Mary, a niece of Ewan Cameron of Glennevis,

In 1758 and 1759, Donald Cameron, a Fraser Highlander, served alongside the British forces in Louisburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Donald Saor Cameron and Ciorsdan Cameron
- David Fox 2012

"Donald Soar Cameron [son of] John Cameron" - Notes by Donald Angus Cameron of Nokomai 1898;
"Angus, who in Lochaber married Catherine daughter of Donald Cameron, who served with the British forces at Louisburg and elsewhere, and of his wife Ciorsdan daughter of Donald Mor Og Cameron of Innes Righ..." - A History of Inverness County, Nova Scotia.
Locating this small reference to Louisburg has, for me, opened up a broader picture of the involvement of this family in the history of "Nova Scotia, America". Donald's birthdate based on being 19 years before military service at Louisberg.
In 1831 Christina, here identified as Ciorsdan, made a very difficult decision to go to Nova Scotia with her daughter Kettrin MacDonald. The place of emigration was not chosen randomly. In leaving her home in Bohuntine she was going to a place that her recently deceased husband had known very well. Christina, herself descended from fighting me, had chosen a soldier as her husband. Donald Saor Cameron at the age of 18, had served with British forces at Louisville, "and other actions". The siege of Louisville occurred on 27th July 1758 and the taking of Quebec in 1759.
Louisville had a relatively ice free harbour on the southern side of Cape Breton Island, and was strategically placed to afford protection to French fur and fishing interests in the gulf of St Lawrence and the town of Quebec, gateway to the great lakes. The town of Louisville was established at the behest of King Louis XIV in the years 1720-1840. Although hailed as the Gibraltar of North America, it was poorly maintained, insufficiently supplied with artillery, and staffed by less than enthusiastic defenders. Other than its strategic placement it served as a base for French privateers who harassed English shipping.

The town fell soon after its completion to American attacks in 1744. It was handed over to a British garrison in 1746, but as part of a peace settlement in 1748, it was returned to France in exchange for Madras India.  By 1758 British forces were again needing to retake the fortress of Louisburg.
In February 1758 Admiral Boscawen conveyed 11,000 British regular troops and 200 American Rangers under General Amherst on 157 ships, to attack the French and Canadians garrison of 6,000 under Chevalier de Drucour.
"On 2nd June 1758 the fleet sailed into Gabarus Bay to the West of Louisburg ... On 8th June 1758 the weather abated sufficiently for the attack to be made. Brigadiers Lawrence and Whitmore made feint moves against White Point and Flat Point while Brigadier Wolfe attacked Freshwater Cove." "Wolfe commanded all the grenadier companies from the regiments, a band of marksmen known as the Light Infantry and rangers and highlanders. 3 boats with light infantry managed to land in the face of heavy fire and were reinforced. Lawrence brought his brigade onto the French flank and they were forced from their positions. The army was ashore. Amherst’s batteries opened fire on the fortress and began to batter down the walls. On 26th July 1758 the last French gun positioned on the wall was destroyed and a breach made. Drucour was called on to surrender which with some hesitation he did."

There were perhaps 900 casualties. By this action Cape Breton and Prince Edward’s Island became British colonies.
The following year General Wolfe was able to use Louisburg as a jumping off point to attack along the Saint Lawrence and take Quebec by climbing the Heights of Abraham. "Three French guns and the single British gun fired at the opposing lines. The French regular battalions advanced to the attack and the British regiments, who had been lying down to avoid the fire, rose up. The French fired ineffectually at too great a distance and came on. The British foot withheld its fire until the range was 35 yards, it is said. Two volleys were sufficient to destroy the French line. The British infantry then advanced and drove the French from the field."
It seems that Donald Saor Cameron may have participated in these actions. Further research will need to be conducted to track his progress.
According to Donald Angus Cameron of Nokomai writing in 1898, Donald married Mary Cameron the niece of Ewen Cameron of Glennevis, and had four sons and one daughter:
• John the Miller 1772, father of Ewen, Alexr (of Penola SA) and George.
• Alexander 1774 who served in Egypt under Sir Ralph Abercromby and died there.
• Ewen 1776 who also served in Egypt in the same regiment (79th Highlanders) on his return went to reside in Ireland and died there.
• Angus 1777 who served in the Life Guards and fell at Quatre-Bras.
• Isobel 1779 mother of the late Donald Cameron of Morgianna.

