French Prisoner "La Force" aka Michel Pépin
In March 1759 we come across a letter by French prisoner, LaForce (Michel Pépin) writing to the now retired Colonel George Washington. What a name. A name like La Force stands out. That kind of name has to have a story.
And often such a story is found in bits and pieces, but never the whole story in one place. And even here, it is still not complete.
Historians immediately wonder about that Pepin name. The Famous Pepin fathers Charles Martel (French for The Hammer) in the medieval ages. Charles Martel is the Grandfather of Charlemagne. We don't know if this Pepin family name is related to our subject, Michel Pépin dit La Force .
But the grandfather of Michel Pépin dit La Force has a powerful name: Guillaume Pepin dit Tranchemontagne (“slice of a mountain”). And La Force's brothers also kept up the rep of being "forceful." That word "dit" is pronounced as "dee." French Canadians in New France resurrected that old scheme of colorful names. That method was different from the mostly standard European method of a first name hailing from a town, Like Leonardo Da Vinci meaning Leonardo from the town of Vinci.
Although the LaForce letter is dated March 1759, it was probably written much earlier after the French burned Fort Duquesne.
This letter dated March 1759 takes us back to when LaForce first got captured five years earlier.
David Preston writes that Chief Half King had a special intensity of feeling against La Force:
Tanaghrisson had a vendetta against a particular French officer named Michel Pépin, also known as La Force. Only a few weeks earlier, La Force had spoken at Tanaghrisson’s settlement of Logstown, threatening his band of Ohio Iroquois that “You have but a short Time to see the Sun, for in Twenty Days You and Your Brothers the English shall all die.” By the end of May 1754, when Tanaghrisson reported to Washington that a French “armey” was on its way to “strike the first English they see,” Tanaghrisson believed that the French—especially the feared La Force—were plotting to kill him and his followers.
The chief warrior’s account mentions La Force numerous times, but never Ensign Jumonville—an omission that supports the notion that the Iroquois were more focused on the hated La Force. His account also says nothing of the French reading any summons. It does relate that the Half King angrily shouted at La Force: “You came after me to take my Life and my Children.” He then raised his tomahawk over La Force, declaring, “Now I will let you see that the Six Nations can kill as well as the French.” But according to the chief warrior, La Force took refuge behind Washington, who “interposed” and prevented his death.
See source.
So, LaForce was captured only --- not killed, not scalped at the Battle of Jumonville Glen 28 May 1754. But he was sent to a Williamsburg jail.
He was sent down to Williamsburg before GW got trapped by the French at Fort Necessity 3 July 1754.
It was then on the way to Williamsburg prison that Michel Pepin dit La Force met John Carlyle.
Both discussed how they held the position of Commissary.
The prisoner LeForce probably was escorted through Winchester VA (Fort Loudoun didn't start construction until 1756).
In 1756 LaForce escaped but then got caught. A story alleges La Force caused suspicion by asking which way was Fort DuQuesne? Highly doubtful he got caught that way, since he knew the land, being a prized multi language interpreter and skilled as Commissary. What caught him? Maybe the accent? Maybe travelling in a land where everybody knew everybody? A stranger really stands out.
Five years after being originally captured at Jumonville Glen in May 1754 , La Force is still a prisoner at least till early March 1759.
And because of his escape 1756, his jailors doubled down on securing him. One wonders how La Force weathered this for several years.
This letter could have been forwarded to George Washington when he arrived in Williamsburg about 27 Dec 1758 after the Forbes Expedition takeover of the Fort Duquesne site. Or the letter might have been presented to him 22 Feb 1759 at start of House of Burgesses session.
What was the letter about?
LaForce, captured at Jumonville Glen 28 May 1754 explains how mutually beneficial to all, that he be set free in exchange for the French releasing Robert Stobo, who was given to the French as a hostage during the surrender terms at Fort Necessity 3 July 1754. The English translation of the letter and the French original version can be found below.
When Released?
Shortly after LaForce's letter to GW although written ealrier but dated March 1759, LaForce is released from Williamsburg to custody in New York.
Fauquier wrote Jeffrey Amherst on 17 Mar. 1759:
We are desirous in this Colony to release Stobo; and we have accordingly sent La Force to New York to Governor [James] De Lancey, on his parole; in Order to be exchanged for him, which we earnestly desire may be insisted on”
Michel was making his way to Canada with Pouchot’s party in 1759 when, near Saratoga on November 29, General Amherst “stopd Mons La Force whom Capt Wheelock had sent until I can learn whether Mr. Van Braham may be exchanged for him.”
