British and New England troops captured Fort Beauséjour on the Isthmus of Chignecto, a strategic gateway between Nova Scotia and what is now New Brunswick. The victory strengthened British control in the region and raised fears that Acadians might support France during the escalating war. The fort was renamed Fort Cumberland after the surrender.
In Halifax, Governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council decided to remove (deport) the Acadian population from the colony. The decision followed disputes over an unconditional oath of allegiance and British concerns about security in wartime. This order set the machinery in motion for mass arrests, seizures of property, and forced removals.
British authorities began early deportation actions around Fort Cumberland (formerly Fort Beauséjour), before the better-known events at Grand-Pré. Acadian men were summoned, detained, and held under guard as transports were arranged. These actions showed that the deportation would be enforced by military means, not negotiation.
At Grand-Pré, Acadian men were summoned to the church and informed they would be removed and their lands and goods seized. This moment became one of the best-known symbols of Le Grand Dérangement because it marked the public, organized start of removals from the Minas Basin area. Families were soon separated as people were gathered for embarkation.
From late 1755 into the following years, British forces expanded deportations beyond Grand-Pré to other Acadian communities, using multiple forts and staging points. Homes, farms, and livestock were often seized or destroyed, making return difficult. Many Acadians were dispersed among British-American colonies, as well as to Britain and France, fragmenting communities and kin networks.
After the British captured Louisbourg in 1758, they moved to remove Acadians who had fled to Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island). Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Rollo led operations aimed at taking control of the island and deporting civilians. This widened the expulsion beyond mainland Nova Scotia, reaching families who had already been displaced once.
Acadians captured on Île Saint-Jean were loaded onto transport ships for removal across the Atlantic to France. Many people suffered from overcrowding and disease during the voyage. The Atlantic crossing would become one of the deadliest phases of the expulsion for those deported from the island.
The transport ship Violet, carrying Acadian deportees from Île Saint-Jean, sank in the North Atlantic during the winter crossing. The loss caused heavy fatalities and highlighted how dangerous the forced removals could be even after people left shore. Shipwrecks like this became part of the long-term memory of the expulsion.
The transport ship Duke William sank one day after the Violet, also while carrying Acadian deportees from Île Saint-Jean. The disaster added to the already large death toll from disease, exposure, and ship losses during the deportations. These sinkings underscored that exile was not only dislocation but could be fatal.
The transport ship Ruby was wrecked near the Azores while carrying Acadian deportees from Île Saint-Jean to France. Many passengers had already died from illness, and additional deaths occurred during the wreck. The event shows how deportation policies exposed civilians to severe, often lethal risks beyond the immediate violence of removal.
Deportations and forced movements continued for years after 1755, with Acadians sent to various colonies and overseas destinations. A Canadian government historical summary notes that over 10,000 people were deported between 1755 and 1762. By this stage, Acadian society in the region had been deeply disrupted, with many families separated and communities dismantled.
With the wider war ending in 1763, British policy began to shift from mass removal toward controlled resettlement. Some Acadians started moving back toward the Maritimes, often under restrictions such as taking an unconditional oath and resettling in smaller groups. Return did not mean restoration of former lands; many found their old farms occupied and had to rebuild elsewhere.
Acadian Expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement) (1755–1764)