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Military history of Nova Scotia |
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Nova Scotia (also known as Mi'kma'ki and Acadia) is a Canadian province located in Canada's Maritimes. The region was initially occupied by Mi'kmaq. The colonial history of Nova Scotia includes the present-day Maritime Provinces and the northern part of Maine (Sunbury County, Nova Scotia), all of which were at one time part of Nova Scotia. In 1763, Cape Breton Island and St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) became part of Nova Scotia. In 1769, St. John's Island became a separate colony. Nova Scotia included present-day New Brunswick until that province was established in 1784. (In 1765, Sunbury County, Nova Scotia was created, and included the territory of present-day New Brunswick and eastern Maine as far as the Penobscot River.) During the first 150 years of European settlement, the colony was primarily made up of Catholic Acadians, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq. During the last 75 years of this time period, there were six colonial wars that took place in Nova Scotia (see the Seven Years' War as well as Dummer's War and Father Le Loutre's War). After agreeing to several peace treaties, the long period of warfare ended with the Halifax Treaties (1761) and two years later, when the British defeated the French in North America (1763). During those wars, the Acadians, Mi'kmaq and Maliseet from the region fought to protect the border of Acadia from New England. They fought the war on two fronts: the southern border of Acadia, which New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine,[1] and in Nova Scotia, which involved preventing New Englanders from taking the capital of Acadia, Port Royal (See Queen Anne's War) and establishing themselves at Canso.
During the Seven Years' War, Halifax was established as the British Headquarters of the North American Station (see Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax). As a result, Nova Scotia was active throughout the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The North Atlantic archipelago of Bermuda, or the Somers Isles, originally part of Virginia, was grouped as part of British America until 1783, thereafter remained part of British North America until left out of the Confederation of Canada. Militarily, the Bermuda Garrison fell under the Commander-in-Chief in Nova Scotia until Canadian confederationresulted in the abolishment of the British Army command. The Royal Navy permanently established a base in Bermuda in 1795, and by 1812, it alternated seasonally with Halifax as main base for the North America Station, becoming the main base year round in the 1820s. Both Halifax and Bermuda were designated Imperial fortresses, along with Malta and Gibraltar. During the Victorian era, Nova Scotians also played prominent roles in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. The province also participated in the North-West Rebellion and the Second Boer War. In the 20th century, the province produced numerous people who fought in World War I and World War II. A few Nova Scotians who also participated in the Spanish Civil War, the Korean War, and the War in Afghanistan.