Carlos Louis Boucher De Grand Pré (October 25, 1745 – 1809) was

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

governor of the Baton Rouge district (1799–1808) and of

Spanish West Florida Spanish West Florida (Spanish: ''Florida Occidental'') was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 until 1821, when both it and East Florida were ceded to the United States. The region of West Florida initially had the same borders as the er ...

(1805), as well as brevet colonel in the Spanish Army. He also served as lieutenant governor of Red River District and of the

Natchez District The Natchez District was one of two areas established in the Kingdom of Great Britain's West Florida colony during the 1770sthe other being the Tombigbee District. The first Anglo settlers in the district came primarily from other parts of Britis ...

Biography

Grand Pré was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, and was baptized Charles Louis Grand Pré on 25 October 1745, at the parish church of St. Louis in New Orleans. His parents were the Canadian nobleman Louis Antoine Boucher de Grand Pré, a captain of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and commandant of the Arkansas Post and

Fort Tombecbe Fort Tombecbe (Fort de Tombecbé), also spelled Tombecbee and Tombeché, was a stockade fort located on the Tombigbee River near the border of French Louisiana, in what is now Sumter County, Alabama. It was constructed under the leadership of Je ...

, and his Louisiana creole wife Thérèse Gallard. In Spanish records after 1769, his first name is usually given as "Carlos." He participated in the expansion of

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

under Elias Beauregard, although its original authorization had not been compiled. Ownership of Louisiana changed several times during this time period.Pre-Statehood History
Posted in claibornecountyms.org. Retrieved on 23 July 2010.

Military career

This was illustrated by taking the British military posts of Thompson's Creek and Amite River, under the command of Governor

Bernardo de Gálvez Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid, 1st Count of Gálvez (23 July 1746 – 30 November 1786) was a Spanish military leader and government official who served as colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New Sp ...

, and the campaign for Fort Manchac and

Fort New Richmond Fort New Richmond was built by the British in 1779 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in what was later to become Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Spanish took control of the fort in 1779 and renamed it Fort San Carlos. Revolutionary War The ...

, in 1779. He served as commander of

Pointe Coupée Pointe technique ( ) is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns ''pointe work'', in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be ''en pointe'' () wh ...

and as lieutenant governor of the Red River District, stationed at

Avoyelles Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish (administrative division), parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the Red River of the South, Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi ...

, under the Spanish regime. Grand Pré was also commandant of

between 1786 and 1792.Lost Mississippi: Concord, Natchez (1789-1901)
Posted on May 4, 2010. Retrieved in August 14, 2014, to 14:02. During this period, Grand Pré built two

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

here in an attempt to convert inhabitants to Catholicism; however, the venture was unsuccessful.Under-the- Hill Saloon.
In 1789, he established the "Concord" mansion in Natchez. In a letter dated March 2, 1790, Carlos de Grand Pré created a list of tobacco farmers in the Natchez District, mainly from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, that outlined production quantities and origination of each farm between the years of 1788 and 1790. After leaving Natchez, he received land around the Avoyelles Post.

Political career

In 1799, Grand Pré was appointed governor of the

. The same year, the new governor proposed that the Spanish settlers from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

who lived in Galvez Town settle in the new town of

Spanish Town Spanish Town ( jam, label=Jamaican Creole, Panish Tong) is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. Th ...

. He drew up the layout of an area east of the fort "out of cannon shot" which became known as Spanish Town. As far back as 1804, there had been rumblings against the Spaniards and in August of that year, a group of Americans under the leadership of Reuben Kemper published a declaration of independence, captured the Spanish commander and his

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

at Bayou Sara, and set out to capture Gov. Grand Pré at Baton Rouge. They had hoped to surprise the Spanish official, but Grand Pré was well-warned and the Americans withdrew after a little desultory shooting. The Kempers retired to Pinckneyville, just over the line in the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the western half of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi. T ...

, from where they kept up a running battle with the Spanish. Meyers, Rose
A History of Baton Rouge 1699-1812
Page 82. In 1805, Grand Pré was appointed governor of

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

. In this year, the new governor proposed the emigration of the Spanish settlers from the

Baton Rouge Historical Markers
. Fro
Canary Islanders Heritage Society in Louisiana
Retrieved in=23 July 2010. who lived in Galvez Town to settle down in the new town of

. He drew up the layout of an area east of the fort 'out of cannon shot' that became known as

. An ultimate result of the activity of the Kempers and when

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was attempting to install his brother on the Spanish throne was the recall of Grand Pré to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

by the captain-general for questioning over his mild policies against the inhabitants. Grand Pré died in Cuba in 1809 while awaiting trial. According to his friend Pedro Favrot, he was executed for "pro-French" activities. Carlos de Hault de Lassus, who succeeded him as governor of the district of

, was much criticized for accused corruption and taken prisoner during the West Florida revolt in 1810.

References

External links

A History of Baton Rouge 1699-1812. Posted by Rose Meyers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Pré, Carlos de History of Louisiana Spanish military personnel People from Louisiana People from Natchez, Mississippi Governors of West Florida 1745 births 1809 deaths