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| Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot | |
|---|---|
| Name | Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot |
| Birth date | c. 1729 |
| Death date | 1797 |
| Birth place | Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, Normandy |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France |
| Branch | French Navy; Troupes de la marine |
| Rank | Major; leader of Acadian resistance |
| Battles | Seven Years' War, French and Indian War, Battle of Fort Beauséjour, Expulsion of the Acadians |
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot was a French officer and colonial administrator notable for his role in the struggle for control of Acadia and Nova Scotia during the mid-18th century. Active in the Troupes de la marine and aligned with figures such as Charles Lawrence (as adversary), François Bigot, and Pierre de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, he organized resistance to the British capture of Louisbourg and the Fall of Quebec (1759). His career intersected with campaigns and personalities including Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, Governor Charles Lawrence, Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch de Ramezay, and communities of Acadians and Mi'kmaq allies.
Born circa 1729 in Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte in Normandy, he came from a family of minor Norman gentry who served the Kingdom of France in colonial postings. His upbringing connected him to networks centered on Portsmouth-era seafaring, Brest shipyards, and patronage circles that included officers from the French Navy and the administrative elite of New France. Early associations with officers returning from the War of the Austrian Succession and colonial administrators such as Pierre de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal shaped his trajectory toward service in North America.
Deployed to Acadia and Île-Royale (Cape Breton) during the 1750s, he served within the Troupes de la marine and coordinated with commanders like Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson and Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch de Ramezay. He participated in operations during the Battle of Fort Beauséjour and engaged in guerrilla warfare after British advances at the Siege of Louisbourg (1758). Working alongside officers such as François-Gaston de Lévis and maintaining contacts with Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, he organized detachments that used riverine routes on the Saint John River and Saint Lawrence River to resupply and harry British positions. His actions intersected with strategic events including the Seven Years' War and the wider French and Indian War campaigns led by figures like James Wolfe and Jeffrey Amherst.
During the Expulsion of the Acadians he acted as a central coordinator of refugee relief and armed resistance, establishing camps and settlements such as those on the Saint John River and at Shepody River that sheltered displaced Acadians and allied Mi'kmaq fighters. He worked in concert and rivalry with local leaders and clergy including Father Le Loutre and negotiated with militia leaders who had ties to Île-Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), Chignecto defenders, and settlers from Beaubassin. Engaging British officers like Charles Lawrence and confronting detachments under John Rous and Jonathan Eddy, he staged raids, ambushes, and logistical support operations that complicated British efforts to secure Nova Scotia and suppress Acadian continuity. His coordination with refugee networks affected movements toward Île Royale and inland refuges used by families fleeing forced deportation.
After sustained resistance following the Fall of Quebec (1759) and the Treaty of Paris (1763), he withdrew from active large-scale campaigning but remained a symbol for Acadian survival and Franco-British colonial contestation that influenced later figures such as Joseph-Nicolas Gautier and Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil). His actions contributed to historical memory preserved in regional histories of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and to accounts by chroniclers like Thomas Pichon and later historians focused on the Acadian diaspora. The persistence of communities he aided fed into nineteenth-century discussions during debates in London and Paris about colonial resettlement, and his legacy is commemorated in place-names and studies by scholars of the Seven Years' War and Acadian studies.
He married and had kinship ties with families of the Normandy gentry and colonial settlers, connecting him by marriage and patronage to networks that included officers of the Troupes de la marine and administrators of New France. His familial links influenced the movement of refugees between riverine settlements, Île-Royale, and remnants of Acadian communities, intersecting with other notable families such as the Pellerin and LeBlanc lineages that feature in Acadian genealogies.
Category:People of New France Category:Acadian history Category:French military personnel of the Seven Years' War