Fort Maurepas - History

History

It had been the original intention of M. d'Iberville to establish a French colony along the Mississippi River. However, because of its overflow, he had been unable to find a suitable location during his first voyage of discovery up the Mississippi in March, 1699. He returned from his river journey on April 1, and spent another week in searching out the shores adjacent to Ship Island, where the fleet had been anchored. On Tuesday, April 7, 1699, d'Iberville and Surgeres observed "an elevated place that appeared very suitable". This spot was on the northeast shore of Biloxi Bay. They had found the bay was 7–8 feet (2 m) deep. The decision was to construct the fort there, as they "could find no spot more convenient, and our provisions were failing, we could search no longer". On Wednesday, April 8, they commenced to cut away the trees preparatory for construction of the fort. All the men "worked vigorously", and by the end of the month, the fort had been finished. The journal reported:

"In the meantime, the boats were actively engaged transporting the powder, guns, and ammunition, as well as the live stock, such as bulls, cows, hogs, fowls, turkeys, etc. . . . The fort was made with four bastions, two of them squared logs, from 2-3 feet thick, placed one upon the other, with embrasures for port holes, and a ditch all around. The other two bastions were stockaded with heavy timbers which took four men to lift one of them. Twelve guns were mounted." -Historical Jour, of d'Iberville's expedition

The journal further reports that the very best men were selected to remain at the fort, including detachments of soldiers to place with the Canadians and workmen, and sailors to serve on the gunboats. Altogether about 100 people were left at Fort Maurepas while Iberville sailed back to France on May 4, 1699. Those remaining included:

• M. de Sauvolle de la Villantry, lieutenant of a company and naval ensign of the frigate La Marin, was left in command as governor.
• Bienville, king's lieutenant of the marine guard of the frigate La Badine was next in command.
• Le Vasseur de Boussouelle, a Canadian, was major.
• De Bordenac was chaplain, and M. Care was surgeon.
• Also: two captains, two cannoniers, four sailors, eighteen filibusters, ten mechanics, 6 masons, 13 Canadians and 20 sub-officers and soldiers who comprised the garrison.

There were few among the colonists who cared for agriculture, and the colony never became self-sustaining. On the return of d'Iberville to Old Biloxi in January 1700, he brought with him sixty Canadian immigrants and a large supply of provisions and stores. On this second voyage, he was instructed:

"to breed the Buffalo at Biloxi; to seek for pearls; to examine the wild mulberry with the view to silk ; the timber for ship-building, and to seek for mines."

Expeditions in search of gold, jewels and valuable furs were the main attention of the colonists. However, they made thorough explorations of the Mississippi River and the surrounding country.

In 1700, Le Sueur was sent to the upper Mississippi with 20 men to establish a fort in the Sioux country, for the purpose of controlling the copper mines of the Sioux Indians in the interests of France. Meanwhile the French had established forts and settlements in the Illinois country, and learning of the French colony at Old Biloxi, boatloads of Canadians began to arrive from the upper country. Fathers Davion and Montigny, accompanied by a few Frenchmen, were their first visitors, having made the journey downriver in frail canoes. In May 1700, they were visited by M. Sagan, a traveler from Canada, who brought a request from the French minister to M. d'Sauvolle that he be furnished with 24 pirogues and 100 Canadians for the purpose of making an exploration of the Missouri River and its branches. During the absence of d'Iberville, his young brother Bienville made explorations to secure the prosperity and perpetuity of the colony. But the health of the colonists suffered severely, and many died from what is now called congestive and yellow fever, including the governor, M. d'Sauvolle, who died in the summer of 1700, leaving Bienville in chief command, as acting commandant.

On September 16, 1700, a party of Choctaw natives arrived at Biloxi to demand of the French some troops to assist them to fight the Chickasaws. The Choctaws during this period had 40 villages, with over 5,000 warriors. On October 25, 20 Mobilean natives arrived at Fort Maurepas. This nation was said to contain about 400 fighting men. On December 18, 1700, a shallop arrived from the Spanish settlement at Pensacola, with the news that MM. d'Iberville and Serigny had arrived there with the king's ships, the Renommee of fifty guns, and the Palmier of 44 guns. This was welcome news to the garrison, which had been living for more than 3 months on corn, and were reduced by sickness, having lost over 60 men, leaving only 150 persons in the colony. Bienville received orders by the shallop to evacuate Biloxi, and move to a settlement on the Mobile River. On January 5, 1701, Bienville took up his march for the Mobile River, leaving but 20 men under the command of M. de Boisbriant to man the fort. At Dauphin Island, Bienville met with MM. de Serigny and Chateaugue, his brothers, who had arrived with a detachment of sailors and workmen, to build a magazine for storage of goods and provisions which had been brought from France. On the Kith, he commenced to build the Fort Louis de la Mobile, about 12 leagues above the present city of Mobile, on the right bank of the Mobile, which was the official center of the colony for the next nine years, when a new fort was built on the present site of Mobile, afterward known as Fort Conde.

In 1717, when the channel at Dauphine island (present-day Dauphin Island) had become choked with sand, M. de I'Epinay and de Bienville decided to make use of the harbor at Ship Island. They ordered a new fort to be constructed on the mainland opposite, selecting a place one league west of Old Biloxi for a site, across Biloxi Bay. The transport ship Dauphine, commanded by M. Berranger, had arrived with many carpenters and masons, they worked to build the new fort. This was known as New Biloxi (Nouveau-Biloxi) and also as another Fort Louis. In 1719, Fort Maurepas (at Old Biloxi) was burned, and never reconstructed by the French. Another fort and magazines were also constructed out in the Gulf of Mexico on Ship Island.