Louis de la Corne or Louis Chapt, Chevalier de la Corne (June 6, 1703 – November 15, 1761) was born at

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 traditiona ...

in what is now

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Tor ...

, Canada, and began his career in the colonial regular troops as a second ensign in 1722 and was made full ensign five years later. He married in 1728 and began investing heavily in the commerce of the fur trade while continuing his military career. This was a common practice of the time. In the next few years both careers flourished. He received promotions to lieutenant and then captain six years later. During

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in t ...

, he had serious combat experience in

Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and earl ...

for which he was awarded the cross of Saint Louis in May 1749 for his actions at the Battle of Grand Pre. 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 Br ...

he was involved in other hostile military operations as well as organizing militias amongst new settlers in new territories (see Battle at Chignecto). In 1752, La Corne began a three-year appointment as the western commander of the ''poste de l’Ouest'', (the French name for the posts started by

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translatio ...

). He succeeded

Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre (October 24, 1701 - September 8, 1755) was a Canadian colonial military commander and explorer who held posts throughout North America in the 18th century, just before and during the French and Indian War. Famil ...

and set out in June 1753 with 57 men, leaving his brother Luc de la Corne to coordinate additional resources. He crossed paths with Saint-Pierre north of Lake Superior and was briefed on what he would find in the west. During his tenure in the west, La Corne appears to have been an active commander. He improved Fort Paskoya (Le Pas, Man.), built Fort Saint-Louis ( Fort de la Corne,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

) and explored the Carrot River valley. He was succeeded by Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye who was Commander of the West from 1756 to 1758. (Because of 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 ...

, La Vérendrye never actually came west but carried out the business through agents.) Order of Saint Louis IMG 2674

By July 1755, La Corne was back east and was heavily involved in military matters for the next five years, patrolling the Montreal to Lake Ontario waterway with a large contingent of men. More military recognition for his role was recommended but never occurred. He was to be deported to France in 1761 and was one of the victims when the ship, '' Auguste'' sank off the coast of

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. ...

on November 15 of that year.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:La Corne, Louis De, Chevalier De La Corne La Corne, Louis de La Corne, Louis de Deaths due to shipwreck at sea

La Corne La Corne is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec in Abitibi Regional County Municipality. The place is named in honour of Louis de La Corne (1703–1761), a French naval officer who was wounded in the Battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760. ...

La Corne, Louis de Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Pre-Confederation Saskatchewan people People of Father Le Loutre's War French knights