Constant le Marchand de Lignery
Encyclopedia
Constant le Marchand de Lignery, generally known as Lignery (baptized March 27, 1662, Charentilly, near Tours
, France
—February 19, 1732, Trois-Rivières
, New France
) was a French military officer in New France (Canada). He was twice commandant at Michilimackinac
.
. In 1687 he went to Canada as a lieutenant on half-pay. He was made a knight of the Order of Saint Louis
in 1728.
He married Anne Robutel de La Noue, daughter of the seigneur de Île Saint-Paul, on November 10, 1691 in Montreal
. They had seven sons and two daughters. The best known of these was François-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery
, a captain in the colonial regular troops and knight of the Order of Saint-Louis. In the summer of 1759 this son was fatally wounded by the English in fighting near Fort Niagara
.
between the French and the Foxes, Canadian Governor Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil
sent him to reoccupy the former post of Michilimackinac, which had been abandoned by royal orders in 1696.
placed him in command of a major expedition against the Foxes. He was ordered to assemble a force of coureurs de bois
and northern Indians and lead them to the Chicago portage. This force would join a second force, recruited among the Indians of the southern Great Lakes, and move together against the Foxes. However, due to a series of mishaps — the supply convoy from Montreal did not arrive on time and the French volunteers were unruly and hard to discipline — the southern contingent never assembled; neither did Lignery and his army reach the assembly point. On December 1, 1715 a Fox war party led by Pemoussa (He Who Walks) attacked the French expedition along the Chicago lakefront, driving the French and their Indian allies back toward Michigan.
Lignery returned to the command of Michilimackinac in 1722 after an absence of about three years. The Foxes were again at war with the French, attacking whites and natives in the Illinois country, a part of Louisiana. Louisiana, however, was a different colony from Canada, and Lignery and Vaudreuil adopted a policy of conciliation to preserve the peace in the west. In 1724 Lignery negotiated a treaty with the Foxes that ended their war on the Chippewas
but allowed the war on the Illinois Indians to continue. Although Lignery denied it, officials in Louisiana and France felt that Vaudreuil and Lignery had sacrificed the southern colony to keep it from sharing in the western fur trade.
Two years later, acting Governor Charles Le Moyne de Longueuil
sent Lignery back to Baie des Puants (Green Bay
) to renegotiate the treaty. At a council on June 7, 1726 he was able to obtain a promise from the Foxes not to make war on any of the French allies.
, arrived in New France in 1726. In August 1728 he sent Lignery, recently promoted to major, in command of an army of 450 Frenchmen and 1,000 Indians against the Foxes. This was the largest force ever to advance so far into the interior, but it failed to secure a decisive engagement with the enemy. Lignery arrived at the fortified Fox village at the mouth of the Fox River
on August 17. Here and elsewhere during the campaign, the Foxes fled to the west; the French could do no more than burn their villages and their crops. The expedition continued up the Fox River as far as the Wisconsin River
portage before retracing their steps.
Governor Beauharnois blamed Lignery for the failure to defeat the Foxes. He made serious accusations against him in his report to the ministry, and Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas
ordered him tried by a council of war. Lignery was accused of mismanaging supplies, of having been so slow in pursuit that the Foxes were able to make good their escape, of refusing to turn over command to his lieutenant in spite of having a debilitating illness, and of having abandoned large quantities of supplies at Michilimackinac on the return trip to Canada. After hearing witnesses and reviewing other evidence, the council of war unanimously dismissed the charges. Lignery died a short time later, in 1731 or 1732 (sources differ) in Trois-Rivières, where he had been named town major in 1728.
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
—February 19, 1732, Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Trois-Rivières is a city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada, located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence Rivers. It is situated in the Mauricie administrative region, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of Bécancour...
, New France
New 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...
) was a French military officer in New France (Canada). He was twice commandant at Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan, in the United States...
.
Background
Lignery was the son of Joseph le Marchand de Lignery and Marguerite Du Sillar. He began his military career in 1675 as a lieutenant in the Régiment d’Auvergne. In 1683 he transferred to the navy, serving as a midshipman at RochefortRochefort, 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 1687 he went to Canada as a lieutenant on half-pay. He was made a knight of the Order 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...
in 1728.
He married Anne Robutel de La Noue, daughter of the seigneur de Île Saint-Paul, on November 10, 1691 in 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...
. They had seven sons and two daughters. The best known of these was François-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery
François-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery
François-Marie Le Marchand de Lignery was a colonial military leader in the French province of Canada. Active in the defense of New France during the Seven Years' War , he died of wounds sustained in the 1759 Battle of La Belle-Famille.-Life:Born into a military family François-Marie Le Marchand...
