties signed in Utrecht during 1713-1714, France and England agreed that the territory now known as the Maritime Provinces of Canada, with the exception of the islands in the great Gulf of St. Lawrence, were yielded by France to England. At that time, to the extent that there was European settlement in what is now the mainland of Nova Scotia, it was both French and Roman Catholic, know as Acadié. This, of course, as was the European standard of the times, gave no consideration to the people who had populated these areas for several thousands of years, the people of the Mi'kmaq Nation. Consideration was given, by the English to the Roman Catholicism of the predominantly French-speaking settlers who were there, and, indeed, in most cases, had been there for several generations going back into the 17th century. So, the British agreed that French Roman Catholic priests would be licensed to reside within the territory, which they renamed, Nova Scotia, on behalf of their Scottish king, provided that they administered solely to the spiritual needs of the European residents of their newly achieved territory. The capital, and virtually the only substantive settlement, Port-Royale, was re-named, Annapolis Royal. But, for several decades, the British did little to take control of this new territory by introducing their own settlers, who, if not English, were at least Protestant. After a time, the French kind of decided that maybe they had made a mistake in giving up Nova Scotia, the gateway, as it were, to the St. Lawrence River, and the lucrative fur trade. So, they encouraged their 'missionaries', not only to befriend the Mi'kmaq people, but to seek to convince them that the British were their enemies, who simply wanted to eliminate them and take their land. It so happened that in 1737, the French sent out a young priest/missionary, a man with no love for the English. He soon developed a close relationship with Mi'kmaq leaders, and ultimately became the guerilla strategist who gave essential advice and direction to Mi'kmaq leaders in making life difficult for the English - to say the least. In 1745, a force from New England captured Louisbourg, which was meant to be the French fortress that would protect the route up the St. Lawrence River to Quebec, and the lucrative fur trade. However, it was returned to the French in 1748. By that time, Le Loutre had his spurs, and quietly, from behind the scenes, dispensed advice and direction to the Mi'kmaq leaders in carrying out devastating raids, involving brutal deaths, including scalping (a scare tactic as well as proof of payment) to keep the English from really gaining control of Nova Scotia. Indeed, the French government funded him to buy scalps. In consequence, in 1749, the English determined that they had to build a fortress of their own, from which they could take control of the Nova Scotia that they felt was theirs. And to make this happen, they sent out a tough experienced military leader of their own, Col. Edward Cornwallis, with a mandate to take control and to settle Nova Scotia. He soon realized that to do so meant taking on the clandestine guerilla leader, Le Loutre. not of the Acadians, so much as the Mi'kmaq warriors, the man whom he called 'a good for nothing scoundrel as ever lived. Cornwallis, in turn, issued two scalping proclamations of his own, both rescinded when he left in 1752. In modern times, this conflict has resurfaced, with the statue of Cornwallis being removed from the south-end park, at least temporarily, by the City of Halifax. 1. GENIUS OR SCOUNDREL: READ THIS BOOK AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF!"--