Louis Armand, Baron de Lahontan (9 June 1666 – prior to 1716) served in the French military in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

where he traveled extensively in the

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

region and the upper Mississippi Valley. Upon his return to Europe he wrote an enormously popular

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...

. In it he recounted his voyage up the "Long River," now thought to be the Missouri. He wrote at length and in very positive terms about Native American culture, portraying Indian people as free, rational, and generally admirable.

Early life

He was born into the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

and inherited the title Baron Lahontan upon his father's death in 1674. De Lahontan joined the troupes de la marine and was sent to

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by 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 Great Britain and Spai ...

in 1683 at age 17 along with two other officers and three companies of troops.Lanctôt, Gustave. The Oakes Collection. Ottawa: J.O. Patenaude, 1940. 11. After arriving at

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in November and settling in Beaupré, he would lead his company in 1684 on an unsuccessful offense against the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

from

Fort Frontenac Fort Frontenac was a French trading post and military fort built in July 1673 at the mouth of the Cataraqui River where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario (at what is now the western end of the La Salle Causeway), in a location tradition ...

Explorer

Having already faced the reality of settler life in Beaupré, de Lahontan again led his men to Boucherville to live with local habitants between 1685 and 1687 – himself dividing his time between hunting and classical literature. Just prior to a decision to return to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Lahontan was ordered –at least in part because of his knowledge of the Algonkian language- to head a detachment of French and native troops towards Fort St. Joseph where he would launch another attack on the Iroquois. He was a restless commander and spent much of his time exploring the region. In 1688 following news of the abandonment of the post at Niagara and renewed attacks of the Iroquois, he burned his fort and led his men to Michillimackinac in search of supplies and possibly entertainment for his men. De Lahontan felt that without supplies from Niagara his dwindling stores would not be enough to last the winter. During the winter and spring months he explored the upper Mississippi valley where he ascended the “Rivière Longue”; some scholars consider this a fanciful tale, others argue that he had discovered the Missouri River.

King William's War

During

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

, De Lahontan submitted several proposals for military fortification and equipment in New France such as a Great Lakes Flotilla for defense against the Iroquois and a line of forts meant for defence along the western frontier, both on behalf of Governor Frontenac in 1692. Further, he led a successful offense against five

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

frigates of Phipp's invasion fleet in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1690 under Frontenac. Though his proposal for a Great Lakes flotilla was ultimately rejected on the basis of cost, de Lahontan would be promoted to King's Lieutenant. At Placentia, he defended the capital from a siege in 1692. On 13 December 1692 following a conflict with the governor of Placentia (Newfoundland),

Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan (1651, Gascony – September 22, 1705 at Chedabouctou, Acadia) French military officer and Governor of Plaisance ( Placentia), Newfoundland (1689-1701) and Acadia (1701-1705). Biography Monbeton de ...

, de Lahontan decided to abandon his office and New France altogether. He deserted and took ship for Viana, Portugal. Deprived of his inheritance and unable to return to France, he eventually arrived in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

on 14 April.Lanctôt, Gustave. The Oakes Collection;. Ottawa: J.O. Patenaude, 1940. 17. During an unknown period of time in

Saragossa, Spain Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributar ...

, until at least 1696, de Lahontan recorded his memoirs for the English government explaining how and why they should take French controlled Canada.

Author

Upon return to Amsterdam in 1703 he published his three most famous works: ''Nouveaux Voyages dans l’Amerique Septentrionale'', ''Memoires de l’Amerique Septentrionale'', and ''Supplement aux Voyages ou Dialogues avec le sauvage Adario''. ''Nouveaux Voyages dans l’Amerique Septentrionale'' provides a thorough and detailed account of de Lahontan's life and stay in New France, while ''Memoires de l’Amerique Septentrionale'' describes his observations of geography, institutions, commerce as well as information about native tribes. Finally, ''Supplement aux Voyages ou Dialogues avec le sauvage Adario'' lambasts institutional

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

by means of a dialogue between de Lahontan and a Huron Chief named Adario (The Rat). The author attempts to contrast the injustice of Christianity with the freedom and justice of native people.

Links

*
Lom d'Arce
at the

Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

: CV, animated map of his expedition to Saint-Louis; English or French

References