Victor Collot, in full Georges Henri Victor Collot (21 March 1750 – 15 May 1805), was a French military officer who served in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

in various capacities, among them as Governor of

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

. He is best known for his expedition down the

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

rivers in the spring and summer of 1796. The French ambassador to the United States, assigned him his mission. French authorities believed some settlers in the region were French sympathizers. France and the United States engaged in an undeclared "

quasi war The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congress ...

", at sea, two years later. Collot started his expedition in

Philadelphia 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 ...

. He triggered scrutiny, right from the beginning, and was shadowed by

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson th ...

. Pike arrested Collot, at Fort Massac, Illinois, but had to release him as there was no charges that could be laid against him. Collot traveled through very lightly settled territories. France had ceded Louisiana, and all the Mississippi basin west of the Mississippi itself to Spain. Following the American Revolution the eastern branches of the Mississippi was American territory. He made maps and observed fortifications and the country's military preparedness, almost certainly on a secret mission on behalf of the French Republic. He had been watched during his progress, however, and on arriving in New Orleans he was almost immediately arrested by Carondelet, the Spanish governor, on October 27, and placed in custody at the Balize until he could be sent out of the colony on December 4. Gen. Collot published an account of this expedition under the title "Voyage dans l'Amérique Septentrionale". He also authored a "Mémoire sur les moyens de soumettre les rebelles de St. Dominique", a proposal for subjugating the rebels of

San Domingo Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and t ...

. His account of his travels was translated into English and published in 1826. In March 2017 the

Kentucky Gateway Museum Center Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...

celebrated purchasing two of Collot's maps, maps of

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 ...

. When describing the purchase the ''

Kentucky Herald-Leader 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 t ...

'' called Collot ''"an excellent mapmaker but a lousy spy."'' One of the maps was ''“The Course of the Ohio from its Source to its Junction with the Mississippi.”'' It was purchased from a private collector. The other map was a map of

. Most of Collot's other maps were of rivers, or riverports, while the second map purchase was of the overland route between Maysville to Lexington.

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External links

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Collot's American Expedition and his Arrest in LouisianaVoyage dans l'Amérique septentrionale
��includes a discussion of Collot and his ''Voyage dans l'Amérique Septentrionale'', a slide show of illustrations, and 3 downloadable pdf files of the 2-volume book plus atlas. 1750 births 1805 deaths French generals History of Guadeloupe People of pre-statehood Illinois People of Colonial Spanish Louisiana French colonial governors of Guadeloupe {{Guadeloupe-bio-stub

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