Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu (9 or 19 August 1711 – 9 July 1755) was a French officer during

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...

and the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the s ...

. He participated in the

Battle of Grand Pre A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(1747). He also organized the force that attacked

General Edward Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...

's army after it forded the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north- ...

. The event was later dubbed the

Battle of the Monongahela The Battle of the Monongahela (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field and the Battle of the Wilderness) took place on 9 July 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War, at Braddock's Field in what is now Braddock, Pennsylvania, ea ...

. Beaujeu led his small force into the attack, where he was shot dead in the opening moments when the attack was launched on July 9, 1755. However, his adoption of Native American customs, such as wearing war paint and

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

, helped raise the morale and fighting tenacity of the warriors under his command.

Biography

Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu was the son of Louis Liénard de Beaujeu and Denise-Thérèse Migeon. On March 4, 1737, he married Michelle-Elisabeth Foucault, with whom he had nine children.Genealogical Dictionary, Tanguay He was an officer during the

. Recently sent to relieve Claude-Pierre Contrecœur, the Commander at Fort Dusquesne (although he had not yet officially done so), he organized the attack on the troops of General Braddock while they crossed the

Monongahela river The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north- ...

in order to besiege

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed a ...

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to King ...

. Leading a small force composed of regular soldiers, Canadian militia, and a majority of native Indians, he managed to defeat the British. Although killed at the beginning of the confrontation, he remained famous for having used Indian habits, such as the use of war paint during the ambush. He was buried under the walls of

(today

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

References

Primary Sources
Battle of Grand Pre, 1747
Endnotes French Canadian people of the French and Indian War Military personnel killed in the French and Indian War 1711 births 1755 deaths {{NewFrance-stub