We are seated in the shade of mangroves, our feet in the cool water of the small river where the second tragedy of Laperouse's voyage unfolded: Boie des Massacres. From this same source of fresh water, De Longie, commander of the Astrolabe, hoped to provision and avoid scurvy among his sailors. Evelyn Lili'o-Satele and Masitalo Atonio loane are by my side, we have just cleared the area around the monument erected in honor of the 12 French sailors who disappeared in this bay on December 11, 1787.
Earlier, we visited the site where their opponents, the 60 Samoans(2) killed by the French during the massacre, are buried.
I hold in my hands the oarlock Evelyn found in 2002 during an initial visit; it most likely belonged to one of the two longboats of Laperouse captured by the inhabitants of Tutuila in 17873. To our knowledge, one of the few remaining objects from the events of the Boie des Massacres.
- Hubert Sagnieres, April 2024 field notes Baie des Massacres, Tutuila, American Samoa
1 Cover: "Massacre of Mr. De Longie, Lamanon, and ten other individuals from both crews". La Pe rouse, Jean-Franois de Galaup. (L. Aubert script.) Atlas of the voyage of La Perouse, Paris, lmprimerie de la Republique, 1797, no. 66.
2 Estimate provided by Masitalo Atonio loane, a native of Fagasa, Samoa. Laperouse mentions the number 30 in his account. 3 Authentication process in progress.
After his service in the American War of Independence alongside George Washington, Jean-Franois du Galaup de Laperouse, aged 42, returns to his homelands in France. The new king, Louis XVI, quickly recalls him to Versailles by the end of 1784. Laperouse finds himself at the heart of a royal vision. Louis XVI, with a profound interest in geography, possesses all the works of James Cook and hopes to carry on the legacy of the English navigator he admires so much, reconnect with great discoveries, and uncover uncharted territories. The king entrusts Laperouse with this ambitious circumnavigation expedition. The latter meticulously prepares, and he is not alone in his endeavor. By order of the king, there emerges an atmosphere of collective action. Historical and geographical societies, alongside the esteemed Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medicine, are summoned to contribute to this monumental undertaking. Foremost astronomers, geologists, and botanists eagerly lend their expertise, providing instructions to guide Laperouse on his voyage of discovery.
In June 1785, Laperouse receives his final instructions directly from Louis XVI in Versailles, a text of fortyfive pages in which the king describes in detail not only the route but also the behaviors to adopt in the face of unknown populations. On August 1, everyone celebrates in Brest the departure of the frigates the Boussole commanded by Laperouse, and the Astrolabe commanded by Fleuriot de Langle, his second. No one then suspects that a tragedy in three acts, one of the greatest in French naval history, has just begun.
On December 9, 1787, Laperouse approaches Maouna from the north, in the Navigator Islands archipelago
(so named by Bougainville) and anchors his ships in Fagasa Bay. The first encounters with the villagers are
very friendly:
"The sunrise heralded a beautiful day to me; I resolved to take advantage of it to explore the country,
observe the inhabitants in their own homes, replenish our water supply, and then set sail, as
prudence did not permit me to spend a second night in this anchorage. Mr. DE LANGLE had also
found this anchorage too dangerous for a longer stay: it was therefore agreed that we would set sail
in the afternoon, and that the morning, which was very fine, would be partly devoted to trading for
fruits and pigs. At daybreak, the islanders had paddled around the two frigates, a hundred canoes
laden with various provisions they wished to exchange for draughts of liquor[. ..]
While everything was proceeding with the utmost tranquility, and our casks were being filled with
water, I believed I could venture about two hundred paces away to visit a charming village, nestled
in the midst of a wood, or rather an orchard, whose trees were laden with fruit. The houses were
arranged in a circle about a hundred and fifty fathoms in diameter, with the center forming a vast
square, carpeted with the most beautiful greenery, and the trees that shaded it maintained a
delightful coolness. And this first visit passed without any quarrel that could lead to an unpleasant
outcome.
4 Laperouse, Jean-Franc;ois de Galaup. Voyage of La Perouse around the world. Vol. 3/, published by the decree of April 22, 1791, and edited by Mr. L.A. Milet-Mureau, lmprimerie de la Republique, Paris, 1797, pp. 186 - 189. Free translation.
On December 10, De Langle explores the shores of the island to the south and discovers a magnificent bay:
"Mr. DE LANGLE wanted, with his small boat, to take a walk in a second cove about a league away from our watering place; and this walk, from which he returned enchanted, transported by the beauty of the village he had visited, was, as will be seen, the cause of our misfortunes. [ ... ]
Our longboats arrived laden with water, and I arranged everything to set sail and take advantage of a light land breeze that made us hope to move away from the coast a little. Mr. DE LANGLE returned at the same moment from his walk; he reported to me that he had entered a superb boat port, located at the foot of a charming village, and near a cascade of the clearest water. Passing by its side, he had given orders to set sail; he felt, like me, the necessity of it; but he insisted with the greatest force that we stay side by side, a league from the coast, and that we take a few more boatloads of water before moving away from the island [ ... ]"(5) On December 11, after a very stormy night, De Lang le convinces Laperouse of the necessity to go ashore to obtain additional water casks. In addition to the two boats of the Astrolabe, Laperouse entrusts De Langle with an additional canoe and longboat. So, it is 61 men who are aboard the 4 boats heading to the bottom of the bay. But upon landing:
"What was the surprise of all the officers, that of Mr. DE LANGLE himself, to find, instead of a vast and convenient bay, a cove filled with coral, which could only be entered through a tortuous channel less than twenty-five feet wide, and where the surf broke like on a barf When they were inside, they did not have three feet of water; the longboats ran aground, and the canoes remained afloat only because they were hauled at the entrance to the pass, quite far from the shore. Unfortunately, Mr. DE LANGLE had recognized this bay at high tide; he had not supposed that in these islands the tide rose five or six feet; he thought his eyes were deceiving him.
