Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste facts for kids
Pierre Maisonnat, also known as Baptiste, was a brave French privateer. He was born in Bergerac, France, in 1663. He later lived in Acadia and passed away after August 1714. Baptiste became famous for his success against English ships during two big wars: King William's War and Queen Anne's War. His crew was mostly made up of Acadians, who were French settlers in North America. A privateer was like a legal pirate, hired by a government to attack enemy ships.
Baptiste's Role in King William's War
Early Battles and Captures (1690-1694)
During King William's War, Baptiste fought to protect Acadia. In May 1690, English forces attacked Port Royal, the capital of Acadia. About 700 English soldiers arrived on seven ships. Baptiste was among only 85 men defending the fort. The English took over Port Royal and other Acadian towns. Baptiste was captured but soon managed to escape.
After his escape, the Governor of Acadia, Joseph Robineau de Villebon, gave Baptiste an important job. He was asked to protect Acadian interests as a privateer. Baptiste began attacking English ships near Boston Harbour. On his first mission, he captured eight ships, even one very close to Boston. The Governor of New France, Comte de Frontenac, praised him greatly for this success.
Because of his bravery, Baptiste was given a fast warship called the Bonne. In June 1694, he sailed to Cape Sable Island. There, he scattered the New England fishing fleet. He captured five English fishing boats and took them to Fort Jemseg on the Saint John River.
More Victories and English Fears (1694-1695)
Baptiste continued his attacks in July 1694. He returned to Boston and sank several small English ships. He also captured three more valuable vessels. In just three months in 1694, he captured 10 ships! Six months later, in January 1695, he brought even more captured ships back to the Saint John River.
The English became very afraid of Baptiste. Reports say that 400 New England fishing boats stayed in port, guarding their coasts. Many English settlers living along the coast of Maine moved further south for safety.
On May 24, 1695, Baptiste was returning from Boston with more captured ships. He met an English warship. Baptiste bravely ran his ship aground to fight. Cannons fired all day, and the English ship badly damaged the Bonne. Baptiste lost his ship but managed to get ashore. He then walked to Villebon at Fort Nashwaak on the Saint John River.
Facing English Frigates (1695)
In May 1695, Baptiste encountered an English warship called a frigate. This happened at Baie des Espagnols, which is now Sydney, Cape Breton. He immediately attacked the frigate. However, the English ship was too powerful. Baptiste was forced to run his vessel aground and leave it.
Attacking Fort William Henry (1696)
In the summer of 1696, Baptiste joined an expedition led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville. They sailed from Acadia to attack English strongholds. Their first target was the important port of Pemaquid. This port was protected by Fort William Henry. Baptiste and the expedition completely destroyed the fort. Acadia became a constant threat to the English settlers in New England.
Defending Fort Nashwaak (1696)
Just weeks after the attack on Pemaquid, the English fought back. In 1696, an English force tried to destroy Fort Nashwaak, the capital of Acadia. This fort is now in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Governor Villebon had been warned and prepared his defenses.
On October 18, the English troops arrived. They set up cannons on the riverbank. Baptiste was there to defend the capital. He joined the local Indigenous people and led them during the siege. There was heavy fighting for two days. The French cannons were better placed and had the advantage. The English were defeated, losing 8 killed and 17 wounded. The French lost only one person killed and two wounded.
Raids and Captures (1697)
After the English left Fort Nashwaak, they left behind two small boats. Baptiste used these boats to go to Grand Pre. There, he armed the vessels and recruited Acadian crew members. They planned to raid the New England coast.
In March 1697, Baptiste captured eight English fishing vessels near Casco Bay. Baptiste was wounded three times during this raid. However, he still managed to capture the ships and many prisoners. Two English privateer ships arrived, but Baptiste fought them off. He safely returned to Grand Pré with his prizes.
In May 1697, Villebon sent Baptiste to raid English ports again. This time, Baptiste was captured for a second time. He was imprisoned in Boston for over a year. Even though King William's War officially ended with the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, the English did not want to release Baptiste. The war continued in New England for two more years.
Upon his release in December 1698, Baptiste returned to Port Royal. Villebon made him captain of a small coast guard vessel. He also became captain of the Port Royal militia. In 1702, while protecting Acadian fishing interests, Baptiste was captured again. He was imprisoned in Boston just before Queen Anne's War began.
Baptiste's Role in Queen Anne's War
During Queen Anne's War, Queen Anne reportedly ordered that Baptiste should be hanged. She believed he was a pirate because he was captured during peacetime. However, the Governor of Plaisance, Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan, sent a message to Boston. He declared that he would get revenge if Baptiste was killed. This saved Baptiste's life.
Baptiste was held in strict isolation on Boston's Castle Island until 1706. New France and Acadia worked hard to get him back. They wanted him released as part of a prisoner exchange. This exchange involved captives taken by French and Indigenous raiders in the 1704 Raid on Deerfield. The difficulties in getting Baptiste released also delayed the return of another important Acadian prisoner, Noël Doiron.
Later Service (1706-1714)
Baptiste finally returned to Acadia in 1706. For the rest of Queen Anne's War, he served as the port captain of the Acadian settlement of Beaubassin. He is said to have served with great skill in the first Siege of Port Royal (1707).
He sailed along the coast between Port Royal and Plaisance, the French capital of Newfoundland. Plaisance is now Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1709 and 1711, he helped prepare privateer ships at Plaisance.
Because Baptiste knew the North Atlantic coasts so well, the Governor of Plaisance, Philippe Pastour de Costebelle, asked for his advice. He consulted Baptiste about the best place for a new settlement on Cape Breton Island, which became Louisbourg in 1714.
