Rebellion of 1768

The Rebellion of 1768 was an attempt by Creole and German settlers around New Orleans, Louisiana to stop the handover of the New France Louisiana Territory to New Spain.

The rebellion was to force the new Spanish Louisiana Governor Antonio de Ulloa to leave New Orleans and return to Spain but his replacement Alejandro O'Reilly was to crush the bloodless rebellion and execute five of its ringleaders and firmly establish Spanish law in the territory.

Background

In the Treaty of Paris (1763) at the conclusion of the French and Indian War, France lost all of its territories on the North America continent including Canada, Illinois Territory and Louisiana. It got to keep its French West Indies islands in the Caribbean. Great Britain got Canada and all the land on the east bank of the Mississippi River and its tributaries and Spain got New Orleans and all the land on the west bank of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

Implementation of the turnover was slow in North America with the French continuing to expand its villages including founding St. Louis, Missouri.

In April 1764 the first Spanish governor Jean Jacques Blaise d'Abbadie took office and heard complaints from among the natives. d'Abbadie died from illness on February 4, 1765. The ranking military officer in the colony Captain Charles Philippe Aubry, a French officer, assumed control.

Merchant Jean Milhet sailed to France in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Louis XV to rescind the decision but the King did not grant him an audience.

Eviction of Gov. Ulloa

On March 5, 1767, Gov. Ulloa arrived but brought with him only 75 soldiers and did not even raise the Spanish flag over the Place d'Armes. Ulloa's superiors were in Cuba and were to virtually ignore his requests including replacing the French currency with peso. Ulloa was to excacerbate his problems by not speaking French and living outside of New Orleans at Balize, Louisiana.

In the summer of 1768 Ulloa announced plans to crack down on Louisiana's infamous smuggling operations by closing the mouth of the Mississippi to only one channel to improve on security. At the same he also announced that Louisiana would no longer trade with France or its colonies.

In the fall of 1768 Denis-Nicolas Foucault who was the Commissary for Louisiana under the French and had continued the position under the Spanish during the transition and Nicolas Chauvin de La Freniere who was the Louisiana attorney general under the French and also continuing under the Spanish hatched a plot to force the governor out.

Joseph Milhet was sent to villages west of the Mississippi to stir insurrection. Joseph Villere went communities northwest of New Orleans. Pierre Marquis was declared leader of the Louisiana militia. Balthasar Masan went to British West Florida to seek help (which was not forthcoming).

In the process the conspirators were to arrest the French military officer Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent on charges of collaborating with the enemy.

On October 28, Aubry escorted the governor and his pregnant wife to a Spanish vessel as riots broke out in New Orleans. The Superior Council voted that the governor leave within three days and he complied leaving on November 1.

With the governor out of the Louisiana Maxent was also released. Jean Milhet returned to France and again was refused an audience with Louis XV.

panish response

In May 1769, Maxent terminated his relationship with Pierre Laclede in St. Louis which had become a haven for French refugees.

On July 19, 1769 O'Reilly returned to Louisiana with 2,000 Spanish soldiers. On July 27, O'Reilly had a "cordial" meeting (probably arranged by Maxent who had been "agent" for the turnover) with the conspirators who declared their respect for the Spanish king and noted no blood had been shed in the rebellion. On August 18 the French flag was formally lowered the Spanish flag raised. On August 19, most of the plotters were invited to dinner with the governor where they were arrested. The next day the governor said he would forgive the rest of the rioters if they took a loyalty oath.

The plotters were tried and five of them (La Freniere, Caresse, Marquis, Joseph Milhet and Noyan) were sentenced to death on October 25 and were executed by firing squad on October 26. Foucault who was a French official was sent back to France where he was imprisoned for two years. Five other plotters were sent to prison in Cuba where they were released after two years. Their property was confiscated.

O'Reilly abolished the Superior Council and formally replaced Spanish law.

References

* [http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=634 Spanish Arrive in Louisiana: The Transformation from a French to a Spanish Colony by Anthony W. Fabio - Historicaltextarchive.com]
* [http://www.enlou.com/people/stmaxentga-bio.htm Encyclopedia Louisiana]