Samuel de Champlain: Father of New France

by Samuel Eliot Morison

Citing frequently from Champlain's own published accounts of his explorations of New France, Legare chronicles Champlain's intense efforts to publicize, map, and colonize the northeastern shores of North America and the valley of the St. Lawrence. From 1603 until his death in 1635, Samuel de Champlain devoted all of his energies to giving France a foothold in the New World.

Genres: Biography, History

299 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 1972

About the author

Samuel Eliot Morison, son of John H. and Emily Marshall (Eliot) Morison, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1887. He attended Noble’s School at Boston, and St. Paul’s at Concord, New Hampshire, before entering Harvard University, from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1908. He studied at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Paris, France, in 1908-1909, and returned to Harvard for postgraduate work, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1912. Thereafter he became Instructor, first at the University of California in Berkeley, and in 1915 at Harvard. Except for three years (1922-1925) when he was Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford, England, and his periods of active duty during both World Wars, he remained continuously at Harvard University as lecturer and professor until his retirement in 1955.

He had World War I service as a private in the US Army, but not overseas. As he had done some preliminary studies on Finland for Colonel House’s Inquiry, he was detailed from the Army in January 1919 and attached to the Russian Division of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, at Paris, his specialty being Finland and the Baltic States. He served as the American Delegate on the Baltic Commission of the Peace Conference until 17 June 1919, and shortly after returned to the United States. He became a full Professor at Harvard in 1925, and was appointed to the Jonathan Trumbull Chair in 1940. He also taught American History at Johns Hopkins University in 1941-1942.

Living up to his sea-going background – he has sailed in small boats and coastal craft all his life. In 1939-1940, he organized and commanded the Harvard Columbus Expedition which retraced the voyages of Columbus in sailing ships, barkentine Capitana and ketch Mary Otis. After crossing the Atlantic under sail to Spain and back, and examining all the shores visited by Columbus in the Caribbean, he wrote Admiral of the Ocean Sea, an outstanding biography of Columbus, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943. He also wrote a shorter biography, Christopher Columbus, Mariner. With Maurico Obregon of Bogota, he surveyed and photographed the shores of the Caribbean by air and published an illustrated book The Caribbean as Columbus Saw It (1964).

Shortly after the United States entered World War II, Dr. Morison proposed to his friend President Roosevelt, to write the operational history of the US Navy from the inside, by taking part in operations and writing them up afterwards. The idea appealed to the President and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and on 5 May 1942, Dr. Morison was commissioned Lieutenant Commander, US Naval Reserve, and was called at once to active duty. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain on 15 December 1945. His transfer to the Honorary Retired List of the Naval Reserve became effective on 1 August 1951, when he was promoted to Rear Admiral on the basis of combat awards.

In July-August 1942 he sailed with Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirteen (Captain John B. Heffernan, USN), on USS Buck, flagship, on convoy duty in the Atlantic. In October of that year, on USS Brooklyn with Captain Francis D. Denebrink, he participated in Operation TORCH (Allied landings in North and Northwestern Africa - 8 November 1942). In March 1943, while attached to Pacific Fleet Forces, he visited Noumea, Guadalcanal, Australia, and on Washington made a cruise with Vice Admiral W. A. Lee, Jr., USN. He also patrolled around Papua in motor torpedo boats, made three trips up “the Slot” on Honolulu, flagship of Commander Cruisers, Pacific Fleet (Rear Admiral W.W. Ainsworth, USN), and took part in the Battle of Kolombangara before returning to the mainland. Again in the Pacific War Area in September 1943, he participated in the Gilbert Islands operation on board USS Baltimore, under command of Captain Walter C. Calhoun, USN. For the remainder of the Winter he worked at Pearl Harbor, and in the Spring

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fascinating to learn about Champlain's exploration of North America. I knew he was the first European explorer to find Lake Champlain, but didn't realize the extent of his many other travels up and down the east coast and up the Ottawa River in Canada. He actually was at Plymouth, MA well before the Pilgrims. I also gained a new appreciation that the whole area up and down the east coast was full of European fishing boats who would spend the summers hauling in fish to bring back to Europe. I had this image of the lone explorer cruising into unchartered territory and only encountering Native Americans. In actuality it was so crowded with fishing interests that there was a popular uproar in France when the King granted Champlain a monopoly on fishing rights in the region (shortly revoked). It was also interesting to think about what the consequences may have been if Champlain had chosen to try a settlement at Cape Cod or Maine, rather than Quebec. Finally, there is a great appendix in the book that is Champlain's "treatise on seamanship" - very interesting to think about what it took to be a good explorer in that era without anything close to modern equipment.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My feelings about this are colored by having read it while visiting Quebec City. Great anecdotes and snippets I could share with my not-historically minded family members. Champlain as arbiter of the future culture of Canada--setting the tone for First Nations relations and for coming to grips with the (very bad) weather. Made me want to know more about Champlain as explorer. Lovely writing. Old school history never gets old.

[William Edmund Wilkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sailor's special insights into the voyages of an explorer--priceless. Morison's personal travels along the Atlantic coast and the interior river systems bring a unique view of the challenges of early New France. Illustrated with Champlain's own charts of the harbors and portages, a reader may want to keep a current map handy to compare. A very useful book for Americans who know very little about the beginnings of Canada. The overlap in our histories becomes plain when one reads about the back and forth of the Maine coast settlements and the waterways of upstate New York. This book also adds an appreciation of the agency of the various Native American tribes and confederations from the very start of this era of contact. Yes, there are newer fine biographies of Champlain which I enjoyed but Morison adds the eye of the sailor: priceless.

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent to the non lawyer legal school Newport, RI February/March 1977. 6 weeks. We ate out on the taxpayers every night and took the most amazing weekend drives all over the New England coast each weekend. Started a binge read on New England history that ran for months. I hadn't read any Canadian history. Found this in a used book store. Which led to the Jesuits in Canada, the voyageurs, the Hudson Bay Company, Montcalm, Wolfe. He's such a great writer and researcher. If you're looking for a book to start with re Canada, this would be my recommendation.

[Jeff Doll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive history of a poorly remembered explorer who seems to have had some respect for the indigenous peoples he encountered.

[Gordon Francisco]

I have started this book then got into the Hornblower series...Samuel de Champlain, Morison's favorite of all sailors he memorialized in prose, set aside for a future date.