Tonti, Henri de, -1704

Henri de Tonti was an Italian-born soldier, explorer, and fur trader in the service of France. Born near Gaeta, Italy, he joined the French army in 1668 and later served in the French navy. Tonti lost his right hand in a grenade explosion during the Sicilian wars and from that time on wore a prosthetic hook covered by a glove. In 1682 Tonti accompanied La Salle on his famous descent of the Mississippi River. Finding himself in financial difficulties after engaging in wars with the English and their Iriquois allies, Tonti joined the colony that Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville had established in French Louisiana. In 1702, at Old Mobile, he was chosen by d'Iberville as an ambassador to the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes and conducted several negotiations. Tonti died of yellow fever in Old Mobile in 1704.

From the description of Henri de Tonti petition, circa 1699. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 370838782