No exchange arrangements had been made by the time of the capitulation of Montreal, and Michel probably returned home only in the autumn of 1760.
de ja Vue
But before LaForce was ever captured at Jumonville Glen, a Major George Washington met LaForce at Fort Machault December 1753. GW also saw another Frenchman there: Charles Bonin. See Bill Hunt's story on that man. Bill Hunt is a living history interpreter.
What's in a Name?
La Force is kind of a descriptive name to describe a forceful man.
His name can be written "Michel Pépin dit La Force.
The word dit pronounced “dee,” indicated that the person owned land in New France.
Often “dit names” were given to describe an individual for his characteristics and his personality. Slowly over time the family name dropped and the “dit name” remained as the family name. These name changes make genealogical searches of French Canadian names extremely difficult.
It's a stretch, but LaForce reminds this author of an old John Wayne French prisoner named Monsieur Paul Regret.
The Regret name like LaForce is descriptive.
And like LaForce, French Canadien, so too was Paul Regret ancestor to the Acadians from Cajuns in New Orleans.
It's a stretch, but LaForce reminds this author of an old John Wayne French prisoner named Monsieur Paul Regret. The Regret name like LaForce is descriptive. And like LaForce, French Canadien, so too was Paul Regret ancestor to the Acadians from Cajuns in New Orleans.
About the Pictures shown in this blog:
The pictures showing a French Marine uniform as worn by historical interpreter Bill Hunt, are probably not the uniform LaForce wore as Commissar and Interpreter.
The others portray the Virginia Regiment uniform of Sept 1755 and later.
The Virginia Regiment of 1754 wore red breeches instead of blue.
As as an aside, those red breeches are what GW chose to wear posing for his first portrait (shown below) in 1772, because the Promise of Land in Lt Gov Dinwiddie's 1754 Proclamation was only to the men in in 1754.
See all sources in sections below.
That's it.
That's our lead story.
There's always more.
Skip around.
Read bits and pieces.
Compiled by Jim Moyer 1 March 2023, updated 2 Mar 2023, updated 3/4/2023, 851am 3/5/2023, 533pm 3/6/2023, 4/29/2023, 1/27/24
Table of Contents:
The "dit" Name (see John Wayne video)
Taken to Williamsburg
Meets John Carlyle
Stobo knows of LaForce
No Exchange made ultimately
About LaForce's family:
Guillaume Pepin dit Tranchemontagne (“slice of a mountain”), greatgrandfather to Michel Pepin dit La Force, appeared in New France in 1608. Guillaume Pepin dit Tranchemontagne a hardy, skilled, and strong man, went with Duluth on the expedition to Minnesota.
Guillaume’s son, Pierre, married Michelle Le Bert and had four sons:
Michel, Pierre, Francois, and Rene Hypolite.
The father and the four sons were very active in New France as the King’s Storekeepers at Fort Niagara and at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) as interpreters, as leaders in Native American attacks on the British, and in battles in the French and Indian War.
The "dit" Name
While the earlier La Force ancestor’s full name was “Pepin dit Tranchemontagne,” the “dit” name changed to “La Force” and then the entire name shortened to become “La Force.” The word dit pronounced “dee,” indicated that the person owned land in New France.
Often “dit names” were given to describe an individual for his characteristics and his personality.
Slowly over time the family name dropped and the “dit name” remained as the family name. These name changes make genealogical searches of French Canadian names extremely difficult.
The “dit name” of “La Force” is interesting in that if Pierre Pepin had been merely physically strong he would have taken a “dit name” of “le fort.”
However, “La Force” implies strength of personality. It was written that Pierre Pepin dit La Force was a strong leader among the Indians and that the eldest son, Michel Pepin dit La Force, carried on this tradition, was a King’s Storekeeper, was reliable, spoke a number of Iroquois languages, and was able to incite the Iroquois to war. He was also known for his active work in making sure France would take North America.
LaForce's Brothers
His brother, Francois, had an Iroquois name of “Ginghissway”, was French storekeeper at Fort Carillon, participated in the De Regaud expedition to Fort William Henry, and died leading 300 Iroquois against Rogers’ Rangers at the Battle of Pointe au fer.
