Vine and Olive Colony
Encyclopedia
The Vine and Olive Colony was an ill-fated effort by a group of French
Bonapartist
s who, fearing for their lives after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Bourbon Restoration
, attempted to establish an agricultural settlement growing wine grape
s and olive
trees in the Alabama
wilderness. The area that they settled later became the counties of Marengo
and Hale
.
to the French throne. In the fall of 1816 the group, headed by the former General Charles Lallemand
, decided to petition Washington, D.C.
for four townships upon which they could settle. They began scouting the western frontiers of the Southern United States
for an appropriate place upon which to establish their endeavor, with a location at the confluence of the Black Warrior
and Tombigbee River
s being chosen after being recommended by other western pioneers. The United States Congress
agreed to allow them to settle and on 3 March 1817 approved an act that granted them four contiguous townships totaling 92160 acres (373 km²) of land for the price of $2 per acre on the condition that they cultivate grapes and olives. This condition was because several other Bonapartist colonies in the world were thought to be little more than military operations with the intention of returning Napoleon to power.
After their journey across the Atlantic, they first arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, where the largest group of settlers chartered a schooner
, the McDonough, to sail them from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama
. They arrived in Mobile by 26 May 1817 and began the ascent up the rivers, arriving at their destination of Ecor Blanc
, literally meaning White Bluff or White Cliff, on the Tombigbee River by 14 July 1817.
Most prominent and wealthiest among the immigrants was Count Charles Lefebvre Desnouettes
, who had been a cavalry officer with the rank of Lieutenant-General under Napoleon. He was to serve as the leader of the colony. Other prominent settlers included Lieutenant-General Baron Henri-Dominique Lallemand
, brother of Charles, Count Bertrand Clausel, Joseph Lakanal
, Simon Chaudron, Pasqual Luciani, Colonel Jean-Jerome Cluis, Jean-Marie Chapron, Colonel Nicholas Raoul, and Frederic Ravesies.
The colonists, comprising about 200 people, soon established the town of Demopolis
, or "City of the People", on top of White Bluff
, but following a survey in August of 1818, they learned that their actual land grants began less than a mile to the east of their newly cleared land. After abandoning the settlement of Demopolis, they soon established two other towns, Aigleville
and Arcola
. Aigleville was named in honor of Napoleon's ensign
, featuring an eagle
. Arcola was named for an Italian
village (now Arcole
) that was the site of a Napoleonic victory in 1796
. It became the largest town in the colony.
squatters
, and experienced floods and droughts in these first few years. All of these factors lead to the eventual collapse of the colony. After 1825, most of the settlers left the colony to return to France or settle in Mobile or New Orleans, Louisiana
, although a few did stay on their grants permanently.
. The settlers' efforts are remembered by the name of the county, Marengo, and the name of the county seat, Linden. The county was named Marengo to commemorate Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Marengo over the Austrian armies on 14 June 1800. The county seat was originally known as the Town of Marengo, but in 1823 the name was changed to Linden
. Linden is a shortened version of Hohenlinden
, scene of another Napoleonic victory in Bavaria
in 1800.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Bonapartist
Bonapartist
In French political history, Bonapartism has two meanings. In a strict sense, this term refers to people who aimed to restore the French Empire under the House of Bonaparte, the Corsican family of Napoleon Bonaparte and his nephew Louis...
s who, fearing for their lives after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, attempted to establish an agricultural settlement growing wine grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
trees in the Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
wilderness. The area that they settled later became the counties of Marengo
Marengo County, Alabama
Marengo County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of a battlefield near Turin, Italy, where the French defeated the Austrians on June 14, 1800. As of 2010 the population was 21,027...
and Hale
Hale County, Alabama
Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale. As of 2010 the population was 15,760. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
Founding
The Vine and Olive Colony was an effort started by the French Emigrant Association, made up of high ranking officials and followers of Napoleon fearing for their lives after the restoration of Louis XVIIILouis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
to the French throne. In the fall of 1816 the group, headed by the former General Charles Lallemand
Charles Lallemand
François Antoine "Charles" Lallemand was a French general who served Napoleon I of France, tried to found a colony in what is now Texas, and finally returned to France to serve as governor of Corsica.-Early years:...
, decided to petition Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for four townships upon which they could settle. They began scouting the western frontiers of the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
for an appropriate place upon which to establish their endeavor, with a location at the confluence of the Black Warrior
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...
and Tombigbee River
Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. It is one of two major rivers, along with the Alabama River, that unite to form the short Mobile River before it empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico...
s being chosen after being recommended by other western pioneers. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
agreed to allow them to settle and on 3 March 1817 approved an act that granted them four contiguous townships totaling 92160 acres (373 km²) of land for the price of $2 per acre on the condition that they cultivate grapes and olives. This condition was because several other Bonapartist colonies in the world were thought to be little more than military operations with the intention of returning Napoleon to power.
