Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Icart, Pierre Nicolas

​ICART, Pierre Nicolas (e'-car'), French ad- venturer, b. in Dieppe in 1594 ; d. in Saint Chris- topher, W. I., in 1633. He armed a privateer in 1619, and cruised for some years with great success in West Indian waters. In 1625, after a severe en- gagement with a Spanish man-of-war, his ship foundered at sea near the Caiman islands, and he was picked up almost alone in a small boat by D'Enambuc (q. v.), who proposed to him to assist in the foundation of a French settlement in Saint Christopher. He accepted, and proved a most useful lieutenant. In 1626 Enambuc went to France for re-enforcements, and left Icart in charge of the new colony. Waernard, the English commander of the island, thought the opportunity a favorable one to expel the French, and attacked the fortress of Saint Pierre with all his forces. Icart resisted for six months, when Enambuc appeared with 400 men and raised the siege. In 1628 the English at- tacked Icart again, during Enambuc's renewed ab- sence, but without success. Icart meanwhile had be- come popular among the French settlers, and Enam- buc thought it best for his government to part with him. Icart armed a ship, and, accompanied by 150 men, took possession of the island of Saint Eu- stache in 1629, on which he established a French colony. Two years later, Federico de Toledo, who had been repulsed from Saint Christopher, attacked Saint Eustache with a fleet of forty ships. Icart defeated him, capturing three vessels, and after- ward remained in undisturbed possession of the island. The hostilities between the French and English were renewed in Saint Christopher in 1633, and Enambuc, through the treason of one of his lieutenants, was on the verge of ruin, when Icart went to his assistance and defeated the English, but received during the battle a mortal wound.