Italian Spy of the Revolutionary War! Francis Vigo!
The Italian merchant spy that helped the Americans win the Revolutionary War! Francis Vigo! The interesting patriot Francis Vigo has a monument located at the General George Rogers Clark National Historic Park in Vincennes, Indiana on the banks of the Wabash River. He was born Giuseppe Maria Francesco Vigo on December 13, 1747, in Italy. He served with the Spanish Army and was stationed in New Orleans. In 1772, his term with the army was over and he set up a successful trading business near modern day St. Louis. Today he’s most known for aiding the Americans in the Revolutionary War as a spy, and he helped finance the Illinois campaigns of General George Rogers Clark.
General Clark sent Vigo to Vincennes to spy on the British activity at Fort Sackville. Vigo was captured by Native Americans and turned over to the British Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton, better known to the American’s as “The Hair Buyer” for his policy of buying pioneer scalps from the local tribes in the area. Hamilton was suspicious of Vigo’s activity and held him there at Fort Sackville. Vigo was a Spanish citizen and therefore a non-combatant and shouldn’t have been able to be kept as a war prisoner. The local catholic priest in the area was Father Gibault, who disliked the British so much that he turned the local french speaking population to support the American cause. After Sunday Mass Father Gibault led his parishioners to the walls of the fort and demanded for Vigo’s release. They Hamilton that they would block supplies from the fort unless they turned him free. Hamilton let Vigo go under one condition, that he would not do anything “injurious to the British cause” on his way back to St. Louis.
Vigo honored his word and did not do anything injurious to the British cause on his trip back to St. Louis. However as soon as he arrived to St. Louis, he immediately left for Kaskaskia to report to General Clark that Hamilton had retaken Fort Sackville. Soon GRC led his men to retake Fort Sackville, and before they left his men were blessed by Father Gibault. General George Rogers Clark and his militiamen were successful at taking back Fort Sackville, which they kept for the duration of the Revolutionary War.
Vigo is also known for helping to finance George Rogers Clark exhibitions during the Revolutionary War. He traded Spanish dollars for American promissory notes, and he was never repaid. From 1790 to 1810. Vigo served as a colonel with the Knox County Militia in Indiana. In 1801, Vigo petitioned the US Congress for land for Jefferson Academy, which is now Vincennes University. In 1818, Vigo County, Indiana was established with Terre Haute as its county seat. Francis Vigo died March 22 1836. He died without the American government ever repaying him for his debts that he incurred for funding George Rogers Clark expeditions. In 1875, the U.S. government repaid his estate, but since he had no blood heirs, the US government was only required to pay what he had requested in his will and that included a new bell for the Vigo County Courthouse.
Many have forgotten the man named Francis Vigo, the Italian merchant spy that helped the Americans in the Revolutionary War but and we aim to keep his legacy alive.
See the video at the link below!