Louis Duchambon, Du Pont
(1680-1775).
Born in France, the military career of Louis Du Pont Duchambon brought him to New France, just as happened to his two older brothers, François Duvivier (1676-1714) and Michel de Renon (?-1719).
Duchambon was at Port Royal1 when it, in 1710, fell to the English. As we will see from our larger story, it was necessary for the French to build a new capital: Louisbourg. Louis Duchambon was with the founding party when it stepped ashore at Louisbourg in 1713. Duchambon's early career at Ile Royale, however, was mostly to be spent at Port Dauphin (Englishtown these days), as did his brothers (a "fiefdom of the Duponts").
In April of 1744, Duchambon was promoted as second in command at Louisbourg. With Governor Duquesnel's sudden death in October of 1744, fate thrust Duchambon to Louisbourg's helm. No one thought that he was capable of being in command especially since war had been just declared, but Duchambon carried on in the position because his replacement from France, de Salvert, never made it over before Louisbourg was taken by the colonials during the summer of 1745. Duchambon's critics (he was indecisive) proved to be correct and Duchambon's command was one of the reasons that the grand fortress fell to "a bunch of New England farm boys".
On July 15th, 1745 Duchambon and his party departed Louisbourg, a prisoner aboard a British vessel; he was deposited on the shores of France. Back in France he had some accounting to do to his superiors, but he came out of it OK. Pensioned off, Duchambon was to live on in France for another 30 years.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] Louis married at Port Royal in 1709; so did his brothers; François, in 1705; and Renon, 1710. In respect to Louis' marriage, one can see an abstract from the parish register in the Report Concerning Canadian Archives Branch for the Year 1904, Appendix G., p. 303: On the 11th February, 1709, at Port Royal, after the reading of two bands (3rd dispensed): "Louis Dupont ... Lieutenant of the garrison of Port Royal, son of Hugues Dupont, Esquire, and of dame Marie de Gourville of the parish of Dupont, diocese of Xaintes in Xaintonge, and damoiselle Jeanne Mius de Poubomkou daughter of Jacques Mius de Poubomkou and Dame Anne de St. Etienne ... seigneurs of Acadia." The witnesses were Subercase, Bonaventure, Marie Mius, Charles Mius, Anne Mius, and F. Justinian Durant, Recollect missionary.