Heritage, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 1997 Page: 17
31 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
North
West
East
South
This map of Fort Saint Louis, La Salle's outpost, shows the location of the eight cast iron cannons. This map, adapted from Don Alonzo De Leon's sketch drawn in
1689, is provided courtesy of the Texas Historical Commission.three rooms below and an upper story used
as a storehouse. It had a gabelled roof to
divert the coastal rains. Six other structures
at the fort were made of poles set in
the ground and plastered with mud and
crudely roofed with dried buffalo hides.
Some 200 French books had been torn and
scattered around the settlement. Eight
large cast iron cannons, some on their
carriages, were at the covers of the buildings
(see De Leon map). About 150
harquibuses (muskets) had been broken
over the cannons and their barrels taken
by the natives. Broken trunks and crates
were everywhere. Three dead bodies, one
obviously a woman in a dress, were given
Christian burial.
De Leon carefully buried the eight cast
iron cannons in a pit on the slope above
the creek, assuming they might be useful to
the Spaniards at some future time, since
they were in new condition. He found a
cellar pit where French renegades had
burned more than 100 barrels of powder a
few months earlier. Struck with the poignancy
of the place, De Leon refused to let
his men bur the fort building. Returning
a few months later with another force, De
Leon's assistant, Father Damien Massanet,
did put the fort to the torch on orders fromthe Viceroy. There being a brisk wind, it
was quickly reduced to ashes.
In 1722, another Spanish force under
the Marquis de Aguayo, returned and built
a temporary presidio on the site of Fort
Saint Louis. They mention finding Frenchartifacts in their foundation trenches, but
they failed to find the cache of eight cannons
buried by De Leon some 32 years
earlier. The presidio built on this site was
known as "La Bahia" and it was moved to
several other locations before eventuallyThe archaeology crew is shown removing clay from around the cannons at the Fort Saint Louis site.
HERITAGE * SUMMER 1997 17
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 1997, periodical, Summer 1997; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45401/m1/17/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.