Nola BW VIII

"Some people walk their dog; I walk my camera."

The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was part of the Seven Years’ War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. The French colonies had a population of roughly 60,000, compared with two million in the British colonies. As a result, the outnumbered French depended more heavily on their Native allies, thus the British colonial appellation, The French and Indian War. After the war, Canada and all of the land held by the French east of the Mississippi, with the exception of New Orleans, was ceded to England. Land held by France west of the Mississippi was ceded to Spain.

Tour Guide, French Quarter, New Orleans

Some time shortly after the end of the war in 1763, my forefathers left Quebec for Louisiana, settling on the Spanish west bank of the Mississippi River across from Baton Rouge, which was on the east bank. Don’t ask me how they got from Quebec to Louisiana without interstate highways.

Then on September 7, 1779 during the American Revolutionary War, my forefathers joined with Bernardo de Gálvez, the Governor of Spanish Louisiana, to attack and capture British Fort Bute near Baton Rouge. When the 20 or so British soldiers saw the 1,600 French, Spanish and Native American militia coming, they began acting like dancing poodles singing, “So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night I hate to go and leave this pretty sight”. Indeed, today there is a plaque thanking the militia participants with my name on it! Well, okay, my great-great-great grand father’s first name was spelled a bit differently: Alexandre Labry.

Who knew my ancestors were Revolutionary War heroes?

Alex