2012 by Donald E. Pusch. Some rights reserved.

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Ibervilles Canadians: Lists of the Canadians Participating in Ibervilles Second Voyage to Louisiana, 16991700 *
by Donald E. Pusch

Sa Majest a . . . donn les ordres pour faire embarquer sur ces bastimens les Canadiens . . . estant persuade quil pourra les employer utilement pour son service.
(An extract from Ibervilles sailing instruction)

Originally published as Founders of Louisiana: The First Two Ship Lists of 1699 in Mississippi Valley Mlange, vol. 7, ed. Winston De Ville (Baton Rouge: Claitors Publishing Division, 2012), 231.
*

Ibervilles Canadians

by Donald E. Pusch

or the history of the French Province of Louisiana, and especially those portions of the province lying along the northern littoral of Gulf of Mexico, there are few events of more significance than Ibervilles three campaigns there between 1698 and 1702. Each a building block in the establishment of the colony, the campaigns produced substantive results, including the rediscovery of the mouth of the Mississippi, further coastal and inland explorations, the erection of Fort Maurepas on Biloxi Bay, Fort La Boulaye on the lower Mississippi River, Fort Louis at the mouth of the Mobile River, and the founding of the original Mobile settlement. Most important was the establishment of actual colonists on the soil and the firm assertion of French claims to the region. The second of the three voyagesand the focus of the documents presented in this articleis important in large measure because of the substantial number of Canadians it brought to the nascent colony. Also, these were not mere recruits but seasoned veterans, many of whom had been on previous campaigns with Iberville in Canada. Their proven ability to work together, to endure hardship, and to follow orders suited them ideally for Louisiana, where all of these qualities would be needed for their survival and for that of the colony. The ships involved in the campaign included the frigate Renomme, commanded by Iberville himself, and a flte (a type of well-armed cargo ship) called the Gironde, commanded by the Chevalier de Surgres. There were also two smaller craft (felouques) taken on the campaign, but these were carried on board, being unsuitable for high-seas navigation and intended primarily for use in the colony. Also carried on board were supplies for the garrison at Fort Maurepas: clothing, trade goods, foodstuffs, and munitions, including ten iron cannons and 6,000 pounds of gunpowder.1 The campaign originated in the fall of 1699 at Rochefort, where the ships were fitted out and modified for the voyage. After departing port there, Iberville took his flotilla up to the roadstead off La Rochelle,

waiting there for the arrival of the crivain Raucour, who had been selected to manage and distribute the munitions, provisions, and clothing being delivered to Fort Maurepas.2 According to a report made by Iberville after his arrival in the colony of Saint-Dominguethe campaigns intermediary destinationthe Renomme and the Gironde weighed anchor and set sail from La Rochelle the morning of September 17.3 The Atlantic crossing was apparently uneventful, and the ships arrived off the Saint-Domingue port of Cap-Franais the evening of December 11. Following a short layover to take on additional provisions, wood, and water, the two ships departed for the Gulf of Mexico, arriving in Biloxi Bay on January 8, 1700.4 Iberville spent only five months in the colony, all devoted to his two primary objectives: to make further explorations and observations and to assert French claims to the region. His personal excursions inland were fairly limited, due in part to persistent health problems. He did, however, ascend the Mississippi as far as the Tensas village above Natchez and the Pascagoula River as far up as one of the villages of the Pascagoula tribe. In asserting French claimsand especially claims likely to be disputed by the EnglishIberville, in conjunction with younger brother Bienville, reconnoitered the lower Mississippi, selected a suitable location on the east bank on which to erect a fort, and oversaw the construction there of a small stockade, Fort La Boulaye.5 Building and manning this post represented Frances first effort to controlalbeit nominallyaccess to the river and was the first tangible assertion that the river and its watershed were permanent French possessions. The responsibility for much of the work accomplished between Ibervilles arrival in the colony on the second voyage and his return there on the third was shouldered by those of Ibervilles lieutenants who stayed in the colony during that interval. The most prominent among these were his two younger brothers, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville and Antoine Le Moyne de Chteaugu, and relatives Pierre Dugu de Boisbriand and Louis Juchereau de St. Denis.6 These individuals, supported by their fellow, newly-arrived Canadians, plus various freebooters, voyageurs, soldiers, and sailors, continued the work begun on Ibervilles first campaign and not only held the colony together

through the first critical years but laid the foundation for its further expansion.7 On May 27, 1700, anxious to return to France to report the colonys achievements and to make preparations for his third campaign, Iberville boarded the Renomme and the next day set sail for France,8 leaving the now replenished Fort Maurepas in the able hands of his lieutenant, the Sieur de Sauvolle, and the newly established Fort La Boulaye in those of his brother Bienville. The names of the Canadians recruited for Ibervilles second campaign are presented here in two pay lists, both from the Archives Nationales dOutre Mer (ANOM). From these, it is possible to glean information about the group as a whole and, in a few cases, information about individual Canadians. Their voyage to Louisiana began in the colony of Terre-Neuve (Newfoundland), at the post of Fort Louis de Plaisance on the west coast of the Avalon Peninsula. It was from Plaisance that Iberville had launched raids on the English settlements to the east in 1696 and 1697, and no doubt many of the Canadians recruited for service in Louisiana had participated in those raids or in Ibervilles naval exploits on Hudsons Bay, and they would have been familiar with his leadership style.9 That familiarity was likely a major influence on those who cast their lot with him on the second Louisiana campaign. The heading on the first list suggests that the Canadians traveled directly from Plaisance to France, but, in fact, they were transported first to Quebec, taken there by Ibervilles brother, Joseph Le Moyne de Srigny.10 From there they were re-embarked for Rochefort. From correspondence between the minister of the marine and Bgon, the intendant at Rochefort, it is known that the Canadians were in France as early as January 1699,11 perhaps as early as December 14, 1698.12 The ship on which they traveled to France is not known with certainty (at least to this writer); however, the cargo ship (flte) Gironde, which would later accompany the frigate Renomme on Ibervilles second campaign, had sailed from Rochefort, bound for Quebec on or about June 16, 1698,13 accompanied by the frigate Poly. The two arrived in Quebec the end of August.14 Once the Canada-bound cargo was offloaded and the passengers disembarked, all haste was made to turn the ships around for

