Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor (September 20, 1713 – 1775) was a French
military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
who served as Governor of Louisbourg (1744-1745) a member of the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
during the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754†...
. He was born in the
Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...
department of France, as the second son of
Louis Du Pont Duchambon Louis Du Pont Duchambon ( Chalais, Charente January 1, 1680 – 1775?) was a French military officer who served as a member of the French Army during the King George's War. Louis Du Pont Duchambon arrived in Acadia in 1702 as an ensign in a new c ...
and Jeanne Mius d’Entremont de Pobomcoup, making him
Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
on his mother's side. Vergor began his military career as a
cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
in the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and served in various North American locations, mostly in what would later be the Maritime Provinces of
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 ...
. An injury suffered in 1745 during the siege of Louisbourg resulted in his being sent to France for several years, along with nearly all the other French people on
Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...
. He returned to Louisbourg after the peace settlement in 1748, and reached the rank of
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in 1750. During
Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Briti ...
, de Vergor was engaged in the Battle off Port La Tour (1750) in Nova Scotia. In 1754, Vergor was named as commander of
Fort Beauséjour Fort Beauséjour (), renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755, is a large, five-bastioned fort on the Isthmus of Chignecto in eastern Canada, a neck of land connecting the present-day province of New Brunswick with that of Nova Scotia. The site was strateg ...
in what would become
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
. With the Seven Years' War underway, French forts in the maritime regions were targeted by
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
troops, and on June 4, 1755, Fort Beauséjour was attacked by a force led by
Robert Monckton Lieutenant-General Robert Monckton (24 June 1726 – 21 May 1782) was an officer of the British Army and colonial administrator in British North America. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General J ...
. The siege lasted two weeks, with Vergor holding out against the greater British force. However, not having taken the necessary precautions to organise a good defense, Vergor was not capable of meeting the British head on. He had under his orders 160 soldiers, 300 Acadian refugees, and a group of Mi'mkaq. After a few days of siege, a cannon ball exploded inside the fort, killing six officers and several soldiers. Vigor panicked, and raised the white flag. The British gave him favorable conditions, and gave permission to him and his men to go to Louisbourg. The Acadians joined their relatives in northeastern Acadia, now (New Brunswick) Vergor was tried by
court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
at
Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
in September 1757 and acquitted of charges that the forts were not adequately defended. Two years later, Vergor was a part of the defense of Quebec under
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Grozon, Marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran (28 February 1712 â€“ 14 September 1759) was a French soldier best known as the commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War (whose North American th ...
during the siege prior to the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...
. On the night of September 12, 1759, Vergor was in command of a small encampment tasked to guard the upper portion of a road leading from the
St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
to the plains; his command was the first to contact the British under General
James Wolfe James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a Major-general (United Kingdom), major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the Kingdom of France, French ...
. Ironically, the British officer in charge of the initial assault force was again Robert Monckton. The French encampment was caught by surprise, and Vergor was shot and captured. After repatriation to France, Vergor was apparently unable to continue in the military, and apparently died in poverty some time after 1775.


References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vergor, Louis Du Pont Duchambon de 1713 births Year of death unknown French people of the French and Indian War French military personnel of the Seven Years' War French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession