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De Villiers came from a famous French military family. His grandfather was [[Wikipedia:François Coulon de Villiers|François Coulon de Villiers]], brother to [[Wikipedia:Louis Coulon de Villiers|Louis Coulon de Villiers]] and [[Wikipedia:Joseph Coulon de Jumonville|Joseph Coulon de Jumonville]]. François became a commandant of [[Wikipedia:New Spain|New Spain]] after the [[Wikipedia:Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]], and his son [[Marc de Villiers|Marc]], a Spanish loyalist, settled in Pensacola after the [[Wikipedia:Third Treaty of San Ildefonso|Treaty of San Ildefonso]] returned Louisiana to French rule.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Square/2320/devillier-page.html les Familles Coulon de Villiers Jumonville]</ref>
After the arrest transfer of Florida to the United States in [[1821]], former Spanish Governor [[Jose Callava]] was arrested by [[Andrew Jackson]]. A group of thirteen Spanish officers, which included de Villiers and his son-in-law [[Arnaldo Guillemard|Guillemard]], wrote a "Declaration of many respectable witnesses of what passed," which enumerated a number of what they perceived to be injustices perpetrated by Jackson on the Spanish population. No action was taken at the time, but when a newspaper published an anonymous advertisement critical of Jackson and his deputy [[Henry Brackenridge]], Jackson ordered the banishment of de Villiers, Guillemard and six other signatories of the previous declaration.<ref name="goza">http://smathersdlcl3.uflib.ufl.edu/docsb/news/Goza/336.sgm</ref></blockquote>
The group accepted the banishment, but de Villiers returned with his son-in-law four months later, while Jackson was in Nashville. They appealed to acting Governor [[George Walton]] for enough time in the city to retrieve their families and set their private affairs in order. Walton initially confined them to their homes and later imprisoned them in the ''[[calabozo]]'' ("dungeon"). When word of the men's return reached Jackson, he replied, "Col. Coulon (Villiers) is father-in-law of [[John Innerarity]]. Guillemard is a very base and treacherous man; being the same who piloted the British up Bayou Bienvenue in the year 1815, then an officer of Spain, when the attempt was made upon New-Orleans by General Packenham."<ref name="goza"/>