Adventurism and Empire: the Struggle for Mastery in the Louisiana

Adventurism and Empire Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs i This page intentionally left blank Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs ii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs iii Adventurism and Empire The Struggle for Mastery in the Louisiana- Florida Borderlands, 1762–1803 1 david Narrett Published in association with The William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, Southern Methodist University, by The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs ii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs iii © 2015 The University of North Carolina Press All rights reserved Designed and set in Adobe Caslon by Rebecca Evans Manufactured in the United States of America The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. The University of North Carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003. Jacket illustration: William Augustus Bowles (RC06489). Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Narrett, David E., 1951– Adventurism and empire : the struggle for mastery in the Louisiana-Florida borderlands, 1762–1803 / David Narrett. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. isBN 978-1-4696-1833-3 (cloth : alk. paper) isBN 978-1-4696-1834-0 (ebook) 1. West Florida—History. 2. Borderlands—United States—History— 18th century. 3. Louisiana—History—To 1803. 4. Florida—History—To 1821. 5. Gulf States—History—To 1803. 6. United States—Foreign relations—Spain. 7. Spain—Foreign relations—United States. I. Title. F301.N37 2014 973.27—dc23 2014039230 Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs iv Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs v to my BriGht star isaac soLomoN Narrett Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs iv Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs v coNteNts Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Part i Struggles for Empire in Peace and War, 1762–1787 1 ProLoGue The Open and Hidden Features of Peace Louisiana, Florida, and the Imperial Settlement of 1762–1763 11 chaPter 1 Maritime and Interior Colony Beginnings of British West Florida, 1763–1766 21 chaPter 2 The Conundrum of “Spanish- French” Louisiana British Imperialism and the Mississippi- Gulf Frontier, 1766–1775 45 chaPter 3 Opening Salvos in a Revolutionary War, 1776–1779 69 Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs vi Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs vii chaPter 4 Multiple Conflicts Warfare and a Disputed Peace, 1779–1783 91 chaPter 5 Bidding and Conspiring for Access to the Realm, 1783–1787 115 Part ii New Empires, New Republics, 1787–1803 1 ProLoGue Wilkinson and the Imperial Self 137 chaPter 6 License to Venture Colonization and Commercial Adventurism 141 chaPter 7 Frontier Separatism and Integration 164 chaPter 8 Conspiracies and International Turmoil 187 Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs vi Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs vii chaPter 9 Intrigues across Creek Country and Beyond 209 chaPter 10 The Imperial Question at Century’s End 233 coNcLusioN The Impermanence of Boundaries 257 Notes 267 Bibliography 337 Index 365 Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs viii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs ix IllustratioNs Bellin, Carte reduite des costes de la Louisiane et de la Floride 14 Bellin, Cours du Fleuve Saint Louis 17 Captain George Johnstone 22 Plan of the Bay and Island of Mobile 29 Plan of Point Ibberville [sic] 38 A Map of Part of West Florida 59 Bernardo de Gálvez 102 Coat of Arms and Patent of Nobility awarded to Gálvez 102 Brion de la Tour, Suite du Théatre de la Guerre 112 James Wilkinson 138 Esteban Miró 168 Manuel Luis Gayoso de Lemos 168 Hutchins, A New Map of the Western Parts of Virginia . 180 William Augustus Bowles 216 Flag of William Augustus Bowles—First Ensign 219 Flag of William Augustus Bowles—Second Ensign 219 Town and Fort of Natchez 236 Plan of Nogales 237 Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs viii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs ix This page intentionally left blank Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs ii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs iii ackNowLedGmeNts I have many wonderful people to thank who have shared insights and lent encouragement over the years in which this book came to fruition. Robert May has been an extraordinary and unstinting supporter, reading numer- ous draft chapters, tendering sage counsel, and boosting this project from its early days onward. I cannot thank him sufficiently for everything. I am grateful to friends and colleagues at the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University, where I was a research fellow in 2008–09. The late David Weber was a remarkably generous friend and mentor who continually encouraged me to attempt a broad study of the border lands. Andrew Graybill has graciously supported the book’s progress to