Editing Miramichi, New Brunswick (section)

====French and Indian War====
The [[French and Indian War]] erupted in 1754. During the war many Acadian homes were destroyed by the British, and their residents were deported (see the [[Expulsion of the Acadians]]).

In 1757, the French general, [[Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot]] attempted to evade British troops in the [[Saint John River (Bay of Fundy)|Saint John River]] Valley and the [[Bay of Fundy]], by leading 900 French refugees up the northeast coast of New Brunswick to Miramichi, establishing a camp, "Camp de l’Espérance", on [[Beaubears Island]]. After the [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|Siege of Louisbourg]] (1758), Boishebert led a group of Acadians from [[St. Peter's, Nova Scotia]] to Miramichi. Over 200 of the refugees died at the camp.

On 13 August 1758 French officer Boishebert left Miramichi with 400 soldiers, including Acadians from [[St. Peter's, Nova Scotia|Port Toulouse]], for Fort St George ([[Thomaston, Maine]]). His detachment reached there on 9 September but was caught in an ambush and had to withdraw. They then went on to raid [[Friendship, Maine]], where British settlers were killed and others taken prisoner.<ref>William Durkee Williamson, ''The history of the state of Maine: from its first discovery, A. D ...,'' Volume II, p. 333</ref> This was Boishébert’s last Acadian expedition. From there, Boishebert and the Acadians went to Quebec and fought in the [[Battle of Quebec (1759)]].<ref>{{cite DCB |first=Phyllis E. |last=Leblanc |title=Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot, Charles |volume=4 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/deschamps_de_boishebert_et_de_raffetot_charles_4E.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Eaton |first1=Cyrus |title=History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their First Exploration, 1605; with Family Genealogies |date=1865 |publisher=Masters, Smith & Co |location=Hallowell, Maine |page=77 |url=https://archive.org/details/historythomasto03eatogoog/page/n94}}</ref>

In September 1758 Colonel [[James Murray (Quebec governor)|James Murray]] reported spending two days in Miramichi Bay during the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758)|Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign]] looking unsuccessfully for Acadians, but destroying anything he found. This included burning the first stone church built in New Brunswick (at the site of the present-day community of [[Burnt Church First Nation|Burnt Church]]).<ref>John Faragher. ''A Great and Noble Scheme''. Norton. 2005. p. 404</ref> Murray did not sail as far west as Beaubear's Island.

Most of the surviving Beaubear's Island refugees soon left the Miramichi, seeking refuge in [[Quebec]]. Some Acadians, however, remained and escaped British attempts at deportation. They eventually established (or re-established) a host of small Acadian communities along the northern and eastern coasts of present-day New Brunswick.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www3.telus.net/charlotte_taylor/Folder1/Destruction_of_Burnt_Church.htm|via=Charlotte Taylor: Her Life and Times|title=Historical - Geographical Documents Relating to New Brunswick|editor=W. F. Ganong|pages=301–307|chapter=Destruction of Burnt Church}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acadian-home.org/miramichi-history.html |title=Miramichi, New Brunswick |access-date=2007-05-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507000434/http://www.acadian-home.org/miramichi-history.html |archive-date=2016-05-07 }}</ref>