Fort St. Louis is a French colony that existed from 1685 to 1689 on the territory of modern Texas . The founder, Renee-Robert Cavelier de la Salle , planned to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi , but due to imperfect maps and navigation errors, he found himself on the Texas coast, 650 kilometers west of what was planned.
Colonists faced many difficulties, including Indigenous raids, epidemics, and severe weather conditions. De la Sal made several attempts to find the Mississippi, but instead discovered the vast territories of Rio Grande and East Texas. In 1686, in the absence of de la Salle, the last ship of the colonists crashed, and with it the opportunity to replenish supplies in the French colonies in the Caribbean . The only source of assistance was the French settlements in Illinois. At the beginning of 1687, de la Salle was killed in a skirmish near the Brazos River . Although the remnants of the expedition managed to reach Illinois, help at Fort Saint Louis never came.
The colonists remaining in the fort were killed or captured by the Karankava tribe at the end of 1688. Although the colony lasted only three years, it became the basis for territorial claims by France to the American territories.
The Spaniards learned about the expedition de la Salle in 1686. Fearing a threat to France’s influence in New Spain and southern North America, the Spanish authorities organized numerous expeditions to find and destroy the French colony. These expeditions contributed to the growth of knowledge about the geography of the Gulf of Mexico.
When the Spaniards finally discovered the remains of a French colony, they buried guns and burned buildings. A few years later, the Spaniards built a fortification in the same place. Then they forgot about the place and rediscovered in 1996. Currently, excavations are underway at the colony site.
Content
Expedition
By the end of the XVII century, most of the territory of North America was divided by European powers. Spain claimed rights to Florida , the territory of modern Mexico and most of the southwest of the continent. The northern part of the coast of the Atlantic Ocean fell into the sphere of interests of Britain, and French territories covered a significant part of modern Canada and Illinois ( French: Pays des Illinois ). The French feared an invasion by rival countries. In 1681, the French nobleman Rene-Robert Cavelier de la Sal went on an expedition down the Mississippi River from New France. He assumed that in this way he could reach the Pacific Ocean, but instead went to the Gulf of Mexico. This territory was already discovered by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and declared Spanish possession 140 years before de la Sala. However, on April 9, 1682, de la Salle declared the Mississippi Valley French territory and named it in honor of King Louis XIV Louisiana .
The presence of the French at the mouth of the Mississippi could prevent Spain from establishing full control of the Gulf of Mexico. Otherwise, the Spaniards could pose a serious threat to the southern borders of New France. De la Sal believed that the Mississippi is located near the eastern edge of New Spain. Upon returning home in 1683, de la Sal proposed to establish a colony at the mouth of the river. The colony, on the one hand, was supposed to contribute to the spread of Christianity among the local population, and on the other, it could serve as a convenient springboard for preparing an attack on the Spanish province of Nueva Viscaya with its rich silver mines.
De la Sal believed that a small number of French in alliance with 15 thousand Indians, angry at the Spaniards because of slavery, can capture New Spain. After Spain declared war on France in October 1683, Louis adopted the de la Salle plan.
De la Salle intended to swim to New France, then cross overland to Illinois, and then go down to the mouth of the Mississippi. Louis insisted that de la Sal cross the Gulf of Mexico, which at that time Spain considered to be its own. On July 24, 1684, four vessels headed by de la Salle left La Rochelle. Among the ships were: the 36-gun maneuver Le Joly, the 300-ton L'Emable, the barque La Belle and the ketch Saint-Francoise. Warships were provided by the king, and transport ships were leased from French merchants. Louis outfitted teams for all ships and 100 soldiers, and also paid for the hiring of professional workers. Aboriginal de la Salle was forced to buy goods for himself.
Almost 300 people went on the expedition, including soldiers, artisans and artisans, six missionaries and more than twelve women and children. Soon after sailing, relations between the powers recovered, and Louis lost interest in the expedition of de la Salle. Details of the expedition were kept secret. Even the captain (admiral) Sier de Bozho learned about the ultimate goal of the trip only after sailing, which he was not pleased with. The relationship between the two leaders escalated when they sailed to Santo Domingo . Not agreeing on where to anchor, they split up. Bozho took his ships to another part of the island, as a result of which the Saint-Francoise ketch, loaded with food and tools for the colonies, was captured by Spanish buccaneers .
Over 58 days of the journey, two people died, one of the women gave birth. The journey to Santo Domingo took longer than expected, food began to run out, especially after the loss of Saint-Francoise. De la Sal was limited in funds for the purchase of provisions. Two merchants even sold part of their goods and loaned de la Salle with money. Several people deserted, and de la Sal recruited locals in their place.
At the end of November 1684, when de la Salle recovered from a serious illness, the three remaining ships continued their search for the Mississippi Delta. Before departure, local residents warned travelers about the presence of strong currents (flowing eastward) that could shift ships to the Strait of Florida . On December 18, ships reached the Gulf of Mexico and entered the waters that Spain considered their own. None of the expedition members had previously been in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and did not know about the features of navigation in them. And as a result of a combination of cartographic errors, errors in calculating the breadth of the mouth of the Mississippi and the interference caused by the current, the expedition could not find the Mississippi. Instead, they landed in Matagorda Bay , 644 kilometers west of the Mississippi.
Colony Construction
On February 20, colonists entered the territory for the first time for three months, counting from the moment they left Santo Domingo. The first temporary settlement was organized near the location of the modern Mantagord lighthouse. One of the expedition chroniclers, Henri Jutel, described the first impression of Texas as follows: “This area does not seem too favorable to me. It was flat and sandy, but grass grew on it. There were several salt ponds. We hardly ever saw a wild bird, not counting a few cranes and Canadian geese. ”
Despite God’s advice, La Salle sent La Belle and Emable through a “narrow and shallow passage” for supplies. To reduce the draft "Emable", eight guns and part of the load were removed from it. After La Belle went through the passage, La Salle sent his navigator to strengthen the Emable team, but the captain of the Emable refused help. As soon as the Emable sailed away, a group of Karankava Indians attacked the camp and kidnapped some of the settlers. La Salle at the head of a detachment of soldiers went to the rescue of the settlers. There were no soldiers left on the ship. When La Salle returned, he discovered that the Emable was aground.
Difficulties
Spaniards' reaction
Value
Of all the colonists, only 15 or 16 people were saved. Six of them returned to France, and nine others were captured by the Spaniards. Among them were four children who were spared by the Indians. The children were first sent to the Viceroy of New Spain, Conde de Galve, who treated them like servants. Two of these children later returned to France. Of the remaining five, three accepted Spanish citizenship and settled in New Mexico .
Despite the failure of the French expedition, she seriously bothered the Spanish authorities. Soon, guard posts were set up in Pensacola and East Texas. In 1722, on the site of the French colony, Fort Presidio la Bahia and the Catholic mission of Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Santiiga were built.