Soldiers of the Atlantic Seaboard

The British Colonies

• Previous page of section
• 1: Page 1 of section
• 2: Page 2 of section
• 3: Page 3 of section
• Next page of section

Amerindian Friction

Besides the Acadian problem, the conquerors of Port-Royal faced another major difficulty: the virtually incessant hostility of the Abenaki and Micmac Amerindians, who continually harassed the garrison. In order to deal with these guerilla attacks, the British even raised a company of Iroquois rangers. When the 56 Mohawks, commanded by two white officers, arrived at Annapolis in 1712, they were each given a blanket and a gun. Operating practically independently of the other troops, they camped outside the fort. Very familiar with warfare in the woods, the Mohawks made good rangers, causing difficulty for the Amerindians allied with the French as well as for deserters from the British garrison, whom they hunted down. After a year, however, several of these Mohawks "deserted" to return home. In May 1713, the governor sent the remainder to Boston, where the unit was disbanded.