The Vine and Olive Colony was an effort by a group of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Bonapartist Bonapartism (french: Bonapartisme) is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In thi ...

s who, fearing for their lives after the fall of

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 ...

and the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, attempted to establish an agricultural settlement growing wine

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

s and

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

trees in the

Alabama (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 ...

wilderness. The area that they settled later became the counties of Marengo and

Hale Hale may refer to: Places Australia *Hale, Northern Territory, a locality *Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory Canada *Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom * Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria *Hale, Greater Man ...

.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', page 9. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967.

Founding

The Vine and Olive Colony was an effort started by the ''French Emigrant Association'', made up of high-ranking officials and followers of Napoleon fearing for their lives after the restoration of

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

to the French throne. In the fall of 1816 the group, headed by the former General

Charles Lallemand Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, decided to petition

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

for four townships upon which they could settle.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', pages 26-28. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967. They began scouting the western frontiers of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

for an appropriate place upon which to establish their endeavor, with a location at the confluence of the Black Warrior and

Tombigbee River The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties int ...

s being chosen after being recommended by other western pioneers. The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

agreed to allow them to settle and on 3 March 1817 approved an act that granted them four contiguous townships totaling of land for the price of $2 per acre on the condition that they cultivate grapes and olives. This condition was because several other Bonapartist colonies in the world were thought to be little more than military operations with the intention of returning Napoleon to power. After their journey across the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, they first arrived in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where the largest group of settlers chartered a

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, the ''McDonough'', to sail them from Philadelphia to

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', pages 31-43. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967. They arrived in Mobile by 26 May 1817 and began the ascent up the rivers, arriving at their destination of Ecor Blanc, literally meaning White Bluff or White Cliff, on the Tombigbee River by 14 July 1817. The most prominent and wealthy immigrants was Count Charles Lefebvre Desnouettes, who had been a cavalry officer with the rank of Lieutenant-General under Napoleon. He was to serve as the leader of the colony. Other prominent settlers included Lieutenant-General Baron Henri-Dominique Lallemand, brother of Charles, Count

Bertrand Clausel Bertrand, comte Clauzel (12 December 177221 April 1842) was a Marshal of France. When asked on Saint Helena which of his Generals was the most skillful Napoleon named Clauzel along with Louis-Gabriel Suchet and Étienne Maurice GérardOjala, Jean ...

Joseph Lakanal Joseph Lakanal (July 14, 1762 – February 14, 1845) was a French politician, and an original member of the ''Institut de France''. Early career Born in Serres-sur-Arget, Serres, in present-day Ariège (department), Ariège, his name was orig ...

, Simon Chaudron,

Benoît Chassériau Benoît Chassériau (also known as Benito Chassériau or Chasserieux; 19 August 1780 – 27 September 1844) was a French diplomat, French spy and Minister of the Interior of Cartagena, Colombia,‘Indiana University Publications: Social science se ...

, Pasqual Luciani, Colonel Jean-Jerome Cluis, Jean-Marie Chapron, Colonel Nicholas Raoul, and Frederic Ravesies.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', pages 96-115. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967. The colonists, about 200 people, soon established the town of

Demopolis Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the time of the 2020 United States census, down from 7,483 at the 2010 census. The city lies at the confluence of the ...

, or "City of the People", on top of White Bluff, but following a survey in August 1818, they learned that their actual land grants began less than a mile to the east of their newly cleared land. After abandoning the settlement of Demopolis, they soon established two other towns,

Aigleville Aigleville () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France. The communes cooperate in ...

and

Arcola Arcola may refer to: Places ; Australia * Arcola, Grafton, a heritage-listed house in New South Wales ;Canada * Arcola, Saskatchewan, a town in the Province of Saskatchewan * Arcola Airport, an airport in the Province of Saskatchewan ;England * ...

.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', pages 47-53. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967. Aigleville was named in honor of Napoleon's

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, featuring an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

. Arcola was named for the

Battle of the Bridge of Arcole The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) was fought between French and Austrian forces southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle saw a bold maneuver b ...

, site of a Napoleonic victory in 1796. Arcola became the largest town in the colony.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', page 76. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967.

Decline

After settling into their new surroundings, the colonists soon discovered that their land was not suited to fulfill the condition placed by Congress on their grants, the cultivation of grapes or olives.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', pages 56-61. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967. The colony sent a representative, Charles Villar, to Washington to plead their case and Congress complied with a supplementary act on 26 April 1822 that allowed the settlers to retain their land in the event that growing grapes and olives proved fruitless. In addition, the colony had few laborers, faced a constant encroachment on their territory by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

, and experienced floods and droughts in these first few years. All of these factors led to the eventual collapse of the colony. After 1825, most of the settlers left the colony to return to France or settle in Mobile or

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

, although a few did stay on their grants permanently.Smith, Winston. ''Days of Exile: The Story of the Vine and Olive Colony in Alabama'', pages 76-81. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: W. B. Drake and Son, 1967.

Legacy

Demopolis continues as a town into the present day; Aigleville and Arcola were largely gone by the eve of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The settlers' efforts are remembered by the name of the county, Marengo, and the name of the county seat, Linden. The county was named Marengo to commemorate Napoleon's victory at the

Battle of Marengo The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mic ...

over the Austrian armies on 14 June 1800. The county seat was originally known as the Town of Marengo, but in 1823 the name was changed to Linden. Linden is a shortened version of

Hohenlinden Hohenlinden (meaning "high linden trees"; colloquially: ''Linden''; in the Bavarian dialect: ''Hea-lin'') is a community in the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg. The city of Lynden, Washington is named after it, as is Linden, Alabama. Hohe ...

, scene of another Napoleonic

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

in 1800.

References

External links

Historical Marker Database - Vine and Olive Colony

Bibliography

*Blaufard, Rafe. ''Bonapartists in the Borderlands: French Exiles and Refugees on the Gulf Coast, 1815-1835.'' Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2006. *Martin, Thomas. 1937

Princeton University Press. *Whitfield, Gaius. 1904. ''The French Grant in Alabama: A History of the Founding of Demopolis''. Historical Papers, 1st-2d Ser. {{Authority control Marengo County, Alabama Demopolis, Alabama History of agriculture in the United States Populated places established in 1817 Agriculture in Alabama French-American culture in Alabama