The American Society of Le Souvenir Français Inc.
Monthly Bulletin - Vol. 1. No 7 - September 2021
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PART IV OF A SERIES:
ON THE FOOTSTEPS OF ROCHAMBEAU'S ARMY
FROM PHILADEPHIA to YORKTOWN, and
THE BATTLE OF THE CAPES
240th anniversary, September 1781-2021
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Hampton Roads Naval Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Battle of the Virginia Capes, 5 September 1782
Oil on canvas by v. Zveg, 1962, depicting the French fleet (at left), commanded by Vice Admiral the Comte de Grasse, engaging the British fleet (at right) under Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. The French successfully prevented the British fleet from entering Chesapeake Bay and relieving Major General Lord Cornwallis' army at Yorktown, Virginia. Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
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FROM MARCH TO SEPTEMBER, 1781,
THE FRENCH EXPEDITIONARY CORPS, 6,038 STRONG, MARCHED FROM NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND TO YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA
AFTER CROSSING CONNECTICUT AND JOINING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY IN NEW YORK STATE, BOTH FRENCH AND AMERICAN FORCES CROSSED NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, MARYLAND
EN ROUTE TO YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1781
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A LONG MARCH TO VICTORY and AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
IN THIS FOURTH PART OF A SERIES, WE COMMEMORATE
ENCAMPMENTS #28 TO #39 OF THE FRENCH ARMY
IN ITS RUSH TO YORKTOWN FROM PHILADELPHIA,
(SEPT 5-26 1781)
UPON THE NEWS OF THE FRENCH VICTORY OVER
THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY OFF THE VIRGINIA CAPES
SEPT 5, 1781
We wish to acknowledge and express our gratitude for the work done by the National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association Inc. (W3R) and the National Park Service (WARO), and in particular Dr. Robert A. Selig who has conducted years of research and has published countless academic papers.
Summary of last month bulletin:
Last month we documented the march from its monthlong encampment next to the Continental Army in Phillipsburgh, NY, through New Jersey to Philadelphia. By the time the combined Continental American army led by George Washington and the French Army led by Rochambeau paraded in front of the Continental Congress, it was too late for British general Clinton in New York to realize the feint and catch up with them. It was now a race to entrap General Cornwallis in Yorktown, before the latter could escape. For this to happen, the French Marine Royale had to acquire naval supremacy in the area in order to prevent any rescue from the British Royal Navy. This is the story we will tell this month, with several fascinating anecdotes: at long last, the final act of the War of Independence was in sight!
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The Duc de Lauzun's legion of hussars were very active throughout the entire campaign, protecting the flanks of the long convoys of the French Army, doing reconnaissance, ensuring liaisons, testing the British defences. |
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Marker, A Victorious Army Passed Here”, Newark, Delaware
At Pencader Museum, 2029 Sunset Lake Road, Newark DE 19702
Excerpts from historical marker:
“A Victorious Allied Army Passed Here:
1781 was a momentous year for the United States. A French Army, led by General Rochambeau, had arrived in Rhode Island in July 1780...After marching to join General Washington’s army north of New York City, the allied armies moved south toward Virginia, passing through Delaware on September 1-8. The march south was through Philadelphia to Wilmington, Christiana, Elkton and Baltimore.”
“Preceding the army by several days were units of French light cavalry from Lauzun’s Legion escorting French cartographers to map the route south and French quartermasters to purchase food for 4,000 French solders and pasturage for 1,000 horses and oxen as they passed through Delaware...Finally came the French army—equal in number to the population of Wilmington—taking two days to pass by, hour after hour of marching troops and wagons pulled by groaning oxen. ”
“Long live liberty, brotherhood, equality, justice, and peace! Vive la liberté, fraternité, égalité, justice et paix.”
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Rochambeau and his "Etat-Major" arriving at Mount Vernon, welcomed by Mrs. Washington, by John Ward Dunsmore (1856-1945), oil on canvas, 1906, Gift of George A. Zabriskie Memorial, 1936.
