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^^y^^^^s-mcU /3aJj:L^ . 
 
 THE JOURNAL 
 
 OP ' 
 
 V 
 
 CLAUDE BLANCHARD, 
 
 COMMISSARY OF THE FRENCH AUXILIARY ARMY SENT 
 
 TO THE UNITED STATES DURING THE 
 
 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 
 
 1 7 8 -- 1 7 8 3 . 
 ^ranslatetr from a #renci) i^anuscript, 
 
 BY WILLIAM DUAJS^E, 
 
 AND 
 
 EDITED BY THOMAS BALCII. 
 
 ALBANY, J. MUNSELL, 
 
 1876. 
 
 r 
 
 W \vu Va/ / 
 
Entered According to Act ot Congress in tliu year 187(j, 
 
 By Thomas Balch, 
 
 In the otHco of the Librarian of Congress 
 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Preparations for departure — Composition of the Squadron 
 Conveying the Au.mliary Corps — Departure from Brest — 
 Voyage — Engagement vnth an English Squadron at the 
 Bermuda Islands — Considerable JSfumher of Deaths and of 
 Sick Persons on Board — Another 3Ieeting, withovt an En- 
 gagement, with a Squadron of the Euemy near the (7iesa- 
 peake Bay — Arrival at Rhode Islan d and Landing, 1 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 Landing at Rhode Island— Threatened Attach of an English 
 Fleet — Estahlishment of the Hospitals — M. Blanchard is 
 sent to Boston — Rhode Island is placed in a State of De- 
 fense — Composition of the Army — First Intercourse of the 
 French Generals loith' General Washington — Residence at 
 Providence — Its Environs — 3Iarkets for the Army — 
 Winter Quarters of the French Forces, 41 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Arrival of General Washington at Newport — Embarkation of 
 a Body of Troops on board of the Squadron — 31 Blanch- 
 ard is^icith it — uVavcd Engagement in Chesapeake Bay — 
 The Army begins its 3Iarch to form a Junction with 
 the Americans — 31. Blanchard ^yrecedes it — He passes 
 through Providence, Waterman- T'avern, Plainfield, Wind- 
 ham, Bolton, Hartford, Farmingt on, Baron-Tavern, Break- 
 neck, JVetvtown, and Peeksk ill-Landing — Sojourn at General 
 Washington's Camp at Peekskill ^ 3Iarch of the Two 
 
IV 
 
 Armies against JS^eio YorJc — Camps of N'orthcastle and 
 Phillipsburg — Character of General de liochamheau — Th9 
 iSguadron of 31. de Grasse is announced — T/ie two Armies 
 move to siqiport it, 92 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Allied Armies cross the JVorth river aiul march toicards 
 the Chesapeake Bay — M. Bla)i chard rejoins them shortly 
 aftericards — He passesthrouyh AMilppany, Somerset, Prince- 
 ton and Bedlines' — Stops at Philadelphia and goes throngh 
 Chester, Wilmington, Prandywine, Christian Bridge and 
 Head of Elk, vhere he rejoins the Army — He Emharhs icith 
 a Detachment to Effect a Junction with the Troojts hrought 
 hy M. de Grasse'' s Squadron, which had arrired in the bay, 129 
 
 [In the original, the Table of Contents is continued no farther.] 
 
 Blanchard reaches M. de Grasse'' s Fleet and proceeds up the 
 James River to join the Forces binder La Fayette at Williams- 
 Intrg — Diffculty of pjrociiring Supplies, especicdly for the 
 Sick — The Troiches are opened against Yorktoton — He avy 
 Firing on both Sides — Two of the English Redoubts are 
 captured, one by the F'rench and tlie other by the Ameri- 
 cans — The English surrender — The French Troopjs go into 
 Winter Quarters in November — In June, 1782, they march 
 to the Northward and having p)assed through Ale.randria, 
 Baltimore, Philadelphia and Trenton, they reach their Old 
 Camping Ground, on the North River, where they rest for 
 a month and afterwards march to Boston — On, the Way, 
 Gen. Rocliamheau is Arrested for Tresjyass — In December, 
 1782, Blanchard proceeds to the West Ii dies on Board of 
 the Trio/i/j>hant ; Visits Porto Cabello and Port an 
 Prince — He returns to France, reaching Brest on the 2d 
 of July, 1783, and jyroceeds to Echarbot, wliere he meets tcith 
 his Family, after an Absence of more than three Year's, 140 
 
