<P> Colonel Monckton captured Fort Beauséjour in June 1755 in the sole British success that year, cutting off the French fortress at Louisbourg from land - based reinforcements . To cut vital supplies to Louisbourg, Nova Scotia's Governor Charles Lawrence ordered the deportation of the French - speaking Acadian population from the area . Monckton's forces, including companies of Rogers' Rangers, forcibly removed thousands of Acadians, chasing down many who resisted and sometimes committing atrocities . More than any other factor, cutting off supplies to Louisbourg led to its demise . The Acadian resistance was sometimes quite stiff, in concert with Indian allies including the Mi'kmaq, with ongoing frontier raids against Dartmouth and Lunenburg, among others . The only clashes of any size were at Petitcodiac in 1755 and at Bloody Creek near Annapolis Royal in 1757, other than the campaigns to expel the Acadians ranging around the Bay of Fundy, on the Petitcodiac and St. John rivers, and Île Saint - Jean . </P> <P> Following the death of Braddock, William Shirley assumed command of British forces in North America, and he laid out his plans for 1756 at a meeting in Albany in December 1755 . He proposed renewing the efforts to capture Niagara, Crown Point, and Duquesne, with attacks on Fort Frontenac on the north shore of Lake Ontario and an expedition through the wilderness of the Maine district and down the Chaudière River to attack the city of Quebec . His plan, however, got bogged down by disagreements and disputes with others, including William Johnson and New York's Governor Sir Charles Hardy, and consequently gained little support . </P> <P> Newcastle replaced him in January 1756 with Lord Loudoun, with Major General James Abercrombie as his second in command . Neither of these men had as much campaign experience as the trio of officers whom France sent to North America . French regular army reinforcements arrived in New France in May 1756, led by Major General Louis - Joseph de Montcalm and seconded by the Chevalier de Lévis and Colonel François - Charles de Bourlamaque, all experienced veterans from the War of the Austrian Succession . On May 18, 1756, England formally declared war on France, which expanded the war into Europe and came to be known as the Seven Years' War . </P> <P> Governor Vaudreuil had ambitions to become the French commander in chief, in addition to his role as governor, and he acted during the winter of 1756 before those reinforcements arrived . Scouts had reported the weakness of the British supply chain, so he ordered an attack against the forts which Shirley had erected at the Oneida Carry . In the Battle of Fort Bull, French forces destroyed the fort and large quantities of supplies, including 45,000 pounds of gunpowder . They set back any British hopes for campaigns on Lake Ontario and endangered the Oswego garrison, already short on supplies . French forces in the Ohio valley also continued to intrigue with Indians throughout the area, encouraging them to raid frontier settlements . This led to ongoing alarms along the western frontiers, with streams of refugees returning east to get away from the action . </P>

Who led the french army in the french and indian war