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George Washington entertains his French Guests at Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Alexandria VA 22309
Incredibly, while troops where marching through Delaware and Virginia, or embarking at Heald of Elk to rush to the Yorktown peninsula, George Washington invited General Rochambeau and his staff to visit Mount Vernon.
Washington had not visited his home in six years and five months! He rode ahead of his guests 60 miles each day in two days, arriving on September 9th to prepare his estate for their visit, ....A "tour de force" for someone aged 47, who was also longing to see his four grand-children...
This, however, was not just a social visit. The Allies continued their important strategy talks, as everything depended on the arrival of the French Navy into Yorktown.
On September 12th, at 5:00AM in the morning, Washington and Rochambeau and their staff rode all day and spent the night in Fredericksburg, where Washington grew up, and continued to Williamsburg where they arrived on September 14th, meeting the Marquis de Lafayette, all hurrying to entrap Cornwallis in Yorktown.
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Monument to the French Soldiers
60 College Ave. Annapolis, MD 21401
From September 18th to 21st, The French infantry embarked at Annapolis, their thirty-seventh camp since departure from Rhode Island, on vessels sent by Admiral de Grasse for Virginia. The camp was situated into today’s St John’s College campus, entrance on King George St.
The plaque on the French Monument reads:
"A Tribute of
GRATITUDE
to the brave soldiers and sailors of
FRANCE
buried here
who gave their lives in the struggle for
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.
The memory of their deeds will endure forever
1781-1783."
“This monument honors unknown French soldiers and sailors who gave their lives in the American War of Independence and were buried near here.
Dedicated by President Williams Howard Taft, April 18, 1911
"Our soldiers rest in hallowed ground in a friendly country.
To the Sons of the Revolution I beg to express the gratitude of France."
Jean Jules Jusserand, Ambassador of France
The memory of their deeds will live forever
Erected 1911 by The General Society, Sons of the Revolution.”
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Detail of the Monument to the French in Annapolis: "Here rests a sailor of France". There are hundreds of French sailors who died at sea, with no graves and no markers. The American Society of Le Souvenir Français will endeavor in the coming months to add a bronze plaque in their honor near the French Monument in Yorktown. |
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Marker, “French’s Church”
70 French Soldiers buried here...(marker can be seen to the right, by the bushes)
5195-5205 Farmville Rd, Farmville, VA 23901
The French Army's had several hospitals along its route.
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• Inscription:
“An Episcopal church, built in 1757, formerly stood one-eighth of a mile east of here. According to tradition, a detachment of Rochambeau's army wintered here after the Battle of Yorktown, and seventy French soldiers were buried in the church yard. Francis Joseph Mettauer, father of Dr. John Peter Mettauer, served in this unit as a surgeon."
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The French lend money to pay American soldiers
“The American Army was experiencing very strong unrest, due to the lack of pay. After Philadelphia, “great S[y]mptoms of discontent had Appeared on their passing through this City” wrote Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance, in his Diary. Desertions accelerated. Washington urged Morris to find a way to pay the soldiers “intreating you in the warmest Terms to send on a Month’s Pay at least, with all the Expedition possible.”
Since the American coffers were empty, Morris asked Rochambeau for a loan, which created the necessary jolt: “This day [8 September 1781],” wrote Maj. William Popham, “will be famous in the annals of History for being the first in which the Troops of the United States received one month’s Pay in Specie—all the civil and military staff are excluded. . . . I cannot even obtain my pay as Captain in the Line.” Sgt. Joseph Plum Martin of the Corps of Sappers and Miners remembered that “we each of us received a MONTH’S PAY, in specie, borrowed, as I was informed, by our French officers from the officers in the French army. This was the first that could be called money, which we had received as wages since the year ‘76, or that we ever did receive till the close of the war, or indeed, ever after, as wages.”
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GEORGE WASHINGTON GESTURES TO ROCHAMBEAU, OVERWHELMED BY JOY AT THE NEWS OF ADMIRAL DE GRASSE ARRIVAL IN CHESAPEAKE BAY.
