| Show Recent Change in Louisiana Chief Executives I Recalls Some of the Picturesque Governors Who Ruled That Spanish-French-American Spanish State r r u c i 7 a I I f A i t k t I i fr t t C iT The Place riace d d' d Armes where Governor Galvez made his stirring appeal for French volunteers to enlist calls I for dral service against the British The buildings shown are left to right the Cabildo the St. St Louis cathe the Presbytery and the apartment In the foreground Is Jackson the thiv famous rocking horse statue of f Old OM v. square and a replica o of t By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union HE recent resignation of Gov Richard W W. Leche of T THE Louisiana and the consequent installation of Gov Earl K Long in the executive mansion at Baton Rouge once occupied by his brother Huey P. P Long have added another chapter to the colorful and frequently turbulent lent history of the chief executives of the Pelican state It began while Louisiana was a French colony it continued under Spanish domination and it characterized the early years ns as Wf well ll no as the more nn nn 11 45 th Ar or l can can flag If the redoubtable Kingfish Kingfish King fish when he was governor ruled Louisiana more like the dictator of a totalitarian country than the duly elected head of an American commonwealth com corn comI corno I he was only following fol fol- folI I lowing in the footsteps of a predecessor an Irish adventurer adventurer adventurer ad ad- who paradoxically was the Spanish governor of Louisiana just years ago His name was Alexander Alexander Alexan Alexan- der OReilly OReilly was born in the Emerald Em erald Isle in irs 1725 and at an early age enlisted in the army of Spain He lIe fought in Italy dur dur- durI I ing the War of the Austrian Succession Succession Suc Sue cession and later served In En the I armies of France and Austria Then he returned to the Spanish army and was made commander of a brigade Next he was sent to Cuba to repair and improve the fortifications of Havana and for his work there he was made inspector lie He returned time to help thwart a plot against King Charles III and aid in saving the life of that monarch who soon had hadan hadan an opportunity to show his gratitude gratitude tude to the Irishman and reward him accordingly Dy By the Treaty of Paris of 1762 63 between France England and Spain France was forced to surrender surrender sur sur- surrender render to England not only Canada Canada Canada Can Can- ada but also that part of old Louisiana lying east of the Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi sippi with the exception of the island of Orleans In which was included the city of New Orleans the capital of the colony Ceded to Spain The island of Orlea Orleans s and andaU andaU andall aU all of Louisiana west of the Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- was ceded to Spain ostensibly ostensibly ostensibly osten osten- sibly as a 0 free gift from France In reality of course France was giving this country to Spain to keep it from falling into the hands of the English and with the hope which was later realized of getting it back again Although France thus ceded the principal part of Louisiana to Spain in 63 1762 it was not until March 1766 that Don Antonio de Ulloa arrived in New Orleans to supersede Aubrey the French governor But Dut the inhabitants of Louisiana were not especially happy over the transfer of their country without their consent and the result was a revolution against the new rulers In October October October Oc Oc- Oc- Oc tober 1768 1769 the superior council in New Orleans decreed the expulsion ex cx- of Ulloa who fled to Havana When King Charles III of Spain learned of this he determined to crush the rebels and he picked General OReilly for the task He lie appointed the Irishman governor governor governor gover gover- nor of Louisiana gave him an army of 2600 picked men and a fleet neet of 24 ships OReilly reached New Orleans on August 18 1769 and at once issued a proclamation in which he declared that only those who had headed the movement against the Spanish would be punished All Ml of pf the leaders 12 in La number t clanged to the nobility but that Id I'd d not save them One already aken into custody died on a Spanish warship The others were and found guilty and six of them including Lafreniere La La- I freniere former Kings King's Attorney Attorney- General in Louisiana and the llie wealthiest merchant In New Orleans were shot Next OReilly dissolved the old round council of Louisiana and r replaced it with the Spanish supreme su suo su- su p preme reme council or cabildo lie He a also put into practice the arbitrary arbitrary arbi arbi- t colonial regulations of Spain pain S and decreed a new black c ce code ode which provided the severest severest sever sever- e est st penalties for all kinds of o offenses For a year the people of Louisi Louisi- Louisiana Louisiana a ana na suffered under his autocratic r rule ule Then he was recalled to topain S Spain pain and in 1775 placed in command command command com com- mand of an expedition against A Algiers which was unsuccessful O But Dut ut he apparently did not lose the c confidence of his monarch for he heas w was as subsequently made com corn n general mander-general of Andalusia and g governor of Cadiz In 1794 