Le Clerc Milfort facts for kids
Jean-Antoine Le Clerc, also known as Louis Milfort (born February 2, 1752 – died between 1817 and 1820), was a French soldier and explorer. He came to North America in 1775. For about 20 years, starting in 1776, he lived with the Creek people in what is now Alabama. He became good friends with the Creek leader Alexander McGillivray, who made Milfort his war chief. Milfort helped lead Creek warriors who fought alongside the British during the American Revolutionary War. After returning to France, Milfort joined a secret group called the Sacred Society of Sophisians. He became a general in the French army but later had to retire with a pension.
Early Life in France
Jean-Antoine Le Clerc was born in Thin-le-Moutier, France. He used several names during his life, including Jean LeClerc Milfort and Louis Le Clerc Milfort. He served in the French army from 1764 to 1774. According to a book he wrote in 1802, Milfort left France and came to Boston, North America, after a difficult event.
Living with the Creek People
Milfort traveled to the Native American lands east of the Mississippi River, in an area that was once French territory called La Louisiane. He lived with the Upper Creek people in what is now Alabama from 1776 until 1795. He became friends with the Creek by learning and following their customs. It is said that he was even adopted into their tribe.
During the American Revolutionary War, the Creek leader Alexander McGillivray worked with the British. McGillivray sent his warriors on missions against the American colonists. He trusted Le Clerc Milfort to be his War Chief, also known as Tustunneggee, to lead these missions. Milfort led the Upper Creek forces in battles against the colonists living on the frontier. McGillivray stayed at his base, guiding the other chiefs and helping them gather warriors for attacks.
Family Life
To strengthen his bond with the Creek people, Milfort married Jeannet McGillivray. She was the sister of the chief Alexander McGillivray. Jeannet and Alexander were both of Creek and Scottish heritage. Their nephew was another important chief named William "Red Eagle" Weatherford.
Later, after he went back to France, Milfort married a French woman named Marie-Anne Beya.
Return to France
Milfort heard about the big changes happening in France after the French Revolution. In 1795, he went to Philadelphia to get a passport so he could travel. He returned to Paris in 1799. There, he joined a secret group called the Sacred Order of the Sophisians. He offered to help the French government by suggesting an alliance between France and the Creek people. He hoped this would help France regain its influence in North America.
Milfort wanted to lead a French expedition for this plan. Important French ministers, Delacroix and Talleyrand-Périgord, liked his idea. However, in 1803, Napoleon decided to sell Louisiana to the United States. This made Milfort's plan impossible. Milfort was told to stay in France. He was made a general but then had to retire, though he received a pension. During an invasion by Russia in 1814, Milfort's house was attacked, but French soldiers saved him. He passed away sometime between 1817 and 1820.
His Book
In 1802, Milfort published a book called Mémoires, ou coup-d'oeil rapide sur mes voyages en Louisiane, et mon séjour dans la nation Creeke. In his book, he wrote about his travels. He hoped his stories would make the French interested in the lands of the Creek and other Native American groups in the Southeast. A scholar named Darius Alexander Spieth wrote in 2007 that Milfort might have had help writing his book. His book has also been translated into English.
