On July 31, 1755, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Charles Lawrence announced the order to arrest Acadians in order to purge the province of those “dangerous subjects.” He gave his instructions for the deportation to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monkton.
The total Acadian population at the time was around 12,000 and it is estimated that as many as 10,000 were expelled. The British seized farms, goods, livestock and pillaged and ruined Acadian homesteads to ensure that they would not return. This continued until 1762.
