No Man's Land: A History of El Camino RealNardini, Louis Raphael
History
No Man's Land: A History of El Camino Real
Nardini, Louis Raphael
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail (Tex. and La.); Louisiana -- History
Knights in Armour are usually associated with the European countries
and the valiant deeds accomplished by such men, but here on this
tiny hill among the Adais Indians two Knights met, The Marquis de
Aguayo, a Black Knight of the Argonne, and Louis Juchereau de St.
Denis, who had previously received The Order of the Cross of St.
Louis delivered to St. Denis by D’Artagnan, a direct envoy of the
King and Queen of France. Thus, two Knights met at the Adais, supped
and visited, each recognized the abilities of the other, each having
received the highest honor which could be bestowed by their
respective King.
_Camino de Los Ais_
_Camino de la Lag_
_Camino de Natchi_
1. Governor’s House.
2. Church.
3. Soldier’s Barracks.
4. Guardhouse.
5. Stables.
6. Mess Hall.
7. Kitchen.
8. Privy.
9. Powder Magazine.
10 and 11. Water wells.
This Spanish Fort was erected in the shape of a hexagon. Aguayo had
six cannons and building the Fort in this shape permitted the
greatest amount of cannon fire in all directions. One will notice
that on the hilltop, the site of this Spanish presidio, several
hundred yards in all directions there is an absence of large trees
and that those that are growing are second and third-growth trees.
The reason is that Aguayo followed the same methods a trained
military officer would have done. He would have cleared the Land of
all trees and undergrowth for at least three hundred yards in all
directions, so that should an attack occur, the enemy would not have
the benefit of any kind of natural cover. The shoulder guns of that
period had a fairly accurate killing effect for a distance of 150
yards. Therefore the Musketeer in the presidio would have some extra
150 yards in which to sight the enemy, take aim and fire. This
presidio is unique in this respect: It stood for nearly fifty years
as a frontier command-post and never once had to defend itself.
This plan of the Presidio at Los Adais, showing the effectiveness of
a hexagon shaped fort with cannon spaced to give the maximum
protection to the fort, was submitted to Aguayo to his superiors at
Mexico City in 1722.
The Presidio Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Los Adais has a very unique
history, it stood guarding a frontier against another nation and
among the Indians, who were at that time, considered savages, for
nearly fifty years, yet this fort never had to defend itself against
any hostile demonstration.]
[Illustration: _Carte des Natchitoches_
_J.F. BREUTIN. 1722._]
Pierre Largen was trading among the Peticaddos and the Caddoquopois.
La Petit was among the Peticaddos on Caddo Lake near Shreveport, he had
the year previously established a trading post there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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