Franco-American Countryside in the United States at the beginning of 1781

Franco-American Countryside in the United States (at the beginning of 1781)

The count de Rochambeau learns that the English squadron left New York

The May 16th 1781, Mr. the Count de Rochambeau learned that the English squadron ordered by Arbuthnot had left New York. The 17, it appeared in front of the master key with six miles with broad and wet there. It remained there until the 26 and let pass, the 23, six buildings of coming transport of Boston.

In the night of the 28 with the May 29th 1781, an artillery captain Mr. Barolière, failed to be assassinated by a sergeant of its company, without one being able to know the reason of this attack.

He learns from his son that from Fatty will come to release Barras

Mr. de Rochambeau accepted his son confidentially the opinion that the Count de Grasse had order to come in the seas from America in July or August to release the squadron of Mr. of Barras.

Interview on this subject between Washington and Rochambeau

Mr. de Rochambeau more had not consequently pressed anything than to request from the Washington general an interview which took place the May 20th with Westerfield, close to Hartford. The knight of Chastellux accompanied Mr. de Rochambeau. Washington had with him the general Knox and the sergeant Of the Gate. Mr. de Barras could not come there because of the blockade of Newport by the English squadron.

Plan of countryside

The American general thought that it was necessary to attack New York immediately; that one would thus carry a more decisive blow to the English domination.

Mr. de Rochambeau was of opinion, on the contrary, which it was to better operate in the Baie of Chesapeak, where the French fleet would approach more promptly and more easily. None of the two opinions was excluded, and one initially decided to join together the two armies on left bank of the Hudson, to threaten New York, and to be held ready, while waiting for the arrival of the count de Grasse, with whom one would dispatch a frigate, either to seriously push the attacks against this place, or to go towards bay of Chesapeak.

Intercepted letters

After this conference, a dispatch of the Washington general to the general Sullivan, appointed Congress, and another letter of Mr. de Chastellux to the French Consul to Philadelphia, Mr. Of the Alfalfa, were intercepted by English runners and were given to the general Clinton, while a dispatch of Lord Germaine with Lord Clinton was carried to Washington by an American corsair.

That are the interests of the allies

They served best the cause of the allies that the most skilful diplomacy.

Washington indeed said in its letter that one was going to push the head office of New York actively and that one was going to write with Mr. de Grasse to come to force the bar of Sandy Hook, while the minister English announced the resolution to push the war in the South.

The English officer in charge of the service of the spies sent a copy of this letter to the French general, who, for any punishment, made come Mr. de Chastellux, showed him this copy and threw it to fire. It took care well to undeceive it and not to entrust its true intentions to him.

Return of Rochambeau to New-Port

Of return to Newport, Mr. de Rochambeau found that the squadron was laid out, according to the instructions given to Mr. de Barras, to withdraw itself with Boston while the army would join the Washington general.

Provisions which it takes with Barras

It was necessary moreover to entrust to the squadron all artillery of seat, that the army, already charged with its field artillery, could not have taken along. The junction of the two squadrons became thus more difficult. Mr. de Rochambeau proposed with Mr. de Barras to hold a council of war to decide on this difficulty.

Meeting of a council of war

They is the 26 which this council meets, Mr. de Lauzun was of opinion that the fleet withdrew in Boston; Mr. de Chastellux wanted that one left it with Rhode Island. Mr. of the Villebrune declared that if Mr. de Grasse were to come, it was necessary to remain in Rhode Island to make with him a prompt junction.

The opinion of Barred to remain in front of Rhode Island prevails

Mr. de Barras made this remarkable statement: “Nobody is interested more than me on arrival of Mr. de Grasse in these seas. He was my junior; he has just been made general lieutenant. As soon as I know it with range from here, I will put at the veil to be useful under his orders; I will still make this countryside; but I will not make any a second.” It opina of the remainder to remain with Rhode Island, and its feeling prevailed. Mr. of Lauzun was charged to carry the news of this decision to the Washington general, and he claims in his memories which the general very-was irritated that one took a so contrary measure with what had been agreed in Westerfield.

