fortification as commander of the region.
Pecaudy complied but, en route, became ap-
prised that Ensign Edward Ward with 41 men
of the Virginia militia had arrived beforehand
and erected a small stockade. On April 16,
1754, Pecaudy summarily ordered Ward out of
French territory, tore down his works, and
commenced constructing a new and spacious
frontier post. It was subsequently named Fort
Duquesne in honor of the governor-general
and is situated on the site of present-day Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. He continued as garri-
son commander.
The pace of events quickened in May 1754
when Pecaudy learned that an even larger
force of Virginia militiamen under Lt. Col.
George Washington was also trespassing
upon French territory and constructing a fort.
He promptly dispatched an enterprising
young officer, EnsignJoseph Coulon de Vil-
liers de Jumonville, and 30 men with a war-
rant of eviction. This column was subse-
quently ambushed by Washington, and
Jumonville was killed. Enraged by what he
considered the assassination of a diplomatic
courier, Pecaudy then mobilized 600 men and
Indians of his garrison for a retaliatory strike.
Before that could transpire, Louis Coulon de
Villiers, the slain man’s elder brother ap-
peared at Fort Duquesne with reinforce-
ments. Claiming the right of revenge, Coulon
de Villiers was allowed to march against the
Americans, and on July 3, 1754, he induced
their surrender and removal. Governor
Duquesne felt that by these actions France’s
claims to the Ohio Valley had finally been se-
cured, and he officially lauded Pecaudy in his
official dispatches.
In reality, the aforementioned events were
preliminary skirmishes of the French and In-
dian War, which erupted in full fury the fol-
lowing year. In the summer of 1754, Pecaudy
could muster a garrison of around 1,600 sol-
diers, militia, and Indians, but the English
were preparing a 3,000-man expedition
against Fort Duquesne under British Gen. Ed-
ward Braddock. Seriously outnumbered,
Pecaudy ordered a force of 1,000 militia and
Indians under Capt. Daniel-Hyacinthe-Marie
Lienard de Beaujeu to ambush and harass the
English on their approach. On July 9, 1755,
Lienard de Beaujeu totally defeated Braddock
at Monongahela, losing his life but fulfilling
his mission. Moreover, Braddock’s papers had
been seized, revealing several impending of-
fensives against targets on Canada. Pecaudy
promptly forwarded them to superiors in
Quebec, along with a request that he be al-
lowed to retire. He was finally recalled in the
spring of 1756, at which time he received the
prestigious Cross of St. Louis for lengthy and
distinguished service to France.
Pecaudy finally resigned his commission
and went on half-pay in January 1759 before
retiring to his seigneury of 6,600 acres. He re-
mained in Quebec following the British con-
quest of 1763 and swore an allegiance to the
British Crown. The old soldier amassed con-
siderable wealth and influence while in retire-
ment, for in March 1769 Governor Guy
Carletoncharacterized him as the third most
influential Canadian. In recognition of this
status, Carleton then appointed Pecaudy to
Montreal’s Legislative Council in January- He fulfilled one term and died while
serving in this capacity on December 13, 1775.
Bibliography
Chartrand, Rene.Canadian Military Heritage.2 vols.
Montreal: Art Global, 1994–2000; Gallup, Andrew,
and Donald F. Shaffer. La Marine: The French Colo-
nial Soldier in Canada, 1745–1761.Bowie, MD:
Heritage Books, 1992; Hunter, William A. Forts on
the Pennsylvania Frontier, 1753–1758.Harrisburg,
PA: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commis-
sion, 1960; Kopperman, Paul E. Braddock on the
Monongahela.Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pitts-
burgh Press, 1977; Martin, Ronald. “Confrontation at
Monongahela: Climax of the French Drive into the
Upper Ohio Region.” Pennsylvania History 37
(1970): 133–150; Nester, William R. The Great Fron-
tier War: Britain, France, and the Imperial Strug-
gle for North America, 1607–1755.Westport, CT:PECAUDYDECONTRECOEUR, CLAUDE-PIERRE