Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre
Encyclopedia
Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre (October 24, 1701 – September 8, 1755) was a Canadien colonial military commander and explorer. who held posts throughout North America
in the 18th century.
's prominent families. He was a grandson of Jean-Baptiste Legardeur de Repentigny
(who had been elected the first mayor of Quebec City
on October 17, 1663 and founded Repentigny, Quebec
in 1670) and a great-grandson of explorer Jean Nicollet de Belleborne. Most immediately however, his father Jean-Paul was an adventurer and had founded a post at Chagouamigon
in what is now Wisconsin
in 1718. It is believed that Jacques spent a number of years there with his father where he obtained an excellent knowledge of the Indian languages and the business conducted in the trading post
s.
In 1724 he began military service as a second ensign
with the colonial regular troops. Because of his skills as an interpreter, his early active duty involved building loyalty and support among the Ojibwa
, Cree
, and Sioux
to assist the French in future campaigns against other Indian tribes. From 1734 to 1737, he was commandant at Fort Beauharnois
(on Lake Pepin
, along the present day Wisconsin-Minnesota border) and caught in the middle of tribal rivalries. Fearing for himself and his garrison, he abandoned and burned the fort in May 1737.
From 1737 to 1740 he campaigned
against the Chickasaws and drew praise for his skills in dealing with the Indians. In 1741 he made lieutenant and was commandant of the Miami post
near what is now known as Fort Wayne, Indiana
for a short while. From 1745–1747 he was stationed at Montreal
and carried out many military assignments, including a raid
on the British colonial settlement of Saratoga, New York
. In 1747 he and Louis de la Corne
fought the British and their Indian allies in the Lachine
area.
From 1748–1750 he served at Fort Michilimackinac
during which time he was promoted to captain. The whole period was spent negotiating a fragile peace between the warring Indian nations. In 1750 Governor La Jonquière
appointed him Western commander to lead in the search for the western sea, a project that had been headed by Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye who had died in 1749 while planning a new expedition. He was soon involved in a dispute with two of the La Vérendrye sons, Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye
and Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye
, who had been actively involved in this project with their father. To his credit, Saint-Pierre recognized their past role and apologized. During his tenure, he was quite active. He travelled several times to the area of the Red
and Winnipeg
rivers and Fort St. Charles
on Lake of the Woods
. He no doubt headquartered at Fort La Reine
. At least one important post was established under his command; that being Fort Le Jonquière
on the Saskatchewan River
(probably in the Nipawin, Saskatchewan
area). The western sea explorations were not expanded much beyond that point. The story goes that when Fort La Reine was invaded by a group of Assiniboines he saved the fort by standing at the door of the powder magazine with a blazing brand and threatening to blow everyone up if they did not leave.
Returning from the western forts in 1753, Saint-Pierre was assigned to the Ohio Country
, where the French and Canadians were building a strong presence in order to deal with the economic threat posed by British fur traders. Paul Marin de la Malgue
constructed two forts, the main one being Fort Le Boeuf
. After Marin's death, Legardeur took over Marin's command. The French occupation drew attention from the Virginia Colony, and its governor, Robert Dinwiddie
, sent a young George Washington
with a written demand that the French leave the disputed territory. Much has been made of this event because of the later fame of the messenger; history records that Washington was impressed by Saint-Pierre in this encounter. After Washington in 1754 led an expedition that ambushed a Canadian party
, Saint-Pierre was in the party sent from Fort Duquesne
that defeated Washington at Fort Necessity.
In 1755 Jacques led a large contingent of militia and Indians from Montreal into a battle
at Lac du Saint-Sacrement (as Lake George, New York
was then known) and was immediately killed. His service to France in North America was valuable and extensive. He was a logical successor to La Vérendrye in the western forts and fur trade. He was awarded the cross of Saint Louis
for his endeavours in military action. He was married but had no children. His widow remarried in 1757, to Luc de la Corne
.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in the 18th century.
Life
He traced his lineage to a number of New FranceNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
's prominent families. He was a grandson of Jean-Baptiste Legardeur de Repentigny
Jean-Baptiste Legardeur de Repentigny
Jean-Baptiste Legardeur de Repentigny, was born at Thury-Harcourt in Normandy in 1632, and died in Montreal on September 9th, 1709. He was esquire, midshipman, and councillor in the Conseil Souverain. He was the son of Pierre Legardeur de Repentigny and Marie Favery.Jean-Baptiste Legardeur arrived...