Another brother, Rene Hypolite, as captain of the schooner Iraquoise, participated in defending Fort Niagara at the siege and was known as a brave man
Source
La Force as Commissary
Captain Pouchot in his memoirs spoke favorably of Michel Pepin dit La Force and it was Michel’s brother, Rene Hypolite, who was present at the siege with his warship Iraquoise and ordered by Pouchot to bombard the English. Because Pierre Pepin dit La Force was elderly, it is probably Michel who followed in his father’s footsteps and became the King’s Commissary as well as interpreter to the Indians
GW met LaForce earlier
When Governor Dinwiddie sent the young George Washington to the Ohio Wilderness to demand that the French vacate the land, he met Michel Pepin dit La Force. After leaving Wills Creek in Maryland, Washington traveled on with Jacob Van Braam, a Dutch interpreter, and Christopher Gist, an experienced backwoodsmen.
Upon arriving at Fort Venango [Fort Machault ] , the French Captain Joncaire invited the young Virginia militia major to dine with him and a few of his men, among them La Force.
At this dinner, George Washington noted that after copious am ounts of wine, “They told me, That it was their abfolute Defign to take Pofeffion of the Ohio, and by G—they would do it.”
The next morning Washington prepared to leave Venango to go to Fort Le Boeuf to meet with the General Officer, Sieur Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, and wrote
“That Monfieur La Force, Commiffary of the French Stores, and three other soldiers came over to accompany us up.”
LaForce's Earlier Assignment
At this time, the commanding officer of the French troupes in the Ohio River Valley was Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, an elderly and experienced French military officer from an old French Canadian family. Legardeur was an officer, a gentleman, and an entrepreneur. His experience with Indians as well as his extensive work and travels in North America made him one of the most knowledgeable individuals in working, trading, and fighting with Indians.
We learn of La Force’s skills with Indians and the value it brought to the French effort in a letter from Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre to Governor Duquesne:
The News that I Found out concerning Virginia made me decide to send La force to the Theya8ouindeoguin River to be certain about The Englishman’s movements. He learned on his trip from various Indians coming back From War that they were to take the portage of the Great Mountain which is About thirty leagues (about 73 miles) distant from the Ohio River. I have absolutely no doubt that the wear and tear that they had to Undergo will delay their arrival here until quite late in the month of March”
And in another letter, Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre stated,
“Monsieur La force will make aware, Sir, than I am able to Explain by this Letter, of the sad Situation to which we have been reduced.”
Source
Proof of his Capture at Jumonville Glen
Finally, in Memoirs on the Late War in North America Between France and England by Captain Pierre Pouchot, a member of King Louis XVth’s Royal Engineers, a definitive reference is made to Michel Pepin dit La Force’s capture at Jumonville Glen:
An English deserter, or Catholic Iroquois, named Denis Karninguen gave a detailed account which Lieutenant JosephGaspard Chaussegros de Lery, commandant at Fort Presque Isle, transcribed before sending to Montreal: He reports
[…] That Monsieur de Jumonville had been killed by an English detachment which surprised him. [T]hat the officer had gone out to communicate his orders to the English commander […] [N] otwithstanding the discharge of musket fire that the latter [Washington] had made upon him, he intended to read it [the summons Jumonville carried] and had withdrawn himself to his people, whom he had [previously] ordered to fire upon the French[, T]hat Monsiuer de Jumonville having been wounded and having fallen[,] Thanninhison [Tanaghrisson], a savage, came up to him and had said, Thou art not yet dead, my father, and struck several hatchet blows with which he killed him. That Monsieur Drouillon, ensign and second in command to Monsieur de Jumonville, had been taken (captive) with all of the detachment, which was thirty men. [.] Messieurs de Boucherville and Du Sable, cadets,
and La force, commissary, were among the number of prisoners
[.T]hat there were between ten and twelve Canadians killed and that the prisoners had been carried to the city of Virginia [Williamsburg].
George Washington gave his own cursory account of the attack, and noted that
“Mons’r La force, who your Honour has often heard me speak of as a bold Enterprising Man, and a person of great subtlty and cunning” had been captured.
Washington continued to insist that the French were on a spy mission.
In a letter dated 25 July 1754, from Governor Duquesne to the Commander on the Ohio, Captain Pierre Contrecoeur another perspective is revealed:
I implore you to get some trustworthy savages who can be used as spies. I have been told that you had with you a man named La Force, who is invaluable and untiring in discovering what he is asked to. I do not see how you can put your trust in better hands for savages are still savages, especially in a place where the English used to be.
Shortly after the attack, Washington wrote to Dinwiddie and further described La Force:
Besides, looseing La Force, I really think, w’d tend more to our disservice, than 50 other Men, as he is a Person whose active Spirit, leads him into all parlys, and brought him acquainted with all parts, add to this a perfect use of the Indian Tongue, and g’t influence with the Indians. He Ingeniously enough confess’d, that as soon as he saw the Commission and Instructions that he believ’d and then said he expected some such tendency, tho’ he pretends to say he does not believe the Commander had any other but a good design.
