Dates vary and there are several tales about a skirmish that took place in west-end Kentville in the 18th century.
It may have been more than a skirmish. Some historical writers say that a massacre actually took place in Kentville involving the Mi’kmaq and French on one hand, and British troops or militia forces out of New England on the other. This occurred at a place known in folklore by various names – Bloody Hollow and Moccasin Hollow, for example.
But did it really happen? Was there a massacre or nothing more than a minor fracas that never made the military records? Further, did historians who wrote about the event base it on folklore or facts?
The answer is that it depends on what or who you believe.
Another question is, how did the story about Moccasin Hollow get started in the first place? One answer is that it came from Murdoch’s history of Nova Scotia, published in 1865, where there is a reference to the clash.
A Wolfville writer named Ralph E. Mosher may also have been involved in perpetuating the folklore. Writing in the Kentville newspaper, The Western Chronicle, in the 1890s, Mosher penned a detailed article on the Moccasin Hollow event. His article, under the heading Bloody Hollow, is quoted below. While reading this, keep in mind that while Mosher offered what he believed were facts, his article might be based on speculation. Also, Mosher has at least one questionable date in the article. It’s also known that the “Colonel Goreham” (Gorham) mentioned in the story was alive and well years after the date Mosher gives for the Moccasin Hollow clash.
Here’s Mosher’s version of what happened in Kentville’s Moccasin Hollow:
“A few miles west of the present town of Kentville lies a small glen known as ‘Bloody Hollow,’ Mosher wrote. “It is quiet in the glen now but a tale is told of a battle that once was fought there. ‘Bloody Hollow’ is within sight of the main road although few of the motorists who pass see the glen or know its history. Here is the tale as it was told to me.
“In the winter of 1752 a small force of British soldiers numbering about 100, under the command of Colonel Goreham (sic) left their quarters in Minas to march to Annapolis. The 9th of February was a cold, overcast day and the air was crisp with frost. The snow was drifted deeply, obliterating all signs of any trail, but the force followed the familiar windings of the Cornwallis River.
“More snow began to fall and the weather grew colder as the day drew on. Several times the soldiers stopped for food and rest but soon marched on and by night had reached a small glen surrounded by fir trees that from that day on was to be known as ‘Bloody Hollow.’
“The weary soldiers lay down in the snow to rest, but before doing so, stacked their rifles in a large pile. Then, while some of their companions prepared supper, they relaxed and talked, all unaware of the presence of a large force of French and Indians who had surrounded the camp.
“Just as the men gathered around the fires for their meal, the attack came. Yelling and shrieking, the savages charged down on the soldiers, killing many of them before they could reach their weapons. The remainder of the force grouped and drove off the Indians just as the French attacked from the rear. This second attack broke the British into small groups and these were gradually wiped out.
“The British fought doggedly and killed large numbers of the French and Indians. Colonel Goreham and a small group of soldiers held out to the last, throwing back four combined attacks. This last British force was cruelly killed and scalped by the Indians. Thus ended one of the shortest and bloodiest fights in the history of Nova Scotia.
“Only a few of the British soldiers escaped to carry their terrible story to Annapolis. On the meadow where the battle was fought hay is now cut but occasionally a rusty gun or a flint arrowhead is unearthed.”
Ernest Eaton, a local historian who wrote about Moccasin Hollow, told me that a burial mound at the site was visible as late as the early 1950s. Eaton believed that only a small force was involved and it was the French and Mi’kmaq who got the worst of the battle.
Ed Coleman 