while h he e was on his way to assume c command of the army of the eastern east e ern m Pyrenees he died and it is p probable that there was no mourning in Louisiana when news o of f his death reached there Quite different was the attitude o of f the Louisiana citizens both French and Spanish toward theman the theman theman man who became their governor I in n 1777 and their American contemporaries contemporaries con con- temporaries t had a special reason f remembering him for or remembering him gratefully- gratefully too t oo For he helped them win t their heir war for freedom from Eng Eng- l land and Bernardo de Galvez was wasis h his is name and he was born of a distinguished and powerful family at Malaga Spain in 1756 As a youth Bernardo de Galvez was ambitious to win wi military glory and did so on his first Made colonel of the regi regi- 0 J ie jb D DON BERNARDO DE GALVEZ ment of Louisiana he went to the t colony in America in 1776 and I when Don Louis who had succeeded OReilly as governor asked to be recalled Galvez through his family's influence was appointed to that post although although al at though he was then barely 24 21 I years of age The young governor promptly P restored to the French colonials I Ithe the right to trade with France thereby winning their gratitude His predecessor had followed i a S policy of benevolent neutrality toward the American colonies colonie S who were then in revolt against t England Galvez not only continued contin I. I that policy but went farther In 1778 the continental Congress S sent a Captain Willing to New Orleans Orleans Or Or- Orleans leans to get munitions which th the e Patriot army so sorely needed 1 and Galvez not only permitted th the e sale of arms and ammunition to 0 Willing but contributed to 0 the American cause The king of Spain aad offered d to mediate in the dispute between betwee n England and her American co colonies col I onies and when the offer otTer Wa was s spurned Spain followed the x x C. C I amp e of oC Fra France ce and on May 1 8 I I 1779 declared war on the Eng Eng- lish ish The following July Galvez Galve I received permission from his king kInk to o seize the British forts in Alabama Ala Ala- bama Mississippi and West Wes t Florida Galvez called a meeting of the thi French rench inhabitants of New Or Or- leans eans in the historic Place d dArmes d' d dArmes Armes and as a dramatic gesture announced that he would renounce renounce re re- re- re flounce the governorship if the natives would not support him in his expedition against the Engish Eng Eng- lish ish Since France had already joined forces with the Americans since there were in New Orleans many Acadian refugees who had good reason to hate the English and since the boyish Spanish governor governor gov gov- had endeared himself to the French Drench in many ways the young men of that city didn't hesitate long before volunteering to accompany accompany accompany ac ac- ac- ac company him Rejecting the suggestion that he wait walt for reinforcements from Havana lavana Galvez with men Spanish regulars French Creoles Acadians and American volunteers volunteers volun- volun under Oliver Pollock seized the he British fort at captured cap cap- Baton Rouge and received the surrender of Natchez The next year Fort Charlotte at Mobile Mo Mo- bile fell In 1781 re-enforced re by a fleet fleets and army from Havana ana Galvez attacked Pensacola When the war of attempted to cross the bar however the San Roman ran aground and the commander of the fleet Commodore Calbo de i Irazabel declined to risk any anymore more of his frigates A Bold Exploit Galvez who realized the Importance importance im Im- im- im of having the fleet to be assured of arms and food on St. St Rosa island his base resolved to shame the commodore into co co- co- co operating He lie embarked therefore therefore there there- fore on the brig Galveston commanded commanded com corn by Rosseau a Creole and raised his pennant on the brig Followed by a schooner and two gunboats he boldly entered entered entered en en- the port and acted with such valor that the main squadron squad squad- ron followed the next day and safely crossed the bar After Aftel several months' months siege Fort George and Fort Red Cliff were taken and the way to the main defenses of Pensacola opened A terrific bombardment was continued until an explosion made a great breach in the walls Then a storming party rushed inand in inand Inand and compelled the surrender of General Campbell with his garrison garri garri- son of COO regulars As a reward for Galvez's brilliant briliant brilliant bril- bril success the king made him lieutenant-general lieutenant of Louisiana the East and West and Cuba lie He was also given the royal roy al at permission to place upon his coat of arms a figure of the brig Galveston with the motto Yo Solo 1 I l Alone In 1785 he was made viceroy of Mexico to succeed suc sue his father lie He died there in 1786 1706 after having been viceroy for only a year The name of Don Bernardo de Galvez lives today in the great city or Galveston Texas but i Americans have other reasons for remembering him Not only did he provide the patriot army with munitions at a time when L they were most needed but his I conquests of the British posts Inthe in I the Southeast prevented their us ing them as