The Rise of Louis St. Ange de Bellerive

This chapter traces Louis St. Ange de Bellerive's slow ascent to power during the three decades preceding the French and Indian War, with particular emphasis on his rise as an Indian diplomatist and important Illinois Country administrator during his command of the outpost of Vincennes on the east bank of the Wabash (Ouabache) River. St. Ange's peculiar calling was Indian diplomacy. He spent his entire adult life conducting intricate, peaceful negotiations with Indians. The chapter begins with a discussion of St. Ange's appointment as commandant for the Wabash post vacated by François-Marie Bissot de Vincennes, along with the gradual disintegration of the anti-French coalition that left the Wabash Valley in relative peace during the French and Indian War. It then considers St. Ange's establishment of a traditional Illinois Country settlement at Vincennes and his eventual departure on May 18, 1764 to replace Neyon de Villiers as commandant at Fort de Chartres.