the return voyage. The Poly and the Gironde arrived back at Rochefort the first week in December 1698.15 This timetable exactly matches the Canadians appearance at Rochefort and strongly suggests that they were transported to France on one or both of these ships. The second-campaign Canadians, once arrived in France, were quartered at either La Rochelle or Rochefort. Both pay lists were drawn at Rochefort, the first on May 5 and the second on August 25; however, the minister, in writing to Iberville on August 5, 1699, indicates that the Canadians were at La Rochelle.16 Since they were being paid, it is likely they were put to use somewhere within the Rochefort-La Rochelle area, both ports falling under the authority of Intendant Bgon. From an examination of the pay lists, it is readily apparent that the two do not exactly match. This is due, in part, to the illness, death, or desertion of some members of the group, as evinced by the marginal annotations on the second pay list. It is noted, for example, that one of the officers, Major Caumont, had fallen ill and was replaced by Franois Maltot; Joseph Chainier died after arriving in France and was replaced by Franois Clavery; and Antoine Duclos deserted and was replaced by Clemont Begon. It is also noted that several names appearing on the first list are missing from the second; these include Pierre Couraille, Anthoine Dilagny, Jean Gautier, Charles La Barre, Jean and Pilippes La Briere, Jean La Topinne, Joseph La Vergne, Jean Leblanc, and Simon Lespine. Likewise, the second list includes several individuals not named on the first. These were apparently Canadians who did not travel to France with the group shown on the first list. They include the three replacements, Maltot, Clavery, and Begon, plus Antoine Dalmas, Luc Dauriue,17 Nicolas La Toupine, Charles Marquis, Jean Migneron, and Pierre Venard.18 (Although Ibervilles two brothers, Bienville and Chteaugu, were present on the second campaign, their names do not appear on either list, as the two were not considered to be recruits as were the other Canadians.) Most of the individuals named on the second pay list arrived safely in Louisiana, a fact confirmed by the existence of a roll prepared when Iberville departed Biloxi Bay for the return voyage.19 There were, however, fatalities during the campaign, including four Canadians who all died on New Years Eve 1699, just as the Renomme and the Gironde

were passing from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico. Those known to have died during the campaign include Antoine Baussi dit Marsie (died December 31, 1699),20 Nicolas Prevost (died December 31, 1699), Jean Trepanier (died December 31, 1699), Franois Faux (died December 31, 1699), Paul Dusheron (died March 25, 1700), Guillaume Brussard (died March 26, 1700), and Matt Leonnard (died May 1, 1700).21 In addition to the Canadians who died during the campaign, there were others whose status changed after arriving in Louisiana. Three were dismissed in March 1700 and were paid only for three months service in the colony. These were Joseph Gaulin, Louis Larrive, and Jean Sauci.22 Two others became members of the Renommes crew for the return voyage. These were Jean La Loire and Joseph Bonhomme, who signed on as seamen on April 16 and May 23, 1700, respectively.23 Several of the second-campaign Canadians are of some renown, and first among these was the young captain of the Canadians, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. When Iberville departed Biloxi Bay in May 1700, he placed Bienville in command of Fort La Boulay. The following year, when Bienville moved up to the command of Fort Maurepas, he appointed St. Denis to replace him in the former post. Although he served well there, St. Denis is best known for his later exploits into Spanish Texas and for his founding of the western-most French post of St. Jean-Baptiste des Natchitoches. With an eye on profiting from his contacts on the Texas frontier, St. Denis formed a trading company in 1717 with four other Canadians, among whom were second-campaign compatriots, Jean-Bapatiste Baudreau (listed by his alternate name, Graveline, on the two pay lists) and Joseph Chauvin. His dabbling in commerce continued into his tenure as commandant of the Natchitoches post, a position he held for some twenty-four years. He died in office there on June 11, 1744.24 Another person of note, also listed as a captain of the Canadians, was Pierre Dugu de Boisbriand (sometimes Boisbriant, Boisbrillant, or Boisbrilliant). In 1702, he was appointed aide-major to Bienville and sent on a number of campaigns in support and defense of the colony. He returned to France in 1717 but came back to the colony the following year and was elevated to the position of commandant in the Illinois country. There, he supervised the building of Fort de Chartes. On

