Iron Petard from La Belle

The purpose of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle’s 1684 voyage to the America’s was to build a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River. However, items like this iron petard, found in the wreck of La Belle, indicate a military mission was also part of his plan.

The petard, a bucket-shaped device packed with a gunpowder mixture would be hung against a wall or gate before being detonated. Soldiers would attach a board to the rim to keep the powder in and air out, before lighting the fuse. Petards could weigh from 50 to 70 pounds. 

​​Six iron petards were found on La Belle. They provide evidence of the French king’s secret mission to investigate and potentially attack the Spanish silver mines in northern Mexico. 

​​The petard posed a danger to the men carrying it, and went out of use in the early 1700's as other weapons were developed.