USA > Louisiana > Historical memoirs of Louisiana, from the first settlement of the colony to the departure of Governor O'Reilly in 1770; > Part 2
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. According to Charlevoix, the full name of this river is Rio de los Perdidos, that is, " of the lost men," so called from a terrible shipwreck near its mouth.
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They had, therefore, only to handle the little fort St. Rosa and the seven sail. After a brisk cannonade of two hours, a chainshot from one of the enemy's vessels cut off the end of our admiral's yard-arm ; on this the Spaniards cried three times, " Viva Felipe Cinco," as if that shot had won them vic- tory. But their joy was not long-lived; the French admiral immediately loaded three forty-eight pounders, which were on his quarter-deck, and had not yet been fired; at the second. shot, made by our chief cannonier on one of the hostile ves- sels, he cut the main-mast and it fell into the sea. This blow was followed by the shouts from all the fleet, who, in imitation of the Spaniards, cried three times, " Vive le Roi!" while the enemy were so alarmed that they ran down between deeks cry- ing, "Traya la bandera;" that is, "Save the flag." Meanwhile, their alarm was so great that no one dare expose himself to get it off, so that a French prisoner in the vessel had to do them that service. All the rest surrendered; but we had well nigh met with a great disaster by the scheme of the officers of one of these Spanish vessels. They had embarked on the bateau the Great Devil, in hopes of escaping from the enemy and reaching Fort St. Augustine ; and to prevent the victor's mak- ing anything by their vessel, they had resolved to fire the magazine and blow it up. With this view they had, before starting, laid several trains of powder, with a piece of lighted slow-match at the end, so as to leave them about three-quar- ters of an hour to escape before the powder took fire. Hap- pily their design was discovered; they were pursued and taken. On the other hand, some French prisoners in the ves- sel, kept between decks by the Spaniards, hearing no more firing or manœuvring, nor even walking, went up on deck, perceived the trains and match, put out the fire, and sent one to the admiral to report the whole affair.
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It now remained only to reduce the little fort, which its commander defended very bravely and stoutly for more than an hour more, killing one of our soldiers, whose head was di- vided by a ball cut in two and connected by two brass wires. At last, powder failing, he was compelled to surrender, and came in person to present his sword to our admiral, who em- braced him and returned it, saying that he could distinguish a real soldier from one so but in name; at the same time, he assigned him his vessel as a prison; on the contrary, he did not deign to look at the commander of the large fort, who was for some time the laughing-stock of the soldiers and sailors. All the Spaniards found in the vessels, or in the two forts, were made prisoners of war and divided through the fleet, and our Frenchmen held as prisoners recovered their liberty. As to the deserters, who numbered about forty, a council of war was held the next morning, and they were ordered to draw lots: twenty were hung at the yard-arm of the admiral's mizen- mast, the others were condemned to serve the company ten years as galley slaves. ,
The same day they discovered at sea a large pink making full sail for Pensacola. As they had no doubt she was Span- ish, orders were given to lower the French colors and run up those of that nation. This show deceived the commander of the pink : he entered the port boldly, anchored without the least distrust, and saluted the pennant with five cannon. But what was his astonishment when the bateau Great Devil, then ours, and already manned, hauled alongside, and answered his salute by a volley of musketry and cries of "Vive le Roi de France!" He had to surrender ; but the captain did not do so before he had dropped overboard a leaden box containing the letters and orders he had been commissioned to bring to Pensacola. He did not, however, do it so adroitly as to
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escape the observation of a soldier, who immediately sprang into the water, and diving down brought up the box to M. de Champmeslin, who, as a reward, made him a sergeant. The box, when opened, was found to contain a letter written by the Governor of Havana to the Commandant of Pensacola, in the name of the King of Spain, by which he informed him, that as he was sure that by their valor and courage his subjects and good friends had conquered and taken possession of the coun- try that belonged to the French, and taken all prisoners, he ordered him to send them all to work in the mines to avoid a scarcity of provisions. It is easy to imagine that the publica- tion of such orders did not contribute to sweeten the lot of the Spaniards who had been taken prisoners. Moreover, they found in the pink a store of refreshments, which came quite appropriately for the victors.
