Pierre Le Moyne D’Ibervilles can be found, placated and still, at the very end of Elgin Street. He stands in the shadow the National War Memorial and across from the grand Château Laurier, a quiet but life-sized observer of curious tourists and late-night revelers on their way home from the Market.
His outfit, and his dark metal lustre, helps him stand out from the crowd. His flowing curls have been carved into a hard tangle and his long overcoat is unbending in snow storms and stiff in summer heat. But his dress displays little of the resourcefulness, and cruelty, that made him a remarkable Canadian soldier.
On his chest, a small medal betrays far more – it is the Croix de Saint Louis, the only military medal for New France awarded by the Crown, and he was the first Canadian-born solider to receive it.
D’Iberville was born in 1661 to a large, prominent family in what is now Montreal. He showed early ability as a seaman, but made his name in attacks on the English forts near James Bay. He quickly learned the techniques of guerilla warfare, vital for the raids and skirmishes between the French, English, and natives; he led a group of men far tougher and better equipped for hard fighting than the French-born troops.
He would eventually develop an interest in Louisiana, convinced its colonization by the French was important to prevent British expansion. He died in Cuba in 1706, following attacks on the British Caribbean island of Nevis. He left his finances in disarray, a history of shady dealing, and a reputation for being not just a soldier, but a shrewd businessman.
But his military exploits, the stuff of Canadian backwoods legends, would remain his most enduring legacy.
And the man himself, who spent his short life on long journeys and in grueling battles, dressed in full regalia, would be appointed on a street corner, perpetually still.