As Rochambeau took a boat down the Delaware river from Philadelphia to Chester, he saw "a very tall American Officer on shore, waving his hat, twirling a white handkerchief over his head, and capering while bellowing something indecipherable".
"...I caught sight of of General Washington waving his hat at me with demonstrative gestures of the greatest joy"...The duke de Lauzun said "I never saw a man more thoroughly and openly delighted than was General Washington at this moment".
Another witness, Colonel de Deux-Ponts, said:" I was surprised and affected by the great and true joy which General Washington showed. Of a natural coldness and a noble approach, which so well adorns the chief of a whole nation, his feature, his whole bearing and deportment were now changed in an instant. For the moment he put aside his character as arbiter of North America and contended himself with that of a citizen happy beyond measure at the good fortune of his country."
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THE BATTLE OF THE CAPES
(LA BATAILLE DE LA CHESAPEAKE)
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While all these events took place on land, a seminal event took place at sea.
Rochambeau had devised - - back in May! - - the plan to have de Grasse sail with his 28 tall ships and more than 3,000 troops to ensure naval supremacy over the British and make sure that Cornwallis was entrapped in the Yorktown peninsula, with no possibility for the British Royal Navy to organize a rescue mission.
While it is out of the scope of this Bulletin to retrace all the intricacies of these crucial months, from the time the French Army left Newport, R.I., joined the American Continental Army outside of New York, made the feint to General Clinton in New York and bypass the city to reach Williamsburg via Philadelphia, it is important to note that this vast strategy was imagined months before, at a time when dispatches would take weeks to reach their intended recipients - - if they reached them at all!...
It is therefore important to pay tribute to the wise decisions taken by Admiral de Grasse, then stationed in the West Indies, who decided to go to the Cheasapeake bay as opposed to New York, charted a more perilous route closer to shores, while the Royal Navy pursued him in the high seas, and missed him.
Thus, on September 5th, when the British Royal Navy finally spotted the French Marine Royale, it was too late: all the regiments on board had disembarked to add to the combined French-American forces assembling around Yorktown: the régiments de Touraine, d'Agenois, de Gâtinois, d'Auxonne, de Picardie, de Brie, a "Corps Royal d'Infanterie de Marine"....and last, but not least, a considerable sum of hard cash.
It is the skilled maneuvers at sea from Admiral de Grasse that established French naval supremacy, without which no conclusive victory in the 6-year old struggle was possible.
Not only de Grasse lured the British away from the Chesapeake, thus enabling the French squadron coming from Newport under Admiral Barras to get in and disembark all the heavy artillery siege guns, Admiral de Grasse also damaged in the battle that lasted from 4:00PM to sunset enough British ships that they had to leave and repair in New York. When they finally were able to come back several weeks later, it was too late, Cornwallis had capitulated.
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“Meeting of Three Commanders”
George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau et Admiral de Grasse
A memorable dinner in honor of Washington...
Washington and Rochambeau had reached Williamsburg on the 14th ahead of their troops.
On the 17th, Washington dined on de Grasse's 104-cannon flagship Ville de Paris (pictured below) on Lynnhaven Bayon and much to the amusement of the guests, the 6'2" de Grasse kept calling the 6'4" American "mon petit general." George Washington was feted in a memorable dinner, the ship being decked with all flags and a "feu de joie" (a rifle salute fired by the sailors, each one firing in succession along the ranks to make a continuous sound) to honor the American Commander-In-Chief.
It was here that the final strategies were devised that led to the stunning Franco-American victory at Yorktown.
Admiral de Grasse never set foot on American soil, yet he ranks with Lafayette and Rochambeau as one of the main enablers of American Independence.
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The 104-cannon flagship of Admiral de Grasse, the " Ville de Paris" was o riginally laid down in 1757 as the 90-gun Impétueux, she was funded by the City of Paris and renamed Ville de Paris in 1762 as a result of the "don des vaisseaux" , Duc de Choiseul’s campaign to raise funds for the Marine Royale from the cities and provinces of France.
