" ... since the burning of Grand-Pre, When on the falling tide the freighted vessels departed, Bearing a nation, with all its household gods, into exile; Exile without an end, and without an example in story.”

Of the numerous readers of Evangeline in Lancaster, few now suspect how nearly the sad tale of wantonly-ravaged Acadie touched their own town history.  From the archives of Nova Scotia all details of that deed of merciless treachery were left out, for very shame; but upon the crown officials then in authority over the Province, history and poetry have indelibly branded the stigma of an unnecessary edict of expulsion, which devastated one of the fairest regions of America, and tore seven thousand guileless and peaceful people from a scene of rural felicity rarely equaled on earth, to scatter them in the misery of abject poverty, among strangers speaking a strange tongue and hating their religion.  The agents who faithfully executed the cruel decree were Massachusetts men, reluctantly obedient to “his Majesty’s orders,” given them specifically in writing by Charles Lawrence, Governor of Nova Scotia.

On the twentieth of May, 1755, Lieutenant-Colonel John Winslow embarked at Boston with a force of about two thousand men, organized in two battalions.  They were enlisted for the term of one year, unless sooner discharged, for the special service of dislodging the French from their newly fortified positions along the north side of the Bay of Fundy, and on the isthmus connecting New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  Among the vessels of the fleet was the sloop Victory, and to this was assigned a company belonging to the second, or Lieutenant-Colonel Scott’s, battalion, largely composed of, and officered by, Lancaster men, a list of whose names is subjoined:—­

  Captain Abijah Willard. 
  First Lieutenant “Haskal.” [Henry Haskell ?]
  Second Lieutenant Willard. [Levi ?]
  Ensign Willard. [Aaron ?]

  Sergeants.

Thomas Beman, husbandman,      aged 25
James Houghton,  "                " 25

  Corporals.

Jacob Willard, husbandman      aged 31
Thomas Willard,  "                " 23

  Drummers.

  Joseph Farnsworth, husbandman aged 20
  Joseph Phelps, " " 21

  Privates,

Benjamin Atherton, laborer     aged 20
Phineas Atherton,    "           "  16
Daniel Atherton,     "           "  21
Jonathan Brown,      "           "  17
Joseph Bailey,       "           "  30
Phineas Divoll,      "           "  22
Abel Farnsworth, husbandman      "  22
John Farnsworth, laborer         "  30
Jeremiah Field,      "           "  18
Ephraim Goss,        "           "  22
Thomas Henderson,    "           "  40
Daniel Harper,       "           "  21
Elias Haskell, cooper            "  19
William Hutson, cordwainer       "  22
John Johnson, laborer            "  22
Samuel Kilham   "                "  20