Source
Taken to Williamsburg
Washington then wrote that he had arranged to have the prisoners escorted to Williamsburg:
Mr. La Force […] beg to be recommend to your Honour’s notice, and I have promis’d they shall meet with all the fafor that’s due to Imprison’d officer’s: I have shew’d all respect I co’d to them here, and have given some necessary cloathing, by which I have disfurnish’d myself, for having brought no more than two or three Shirts from Will’s C’k that we might be light I was ill provided to furnish them. The English had attacked at 7:00 a.m. as the French were preparing breakfast and many were without proper clothing.
Meets John Carlyle
It was then on the way to Williamsburg prison that Michel Pepin dit La Force met John Carlyle.
During this escort Washington made no mention of the need to provide English interpreters for La Force. He described La Force as telling “Smooth Stories.” We do not know the exact circumstances under which Carlyle met La Force, nor do we have documentation as to where La Force stayed.
In a letter from John Carlyle to George Carlyle dated 3 July 1754, Carlyle, noted that La Force was a King’s Commissary like him and that La Force told him some interesting information about his language abilities. (We know that La Force spoke English as John Carlyle did not speak French.)
Also the other Colonys Yett have done Nothing his Majesty order three Independent Company from New York & Charles Town, to Aid our New Levys Who are All Arrived with us, the Virginia Regiment is got out To The Ohio, & the 28 May had an Ingagement (a party of ours of 40 men & Comd. By Coll. Washington Meet A party of French of 35 Comanded by Monr. De Jamunville & We had So much the Advantage that with the Loss of one man only We Killd 14& Took 21 prisoners among the first was the Comander & Amongt the Last was 2 Officers & 2 Cadetts one of the Officers named Laforce is A man of Great Consequence, he is My Brother Commissary of Stores for the French Army & Speaks 14 Indian Langs (as he told me himself).
Attack on Fort Necessity
While Michel Pepin dit La Force made his way to Williamsburg prison, French forces led by Louis Coulons Ecuyer, Sieur de Villiers de Jumonville—the half-brother of Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville who was killed at Jumonville Glen—attacked George Washington and his small, ill-equipped militia at Fort Necessity. The French forces defeated Washington and his militia and offered a surrender. In signing the document of his surrender, George Washington admitted to the assassination of the Ensign Jumonville. As was the custom of the time, one side offered an officer to be prisoner for the side that surrendered.
Prisoner Exchange
This officer would be sent to Quebec and held as a prisoner until a captured officer from the other side was released. In this case it was two men, Captain Stobo and Jacob Van Braam, a Dutchman and the translator of the French surrender document that went to Quebec in exchange for Michel Pepin dit La Force.
Stobo knew of LaForce
While Stobo stayed in Fort Duquesne, he smuggled out important information including a comment about La Force:
“La Force is greatly wanted here, no scouting now, he certainly must have been an extroaordinary man amongst them – he’s so regretted and wished for.”
Stobo stayed in Quebec and, while a prisoner, was brought to trial for spying because of the note he smuggled from Fort Duquesne. He had become so popular with the French women, that he was acquitted.
He made an exciting escape to later finish his life in poverty in England. He is alleged to have committed suicide.
No Exchange Made
Van Braam was noted as being present at the surrender of Quebec. Governor Dinwiddie refused to release La Force until much later in 1760.
Michel spent a considerable amount of time in jail in Williamsburg. While in prison there, he wrote to George Washington requesting his quick release and some clothing. He then escaped, but was apprehended by a Virginia backwoodsman when he asked for directions to Fort Duquesne.
He was returned to Williamsburg prison and put into leg irons and chained to the stone.
Another controversy followed Michel Pepin dit La Force in 1760 when he returned to Montreal at the end of the French and Indian War.
Michel was making his way to Canada with Pouchot’s party in 1759 when, near Saratoga on November 29, General Amherst “stopd Mons La Force whom Capt Wheelock had sent until I can learn whether Mr. Van Braham may be exchanged for him.”
No exchange arrangements had been made by the time of the capitulation of Montreal, and Michel probably returned home only in the autumn of 1760.
Brother Commissary
Although we do not see more references to La Force in Carlyle’s letters after the Jumonville Glen attack, it is interesting that Carlyle refers to La Force as “my Brother Commissary.” While this reference may merely reveal that Carlyle felt a kinship to La Force in his profession as King’s Commissary, the reference is intriguing and remains a mystery.
