User:Jengod/Charles Michel de Langlade

Charles Michel de Langlade

LANGLADE, Charles Michel de, French soldier, born in Mackinaw, Michigan, in May, 1729; died in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in January, 1800. He was the son of Augustin de Langlade and of Domitilde, widow of Daniel Villeneuve, and sister of Nis-so-na-quet, the principal chief of the Ottawas. At the head of the Ottawas he planned and executed the ambuscade that resulted in the defeat of General Edward Braddock on Monongahela river in 1755. After that event he retired to Green Bay, and the following year returned to Fort Duquesne, where, as a lieutenant of infantry, he rendered valuable service to the commander of that post in obtaining information of the movements of the English in the vicinity of Fort Cumberland. In 1757, at the head of 337 Ottawas, he joined Montcalm just as that general had completed the investment of Fort George, and, for the aid which he gave the French on that occasion, he was, at the end of the campaign, appointed by the Canadian governor, Van-dreuil, second in command of the post of Mackinaw. He was again with Montcalm during the siege of Quebec by General Wolfe, and on 20 July, 1759, planned an ambuscade and attack on a detachment of Wolfe's army, 2,000 strong. Had he been properly supported he probably would have put an end to the English expedition. He took an active part in the battle of the Plains of Abraham, and, on 28 April, 1760, fought under the Chevalier de Levis, when that officer, at the head of the Canadian militia, achieved an abortive triumph upon the same field which had witnessed the defeat of Montcalm. At the time of Pontiac's conspiracy, in 1763, he gave the western garrisons timely notice of that chieftain's treachery, and. had his warning been heeded, the massacres at the different frontier posts would not have occurred. At the beginning of the American Revolution, Lang-lade attached himself to the English cause, and, at the head of a large body of Indians, composed of Sioux, Sacs, Foxes, Menomonees, Winnebagoes, Ottawas, Chippewas, and other western tribes, joined Burgoyne's army at Skenesborough (now Whitehall, New York)at the end of July, 1777. Upon the murder of Jane McCrea (q. v.), and the severe reprimand which that event called forth from Burgoyne, the Indians deserted the British general almost to a man, leaving Langlade and St. Luc no alternative but to return with them. These two were afterward the objects of a bitter attack on the part of Burgoyne in parliament, since, had their influence been exerted to detain his Indian allies, Burgoyne believed his subsequent disaster would not have occurred. Langlade, however, does not seem to have been censured by the English govern-meat, since, in 1780, he was made Indian agent, and later Indian superintendent and commander-in-chief, of the Canadian militia, which last two posts he retained until his death. He was also granted for his services to the English during the Revolutionary war a life annuity of $800. After the war he settled at Green Bay, where he became one of the most enterprising pioneers of the west. He is still known there as "the founder and father of Wisconsin." Although during his life he had taken part in ninety-nine battles and skirmishes, he was of a mild and patient disposition, and inspired the affection and respect of those with whom he came into social relations. His integrity was proverbial, and his accounts with the English government were always remarkable for their exactness. Langlade was of medium height, squarely built, with broad shoulders and piercing, jet-black eyes. His head was slightly bald, and in his old age his remaining locks were streaked with silver. His face was round and full of expression. He married, 12 August, 1754, at Mackinaw, Charlotte Ambroisine Bourassa, by whom he had two daughters. It is believed that none of his descendants are now living.