After their journey across the Atlantic, they first arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, where the largest group of settlers chartered a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, the McDonough, to sail them from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. They arrived in Mobile by 26 May 1817 and began the ascent up the rivers, arriving at their destination of Ecor Blanc
White Bluff (Demopolis, Alabama)
White Bluff, also known as Ecor Blanc, is a historic site located along the Tombigbee River in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. It is a chalk cliff, roughly one mile long, that is composed of a geological layer known as the Demopolis Chalk Formation, part of the Selma Group...
, literally meaning White Bluff or White Cliff, on the Tombigbee River by 14 July 1817.
Most prominent and wealthiest among the immigrants was Count Charles Lefebvre Desnouettes
Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes
Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes or Lefèbvre-Desnoëttes became a French officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and a general during the Napoleonic Wars...
, who had been a cavalry officer with the rank of Lieutenant-General under Napoleon. He was to serve as the leader of the colony. Other prominent settlers included Lieutenant-General Baron Henri-Dominique Lallemand
Charles Lallemand
François Antoine "Charles" Lallemand was a French general who served Napoleon I of France, tried to found a colony in what is now Texas, and finally returned to France to serve as governor of Corsica.-Early years:...
, brother of Charles, Count Bertrand Clausel, Joseph Lakanal
Joseph Lakanal
Joseph Lakanal was a French politician, and an original member of the Institut de France.-Early career:...
, Simon Chaudron, Pasqual Luciani, Colonel Jean-Jerome Cluis, Jean-Marie Chapron, Colonel Nicholas Raoul, and Frederic Ravesies.
The colonists, comprising about 200 people, soon established the town of Demopolis
Demopolis, Alabama
Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, United States. The population was 7,483 at the time of the 2010 United States Census....
, or "City of the People", on top of White Bluff
White Bluff (Demopolis, Alabama)
White Bluff, also known as Ecor Blanc, is a historic site located along the Tombigbee River in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. It is a chalk cliff, roughly one mile long, that is composed of a geological layer known as the Demopolis Chalk Formation, part of the Selma Group...
, but following a survey in August of 1818, they learned that their actual land grants began less than a mile to the east of their newly cleared land. After abandoning the settlement of Demopolis, they soon established two other towns, Aigleville
Aigleville (Alabama)
Aigleville, literally translated as Eagle Town, was a town on the Black Warrior River in what is now Marengo County, Alabama. The settlement was established in late 1818 by former French Bonapartists and refugees from Saint-Domingue, as a part of their Vine and Olive Colony...
and Arcola
Arcola, Alabama
Arcola is a ghost town on the Black Warrior River in Hale County, Alabama. Named to honor the French victory during the Battle of Arcola, it was established in the early 1820s by former French Bonapartists as part of their Vine and Olive Colony, after they were forced to abandon their first town...
. Aigleville was named in honor of Napoleon's ensign
Ensign (disambiguation)
An ensign is a distinguishing token, emblem, badge, or flag such as a symbol of office. Ensign is also a junior rank of commissioned officer in some armies and navies.Ensign may also refer to:-People:...
, featuring an eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
. Arcola was named for an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
village (now Arcole
Arcole
Arcole , historicaslly also known as Arcola, is a comune with 5,274 inhabitants in the province of Verona. It is known as the site of the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole.-History:...
) that was the site of a Napoleonic victory in 1796
Battle of the Bridge of Arcole
The Battle of Arcole, or Battle of Arcola saw a bold manœuvre by Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army of Italy to outflank the Austrian army under József Alvinczi and cut its line of retreat...
. It became the largest town in the colony.
Decline
After settling into their new surroundings, the colonists soon discovered that their land was not suited to fulfill the condition placed by Congress on their grants, the cultivation of grapes or olives. The colony sent a representative, Charles Villar, to Washington to plead their case and Congress complied with a supplementary act on 26 April 1822 that allowed the settlers to retain their land in the event that growing grapes and olives proved fruitless. In addition, the colony had few laborers, faced a constant encroachment on their territory by AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
squatters
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
, and experienced floods and droughts in these first few years. All of these factors lead to the eventual collapse of the colony. After 1825, most of the settlers left the colony to return to France or settle in Mobile or New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, although a few did stay on their grants permanently.
Legacy
Demopolis continues as a town into the present day; Aigleville and Arcola were largely gone by the eve of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The settlers' efforts are remembered by the name of the county, Marengo, and the name of the county seat, Linden. The county was named Marengo to commemorate Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Marengo over the Austrian armies on 14 June 1800. The county seat was originally known as the Town of Marengo, but in 1823 the name was changed to Linden
Linden, Alabama
Linden is a city in and the county seat of Marengo County, Alabama, United States.. The population was 2,424 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally known as the Town of Marengo, it was changed to Hohenlinden in 1823 to honor the county's earliest European settlers, French Bonapartist refugees to...
. Linden is a shortened version of Hohenlinden
Hohenlinden
Hohenlinden is a community in the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg. The city of Lynden, Washington is named after it...
, scene of another Napoleonic victory in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
in 1800.