Source
La Force's letter to GW (translated) March 1759
As I hope that now that you are in possession of Fort Duquesne that the difficulties are lifted which prevented my exchange with Sr. stobo; and to beg you to be willing to use you with Mr. Your Governor to remove me from the shameful slavery where I have been for so long, and to obtain that I be sent to New York by the ship that will leave;
1 Founders Online Footnote 1: This ship may have been one of two Virginia-owned schooners named Tryall that were on the New York to Hampton run during the spring of 1759 (P.R.O., C.O. 1448, 19).
at which place I will be able to work to make myself change more easily than in Icy. I believe that Sr stobo
[Robert Stobo with Jacob Van Braam were given to the French to retain as hostages from GW's surrender at Fort Necessity, the Battle of Great Meadows 3 July 1754]
deserves that the Gentlemen of this Colony's interested to make him return to his homeland By releasing me from the prisons, praying you at the same time Sir that If my request Is granted to you that I be⟨en⟩ a little Expanded on my speech, so that I regain a little strength And that I become accustomed to the great outdoors.
2 Founders Online Footnote 2:
Since La Force’s attempted escape in 1756 he had been closely confined. According to an early nineteenth-century historian he “was loaded with a double weight of irons, and chained to the floor of his dungeon” (Burk, History of Virginia, 3:193).
in the hope that you have enough Generosity to render me this Service. I have the honor to be very respectfully Sir Your very humble and obedient Servant
La Force
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
.
.
.
Founders Online source
Letter in French and footnotes
To George Washington from La Force,
March 1759
From La Force [c.March 1759] Monsieur Comme Jespere que maintenant que vous estes en pocession du fort Duquesne que les difficultées Sont Levées qui Empéchoit mon Echange avec Le Sr stobo—Cest ce qui m’engage a vous Importuner Encore une fois; et vous Prier de Vouloir Bien Vous Employer aupres de Mr Votre Gouverneu⟨r⟩ pour me retirer du honteux Esclavage ou Je suis depuis Si longtems, et dobtenir que Je sois Envoyer a la Nouvelle york par L’epreuve Batiment qui partira;1 auquel endroit Je Serai en lieu de Travailler a me faire changer plus facilement que D’Icy. Je Crois que le Sr stobo meritte Bien que les Gentilhommes de Cette Colonie Sinteressent a Le faire revenir a sa patrie En me relachant des prisons, Vous priant en même tems Monsieur que Si ma demande vous Est accordé que Je sois ⟨en⟩ peu Elargie Sur ma parolle, affin que je reprenne un peu de forces Et que Je m’accoutume au grand air.2 dans Lesperance ou Je suis que vous avez assez de Generosité pour me rendre ce Service. Jay lhonneur destre trés respectueusement Monsieur Votre Tres humble Tres obeissant Serviteur La Force
ALS, DLC:GW.
Founders Online Footnotes
The cover of the letter, directing it to “Monsieur Le Colonel Washington. a Williamsburg,” indicates that it was addressed to GW at a time that he was in Williamsburg, and the contents of the letter establish that La Force wrote it not long after the French gave up Fort Duquesne and while he himself was still being held in Williamsburg.
GW arrived in Williamsburg after the campaign in Pennsylvania about 27 Dec. 1758 and stayed for only a few days.
He also attended the session of the Virginia assembly that convened in Williamsburg on 22 Feb. 1759. La Force was himself gone from Williamsburg by mid-March 1759.
La Force (Michel Pépin) was the French commissary of stores on the upper Ohio when GW’s forces captured him and three young French officers near Fort Necessity in the spring of 1754. Lt. Gov. Robert Dinwiddie sent the other three prisoners to Britain in the summer of 1755 but kept La Force, “a most wicked Fellow,” a prisoner in Williamsburg (Dinwiddie to Thomas Robinson, 1 Oct. 1755, ViHi: Dinwiddie Papers).
After a move to exchange La Force for Capt. Robert Stobo (see Andrew Lewis to GW, 31 Oct. 1758, n.2) came to nothing in the spring of 1756, La Force broke out of the jail at Williamsburg but was recaptured two days later. In May 1757 GW “Gave Monsr La force 4£” (General Ledger A, folio 35).
Whether through GW’s intervention prompted by this letter or not, La Force was shortly sent to New York “Sur ma parolle.”
Fauquier wrote Jeffrey Amherst on 17 Mar. 1759: “
We are desirous in this Colony to release Stobo; and we have accordingly sent La Force to New York to Governor [James] De Lancey, on his parole; in Order to be exchanged for him, which we earnestly desire may be insisted on” (Reese, Fauquier, 1:186–87).