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Marker, "Meeting of Three Commanders"
Lynnhaven Colony Park,
3125 Shore Drive,
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Inscription:
"Admiral de Grasse, commander of a large French fleet, gained control of the Chesapeake Bay after defeating a British fleet off the Virginia Capes on 5 Sept. 1781. Gen. George Washington, commander in chief of the combined American and French armies, and the Comte de Rochambeau, commander of the French expeditionary army, met with de Grasse aboard his flagship near here on 18 Sept. The officers planned to entrap the British army at Yorktown. As Washington and Rochambeau left, sailors atop the masts of the French ships saluted them with running musket fire known as a feu de joie while the flagship fired its cannons. The siege of Yorktown began on 28 Sept. The British surrendered on 19 Oct.
Erected 2019 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources"
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Statue of Admiral
François-Joseph de Grasse
This Statue, a gift from France, was placed at the Cape Henry Historic Park in 1976. A granite memorial honor those who fought in the battle.
Cape Henry Historic Park , Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23459
The Inscription reads:
"THIS STATUE, A GIFT FROM FRANCE, IS PLACED HERE OVERLOOKING THE WATERS WHERE ADMIRAL COMTE DE GRASSE SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED THE BRITISH FLEET ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1781. THE “BATTLE OF THE CAPES” PREVENTED CRUCIAL REINFORCEMENTS FROM REACHING CORNWALLIS THUS HASTENING HIS SURRENDER.
DEDICATED IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE DECISIVE CONTRIBUTION OF ADMIRAL DE GRASSE
TO THE WINNING OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.”
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Marker, “Battle of the Capes”, Cape Henry, VA
600 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach VA 23459
(Located inside Fort Story Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, VA. Parking lot - corner of Atlantic Avenue and New Guinea Road
• Inscription below the marker:
…I wish it was in my power to express to Congress how much I feel myself indebted to the Count of deGrasse and his fleet…"
G. Washington Oct 19, 1781
"…I consider myself infinitely happy to have been of some service to the United States …reserve me a place in your memory …"
de Grasse Nov. 3, 1781”.
The complete sentence from General Washington in his report to Congress reads:
"I wish it were within my power to express to Congress how much I feel myself indebted to the Count de Grasse and the Officers of the Fleet under his Command for the distinguished Aid and Support which have been afforded by them, between whom and the Army, the most happy concurrence of Sentiments and Views have subsisted and from whom every possible Cooperation has been experienced."
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Our next Bulletin in October will cover the battle of Yorktown, which cemented American Independence, and will thus conclude our overview of the decisive intervention of France. |
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RECENT NEWS AND ACTIVITIES |
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NEWPORT, R.I.
On September 10 the two French Navy Officers of the frigate Hermione buried in 1780 at Trinity Churchyard, Newport, Rhode Island, were honored with the dedication of two historically-correct grave markers, placed next to the tomb of Admiral de Ternay, Commander of the French Fleet in the presence of Mr. Arnaud Mentré, Consul General of France in Boston.
Thank you to the National Park Service, the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association (W3R-US), the American Battlefield Trust, the American Friends of Lafayette, the Federation of French War Veterans, the Association of French Reserve Officers in the United States, the Newport Historical Society, representatives of the Bourbonnais, Soissonnais, Royal Deux-Ponts and Saintonge regiments re-enactors, the Society of Honor Guard / Tomb of Unknown Soldiers, the Washington Memorial Heritage, the Alliance Française of Newport, R.I., the Kane Wallace Foundation, and all attendees for paying such a moving tribute to the French Officers, Soldiers and Sailors who gave their lives for the Independence of the United States and the cause of Freedom.
