A Blupete Biography Page


Louis Franquet
(1697-1768).

Franquet, Brigadier des armees du Roy Directeur des fortiffications de la Nouvelle France,1 was sent to Louisbourg in 1750. His duties extended to recommend and to carry out instructions in respect to the defences, apparently, for all of New France. On July 27th, 1751, he traveled from Louisbourg to Ile St Jean (Prince Edward Island). On August 17th, he sailed for Baie Verte, arriving on the 18th. He inspected, and was not much impressed, by the French fortifications throughout the isthmus. After this he returned to Louisbourg. During the summer of 1752, Franquet proceeded to Quebec and examined the fortification there and beyond, including those at Lake Champlain. During the latter part of 1753, Franquet returned to France to presumably file his reports, and, personally, to take his instructions.

In May of 1754, Franquet returned to Louisbourg. He had received a promotion. His duties, however, did not seem to extend, then, to much beyond that of Louisbourg; it was a place, which, no doubt could use his full time attention. Franquet was to continue on until the Fall of Louisbourg in 1758. It would not appear that he carried out his duties very effectively; and, it is suggested, that this -- as seems was the case for all together too many French officers of the time -- was, because, he was much too busy in various self-serving adventures. Thus, it was, that Franquet was to receive a fair amount of the blame for the final loss of Louisbourg in 1758; it was thought that the principal reason for the success of the British, was, because, of the poor condition of the defences.

In the DCB write up, we find this:

"Franquet is remembered today chiefly for his reports of 1751, 1752, and 1753, his many maps and plans, and his contribution to the building of the original Louisbourg. ... [And while there were officers who] seemed to dislike Franquet ... Drucour and Prevost had nothing but praise for his spirit of cooperation. ... Franquet was politically astute and carefully cultivated people at court ...; he was always ready, too, with notes of congratulations for prominent officials who had received new appointments. He understood the extent to which influence was the politics of the 18th century."

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FOOTNOTES:


[1] So labeled as of mai 1754. See McLennan, Louisbourg (Appendix I, p. 334).

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Peter Landry
2012 (2020)