1. This ship may have been one of two Virginia-owned schooners named Tryall that were on the New York to Hampton run during the spring of 1759 (P.R.O., C.O. 1448, 19).
2. Since La Force’s attempted escape in 1756 he had been closely confined. According to an early nineteenth-century historian he “was loaded with a double weight of irons, and chained to the floor of his dungeon” (Burk, History of Virginia, 3:193).
Source:
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.
.
See Stobo's map of Fort Duquesne
when he was held prisoner there.
Original map drawn by Stobo on the back of his July 28, 1754, letter to Colonel Innes, Robert Stobo Papers, DAR.1925.05, Darlington Collection
MEMOIRS OF MAJOR ROBERT STOBO, OF THE VIRGINIA REGIMENT.
Founders Online footnote of Andrew Lewis prisoner in Montreall October the 31t 1758 writing to GW:
2. By the terms of GW’s capitulation at Fort Necessity, 3 July 1754, the French took Capt. Robert Stobo (1727–1770) and Capt. Jacob Van Braam (1725–1784) as hostages first to Fort Duquesne and then to Montreal and Quebec. Stobo made his escape to Louisburg in May 1759; Van Braam was exchanged in 1760.
In November 1771 George Washington wrote a letter to Stobo concerning land claims under Governor Dinwiddie;[4] however Stobo had committed suicide on 19 June 1770.[5]
From George Washington to George Mercer, 7 November 1771
To George Mercer Williamsburg Novr 7th 1771 Dear Sir Since you first left this Country I have been favourd with two Letters from you—one of them dated the 28th of March 1770 1 Serving to enter your own, and the claims of Captns Stobo and Vanbraam to part of the 200,000 Acres of Land under Governor Dinwiddies Proclamn; and the oth⟨er⟩ of the 18th of Decr, which did not come to my hands till about the first of last Month, urging the expediency of prosecuting our Right to those Lands with Spirit.
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Other sources
in course of doing research
Carlyle House in Alexandria VA
.
Source on LaForce
In 1771 still about the 1754 Promise of Land
To His Excellency the Right Honble John Earl of Dunmore his Majestys Lieutt & Governor General of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia and vice Admiral of the same and to the Honble the Council—The Memorial of George Washington, Colo. of the first Virginia Regiment in behalf of himself and others Most humbly Sheweth
That it being judg’d proper to raise Troops, and erect a Fort at the Confluence of the Rivers Ohio & Monongahela, the Lieutent Governor of Virginia the Honble Robert Dinwiddie Esqr. with the advice and consent of the Council, considering the numberless hardships that must attend Warfare in an uninhabited and Mountainous Country, so remote from the necessary Supplies an Army required (which w⟨ould⟩ unavoidably subject the Officers to a very considerable expence in the Article of Carriage only) and also to engage on such an emergency Soldiers more chearfully to enlist; on the 19th day of Feby 1754 did Issue a Proclamation whereby, over and above their pay 200,000 Acs. of Land on the East side of the River Ohio (One hundd thousand of which to be contiguous to the Fort now called Fort Pitt, and the other 100,000 to be on, or near the River Ohio) Were promised to be allotted to the Officers & Soldiers who should then enter the Service, in proportion to their Rank and Merit;
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Michel Pepin was born on month day 1721, in birth place, Indiana, to Pierre Pépin and Michelle Pépin (born Le Bert). Pierre was born on November 2 1683, in Pointe-aux-Sables, Nicolet, Québec. Michelle was born in 1692, in Quebec, Canada. Michel was baptized on month day 1721, in baptism place, Indiana. Michel had 8 siblings: Marie Louise Tessier / Lavigne (born Pépin), Pierre Pépin and 6 other siblings. Michel married Agathe Pepin (born Limoges) on month day 1744, at age 23 in marriage place. Agathe was born on November 10 1712, in Saint-François, Laval, Île Jésus, Québec, Canada. They had 3 children: Marguerite Pepin and 2 other children. Michel passed away on month day 1777, at age 56 in death place. He was buried in burial place.
Source:
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Commodore Rene Hypolite Pepin de Laforce, a naval officer, was appointed to command the Provincial Marine on Point Frederick, Lake Ontario on November 15, 1780 and retained the position until 1786.
Title: France and England in North America, Volume VII: A Half-Century of Conflict, Vol 2
Author: Francis Parkman
Release Date: April 20, 2015
A HALF-CENTURY OF
CONFLICT.FRANCE AND ENGLAND IN NORTH AMERICA.
Part Sixth.
BY
FRANCIS PARKMAN.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
BOSTON:
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
1898.