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From Left to Right: French War Veterans Henri Dubarry and André Ferrara, Lt Col Alain Abad, Col Aymeric Tardieu de Maleissye, Alain Dupuis, president of the Federation of French War Veterans, and 2nd Vice president of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Thierry Chaunu, president, Lt, French Air Force (H) Pierre Gervois, and Yves de Ternay, treasurer of the American Society of Le Souvenir Français and descendant of the Admiral (not pictured, Alain Letort, porte-drapeau, Souvenir Français) |
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Mr. Arnaud Mentré, Consul General of France in Boston, lays a wreath between the grave markers of Cpt Pierre du Rousseau, Chevalier de Fayole and Lt. Benjamin de la Villemarais. |
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We are pleased to announce that a replica of the official Flag of the Marine Royale, under which Admiral de Ternay and his fleet served, donated by the American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc. will be permanently displayed at the entrance of the Tower Room of Trinity Church, next to the plaque offered by King Louis XVI, photo below. We are deeply grateful to Rev. Canon Timothy Watt, Rector of Trinity Church, and Charlotte Johnson, project historian, for their warm and benevolent welcome. |
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
UPCOMING CELEBRATIONS OF THE VICTORY IN YORKTOWN, OCTOBER 18-19, 2021
Monday, October 18th at 11:00AM
"Finally Rochambeau"...
At 11:00am the American Friends of Lafayette along with les Amis de Rochambeau, the NPS, and W3R will be raising the statue of Rochambeau on the Yorktown waterfront. Joining the statues of General Washington, Admiral de Grasse, and General Lafayette, Rochambeau is the final piece of this statuary hall of fame. Descendants of Rochambeau who were planning to travel had to cancel, along with other dignitaries. We plan to still be there to recognize Rochambeau's contributions towards our independence. This is a free event.
The traditional "Yorktown Victory Dinner" planned on October 18, as well as the "Yorktown Victory Parade" of October 19, have been cancelled due to Covid.
Still, private ceremonies will be held by special permission of the National Park Service, with a strictly limited attendance to 50 due to Covid:
On October 19th, to mark the 240th anniversary of the victory at Yorktown, two private ceremonies will be held:
8:30am – Commemorative Ceremony at the French Cemetery, Yorktown Battlefield, sponsored by The American Friends of Lafayette and The Friends of Rochambeau. This will be strictly limited to 50 guests as per the orders of the National Park Service, due to Covid.
9:10am – Commemorative Ceremony at the French Memorial honoring the thousands of French Officers, Soldiers and Sailors who gave their lives for the Independence of the United States. This will also be strictly limited to 50 guests as per the orders of the National Park Service, due to Covid.
As more detailed become finalized, we will alert you with a special bulletin by mid-October.
During these difficult times, we are more than ever firmly committed to fulfilling our mission, which is to honor the thousands of French Officers, Soldiers and Sailors who gave their lives to defend the cause of Freedom and are buried in the United States, as well as honoring our shared history.
We invite you to join and support these wonderful associations:
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"
Stephanie Green, of the Washington, D.C. Society Daughters of the American Revolution, shared with us a summer project that she has been working on for quite some time. It involves the making of a Lafayette silk scarf honoring the Frenchman and his Triumphal Return to the U.S. in 1824.
The design honors some of the personalities and organizations essential to Lafayette throughout his life, including George Washington, the Society of the Cincinnati, Lafayette's wife Adrienne de Noailles, and the frigate L’Hermione, which carried Lafayette from France to Boston in 1780. Some of the cities and towns visited by Lafayette during his tour as well as the corresponding dates of his visits are featured on the edges. The scarf is 40'' x 40'' and 100% silk.
We thought you might be interested in hearing about this project.
Stephanie Green kindly offered that proceeds benefit The American Friends of Lafayette and The Lafayette Trail, in particular, our Follow The Frenchmen video campaign and extensive historic marker commemorative efforts in preparation for the upcoming 2024 tour bicentennial celebrations.
Stephanie indicated that the scarf can now be ordered! Ordering will be coordinated by the American Friends of Lafayette (AFL). If you would like to order a scarf, please make a $65 check out to The American Friends of Lafayette and mail it to the following address. Be sure to include the address to which you wish to have the scarf mailed.