publication. Edward Countryman helped by reading chapters during a crucial period in the project’s genesis. I am thankful to Andrea Boardman, former Clements Center executive director, and to Ruth Ann Elmore, her successor, for their cheerful guidance. I also appreciate the assistance of Russell Martin, head of the DeGolyer Library, and of librarian Pamalla Anderson. I have benefited greatly from the generosity of fellow scholars in border lands history and related fields. Here I thank Light Cummins, Gene Smith, and Eliga Gould. Cameron Strong read the entire manuscript in its final stages and provided most helpful comments. I thank David Floyd of the LSU Rural Life Museum for bringing me to Baton Rouge on several occasions and educating me through a lively tour of historic sites. Greg Cusick of the P. K. Yonge Library at the University of Florida was a gracious and helpful host during my stay in Gainesville. The staff of The Historic New Orleans Collection has been very helpful—and I also appreciate the assistance of librarians at all archives visited during my research. My friends and colleagues at The University of Texas at Arlington merit special thanks. Richard Francaviglia, former director of UTA’s Cen- ter for Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography, helped me greatly as this book took shape by reading chapters and sharing insights in historical geography. Sam Haynes has also provided gener- xi Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs x Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs xi ous assistance through the Center. I am thankful to Dean Beth Wight and UTA’s College of Liberal Arts for supporting my archival research through travel grants. Marvin Dulaney and Robert Fairbanks, as heads of UTA’s Department of History, lent valued encouragement as this book approached completion. There are dear friends and treasured family members who are vital in the deepest sense. The late Michael Kammen, my mentor and a master- ful historian, has lighted my path since our old Cornell days, and I am grateful for his guidance in countless ways. Stephen Maizlish has been a friend and colleague for three decades. His support was extraordinary in reading my entire book manuscript. Alex Weiss and Juli Hobdy have been wonderful friends since we all arrived in Texas in 1984. My broth- ers—Zach, Seth, and Matthew—have always been in my corner. Their love is reciprocated. My elder brother Eugene, who died tragically in the last year, was a scholar- artist of remarkable learning and passion. His spirit lives in us, along with the memory of my late parents. Marcy Paul has given a great deal beyond words. I dedicate this book to my son, Isaac, star of the rising generation. xii ackNowLedGmeNts Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs xii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs xiii Adventurism and Empire Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs xii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs xiii This page intentionally left blank Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs ii Narrett_adveNturism_FiNaL PGs iii Introduction The imperial map of North America changed dramatically and fre- quently from the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Whether by choice or compulsion, European powers transferred vast continental expanses among themselves with scant regard for colonials, let alone for the Indian peoples whose land was at stake. International gyrations pushed the Mississippi Valley and southeastern North America into new political orbits. France secretly gave Louisiana to Spain in 1762, while Madrid returned the favor to Paris by another sub rosa compact in 1800. Florida changed colonial masters and carried vari- able geographic definitions over decades. In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain, which concurrently acquired eastern portions of French Louisiana. From these gains, England created two new colonies—West and East Florida—along the continent’s southern rim. Spain subsequently snared the Floridas from Britain in warfare from 1779 to 1781 and the re- sulting peace settlement of 1783. The war’s end brought new controversy as the United States and Spain contended over West Florida’s boundary and the use of the Mississippi. Given these permutations, historians are challenged to explain how imperial rivalries interfaced with colonialism, slavery, and evolving Indian societies across southeastern North America during the late eighteenth century.1 Imperialism and colonialism are often taken as synonyms, though they signify distinct if related historical processes. Imperial rule presumes a system of political- military- economic dominance by a polity reaching beyond strictly national bounds to incorporate multiple ethnicities and territories. Empires, which have historically assumed a myriad of political forms, are typically characterized by the exercise of power over vast physical space and the practice of

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