Copyright, 1892,
By Francis Parkman.
Copyright, 1897,
By Little, Brown, and Company.
University Press:
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A.
They passed deserted houses and farms belonging to Dutch settlers from the Hudson; for the Hoosac, in this part of its course, was in the province of New York.[253] They did not stop to burn barns and houses, but they killed poultry, hogs, a cow, and a horse, to supply themselves with meat. Before night they had passed the New York line, and they made their camp in or near the valley where Williamstown and Williams College now stand. Here they were joined by the Sieurs Beaubassin and La Force, who had gone forward, with eight Indians, to reconnoitre. Beaubassin had watched Fort Massachusetts from a distance, and had seen a man go up into the watch-tower, but could discover no other sign of alarm. Apparently, the fugitive Dutch farmers had not taken pains to warn the English garrison of the coming danger, for there was a coolness between the neighbors.
Source
.
.
Thomas Gage Papers William L. Clements Library Partial Subject Index The University of Michigan Finding Aid: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clementsead/umich-wcl-M-341gag?view=text ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The English series is abbreviated as ES and the American series is abbreviated as AS. Letter books, journals, account books (volumes 137-139), and the Gage warrants are not included in this index
La Force, Michel Pépin, Monsieur AS: September 30, 1759
Source
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Awesome ancestry charts for the Pepin family
Ancestral Pathways Ancestral Lines of Mark Labine October 8, 2018 version
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OCTOBER 2019
When Young George Washington Started a War
A just-discovered eyewitness account provides startling new evidence about who fired the shot that sparked the French and Indian War
By regulation, British officers wore a red coat. Washington later outfitted his troops in blue regimental coats faced with scarlet. Illustration by Tim O'Brien
David Preston;
The chief warrior complained that after he and his fellow Ohio Iroquois escorted Washington from their encampment in Logstown to Fort LeBoeuf in 1753, Washington “left us there, came through the Woods, and never thought it worth his while to come to Logs Town, or near us and give us any Account of the Speeches that passed between him and the French at the Fort which he promised to do.” Washington had seemed more interested in making his report to Governor Dinwiddie than cultivating Indian allies.
The chief warrior had also witnessed the French takeover of Trent’s Fort in April 1754. He reported that the British had surrendered meekly in the face of 600 French marines and militia—the largest European military force that had yet been seen in the Ohio River Valley. But the chief warrior noted that Tanaghrisson, the “Half King,” had tried to stir up conflict during the surrender, warning the French not to trespass on Ohio Iroquois lands, where he had given permission for the English to build a trading post. Tanaghrisson had even pushed a French officer, and “a Scuffle” ensued. If cooler heads had not prevailed, the chief warrior told the group, “they would not have left one Frenchman alive upon the spot.”
This telling of the story offers an important new angle on the origins of the Jumonville affair. It indicates that the French had humiliated Tanaghrisson, dealing with him as an English puppet and exposing his lack of influence. After the incident, Tanaghrisson’s band of 80 to 100 men, women and children had fled the area, taking refuge with their British allies to the east. Tanaghrisson had a vendetta against a particular French officer named Michel Pépin, also known as La Force. Only a few weeks earlier, La Force had spoken at Tanaghrisson’s settlement of Logstown, threatening his band of Ohio Iroquois that “You have but a short Time to see the Sun, for in Twenty Days You and Your Brothers the English shall all die.” By the end of May 1754, when Tanaghrisson reported to Washington that a French “armey” was on its way to “strike the first English they see,” Tanaghrisson believed that the French—especially the feared La Force—were plotting to kill him and his followers.
The three parties met amid a perfect storm of misunderstandings. The Ohio Iroquois band believed they were being pursued by the French. The French considered themselves diplomats, delivering a summons to the British to leave French lands—much like the summons Washington had delivered to the French some months earlier. And the British were advancing with the information they’d gathered from Tanaghrisson and others, believing the French were coming for them with violent intentions.
The chief warrior’s account mentions La Force numerous times, but never Ensign Jumonville—an omission that supports the notion that the Iroquois were more focused on the hated La Force. His account also says nothing of the French reading any summons. It does relate that the Half King angrily shouted at La Force: “You came after me to take my Life and my Children.” He then raised his tomahawk over La Force, declaring, “Now I will let you see that the Six Nations can kill as well as the French.” But according to the chief warrior, La Force took refuge behind Washington, who “interposed” and prevented his death.
