Miramichi, NB Monument

CAMP D’ESPÉRANCE
Between 1756 and 1758, several thousand Acadians fled to the Miramichi region, particularly to Wilsons Point. Favourably situated for hunting and fishing, this refuge brought new hope to these Acadian families, who named it Camp d’Espérance, or Camp of Hope.

As it turned out, it became a place of great suffering and privation for those who had fled deportation and the destruction of their homeland. By directing these refugees to the Miramichi, under the protection of a garrison commanded by a French Canadian officer, Charles Deschamps de Boishébert, the government of New France thought they would benefit from its strategic location that was easier to defend and to supply. However, corrupt officials embezzled the money allocated to buy provisions for these refugees.

Left to fend for themselves, and suffering from famine and from an epidemic of smallpox, hundreds of Acadian refugees at Camp d’Espérance died during the winter of 1756–1757. This was one of the worst episodes in the history of the Grand Dérangement. Survivors of the Miramichi eventually settled in the Maritime Provinces, Québec and Louisiana.

Source : texte inscrit sur le Monument.