Bienvilles recall to France in 1724, Boisbriand served as acting governor until the arrival of Perier in 1727. He returned to France in 1729 and died there seven years later on June 7, 1736.25 Of all the Canadians on Ibervilles second campaign, the two with perhaps the most intriguing life experiences were the Talon brothers, Pierre and Jean. They had first come to the Gulf Coast with their parents, Lucien Talon and wife Isabelle Marchand, prospective Louisiana colonists whom La Salle would misleadin error or by intentionto the shores of Matagorda Bay in 1685. While there, Pierre, eldest of the two, was placed among the Cenis (Caddo) Indians to learn their language, and he was absent from the Matagorda Bay settlement when it was overrun by the Karankawa in 1688. Four of his siblings were less fortunate: Jean Talon, two other brothers, and a sister were taken captive.26 The latter three were rescued by the Alonso de Lon expedition in June 1690; Jean, by the Tern de los Ros expedition in July of the following year.27 Eventually, Pierre, Jean, and their three other siblings were reunited and taken to Mexico City. Although their status for several years is unknown, in 1696, Spanish authorities made the decision to send them on to Spain. They were then separated and embarked at Veracruz on two different ships. The one carrying the three older boys, Pierre and Jean included, was overtaken and captured by a French squadron in the Antilles in January 1697.28 When Pierre and Jean Talon arrived in France, there was considerable interest in learning of their experiences and benefiting from their knowledge, both of the Indians and of Spains activities in Texas. There was even an attempt by the minister of the marine to link up the Talon brothers with Iberville prior to his first Louisiana campaign. Before that could happen, however, Pierre and Jean were (for unknown reasons) given passage out of Rochefort on the Gironde, which, as previously mentioned, set sail for Quebec with the frigate Poly on or about June 16, 1698, bound for Quebec. The two arrived there the end of August. Thus it was that the two Talon brothers made their way back to Canada. Why they then elected to join Ibervilles second-campaign Canadians is open to speculation, but perhaps their worldly experiences among the Caddo and the Karankawa, their time at the Spanish court in

Mexico City, and their high seas escapades made it impossible for them to resist the allure of yet another great adventure. The known whereabouts of the Talon brothers becomes a bit dim following the 16991700 campaign, but it is known that Pierre, and possibly Jean as well, were later in the employ of St. Denis, accompanying himas guides, but possibly also as interpreterson his 1714 trek to the Rio Grande.29 Several others among the second-campaign Canadians, although not major historical figures, are of considerable interest to genealogists and family historians, having put down roots in what would become the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, and starting families whose descendants are, today, counted in the hundreds, perhaps thousands. These include Joseph La Pointe, Jean Saucier, Pierre Alain, Gilbert Dardonne, Claude Trepagnier, and the previously mentioned Joseph Chauvin and Jean-Baptiste Baudreau (Graveline). Doubtless, there are many others who are worthy of mention but whose stories are either lost to the historical record or have not yet been adequately researched. In any case, these menand, indeed, all the Iberville Canadiansdeserve to be recognized for their contribution to the founding of the province of Louisiana and the proud history of the Gulf South. Presented in the following pages are three documents of interest for the second campaign. The first two are the pay lists previously discussed. The third, included here for reference, is a translation of Ibervilles instruction for the second campaign. That instruction is accompanied by a letter of transmittal to Iberville from Minister of the Marine Ponchartrain, dated September 22, 1699. This letter, secretive and intended only for Iberville, provided guidance the Crown wanted conveyed to him concerning the English but which, for political reasons, could not be included in his official instruction. At this time, England and France were not officially at war, but Louis XIV was not averse to causing problems for England, especially in the colonies. Minister Ponchartrain puts the matter rather bluntly in his letter, giving Iberville a free hand to use the Canadians to attack English settlementsor to use the Canadians to support Spanish attacks against the sameprovided the Canadians appeared to be acting on their own, without official direction or permission. This is a telling instruction.

Although Frenchmen, the CanadiansIberville includedwere viewed as a slightly different breed: French subjects to be sure, but ones whose deeds could be disavowed when politically expedient. That attitude characterizes, to a great extent, the degree to which bold actions and independent enterprises were tolerated in Louisiana and came to characterize her pioneering Canadians.

The First Pay List, May 5, 1699

[Estat des Canadiens passez de Plaisance en france et de leurs appointements et solde par mois, Rochefort, May 5, 1699. ANOM, Col. C13C 2, fol. 15r16v. Translation by the author from Library of Congress microfilm.] [fol. 15r:] Report of the Canadians who took passage from Plaisance to France and their monthly salaries and pay Firstly Officers To the Sieur St. Denis, captain of the Canadians at 50 livres per month...................................................................................... 50 livres To the Sieur Boisbrillant, ditto......................................................... 50 To the Sieur Caumont, major........................................................... 50 Canadians To Joseph Lapointe at 40 livres per month...................................... 40 To Ignae Lapointe, ditto ................................................................. 40 To Jacques La Brie, ditto................................................................... 40 To Franois Poudrier, ditto .............................................................. 40 To Paul Dusheron, ditto ................................................................... 40 To Joseph Chauvin, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Jean Baptiste Graveline, ditto..................................................... 40 To Anthoine Moransy, ditto............................................................. 40 To Jean Leveillier, ditto ..................................................................... 40 To Charles Lamotte, ditto................................................................. 40 To Franois Faut, ditto...................................................................... 40 To Allexis Franois, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Anthoine Lucas, ditto.................................................................. 40 670 livres

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[fol. 15v:] From previous page ............... 670 livres To Claude Trepagnier at 40 livres per month.................................. 40 To Charles Renau, ditto .................................................................... 40 To Joseph Bourboniere, ditto........................................................... 40 To Franois Montreuil, ditto ............................................................ 40 To Franois St. Marie, ditto.............................................................. 40 To Nicolas Provost, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Jean Laloire, ditto......................................................................... 40 To Jacques Chauvin, ditto................................................................. 40 To Ignae Laval, ditto........................................................................ 40 To Jean Trepagnier, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Maruie Crespaud, ditto.............................................................. 40 To Lafontaine Couilliart, ditto.......................................................... 40 To Franois Hamel, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Guillaume Brossard, ditto........................................................... 40 To Jean Pierre, ditto........................................................................... 40 To Pierre Alin, ditto........................................................................... 40 To Leonnard Mat, ditto..................................................................... 40 To Jacques Ras, ditto ......................................................................... 40 To Franois Lasolais, ditto................................................................ 40 To Joseph Chainier, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Jean Talon, ditto........................................................................... 40 To Andr Roy, ditto .......................................................................... 40 To Denis Durbois, ditto.................................................................... 40 To Estienne Lashambre, ditto.......................................................... 40 To Jean La Briere, ditto..................................................................... 40 1670 livres