, a captain in the colonial regular troops and knight of the Order of Saint-Louis. In the summer of 1759 this son was fatally wounded by the English in fighting near Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
.
At Michilimackinac
He fought in the Iroquois War, where his service was recognized by his superiors. In 1688 he was promoted to lieutenant, and in 1705 to captain. In 1712, at the beginning of a 25-year warFox Wars
The Fox Wars were two 18th-century wars between the Fox Indians and the French , which occurred in territories that are now the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, U.S.A.. The First Fox War broke out with the French when the Fox numbered some 3,500. After the Second Fox War , the remaining 1,500...
between the French and the Foxes, Canadian Governor Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was a French politician, who was Governor-general of New France from 1703 to 1725....
sent him to reoccupy the former post of Michilimackinac, which had been abandoned by royal orders in 1696.
War against the Foxes
A few years later, in 1715, acting Governor Claude de RamezayClaude de Ramezay
Claude de Ramezay, , was an important figure in the early history of New France. He was a military man by training and rose to being commander of the colonial regular troops....
placed him in command of a major expedition against the Foxes. He was ordered to assemble a force of coureurs de bois
Coureur des bois
A coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
and northern Indians and lead them to the Chicago portage. This force would join a second force, recruited among the Indians of the southern Great Lakes, and move together against the Foxes. However, due to a series of mishaps — the supply convoy from Montreal did not arrive on time and the French volunteers were unruly and hard to discipline — the southern contingent never assembled; neither did Lignery and his army reach the assembly point. On December 1, 1715 a Fox war party led by Pemoussa (He Who Walks) attacked the French expedition along the Chicago lakefront, driving the French and their Indian allies back toward Michigan.
Lignery returned to the command of Michilimackinac in 1722 after an absence of about three years. The Foxes were again at war with the French, attacking whites and natives in the Illinois country, a part of Louisiana. Louisiana, however, was a different colony from Canada, and Lignery and Vaudreuil adopted a policy of conciliation to preserve the peace in the west. In 1724 Lignery negotiated a treaty with the Foxes that ended their war on the Chippewas
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...
but allowed the war on the Illinois Indians to continue. Although Lignery denied it, officials in Louisiana and France felt that Vaudreuil and Lignery had sacrificed the southern colony to keep it from sharing in the western fur trade.
Two years later, acting Governor Charles Le Moyne de Longueuil
Charles le Moyne de Longueuil et de Châteauguay
Charles le Moyne de Longueuil et de Châteauguay ,as many people of his time, had a variety of occupations. Born in Dieppe, France in Normandy, he came to New France in 1641. He became lord of Longueuil in Canada....
sent Lignery back to Baie des Puants (Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
) to renegotiate the treaty. At a council on June 7, 1726 he was able to obtain a promise from the Foxes not to make war on any of the French allies.
1728 expedition against the Foxes
A new governor, Charles de la Boische, Marquis de BeauharnoisCharles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois
Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois was a French Naval officer who served as Governor of New France from 1726 to 1746.Charles had two brothers who also impacted the history of New France...
, arrived in New France in 1726. In August 1728 he sent Lignery, recently promoted to major, in command of an army of 450 Frenchmen and 1,000 Indians against the Foxes. This was the largest force ever to advance so far into the interior, but it failed to secure a decisive engagement with the enemy. Lignery arrived at the fortified Fox village at the mouth of the Fox River
Fox River (Wisconsin)
The Fox River is a river in eastern and central Wisconsin in the United States. Along the banks is a chain of cities, including Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Appleton, Little Chute, Kimberly, Combined Locks, and Kaukauna. Except for Oshkosh, these cities refer to themselves as the Fox Cities...
on August 17. Here and elsewhere during the campaign, the Foxes fled to the west; the French could do no more than burn their villages and their crops. The expedition continued up the Fox River as far as the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
portage before retracing their steps.
Governor Beauharnois blamed Lignery for the failure to defeat the Foxes. He made serious accusations against him in his report to the ministry, and Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas
Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas
Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas was a French statesman.He was born at Versailles, the son of Jérôme Phélypeaux, secretary of state for the marine and the royal household...
ordered him tried by a council of war. Lignery was accused of mismanaging supplies, of having been so slow in pursuit that the Foxes were able to make good their escape, of refusing to turn over command to his lieutenant in spite of having a debilitating illness, and of having abandoned large quantities of supplies at Michilimackinac on the return trip to Canada. After hearing witnesses and reviewing other evidence, the council of war unanimously dismissed the charges. Lignery died a short time later, in 1731 or 1732 (sources differ) in Trois-Rivières, where he had been named town major in 1728.