Pierre Morpain
Encyclopedia
Pierre Morpain was a French ship's captain, privateer, and naval officer. Active in the waters of the West Indies, Morpain is best known for a highly successful privateering career along the coast of Acadia
(and later Nova Scotia
) during Queen Anne's War
and King George's War
. He notably made a providential arrival, with suppy-laden prizes in tow, at the Acadian capital, Port Royal
, not long after the first 1707 siege
. In his later years he participated as a military commander in the defence of Fortress Louisbourg during the 1745 siege
.
, a community on the Gironde
in southwestern France, in roughly 1686. His father, Jacques Morpain, was a local businessman. Both parents died when he was young, and by 1703 he was serving at sea. In 1706 he was given command of the Intrépide, based in the West Indies at Cap-Français (present-day Cap-Haïtien
), with instructions to interfere with British shipping. In 1707 he cruised as far north as New England
, where he captured two prize
s: a ship full of provisions, and a slave ship
. Since France and England were then at war
, he made for the nearest safe port, which was Port Royal
, the capital of Acadia
. Unknown to Morpain, an English colonial force had recently abandoned a siege
there, and the town was in desperate need of supplies. Morpain generously offered his captured stores to the town, winning the gratitude of Acadia's Governor Daniel d'Auger de Subercase
. Fearing a renewed attack, Subercase asked Morpain to stay; the English returned in late August, and Morpain and his ship's crew assisted the Acadians in driving the besiegers off.
After returning to the West Indies, Morpain was given command of a naval vessel, the Marquis de Choiseul, that was under the authority of Saint-Domingue
's governor. At the urging of Subercase, Morpain sailed north to engage in privateering in the waters of New England and Acadia in 1709. While there he married Marie-Joseph de Chauffours, daughter of Louis Damours de Chauffours, an Acadian settler. His privateering was highly successful, building a reputation with both the French authorities and New England sailing interests. When the English failed to attach Port Royal in 1709 Morpain returned briefly to the West Indies to return his employer's vessel.
He then settled in Plaisance, Newfoundland, where he was joined by his wife, and he again took up privateering. In 1711 a French-Indian force besieged Annapolis Royal but lacked armaments to attack the fort. Following a request they made to Newfoundland's governor, Morpain loaded his ship with supplies and munitions and sailed off to meet them. However, his ship encountered part of a major British naval expedition
, and was captured after three hours' battle. Imprisoned at St. John's
, he was released back to Plaisance in 1712. Later that year he returned to France, where he spent the next year; during this time he apparently sought an appointment in the naval establishment.
). Arriving the following year, he oversaw the construction of the port facilities at Louisbourg and administered navigation in the province; in the latter role he became quite familiar with all of the local waters. By the 1740s his duties including the instruction of navigation to the colony's mariners.
With the advent of war
in 1744, Morpain again took to the seas against British colonial shipping; his reputation was such that reports of the activities of "Morepang" were sufficient to keep merchant ships in port. Conditions at Louisbourg, however, were not good: the land forces stationed there were extremely discontented, and the governor, Louis Du Pont Duchambon, was faced with a mutiny in December 1744. The arrival of a British colonial force under William Pepperrell
in early May 1745 forced Duchambon to turn to Morpain to lead the defences, since he could not trust many of his officers. Morpain advocated an aggressive response to British intentions to land at Gabarus Bay, south of the fort, and eventually led a small force out in an attempt to stop the landing. In this he was unsuccessful, arriving after the British had already established a small beachhead
. In the ensuing skirmish, Morpain was wounded, but managed to make his way back to the fortress.
Morpain then effectively directed the defence of the fortress for the duration of the siege
; his vigorous defence of the works was lauded by both the French and British forces. After the British victory, Morpain was returned to France. When Île-Royale was returned to the French after the peace, Morpain was again offered the naval post at Louisbourg; however, he died at Rochefort
in August 1749 without returning to North America.
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
(and later Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
) during Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
and King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
. He notably made a providential arrival, with suppy-laden prizes in tow, at the Acadian capital, Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
, not long after the first 1707 siege
Siege of Port Royal (1707)
The Siege of Port Royal in 1707 was two separate attempts by English colonists from New England to conquer Acadia by capturing its capital Port Royal during Queen Anne's War. Both attempts were made by colonial militia, and were led by men inexperienced in siege warfare...
. In his later years he participated as a military commander in the defence of Fortress Louisbourg during the 1745 siege
Siege of Louisbourg (1745)
The Siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale during the War of the Austrian Succession, known as King George's War in the British colonies.Although the Fortress of...
.
