Daniel d'Auger de Subercase (February 12, 1661 – November 20, 1732) was a naval officer and the French governor of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and later

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

. Subercase was baptised a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

to Jean Daughter, a rich merchant and bourgeois who had purchased several noble estates, including the lay abbey of Subercase, near Asson. He served about 10 years in the land forces and in 1684 was a captain in the Régiment de Bretagne, before he joined the navy and sailed for

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. No sooner had he landed in 1687 than he set off with his contingent on a campaign against the Senecas. In 1693 he was named lieutenant-commander, garrison adjutant and adjutant general. On 1 April 1702 he succeeded Monic as governor of Plaisance, arriving at his post in 1703 during the early years of

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) or the Third Indian War was one in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Gr ...

. He immediately attacked

Ferryland Ferryland is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Avalon Peninsula. According to the 2021 Statistics Canada census, its population is 371. Seventeenth century settlement Ferryland was originally established as a station for migratory fi ...

, where he learned from prisoners of a planned English attack on Plaisance with a fleet of 33 sail from St. John's under the command of Admiral John Graydon. He immediately set the town's defenses in order and discouraged the attack with the help of two French warships. During the fall of 1704, he organized a series of attacks against English outposts on Newfoundland. With a party of 100 reinforcements from Canada and 350 of his own men, this campaign resulted in the temporary capture of Bay Bulls and Petty Harbour in January 1705 and a failed siege of the main English settlement at St. John's. Unable to subdue the fort, they set out to destroying settlements in

Conception Bay Conception Bay (CB) is a bay on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The population (in 2011) of people living in municipalities (or unincorporated census subdivisions) located along the coast of Conception Bay was 90,490 making it ...

and Trinity Bay and succeeded in destroying every colony, with the exception of Carbonear Island. The expedition took 1,200 prisoners, and boasted the destruction of 40 cannon, 2,000

shallop Shallop is a name used for several types of boats and small ships (French ''chaloupe'') used for coastal navigation from the seventeenth century. Originally smaller boats based on the chalupa, the watercraft named this ranged from small boats a ...

s, and pillaged 2,600 livres in cash. Subercase estimated that, although St. John's remained intact, the total cost of the losses inflicted on the enemy was 4 million livres. Subercase made full use of the following lull in aggression to rebuild the fortifications at Plaisance, improve morale, and generally improve the living conditions of the residents. In 1705 he was made a knight of the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...

and became the governor of

in April 1706. He successfully led the outnumbered defense of

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

against two failed sieges in 1707, leading several sallies himself and having his own horse killed under him in one skirmish. The governor of Boston was not prepared to accept defeat and on 5 October 1710 General

Francis Nicholson Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, ...

's fleet appeared before Port-Royal and began the Siege of Port Royal. The fleet comprised a landing force of 2,000 men (3,400 according to Subercase), made up of one regiment of English regulars and four regiments of militiamen raised by Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, and carried in 36 vessels, seven of which were warships. Subercase had fewer than 300 men to oppose them. After a few days of defense, Subercase surrendered the partially ruined and under-provisioned Port-Royal to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, expressing to the English commander his hope of returning to pay him a visit the following spring. Subercase, accused of negligence by some officers and reprimanded by

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

governor Vaudreuil, was summoned before a

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

at Rochefort, but rapidly acquitted. In 1711 he was presented an offer to serve in Quebec under Vaudreuil, where he could formulate a plan to retake Port-Royal, while continuing to receive his salary as governor of Acadia. Subercase refused in disgust, and two years later the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

was signed ending aggression between the French and English and ceding Acadia and Newfoundland to England for good, thus making Subercase the last governor of French Acadia. Subercase retired and returned to France to live on his estates in

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

. He continued to draw a captain's pension of 600 livres a year until he died on 20 November 1732 at Cannes. A ledger-stone marks his grave in the church of this village.

References

External links

Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subercase, Daniel dAuger de French military personnel of Queen Anne's War 1661 births 1732 deaths People from Orthez Governors of Plaisance Governors of Acadia French Navy officers French Protestants French Navy personnel who were court-martialed

See also

References

External links