The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-28
COL. ARTHUR NOBLE OF GEORGE
TOWN.

gotten or Unknown-COl. Mobiles Mill
tnry Services at Cape Breton.
Last week at the meeting of the Mamie His
| torical Society in this city Hon. William Goold
OF Windham, made valuable contribution tt
our early history. The paper read evincec
much careful research and brought to ligh
many facts hitherto forgotten by or unknown
to this generation. The closing chapter Of the
article, the one of most general interest, is re-
published below in full:
THE CAPE BRETON CAMPAIGN.
The English and French accounts of the bat
tie of Minas differ in several particulars. The
English account says that the attack com
menced at two o'clock in the night, and The
French version represents it to have beer
morning. They differ widely as to the number
of the French force; their own account says that
it was 800 including Canadians, French and Iu
dams, while the English put it at between SOC
and 600 They don't agree as to the number of
killed and wounded ON either side, nor as tc
who first proposed the captulaton, but the
newspaper account of the terms agrees with the
Official document The capitulation was I'M
doubtedly brought by the French proposal of an
armistice and hostage to allow an English sur
geon to 90 over to the French and dress Cap
tain Howe's wound the French surge On being
engaged with Capt. Coulon. That the French
had seen enough of fighting, is evident from
the terms granted. That the French comman-
der must have had perfect knowledge of the
quarters of the Provincial officers is shown by
the division of his force into ten parties for the
attack of as many houses at nearly the same
time, and the care taken to attack Col. Noble s
as soon as any of them. Undoubtedly this
knowledge was communicated by an Indian
spy, whom the Canadians as was often the
case, permitted to share. their fresides. The
Canadians and Indians were always on good
terms. Their religion was the same, and the
same Romish priests and missionaries had the
care of both races, who occasionally
intermarried. At the large Acadian
settlement, at Clave in the south
part of the Province an aged Acadian gentle
man of education told me that within thirty
years he had seen from 400 to 500 Indians of
at Church Point, ST. Mary's Bay, which was
then in charge of the aged, Able Segogne, a
native of France, who had been sent out to
have the care of the Acadians after they were
permitted to return to Nova Scotia after their
exodus in 1855.
These Indians had come from all the lower
provinces to attend church festival, and to
have their young people married by the veneer
able Able, and to receive a blessing at his
hands. At the out door dances in honor of the
bridal day, the Acadian Joined with the Indi-
ans in merry making, while the aged mission
airy occupied chair in conspicuous place,
seeming to enjoy the scene. This was the way
that the early missionaries won the savages to
their religion. From the first settlement of the
Acadians in Nova Scotia the Micmacs have
been their friends. and when in 1855 the Area
dams were cruelty transported and their build
ings burned those who escaped found home
with the Micmacs. We all have heard of
the manner in which the English of the
New England colonies tolerated the pres
ence of the Indians in their settlements and
even in their houses in time of neace and
YET at the first note from Canada of war they
invariably threw down their pile of stones,
which was token Of friendship, retired and
joined the French. The reason they gave for
their sympathy with the French was, that
when their missionaries came (like Rasle at
Norridgewock) among them they enquired
about their spiritual affairs and taught them
the story of the Saviour, while the English en-
quired about their furs and were not over hon
est in the traffic. Considering the social rela-
lions of the three races we can see how Indian
spies could live weeks at Minas mixing with
both the Acadans and the soldiers without be-
ing suspected. The Acadians had sufficient
reason to wish the troops away, but they had
taken the oath of fidelity to the English and
find no suspicion of their treachery. They
were notoriouslT an honest peaceable people
1t is evident from the French account that
they depended on spies, upon whose information
they had commenced the march, to lead them
to the houses occupied by the Provincial Off
GERS, knowing that if they could kill or disable
them at the onset, it would insure their success
Coulon with his force remained one day at Pesi-
quid, now Windsor, ten miles from Grand
Pre-, undoubtedly to confer with his spies and
to plan the attack, but thought it best not TO
remain longer for fear that Col. Noble would
learn of his coming, which he knew would be
fatal to his plans, and further, the driving
snow sto-m then in progress favored surprise
by keeping the sentinels within DOORS as no
enemy was known to be within marching dis
lance. 1t will be recollected that the French
account says "the ter houses that were attacked
were all carried with the exception of only one
which had cannon and which had been aban-
doned by the Mcmacs, four of their men having
been put horS de combat at the first fire. The
command having devolved on Captain La Corne
he attacked the house occupied by Col Noble,
his brother and Capt. Howe of the council"
1t is plain from this account that Coulon re-
ceived his wound while directing his Mcmacs
in the prolonged attack on Col. Mobiles quar-
tiers. His servant said that ''they called to him
by name from without, telling him that if he
would come out they would give him quarter,
but he refused answering it that he would de-
fend himself until the last" Col. Noble knew
how unreliable were French promises when the
most of the force consisted of savages; and
further he was not that kind of soldier to
yield while he had the power to defend his
house, not knowing the strength of the attack
promise probably came after Coulon had been
disabled by Shot from the house, and when
La Corne assumed the command and, failing
in parley, renewed the attack.
The English account says that "after receiv-
ing two wounds in the body and returning the
enemy's tire three times in his shirt Col. Noble
was shot dead with a musket bal'which en-
tered his forehead" From this part of the
newspaper account one would conclude that the
fighting at Col. Mobiles quarters occupied only
a few minutes, but further on it says that about
II o'clock surgeon was sent for to dress Capt,
Howe, who was wounded in the same house,
and this was ten hours from the first attack on
this house, which must have been resolutely
defended when Col. Noble and Ensign Noble
were killed in it, and Capt. Howe was severely
wounded in it ten hours from the commence
ment of the attack. This Capt. Howe was
afterwards treacherously and barbarously muir
dcred at Chignecto in 1857 by the same kind of
an enemy while under the protection of flag
| of truce. From both accounts we learn that
the house occupied by Col. Noble was the first
| attacked and the last of the ten to be sur
| rendered.
| The march of the Frer ca force under Coulon
| from Chignecto was unprecedented. Hal;bur-
| ton says OF it: This enterprise of the French,
| if not we'll authenticated, would now be deemed
| incredible, From Chignecto to Pest
| quid there were few settlements, and they were
| forced to carry their provisions on their backs
| and from thence to Grand Pre- to submit to the
same inconvenience; from the necessity OF
making forced marches they had no time tC
construct camps and they bivouacked on the
| snow without covering; yet with all these dis
advantages, borne down with the weight Of
their arms. ammunition and rations, did these
intrepid and Jealous people affect this extraor
binary march in the short space Of twenty three
days" This and much more of the same
which is all true; but the historian named hal
no word of commendation for his own country
men, Col. Noble and his party, for their efforts
to reach Minas under, similar difficulties al
though his march over the North Mountain
was not so long.
These sketches show the obstinacy witt