 Index, 202 
 
EDITOR^S PREFACE 
 
 During a sojourn of some years in Europe I occupied 
 myself in collecting books, engravings or other materials 
 for a contribution to American and French history, the 
 subject of which did not seem to me to have been tho- 
 roughly studied or fairly narrated. It was intended that 
 the work should be a careful history of the part taken by 
 the French in the American war for independence. The 
 first part of the work, giving a history of the expeditionary 
 corps under Rocharabeau, from its embarkation to its re- 
 turn, with a full narrative of the military operations in 
 which it was engaged, was published in Paris in 1872 ^ The 
 second part, containing notices of the regiments and fleets, 
 and of the officers who served in our cause, whether as volun- 
 teers, or under the orders of the French government, is 
 now ready and will sliortly appear in that city. 
 
 Most of the sources from which I derived the materials 
 for these volumes were manuscripts, several of which are 
 
 ' Paris, A. Sauton ; Philadelpliia, J. B. Lippincott. 
 
VI 
 
 enumerated in an opening chapter of the part already pub- 
 ished. ^ One of these is presented in the following pages, 
 to the students of American history. As we learn from 
 Mr. Blanchard's own preface, it is truly a Journal in 
 which were noted down almost daily such military, social 
 or political incidents as seemed to him of sufficient import- 
 ance to be recorded for the instruction of his children, or 
 for his own reminiscences in later life. 
 
 This manuscript came into nw hands tlirough the kind- 
 ness of its possessor, Mr. Maurice La Chesnais, the great 
 grandson of its author. To him I am also indebted for the 
 information which enables me to give a notice of Mr. 
 Blanchard. 
 
 Chiude Blanchard, a descendant of one of the noble 
 French families, was born at Angers the 16 May, 1742. 
 In 1762 he entered the ministry of war " under the orders 
 of one of his relatives," Mr. Dubois, the chief of the 
 bureaux in the War Department, who also held other 
 responsible positions. In 1768 Blanchard was named war- 
 commissary, and remained in Corsica for ten years with 
 this rank. He was promoted for his services, and in 1780 
 was sent as commissary-in-chief with General Rochambeau 
 
 ' Les Fraii<;.<meii Am'^riqtie, pp. 6 - 17. 
 
Vll 
 
 to America. In his Journal we have incidentally an account 
 of the duties of his office. In 1788 he was sent to Arras, 
 where he was called upon to act as commander of the 
 N"ational Guard, and was soon sent to the legislative 
 assembly as its representative together with Carnot, then 
 wholly obscure though since so well known for the part 
 which he subsequently played in the unhappy drama of 
 the French revolution. In the assembly Mr. Blanchard 
 exercised his functions unobtrusively but discreetly and so 
 far gained the favorable consideration of his fellow-legis- 
 lators, that he was the most frequent chairman of military 
 committees, making the reports on these questions, an 
 honor which was shared between him, General Lacuee and 
 Mathieu Dumas. He was deprived of his position as 
 commissary by the committee of public safety, but later, 
 after their ftill, he became chief commissary to the army 
 of the SambreandMeuse, then to tlie army of the Interior, 
 and lastly to the Hotel des Invalides, where he died in 
 1802, leaving to his family " an honorable name, and the 
 reputation of remarkable virtues and talents." Such 
 at least was the lang-uao-e in which General Berang-er an- 
 nounced his death. The first consul, on hearing of his 
 decease, expressed his regrets in warm and feeling terms.^ 
 
 ^Bevue Militaire FraiiQaise. 1869. p. 373. 
 
Vlll 
 
 Many matters of interest will be found in the following 
 pages concerning the organization and discipline of both 
 branches of the French service. The bad food, the filthy, 
 black water, the ravages of the scurv}-, the frequent deaths, 
 testify to the character of the one ; the insubordination of 
 the officers, the duels, often fatal : " a man-slayer," says 
 Blanchard, " but it was my fate to meet them every- 
 where ;" do not present an attractive picture of the other. 
 It may be inferred that Custine's violence was the sole act 
 of the kind which occurred, and let us hope that insolent 
 as de Marign^-'s answer was, yet that it was not bj' his hand 
 de Ternay lost his life, but that the unhappy commander 
 died of fever, as Mr. Blanchard was'informed he did.^ 
 
