Jean-Baptiste de Gennes
He was the last governor of the French colony of Saint-Christophe on the West Indian island now called Saint Kitts.
[1] In 1695 Gennes was given command of a squadron of the king's navy armed by some private individuals who had obtained permission to make an establishment in the Strait of Magellan, or near there in the north or south sea.
[3] Gennes left La Rochelle on 3 June 1695 in command of a fleet of five vessels, the largest being the Faucon (46) and the Soleil d'Afrique (32).
[5] Gennes loaded two vessels with the captured Africans he found in the English base and dispatched them to the French islands of the Antilles.
[7] They entered the Strait on 11 February 1696 and reached Port Galant[a], but were forced to return and reentered the Atlantic on 11 April 1696.
[8] Although expedition was unable to pass through to the Pacific due to the extreme cold and poor weather, it made a number of observations of the land and inhabitants of the region.
[8] The squadron reached Cayenne on 31 August 1696, left the next month to cruise around Barbados, and visited Martinique, Saint Lucia and Guadeloupe.
Gennes knew the English were preparing to attack, but only had about 400 militia to oppose them, plus four companies of marine troops.
[17] On 15 July 1702 four English men of war and about twenty barques appeared off Nevis point and a French refugee arrived with a message from major general Sir Walter Hamilton that called on Gennes to cede the French part of Saint Christopher.
[21] Gennes was held in Saint Christophe until the French evacuation was complete, then chartered a small boat to take him to his estate in Cayenne with the slaves the English had allowed him and some others he had bought.
[22] When he reached Martinique Gennes was arrested and taken to Fort Saint Pierre, and a Major Coullet was told to start investigating his case and that of his lieutenants.
[22] Everyone interviewed recalled that Saint Christophe had been considered indefensible, and that Commander Guitaut (now dead) and the intendant had planned to send boats to transport its inhabitants to other islands.
Gennes was tried in August 1704, found guilty of cowardice and condemned to be degraded from the nobility and stripped of all his title and positions.
A few days later the king's ship Thétis arrived at Fort Royal to transport Gennes to France.
His inventions included cannons and mortars, fire arrows to burn the sails of ships and a clock without a spring or counterweight.
[26] The king treated the 1704 trial as if de Gennes had not been found guilty, and his titles were retained and a pension paid to his widow.
[24] By an act of 12 June 1625 his son Jean de Gennes du Boisguy, a reformed Protestant, purchased the manor house and estate of Bourgchevreuil.