[. .. ] He landed the water casks of the four boats with the greatest tranquility; [. .. ], but this calm did not last long; several of the canoes that had sold their provisions to our ships had returned to shore, and all had landed in the bay of the watering place, so that gradually it had filled up: instead of two hundred inhabitants, including women and children, whom Mr. DE LANGLE had met upon arriving at one and a half hours, there were a thousand or twelve hundred at three hours. And hostilities began."(6)
Several months of research allowed me to get in touch with Evelyn Lili'o-Satele. Evelyn is the director of the Territorial Administration on Aging (TM). Born in Virginia, she is also the wife of Satele Aliitai Lili'o, Senator of American Samoa and chief of the village of Fagasa.
This same village that Laperouse found so beautiful and calm.
5 Ibid., p. 187- 193.
6 Ibid., p. 196-197.
Evelyn also visited the bay located two leagues from Baie des Massacres, also described by Laperouse. In 2002, during research on the site, she discovered an oarlock, possibly the unique remaining object from that massacre. She was the one person who could help us organize our expedition.
We arrived the day before from Wallis and Futuna. During our welcome dinner, we carefully planned these few days in Tutuila, meetings with the authorities, the governor and his wife who want to get to know us, the school where I would make a presentation. Satele, Evelyn's husband, is present with Sily, his spokesperson, also a member of the Fagasa chieftaincy. It is Sily who speaks on behalf of the Chief and senator. I hand over a copy of my book Daring French Explorations(7), medals from the expedition, and other gifts.
Of course, they know the history of Baie des Massacres, but by flipping through the book, especially Laperouse's biography, they discover his involvement with George Washington during the American War of Independence. For the representatives of this country who celebrate, not independence, but the dependance of this territory since 1900, the vision they may have of Laperouse suddenly becomes different. Laperouse was not a pirate: tonight, he is a hero of the history of the United States.
7 Sagnieres, Hubert, Edward Duyker (FRW). Daring French Explorations, 1714-1854, Trailblazing adventures around the world. Featuring Bougainville, Laperouse, Dumont d'Urville, and more., Flammarion, 2024, ISBN 978-2-08-042845-5.
Around 7 o'clock in the morning the next day, we leave by car towards the village of Fagasa. A small boat awaits us off the bay. The tide is low, and the boat is hauled by hand near the shore for us to embark. On board: Evelyn, Sily, Eleonor her daughter, Masitalo Atonio loane, my teammates, and 3 sailors. We head south, as De Langle did on December 10, 1787.
Masitalo Atonio is a Samoan native of Fagasa, his family has always owned the lands around Baie des Massacres. His ancestors were among those who welcomed Laperouse on December 9, but also among those who attacked the sailors on December 11.
He served 30 years in the US Army Marines, in Iraq and Iran. Just 4 years ago, one of his daughters lived in one of the 2 houses in Baie des Massacres. Today, no one lives in the bay. Everything is abandoned. He wants to share with us the history of the massacre from the perspective of the Samoans.
It is about 1 :30 in the afternoon when we arrive in front of the bay, the same time when the two canoes and the two longboats of Laperouse landed. It is also low tide. We can perfectly see the tiny channel that allows entry into a tiny cove. We proceed in the same way as Laperouse describes in his journal. The sailors jump into 3 feet of water and haul our boat. We also jump and walk to the beach, having water up to our knees.
At low tide, the reef extends to the right and left of this pass, 7 to 8 meters wide. The water is clear, there is a maximum of two feet of water above the reef and up to the beach. We then understand very well what De Langle did. He left the two canoes on the reef and dragged the two longboats onto the sand to unload the water casks. And the trap closed! We can imagine the scene of hundreds of canoes, a thousand Samoans armed with stones and clubs, rushing towards the 60 sailors.
Many commemorations have taken place since the tragedy, but the last official one dates back to 2004. To the great surprise of the Samoans, no French sailors have come since! The historian I consulted before our expedition, Bernard Gimenez, describes the history of the commemorations as follows:
"October 1882: When he located the location where the remains of the members of the expedition killed by the Samoans had been buried under a terminalia catappa (Samoan name for the tropical almond tree), Father Vidal, a Marist missionary installed in Tutuila since 1873, had a small temporary monument built with an incorruptible wooden cross.
