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Map Plan of the Natchez Fort, Blockaded by the French on January 20, 1731, and Destroyed on the 25th of Said Month. Plan du fort des Sauvages Natchez blocqué par les François le 20e janvier 1731 et détruit le 25 du dit mois

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Title

  • Plan of the Natchez Fort, Blockaded by the French on January 20, 1731, and Destroyed on the 25th of Said Month.

Other Title

  • Plan du fort des Sauvages Natchez blocqué par les François le 20e janvier 1731 et détruit le 25 du dit mois

Summary

  • This plan by an unknown author shows the site of the Natchez siege of January 1731, which had its origins in disputes between the Natchez and the French colonists over land. The Compagnie d'Occident (Company of the West) had established several tobacco plantations in the environs of Fort Rosalie (close to present-day Natchez, Mississippi), near several Indian villages. On November 28, 1729, the Natchez staged an uprising, the principal cause of which was the attempt by a French commander to relocate an Indian village in order to establish a new plantation. The Indians killed more than 200 French soldiers and colonists, while taking prisoner 50 women and children as well as at least 150 African slaves, many of whom sought to win their freedom by siding with the Indians. Fearing a general Indian uprising, the French responded by systematically attacking the Natchez and destroying their villages. This campaign culminated at the site shown on the map. Forces under Governor Étienne Périer blockaded the Natchez stronghold on January 20, 1731, and destroyed it five days later. Some 450 women and children and 40 warriors were captured. Périer sent the captives to New Orleans, where many died; the rest were sold as slaves in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti). Only about 200 Natchez managed to escape, finding refuge among the Chickasaws. Following this conflict, the Natchez were scattered and all but ceased to exist as a nation. Surviving members of the tribe settled among the Creeks, Chickasaws, and eventually the Cherokees. The map shows the roads taken by Périer's forces, the Natchez village and fort, the organization of the blockade, and the route taken by those Indians who managed to escape during the night. Scale is indicated in toises, an old French unit of measurement; one toise equals about 1.95 meters. The site of the siege is on swampy terrain located some six kilometers north of the present-day village of Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1731.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Louisiana--Sicily Island
  • -  1731-01-20 to 1731-01-22
  • -  Battles
  • -  Blockade
  • -  Company of the Indies
  • -  Company of the West
  • -  Forts and fortifications
  • -  France in America
  • -  France--Colonies
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Manuscript maps
  • -  Natchez Indians
  • -  New France
  • -  Villages

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 drawing : pen, ink wash and watercolor ; 44 x 67 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in French.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668646

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Plan of the Natchez Fort, Blockaded by the French on , and Destroyed on the 25th of Said Month. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1731] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668646/.

APA citation style:

(1731) Plan of the Natchez Fort, Blockaded by the French on , and Destroyed on the 25th of Said Month. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668646/.

MLA citation style:

Plan of the Natchez Fort, Blockaded by the French on , and Destroyed on the 25th of Said Month. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1731] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668646/>.