<P> My dear father (...) you can come here boldly with my dear mother and all the other Acadian families . They will always be better off than in France . There are neither duties nor taxes to pay and the more one works, the more one earns without doing harm to anyone . </P> <P> The Acadians were scattered throughout the eastern seaboard . Families were split and put on ships with different destinations . Many ended up west of the Mississippi River in what was then French - colonized Louisiana, including territory as far north as Dakota territory . France had ceded the colony to Spain in 1762, prior to their defeat by Britain and two years before the first Acadians began settling in Louisiana . The interim French officials provided land and supplies to the new settlers . The Spanish governor, Bernardo de Gálvez, later proved to be hospitable, permitting the Acadians to continue to speak their language, practice their native religion (Roman Catholicism--which was also the official religion of Spain), and otherwise pursue their livelihoods with minimal interference . Some families and individuals did travel north through the Louisiana territory to set up homes as far north as Wisconsin . Cajuns fought in the American Revolution . Although they fought for Spanish General Galvez, their contribution to the winning of the war has been recognized . </P> <P> "Galvez leaves New Orleans with an army of Spanish regulars and the Louisiana militia made up of 600 Cajun volunteers and captures the British strongholds of Fort Bute at Bayou Manchac, across from the Acadian settlement at St. Gabriel . On September 7, 1779 Galvez attacked Fort Bute and then on September 21, 1779 attacked and captured Baton Rouge ." </P> <P> A review of participating soldiers shows many common Cajun names among those who fought in the battles of Baton Rouge and West Florida . The Galvez Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was formed in memory of those soldiers . The Acadians' joining the fight against the British was partially a reaction to the British having evicted them from Acadia . </P>

Culture found predominantly in the gulf states such as louisiana