July 1884: The cruiser Kerguelen and its commander Jean-Marie Fournier bring a bronze commemorative plaque which is placed "on a pedestal of white coral. The plaque mistakenly bears the indication "erected in 1883" and only the names of the French are engraved on it. The five Chinese had been ''forgotten".
November 1887: The French government gives the mission to the cruiser Fabert, commanded by Ernest Albert Benier, to take to A'asu a wrought iron grille intended to surround the monument.
May 1933: The colonial aviso Savorgnan de Brazza, commanded by Joseph Rosati, lands in Tutuila a new grille intended to replace the old one.
August 1949: During the passage of the Dumont d'Urville commanded by Gauthier, the cross and the wrought iron grille are replaced by a cross and an enclosure in cement."(8)
Atonio guides us behind the mangrove hedge, we distinguish the monument, overrun by grass. Maneuvering his machete with elegance, Atonio creates a passage between the tall grass, and gradually clears access. In a few minutes, everything is cleared, and we all remain silent in front of this stele as it was built in 1882.
From the chapel, there remains a cement slab, houses, a vague structure in iron and wood. Medallions from various French ships that came to pay tribute are sealed in the monument. The last one is the Frigate Prairial, commanded by Mr. Moucheboeuf in 2004. I place a medal from our expedition. Atonio undertakes to seal it later. I hide a second one a foot underground at the foot of the cross.
8 La Perouse Museum & Headland. "1787 Massacre at Tutuila," published on January 7, 2013. Accessed on April 9, 2024, at https:/ /laperouseheadland.com/2013/01 /07 /1787-massacre-at-tutuila/
Atonio and I sit on the curb, under a scorching sun. I have in my hand the original account of Laperouse; we go through it together. But in fact, he knows it very well. Atonio shares with us his story as he received it from his ancestors. It was the first time they had seen large ships with so many foreigners. The days before, everything had been calm, but many Samoans had also come from the surrounding islands, notably from Upolu (Maouna).
Normally, when unknown canoes arrive, women and children go up to the heights to protect themselves, but on this December 11, as all the exchanges of the day before had gone well, men, women, children ... all were on the beach.
What exactly happened? Several hypotheses: crowd movement, overflow, jealousy, there was a first gesture ... which led to others.
All this degenerated into an uncontrollable battle. A thousand Samoans against 61 trapped sailors in a bay at low tide with only one possible way out, a passage less than 1 O meters wide between reefs, with no water!
Atonio tells us that his ancestors experienced this day as their first defeat. He tells us that about 60 Samoans died that day, and since Laperouse left the next day, they were never able to avenge this affront.
Laperouse wrote hesitating to return to retrieve the bodies of his sailors. But as he also indicates, the fury of his officers and sailors was such, and their firepower so much superior to that of the Samoans, that he could not have restrained his men whose vengeance would have been a dreadful massacre.
On February 7, 1787, from Botany Bay (Australia), he wrote in his last letter to King Louis XVI:
"I could have, had I not contained the just fury of our crews, let five hundred more be massacred, scattered over our two frigates, or filling the canoes which surrounded the two vessels. These canoes, which were trading safely along the edge, would have been sunk. But I believed that such barbarity would not repair our misfortune, would not console us. And it is not permissible to do harm except when it is absolutely necessary.,e
After a small ceremony at the foot of the French monument, we all walk towards the north side of the beach. Atonio enters the jungle wielding his machete. The forest is denser.
A torrential rain falls on us. It takes us about 20 minutes of walking, behind Atonio, to reach a first tomb. It is that of his grandfather converted to Catholicism. It is then that we discover the iron cross that adorned in 1882 the tomb of the French near the chapel! The chief of the clan wanted it to adorn his tomb! We continue our exploration under a pouring rain, masses of water dripping from the trees. Atonio always progresses with his machete.
9 The last letter of Laperouse, dated February 7, 1788, written in Botany Bay, Sydney, Australia. Preserved at the Maritime History Museum, Noumea, New Caledonia.
In front of us, rectangular stone shapes on the ground: the graves! We can clearly see about ten of them; Atonio continues his cleaning work. Other graves appear, piles of stones covered with moss. Atonio explains that this is where the bodies of the villagers were buried. Those from Upolu were taken back to the main island opposite, the now-independent Samoa. Dripping with water, as if they were tears coming down, Atonio repeats: it was our first defeat!
Back on the beach, the sun comes back, an even more humid heat overwhelms us. All sitting on a coconut trunk, we relive the few hours that forever marked the history of Laperouse and the Samoans on December 11, 1787. Evelyn brought the oarlock she found in 2002. We walk together to the place of discovery. "Hubert, this object belongs to the history of France, it is yours now, I give it to you since you are interested in this story." Here I am, with, in my hands, perhaps the only object left from the tragedy of Laperouse's expedition to Baie des Massacres.
It is the afternoon, around 4 o'clock, we embark on our small boat. At the same hour, more or less, the two canoes escaped from the bay and rejoined the Boussole and the Astrolabe, when Laperouse became aware of the drama that unfolded in the bay.
We head back to Fagasa, at the bottom of this flowery, magnificent, calm, and welcoming bay.
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