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Tanacharison returned to Logstown on 15 January 1754,: 74 escorted by a French detachment under Michel Maray de La Chauvignerie which set up a temporary post nearby. George Croghan had arrived in Logstown the day before, accompanied by the trader John Patten, and observed the arrival of the French troops, "an Ensign, a Sergeant, and Fifteen Soldiers.": 74 The next day, as Patten was walking around the town, the French commandant ordered him to be arrested. Tanacharison and Croghan protested vigorously, and Croghan noted that the residents of Logstown seemed very opposed to the presence of French soldiers in the town. The French decided to "board their Canoes and set off to a small Town of the Six Nations about two Miles below the Log's Town, where [La Chauvignerie] intends to stay till the Rest of their Army come down." Correspondence between La Chauvignerie and his superior at Fort Le Boeuf, Saint-Pierre, describe the French soldiers as suffering from hunger and cold, as firewood was difficult to find. La Chauvignerie writes on February 10: "We are on the eve of being without food...The scarcity of wood which prevails in this place causes us all to be exposed to the harshness of the weather...I shall take every care to keep the tribes as peaceful as possible until a reinforcement arrives.": 123
Saint-Pierre was evidently planning to construct a fort near Logstown and to drive away any English settlers. Governor Duquesne wrote orders to Captain Michel Péan:
1755 map by John Mitchell showing "Logs T. built & settled by the English several years agoe," upper left of map's center.
When Sieur Péan arrives at Chiningué, if Sieur de Contrecoeur thinks it advisable, he will put his troops to work strengthening the establishment of the fort and, if necessary, enlarging it, in order to take care of as many as two hundred men in garrison for an entire year...When this fort is entirely finished or in the final stages of completion by its garrison, Sieur Péan...will continue...to the Rivière à la Roche.: 48 In case he found on his way some English establishments not farther than six leagues from the river, he would call on them to retire, would give the plunder to the savages and destroy these settlements.": 134–35
The French fort at Logstown was to be built by Contrecoeur, whose original orders had been to proceed down the Allegheny and Ohio and establish a military base there. The French had been planning to build a fort at Logstown since 1753, and had sent a sizeable French force to the south shore of Lake Erie to build roads and clear the rivers of rocks and driftwood so that boats could bring supplies. Problems with supplies and illness among the troops had slowed progress, however, and the sudden death of Marin, the commander, at Fort Le Boeuf on 29 October forced the French to postpone the project.: 22–23
Then on 4 March 1754, La Chauvignerie discovered English soldiers building Fort Prince George at the confluence of the Ohio and the Monongahela rivers.: 129 Contrecoeur seized it on 18 April 1754, and razed it to build Fort Duquesne. The French then decided that a fort at Logstown was unnecessary, particularly because of the lack of trees for lumber.: 57
Destruction of Logstown, 1754
A few days before Washington's surrender at Fort Necessity on 3 July, 1754, Scarouady burned down Logstown. Washington's journal entry for 26 June, 1754, reads: "An Indian arrived bearing the news that Monacatoocha (Scarouady) had burned his village, Logstown, and was gone by water with his people to Red-Stone, and might be expected there in two days.": 128 Henry Wilson Temple reports that the town's inhabitants destroyed it "fearing lest they might be punished for their alliance with the French.": 257 About 200 of the town's Iroquois, Shawnee and Lenape residents moved to Fort Cumberland, and later to the Aughwick Valley near present-day Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania.: 377
Later years
Rebuilding, 1755
In March, 1755, French forces began rebuilding the village. Joseph Gaspard Chaussegros de Lery passed the site of the town on 5 April, 1755 and refers to it as the "Little Chaouanon Village.": 180 Progress was initially slow. Charles Stuart, who was taken captive by a group of Lenape and Shawnee warriors in October, 1755, was taken to Logstown in December and reported: "When we came to Loggs town we found all the Cabbins waste but Three.": 67
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TANAGHRISSON (Deanaghrison, Johonerissa, Tanacharison, Tanahisson, Thanayieson, and, as a title, the Half King), a Seneca, a leading person among the Iroquois settled on the upper Ohio River from about 1748; d. 4 Oct. 1754 at Harris’s Ferry (Harrisburg,Pa.).
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Douglas Southall Freeman could not tell if Davison accompanied GW, but here is proof in GW's journal
7th, Monsieur La Force, Commissary of the French Stores, and three other Soldiers came over to accompany us up. We found it extremely difficult getting the Indians off To-day, as every Stratagem had been used to prevent their going up with me : I had last Night left John Davison (the Indian Interpreter that I brought from the Loggs-Town with me) strictly charg’d not to be out of their Company, as I could not get them over to my Tent (they having some Business with Custaloga, to know
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