Iron Petard from La Belle
Bombs to blow the doors off Spanish forts
Have you ever heard the old expression, "hoisted on your own petard"? It means to be sabotaged by your own plans. The phrase comes from crude bombs like these found in the excavation of La Belle. They were so dangerous that you could easily blow yourself up trying to set them off!
Upon arriving in the Americas in 1685, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was fully prepared to fight the Spanish for possession of Texas. His forces brought iron petards, which were filled with gunpowder and lit with fuses made of rope. They would be deployed against Spanish forts and were not intended for use against Native Americans.
Lender
Property of France from the collection of the Musée National de la Marine. Loan courtesy of the Texas Historical Commission, Austin
About
Weapons
9 1/20" Length X 10 3/5" Height X 9 6/10" Width
1680s
Display Status
This artifact is currently on view.