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After the capture of Pensacola the two forts were de- molished, and only four houses kept, to serve as stores and guard-house, as well as lodgings for the officer and small body of soldiers left to guard the post ; the rest were transported to Dauphin Island. After this exploit, M. de Champmeslin set sail and returned to France.
CHAPTER V.
ARRIVAL OF A VESSEL LOADED WITH YOUNG WOMEN AT DAUPHIN ISLAND.
AFTER this successful expedition all returned to Dauphin Island, where each one was soon employed in his respective duty. The troops and mechanics were supported at the expense of the company; every few days they dealt out
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to them the salt meat, (beef or pork,) bread and wine or brandy, which they needed. The same distribution was made every other week to the officers, with this difference, that as to meat and drink, they were free to choose what they liked : some even, instead of taking the bread distributed, preferred to take their rations in flour, which they gave to bakers to make into bread according to their fancy.
At this juncture arrived a vessel sent from France loaded with young women, a necessary shipment, without which it was impossible to make any solid establishment in the country .* There were indeed on the island some married Ca- nadians, who had children and even marriageable daughters, but they were old settlers, and looked upon as lords of the isl- and, for they had risen to wealth by trade either with Crozat's vessels or the Spaniards. One especially, named Trudeau, had 3 very pretty frame house, two stories high, covered with shingles.
As soon as the young women were landed they were lodged in the same house, with a sentinel at the door. Leave was given to see them by day and make a selection, but as soon as it was dark, entrance to the house was forbidden to all persons. These girls were not long in being provided for and married ; and we may say that this first cargo did not suffice for the number of suitors who came forward, inasmuch as the one who remained last had nearly given rise to a very serious dis- pute between two young men, who wished to fight for her, although this Helen was anything but pretty, having the air of a guardsman than of a girl. The dispute coming to the
" This vessel brought to Louisiana three hundred colonists, and eighty girls under the care of Sisters Gertrude, Saint Louise and Marie. See the treaty with the Ursuline Nuns .- Historical Collections of Louisiana, vol. iii. p. 45.
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ears of the commandant, he made them draw lots to settle it. In fact, had there arrived at the time as many girls as there were soldiers and workmen on the island, not one would have remained without a husband.
CHAPTER VI.
SECOND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COLONY AT OLD BILOXI.
AFTER this vessel, loaded with young women, there arrived several others, among the rest one called "The Two Brothers," commanded by the Sieur Feret. All brought troops and mechanics, so that Dauphin Island soon became too small to hold all that were sent there. This induced the commandant, who had been very long in the province, and knew better than any other the most suitable places, to select a wider and more spacious ground to form a new settlement.
This new post was a bluff or little mountain on the main land, at a place to which the name Old Biloxi was given, because it had formerly been a village of Indians who bore that name. To go and prepare at this place suitable and necessary dwellings for the colony to be transported there, the commandant selected the Sieur de Valdeterre, to whom he gave his orders. Hc sent with him some workmen and a company of stout German soldiers. They embarked on the vessel "Two Brothers," with the provisions, tools and utensils necessary to form that establishment. They had only thirty- eight leagues to go by sea to reach Ship Island," but on the
* Ship Island afterwards became the first point on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where large war vessels anchored on coming from France.
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way the vessel touched, and was on the point of being lost, so that to save her they had to throw overboard all her cannon. After much trouble and loss they got off, and went and anchored inside of Ship Island, a good league and a half from the shore, not being able to get any nearer for the sand- banks, which run very far out, and over which there is only water enough for common boats. As soon as she had anchor- ed, they let down the boat and canoe, and in these the detach- ment embarked and reached New Biloxi, where they found an old Canadian named. Deslots, who received them as well as he possibly could. They remained with this habitant two or three days to rest, and then went to visit the site selected by the commandant for the new post. It was not yet cleared, so that they had to begin by preparing the ground. They set to work in the month of November, 1719, and the soldiers kept themselves warm with blows of the axe and spade, some clear- ing the grass and brush, others in felling trees and making posts or palisades, which were carefully laid aside near the landing-place, with the wood prepared for building cabins. After fifteen days' hard work they set fire to several places, and the devouring element reducing to ashes that heap of stumps, brush, canes, and shrubs, left a fine large place cleared. They began by raising some cabins for the soldiers, who till then had slept under tents, or under "berre"," a kind of bed, made on the ground, and covered by means of a ring above, with a large tent-cloth eighteen ells long and five or six wide. Without this precaution it would be impossible to close an eye all night on account of the trouble given by the musquitoes and gnats. They then laid out on the spacious ground sites for cabins, raised dwellings for the commandant and officers,
. F. du Poison, who writes it " baire," gives a lively description of this ne- cessary article on the Lower Mississippi .- Kip's Jesuit Missions.