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[fol. 16r:] From previous page ............. 1670 livres To Jean La Topinne, ditto................................................................. 40 To Jean Baptiste Turpin, ditto.......................................................... 40 To Pierre Larrive, ditto.................................................................... 40 To Louis Larrive, ditto .................................................................... 40 To Mathieu Bellefonds, ditto............................................................ 40 To Joseph Gaulin, ditto..................................................................... 40 To Charles La Barre, ditto ................................................................ 40 To Philippes Minet, ditto .................................................................. 40 To Charles Le Vasseur, ditto ............................................................ 40 To Charles Laroze, ditto ................................................................... 40 To Philippes La Briere, ditto ............................................................ 40 To Joseph La Vergne, ditto .............................................................. 40 To Simon Lespine, ditto.................................................................... 40 To Jean Soier, ditto .......................................................................... 40 To Marc Berrishon, ditto .................................................................. 40 To Louis Baudouin, ditto.................................................................. 40 To Joseph Robitaille, ditto................................................................ 40 To Claude Francoeur, ditto .............................................................. 40 To Sebastien Charpentier, ditto ....................................................... 40 To Jean Gautier, ditto........................................................................ 40 To Anthoine Duclos, ditto ............................................................... 40 To Anthoine Roussin, ditto .............................................................. 40 To Joseph Bonhomme, ditto............................................................ 40 To Jean Leblanc, ditto ....................................................................... 40 To Anthoine Dilagny, ditto .............................................................. 40 To Pierre Couraille, ditto .................................................................. 40 To Gilbert Dardenne, ditto .............................................................. 40 To Pierre Talon, ditto........................................................................ 40 Total Drawn at Rochefort, May 5, 1699 [Illegible signature] 2790 livres

12

[fol. 16v:] [Written vertically] May 5, 1699 Rochefort Roll of the Canadians, with their monthly pay, who took passage from Plaisance to France in order to serve on the ships that will go to Mississippi during the current year 1699.

13

The Second Pay List, August 25, 1699

[Rolle des officiers majors Canadiens et Canadiens qui sont dans le port de Rochefort et doivent sembarquer sur la fregatte du Roy la Renomme . . . , Rochefort, August 25, 1699. ANOM, Col. C13C 2, fol. 17r20v. Translation by the author from Library of Congress microfilm.] [fol. 17r: This page, a summary, precedes the actual role of names.] Monsieur de La Touche August 25, 1699 Rochefort

Extract of the funds necessary for 4 months of advanced pay to 2 Canadian officers and 63 Canadians who will embark on the frigate Renomme in order to go to fort de Maurepas la Baye de Biloxy on the Mississippi River,30 from the first of September until the last of December 1699. To Wit: To 2 officers at 50 livres each per month....................................... 100 To 63 Canadians at 30 livres each ................................................. 1890 _________ Total per month ...................................................... 1990 4 _________ And for 4 months ................................................... 7960 livres Tendered by order of September 1, 1699 [fol. 17v: blank]

14

[fol. 18r:] Roll of the Canadian officers and Canadians who are in the port of Rochefort and who will embark on the frigate of the king the Renomme, commanded by Monsieur dIberville, to take passage to Fort de Maurepas on the Mississippi River, who will receive, for their monthly pay beginning September 1, 1699, the amounts shown below. First: Officers
at 50 livres at 50 livres None, unless this one be, that is to say, Canadian

Remit the first of the months of September, October, November, and December

To Sieur de Boisbriand To Sieur de St. Denis To Sieur de Maltot in the place of Sieur de Caumont, sick Canadians To Jozeph La Point at 30 livres per month, thus................................................................. 30 To Ignace La Point, ditto.................................. 30 _________ 60 livres

[fol. 18v:]

From previous page ................. 60 livres To Jacques La Brie at 30 livres per month ....... 30 To Franois Poudrid, ditto ............................... 30 To Paul Du Chiron, ditto.................................. 30 To Jozeph Chauvin, ditto.................................. 30 To Jean Baptiste Graveline, ditto..................... 30 To Antoine Baussi dit Marsie, ditto ................. 30 To Jean LEveill, ditto ..................................... 30

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To Charles La Motte, ditto ............................... 30 To Franois Faux, ditto..................................... 30 To Alexis Franois, ditto................................... 30 To Antoine Lucas, ditto .................................... 30 To Claude Trepanier, ditto ............................... 30 To Charles Renaud, ditto .................................. 30 To Jozeph Bourbonniere, ditto ........................ 30 To Franois Montreuil, ditto ............................ 30 To Franois St. Marie, ditto.............................. 30 To Nicolas Prevost ............................................ 30 To Jean Laloire, ditto......................................... 30 To Jacques Chauvin, ditto................................. 30 To Ignace Laval, ditto........................................ 30 _________ 660 livres [fol. 19r:] From previous page ............... 660 livres To Jean Trepanier at 30 livres per month ........ 30 To Maruice Crepaut, ditto ................................ 30 To Pierre Couillard dit Lafontain, ditto........... 30 To Franois Amil, ditto..................................... 30 To Guillaume Brussard, ditto........................... 30 To Jean Pierre..................................................... 30 To Pierre Alain, ditto......................................... 30 To Leonnard Matt, ditto ................................. 30 To Jean Jacques Ros, ditto................................ 30 To Franois Lasolaye, ditto .............................. 30 To Pierre Talon, ditto........................................ 30 To Jean Talon, ditto........................................... 30 To Andr Roy, ditto .......................................... 30 To Gilbert Dardonne, ditto .............................. 30 To Denis Durbois, ditto.................................... 30 To Estienne La Chambre, ditto........................ 30 To Jean Baptiste Turpin, ditto.......................... 30

