Sending of French reinforcements in the United States (1781)

Arrival of the Amazon

See also: Preparation of the French task force of 1780 in the United States

the Amazon , left the October 28th under the orders Perugia, with the Viscount of Rochambeau and the dispatches of the Knight of Ternay, came to unload with Brest. The situation was changed a little. Mr. of Castries had replaced Mr. of Sartine to the ministry for the navy; Mr. of Montbarrey, with the war, was replaced by Mr. of Ségur.

The English had declared abruptly the war with the Holland and had seized its principal possessions. The France made preparations to support these allies. These joined together circumstances had diverted the attention from what occurred in America. The king gave nevertheless to Mr. of Perugia the order to set out again at once on Astrée , frigate which was the best sailing one of Brest, and to carry to America fifteen hundred and thousand books which had been deposited in Brest for six months to leave with the second division. He retained the colonel Rochambeau with Versailles until one had decided in council on what it was appropriate to make.

In consequence of the circumstances one restricts the sending of the reinforcements

The ministers agreed that in the actual position of the businesses it was not possible to send the second division of the army in America. One made only leave, the March 23rd 1781, a vessel, the Sagittarius , and six ships of transport under the control of the Baillif de Suffren. They carried six hundred and thirty three recruits of the Régiment of Dillon, which were to supplement the fifteen hundred men of this regiment, of which the other part was with the the Antilles. There were moreover four artillery companies. These ships followed the fleet to the orders of the Count de Grasse until the the Azores.

Corrections to be brought: Suffren did not order the small escorted convoy of the Sagittarius bringing of the reinforcements to Rochambeau! It only left Brest at the same time as of Fatty and a few hours after them. Suffren separated from the Fatty one in the vicinity of Madeira to go to the Indies with four vessels, a corvette and a frigate like some transport.

In addition the reinforcements did not belong to the regiment of Dillon, whose no man was besides with Rochambeau (souf two officers of this name who belonged to the Legion of Lauzun and not to the rt of Dillon.

The Viscount of Rochambeau sets out again on the Harmony

The frigate the Harmony , captain Saunauveron, left Brest three days after, at four o'clock in the evening, escorted by the Emerald and the Bellone_ only until beyond courses: these two frigates were to come to cross then. The Concorde took along Mr. the Vicomte of Rochambeau with dispatches for his/her father; Mr. of Barred, which came as chief squadron to replace Mr. Destouches and to take the continuation of the operations of Mr. of Ternay; Mr. D' Alphéran, captain, and an aide-de-camp of Mr. de Rochambeau. Finally it carried a million two hundred and thousand books for the task force. The Sagittarius was to bring similar sum; and, to replace the help promised as men, help that the presence of a powerful English fleet in front of Brest had prevented from leaving, the French government placed at the disposal of the general Washington a sum of six million books.

Part the March 26th of Brest, the Concorde arrived at Boston the May 6th, without another incident that the meeting of the Rover , taken the previous year by the frigate the Junon_ , whose captain was the count of Kergariou Loc-Maria. The Rover was ordered by Mr. Dourdon of Pierre-Card, and turned over in France to deliver opinion of the exit of the Bataille of Cape Henry, delivered in the Baie of Chesapeak.

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