 Interesting as Mr. Blanchard's Journal is, it gives but 
 few military details. The Journal of Count de Menon- 
 ville is, on the other hand, full and minute in this respect. 
 So is the N^arrative of the Baron du Bourg, who also re- 
 counts the incidents which passed in the " military family " 
 of de Rochambeau. Du Petit Thouars tells the story of the 
 campaigns of d'Estaing and de Grasse. Prince de Broglie's 
 Relation (of which I have the translation ready for the 
 
 ' In some of the other manuscripts the brigliter side of the French cliaracter 
 is agreeably depicted. 
 
IX 
 
 press), gives sprightly and entertaining pictures of society 
 in Philadelphia, I>[ewport and Boston. ^ The Comte de 
 Pontgibaud describes his adventures whilst aid-de-carap 
 to La Fayette, and those with which he met later when he 
 and others came to America to escape the guillotine. 
 This collection of manuscripts, together with extracts of 
 documents which I found in the archives of the French war 
 and navy departments, form a full and circumstantial his- 
 tory of the French military and naval operations in 
 America whilst they were acting as our allies. 
 
 I have added a few notes to the Journal, and at first pur- 
 posed giving a historical sketch of the various regiments 
 and biographical notices of the officers taken from the manu- 
 script of a volume, as yet unpublished, which I have pre- 
 pared partly from the French archives, partly from other 
 and diversified sources of information. But it was feared 
 that such a mass of notes would make the book rather 
 heavy, and they were laid aside. Much and interesting 
 information concerning the regiments can be found in the 
 excellent works of Gen. Suzanne.^ 
 
 ' I would be much pleased to obtain a copy of the Verses in French 
 addressed by Mrs. Tudor to Marie Antoinette, of wliich the Prince de Brog- 
 lie makes mention, but which my researches have thus far failed to discover 
 
 ' Histoire, de V Ancienne Infarderie Fran^aise, par le General Suzanne, 
 Paris, 1853, 8 vols, with atlas. La Citvalerie Fran(;aise, 2 vols., Paris, 1874 
 B 
 
The choice of de Rochambeaii as the commander of the 
 auxiliary armj'-corps was due to the wise and unselfish 
 counsels of La Fayette, and it was fortunate for the cause 
 of the Americans that so skillful a stategist was selected. 
 The well known compliment addressed to him by Napoleon 
 was fully deserved, and the part which he took in the cam- 
 paign which terminated our war is a proof of its justice. 
 The appointment of de Ternay was probably due to 
 similar influences. But the fidelity with which that con- 
 scientious officer executed his orders led to unhappy results 
 for him. He sacrificed everytiiingto the successful convoy 
 and landing of the troops. Twice during the voyage he 
 refused to deliver battle with English squadrons when, as 
 subsequent events showed, he would certainly have been 
 victorious. The reproaches of his captains were bitter. 
 The stings of his own wounded pride were unbearable. 
 They produced and aggravated a fever which ended his 
 life. But the king recognized his meritorious self-abne- 
 gation, and ordered a monument to be erected to his me- 
 mory, bearing an inscription fairly and honorably earned 
 by him who slept beneath the stone. ^ Republican grati- 
 
 ' The original inscription in Latin and a translation into English, the 
 particulars of de Ternay's death, the funeral cenanouies, and the lacts con- 
 nected with the restoration of the monument, are narrated in an eloquent 
 
XI 
 
 tude allowed it to fall into decay ; but fortunately, in 
 1873, the Marquis de Noailles, then French envoy at 
 Washington, visited Newport, and with the permission of 
 his government, and at its expense, had the monument re- 
 constructed. On the motion of Senator Anthony a bill 
 was passed to repay these expenses, but the French go- 
 vernment declined the offer. The sum voted was there- 
 upon converted by congress into a fund for the future 
 preservation of the monument, and thus, though tardily, 
 has been secured the tribute due to the memory of one of 
 the many gallant Frenchmen who sacrificed their lives to 
 secure the independence of America. 
 
