Madeleine de Verchères

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Madeleine de Verchères was the daughter of a seigneur in New France whose ingenuity is credited with thwarting a raid on Fort Vercheres.

[edit] Early childhood

Madeleine de Vercheres was born on March 3, 1678 to François Jarret and Marie Perrot. She was the fourth of twelve children and the daughter of a seigneur. She didn't go to school because there was no school nearby, but Madeleine's mother taught her to read and write. Madeleine's father taught all his children how to fire a musket. It was a complicated skill that took months to learn. However, Madeleine had a talent for handling a gun, and she enjoyed hunting with her family. Little did she know how much this knowledge would help her in the future.

[edit] Hostilities between French and Iroquois

Hostilities broke out between the French and the Iroquois in the late 1680s. The French had built strong trading alliances with the Algonquian, and the Iroquois found themselves losing out on the fur trade. By that time, the English were at war with the French, so the Iroquois had the strong backing of the English when they attacked New France. As the attacks grew more frequent, Madeleine's parents knew that Vercheres would be a target, so they took the necessary precautions. When Madeleine was twelve years old, the Iroquois attacked Fort Vercheres. Madeleine's mother was alone with only three men to help her defend the fort and her family. Repeatedly, the Iroquois tried to scale the wall but were beaten back by musket shots. Though help did not arrive until the second day, the fort was saved because of Madeleine's mother's bravery. Madeleine learned a lot about defending a fort from her mother's courageous stand.

The fort at Vercheres had been built around the tenants' log cabins and the seigneur's house as protection. The seigneury at Vercheres was located in one of the most dangerous areas in New France and was nick-named Le Château Dangereux (Dangerous Castle). Because Montreal was a day's journey away, it would take a day for reinforcements to be sent—if Montreal itself wasn't being attacked. The seigneury was also close to the Richelieu River, the route the Iroquois used to get to New France.

[edit] Thwarting a surprise attack

In 1692, the Iroquois again mounted attacks on New France. They looted and burned settlers' homes. However, the next year, the settlers were better prepared for Iroquois attacks. The summer passed without an attack, and the settlers began to relax. In October, Madeleine's parents left the fort on business and to gather winter supplies. Madeleine and her brothers and sisters stayed at the fort. Now fourteen, Madeleine was in charge of the fort, with one very old soldier.

One morning, some settlers left the fort to tend to the fields. Madeleine was in the cabbage garden, quite close to the fort. Suddenly, the Iroquois descended on the settlers. The men, caught off guard, fled to safety. But, the Iroquois were too quick for them and they were easily caught and carried off. Madeleine, working only 200 paces from the fort had a headstart on the Iroquois brave that was chasing her. However, the native caught up with her and grabbed her scarf. She only escaped by taking off her scarf. Madeleine ran into the fort shouting, "Aux armes! Aux armes!" (To arms)

Madeleine ran to the bastions, she knew there was only one hope. Madeleine fired a musket and encouraged the people to make as much noise as possible so that the Iroquois would think there were many soldiers defending the fort. The old soldier fired the cannon to warn other forts of an attack and to call for reinforcements. The Iroquois had hoped a surprise attack would easily take the fort, so for the moment, they retreated into the bushes with their prisoners.

Madeleine and the settlers remained on guard duty for the rest of the day, frequently calling out "All's well!" to each other. Late into the evening, the settlers' cattle returned to the fort. Madeleine knew she would have to be careful. She knew that the Iroquois could be hiding with the herd covered in animal skins. Madeleine only let the cattle in once she was sure there were no Iroquois hiding in their midst. No one slept that night.

The Iroquois left the next morning because they were convinced that the fort was heavily guarded. Reinforcements from Montreal arrived just after the Iroquois left. A tired but relieved Madeleine greeted the French lieutenant, "Monsieur, I surrender to you my arms." The reinforcements caught the Iroquois and returned the kidnapped settlers. By this time, Madeleine's parents had returned and news of Madeleine's heroic deed had spread through the colony.