Mother Deschamps

  General Notes:

On June 28, 1836, the Deschamps family were drinking and their father had been recently killed. The mother Deschamps gave instruction to her children, “Now, my sons, if you are men, you will revenge the death of your father.” in the Wicked family article, it states, “Perhaps the presence of Upper Missouri trader David D. Mitchell emboldened the family. Married to a Deschamps daughter, Mitchell had arrived by steamboat earlier that month, again taking up with his country wife and distributing presents to other Deschamps. There was a horrible fight and Mother Deschamps was shot thru the heart and finally all of sons were killed

The Cree woman on the right is our great-great-great-great grandmother. She was married to Francois Deschamps at Fort Union. Col. Mitchell married their daughters (the first wife Josephte died of small pox). Marie Deschamps was the second wife and she is the mother of Dave Mitchell (Bloody Knife). He was a "quarter breed" and this is all documented in Canadian records. This amazing portrait is available because a famous artist Karl Bodmer was painting the Indians during this time and spent considerable time with Col. Mitchell. I even found another document (link below) stating that this woman in this portrait is the mother of Mrs. Mitchell, Col. Mitchell's wife! Amazing! So we do have the Cree blood in us, which is closely related to Assiniboine. The Assiniboine must have come from Isabelle St. Germain, Dave Mitchell's wife. She was a metis.
<http://www.donaldheald.com/s4245.html>

the following link is an excerpt out a book showing her as Dechamps wife and mother of Mrs. Mitchell
<http://books.google.com/books?id=ABcxAi6bf0AC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22david+mitchell%22+deschamps&source=bl&ots=y7CcK_CbFx&sig=-hGyqlTUc3FoFo41YQgRsQzxjC4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result>

Notes from Larpenteur: Now, reader, make ready for the battle, as it will soon come off. In the latter part of June, shortly after the last-mentioned affray took place, the company's steamboat arrived. After her departure, it was customary to have a big drunk throughout. At this time there were between 60 and 70 men at the fort. The half-breeds who were in Fort William with some of our own men also got gloriously drunk. About midnight old Mother Deschamps said to her children, "Now, my sons, if you are men, you will revenge the death of your father." This struck them favorably, and being in liquor they immediately killed old Jack Rem, swore they would also kill all the half-breeds whom they considered his friends, and even threatened the whites in the fort. This took place about midnight, when the spree in Fort Union had subsided and all hands had gone to sleep. I was awakened by loud raps and voices at the door, which latter I could distinguish to be those of females, crying, "Open the door! quick — they are fighting — they have killed my father." They were the widow of Michel Gravel and her mother, the wife of Jack Rem. I had not shut the door before eight or ten of our men came running in great fury, swearing vengeance against the Deschamps family, all of whom they would destroy, big and small. They raised all hands, and in a body went to Mr. McKenzie, of whom they demanded arms and ammunition in angry tones, declaring they were determined to put an end to the Deschamps family. This demand was made in such terms that Mr. McKenzie could not well refuse, fearing the consequences, and not being himself much averse to their intention. Having been furnished with a cannon, muskets, and ammunition, they went to work. But, in the first place, all the horses and all the company's effects were removed from the fort, and before the fight commenced the Deschamps were required to turn out their squaws, who were Assiniboine women, whom we did not want to kill for fear of the tribe. Thinking the fight would not take place as long as they kept in the squaws, they refused to turn them out. After allowing them what time we thought necessary to make up their minds on this subject, the order to fire was given. As we had a cannon we supposed they would not go into the bastions, and as we found their shots were only fired out of their own dwellings we aimed altogether at these houses. When they found we were determined to put our threats into execution they turned out their squaws, who told us that we had already killed one man, but that it would be difficult for us to destroy them all, as they had dug holes under the floors, where our balls could not reach them. Yet we kept constantly firing into the houses, until at last the old lady herself came out with the pipe of peace, begging for her life and that of her children; but she was shot through the heart in stepping out of the fort. As she was holding her pipe straight in front of her when she was hit, she fell precisely on top of it, at which the boys exclaimed in great mirth, "There's an end to the mother of the devils." In the meantime our firing was kept up; but few shots were heard from them, and at last some of our party ventured into the fort, thinking they were all killed; but that was a mistake. They commenced firing again, and our side made a doublequick retreat; but one of them was shot through the neck as he was stooping through the small door of the fort. It was by this time getting rather late in the day, and it was feared that the fight might continue until night, under cover of which they could make their escape, which would prove serious to the Company in future; and as the bloody work had been begun, it was obliged to be accomplished. In order to do so it was thought proper to set the fort on fire, with the view of burning them in it; but for fear that some might escape through the fire, the hunter of the fort and several other good horsemen were mounted on the best horses to run them down like buffalo, should they make such an attempt. These precautions having been taken, a fire was started; as the fort was dry it soon began to blaze, and in a little while the houses were consumed. We saw one man run out of them and take refuge in the east bastion, into which the cannon was fired several times, but the ball went through without other damage than making its hole. Meanwhile the fire stopped, having burned only one side of the fort and the houses; so the bastion stood with this individual inside it, and was dangerous to approach. One of our men [Vivié], wanting to display his bravery, went near it to get a good shot through the cracks; but this cost him his life. A shot through the heart made him jump up about six feet in the air and fall dead on the spot, on which a loud yell was heard from the man in the bastion. The firing on our side was renewed faster than ever, until it was found that no shot was fired out of the bastion, when some of the boldest of our party determined to see if the individual inside it was dead or alive. On entering the bastion they discovered him backed up in one corner; they immediately fired and he fell dead. This was François Deschamps, the last survivor, as all the rest had been burned or shot in the houses. After he was brought out we found that he had a broken wrist and was out of ammunition. Had he not been thus disabled and defenseless he would probably have killed several of us and made his escape. The men thought he might go, like the balance, into flames; so they threw him into the fire with one of his brothers, and both were burned to ashes. A hole was dug, into which the old woman was put without any ceremony. Thus the battle ended, about sunset, in the death of eight of the family. The youngest son, about ten years of age, after being wounded, was suffered to come out; but he died the next day. Such was the end of this troublesome family, after which peace and comfort were enjoyed.


Excerpt from Fort Union and the Upper Missouri Fur Trade
By Barton Barbour

Among the dead were "Old Mother Deschamps" who mistakenly assumed that her daughter's marriage to trader David D Mitchell would qualify her for some clemency. When she stepped out of the old fort, holding aloft a peace pipe, an engage named Mayotee shot her throughthe heart; one of the Deschampses then shot him through the neck. Only two women (mitchell's wife and her younger sister) and two young boys were spared, and they soon left, lucky to get away with their lives.

Mother married Francois Deschamps Sr., son of Living and Living. (Francois Deschamps Sr. died about 1835.)