 Some glimpses also of American society appear in the 
 Journal : the impression produced by General Wash- 
 ington's appearance and manners. General Varnum's con- 
 versation in Latin, the hospitality of Lady Washington 
 and of Mrs. Greene, the beauty of Mrs. Temple and other 
 ladies, Madeira and toasts, the schools, the churches, the 
 psalm-singing, the ragged and unshod soldiers, the taste 
 for porcelain, the men spending whole days by their fire- 
 
 speech by Senator Anthony on introducing a bill, Dec. 16, 1873, to pay the 
 expenses of reconstructing the monument to the Chevalier de Ternay. Me- 
 mortal Addresses delivered in the United States senate by Henry B. An- 
 thony. Providence, 1875. 
 
Xll 
 
 sides and wives ; these, and many similar incidents, give us 
 quite an insiglit into the American life of that day, as it 
 presented itself to the eyes of a French gentleman, rather 
 ceremonious in his manners and rigid in his principles. 
 He more than once mentions the be'anty of the females, 
 more often their innocence and simplicity. Their descend- 
 ants have reason to be proud of them. In all the manuscripts 
 which I have in hand, written by these European soldiers 
 of divers temperaments and characters, a profound, almost 
 reverential, testimony is borne to the graceful manners, 
 the native dignity, the unsullied conduct, the moral purity 
 of the American women. 
 
 Mr. Blanchard prepared a preface to his manuscript, of 
 which a translation, due likewise to the pen of Mr. Duane, 
 who has so admirably '' rendered into English" the Jour- 
 nal itself, is herewith given. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 I was employed for three years, as chief commissary, 
 with the troops which M. de Rochambeau led to the 
 assistance of the Americans. During all that war, I wrote 
 down, almost everyday, the events which I witnessed, and 
 those which concerned myself. This journal is not in 
 very good order, and now that I have some leisure (Mes- 
 sidor of the year II of the French republic), I am about 
 to make a fair copy of it, without changing anything in 
 the style and form. If I should make any new reflections, 
 I will say so, though this information is c^uite useless, for 
 positively I am writing only for myself and with tlie view 
 of turning my leisure to some account. 
 
 Before commencing this journal, I ought to give an idea 
 of the United States of America ; besides, I find this notice 
 in my journal, and I wrote it at the time of the departure 
 of the expedition. 
 
 The country comjtrised in the United States of America 
 extends along the eastern coast of North America, from 
 latitude 46° to 30°, that is, for about three hundred and 
 ten leagues ; but it has not an equal breadth, for in many 
 
XIV 
 
 places it does not extend more than sixty leagues ; and 
 the population of this country is not in proportion to its 
 size. The inhabitants are reckoned to be about three 
 millions. The provinces, beginning with those to the 
 north, are N"ew Hampshire, Massachusetts, wherein is 
 Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsyl- 
 vania, wherein is Philadelphia, the seat of the congress, 
 Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, N"orth Carolina, South 
 Carolina, and Georgia, wherein is Savannah.^ 
 
 There are several islands forming parts of some of these 
 provinces, such as Long Island. The troops of the English 
 royalists are chiefly stationed in ISTew York; they also 
 have many places in Carolina, some troops in Georgia and 
 especially at Savannah. [This was written in the early 
 part of 1780.] 
 
 To the northward and westward of the tliirteen provinces 
 is Canada, which belonged to France, and which she ceded 
 to England by the last treaty of peace, that of 1762. South 
 of the thirteen provinces is Florida, also ceded to England 
 by Spain, which France indemnified by giving to her her 
 possessions upon the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 Besides these possessions of the English, which form a 
 bow around the thirteen states, of which Clinton's army 
 in New Jersey resembles the end of the arrow, there are 
 also some savage nations which sometimes attack and 
 
 ' The writer omits New Jersey. 
 
XV 
 
 plunder the subjects of the United States. Let us now con- 
 sider these states. Each of the thirteen provinces has its 
 own council, its own militia, and its own laws; each sends 
 a deputy to the general assembly, otherwise known as the 
 congress, which is held at Philadelphia. Over this congress, 
 a deputy from one of the provinces presides in turn. 
 
 It is the congress that directs the operations of the nation 
 which makes alliances, receives the envoys of sovereigns, 
 appoints envoysto them, corresponds with the generals, and 
 makes the laws. 
 
 It seems that each deputy brings to the congress the 
 vote of his province, and that the decisions of the congress 
 are then sent to the provinces. 
 
 How much soever the subjects of this newborn republic 
 may be attached to their government, they cannot conceal 
 from themselves that there are many of those who are 
 called tories or royalists, who, either from fear or affec- 
 tion, have an attachment for the government of England. 
 