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built magazines, and even constructed a cistern. This work was, as I have said, done in the winter, a season consequently when provisions for the workmen were plenty, the Biloxi Indians bringing in game of all kinds, buffalo, bear, deer, duck, and seal, to trade for merchandise.
While they were engaged in forming this new establish- ment three royal vessels arrived commanded by M. de Saugon,* with a ship of the company's, called the Mutine, commanded by the Sieur de Martonne, as captain. The last vessel, besides a cargo of goods and provisions, brought a troop of young women, sent by force, except one, who was called the Damsel of Good-Will. They were landed first on Dauphin Island, but the marrying mania had subsided, and there was no de- mand for them. As, moreover, the commandant had resolved to abandon the island soon, he put them all in boats and sent them over to Ship Island, thenee to Old Biloxi, t where most of them got married. At the same time, the commander of the royal vessels, seeing all quiet in those parts, and nothing to be feared from the Spaniards, set sail and returned to France with two of the company's vessels, the Mutine and Two Brothers.
On the other hand, M. de Bienville, seeing the establishment at Old Biloxi pretty well advanced, transported there all the provisions, merchandise and munitions of war on Dauphin Island. Then you might have seen the whole staff, soldiers, workmen, officers and habitans, abandon that island, which
* This fleet arrived at Dauphin Island on the 28th of February, 1720 .- His- orical Collections of Louisiana, vol. iii., p. 75.
t Old Biloxi was founded by M. d'Iberville, in 1699. A fort with four bastions, and mounted with twelve pieces of cannon, was completed on the first of May. The command of it was given to M. Sauvole, and M. d'Iberville returned to France .- See Journal of M. Saurole in Historical Collections of Louisiana, vol. iii., p. 223.
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had been the cradle of the colony, to repair to the new post and take possession of the continent, leaving there only a sergeant and ten men to guard it.
CHAPTER VII.
THIRD ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COLONY AT NEW BILOXI.
As soon as the colony had been transported to the new post just established," all was set on the same footing as previously at Dauphin Island; all were similarly supported at the expense and account of the company, and the same distributions were made. Meanwhile, some of the company's vessels arrived be- fore the island, and the guard left there directed them to the new post where the colony then was.
These vessels brought several owners of concessions, who had come to form establishments in the colony of Louisiana for their private account and profit. The concessions (grants) were those of M. le Blane, Minister of War, and his associates; that of Sieur Law, made up entirely of Germans, and those of · the Sieurs de Meuze, de Chaumont, de Paris du Vernay, de Coly, Dumanoir, de Villemont and Dartaguette. There was besides in the same vessels a troop of engineers, all knights of St. Louis, under the brigadier, the Sieur le Blonde de la Tour, who was, moreover, lieutenant-general of the country for the colony, and besides director of the concession on the Yasous of the minister, who sent a company of soldiers, with officers to command them, and two other companies of workmen, with a chaplain and sub-director.
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. The colony was removed from Dauphin Island to New Biloxi in 1719 .- His- torreal Collections of Louisiana, vol. iii., p. 67.