Volcanic Disaster:
On 8 June 1783, a fissure with 130 craters opened on the Icelandic Volcano Laki, erupted and sent toxic acid rain and mist into Europe destroying crops, creating poverty and for 8 months the toxic gasses raised the death rate for outdoor workers, killing 23,000 people in Britain alone. It killed nearly half the animal population. The summer of 1783 was the hottest on record, the winter of 1784 was most severe longest and coldest on record, particularly in America. It was the longest period of below-zero temperatures in New England, the largest accumulation of snow in New Jersey, and the longest freezing over of Chesapeake Bay. There was ice skating in Charleston Harbour, a huge snowstorm hit the south, the Mississippi River froze at New Orleans, and there was ice in the Gulf of Mexico. It is possible this event or its effects may have contributed to Mary's death. Her last child had been born in 1779 and she was only about 30 years of age at her death. It is also possible she may have died in childbirth.
Donald married a second time to Ciorsdan (Christina) Cameron about 1790 and had the following children:
• Alexander Black Sandy Cameron 1791 of Linlithgow Plains Vic
• Donald Cameron 1793 – who after three years service retired from the army and went to reside in Manchester England where he died leaving two daughters. He was a noted Violinist
• Mary Cameron 1795 –  mother of Donald, Alexander, John, Ewen and Angus A McDonald of  Reaby, Gore, NZ
• Rachel Cameron 1797 –
• Duncan Cameron 1800 – of Glenroy Vic, & S Australia
• Catherine Kettrin Ketty Cameron 1802 who went to North America and was the mother of Achd McDonald who died in Pt. Mackay

Queensland.
People usually don't just emigrate. There needs to be pressures at one end, and opportunities at the other, to stir the emigrant from home.There were certainly financial pressure. The elite in Scotland had become richer and their tenants much poorer during these years. Small farms had been consolidated and their tenants evicted. In response, whole villages were abandoned, their residents having emigrated to America, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

When Duncan Cameron emigrated to Australia in 1825 he was joining his older brother who was already living in Tasmania. When John's son Alexander emigrated to Australia on the Boyne in 1839, he was joining his uncle Duncan who had paved the way. Similarly, when Kettrin went to Nova Scotia with Angus, she was moving to a land her father had fought for and helped win. And when Donald died in 1830, his widow was following both her daughter and walking in her husband's foosteps to a place whose names and towns were familiar on her lips. Antigonish, Mabou, Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, all parts of good old British America.

Now preparations for the journey were complex and not without disagreement. When Angus MacDonald agreed to join his own family in a mass emigration to Nova Scotia, Kettrin was obliged to go with him. But this put pressure on her mother. On Donald's death the estate appears to have passed to Christina and in part to Angus and Kettrin. For Angus and Kettrin to take their share of the estate would leave both them, and Christina, short of resources. It made sense that Christina should join Kettrin and Angus and emigrate.
However after a life in the familiar surroundings of glen and village it would not have been easy to break the ties and leave. Christina may have  made a bit of a production out of the pressures she was under, and, as time progressed, she lost the support of her daughters Rachy and Mary who had moved to positions in opposition against her. Angus MacDonald it seems made some kind of clumsy and unsuccessful attempt to take complete charge of her affairs, and Christina fell back on her support network, including Peggy and John Muillear Cameron, the son of Donald's first marriage. John in his turn involved others in the family and wrote the entire saga to Duncan Cameron in Australia in 1833. Various uncles pledged to "see to" Angus if he did wrong to his mother in law and John and Peggy pledged to support Christina and see her housed no matter what.

The emigrants finally departed in 1831 and all that was heard of them by John was that they had arrived safely and that the children had come down with smallpox on landing.

How many of these young families died from the smallpox is yet to be estimated.