bases of attack on or I the Americans in the old Northwest North west in Georgia and the Carolinas When the Revolution ended had England held the Mississippi i as well as the St. St Lawrence the thi boundaries of the new nation at as aswell aswell I well as its future destiny might t have been far different from fron what they became Spain later r ceded Louisiana back to France Franci and Napoleon Bonaparte sold I it I Ito to the United States England Englant I Imade m made de one more effort to gain i a S foothold on the Gulf of Mexico when toward the end of the War Va r of 1812 she landed an army flea near I New Orleans What happened ti to D it when it attacked Gen Andrew Andre Jacksons Jackson's army on January 8 I 1815 is history The first American governor of 4 Louisiana like some of f his predecessors predecessors predecessors and some of his successors successors sors had his troubles And one of his worst troubles was an Individual in individual In In- named Jean Lafitte This first governor was William Charles Cole Claiborne born in Sussex county Virginia in 1775 In 1801 his fellow Virginian fellow Virginian President President President dent Thomas Jefferson made him governor of the Territory of Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- and two years later he was appointed commissioner with Gen James Wilkinson tc accept the transfer of the Louisiana Louisi ana Purchase from the French He lIe was appointed governor of the province of 01 Louisiana for three years anc and when it was made a territory in 1804 he resigned control control con con- trot of Mississippi Territory to govern the new one In 1810 Claiborne took possession possession posses posses- sion slon of Baton Daton Rouge and Mobile which up to that time were still held by the Spanish despite the fact that the French had sold Louisiana to the United States Two o years later by an act of ol congress Louisiana was made a state and the people of the newstate new newstate newstate state elected Claiborne as their first state governor And then his troubles began The source of these troubles were two brothers Pierre Lafitte Lafitte La La- fitte and his younger brother Jean two Jean two Frenchmen who had come to New Orleans by way of ol the West Indies At first they a acted as agents for a colony of ol s smugglers living in the Bay of ol B Barataria Then they became i t their heir leaders and moved their h home ome from New Orleans to the t i island Grand Terre in the Bay Day tr r o of f Barataria From that time on the record I i is s not entirely clear elear as to the A 9 rn r 1 I 4 4 a e exact nature of the ac ac- t Jean Lafitte always insisted insisted in in- s isted that it was a and nd that they preyed only upon ships hips s carrying enemy flags flu But t h historians are pretty generally generall a agreed greed that it was piracy and i is itis it itis i is s as Lafitte the Pirate that tha t te I h he e has come down in history I IThe The people of New Orleans Orlean S were inclined to view these activities activities ac ac- t- t t leniently they leniently they enjoying g b being eing able to buy all aU sorts o of g goods at a lower price than that charged c by more ethical venders venders vend vend- e ers rs of merchandise than the La La- fittes But Governor Claiborne was not inclined to wink at such on goings-on within his jurisdiction So on November 24 1813 he posted his famous proclamation offering a reward for the capure capture cap cap- t ture ure of Jean Lafitte pirate Two Jean Lafitte cleverly cleverly clev clev- erly city using the same language as the chief executive of the state posted a proclamation offering a reward of 1000 for the delivery of Governor Claiborne at Grand Terre Terrel I Thereupon New Orlea Orleans Orlean shook with laughter But not Governor Claiborne He saw to it that all aU of the were were indicted for pi piracy pl pi racy and when Pierre Lafitte was caught in New Orleans he was held without bail ball When he cameto came cameto cameto to trial however two famous attorneys attorneys at at- whom Jean Lafitte had hired for a fee of succeeded succeeded suc sue I. I p ting him acquitted Soon however public public pub pub- lic lie 01 Qt lion tion on hanged changed and plans were made to wipe out the nest of pirates in the Bay Day of Barata Barata- ria na Pierre Lafitte was again arrested arrested ar ar- rested and this time he was kept in jail Then came the invasion of the British army Jean Lafitte's offer offer of of- fer of his services and those of his men to the American cause the effort of British officers to enlist the services of the Dana Bara and Jean Lafitte's clever bit of double-crossing double of them He lie sent Governor Claiborne news of the British proposition and renewed renewed renewed re re- re- re his offer to serve the Americans As a result Pierre Lafitte was allowed to escape from jail and the and their served valorously valorously valor valor- in Jacksons Jackson's arm army which whipped Pakenham's redcoats at atthe atthe atthe the historic Battle Dattle of New Orleans Orleans Or Or- Orleans leans on January 8 1819 1815 As a result of this patriotic service Jean Lafitte and his followers were legally forgiven by the federal federal fed fed- eral government and reinstated to American citizenship Presumably they were forgiven en |