The American Friends of Lafayette
302 Hart Road,
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878
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The full-length portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette, the first foreign dignitary to address a Joint Meeting of the Congress in 1824, was presented to the House by French artist Ary Sheffer that year in honor of the occasion Ary Scheffer (1795 - 1858), oil portrait circa 1822, Collection of US Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. It is not simply hung, it has been anchored permanently within the wall of the House of Representatives, to the left of the Speaker of the House, facing George Washington.
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We also heartily recommend you to support the LafayetteTrail.org association, led by its president Julien Icher, who is pursuing the monumental task of erecting bronze markers everywhere the Marquis General de Lafayette went during his triumphal tour of the United Sate in 1824-1825 as "Guest of the Nation". We invite you to view the films published on YouTube "Follow the Frenchmen", the latest one being the dedication of a Lafayette marker in stunningly beautiful "Natchez, Mississipi" at: https://youtu.be/aFagU3F80dU
On October 15, 2021, there will be a dedication of a new bronze marker at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard, which Lafayette visited on October 15 & 16, 1824.
At the end of his 13-month stay, President James Madison offered Lafayette to cross the Atlantic on the then brand new US Navy frigate "Brandywine", built on that same naval shipyard, and so renamed in his honor after the Revolutionary Battle where Lafayette was wounded and shed blood for the Independence of the United States.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that it is still an active US Navy installation and due to Covid, the event will be closed to the public.
The American Society of Le Souvenir Français is proud to support the filming of this upcoming "Follow the Frenchmen" episode.
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OUR MISSIONS:
• To preserve the memory of the French soldiers, sailors and airmen who gave their lives for freedom, and who are buried in the United States.
• To honor French Citizens who did great deeds in the United States, or with a strong connection with the United States,
• To promote esteem for French military heritage in the United States,
• To strengthen the long-standing traditional bonds of friendship between the American and French peoples, and to this end: erect or maintain memorials and monuments and encourage historical research, public presentations and publications in the media.
Le Souvenir Français, a French association under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, was born in 1872 in occupied Alsace-Lorraine, and was founded in 1887 in Paris by Professor Xavier Niessen. The association has more than 300,000 members in France and in more than 45 countries.
In the United States, the American Society of Le Souvenir Français (Souvenir Français USA) has been represented since the First World War by a General Delegate, among whom were Dr Jules Pierre, MM. Bruno Kaiser, Colonel Roger Cestac, Christian Bickert, Mathieu Petitjean, and Jean Lachaud. The association is presided since November 2020 by CF(H) Thierry Chaunu (H) Lt Cdr., French Navy.
The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc. is a 501(c)3 corporation established in 1993 in NY.
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OUR PAST MONTHLY BULLETINS
August Bulletin – On the footsteps of Rochambeau (Part 3– New York/New Jersey to Philadelphia)
July Bulletin – On the footsteps of Rochambeau (Part 2 – Connecticut & New York)
June Bulletin – On the footsteps of Rochambeau (Part 1 – Connecticut)
May Bulletin honoring the WWII French aviators who died in the United States
April Bulletin celebrating the annual commemoration of “French Alliance Day” in Valley Forge, PA
March newsletter honoring two French Navy officers from Rochambeau’s army buried in Newport, RI.
February Bulletin honoring Eugene Bullard, America's first Black Fighter Pilot:
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Did you know that a portion of every purchase you make on Amazon can benefit American Society of Le Souvenir Francais Inc, at no cost to you?
Simply go to: smile.amazon.com, designate American Society of Le Souvenir Francais Inc. as your beneficiary, and shop away!
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Help us implement several historic commemorative projects celebrating the 243-year-old Franco-American friendship and alliance!
The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc. is a registered NY State non-profit corporation and has full IRS tax exempt 501(c)3 status. All donations are tax deductible.
pt 501c3 status. All donations are tax deductibl
Contact: Thierry Chaunu, Président
132 East 43rd Street #341 The Chrysler Building New York, NY 10017
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