Letter of Rochambeau to the Fatty one to define the respective positions of Fayette to him and of Washington

Mr. de Rochambeau then hastened to write with Mr. de Grasse to make a statement on to him the situation of Fayette in Virginia and of Washington in front of York. He presented like his personal project a company against Lord Cornwallis in bay of Chesapeak; he believed it more practicable and more unexpected of the enemy. To achieve this goal, he asked him to require with authority the governor of Saint-Domingue, Mr. of Bouillé, to grant to him for three months the body of troops which was with the orders of Mr. of Saint-Simon and intended to act in.liaison.with the Spaniards.

He asks him helps as men and silver

He also requested it to dispatch to him as quickly as possible, on the same frigate, with his answer, a sum of 1.200.000 books which he would borrow from the colonies. This letter left with Harmony in early June.

The 9 of this month, Mr. the Viscount of Noailles, which had gone by curiosity to Boston, had returned this same day from there to announce to the general the arrival downtown this of the Sagittarius escorting a convoy of 633 recruits and four artillery companies, and carrying 1.200.000 books.

Details (of Cromot of the Borough) on the course of the army

The aide-de-camp of Mr. de Rochambeau, come on the Harmony , which had left its effects on the Louis-Auguste , from this convoy, obtained the permission to go to Boston to take what was essential for him for the countryside. Its manuscript gives interesting details on the country which the army had to traverse.

Vioménil arrives at Providence

However, the 10, the regiments of Bourbonnais and Royal-Two-Bridges started from Newport to go to Providence, where they arrived at ten o'clock in the evening. The next morning, 11, the regiment of Double-decker went to camp on the height which dominates Providence, and the brigades of Soissonnais and Saintonge, which arrived this same day, settled on its left.

The remained squadron with Newport did not have to protect it any more but four hundred men from the recruits arrived by the Sagittarius , thirty men of artillery and thousand men of the American militia, the whole under the command of Mr. of Choisy.

Movement of the allied troops

“The 16, the baron de Vioménil passed a review of entry to shift and the army was started in the following order:

“The June 18th, the Regiment of Bourbonnais (Mr. de Rochambeau and Mr. de Chastellux); 19, that of Royal-Two-Bridges (baron de Vioménil); 20, the Regiment of Soissonnais (the count de Vioménil); the 21, the Régiment of Saintonge (Mr. of Custine) successively left the camp of Providence and, by always preserving between them the distance of one day of walk, they camped, the first day with Waterman' S Tavern, the second with Plainfield, the third with Windham, the fourth with Bolton and the fifth with Hartford.

“The 20, he deserted nine men from the regiment of Soissonnais and one of Royal-Two-Bridges.

Arrived the June 22nd at Hartford, the regiment of Bourbonnais raised its camp the 25, that of Double-decker the 26, the regiment of Soissonnais the 27, and that of Saintonge the 28.

While these movements took place, Lauzun, started from Lebanon, covered the walk of the army, which was with fifteen miles approximately on its line.

Project of Rochambeau to remain in New-Town

Mr. de Rochambeau wanted to mass his forces with Newtown to move towards Hudson in columns more, tight; but the 30 at the evening, it accepted a mail of the Washington general which requested it not to remain in Newtown as it had the intention of it, and to hasten the walk of its first division and of the legion of Lauzun.

Arrival and standpoint in Bedford

The first division, formed of Bourbonnais and Double-decker, indeed left great morning of Newtown, on July 1st, to go to Ridgebury; it formed only one brigade. The second brigade, formed of the regiments of Soissonnais and Saintonge, left the following day for the same destination.

The 2 in the morning, the pomegranates and the hunters of Bourbonnais started from Ridgebury for Bedford, where they arrived after a rather painful walk through a rough ground.

Washington opens the countryside on June 26th

The American general had opened the countryside the June 26th. Combining its movements with those of the French Army, it left, on this date, its winter quarter of New Windsor and went on Peakskill, where it was to operate its junction with Mr. de Rochambeau. He learned whereas the general Clinton had divided his army into several bodies and that he dispersed it around New York. There was in particular an English body which had gone on Westchester.

