Originally called "Reviere D'Erbane," the bayou acquired its present name from a French-maintained battery of artillery on the west bank for defense. It was the site of the first permanent settlement on the south Mobile County mainland. The settlement was founded in 1786 when Joseph Bouzage, also known as Bosarge, who lived from 1733 to 1795, moved into the area and received a 1259-acre Spanish land grant on the west bank. Born in Poitiers, France, Bouzage came to the Gulf Coast about 1760, married Catherine Louise Boudreau on 5 June 1762, and was the father of seven children, including one son, Jean Baptiste. The city of Bayou La Batre was incorporated in 1955.