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In the place of Jozeph Chesnier, dead ditto Antoine Duclose who deserted

To Franois Clavery, ditto ................................ 30 To Clemont Begon, ditto .................................. 30 To Pierre Larrive, the elder, ditto................... 30 _________ 1260 livres From previous page ............. 1260 livres To Louis Larrive, the younger, ditto.............. 30 To Mathieu Bellefonds, ditto............................ 30 To Jozeph Gaulin, ditto .................................... 30 To Philippes Minet, ditto .................................. 30 To Charles Le Vasseur, ditto ............................ 30 To Charles La Roze, ditto................................. 30 To Jean Sauci, ditto.......................................... 30 To Marc Berrichon, ditto .................................. 30 To Nicolas La Toupine, ditto........................... 30 To Louis Baudouin, ditto.................................. 30 To Jean Migneron, ditto.................................... 30 To Jozeph Ropitaille, ditto................................ 30 To Claude Francoeur, ditto .............................. 30 To Sebastien Charptenier, ditto ....................... 30 To Antoine Roussin, ditto ................................ 30 To Jozeph Bonhomme, ditto ........................... 30 To Antoine Dalmas, ditto ................................. 30 To Piere Venard, ditto....................................... 30 To Charles Marquis, ditto ................................. 30 Spaniard returned with Monsieur dIberville _________ 1830 livres

[fol. 19v:]

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From previous page ............. 1830 livres [fol. 20r:] and who is going back with him to Mississippi To Luc Dauriue31 at 30 livres per month, thus................................................................. 30 _________ 1860 livres Sum total of the said month of September, eighteen hundred sixty livres, thus ........................... XVIIC LX livres For the months of October, November, and December of the present year, the sum of five thousand five hundred eighty livres, thus................................................... VG VC IIIIXX livres
None for this one

And for the year one thousand seven hundred, the sum of twenty-five thousand three hundred twenty livres, thus ................ XXIIG IIIC XX livres Grand total of the content of the current roll: Twenty-nine thousand seven hundred sixty livres, thus............................................... XXIXG VIIC LX livres I certify the contents of the current roll to be true. [Drawn] at Rochefort, August 25, 1699. [Signed:] Diberville [One other illegible signature (Duguay?)]

[fol. 21v:]

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Ibervilles Instruction, September 2, 1699

[Minister to Iberville, Fontainebleau, September 22, 1699, letter-book copy. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 276r81v. The first folio of this document is a letter of transmittal. The remainder contains the kings instruction to Iberville for his second campaign to the Mississippi. Translation by the author from Library and Archives Canada microfilm.] [fol. 276r:] Concerning the [war] ships that the said Sieur dIberville commands32 To Sieur dIberville Fontainebleau, September 22, 1699 You will find attached the instruction that the king ordered me to dispatch to you concerning the voyage you will make to the Mississippi. I turn now to what it contains, and I do not doubt that you will execute it with all the exactitude possible. You will find nothing in this instruction that concerns the settlements (tablissements) that the English or the French refugees might have made on the coast of Florida.33 However, I must explain to you that His Majesty does not want you to attack English [war] ships that you find in these waters. All the same, he would not be of a mind to oppose you in regard to [destroying] the settlements they might have made on this coast. He does not want you to attack them overtly, but he will not disapprove of your finding the means to have them destroyed, whether by the savages or by the Canadians, as if [they had acted] by themselves without the appearance of your acknowledgment, or

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[fol. 276v:] [destroyed] by the Spaniards, while having them assisted by the Canadians and by the savages. But observe with care to act in this so that it can not appear that you have orders or permission to do it. And it is necessary, as well, that you leave this letter in France in the hands of someone trustworthy. I am strongly persuaded that you will find the means to execute that which I am explaining to you by this letter in such a way that no complaints will come of it, and you can be persuaded that I am working with pleasure to promote your services to His Majesty and to draw from him favors for you. Monsieur Du Guay34 sent me an account that you remitted to him of the expenses and of the result of your Hudson Bay enterprise in 1695. I do not object to it at all. I have the papers that concern this affaire and, moreover, it seems to me that my father had charged Monsieur Bgon35 to finish it. I am writing about it to Sieur Bgon, and it will be necessary for you to charge someone at La Rochelle to conclude it with him. [The letter is unsigned.] Memoir to serve as an instruction to Sieur dIberville, capitaine de frgate lgre, [fol. 277r:] commanding the Renomme The discovery that the Sieur dIberville made of the mouth of the Mississippi River36 and the confidence that His Majesty places in him prompts him [the king] to choose him again to command the [war] ships that he [the king] wants to send to this country in order to perfect and assure himself of the possession of the outpost (tablissement) he made there. His Majesty approved the choice he made of the officers he nominated to command at the fort he built, and he will find attached orders to confirm to them the command of it, while waiting for him [the

