Coulon de Villiers

Lord of Verchères, Destroyer of the Renards, Victor at Les Mines, Vanquisher of Colonel Noble, Major of Three Rivers, Capturer of Fort Granville, Survivor of Iroquois and British Captivity, Alcalde Ordinario of New Orleans, Knight of Saint-Louis, and, most famously, Avenger of Jumonville, Victor at Fort Necessity, and Vanquisher of George Washington. These are among the formal and informal titles bestowed by peers and historians upon the officers Coulon de Villiers comprising a father and his six sons. All were killed, wounded, or died of disease in the service of their King. Yet despite their renown, or perhaps because of it, the accomplishments of these seven men have been overlooked, ignored, misunderstood, or misconstrued by historians spanning more than two and a half centuries. Amédée E. Gosselin, Pierre-Georges Roy, and Aegidius Fauteux exhaustively mined the Canadian archives to distinguish father from sons and brother from brother. Their collective work is essential to understanding this fascinating and historically significant family. Col. Sam Russell presents for the first time an English translation of their compiled works. He diligently corrects and compliments with appendices, notes, and an expansive bibliography. This work is fundamental to historians and scholars documenting the French and Indian War.