Michel Dragon
Michel Dragon (Greek: Μιχάλης Δράκος, 1739 – 1821) also known as Don Michael Dragon or Michael Drakos was a lieutenant in the Spanish army during the American Revolution. He fought for the independence of the United States of America on the side of the Spanish. He participated in the Siege of Pensacola. He was in command of the provincial militia. He is one of the first Greek Americans and one of few to fight in the American Revolutionary War. He married a former slave of African descent they had two children one of them was Marianne Celeste Dragon. Both he and his creole daughter were the subjects of two different portraits by Josef de Salazar.[2] He was also a businessman and major planter. There are over 36 documented slaves clarifying that Dragon and his wife Francoise Chauvin Beaulieu de Monpliaisir were major planters in New Orleans.[3][4][5]
Michel Dragon | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant Dragon | |
| Birth name | Michael Dracos |
| Nickname(s) | Don Michel Dragon |
| Born | 1739 Athens, Greece |
| Died | March 11, 1821 (aged 81–82) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Buried | Saint Louis Cemetery No .1[1] |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | Spanish Army |
| Service years | 1762–1805 |
| Rank | Lieutenant First Sergeant Second Sergeant |
| Unit | Louisiana Provincial Militia |
| Conflict | American Revolutionary War |
| Children | Marianne Celeste Dragon |
| Other work | Entrepreneur |
Dragon was born in Athens Greece. He migrated to New Orleans sometime around 1760. He briefly joined the French militia but then became part of the Spanish military when Spain took over New Orleans. He fought in the American Revolutionary for the Spanish. Around 1775, he had a relationship with a former slave named Marie Françoise Chauvin de Beaulieu de Montplaisir. She belonged to Mr. Charles Daprémont de La Lande, a member of the Superior Council.[6] Marie and Dragon had two children Louise Dragon and Marianne Celeste Dragon. Dragon became an American revolutionary war hero. He was honored by King Charles III of Spain and given the rank of Lieutenant. He became a U.S. citizen when Louisiana became part of the United States. Marie Françoise De Montplasi and Don Michel eventually married. His daughter Marianne Celeste Dragon inherited a massive fortune.[7]
Dragon's family became one of the oldest and most influential creole family's in United States history. His creole grandson Alexander Dimitry was the first person of color to attend Georgetown University. He was also the first person of color to become a U.S. Ambassador. His first creole grand-daughter Euphrosyne married Paul Pandely. Paul's mother Elizabeth English was a member of the English royal House of Stuart. His grand-daughter Clino Angelica Dimitry married a prominent Italian surgeon Giovanni Pieri, MD. He was actively involved in the unification of Italy. He collaborated with Giuseppe Mazzini to form the first Italian government known as the Roman Republic (1849). Their actions eventually led to the Unification of Italy.[8]
History
Michael Dragon was born in Athens Greece in 1739. His father's name was Antonio Dracos and his mother's name was Clino Hellenes. He married a freed African slave named Marie Francoise Chauvin Beaulieu de Montplasir. She was the daughter of François Chauvin de Monplaisir de Beaulieu & Marianne Lalande.[9] Dragon and Montplasir had two children Louise Dragon (Dracos) and Marianne Celeste Dragon (Dracos) around 1775. Four years before the American Revolution. Louise died at a young age. Dragon and François were married later in life due to the color of her skin and the issues surrounding interracial marriages in New Orleans.[5] Their only daughter Marianne passed as white. She married a Greek immigrant in 1779 named Andrea Dimitry. Marie and Dragon were married on December 30, 1815, at the Saint Louis Church, New Orleans. Dragon was 76 and his wife was Marie François was 59.[9]: 163
