Jacques Testard de Montigny (1663–1737) was a French military officer in the French Marines in Canada.

Biography

Jacques Testard de Montigny was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

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 ...

, in 1663, into a merchant family. He first saw military action as a volunteer in the expedition against Schenectady in 1690. In 1692, he traveled to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

with

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana in New France. He was born in Montreal to French ...

and was stationed in 1693 at

Fort Nashwaak Fort Nashwaak (also known as Fort Naxoat, Fort St. Joseph) was the capital of Acadia and is now a National Historic Site of Canada in present-day Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It was located strategically up the Saint John River and clos ...

, the capital of

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 ...

. There, he led the local

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

and

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

in raids against the English (see Battle of Fundy Bay). While posted in Acadia, he also engaged in trade and commerce, which sometimes conflicted with his military duties. In 1696, Montigny joined d'Iberville's expedition against Pemaquid, an English fort on the northern frontier of Acadia. During this campaign, he began a close association with the Abenaki war leader Escumbuit, who also joined Montigny on d'Iberville's Newfoundland campaign later that year. This campaign saw the destruction of most English settlements on

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 ...

. Montigny was given an independent command by d'Iberville, in which he traveled along the coast, destroying settlements and

fishing stage A fishing stage is a wooden vernacular building, typical of the rough traditional buildings associated with the cod fishery in Newfoundland, Canada. Stages are located at the water's edge or "landwash", and consist of an elevated platform on the sh ...

s. However, the expedition had no lasting implications, as the English quickly rebuilt and fortified some of the settlements. Montigny was promoted to lieutenant in 1700. In 1704, he returned to Acadia, where he helped orchestrate raids against English settlements and worked to convince the Abenakis to resettle closer to French territories. In the winter of 1704-05, he led a band of Abenakis to Newfoundland to replicate d'Iberville's 1696 expedition under the command of

Daniel d'Auger de Subercase Daniel d'Auger de Subercase (February 12, 1661 – November 20, 1732) was a naval officer and the French governor of Newfoundland and later Acadia. Subercase was baptised a Protestant to Jean Daughter, a rich merchant and bourgeois who had p ...

. They destroyed several English settlements but were unable to capture St. John's, the English capital. In 1706, Montigny traveled to France with Escumbuit, where they were received by

King Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monar ...

. He participated in an expedition in 1709 to counter a potential English advance on

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

. The English did not progress beyond the southern end of the lake, and the only military action was a brief skirmish near Crown Point. Montigny was awarded 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 ...

in 1712 and, in 1721, was given command of a frontier fort on Green Bay. There, he maintained good relations with the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

and was visited by Escumbuit. By 1726, he had returned to Montreal, and in 1730, he was appointed commandant of

Fort Michilimackinac Fort Michilimackinac (/fóːt ˌmɪʃələˈmækənɔː/ FAWT MISH-ə-lə-MAK-ə-naw) was an 18th-century French, and later British, fort and trading post at the Straits of Mackinac; it was built on the northern tip of the lower peninsula ...

, a post he held for three years before retiring. Montigny died in Montreal in 1737. He was married twice and had seven children.

Legacy

Jacques Testard de Montigny is remembered for his military service in New France and his interactions with Indigenous leaders. His great-grandson, Casimir-Amable Testard de Montigny, continued the family legacy.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montigny, Jacques Testard 1663 births 1737 deaths People of New France French military personnel of the Nine Years' War French military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Order of Saint Louis recipients

Biography

Legacy

See also

References