Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/174

 114 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI but little time and no further formalities than an expression of the commandant 's pleasure to dispose of this infraction of the law of the province. It was quite otherwise, however, with re- gard to those matters which were within the jurisdiction of the officials at New Orleans. There the governor and captain general of Louisiana was assisted in his labors by a cab- ildo. This cabildo, or council, was composed of eleven persons, including an attorney gen- eral, a syndic and other officers. There was .also an officer charged with the royal rev- enue, who was called the intendant. There were many other officers besides the cabildo and they enforced the cumbersome restric- tions of trade with rigor. The Spanish were not a commercial people, and their regula- tions with regard to trade were the regula- tions of the middle ages. To carry a load of merchandise to New Orleans and turn it over for shipment to other parts of the world was a long and tedious process, so far as comply- ing with the regulations of the port was con- cerned. These restricting and hampering regulations much retarded commerce — in fact, more than any other cause, perhaps, made the Americans impatient and intolerant of Spanish control of the Mississippi river. The Spanish government required the commandant at each post in Upper Louisiana to organize all of the able-bodied citizens into military companies. All persons between the ages of fourteen and fifty were liable to this service and the companies were required to be ready for service at any time they were called upon. There were small bodies of reg- ular Spanish troops maintained at St. Louis and New Madrid ; the other posts were de- fended entirely by the military companies. These companies found employment in de- fending the posts from attack by Indians, and one purpose of their organization and maintenance was to be prepared in case of an attack by the Americans. The year 1780 was known by the French in- haliitauts as "L'Anuee du Coup," (the year of the attack). This was during the war of the Revolution and the English were stirring up the Indians throughout all the west to at- tack Americans, and it was rumored in the early part of this year that these British and Indians were contemplating an attack on St. Louis. The connnandant at St. Louis was Lieutenant Governor Ferdinand Leyba. He was instructed by the Spanish authorities to prepare the post against the threatened at- tack. He accordingly ordered the military comijany at Ste. Genevieve, which at that time was the only company outside of St. Louis, to be sent to St. Louis. For the piir- pose of executing this order, Don Francisco Cartobona was sent to Ste. Genevieve. He gathered a company together consisting of sixty men under the command of Charles Valle, and embarked them on a keel-boat for St. Louis. The attack upon the town was made May 26, 1780. The attacking force numbered about fifteen hundred Indians, un- der command of a British officer. Governor Leyba acted in a very peculiar manner. Either he was cowardly and afraid to take part in the defense of the town, or else he was a traitor. It appears that on the very day the attack was made he was intoxicated, and instead of making am* effort at defense, he merely did all in liis power to pi-evcnt such defense. The citizens of the town, however, did all in their power to protect themselves. There has been a question i-aised regarding the conduct of the Ste. Genevieve company on this occasion. They have been charged with cowardice, but this was untrue. The