The Broutin Map 1743
The Broutin Map 1743 is a misnomer (and a space saver). The map was credited to Sieurs Broutin, de Verges and Saucier engineers and draftsman, respectively, of French Colonial Louisiana. To be sure each of these men produced many other maps in Louisiana. For a biographical sketch of Ignace Francois Broutin, reference first number 19 listing from the Musing Were the French Distracted? Bernard de Verges was a captain reforme and engineer; he was a Chevalier de St. Louis. Francois Saucier's biographical sketch may be found at this Saucier Family genealogy link https://thesaucierfamily.weebly.com/francois-saucier.html. The purpose of the Broutin map was to provide clarity for the Chickasaw War 1739-40. Why clarity? Governor Bienville was deciding which route would be the best to attack the Chickasaw villages and forts.
You may recall we have a Concha Map dating 1733. If you look at this map in the Digital Collections of the Birmingham Public Library, https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15099coll3/id/1262 you will notice the focus of the map is the Indian peoples, particularly the names of and orientation of their villages and paths (roads). To that end, map scale and geographic exactness have been sacrificed, compared to the Broutin Map.
So, let's gain some appreciation for the Broutin Map and places that figure into the Chickasaw War 1739-40. Click on https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4010.ct000681 to view the map. You can navigate by using your cursor on the "+" and "-" buttons in the upper right allowing a user to increase or decrease the image. Zooming in and out is necessary.
North is the top of map. Near the southeast corner in tan color is "Penfacol" or Pensacola. A very small red X marks the Spanish fort. Go west or left along the coast to "BAYE DE LA MOBILE" or Mobile Bay (also in tan color). On the northwest corner of the bay is "FORT MOBILE" represented by another slightly larger red X. Further west is the Mississippi River ("Miffiffipi" or "Flueve St. Louis") shown with three prongs discharging into the "GOLFE DU MEXIQUE" or Gulf of Mexico. Upstream on the Mississippi River is "NOUVLLE ORLANS" or New Orleans. Continue heading north and we see "RIVIRRE ROUGE" or Red River heading northwest. Upstream on the Red River is "FORT NATCHITOCHE" or Natchitoches. Back to the Mississippi River and continuing north to "FORT NATCHE" where the French troops and habitants were massacred November 1729 by the Natchez peoples. Continue north to the Yazoo River or "RIVIR DES YAZ VX". Head east or right of the VX and we find several villages of the Choctaw peoples or "TCHACTAS". Continue east all the way to "FORT TOMBECBE" on the Tombigbee River. From the Fort go north and take the right branch or Tombigbee River all the way to the Chickasaw villages or "VILLAGES TCHKACHAS". Back to the mouth of the Yazoo River on Mississippi River go north to "Fort St. Francois" left of the red A. Continue north "FORT DE LASSOMPTION". The fort is marked with a red C on the east side of the Mississippi River and south of the Wolf River or "Riviere a margot". It is southwest of the red F.
Note Fort Chartres which protected the French Illinois country is north of the Broutin Map coverage. In fact, Fort Chartres is located 44 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The Fort Chartres troops were the army that attacked the Chickasaw Indians in March 1736; see the musing D'Artaguiette's Northern Force. For the Chickasaw War 1739-40 troops were supplied to build the depot Fort St. Francis and Fort Assumption and to supply food to the assembled army at Fort Assumption. The Illinois country was the breadbasket for Colonial French Louisiana. Of note Francois Saucier, the Broutin Map draftsman, built the last French fort there. Here is the link to Fort Chartres: http://www.fortdechartres.us/.
Fort St. Francis was a temporary depot built to store materiel, food, artillery, etc. for the Chickasaw War 1739-40. Likewise, Fort Assumption was constructed to function only a few months for this campaign.
The Route Alternatives for the Chickasaw War 1739-40 will be discussed in the musing Bienville's Revenge which should be re-issued and on-line by the end of June 2022. . . God Willing and the Creeks don't rise.
Regards from Tupelo,
Steve Cook
June 14, 2022