Dragon's military career began in the French militia when he migrated to New Orleans from the Ancient Greek city of Athens. He later became affiliated with the Spanish military first as a second sergeant, then first sergeant, and finally as a lieutenant. He served for the Spanish military during the American Revolutionary War. The first battle was the Capture of Fort Bute in 1779. Dragon was part of the artillery division under Colonel Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent. He fought in the Battle of Baton Rouge, Battle of Fort Charlotte and gradually increased his rank to lieutenant in the Siege of Pensacola under Bernardo de Gálvez. Dragon led the Louisiana provincial militia. He was later honored by Charles III of Spain upon the recommendation of Baron Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet. He continued his service to the Spanish military and Andres Almonaster y Rojas until New Orleans became part of the United States. Dragon and his family became American citizens. They were a creole slave-owning elite family.[9]: 162–163
According to records of the slave contracts, some of the slaves were bought and sold by people of color and relatives of Marie Francoise Chauvin Beaulieu de Montplasir. Dragon purchased a slave named Cyprion from a freed African American slave owner named Marguerite Monplaisir. Carlota was also a female African American slave owned by Dragon and purchased by a free African American named Francisco Monplaiser. According to the 1805 New Orleans City Directory, Michel Dragon and his wife resided at 60 Rue de Chartres. Andrea Dimitry and Marianne Céleste Dragon lived next door at 58 Rue de Chartres.[10] The laws governing black slave ownership and free people of color in New Orleans began to change.[11]
In 1811, the U.S. Territory of Orleans underwent the largest slave revolt in American history about thirty miles outside of New Orleans. American slaveowners began to pressure the Louisiana free colored population. The Free people of color had to follow strict rules. They lost many freedoms.[12]
William C. C. Claiborne decreased the number of free men of color in the local militia and set special curfews for people of color. He made free people of color carry special passes. They had to be identified differently in public records. The new social class evolved into the New Orleans creole society. White southerners were afraid the free people of color would work with abolitionists. Slave owners of color were under attack.[13]
Dragon and his wife died in the early 1820s. He left a vast fortune to his creole daughter Marianne Celeste Dragon. By the 1830s, slave owners in Louisiana demanded race distinction. The segregation system was more about the legal status of people of color. Many free people of color left the area to go to the North, Haiti, Latin America, and France. While others worked very hard to pass as white. Dragon's family continued to flourish within the confines of New Orleans creole society. His grandchildren became very important members of the community.[14]
References
- Diona Dickerson (June 12, 2011). "memorial page for Don Miguel "Michel" Dragon". Find a Grave. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- Staff Writers (March 19, 2022). "Portrait of Micheal Dragon in Military uniform". Louisiana Digital Library. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- Kendall, John Smith (1922). History of New Orleans Volume 3. Chicago And New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 1104.
- Louise Pecquet du Bellet, 1907, pp. 161-164
- Thompson, Shirley Elizabeth (2009). Exiles at Home The Struggle to Become American in Creole New Orleans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press l Paternoster Row. p. 39. ISBN 9780674023512.
- Mixed Marriages In Louisiana Creole Families 164 marriages (August 18, 2018). "Landry Christophe" (PDF). Louisiana Historic & Cultural Vistas. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- Louise Pecquet du Bellet, 1907, pp. 161-164
- Louise Pecquet du Bellet, 1907, pp. 161-190
- Pecquet du Bellet, Louise; Jaquelin, Edward; Jaquelin, Martha Carey (1907). Some Prominent Virginia Families. Vol. 4. J.P. Bell Company (Incorporated). pp. 161–164. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- Steve Frangos (June 12, 2018). "First Greek Couple of North America: Andrea Dimitry and Marianne Celeste Dragon". Ethinkos Kirikas The National Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
- "Gwendolyn Hall" Afro Louisiana History and Genealogy 1719-1820 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2021
- "Staff Writers" Louisiana's Territorial Period, 1803-1812 LSU Libraries 2021
- LSU Libraries 2021.Transition: Louisiana's Territorial Period, 1803-1812
- LSU Libraries 2021.Transition: Louisiana's Territorial Period, 1803-1812
Bibliography
- Pecquet du Bellet, Louise; Jaquelin, Edward; Jaquelin, Martha Carey (1907). Some Prominent Virginia Families. Vol. 4. Jamestown, VA: J.P. Bell Company (Incorporated).