A Guide to the Papers of Pierre Clement Laussat [Paperback]

Jon Kukla (Author, Editor), Angelita Rosal (Editor), Alfred E. Lemmon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

The papers of Pierre Clement Laussat chronicle the Louisiana Purchase. The guide describes each of the more than 600 letters and documents assembled by Napoleon's colonial prefect for Louisiana. It provides the researcher with a specific citation and a thorough description of each document together with an index allowing quick reference. "All Louisianians are Frenchmen at heart!" wrote Pierre Clement Laussat on his first evening in New Orleans in 1803. Napoleon's colonial prefect in Louisiana had been sent to the colony to reclaim the area from Spain. At the same time, however, negotiations between France and the United States that would result in the Louisiana Purchase were taking place. Laussat presided over formalities of a retrocession ceremony in November, accepting Louisiana from Spain; twenty days later, he represented France in the formal transfer of Louisiana to the United States. A Guide to the Papers of Pierre Clement Laussat contains materials dating from the time of Laussat's post in New Orleans and later posts in Martinique and French Guiana. Included with the Laussat materials are the thirty-eight items making up the papers of General Claude Perrin Victor, Napoleon's designated captain general for Louisiana. Victor was to have led an expeditionary force to the New World, but his troops never left Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From November 30 to December 20, 1803, Pierre Clement Laussat ruled Louisiana as France's representative pending transfer of the colony to the United States. When he sailed for Martinique in April 1804 to assume the post of prefect, he took with him not only his own copies of his correspondence but also documents he had obtained from the Spaniards preparatory to his work of putting a value on the properties received from them and to governing. In addition, he carried signed, sealed copies of the instrument to transfer from Spain to France to the United States. The 599 manuscript items in this collection (a few are duplicates, a few translations of other documents in the collection) eventually made it to the family home in Pau, France. There they remained, preserved against vermin in packages liberally covered with cayenne pepper, until Sister Agnes-Josephine Pastwa saw them while researching in the family papers. She eventually brought them to the attention of the late Ernest Caliste Villere, a vice president of the board of directors of the Historic New Orleans Collection. Villere obtained them for the Collection in 1975. The Collection already had the Victor papers. Victor was the military commander assigned to occupy Louisiana for France. The thirty-eight items in his papers are mostly from 1802 and concern personnel and the outfitting of the expeditionary force. Although by no means providing a complete picture of the preparations or of Laussat's activities, these two complementary bodies of documents do provide important details of these stories.

The documents in each series are presented in strictly chronological order, beginning with a Spanish appraisal of buildings in New Orleans dated November 20, 1769, and ending, for Laussat, on October 6, 1805. Victor's materials end in 1803. Each document is fully described as to date, size, whether signed or not, and other technical details. A short summary of the contents is provided. These can almost be read like a story, complete with cross references by the editors. Pages from five documents are reproduced as end papers (his appointment by Napoleon) and in the text (two printed, two manuscript).

Besides the Laussat and Victor documents, the Guide also lists some thirteen items connected with Laussat in the Collection's holdings. These range from wax impressions of family seals to one of Pierre Clement's napkins and a cup and saucer set.

This is the second Laussat publication sponsored by the Historic New Orleans Collection. The first, Pastwa's translation of his Memoires of My Life (1978), has long been an essential tool for the study of this brief episode in Louisiana's history. With this publication, the Collection has further enriched our understanding of the Prefect's work, especially in the months leading up to the actual retrocession by Spain." --Paul E. Hoffman, Louisiana State University

"Laussat oversaw the transfer of the colony from Spain to France and from France to the United States and Victor was designated commander of an expedition to Louisiana that was canceled. The 612 items in the Laussat collection and the 38 in the Victor collection are calendared with brief descriptions of their contents. Access to their contents is provided by and excellent index." --Journal of the Early Republic

"The papers of Pierre Clement Laussat chronicle the Louisiana Purchase, one of the most significant events in American history. Napoleon's colonial prefect for Louisiana, Laussat oversaw the transfer of the colony from Spain to France and from France to the United States.

"A Guide to the Papers of Pierre Clement Laussat," edited by Jon Kukla, describes each of the more than 600 letters and documents assembled by Laussat and brings to life the many personalit --The Times-Picayune

"Laussat oversaw the transfer of the colony from Spain to France and from France to the United States and Victor was designated commander of an expedition to Louisiana that was canceled. The 612 items in the Laussat collection and the 38 in the Victor collection are calendared with brief descriptions of their contents. Access to their contents is provided by and excellent index." --Journal of the Early Republic

"The papers of Pierre Clement Laussat chronicle the Louisiana Purchase, one of the most significant events in American history. Napoleon's colonial prefect for Louisiana, Laussat oversaw the transfer of the colony from Spain to France and from France to the United States.

"A Guide to the Papers of Pierre Clement Laussat," edited by Jon Kukla, describes each of the more than 600 letters and documents assembled by Laussat and brings to life the many personalities involved in the historic transaction. Also included is a guide to the papers of Gen. Claude Perrin Victor, intended military commander of the Louisiana expedition.

This book provides researchers with a specific citation and a thorough description of each document together with an index that facilitates quick reference.

Besides being the best archival facility in the state, the Historic New Orleans Collection also produces some of the finest publications dealing withthe state of Louisiana. "A Guide to the Papers of Pierre Clement Laussat" is an excellent example of this. This is an indispensable book for those researchers seeking to better understand this part of Louisiana's colorful history. For collectors, it will be a welcome addition to library shelves..." --The Times-Picayune

Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: The Historic New Orleans Collection; 1st edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0917860330
• ISBN-13: 978-0917860331
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,165,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Cayenne pepper on the manuscripts, April 12, 2000

By 

Jon Kukla (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Papers of Pierre Clement Laussat (Paperback)

After reclaiming the colony from Spain by a secret treaty in 1800, Napoleon sent Pierre Laussat to govern Louisiana. Soon after Laussat sailed for America, however, Napoleon sold the colony to the United States. Laussat ended up presiding over the transfer of sovereignty over Louisiana was from Spain to France to the U.S. in the autumn of 1803 -- and his 20-day administration of the territory had significant ramifications.

This book describes his Louisiana papers, found in 1973 in bags in the attic of the family chateau in Pau, France, dusted with cayenne after Laussat left his last post in the Caribbean, and now housed at the Historic New Orleans Collection in the French Quarter. The book gives each document a succinct and informative description, so any researcher can get at the things he or she needs and decide whether to consult the original manuscript (many of which are in Spanish or French) as necessary.

When I began editing this book in the early 1990s, a number of people had worked on arranging and describing the manuscripts -- all of whom are acknowledged in the published guide. As editor I consolidated the several draft descriptions of each manuscript, re-writing and clarifying all the entries and making sure that everything made sense -- and I contributed a brief introductory essay about Laussat, the Louisiana Purchase, and the provenience of the manuscripts. This is an unusually coherent manuscript collection for the 18th and early 19th century Gulf South. Several years have now passed since my work on this guide to the Laussat papers immersed me in the sources about the Louisiana Purchase. During those years I had always been looking for a readable, reliable, and complete narrative history of the Louisiana Purchase. There are a few sound scholarly monographs, but I was looking for a book that would be a delight to read. Aside from Henry Adams writing in 1889-90, I never found one -- so now I am writing (under contract with Knopf) the book I wanted to read. It is a fascinated and surprising international story, with remarkable personalities. My book will be published in 2003 for the anniversary.