20

king] to know more specifically what there will be to do for this country. He also set their salaries so they will have reason to be content. He [Iberville] was informed of the orders that have been given to Sieur Du Guay to have embarked, on the frigate that he commands and on the flte that will accompany it, the munitions necessary for this fort and for one year of provisions at its garrison [along] with hardes and habits for those who will compose it.37 His Majesty considers it necessary to charge an crivain principal [fol. 277v:] de marine 38 with these munitions, provisions, and clothing (hardes) and to leave him at this fort to distribute them. He chooses for this purpose Sieur de Rocour to whom he wants him [Iberville] to give all the help and protection of which he [Rocour] will have need in order to be able to perform his functions. His Majesty has also given orders to have embarked on these ships the Canadians who have heretofore served with him [Iberville] in Hudsons Bay and who are currently at La Rochelle, being persuaded that he will be able to employ them profitably for his service. He [the king] does not doubt that all will be embarked when he [Iberville] will receive this memoir. Thus, he desires that he set sail immediately. In case he cannot be given, at Rochefort, all the wine necessary for his campaign due to the poor quality of this years [wine] and that it is judged appropriate for him to have some taken on at Madeira or in one of the Azores islands, His Majesty sees fit that he go there, but he [fol. 278r:] recommends, in this case, to stop and linger there only as long as will be necessary to take on the wine that he will need. He will go, afterwards, to the roadstead of Biloxi without landing on the coast of St. Domingue or elsewhere unless being forced there by the winds or other unforeseen needs.

21

As soon as he will have arrived before this fort, he will go ashore in order to have an accounting made to him by Sieur de Sauvole,39 who commands there, of all that has happened in this country since he [Iberville] left there. And in case, on the understanding that the said Sieur Sauvole will have gained of the surrounding areas, he judges it appropriate to relocate this fort to a place more suitable, he will take his [war] ships there after having embarked all that will remain at this fort and have it entirely destroyed. His Majesty prescribes to him nothing on the manner of constructing this new fort nor on the augmentations to make to the one of Biloxi Bay, if he judges it appropriate to conserve it, leaving it entirely up to him. The intention of His Majesty is to have a full understanding of this country, to be informed of plantings that can be [fol. 278v:] made there, of goods that can be drawn from it, and of those [goods] of the realm that can be consumed there. As the said Sieur de Sauvole will have, without doubt, executed the orders that he [Iberville] gave to him to inform himself of it and that he will be able to stay in this country long enough to verify the knowledge that he will have acquired, His Majesty hopes that, at his [Ibervilles] return, he will put him [the king] in a position to decide with certainty on the courses of action that will be taken in order to extract from these settlements all the use that one can expect. One of the great purposes that was, heretofore, imparted to His Majesty, when he was engaged to have the mouth of the Mississippi discovered, was to extract the wool of the buffalo (bufs) of his country. It is necessary that he [Iberville] arrange to bring [back] several of their hides in order to test them and to make sure of the various uses that can be made of them. And, as it would be necessary to domesticate these animals in order to be able to use their wool, it is necessary that he arrange to get some of their young, which he will bring near the fort, where a pen (parc) will be made to enclose them. It would even be

22

[fol. 279r:] desirable that he were able to bring some of them to France, while observing that there be some males and females, but more of the latter than of the others. Although the pearls that were given to him by the savages do not appear of high quality (dune belle eau) or of a fine shape, it is not necessary to pass up researching them with care. He might find others of them, and His Majesty desires that he brings [back] as many as he can. It is also necessary that he assure himself of the places where fishing can be done, that he observes the fishing firsthand, and that he makes the most exact notes he can on what can be observed about this fishing. His Majesty was assured that this country was covered with very beautiful mulberry trees, and as it is the usual nourishment of silk worms, he wants him to consider if enterprises could be make of them [and] if, in this case, the women and children of the savages could be applied and what could be done for this. He will consider carefully the nature of the wood of the country in order to know how it could be [fol. 279v:] used, whether in furniture or in the construction of building and ships. Finally, His Majesty wants him to consider carefully all that this country produces and for him to bring with him the greatest quantity possible of its yield in order to see, in France, the use that can be made of it and what measures can be taken to draw off as much as can be consumed. But the great undertaking is the discovery of mines. Those that the Spanish have on the same latitude and in lands of the same quality can make us believe that there are some in the area of the Mississippi. In case he finds some of them, as there is cause for hope, he will take material from them in order to bring it to France in the greatest quantity possible in order to make several assays of it. He will take possession of these mines in the name of His Majesty and will draw up papers (actes) as authentic as will be possible and will even have them authorized by the savages on the land where he will find them, and he

23

will consider, at these places, what there would be to do in order to [fol. 280r:] employ these savages and their families and what it would be necessary to give them in payment for the work in order to engage them in it. He will apply himself very forcefully to gain full knowledge of the neighboring coast of the Mississippi and will explore (dcouvrira) east and west as far as he can, while observing, however, not to go at all up to the places where the Spaniards are established, so as to avoid making them jealous. He will correct the maps that have been made of it and will, at the same time, be observant of the dangers on this coast in order to avoid them and of what can be observed in order to navigate there with certainty. He was informed that his Majesty permitted the said Sieur Lesueur to embark with him in order to go back up the Mississippi as far as the Sioux country (pays des Sioux), where there is a village (tablissement). His Majesty also had him given written permission to take eight or ten Canadians of those he brought with him. But in case others of them came from Canada, he can be permitted to engage a greater number by mutual agreement and without obligating anyone. [fol. 280v:] He will give to Sieur Lesueur the orders he will judge appropriate in order to make observations along the river and will order him to send them to the secretary of state having the department of the Marine40 at the first opportunity he will have. After having gained full knowledge of this country, just as it is explained to him above, His Majesty prefers to permit him to add to this whatever he will judge appropriate. He will choose one hundred good men among the Canadians, freebooters, seamen, and soldiers who are under his command, as many from those who are currently in the country there as from those who will be on his [war] ships, in order to remain at this fort until the following year under the command of the officers that he has proposed and of whom His Majesty has confirmed

