War makes heroes of Acadian brothers

Part Three

by Alice Ferguson

Editors note: In October 1755, English troops deported more than 5,000 French Acadians from what is now Nova Scotia, Canada. While their journeys were desperate and difficult, times were even harsher for members of the Acadian resistance who remained in hiding in the forests of their homeland. Part Three of The Advertiser's series on the Acadian adventure tells their story, as related in Bona Arsenault's book, History of the Acadians.

History tells us that war leaves in its wake the sweetness of victory and the sorrow of the vanquished. War makes heroes, also.

That's certainly true of the conflict between the English and the French in Acadia. After Le Grande Derangement of 1755, hundreds of Acadians who had managed to escape deportation hid in the forests of Nova Scotia. As had happened so often before, they hoped the French would regain control of the area so they could reclaim their homesteads from the Protestant enemy.

First and foremost among them were the brothers Brossard dit Beausoleil, Alexandre and Joseph. As leaders of the Acadian resistance, they remained in Acadia until after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763. The Brossards--whose family name was later changed to Broussard - were known for their courage, their marksmanship, and their contagious cheerfulness (hence the nickname for Joseph, " Beausoleil," referring to a smile as bright as the sun).

Bona Arsenault's History of the Acadians notes that Joseph Brossard, born in Port Royal, founded the Boundary Creek Settlement with his brother Alexandre in 1740. He later became "a legendary figure both in the Maritimes and in Louisiana."

Along with other families whose homesteads had been burned and pillaged, Joseph and Alexandre fled into the woods with their families. Joseph, a sharpshooter and militia captain, "took a heavy toll of English soldiers sent into the area to capture refugees," Arsenault wrote. His shooting skills became legendary in the region, and his reputed prowess followed him to the bayou country of Louisiana a few years later.

But as good a shot as he was, Joseph could only protect so many families. In other regions of Acadia, the refugees were dealt with harshly by English soldiers and by Mother Nature. More than 600 of those who were hiding in the Miramichi River area died of starvation and a "horrible contagion" in the winter of 1757. French missionary Francois LeGuerne wrote that they attempted to survive by "eating the leather of shoes, carrion, and some even the excrement of animals." There was nothing the Brossards could do to feed or warm them.

Another group of Acadian refugees joined up with Francois Bourdon at Louisbourg, one of the last French strongholds in Acadia. He was married to Marguerite Gauthier, daughter of Acadians who had fled from Port Royal to Ile St. Jean. When Louisbourg finally fell to the English in 1758, Francois, Marguerite and the thousands of Acadians who had settled in Ile St. Jean after 1755 found themselves running for their lives once again, "trying by all means to get away before the English arrived."

By Arsenault's account, their desire for haste was well-founded. At Port-Latour, a few Acadian families survived mainly by fishing in the area. On one April day, the Acadian fishermen returned to find their homes had been burned and their wives and children - 72 of them - had disappeared.

The English had captured the women and children and deported them to North Carolina. Most never saw their husbands and fathers again. The English had also begun offering rewards for the scalps of Indians in the area.

"A number of English soldiers confused Indian and Acadian scalps," Arsenault wrote. "They had the excuse that officially, all Acadians had been deported from Nova Scotia."

Between the lack of food, the threat of scalping, and the continued English assaults against the last few Acadian strongholds, the resistance gradually began to lose its vigor. Even Joseph and Alexandre Brossard could hardly hold out hope when they learned of the fall of Louisbourg in 1758.

The final blow for Joseph came when they heard that Quebec had finally fallen, in 1759.

"He lost all hope since the refugees who were with him had no food, or other essentials left, and winter was fast approaching" Arsenault recorded.

In final desperation, Joseph and Alexandre, along with Jean Basque, Simon Martin, Jean Bourg and Michel Bourg led their followers to Fort Cumberland. They hoped to cut a deal with the English, "rather than die of hunger," Arsenault wrote. Instead, they were imprisoned at Halifax until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763.

That signing marked the beginning of the last great wave of Acadian refugees to leave Nova Scotia. Most of them, including the Brossards, were headed for Louisiana.

Arsenault wrote that their journey resumed in 1764, when Joseph Broussard's name appeared on the registry of a ship bound for the West Indies.

"Stricken by a plague and unable to bear the tropical climate, they did not stay. They soon headed for the Attakapas region of Louisiana..." Arsenault recorded.

The Broussard's arrival was marked in Louisiana records too, by New Orleans Commissioner Nicolas Foucault:

"A few days ago, 193 Acadians arrived in Louisiana from Santo Domingo. Since they were extremely indigent, we assured them of the help they need between now and until such time as they are able to choose land in the Opelousas region."

Foucault made another entry in his records about two months later, of the arrival of 200 more Acadians. Arsenault believed the Broussard party was among these groups of refugees, since Joseph's name appeared on a contract dated April 4, 1765:

"A retired army captain, Antoine Bernard d'Hauterive, agreed to supply them with cattle for breeding purposes," Arsenault wrote." The signatures included those of Pierre Arcenaud, Joseph Broussard,Jean-Baptiste Broussard, Victor Broussard, Jean Dugas, Joseph Guillebeau and Olivier Tibaudau.

Finally--some 160 years after Pierre du Gast De Monts first set eyes on the Bay of Fundy - it seemed the Acadians had found a home.