Interesting. You have actually talked with the author. I notice on the web site
www.acadian-home.org there is a list of Acadian Patriots and our Ben is spelled Allen with Alain in brackets. There are also other not so French sounding surnames a Casey, Farrell and Troop. How was it spelled on the original source? Do you know. I don't remember if he quoted an original document. The Allain by the name of Benjamin I found on the Univ. de Moncton web site was born in 1757 and therefore would have been 19 at the time of the seige of Fort Cumberland. He died in Bouctouche 1839. The web site is:
www.umoncton.ca/etudeacadiennes/centre/white/allain.htmlAfter the seven years war a lot of Acadians came out of "hiding in the woods" and became tenants on the land they once owned. They had a lot of knowhow with regards to managing dykes and marshlands that the new settlers found indespensible.
I grew up in Sydney, went to Mt A and have now lived in Halifax for several decades. Do you live in the same time zone?