Antoine-Charles de Saint-Simon, who died in Port-au-Prince, was born 292 years ago

Antoine-Charles de Saint-Simon was born in Quebec 292 years ago, on November 3, 1734. An officer in the French Royal Navy and an explorer, he ended his life in Port-au-Prince.

A soldier of the Seven Years' War

The son of Charles-Paul Denys de Saint-Simon and Marie-Joseph Prat, he became a cadet in the French Royal Navy in January 1746. On July 9, 1755, he fought near Fort Duquesne. In June 1760, he crossed the forest from the Baie des Chaleurs to reach Montreal and warn Governor Vaudreuil that the fleet was approaching.

Privateer in Acadia

After the French defeat, he commanded a privateer manned by 47 Norman sailors. They seized a British ship and then, pursued by a frigate, scuttled their vessel near Bas-Caraquet. Saint-Simon returned to France in the spring of 1761, while some of his men stayed on in Caraquet. In Acadia, he was known as Captain Saint-Simon.

Alongside Bougainville

Having caught Bougainville's eye, he was assigned to the Falkland Islands expedition. On April 24, 1766, he sailed aboard the Étoile to explore the Strait of Magellan, where he formed an alliance with the Patagonians, concluded on June 1. He died in Port-au-Prince on June 8, 1785.