{{Short description|Canadian military officer and merchant (c. 1711–1784)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox person | name = Luc de la Corne | image = Saint Luc de la Corne.jpg | birth_date = {{circa|1711}} | birth_place = Contrecœur, Quebec | death_date = October 1, 1784 (aged 72-73) | death_place = Montreal, Quebec | occupation = | spouse = | children = }}
'''Luc de la Corne''' ({{circa|1711}} – October 1, 1784) was a Canadian-born military officer, merchant, interpreter and politician.
==Life==
Luc de la Corne was born {{circa|1711}} in Contrecœur, Quebec, then part of the French colony of Canada. Born into a "large and illustrious family", his parents were Jean-Louis de La Corne de Chaptes and Marie Pécaudy de Contrecœur, both of whom were French Canadians. Saint-Luc was an officer in the Compagnies Franches de la Marine; his brother Louis de la Corne, Chevalier de la Corne, later became a very successful merchant at Montreal. Though relatively unknown, he played a major role in American and Canadian history. He is most famous for returning from the shipwreck of the ''Auguste'' off the coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, at the age of fifty, during the dead of winter, to Quebec City - a trek of 700 miles (1,125 kilometres).<ref>[http://www.sha.org/documents/Parks_Canada/The%20Wreck%20of%20the%20Auguste.pdf] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616041659/http://www.sha.org/documents/Parks_Canada/The%20Wreck%20of%20the%20Auguste.pdf |date=June 16, 2010 }}</ref> He had a varied and courageous military career which earned him the cross of Saint Louis in 1759. He fought at both the Battle of Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War and at the Battles of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War.
He became a very successful merchant and was heavily involved in the Montreal end of the fur trade. His brother, Jean-Louis, was heavily involved in the fur trade and exploration and Luc controlled the eastern end of his activities. Another brother, François-Josué de La Corne was the commandant of Fort Kaministiquia for a time and large fur trade profits were realized. He was in partnership with Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye for three years south of Lake Superior. In the same period his brother, Louis de la Corne was commandant of the western forts founded mainly by the elder La Vérendrye. Most of his ventures made large profits and, at the time of his death, he was one of the richest men in Canada. Luc de la Corne was an interpreter for Louis-Joseph de Montcalm at the Massacre of Fort William Henry. Saint Luc was held partially responsible for the attack on the British troops and was dismissed.
In 1761, Luc was returning to France, when his ship ''Auguste'' ran into terrible weather and sank. The seven survivors endured some terrible hardships but eventually found themselves back in Montreal. The feat made Saint Luc de la Corne famous in Quebec.<ref name="shand">{{Citation|last=Shand|first=Doug|url=https://www.angelfire.com/art/peina/Newsletters/Jun01.html|title=The Wreck of the Auguste, 1761|publisher=Prince Edward Island Numismatic Association|location=Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island|year=2001|access-date=2010-07-22}}</ref> During the American Revolution War, Saint Luc reappeared as an interpreter for John Burgoyne during his trek to Saratoga. During this campaign two natives of Saint Luc's detachment were found responsible for the killing of Jane McCrea.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|France|North America|History}} * {{Citation|last=Howson|first=Gerald|title=Burgoyne of Saratoga|year=1979|location=New York|publisher=Times Books|isbn=978-0-8129-0770-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/burgoyneofsarato00hows}} * {{cite DCB |first1=Pierre |last1=Tousignant |first2=Madeleine |last2=Dionne-Tousignant |title=La Corne, Luc de, Chaptes de La Corne La Corne Saint-Luc |volume=4 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/la_corne_luc_de_4E.html}} * [https://www.angelfire.com/art/peina/Newsletters/Jun01.html ''The Wreck of the Auguste, 1761'']
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{{DEFAULTSORT:La Corne, Luc De}} Category:French Canadians in the American Revolution Category:1710s births Category:1784 deaths Category:British Indian Department Category:People of New France Category:Order of Saint Louis recipients Category:Shipwreck survivors