Born in
Quebec City on December 16, 1663, Augustin le Gardeur de Courtemanche joined the military in 1690, serving under
René Robinau de Portneuf on his expedition to
New England during
King William's War. He distinguished himself during the capture of
Fort Pejpescot in
Casco Bay. In April 1691,
Governor General of New France Louis de Buade de Frontenac sent de Courtemanch to
Fort Michilimackinac to inform nearby natives of the French victory. In 1693, he was assigne to
Nicolas d'Ailleboust de Manthet, who was defending against the
Mohawk nation. On April 1, 1694, he was given a company and sent to
Fort St. Joseph on the bank of the
St. Joseph River.
Louis-Hector de Callière sent de Courtemanche to France in 1698 to inform
Louis XIV of the death of de Frontenac and to request de Callière as the next Governor General. For his efforts, which were successful, de Courtemanche was named a captain on his return. He spent the late 1690s pursuing commercial interests with trader
Raymond Martel. De Courtemanche was granted a ten-year land concession adjacent to the
Strait of Belle Isle, giving him exclusive seal hunting and Indian trading rights there. He probably returned to Labrador in 1704, as a wrote a memoir to its intendant,
Jacques Raudot, describing his military service. On November 12, 1712, de Courtemanche was named commandant of Labrador, tasked with enduring its fishing interests. De Courtemanche married Marie-Charlotte Charest on July 20, 1697. He died on June 29, 1717. His step-son
François Martel de Brouague succeeded him as commandant of Labrador. ==References==