Emily Carter
The Chicken War was a conflict between the French and Spanish in Texas in 1719, which resulted in the abandonment of the Spanish Franciscan missions in eastern Texas. Lt. Philippe Blondel of the French post of Natchitoches, Louisiana, attacked the nearest Spanish target, the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission. Blondel and his group of seven men found only a brother and a soldier at the mission. They stole sacred vestments and provisions, and also raided the henhouse, taking chickens. The Spanish in eastern Texas abandoned their missions and fled to San Antonio, anticipating a French invasion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1719 |
| Commander of the attacking forces | Lt. Phillipe Blondel |
| Number of attackers | 7 |
| Occupants of the mission | 1 lay brother and 1 soldier |
| Items stolen | Sacred vestments, provisions, and chickens |
| Outcome | Abandonment of Spanish Franciscan missions in eastern Texas |
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What You'll Learn
The French raid on the Los Adaes mission
When Blondel and his men arrived at the mission, they found only a lay brother and one soldier. They stole sacred vestments and provisions from the mission and then raided the henhouse, taking the chickens. As Blondel mounted his horse with the chickens tied to his saddle, the chickens flapped their wings, causing the horse to rear and throwing Blondel to the ground. Taking advantage of the confusion, the lay brother escaped into the woods.
The raid on the Los Adaes mission had significant consequences. News of the raid, along with reports that the French had captured Pensacola and were sending soldiers to East Texas, caused the Spanish to abandon their missions in eastern Texas and flee to San Antonio in fear of a French invasion. However, the expected French offensive never materialised, and after a few years, the Spanish reoccupied their missions. The Chicken War ultimately led to increased inter-colonial cooperation and the development of trading and familial relationships between the French and Spanish colonies in the region.
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Pensacola captured by the French
The capture of Pensacola by the French occurred in May 1719 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. A French force led by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville took and occupied Pensacola, a settlement in the Spanish colony of Florida. The French occupation lasted until August 1719 when a large Spanish force arrived and the French garrison surrendered.
The capture of Pensacola played a significant role in the Chicken War, a comical conflict in Texas history. The Chicken War was the Texas manifestation of the War of the Quadruple Alliance in Europe, which caused the abandonment of Spanish Franciscan missions in eastern Texas. With news of the conflict between Spain and France, Lt. Philippe Blondel of the French post of Natchitoches, Louisiana, attacked the nearest Spanish target: the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission. This attack involved raiding the henhouse, giving rise to the name "Chicken War."
Following the attack on the Los Adaes mission, Lt. Philippe Blondel reported to Fray Antonio Margil de Jesús at the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Mission that Pensacola had been captured by the French and that a hundred soldiers were en route from Mobile, targeting the East Texas settlements. Fray Antonio Margil de Jesús, lacking confidence in the Spaniards' relationship with the Indians, decided to retreat. He evacuated the mission, spreading the alarm to nearby settlements.
The French occupation of Pensacola during the Chicken War caused a wave of retreat and evacuation among Spanish missions in the region. The capture of the settlement and the subsequent threat of French advancement contributed to the abandonment of Spanish Franciscan missions in eastern Texas during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. The Spanish force that arrived in August 1719 to retake Pensacola demonstrated the determination of the Spanish to maintain their presence in the region, despite the earlier setback.
It is worth noting that Pensacola, Florida, had been a site of interest for colonization by multiple European powers. The Spanish, French, English, and Dutch were all vying for a foothold in the New World, and Pensacola's beautiful bay made it a desirable location. The French had laid claim to the basin of the St. Lawrence River and the lands drained by the Mississippi, which included the Pensacola area. The capture of Pensacola by the French in 1719 was part of their colonial ambitions and their assertion of control in the region.
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The Spanish withdrawal from eastern Texas
In 1719, France and Spain found themselves on opposing sides in the War of the Quadruple Alliance in Europe, which manifested in Texas as the Chicken War. In June of that year, French soldiers from Natchitoches, unaware that their countries were at war, took control of the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission in eastern Texas. They found only a single defender there, who was told by the French that 100 additional soldiers were on their way. This prompted the Spanish colonists, missionaries, and remaining soldiers to abandon the area and flee to San Antonio.
The Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo volunteered to reconquer Texas and raised an army of 500 soldiers. However, by the time he was named governor of Coahuila and Texas and prepared to depart in late 1720, the fighting in Europe had halted. King Felipe V of Spain ordered Aguayo not to invade Louisiana but instead to find a peaceful way to retake eastern Texas. Aguayo successfully reestablished the abandoned missions in eastern Texas, entrusting them once again to friars. He also founded a new presidio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, at Los Adaes, and secured a lasting peace with the commandant of the French settlement at Natchitoches, St. Denis.
Despite these efforts, the Spanish withdrawal from eastern Texas for over two decades allowed the French to gain a foothold among the Caddos. By the 1760s, military bases had become the dominant institution on Spain's North American frontier, and the Marqués de Rubí was sent by the crown to inspect all presidios along the Spanish borderlands. When he arrived in Spanish Texas in 1767, he was dismayed by the conditions at some of the presidios he visited. However, he viewed La Bahía more favourably and concluded that it should serve as the eastern terminus of a proposed line of garrisons extending to Sonora.
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The French-Spanish rivalry in the New World
The French crown was eager to maintain its population advantage over its European rivals and actively discouraged migration to the New World, spreading rumours that New France was a frozen deatrap. The French preferred trade over permanent settlement, which led to more cooperative relationships with Native Americans. This was in contrast to the Spanish, who had a history of exploiting the riches of New Spain and treating the natives poorly.
An example of the French-Spanish rivalry in the New World is the Chicken War, a comical conflict that took place in Texas in 1719. As part of this conflict, Lt. Philippe Blondel of the French post of Natchitoches, Louisiana, attacked the nearest Spanish target, the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission. This attack led to the abandonment of the Spanish Franciscan missions in eastern Texas and demonstrated the tensions between France and Spain in the region.
The French also gained control of territories in the Caribbean, such as the island of Hispaniola, which they named Saint Domingue. They drove out French traders and established permanent settlements, competing with the Spanish for influence and resources in the New World.
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The role of Lt. Philippe Blondel in the Chicken War
The Chicken War was a conflict in Texas in 1719, which was a manifestation of the War of the Quadruple Alliance in Europe. It involved the abandonment of the Spanish Franciscan missions in eastern Texas and a comical incident involving Lt. Philippe Blondel.
Lt. Philippe Blondel was a French military officer stationed at the French post of Natchitoches in Louisiana during the Chicken War. Upon receiving news that Spain and France were on opposing sides in the conflict, he led a small group of seven men on a raid against the nearest Spanish target, the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission. This mission was located near present-day Robeline, Louisiana, and had been built just two years earlier.
Blondel and his men encountered only a lay brother and one soldier at the mission. They took sacred vestments and provisions before raiding the henhouse and stealing some chickens. As Lt. Blondel mounted his horse, he tied the chickens to the pommel of his saddle. However, the chickens flapped their wings, causing the horse to rear and throwing Lt. Blondel to the ground. His companions rushed to his aid, but the lay brother took advantage of the confusion and escaped into the woods.
The raid on the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission was a relatively minor incident, but it had significant consequences. News of the raid, including the comical episode with the chickens, spread and caused a panic among the Spanish in eastern Texas. They abandoned their missions and fled to San Antonio, anticipating a French invasion. The Spanish withdrawal disrupted the commercial aims of the French Company of the West, as there was no one left to trade with.
Overall, Lt. Philippe Blondel's role in the Chicken War was significant despite the comical nature of the incident. His raid on the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission demonstrated French intentions to claim the region and triggered a chain reaction of events that ultimately disrupted both Spanish missionary efforts and French commercial endeavours in the area.
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Frequently asked questions
Lt. Philippe Blondel, commander of the French post at Natchitoches, Louisiana.
The attack was an extension of the War of the Quadruple Alliance in Europe, where Spain and France were on opposing sides. Lt. Blondel attacked the nearest Spanish target, which was the San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes Mission.
Only a friar and a soldier were present at the mission during the raid.
Lt. Blondel and his detail of seven men stole sacred vestments and provisions from the mission, and then raided the henhouse. As he mounted his horse with the chickens, the chickens flapped their wings, causing the horse to rear and Lt. Blondel to fall. Taking advantage of the confusion, the friar escaped into the woods.