Early life
Pierre Morpain was born in BlayeBlaye
Blaye is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Blayais or the Blayaises.-Geography:...
, a community on the Gironde
Gironde estuary
The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...
in southwestern France, in roughly 1686. His father, Jacques Morpain, was a local businessman. Both parents died when he was young, and by 1703 he was serving at sea. In 1706 he was given command of the Intrépide, based in the West Indies at Cap-Français (present-day Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
), with instructions to interfere with British shipping. In 1707 he cruised as far north as New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, where he captured two prize
Prize (law)
Prize is a term used in admiralty law to refer to equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, it was common that the capturing force would be allotted...
s: a ship full of provisions, and a slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
. Since France and England were then at war
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
, he made for the nearest safe port, which was Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
, the capital of Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
. Unknown to Morpain, an English colonial force had recently abandoned a siege
Siege of Port Royal (1707)
The Siege of Port Royal in 1707 was two separate attempts by English colonists from New England to conquer Acadia by capturing its capital Port Royal during Queen Anne's War. Both attempts were made by colonial militia, and were led by men inexperienced in siege warfare...
there, and the town was in desperate need of supplies. Morpain generously offered his captured stores to the town, winning the gratitude of Acadia's Governor Daniel d'Auger de Subercase
Daniel d'Auger de Subercase
Daniel d'Auger de Subercase naval officer and French governor of Newfoundland, born Orthez, Béarn died Cannes-Ecluse, Île-de-France....
. Fearing a renewed attack, Subercase asked Morpain to stay; the English returned in late August, and Morpain and his ship's crew assisted the Acadians in driving the besiegers off.
After returning to the West Indies, Morpain was given command of a naval vessel, the Marquis de Choiseul, that was under the authority of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
's governor. At the urging of Subercase, Morpain sailed north to engage in privateering in the waters of New England and Acadia in 1709. While there he married Marie-Joseph de Chauffours, daughter of Louis Damours de Chauffours, an Acadian settler. His privateering was highly successful, building a reputation with both the French authorities and New England sailing interests. When the English failed to attach Port Royal in 1709 Morpain returned briefly to the West Indies to return his employer's vessel.
He then settled in Plaisance, Newfoundland, where he was joined by his wife, and he again took up privateering. In 1711 a French-Indian force besieged Annapolis Royal but lacked armaments to attack the fort. Following a request they made to Newfoundland's governor, Morpain loaded his ship with supplies and munitions and sailed off to meet them. However, his ship encountered part of a major British naval expedition
Quebec Expedition
The Quebec Expedition, or the Walker Expedition to Quebec, was a British attempt to attack Quebec in 1711 in Queen Anne's War, the North American theatre of the War of Spanish Succession...
, and was captured after three hours' battle. Imprisoned at St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, he was released back to Plaisance in 1712. Later that year he returned to France, where he spent the next year; during this time he apparently sought an appointment in the naval establishment.
Port commander at Louisbourg
In this he was successful: in 1715 he was appointed the port captain of what would become Fortress Louisbourg on Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton IslandCape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
). Arriving the following year, he oversaw the construction of the port facilities at Louisbourg and administered navigation in the province; in the latter role he became quite familiar with all of the local waters. By the 1740s his duties including the instruction of navigation to the colony's mariners.
With the advent of war
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
in 1744, Morpain again took to the seas against British colonial shipping; his reputation was such that reports of the activities of "Morepang" were sufficient to keep merchant ships in port. Conditions at Louisbourg, however, were not good: the land forces stationed there were extremely discontented, and the governor, Louis Du Pont Duchambon, was faced with a mutiny in December 1744. The arrival of a British colonial force under William Pepperrell
William Pepperrell
Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet was a merchant and soldier in Colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French garrison at Fortress Louisbourg during King George's War...
in early May 1745 forced Duchambon to turn to Morpain to lead the defences, since he could not trust many of his officers. Morpain advocated an aggressive response to British intentions to land at Gabarus Bay, south of the fort, and eventually led a small force out in an attempt to stop the landing. In this he was unsuccessful, arriving after the British had already established a small beachhead
Beachhead
Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
. In the ensuing skirmish, Morpain was wounded, but managed to make his way back to the fortress.
Morpain then effectively directed the defence of the fortress for the duration of the siege
Siege of Louisbourg (1745)
The Siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale during the War of the Austrian Succession, known as King George's War in the British colonies.Although the Fortress of...
; his vigorous defence of the works was lauded by both the French and British forces. After the British victory, Morpain was returned to France. When Île-Royale was returned to the French after the peace, Morpain was again offered the naval post at Louisbourg; however, he died at Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
in August 1749 without returning to North America.