The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 102, July 1998 - April, 1999 Page: 25
559 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A Cache of Cannons
no cannonballs."12 In several places in his narrative Joutel insists that no
cannonballs were salvaged from the supply ship. However, as we will see,
the Spanish later found some cannonballs at the fort site, and recent
archeological excavations on the wreck of the Belle have turned up some
there as well.
In spite of the professed lack of cannonballs, the eight cannons were
used on many occasions during the brief history of Fort St. Louis. For
example, five cannons were loaded with powder only and fired as a
salute to La Salle upon his departure on an overland exploration. On
another occasion, a cannon was fired as a signal when one of the French
girls lost her way while gathering wild plant foods and other resources in
the vicinity of the fort. Fortunately, she found her way back to the fort
on the second day. One morning when a sentry reported seeing what he
thought was a company of men on the plain, Joutel ordered the can-
nons prepared for defense: "in each ... I had a small bag of bullets put,
for, as I think I have already stated, we had no cannon balls." As the sun
rose in the sky, the illusion of men on the plain disappeared. On several
occasions when Indians approached the fort, a cannon loaded with
small shot was fired over their heads. The shot whistling through the air
made them retreat hastily, but doubtless increased their hostility as
well.1"
Despite the struggle to acquire food and defend the fort, the men of
the colony found some time to attempt improvements. During one of La
Salle's explorations away from the fort, Joutel set his men to digging a
cellar, which he intended to use for storage and as a cool place for meat
in the summer. He says that the digging was no easy matter because the
soil was like potter's clay; he describes this dense clay soil on several oth-
er occasions as well. La Salle, upon his return, drew plans for a greatly
expanded storage cellar, but Joutel did not have sufficient men to carry
out the leader's instructions. Even the least aspects of La Salle's grand
plans seemed doomed to failure.'4
After more than a year of misery, death, and disappointment, La Salle
determined on January 12, 1687, to set out overland for the Mississippi
with a small party of the strongest men. La Salle intended, upon reaching
the Mississippi, to send his brother, accompanied by Joutel, back to
France to report to the crown and then return to Fort St. Louis. About
twenty-three people, including two priests and seven women and girls,
were left at the deteriorating Fort St. Louis. The eight iron cannons, along
with some 1oo barrels of powder and 150 muskets, were left for defense
"' Ibid., 71.
" Ibid., 182, 183 (quotation).
" Ibid., 216.1998
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 102, July 1998 - April, 1999, periodical, 1999; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101219/m1/50/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.