24

the choice, and will leave them the provisions that Sieur Du Guay had embarked on his [war] ships, which His Majesty expects to be sufficient throughout the course of the year 1700, and even for part of 1701, because of the vegetables and fresh meat that this country will furnish them and of those that Sieur Du Casset41 sent there from [the line is unfinished]. [fol. 281r:] He will have the officers of the forts garrison recognize Sieur de Roucour, crivain principal of the Marine, who will perform the functions of commissaire and will explain to Sieur Sauvole that the intention of His Majesty is that he gives to him all the protection and help that he will need in order to perform his functions and that he has him enter into the councils, where His Majesty wants him to occupy second place. He will establish, likewise, for chaplain in the fort, the Jesuit who will have served in the same quality on the frigate Renomme and will bring back to France the chaplains that he left there. And after having executed all the contents in the present instruction, His Majesty desires that he return to France with all the haste of which he will be capable. He [the king] does not believe that the Spaniards want to attempt anything against this settlement, [it] not appearing to him that they have cause to complain about it. However, he is quite pleased to say to him [Iberville] that he wants him carefully to avoid having any business with them. And in order not to give them any cause for complaint, he does [fol. 281v:] not even want him to post himself at Pensacola if they were to withdraw from it. But, in case the Spaniards have, since the departure of the said Sieur dIberville, attacked the fort of Biloxi, and even that they have taken it, His Majesty wants him to see to reassembling the French who might be among them, or scattered along the coast, in order to gather them at the fort, which he will build anew. He forbids him to use any act of violence

25

(voie de fait) against them, reserving for himself [the king] to deal with it as he will judge appropriate. However, if these Spaniards attack him, he [the king] prefers that he repel force with force and that he does all that the rules of a good and just defense can permit. As it is the duty of His Majesty to avoid carefully all that might pose some obstacle to the execution of the orders for which the said Sieur dIberville is responsible, His Majesty does not want him to ask the salute of any [war] ship of any nation whatsoever. He does not want him to salute them either. However, if he will find some Spanish or English fleet (escadre) where there were flags of general officers, His Majesty sees fit that he salute them. [The document is concluded with a small, illegible signature or initial. This apparently represents the signature of the king, Louis XIV, but as the instruction is a letter-book copy, the signature is not in the kings hand.]

26

End Notes Minister to Iberville, Versailles, June 15, 1699. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 262r63r. Also, Minister to Du Guay, Marly, August 26, 1699. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 266v68r. Raucour is the same individual whose named appears as Rocour or Roucour in Ibervilles sailing instruction (translated at the end of this article). Various other spellings have been found, including Ricour, Raucoart, and Ricort. Iberville to Minister, on board the Renomme at Le Cap (CapFranais), December 19, 1699. Transcript in Pierre Margry, Dcouvertes et tablissements des Franais dans louest et dans le sud de lAmrique septentrionale (16141754) . . . , part 4, Dcouverte par mer des bouches du Mississipi et tablissements de Lemoyne dIberville sur le golfe du Mexique (16941703) (Paris: Jouaust, 1880), 35860, citing Archives du Ministre de la Marine, Campaignes, vol. 16991700. Attempts were made to locate the source documentthought to be part of AN, Marine B4 20and to verify the sailing date; however, the document could not be found. Several writers have given the date of sailing as October 17, 1699, but have cited no source. The matter requires further investigation.
3 2 1

Iberville to Minister, Bayogoulas [village], February 26, 1700. ANOM, Col. C13A 1, pp. 22540. Ibervilles activities on the campaign are detailed in Journal du voyage du chevalier dIberville sur le vaisseau du Roi la Renomme, en 1699, depuis le cap Franais jusqu la cte du Mississipi, et son retour, undated [but likely written after Ibervilles return to France using his own ships log for reference.] Margry transcript, 4:395431, citing Dpot de la Marine. An English translation of this document is in Richebourg Gaillard McWilliams, trans. and ed., Ibervilles Gulf Journals (Tuscaloosa: Univ. of Alabama Press, 1981), 106156. McWilliams, however, worked from a supposed copy of the version that Iberville sent to the minister of the marine; he cites this copy as Bibliothque Nationale, MSS. fr., N.A. 9296, microfilm.
5

27

All of these individuals, with the exception of Bienville, came to the colony on the second campaign. Bienville came on the first. For further information on the four, see their biographical sketches in Glenn R. Conrad, ed., A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography. (New Orleans: Louisiana Historical Association, 1988). The work that took place following the second voyage, including the building of Fort Louis at the mouth of the Mobile River and the founding of the original Mobile settlement, is addressed in detail in Jay Higginbotham, Old Mobile: Fort Louis de la Louisiane, 17021711 (Tuscaloosa and London: Univ. of Alabama Press, 1991). Journal du voyage du chevalier dIberville sur le vaisseau du Roi la Renomme, en 1699 . . . , entry of May 27, 1700. Margry transcript, 4:431. According to the journal entry of April 15, 1700, the Gironde had departed on April 3. Margry transcript, 4:424. These campaigns are detailed in Alan F. Williams, Father Baudoins War: DIbervilles Campaigns in Acadia and Newfoundland, 1696, 1697 ([St. Johns:] Department of Geography, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland, ca. 1987).
9 8 7

