 In the 1710 Siege of Port Royal an expedition of New England militia and British marines under Francis Nicholson again captured Port Royal . The town was renamed Annapolis Royal , with Samuel Vetch as the British Governor of Nova Scotia , and the fort was renamed Fort Anne . This expedition left a garrison numbering about 450 men , that was composed of a combination of British marines and New England provincial militia . The garrison was reinforced with regular troops in the following months , however the British only had effective control of the fort and the nearby town . The terms of capitulation had included a provision in which the French residents within 3 miles ( 4 @.@ 8 km ) of the fort were to be protected , provided they took an appropriate oath to the British crown . A total of 481 Acadians were covered by this provision , but by mid @-@ January 1711 only 57 had actually taken an oath . 
