GRANMONT, LOUIS

born c. 1650, , Paris died 1686?, Caribbean Sea? Granmont also spelled Grammont one of the most celebrated of French buccaneers, a scourge of the Spanish settlements bounding the Caribbean. Granmont first distinguished himself in service in the French royal marines, but, having illegally gambled away a captured prize cargo in Hispaniola (Haiti), he dared not return to France and took to buccaneering. His first grand exploit was at the head of 700 men on Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, seizing ships and plundering surrounding settlements. In June 1680 he and a small party of men launched a night attack at La Guaira, the seaport of Caracas, and carried off the local governor and other prisoners. In 1683 he took part in the successful French and English attack on Veracruz, Mex. The following year he led an attack on Cartagena. In 1685, with other captains and a force of about 11,000, he seized, burned, and plundered Campeche on the Yucatn Peninsula. In 1686, after being appointed king's lieutenant by Louis XIV, Granmont sailed from Hispaniola with a crew of 180 and was never heard of again.