(who had been elected the first mayor of Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
on October 17, 1663 and founded Repentigny, Quebec
Repentigny, Quebec
Repentigny is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, located north of Montreal, on the lower end of the L'Assomption River and on the Saint Lawrence River. Repentigny and Charlemagne are the first towns off the island of Montreal.-History:...
in 1670) and a great-grandson of explorer Jean Nicollet de Belleborne. Most immediately however, his father Jean-Paul was an adventurer and had founded a post at Chagouamigon
Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay is an inlet of Lake Superior, NE-SW and 2- wide, in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin. It lies largely inside the barrier of Chequamegon Point and Long Island, with the Bad River Indian Reservation to the east. Ashland, Wisconsin is on its...
in what is now Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in 1718. It is believed that Jacques spent a number of years there with his father where he obtained an excellent knowledge of the Indian languages and the business conducted in the trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s.
In 1724 he began military service as a second ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
with the colonial regular troops. Because of his skills as an interpreter, his early active duty involved building loyalty and support among the Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
, Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
, and Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
to assist the French in future campaigns against other Indian tribes. From 1734 to 1737, he was commandant at Fort Beauharnois
Fort Beauharnois
Fort Beauharnois was a French fort built on the shores of Lake Pepin, a wide part of the upper Mississippi River, in 1727. The location chosen was on lowlands and the fort was rebuilt in 1730 on higher ground. It was the site of the first Roman Catholic chapel in Minnesota, which was dedicated to...
(on Lake Pepin
Lake Pepin
Lake Pepin is a naturally occurring lake, and the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River, located approximately 60 miles downstream from Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is a widening of the river on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. The formation of the lake was caused by the...
, along the present day Wisconsin-Minnesota border) and caught in the middle of tribal rivalries. Fearing for himself and his garrison, he abandoned and burned the fort in May 1737.
From 1737 to 1740 he campaigned
Chickasaw Wars
The Chickasaw Wars were fought in the 18th century between the Chickasaw allied with the British against the French and their allies the Choctaws and Illini. The Province of Louisiana extended from Illinois to New Orleans, and the French fought to secure their communications along the Mississippi...
against the Chickasaws and drew praise for his skills in dealing with the Indians. In 1741 he made lieutenant and was commandant of the Miami post
Forts of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne in modern Fort Wayne, Indiana, was established by Captain Jean François Hamtramck under orders from General "Mad" Anthony Wayne as part of the campaign against the Indians of the area. It was named after General Wayne, who was victorious at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Wayne may have...
near what is now known as Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
for a short while. From 1745–1747 he was stationed at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and carried out many military assignments, including a raid
Raid on Saratoga
The Raid on Saratoga was an attack by a French and Indian force on the settlement of Saratoga, New York on November 28, 1745, during King George's War. Led by Paul Marin de la Malgue, the allied force of 600 burned the settlement, killing about 30 and taking 60 to 100...
on the British colonial settlement of Saratoga, New York
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
. In 1747 he and Louis de la Corne
Louis de la Corne, Chevalier de la Corne
Louis de la Corne or Louis Chapt, Chevalier de la Corne was born at Fort Frontenac in what is now Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and began his career in the colonial regular troops as a second ensign in 1722 and was made full ensign five years later.He married in 1728 and began investing heavily in...
fought the British and their Indian allies in the Lachine
Lachine
Lachine may refer to a number of places in the Montreal area:* Lachine, Quebec, the community* Lachine Rapids* Lachine Canal* The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site...
area.
From 1748–1750 he served at Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower...
during which time he was promoted to captain. The whole period was spent negotiating a fragile peace between the warring Indian nations. In 1750 Governor La Jonquière
Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière
Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière was a French admiral and Governor General of New France from March 1, 1746 until his death in 1752.De la Jonquière was born near Albi...
appointed him Western commander to lead in the search for the western sea, a project that had been headed by Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye who had died in 1749 while planning a new expedition. He was soon involved in a dispute with two of the La Vérendrye sons, Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye
Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye
Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian fur trader and explorer who took part in extending these activities westerly from the Great Lakes during the eighteenth century, an enterprise for which he and other members of his family were largely responsible...
and Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye de Boumois was the second son of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye...