Washington solves to attack them

The Washington general solved to make it attack; it consequently formed an avant-garde of twelve hundred men to the orders of the Lincoln general, and it sent to Mr. de Rochambeau the mail that this one had received the June 30th and who had made hasten the departure of the troops of Newtown for Bedfort and Bedfort for Northcastle, where they were to be ready to go to the first order. The last stage was only of five miles; but the second brigade came without stopping of Newtown with Northcastle and thus made, in the day of the July 3rd, a walk of twenty miles. The regiments of Soissonnais and Saintonge had thus not had only one day of rest since their departure of Providence.

Relation of Lauzun on this attack

The duke of Lauzun tells as it follows the attempt that it made, in.liaison.with the Lincoln general, to surprise the English body which was closest.

“The June 30th, after having received the letter of the Washington general, who did not go into any detail, Mr. de Rochambeau sent me to seek in the middle of the night, with fifteen miles of Newtown, where it was. I was exactly with the place prescribed, though the excessive heat and of very-bad ways made this walk very-difficult. The Washington general was there extremely in front of the two armies and says to me that it intended to me to surprise a body of English troops camped in front of New York to support the fort of Knyphausen, that one looked like the key of the fortifications of New York. I was to walk all during the night to attack them before the point of the day. He united with my regiment a regiment of American dragons (Sheldon), some companies of light horsemen and some battalions of American light infantry. He had sent by another way, with approximately six miles on the line, the Lincoln general with a body of three thousand men to surprise strong Knyphausen, which I was to prevent from being helped. He was to show himself only when my attack would be started, when I would make him say to begin his. He had fun to pull about with a small station which had not seen it and gave the awakening to the body which I was to surprise. This body returned in the fort, made an exit on the Lincoln general, who was beaten and who was going to be lost and cut army if I had not promptly gone to his help.

“Though my troops were harassed with tiredness, I walked on the English; I charged their cavalry and my infantry pulled about with theirs. The Lincoln general benefitted from it to make his retirement in rather bad order. He had two or three hundred men killed or taken and much of casualties. When I live it in safety, I began mine, which was done très-heureusement, because I did not lose almost anybody.

Junction with Rochambeau

“I joined the Washington general, who walked with a very-considerable detachment of his army to the help of the general Lincoln, of which it was very-anxious; but its troops were tired so much that they could not go further. It showed the greatest joy of re-examining me and wanted to benefit from the occasion to make a recognition of très-près on New York. I accompanied it with a hundred by hussards; we essuyâmes many rifle shots and of blows of gun, but we saw all that we want to see. This recognition lasted three days and three nights and was excessively tiring, because we were day and night on foot and we did not have anything to eat but the fruits which we met along the way.

Movements and various attacks from July 5th to August 14th

The July 5th, the Washington general, from return of its recognition on New York, came to see the French troops with the camp of Northcastle; it conferred with Mr. de Rochambeau and dined with him and its staff. It even set out again the evening.

The July 6th, the French Army left North-Castle to go to seventeen miles from there join the American army, camped with Philipsburg. The road was rather beautiful, but heat was so excessive that it was done très-péniblement; more than four hundred soldiers fell from tiredness, but through halts and of care one arrived at good port. Two men of the regiment of Double-decker deserted.

The 8, the Washington general reviewed the two armies. The American army, that he visited the first, was made up of 4.500 men at most, among whom one counted very-youths people and much of negros. The American general wanted to visit the tent that Dumas, Charles de Lameth and both Berthier had installed close to the general headquarter of Mr. of Béville, in a very-pleasant position, between rocks and under splendid tulipiers. They had also organized a pretty garden around their provisional dwelling. Washington found on the table of the young officers the plan of Trenton, that of Westpoint and some others of the principal actions of this war where Washington had been announced.

The July 10th at the evening, the Romulus and three frigates, with the orders of Mr. of Villebrune, started from Newport, advanced in the Sund to bay of Huntington.

The 11, the Washington general visited the legion of Lauzun, camped with Adhesive tape-Hill, with two miles on the left. The Americans were very-satisfied with his behavior.

