Alexandre d'Agneau Douville 1730-1756 (1 Viewer)

[mestell]

Alexandre d’Agneau Douville was born on the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada on July 25, 1730. He was a French Canadian of mixed French and Indian blood. It was a very common and well accepted practice in “New France” for French soldiers and French immigrants to the new world to inter-marry with Indians. The offspring of these interracial marriages were called Metis (pronounced MAY tee). Thus it was for Douville, for the record of his death can be found listed on the Metis Cultural History web site.

He was either in the French Army or a member of the Quebec Militia at the outbreak of the French and Indian War. The Metis Cultural History web site mentions that he was a “cadet” at the time of his death. It is my theory that he was in the Quebec Militia due to his native background.

Prior to the spring of 1756 he was garrisoned at Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio River. Soon he would be ordered to the Ohio country and the western frontier of Virginia where his activities would raise an alarming stir among the Virginia settlers and the Virginia provincial militia.

More to come . . .

Mike

 

[kogu]

What a fine start of a story, Mike,
looking forward to your next episode.
Thank you.
Konrad

 

[mestell]

What a fine start of a story, Mike,
looking forward to your next episode.
Thank you.
Konrad

Thanks Konrad, here is epsode 2:

Young Douville may have very well been with the French and Indians that defeated General Braddock's force near the Forks of the Ohio in the summer of 1755. Although I have not been able to verify this, based on what I have learned about Douville he at least spent the 1755-1756 winter at Fort Duquesne. If he had not participated in the Battle of the Monongahela he certainly would have heard all the stories of glory about it during the long winter nights at the fort.

Braddock’s defeat left the Virginia frontier nearly defenseless and endangered. Only a few weeks passed before the Indian allies of the French began their relentless, devastating attacks on the Virginia settlements. The coming of spring in 1756 brought renewed anxiety to the Virginia frontier. Memory of the Indian raids throughout the region the previous summer and fall created a sense of urgency on defense and survival.

By March of 1756, the Virginia colony completed two forts on Patterson Creek and reorganized its military forces at the direction of George Washington, the newly commissioned Colonel of the Virginia Provincial Regiment. The beginning of the first raids by the French and Indians started around April 1, with a renewed fury that the colony was unprepared for. For the next 30 days chaos ruled the frontier.

Re-enter Alexandre Douville. Now an Ensign, Douville became a willing participant in this frontier fury. Sometime in March, Douville left Fort Duquesne in command of a small raiding party of either Shawnee, Delaware or Mingo Indians. His destination was the Virginia frontier.

More to come . . .

Mike

 

[PolarBear]

Hey Mike

This is terrific. I will be looking forward to each new episode.
The forum definitely has better programming than TV thses days

Randy

 

[mestell]

Hey Mike

This is terrific. I will be looking forward to each new episode.
The forum definitely has better programming than TV thses days

Randy

Thanks Randy, here is episode 3:

Scouting parties from Fort Cumberland started to be frequently harassed by Indians . The fort’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Adam Stephen, wrote a letter dated March 29, 1756, to Colonel Washington reporting the renewed hostile activities.

Between March 29 and April 1 more reports of trouble were sent to the governor at Williamsburg and it was suggested that Washington hurry to Fort Cumberland to personally survey the situation. Washington left immediately.

While Washington was hurrying to Fort Cumberland, a skirmish took place between the Frederick County militia and approximately 15 Indians somewhere along the North Branch of the Potomac River. Ensign Douville was the French commander of this raiding party.

More to come . . .

Mike

 

[PolarBear]

Mike

Thanks for making this fascinating individual come to life and doing some great "playing" with John's figures.

You are having a very productive Saturday

Randy

 

[mestell]

Mike

Thanks for making this fascinating individual come to life and doing some great "playing" with John's figures.

You are having a very productive Saturday

Randy

Thanks again Randy. I am having fun this morning. Here's the 4th and final episode in the story of young Douville:

Colonel Washington arrived in Winchester on April 6, 1756 where upon he learned of the skirmish on the “North Branch”. The next day Washington reported to Governor Dinwiddie that a skirmish had occurred recently between 23 men of the Frederick County militia and approximately 15 Indians on the North Branch of the Potomac River. After about 30 minutes of fighting, the Indians fled the battleground, leaving several of their dead. Among the dead was the commander of the detachment, Ensign Alexandre d'Agneau Douville. Recovered from the ensign's body were orders from the commandant of Fort Duquesne. Douville's party had been ordered to gather information, cause what trouble it could and, if possible, destroy the supply depot at the mouth of the Shenandoah Valley. This news was alarming and meant that hundreds of Indians could be on their way to Virginia.

Washington immediately sent out orders to prepare for the coming storm.

Thus in my brief but hopefully interesting story about one Alexandre d'Agneau Douville comes to an end. Perhaps he was a hero to some - a villain to others - its all a matter of historical perspective. I really had fun doing this. My next series of stories will be about the chain of forts that Washington had ordered constructed in 1756 to provide a protected supply line from his headquarters in Winchester, Va to Fort Cumberland in Maryland.

Mike

 

[PolarBear]

Those VA. Provincial figures are great. I love their uniforms. Are you getting the GW figure in the series?

Randy

 

[mestell]

Those VA. Provincial figures are great. I love their uniforms. Are you getting the GW figure in the series?

Randy

I plan on getting everything that JJD introduces that is associated (or can be associated with a little imagination) with the earlier parts of the FIW (1755-1758) that occured along the watershed of the North Branch of the Potomac River (essentially northwestern Virginia, southwestern Maryland, and western Pennsyvania). I am certainly looking forward to the new frontier militia figures and the George Washington figure that will be released this year. I now have 4 blockhouses and have 2 stockade sets preordered. I want to create a reasonable representation of a frontier fort similar to those Colonel Washington instructed to be built such as Forts Ashby and Cocke on Patterson Creek (Hampshire County) and Fort Pleasant on the South Branch of the Potomac River. I have found through my research that Fort Cocke and Fort Pleasant had blockhouses at each of their corners, whereas Fort Ashby probably had diamond-shaped bastions at each corner. I even have found a sketch (contemporary to the times) of Fort Pleasant showing its stockade, the location of the blockhouses, and the other buildings within the fort.

Anyway - I ramble, later

Mike

 

[kogu]

That was a great story, Mike,
and you have some very interesting plans there. I am looking foward to your setup of a Fort. Got 2 of the Blockhouses myself and am waiting for the stockades to be released.
Konrad