Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive (1700–1774), was an officer in the French marine troops in New France.
Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Commandant of Upper Louisiana | |
| Assumed office 1770 | |
| Preceded by | Pedro Piernas |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Piernas |
| 16th Commandant of Illinois Country | |
| In office 1764–1770 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre-Joseph Neyon de Villiers |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Piernas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1700 Montreal |
| Died | 1774 (aged 73–74) |
| Profession | Soldier, Commandants of Upper Louisiana |
Biography
editBorn in Montreal in 1700, Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive followed his father, Robert Groston de Saint-Ange, to Fort Saint-Joseph in 1720.[1] In 1723, he accompanied the explorer Étienne de Veniard along the banks of the Missouri River and the Platte River, and assisted in the construction of Fort Orleans.[2]
Louis served as a military officer until 1736, when his father asked the Governor of Louisiana, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, to promote him to lieutenant and commander of Fort Vincennes, replacing François-Marie Bissot, who was killed in an Indian raid. Louis received that promotion and remained commander of the fort until 1764. He was promoted to captain in 1748.[3]
On May 18, 1764, Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive surrendered Fort Vincennes to the British under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1763. He then took command of Fort de Chartres.[4]
On October 10, 1765, he surrendered Fort de Chartres to the British. He took his regiment to Saint-Louis, Missouri, a part of French Louisiana that had been yielded to the Spanish, who were not yet in control of the full territory.[4]
In 1770, he swore allegiance to the Spanish Governor, and became a captain in the Spanish army, where he continued to serve until his death in 1774.[5]
Legacy
editBellerive Country Club in suburban St. Louis is named for him;[6] its golf course has hosted three major championships. The club's previous location (1910–1959) near Normandy is now a village called Bellerive.
References
edit- ^ Canada-Québec(Synthèse Historique), Montreal, Qc., 1977, p.74
- ^ Norall, Frank, Bourgmont: Explorer of the Missouri, 1698-1725. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 51-67. Details about the expedition to the Plains are from Norall unless otherwise noted.
- ^ Canada-Québec (Synthèse Historique), Montreal, Qc., 1977, p.143–144
- ^ a b France in America, W.J. Eccles, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, p.180
- ^ Canada-Québec(Synthèse Historique), Montreal, Qc., 1977, p.144
- ^ "Our story". Bellerive Country Club. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
External links
edit
 | This article about an explorer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |