History of English Turn

New Orleans Premier Gated Community - Just 10 miles from downtown New Orleans 

How did English Turn get its name?   During the spring of 1699, war dragged on between England and France. The exploration and colonization of the Mississippi River were prime concerns for both countries. France had established a small colony along the Mississippi near New Orleans. England, anxious to control the river, dispatched a warship to invade the French settlement.

Iberville and Bienville, the French colonists, realizing the impact of the invasion by the English, dispatched a small convoy to the British warship anchored below New Orleans. Bienville, approaching the English Captain Leis Bond, warned him to depart immediately or face a large-scale military battle. The English turned the warship around and returned to England.

Bienville had bluffed the English Captain - the French "armada" consisted of only two small boats with five brave Frenchmen. To this day, the grand bend in the Mississippi downriver from New Orleans is called "English Turn".