Le Clerc Milfort
Encyclopedia
Jean-Antoine Le Clerc, also known as Louis Milfort, also spelled as Milford. (February 2, 1752 - 1817/1820), was a French
military officer and adventurer who led Creek Indian warriors during the American Revolutionary War
as allies of the British. He emigrated to the British Colonies in North America in 1775. Beginning in 1776, he lived with the Creek Indians of the Upper Towns for about 20 years in frontier territory of present-day Alabama
. He was befriended by the chief
Alexander McGillivray
, who used him as his war chief in battles. Later, after his return to Paris, Milfort joined the French Sacred Society of Sophisians. Commissioned a general in the army, he was forced into retirement with a pension.
, France. He served in the French army from 1764-1774. According to his 1802 memoir, after having killed a servant of the king's household in a duel, Milfort emigrated to North America, arriving in Boston.
During the American Revolutionary war
, Colonel Alexander McGillivray
, chief of the Creek and commissioned by his British allies, directed several expeditions against the rebel colonists. He relied on Le Clerc Milfort as his War Chief, or Tustunneggee (Tastenagy), to carry out his orders. Milfort led Upper Creek forces in battles against colonial frontier settlements. McGillivray remained at his base, controlling the chiefs, and compelling them to raise warriors to attack other settlements.
, of the Creek Indian Nation. They were both of Creek and Scots descent. Their nephew was the chief William "Red Eagle" Weatherford
.
After returning to France, Milfort married a French woman named Marie-Anne Beya.
, Milfort went to Philadelphia to get a passport in 1795. He returned to Paris in 1799. He joined the Sacred Order of the Sophisians, a secret society formed during the Napoleonic years, as the 41st member. He offered his services to the government, specifically to make a Franco-Creek alliance and revive French claims in North America.
He hoped to command a French expedition for this purpose, a proposal well received by the foreign ministers Delacroix and Talleyrand-Périgord. Napoleon's decision to sell Louisiana
to the United States in 1803 rendered Milfort's plan moot. Milfort was ordered to remain in France; he was commissioned as a general and forced to retire, but given a pension. During the Russian invasion of 1814, Milfort was attacked in his house and was rescued by French grenadiers. He died in 1817 or 1820.
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...
military officer and adventurer who led Creek Indian warriors during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
as allies of the British. He emigrated to the British Colonies in North America in 1775. Beginning in 1776, he lived with the Creek Indians of the Upper Towns for about 20 years in frontier territory of present-day Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He was befriended by the chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray, also known as Hoboi-Hili-Miko , was a principal chief of the Upper Creek towns from 1782. Before that he had created an alliance between the Creek and the British during the American Revolution...
, who used him as his war chief in battles. Later, after his return to Paris, Milfort joined the French Sacred Society of Sophisians. Commissioned a general in the army, he was forced into retirement with a pension.
Early life
He was born as Jean-Antoine Le Clerc, but used several alternatives and aliases during his life, especially Jean LeClerc Milfort, and Louis Le Clerc Milfort. He was from Thin-le-Moutier, near MézièresCharleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.-History:...
, France. He served in the French army from 1764-1774. According to his 1802 memoir, after having killed a servant of the king's household in a duel, Milfort emigrated to North America, arriving in Boston.
Among the Creek Indians
He went to Indian territory east of the Mississippi River (present-day Alabama), where he lived and traveled with the Creek Indians of the Upper Towns, in what was former French territory of La Louisiane. He gained Creek friendship by adopting their customs and was said to have been adopted into the tribe. Milfort lived with the Upper Creek in present-day Alabama from 1776 until 1795.During the American Revolutionary war
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Colonel Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray, also known as Hoboi-Hili-Miko , was a principal chief of the Upper Creek towns from 1782. Before that he had created an alliance between the Creek and the British during the American Revolution...
, chief of the Creek and commissioned by his British allies, directed several expeditions against the rebel colonists. He relied on Le Clerc Milfort as his War Chief, or Tustunneggee (Tastenagy), to carry out his orders. Milfort led Upper Creek forces in battles against colonial frontier settlements. McGillivray remained at his base, controlling the chiefs, and compelling them to raise warriors to attack other settlements.
Marriage and family
As part of his alliance with the Creek, Milfort married Jeannet McGillivray, a sister of the chief Alexander McGillivrayAlexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray, also known as Hoboi-Hili-Miko , was a principal chief of the Upper Creek towns from 1782. Before that he had created an alliance between the Creek and the British during the American Revolution...
, of the Creek Indian Nation. They were both of Creek and Scots descent. Their nephew was the chief William "Red Eagle" Weatherford
William Weatherford
William Weatherford, also known as Lamochattee by the Creek , was a Creek chief of the Upper Towns who led the Red Sticks offensive in the Creek War against the United States...
.
After returning to France, Milfort married a French woman named Marie-Anne Beya.
Return to France
Hearing of the changes after the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Milfort went to Philadelphia to get a passport in 1795. He returned to Paris in 1799. He joined the Sacred Order of the Sophisians, a secret society formed during the Napoleonic years, as the 41st member. He offered his services to the government, specifically to make a Franco-Creek alliance and revive French claims in North America.
He hoped to command a French expedition for this purpose, a proposal well received by the foreign ministers Delacroix and Talleyrand-Périgord. Napoleon's decision to sell Louisiana
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
to the United States in 1803 rendered Milfort's plan moot. Milfort was ordered to remain in France; he was commissioned as a general and forced to retire, but given a pension. During the Russian invasion of 1814, Milfort was attacked in his house and was rescued by French grenadiers. He died in 1817 or 1820.
His memoirs
He published Mémoires, ou coup-d'oeil rapide sur mes voyages en Louisiane, et mon séjour dans la nation Creeke (Paris: De l'Imprimerie de Giguet et Michaud, 1802). In his account, he described his travels, hoping to stimulate French interest in the lands of the Creek and Southeast Indians. In his 2007 book, the scholar Darius Alexander Spieth noted that Milfort used a ghostwriter for his memoirs. His book has been printed in English translation by Lakeside Classics.External links
- Le Clerc Milfort, Sojourn, Rootsweb
- Afterthoughts
- About: The Three Sehoys, Sehoy: A Community in Daphne, Alabama - Official Website
- Index of French Generals, Genealogie (French)
- History of Mound Building
- "History of Baldwin County, Alabama", Rootsweb
- Albert James Pickett, History of Alabama, 1851, at Rootsweb
- Les Maréchaux, Généraux & Amiraux 1789-1815, Napoleon's Empire, en français