Francis Vigo, born Giuseppe Maria Francesco Vigo (December 13, 1747 – March 22, 1836), was an Italian-born Spanish soldier and later a

fur trader The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

who aided colonial forces during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and helped found a public university in

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. It was founded in 1732 by F ...

Early life

Born in

Mondovì Mondovì (; , ) is a town and ''comune'' (township) in Piedmont, northern Italy, about from Turin. The area around it is known as the Monregalese. The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into several '' rioni'' (ancient quart ...

, Italy, he served with the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Army in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. In 1772 he established a fur trading business in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

in partnership with Fernando de Leyba, the governor of

Spanish Louisiana Louisiana (, ), was a province of New Spain from 1762 to 1801. It was primarily located in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of the Mississippi River plus New Orleans. The area had originally been claimed and controlle ...

. In 1783, Vigo moved to Vincennes and operated a fur trading business there.

American Revolution

Vigo offered to serve

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American military officer and surveyor from Virginia who became the highest-ranking Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot military officer on the American frontier, nort ...

as a spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was sent to

Vincennes Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...

to learn of the conditions at the now British-held Fort Sackville. On the way, Vigo was captured by indigenous warriors and turned over to Lt-Gov Henry Hamilton. Although Vigo was a Spanish citizen and hostile acts would breach Spanish neutrality, Hamilton suspected his intentions and paroled him on condition of reporting to the fort each day. This actually assisted Vigo's observations, allowing him to assess the fort's strength and defences. Some time later, despite their love for Hamilton, the Canadiens were persuaded by Father Gibault to demand Vigo's release, on threat of cutting off local supplies to the fort. Hamilton offered that release provided Vigo agreed "not to do any act during the war injurious to the British interests." Vigo accepted on the basis that the terms would apply only during his return to St. Louis. Vigo travelled down the Wabash,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Rivers to St. Louis. Having fulfilled the agreement precisely, Vigo then turned around and went directly to

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...

to tell Clark of preparedness at the British fort. Clark took advantage of the information to capture the fort in 1779. A contemporary of Vigo said that he further aided the American capture of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

by lending his financial backing to the

United States dollar The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

. The Canadiens refused payments in "continental paper" until Vigo guaranteed them. However, the value of the dollar would soon collapse. Vigo reportedly complained that he was never compensated by the US government for supporting American credit during the war.

Post-war years

In the 1790s Vigo traded with American merchants on the East Coast of the U.S. In 1801, Vigo petitioned the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

for a donation of land to establish the Jefferson Academy in Vincennes. In 1806, Vigo was named one of the original trustees of the now renamed

Vincennes University Vincennes University (VU) is a public college with its main campus in Vincennes, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. VU was chartered in 1806 as the In ...

. From 1790 to 1810 he was a colonel in the Knox County

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

before resigning, citing age and infirmity. In 1818

Vigo County, Indiana Vigo County ( ) is a county on the western border of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 106,153. Its county seat is Terre Haute. Vigo County is included in the Terre Haute metropo ...

, was established and named for him. Vigo was featured in a collectors coin to celebrate the bicentennial of Indiana statehood.

Death

Vigo died March 22, 1836, while living in the home of Jean Baptiste and Elizabeth (Martin) LaPlante, in Vincennes. It was not until 1875, that his estate was allowed payment for $8,016.00, the amount he had used to fund Clark's aborted campaign to take

Fort Detroit A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

. This was the only expense the government would officially recognize, but it came with $41,282.60 in interest. As Vigo had no blood-related descendants, however, the government only had to pay for the expenses requested in Vigo's will (which included a bell for the courthouse in Vigo County).

Legacy

, on the

Wabash River The Wabash River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois, in the United ...

north of Vincennes, is named for Francis Vigo, as is Vigo, Indiana. The

George Rogers Clark National Historical Park George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, located in Vincennes, Indiana, on the banks of the Wabash River at what is believed to be the site of Fort Sackville, is a United States National Historical Park. President Calvin Coolidge authorize ...

erected a statue of Vigo by John Angel in 1934, on the waterfront of the Wabash River. Vigo was featured in a collectors coin to celebrate the bicentennial of Indiana statehood.

Notes and references

Notes

Francis Vigo was 100% italian, most of the Vigo families are settled in Genoa city (Liguria Region, North West Italy). Signed Enrico Vigo.

References

External links

George Rogers Clark National Historical Park

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

"Francis Vigo Papers, 1751-1873, Collection Guide"
, Indiana Historical Society
Francis Vigo Papers On Line

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

Francis Vigo Gravesite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigo, Francis 1747 births 1836 deaths American fur traders Financiers of the American Revolution Indiana educational history Indiana in the American Revolution Patriots in the American Revolution Italian people of the American Revolution Vincennes University People from Mondovì People from Vincennes, Indiana University and college founders Italian emigrants to the United States