Memoire de ce quil faut faire cette annee pour la baye dhudson, 1698. (The author was apparently Champigny, intendant of New France.) ANOM, Col. C11A 16, fol. 156r57v. The document sets the number of Canadians transported to Quebec at sixty-five, four short of the number on the first pay list. The document solicits commissions for three: Caumon Le Gardeur, Boisbrillian de Duguay, and St. Denis. At that time, direction was given to Intendant Bgon to keep the Canadians in France. Marcel Giraud, A History of French Louisiana, vol. 1, The Reign of Louis XIV, 16981715, trans. Joseph C. Lambert (Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1974), 3435. Srigny himself was in France by that date. Minister to Srigny, Versailles, December 24, 1698. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 138v39r.
12 11

10

28

Minister to Iberville, Versailles, June 25, 1698. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 121r22r. Also, Lettre du Roy M. de Contr, Versailles, May 28, 1698. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 105r6r. C
11A

13

Champigny to Minister, Quebec, October 14, 1698. ANOM, Col. 16, fol. 102r126r.
15

14

Minister to the Marquis de Contr Blenac, Versailles, December 10, 1698. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 137r27v. Minister to Iberville, Versailles, August 5, 1699. ANOM, Col. B 20, fol. 264r65r. The name may be Daurine, or possible even Daurive. The crivain who drew this document made little or no distinction between the letters n, u, and v. On the second pay list, this individuals name appears under the heading, Spaniard returned with Monsieur dIberville . . . . According to a letter written to Iberville by Minister Ponchartrain, this Spaniard was brought back from San Luis Potosi on Ibervilles previous voyage. Ibid.
17 16

Several of the names on the original lists appear without proper diacritics, for example, Begon instead of Bgon, La Barre instead of La Barr, Maltot instead of Maltt, etc. These have been left unchanged in the translations except for the given name Francois, which has been corrected to Franois. Also, in some instances, the given names Pierre and Jean-Baptiste were abbreviated in the original lists; these have been spelled out in the translation. Rolle des officiers majors, off[icie]rs mariniers, matelots, Cannadiens, flibustiers, ouvriers et mousses [et] soldats qui sont dans la garnison du fort de La Baie de Bilocchi au Missisipi passs en revee le vingt cinq[ui]me mai 1700, drawn at the Fort of the Bay of Biloxi, May 26, 1700. ANOM, Col. C13A 1, pp. 25560. This individuals name appears as Anthoine Moransy on the first pay list.
20 19

18

29

Rolle des officiers marin[ie]rs, matelots, Canadiens, flibustiers, ouvriers et soldats qui sont morts au fort de Biloxy, Rochefort, October 18, 1700. ANOM, Col. C13A 1, pp. 26768. Etat des fonds remettre pour le payement des officiers majors, officiers mariniers, matelots, Canadiens, flibustiers, ouvriers et mousses pour les services quils ont rendus ou quils rondront la presente anne 1700 au fort de la Baye de Biloxy ou ils sont en garnison, drawn at Rochefort, October 19, 1700. ANOM, Col. C13A 1, pp. 26979.
23 24 22

21

Ibid.

For St. Denis: A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, 449. In regard to Baudreau (Graveline) and Chauvin, see Marcel Giraud, A History of French Louisiana, vol. 2, Years of Transition, 17151717, trans. Brian Pearce (Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1993), 188.
25 26

Conrad, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, 26364.

Robert S. Weddle, Wilderness Manhunt: The Spanish Search for La Salle (Austin and London: Univ. of Texas Press, 1973), 25253. William C. Foster, Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 16891768 (Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 1995), 4445, 6263.
27 28 29 30

Weddle, Wilderness Manhunt, 25354. Foster, Spanish Expeditions, 112. Biloxi Bay opens onto the Gulf of Mexico, not the Mississippi See note 17.

River.
31 32

This line is not part of the original cover letter but was added to the letter-book copy to describe the document. This speculation that French refugees might be encountered on the coast of Florida (the upper Florida Gulf Coast) has to do with French Protestants (Huguenots), many of whom fled France following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Some were welcomed into the English colonies in America.
33

30

Henry-Jules Du Guay was commissaire gnral at Rochefort. Michel Verg-Franceschi, La Marine franaise au XVIIIe sicle (Paris: Sedes, 1996), 422.
34 35 36

Michel Bgon was intendant at Rochefort. Ibid., 413.

Strictly speaking, Iberville did not discover the mouth of the Mississippi. That honor belongs to the explorer Ren-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. Iberville was, however, the first European to locate successfully and to enter the mouth of the river from the Gulf of Mexico, something that La Salle had failed to do. The terms hardes and habits can both be translated as clothes, although the former is more descriptive of old or used clothes.
37

The grade of crivain principal was a mid-level office in the administrative corps (corps de plume) of the French navy between the higher grade of crivain gnral and the lower grade of crivain ordinaire. Verg-Franceschi, La Marine franaise au XVIIIe sicle, 213.
38

Sauvole had been on Ibervilles first Louisiana campaign and had been left behind as commander at the newly built Fort Maurepas, where he died in August 1701. Conrad, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, 719.
40 41

39

That is, the ministry of the Marine.

Jean [dit Jean-Baptiste] Du Casse, governor of the French colony of Saint-Domingue, 16911700. James S. Pritchard, In Search of Empire: The French in the Americas, 16701730 (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004), 436.

31