Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu

Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu
Born	9 or (1711-08-19)19 August 1711 Ville-Marie, Montréal, New France
Died	9 July 1755(1755-07-09) (aged 43) Fort Duquesne, New France
Allegiance	Kingdom of France
Service / branch	French Army
Years of service	1728–1755
Rank	Captain
Battles / wars	Third Intercolonial War Seven Years' War Battle of the Monongahela  †

Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu (9 or 19 August 1711 – 9 July 1755) was a French officer during King George's War and the Seven Years' War. He participated in the Battle of Grand Pre (1747). He also organized the force that attacked General Edward Braddock's army after it forded the Monongahela River. The event was later dubbed the Battle of the Monongahela. Beaujeu led his small force into the attack, where he was shot dead in the opening moments when the attack was launched on July 9, 1755. However, his patronage to the Native American customs, such as wearing war paint and regalia, helped raise the morale and fighting tenacity of the warriors under his command.

Biography

Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu was the son of Louis Liénard de Beaujeu and Denise-Thérèse Migeon. On March 4, 1737, he married Michelle-Elisabeth Foucault, with whom he had nine children. He was an officer during the Seven Years' War.

Recently sent to relieve Claude-Pierre Contrecœur, the Commander at Fort Dusquesne (although he had not yet officially done so), he organized the attack on the troops of General Braddock while they crossed the Monongahela river in order to besiege Fort Duquesne in New France. Leading a small force composed of regular soldiers, Canadian militia, and a majority of native Indians, he managed to defeat the British troops.

Although killed at the beginning of the confrontation, he remained famous for having used Indian habits, such as the use of war paint during the ambush. He was buried under the walls of Fort Duquesne (today Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).