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 The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southe ...

warriors during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

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 The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsAlabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. He was befriended by the chief

Alexander McGillivray Alexander McGillivray, also known as ''Hoboi-Hili-Miko'' (December 15, 1750February 17, 1793), was a Muscogee (Creek) leader. The son of a Muscogee mother and a Scottish father, he had skills no other Creek of his day had: he was not only liter ...

, 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 Mézières, France."Notes and Documents: Milfort's Plan for a Franco-Creek Alliance and the Retrocession of Louisiana"
ed. by E. Wilson Lyon, ''The Journal of Southern History'', Vol. 4 No. 1, February 1938, JSTOR Journal Archive, accessed 15 September 2011 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 The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsLa Louisiane Louisiana (french: La Louisiane; ''La Louisiane Française'') or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682 to 1769 and 1801 (nominally) to 1803, the area was named in honor of King Louis XIV, ...

''. 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 The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Colonel

, 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 The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsAlexander McGillivray Alexander McGillivray, also known as ''Hoboi-Hili-Miko'' (December 15, 1750February 17, 1793), was a Muscogee (Creek) leader. The son of a Muscogee mother and a Scottish father, he had skills no other Creek of his day had: he was not only liter ...

, 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.

Return to France

Hearing of the changes after the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, 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.Darius Alexander Spieth, "Louis Milfort", in ''Napoleon's Sorcerers: The Sophisians''
Associated University Presse, 2007, pp. 153-154 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 , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

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.web.genealogie
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.

References

External links

Le Clerc Milfort, ''Sojourn''
Rootsweb

About: The Three Sehoys
Sehoy: A Community in Daphne, Alabama - Official Website

Genealogie (French)

"History of Baldwin County, Alabama"
Rootsweb

1851, at Rootsweb

Napoleon's Empire, en français {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Clerc, Jean-Antoine 1752 births 19th-century deaths Year of death uncertain French people of the American Revolution Native American history of Alabama