In the summer of 1696, colonial leaders in Canada made a move that had a devastating effect on l’Acadie. Against the backdrop of another war been the French and English, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville (the founder of the French colony of Louisiana and older brother of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, a future colonial governor of Louisiana) led a force of 500 soldiers and Indian allies to attack an English settlement in Maine known as Pemaquid (later, Bristol, Maine). They captured its fort and killed three English soldiers.

Beaubassin (click to enlarge)

The attack surprised and enraged New England, and Massachusetts’ revenge was harsh. Col. Benjamin Church from the Plymouth Colony led a nine-day raid with 400 soldiers and dozens of Iroquois warriors against the nearest French target – l’Acadie.¹

When Church reached Beaubassin, Pierre’s friend Germain Bourgeois confronted him. Germain sought to de-escalate tensions by arguing that the…