The Calhoun County Historical Commission invites you to the dedication of the historical monument honoring Louis Antoine Andry (November 25, 1727- March 20, 1778). It will be held on Saturday, February 10 at 11:30 a.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Building, 305 Henry Barber Lane, Port Lavaca.
Unveiling will be at the La Salle Monument on Matagorda Bay.
Born November 25, 1727, in Saint-Germain-En-Laye, France, Louis Antoine Andry (aka Don Luis Antonio Andry) sailed to New Orleans in 1746. In 1752, he married Louisiana native, Marie Jeanne Lapierre (1732-1818), and they had nine children.
Andry had an illustrious military career, first with the French and later with the new Spanish regime, serving as engineer of the Colony, royal surveyor, adjutant major of the city of New Orleans and captain of the infantry. His assignments capitalized on his engineering, mathematical and mapmaking skills, greatly impacting the Louisiana Colony.
In 1777, Louisiana governor Bernardo de Galvez chose Captain Andry to map the Gulf Coast from the Mississippi River to Matagorda Bay. The mission was risky due to navigational dangers and conflicts between Texas coastal Karankawas and Spaniards.
On December 13, 1777, Andry and his crew of 15 Spanish and French, including his 15-year-old son, Cadet Jean Constantin Silvere Andry, sailed from New Orleans on El Senor de la Yedra. Three months later, with mapping essentially completed and supplies running low, Andry’s schooner entered Matagorda Bay to get supplies from Presidio la Bahia. They encountered Native Americans led by Joseph Maria, who deceitfully attempted to gain Andry’s trust. Over several days, small groups of crewmembers went ashore in search of food, never to return.
On March 20, 1778, Joseph Maria and 11 other Karankawas overran La Yedra, anchored in Matagorda harbor. Using the ship’s guns, they killed Andry, his son and three sailors, looting and burning the schooner. Tomas de la Cruz, sole survivor of the Andry Massacre, was taken as a slave by Joseph Maria.
The fate of Andry and his crew was unknown until 1779, when De La Cruz was rescued from slavery and informed Spanish authorities. This news raised Spain’s concerns about the escalating threat posed by the Karankawas, resulting in the decade-long Karankawa-Spanish War.