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By what I have thus far said, it will be seen that the colony was not yet planted on St. Louis River (Mississippi). This determined the new-comers to land all their people and effects at New Biloxi, where, as I have said, the Canadian Deslots had made a little establishment, which he had subsequently abandoned to go nearer the river. There each took a plot along the coast, cleared it, and raised cabins; but they had this disadvantage, that when they wished to go to Old Biloxi to see the commandant, they had to cross the water a good league .*
An accident, which happened in the latter post about this time, delivered them from this inconvenience, and caused a new transmigration of the colony. There was at Old Biloxi a sergeant, who, having drunk a little and lain down, took it into his head to light his pipe, as he did in fact with a stick from the fire ; but as he was lying on his bed, instead of getting up to put the stick back, he threw it unluckily not into the middle of his cabin, but against the posts that surrounded it, so that the wind, blowing through the posts, soon fanned a blaze, which in a moment caught the palisade of pine, a very resinous wood, and easily inflamed. In an instant the fire spread to the next cabin, and from that to another, so that, though fortunately the wind was not high, the conflagration soon became so violent, that to check it and prevent its progress, they had to throw down two cabins on each side. The sergeant escaped as he was, not being able to take any- thing from his cabin; in all, eleven were burned or thrown . down. The commandant had no thoughts of restoring them, as he was already disposed to transport his colony once more, and make a third establishment.
* The bay of Biloxi divides New from Old Biloxi, where the remains of the old fort built by d'Iberville are still be seen.
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A new reason decided him to do so. Although great care was taken in France to send abundantly provisions of every kind to the colony, yet all their care could not prevent want being felt there. It was so great that the commandant was obliged to send the soldiers, workmen, and even officers, to the nearest Indians of the country, that of the Biloxis and Pasca- goulas, who received them with great pleasure, and supported them quite well, not indeed with bread, but with good hominy and sagamity, boiled with good store of meat or bear oil. As for the concessioners, each remained at his place, living not over well, being brought down to beans and peas in no great quantity. To increase the dilemma, there arrived at this juncture a vessel loaded with negroes, who were distributed to such as could support them. At last, the famine was so severe that a great number died, some from eating herbs they did not know, and which, instead of prolonging life, produced death ; others from eating oysters, which they went and gathered on the sea-shore. Most of those found dead by the heaps of shells were Germans. At last, in the height of this scourge, came the Venus, loaded exclusively with provisions, and followed immediately by two other vessels. Then each one returned home, and the Indians were paid in goods for what they had given. At the same time the commandant raised at New Biloxi a third establishment, which being soon after completed, he transported the whole colony to it, abandoning Oid Biloxi, where his stay had been marked only by disastrous events.
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CHAPTER VIII.
DISPERSION OF THE CONCESSIONNAIRES .- ESTABLISHMENT OF FRENCH POSTS IN LOUISIANA.
As soon as they left Old Biloxi*, the colony was reunited on the same ground in the newly-formed establishment; but this reunion was of no long duration. The commandant and his council, fearing the recurrence of a famine like that they had just passed through, or something worse, the plague, thought it time to send the concessionnaires to their respective lands assigned them by the company. Accordingly, each made up his mind and they separated. I will here set down in what country of that great province each concession was then established, and how far it is from the mouth of the St. Louis (Mississippi). This will show, too, its distance from the capital, which is twenty leagues above its entrance into the gulf.
M. Blanc's, at the. Yazoux
140 leagues.
" Koly's, at the.
Natchez.
130
" Law's, at the.
Arkansas 238
" Dartaguette's, at
Bâton Rouge 95
" Paris du Vernay's, at the Bayagoulas 59
66
" Meuze's, at
Pointe Coupee. 80
" Villemont's, on Black River. 130
" Clerac's, at the
Natchez 130
Chaumont's, at the. Pascagoulas. 8 from Biloxi.
Such are the plots then established, and which it was thought necessary to make available to enable the grantees to draw their own subsistence, and even sell, in case of want, to those in need. As to some other French posts, also formed in that country for the security of the province and its inhabitants, I shall treat at large in the course of these memoirs.
* Bienville removed the colony from Old to New Biloxi, on the east side of the bay, in December, 1719.
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CHAPTER IX.
ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW ORLEANS-DESCRIPTION OF THAT CAPITAL.
