 The first winter was a particularly difficult one for the British garrison , which was reduced by early 1711 to about 240 " effective men Officers included " due to death , disease , and desertion . They had ongoing difficulty getting provisions and materials needed to repair the fort because of the reluctance of the Acadians to help . This reluctance was fueled in part by the activities of Saint @-@ Castin and Gaulin — the Acadians in Annapolis Royal refused to do the necessary logging , citing the danger of Indian attacks . To counter this , the British began sending out armed parties to protect the loggers . These logging parties were sent into the woodlands up the Annapolis River , and the cut wood was floated down the river . In May 1711 Governor Vetch received reports that these work crews and others who supported the British were being harassed by Mi 'kmaq and Abenakis opposed to British rule . In his reports he noted that the fort was " every day more and more Infested with skulking Indians " , and that villagers within the banlieu ( the three @-@ mile protection area ) were being harassed . Desperate for timbers to repair the fort , Vetch organized a force of 70 New England militia under Captain David Pigeon to accompany the fort 's engineer on an expedition up the river . Pigeon 's instructions were to assure the loggers that they would be paid and protected if they brought the timber down to the fort , but that there would be " severity " if they did not . 
