Captains who Resisted

Not all of the Acadians accepted being deported without defending themselves, and many tried to escape the Deportation. While some were successful, such as those who fled to Miramichi, Népisiguit and Ristigouche, others were not as lucky. In 1755 and 1756, some Acadian families who owned boats enabled many of their people to escape the Deportation. In fact, boat captains from the Bujold, Gauthier, Vigneau and Dugas families made more than 300 trips that enabled Acadians from Tatamagouche, Baie-Verte and Cocagne, places where the Deportation was taking place, to escape to île Saint-Jean, where the Deportation only took place a few years later. Some families who made these trips possible aboard their boats even made considerable profits, receiving 60,000 pounds from the Louisbourg authorities for their services.