WHILE the concessionnaires, thus dispersed in different places in that vast province, were engaged in forming their establishments, the commandant, now left alone at Old Biloxi, with the troops and officers of the company, thought of making a more stable and solid establishment in the country than any that had yet been formed for the colony. With this view he selected a tract thirty leagues above the mouth of the river, and sent the Sieur de la Tour,* chief engineer there, to choose in that tract a place fit for building a city worthy of becoming the capital and head-quarters, to which all the rising settlements might have recourse to obtain aid.
The Sieur de la Tour was no sooner arrived at the place, t then consisting only of some unimportant houses, scattered here and there, formed by voyageurs, who had come down from Illinois, than he cleared a pretty long and wide strip along the river, to put in execution the plan he had projected. Then, with the help of some piqueurs, he traced on the ground the streets and quarters which were to form the new town, and notified all who wished building sites to present their petitions to the council. To each settler who appeared they gave a plot ten fathoms front by twenty deep, and as
* Le Page du Pratz says, " That when he arrived in Louisiana, (in 1718,) New Orleans existed only in name : Bienville had gone to the Mississippi to lay out a city, and returned to Dauphin Island after he had landed there."
: Charlevoix states, in his Journal, the reasons of Bienville and the engineers for locating the city of New-Orleans on this spot. When he arrived there (Jan- usry, 1722) it consisted of about one hundred cabins, placed without order, and about two hundred inhabitants. He predicted, however, that the day was not far off when it would become the metropolis of a great colony .- Hist. Coll. of La., vol. ii., p. 178.
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each square was fifty fathoms front, it gave twelve plots in each, the two middle ones being ten front by twenty-five deep. It was ordained that those who obtained these plots should be bound to inclose them with palisades, and leave all around a strip at least three feet wide, at the foot of which a ditch was to be dug, to serve as a drain for the river water in time of inundation. The Sieur de la Tour deemed these canals, com- municating from. square to square, not only absolutely neces- sary, but even to preserve the city from inundation, raised in front, near a slight elevation, running to the river, a dike or levée of earth, at the foot of which he dug a similar drain .*
All were engaged in these labors, and several houses or cabins were already raised, when about the month of Septem- ber a hurricanet came on so suddenly, that in an instant it level- ed houses and palisades. With this impetuous wind came such torrents of rain, that you could not step out a moment without risk of being drowned. A vessel, called the Adven- turer, lay at anchor before the town, and though all sails were reefed, and the yards and the vessel well secured to the shore by cables, and in the river by anchors, it was full twenty times in danger of going to pieces or being dashed on the shore. In fact, this tempest was so terrible that it rooted up the largest trees, and the birds, unable to keep up, fell in the streets. In one hour the wind had twice blown from every point of the compass. On the third day it finally ceased, and they set to work to repair the damage done. Meanwhile the new city began to fill up with inhabitants, who insensibly be
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* See an engraving of the original plan of New-Orleans, drawn by M. de la Tour, facing the title-page of this History.
t This hurricane took place on the 11th Sept., 1721, and threw down a great number of houses, both at Fort Louis, Biloxi, and New-Orleans. - Historical Coll. of Louisiana, vol. iii., p. 111.
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gan to abandon New Biloxi to come and settle there ; at last the commandant himself went there, with his council and troops, leaving only an officer with a detachment at New Bi- loxi to guard the post, and direct vessels coming from France to the residence of the colony. When the foundation of the new capital, which took the name of New-Orleans, was laid, the houses, as I have said, were mere palisade cabins, like those of Old and New Biloxi; the only difference being, that in the latter places the posts were pine, while at the capital they were cypress. But since they began to make brick there, no houses but brick are built, so that now the government-house, church, barracks, &c., and almost all the houses are brick, or half-brick and half-wood.
About this time arrived a third vessel, loaded with young women, but these were of a superior class to their predeces- sors, from the fact of their being called "casket-girls,"# because, on leaving France, each had received from the liberality of the company a little trunk of clothes, and linens, caps, chemises, stockings, &c. They had, too, the advantage of being brought over by nuns. They had not time to pine away in the houses · assigned for their abode on their arrival, but soon found husbands.
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