Two updates thus morning with the years 1700 and 1701 hope you all enjoy the following. To answer mithit the above was from the end of 1699.
Sergeants, Drill, Marching, Rations, Practice, Uniformity, Orders, Generals, War, my early life in the Louisiana Army.
1700
It is four months since I joined the army of Louisiana and as I much thought my life has changed a great deal. I now follow the orders, of my Sergeant who follows the order of his Lieutenant, who follows orders from his General. I had joined the 1st New Orleans Militia and have trained now solidly since I was taken in by the man who looked as if he was a man of rank. What I didn’t know at the time was that he was General Theodore Mirabeau, leader of the Lower Louisiana Army. He is the overall leader of the armies of Louisiana. I could not believe my luck that I had already met the man in charge. The one thing at times that kept me going while the onslaught of training was breaking us down had been the stories of Sergeantg Babin. Sergeant Babin has been in the colonies for 15 years and has served under General Mirabeau for all that time. Babin likes to tell tales of his travels and experiences when plotting maps for Mirabeua. He tells tales of the town in Upper Louisiana of Fort de Chartes, and that although they are stronger garrisoned we are better looking here in New Orleans because we have the sun and the sea. From talking to Sergeant Babin, I have found out that the main reason for the French interest and keeping of the colonies now is for money, the value in trade is so great that it out pays the upkeep for a good profit. He talks vividly of the tobacco plantation at Pine Buff or the new sugar plantation being built at Lafauette. It interests me greatly of these different crops, with my father being a merchant I listen contently wondering really if there is a part of him in me. Babin also warns thou that we should not expect an easy life in this army because due to this trade it is believed that as with the French colonies in the north of the Americas we will also look to expand and conquer and the old sergeant jokes that maybe we will even take on the Spanish, or the British but to expect the fact that we will fight against the Native Indians because they won’t give up there land easily. So maybe I was wrong, I thought of contentment and ease, of a life of going through the motions with army life. Never had I thought of expansion, never had I thought that the government would want to go forth and make Louisiana stand out even stronger on the map.
‘Erm, Duicuq come quick boy, you can write can you not?’ It was General Mirabeau, he had seemed to taken an interest and remembered me all through my training, and liked to remind me that it was he who had recruited me although it was myself that had chosen.
‘Yes, General I can write.’ I quickly snapped to attention, as he came closer responding instantly to his question.
‘Good, I knew you would be a good recruit, come with me your skills are needed.’ He snapped round the other way and I followed him down the corridor and into what was a lavish room in part of the barracks that I had never seen before. There were 4 four men in the room, who I later found out to be different ministers of Louisiana. There was Marin Sommer; Head of Government, Valentin Sieyes; Minister of the Treasury, Raymond Bertholet; Minister for the Army and Brice Cholmondeley; Minister for the Navy. I also later found out that Louisiana didn’t actually have a navy at this point although that was soon to change. I sat in and was advised that I was not to tell anyone of the discussion in this meeting and I was to write down everything that I heard and who by.
The one phrase that came out that meeting was ‘TO WAR’ and old Sergeant Babin was right. Expansion was the key aim now of the colonies. It had been decided that being surrounded by three different Indian nations that it would be best to try and engulf one of these within Louisiana. The talks had been vast the Cherokee had been talked about being the largest of these but also they were talked as being friends of France so friends of Louisiana. So it was decided that the Pueblo and the Texas Nation will be the target. It was agreed that New Orleans would create two new militia while Fort de Chartes one more for this war. And next year we would take on the Pueblo. As I sat there I seemed to almost become excited by the prospect of going to war and taking on these savages to extend the lands of Louisiana. A navy also was to be formed and in the long run it would be needed for transporting troops in the future for greater expansion. Construction was due to start also as soon as funds could be made available. This intrigued me as to who our future wars would be with if we needed to go by sea and where we would be sent to.