, who had been actively involved in this project with their father. To his credit, Saint-Pierre recognized their past role and apologized. During his tenure, he was quite active. He travelled several times to the area of the Red
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
and Winnipeg
Winnipeg River
The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river which flows from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. This river is long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is in area, mainly in Canada. About of this area is in northern...
rivers and Fort St. Charles
Fort St. Charles
Fort Saint Charles was a secure trading post constructed in 1732, one of several western forts built under the direction of military commander La Vérendrye...
on Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...
. He no doubt headquartered at Fort La Reine
Fort La Reine
Fort La Reine was built in 1738, one of the forts of the western expansion directed by Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye, first military commander in the west of what is now known as Canada. Located on the Assiniboine River where present day Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, stands, the...
. At least one important post was established under his command; that being Fort Le Jonquière
Fort Le Jonquiere
Fort La Jonquière was established in 1751 as part of the western commanders continued search for a route to the western sea. The commander at that time was Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, who had replaced Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye, and there is no doubt that he did send...
on the Saskatchewan River
Saskatchewan River
The Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada, approximately long, flowing roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to empty into Lake Winnipeg...
(probably in the Nipawin, Saskatchewan
Nipawin, Saskatchewan
There is, however, some dispute regarding the current population of Nipawin, with Tourism Saskatchewan's Saskatchewan Discovery Guide 2010 claiming a population of 5,074, which actually places Nipawin over the population threshold for applying for city status....
area). The western sea explorations were not expanded much beyond that point. The story goes that when Fort La Reine was invaded by a group of Assiniboines he saved the fort by standing at the door of the powder magazine with a blazing brand and threatening to blow everyone up if they did not leave.
Returning from the western forts in 1753, Saint-Pierre was assigned to the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
, where the French and Canadians were building a strong presence in order to deal with the economic threat posed by British fur traders. Paul Marin de la Malgue
Paul Marin de la Malgue
Paul Marin de la Malgue was the eldest son of Charles-Paul Marin de la Malgue and Catherine Niquet. He was born in Montreal and, as many of the prominent historical figures of his time, had a military career in the colonial regular troops...
constructed two forts, the main one being Fort Le Boeuf
Fort Le Boeuf
Fort Le Boeuf, , was a fort established by the French in 1753 on a fork of French Creek, in present-day Waterford, in northwest Pennsylvania...
. After Marin's death, Legardeur took over Marin's command. The French occupation drew attention from the Virginia Colony, and its governor, Robert Dinwiddie
Robert Dinwiddie
Robert Dinwiddie was a British colonial administrator who served as lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia from 1751 to 1758, first under Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, and then, from July 1756 to January 1758, as deputy for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun...
, sent a young George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
with a written demand that the French leave the disputed territory. Much has been made of this event because of the later fame of the messenger; history records that Washington was impressed by Saint-Pierre in this encounter. After Washington in 1754 led an expedition that ambushed a Canadian party
Battle of Jumonville Glen
The Battle of Jumonville Glen, also known as the Jumonville affair, was the opening battle of the French and Indian War fought on May 28, 1754 near what is present-day Uniontown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania...
, Saint-Pierre was in the party sent from Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
that defeated Washington at Fort Necessity.
In 1755 Jacques led a large contingent of militia and Indians from Montreal into a battle
Battle of Lake George
The Battle of Lake George was fought on 8 September 1755, in the north of the Province of New York. The battle was part of a campaign by the British to expel the French from North America in the French and Indian War....
at Lac du Saint-Sacrement (as Lake George, New York
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
was then known) and was immediately killed. His service to France in North America was valuable and extensive. He was a logical successor to La Vérendrye in the western forts and fur trade. He was awarded the cross of Saint Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
for his endeavours in military action. He was married but had no children. His widow remarried in 1757, to Luc de la Corne
Luc de la Corne
Luc de la Corne, also known as Saint Luc, was the son of Jean-Louis de La Corne and the brother of Louis de la Corne, Chevalier de la Corne. As in the case of most of his contemporaries, he was an officer in the colonial regular troops. He had a varied and courageous military career which earned...
.