Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry

Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry (July 20, 1721 – December 11, 1797) was a seigneur, military engineer and political figure in Lower Canada. His first name was also sometimes written Joseph-Gaspard. Born in the city of Quebec in 1721, the son of Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry (b.1665), the King's Engineer and the architect of Toulon, Provence, by his wife Claire d'Artigues. His family were long settled in Provence, where they held the seign... more

Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry (July 20, 1721 – December 11, 1797) was a seigneur, military engineer and political figure in Lower Canada. His first name was also sometimes written Joseph-Gaspard. Born in the city of Quebec in 1721, the son of Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry (b.1665), the King's Engineer and the architect of Toulon, Provence, by his wife Claire d'Artigues. His family were long settled in Provence, where they held the seigneury of Mimet, near Aix-en-Provence. He joined the colonial army in 1733 and became an assistant engineer in 1739. Chaussegros de Léry took part in raids against the British in New England, helped maintain French fortifications in New France and was in charge of the construction of Fort Saint-Jean (later Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu). In 1753, he married Louise, the daughter of François Martel de Brouague, commandant of the Coast of Labrador. He took part in Montcalm's capture of Fort Oswego in 1756 and, in 1757, was promoted to captain for his... less