The 12, Mr. de Rochambeau, follow-up of an aide-de-camp, wanted to see the works which the Americans built with Dobb' S-ferry to defend the passage of the river of North. It found one fears and two batteries in very-good way, under the direction of Mr. Of the Gate. Then, while being turned over some, he traversed the stations of the two armies.

The 14, Mr. de Rochambeau, at the conclusion of a dinner in the Lincoln general to which assisted the general Washington, Misters de Vioménil, of Chastellux, Lauzun and Cromot of the Borough, gave to his troops the order to be started. The 1st brigade (Bourbonnais and Deux-Ponts), the large artillery and the legion of Lauzun were prepared to leave.

The 15, at nine o'clock in the evening, one heard side of Tarrytown some blows of gun followed by a sharp shooting. At once Mr. the marquis de Laval made beat the general one and draw two blows from gun of alarm. In one moment the army was on foot; but Mr. of Rochambeau made return the soldiers to the Washington camp asked him, one hour after, two hundred men with six guns and six howitzers; but at the time when this artillery was going to leave it still accepted counter-order. The next morning, at five hours, even alert followed by a new request for two guns of twelve and two howitzers. Mr. de Rochambeau had charged during this time Misters with Neuris and Verton, artillery officers, to establish a small battery of two parts of guns and two howitzers with Dobb' S ferry, on the narrowest point of the river. The frigates had to pass in front of this station, 19, to turn over to King' S Bridge. They were vigorously accepted.

In the night of the 17 to the 18, an officer of the legion of Lauzun, Mr. Hartmann, by making a patrol with six hussards, was killed in a meeting with some dragons of Delancey.

The 18, Mr. de Rochambeau employed Dumas his aide-de-camp to make recognitions of the ground and outlets in front of the camp towards New York; it ordered to him to push them as far as possible, until the sight of the first fear of the enemy. He gave him, to this end, a detachment of lancers of the legion of Lauzun to the head of which was the lieutenant Kilmaine. Thanks to the courage and the intelligence of this young officer, Dumas could discharge her mission perfectly. After having made fold up some small stations of hunters hessois, they arrived until a range of rifle of the enemy works, and they joined in this point a detachment of American light infantry which in the same way had explored the ground on the line.

It is the 21, at eight o'clock in the evening, which one left for this operation. The retirement served as general and one started oneself in the order that the 14 had been taken. The first brigade, the pomegranates and the hunters of the four regiments, two parts of twelve and two of four went in the center under the control of Mr. de Chastellux. During this time Mr. de Rochambeau and the Washington general advanced to recognize the forts. They crossed then the creek of Harlem and always continued their explorations under the fire of the enemy stations and the forts. Then, they passed by again the river, returned on their road of the morning and pushed ahead, along the island, until the height of New York.

During this time, the aide-de-camps did each one on their side their recognitions particular. The legion of Lauzun forced to fold up the enemy stations and removed a rather great number of prisoners to them.

The 23, one went back to horse at five o'clock in the morning to continue this work. One recognized initially the part of Long Island which is separated from the continent by the Sound; one turned over to Morrisania to re-examine part of the island of York which had not been sufficiently examined the day before; then the generals returned towards their troops.

The army returned in its camp in Philipsburg the 23, at eleven o'clock in the evening.

“This recognition fled made with all the conceivable care, we wiped six, or seven hundred blows of gun which cost two men to the Americans. We made to the English twenty or thirty prisoners and killed four or five men.

July 23rd with the August 14th the army remained peaceful in its camp of Philipsburg. The legion of Lauzun had only a service very-credit and very-painful.

The celerity of the walk of the French troops and their discipline had a great success near the Americans. The junction of the allied armies had all the effect which one could expect. It retained with New York the Clinton general, who had the order to embark with a body of troops to separate Washington of Fayette and to reduce the first to left bank of Hudson. It contributed to make to retrogress Lord Cornwallis of the point which it had made in the interior of Virginia, to go to the bay Chesapeak to fix and to strengthen, according to the same instructions, a permanent station. It is little of days after the junction of the troops in front of Philipsburg that the French and American generals learned that Cornwallis was folded up by the river James on Richmond, where Fayette besieged it.

See also: Franco-American Countryside in the United States (August-September 1781)

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