Thursday, August 5, 2010

HRM Monument #21: General Cornwallis



General Edward Cornwallis established the town of Halifax in 1749 under instructions to found a colony of Protestants which would act as a buffer between New England to the south, and Acadia to the north. That is about all that can be said nicely about Cornwallis. General Cornwallis' British Protestants, much like Cornwallis himself, were pathetic and useless. They were such poor workers, that German Protestants had to be brought in to keep the town from falling apart (more on that in another post).


Edward's rich, royal daddy enrolled him at Eton College for Boys at the age of 13. That, and one look at his picture (above) should tell you that he was a massive prick. Later, as Governor of Nova Scotia, he ordered a bounty on the heads of Mi'kmaq warriors. This escalated the tensions between the English and the Mi'kmaq, and caused numerous atrocities to be committed on both sides (prick). Even in the 18th Century, with its different cultural norms, this action and his treatment of the Mi'kmaq in general were questioned and criticized.

Cornwallis' other life failures include his defeat at the Battle of Fontenoy and his failed amphibious attack on the French coastline during the Raid on Rochefort.

(Note: The black and white picture of Cornwallis is in the public domain.)

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