II. ARKANSAS POST AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

C. Captain Colbert Intervenes

3. Captain Colbert Strikes

c) Captain Colbert and His Men Capture Labadie’s Bateau

Silbestre Labadie’s big, heavily laden bateau, breasting a powerful current, continued her ascent of the Mississippi. At Three Islands, midway between Natchez and the mouth of the Arkansas, two Caddos hailed the vessel. The redmen were carrying dispatches from Arkansas Post to New Orleans. One of them told Labadie that during the winter, while he and a companion were hunting near Chickasaw Bluffs, they had stumbled across a cache “in which there was a large quantity of powder, ball, merchandise, dried meat, flour, maize, and other provisions and goods.” After spending the night at the cache, they returned to Arkansas Post, taking with them from it a bottle of ink, paper, an inkstand, a linen headdress, handkerchiefs, and several shirts. Nearby they found two pirogues loaded with bear fat and tallow.

Reaching Arkansas Post, they had informed Commandant de Villiers of what had occurred and had shown him the articles taken from the cache. Madame de Villiers had recognized them as belonging to the people in a boat which had left Fort Carlos a short time before loaded with provisions for the St. Francis River settlements. This caused fears that the boat had been captured and its crew killed or imprisoned.

One of the Caddos had begged the commandant to give him 20 men, so that he could recover the cache, either burning or removing it. De Villiers refused. Whereupon the Caddo had traveled to Natchez and asked Commandant de Grand-Pré to sanction and support his plan. De Grand-Pré had paid him no attention, and he had returned to Arkansas Post.(45)

The run up the river was resumed. Fifteen leagues below Death’s Head, they encountered a canoe manned by four Americans and Jose Meson (Maison), a former New Orleans constable. Meson told Labadie that he had come west from Virginia, traveling by way of the Ohio and Mississippi. When questioned about dangers ahead, Meson replied that on the entire voyage “he had not met a Cat,” After requesting and receiving some supplies, Meson continued his voyage to New Orleans.[46]

At Death’s Head, Labadie was hailed by Joseph Motard, bound downstream from St. Louis. He assured Labadie that he had nothing to fear, as “the greatest tranquility reigned” on the river.

Arriving at the “old fort of Arkansas,” Labadie found it garrisoned by five men. From here he dispatched a message overland addressed to Colonel Cruzat, notifying him that he was bringing up goods in his boat. The tedious and time-consuming run up the Mississippi was resumed.[47]

At 7 A.M., May 2, 1782, while coasting along the west side of the Mississippi, Labadie sighted a bateau, a pirogue lashed to her stern, tied to the shore in Esperanza Bend, opposite the mouth of Wolf River. In view of Meson’s assurances and satisfied the bateau belonged to Lafon (Charles Lafontaine), known to be enroute from Ste. Geneviève to New Orleans with a cargo of grain, Labadie called for his men to raise their oars as they approached within hailing distance.

Labadie called, “Boat ahoy! Where are you from, and who is the commander?”

Thomas Prince, one of two men seen walking along the bank near the boat, answered, “We come from Illinois, and the master of the boat is Monsieur Lafon.”

“Are you Monsieur Labadie?” he inquired.

“Yes, Señor!”

Prince then shouted, “Is Madame Cruzat there with her family?”

“Yes, Señor,” Labadie replied.

“How are you all? Are you well?” Prince inquired.

To which Labadie answered, “At your service.”

Prince now called, “Here are some letters from Don Francisco Cruzat and refreshments for the commandant’s wife, and also for you, which your family, who are well, sent to you, with word that they are impatiently awaiting you at the Ilinueses. If you wish, come and get these letters and refreshments.”

To add emphasis, Prince brandished some papers. Satisfied that all was in order, Labadie called for his crew to resume rowing and pull for shore. As they passed to the starboard of the moored vessel, Labadie ordered a rope thrown ashore. It was caught by Prince and wrapped around a tree.

As Labadie braced himself to step ashore and secure the letters, about 40 men leaped Out of a ditch near Lafon’s vessel. Bringing their rifles and carbines to their shoulders and taking aim, they called “in clear and intelligible French, ‘Surrender You are our prisoners, and if you move or shake your head we will fire upon all of you and kill you, for we are each one of us in a position to fire and, therefore, surrender or you will be entirely sacrificed.”

Stunned, Labadie shouted, “Who are you who ambush us in this fashion?”

“We are Englishmen. Surrender!” was the reply.

“Where is your flag?”

“Here,” they said, displaying their arms, which they continued to aim.

“And your orders?”

They replied, “Here they are,” gesturing to their “powder and ball in their guns.”

His efforts to parley rejected, Labadie surrendered his craft and crew. Four of the British closed in on Labadie while the rest took possession of the big bateau.

Madame Cruzat observed that all were whites, except one “mestizo, and that they were also armed with clubs, knives, and daggers.”

While one-half the British continued to hold their aim, their companions disarmed and bound their prisoners, “even to the young Don Joseph Cruzat, whom they treated with the same ignominy as the rest of the prisoners.” One of the “inhuman brigands” rushed at Madame Cruzat, tomahawk raised, “with an impetuous movement as though he meant to cleave her skull, which the scoundrel was miraculously prevented from doing by the lady, who, with a courage truly heroic in a woman of her quality and delicate constitution, arrested the arm of her cruel adversary.”

The prisoners secured, the British lowered their weapons and joined their companions aboard Labadie’s boat. Casting off, they crossed to the east side of the Mississippi and entered Wolf River. Here they rendezvoused with their leader, James Colbert, accompanied by four whites and one Indian. To calm Madame Cruzat, Colbert told her that he “would respect her person and her sons; that they should not receive the slightest offence, and that he would have her conducted in safety to” St. Louis.[48]

Continuing, Captain Colbert explained that he did

not wish to catch you, but your husband; he escaped from me when he recently came up from the capital and I was coming down from the Iron Mine, where, while making an attack upon that American Fort [ Jefferson] with five hundred Indians, I received three wounds which you see here . . ., and that was the reason why I could not capture your husband, although I saw him when I was coming down the river and he was going up.[49]