 A very large part of the money is of paper, and, unfor- 
 tunately, it is very much discredited. 
 
 Such are the inconveniences, but they vanish when we 
 remember that, notwithstanding all obstacles, the power 
 of England has been baffled in America by the love of 
 country and of liberty, which has hitherto animated the 
 Anglo-Americans, that many English generals have been 
 successively defeated there, that Burgoyne has shamefully 
 
XVI 
 
 passed under the yoke, and that there, more than anywhere 
 else, Voltaire's verses have had their eflect, Injustice has 
 finally produced Independence. 
 
 Philadelphia was taken by General Howe, who was 
 obliged to abandon it, although supported by his brother, 
 Admiral Howe. 
 
 To be well acquainted with this country, we must study 
 the maps, endeavor to know the great rivers, the position 
 of the cities upon the banks of these rivers, from the point 
 to wliich they are navigable and as far as vessels can ascend. 
 
 It would be well to write down all these observations 
 and to begin by an epitome of the revolution ; and then 
 to proceed to other observations upon the general admin- 
 istration, that of each province in particular, the laws, the 
 courts, the police, the military forces, the productions, the 
 commerce, etc.; to become well acquainted with the 
 position of the armies, in order to omit nothing that can 
 furnish correct ideas respecting the country and this inte- 
 resting people. 
 
 It should be remembered that great prudence is required 
 in America, when it is necessary to have intercourse with 
 its inhabitants. Especially, should we avoid exhibiting 
 any air of contempt ; the people are poor and exhausted 
 by the efforts which they have made to defend their liberty. 
 The French come to assist them, they ought not to display 
 the pride of protection. 
 
JOURNAL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 Preparations for departure — Composition of the Squadron con- 
 veying the auxiliar)/ Forces — Departure from Brest — Voy- 
 age — Engagement loith an English Squadron at the Bernmda. 
 Islands — Considerahle monher of Deaths and of sick Dersojis 
 on Board — Another Meeting^ 'mthont an Engagement, toith a 
 Squadron of the Enemy near the Chesapeake Bay — Arrival 
 at Rhode Island and Landing. 
 
 The Count De Rochambeau, lieutenant general of 
 the army, having been appointed to command a body 
 of troops, intended to be embarked, without anyone's 
 knowing positively whither t\\Qy were to proceed, 
 caused me to be employed to serve with these troops 
 as commissary. In consequence, I proceeded to Brest 
 on the 20th of March, 1780. 
 
 M. de Tarle, directing commissary, discharging the 
 functions of intendant to this body of troops, did not 
 arrive there until eight or ten days afterwards ; he 
 brought me a commission as chief commissary. Find- 
 ing myself alone at Brest, I worked with the generals 
 of the land and sea forces in embarking all the goods 
 1 
 
and supplies needed for the troops after their landing. 
 The navy, being unable to furnish a sufficient number 
 of transports, they were obliged to leave in France the 
 regiments of Neustrie and Anhalt, which were, origi- 
 nally, intended to be embarked, as also two or three 
 hundred men of Lauzun's legion. Onlj^five thousand 
 men were embarked, namely, the regiments of Bour- 
 bonnais, Soissonnais, Saintonge, Royal Deux-Ponts, 
 about five hundred artillerists and six hundred men of 
 Lauzun's les;ion, three hundred of whom were intended 
 to form a troop of horse ; these troops, their effects, 
 the artillery and other objects necessary for an army, 
 were embarked in from twenty-five to thirty transports 
 or store-ships ; they were escorted hy seven ships of 
 war and two frigates, namely : 
 
 SJdjys. Gvns. Commanders. 
 
 The Duke of Burgundy, The Chevalier de Ternay, 
 
 doubly sheathed with chief of the squadron, 
 
 copper,^ 80 
 The ISTeptune, doubly 
 
 sheathed with copper, 74 Destouches, 
 
 The Conqueraiit, 74 La Grandiere, 
 
 The Provence, 64 Lombard, 
 
 ' Vessels of this class were rare at that day, and were noted 
 for rapid sailing. The admiral hoisted his flag on board of 
 this ship, and General Rochambeau was a passenger, with some 
 of his staff. 
 
Ships. Guns. Commanders. 
 
 The Eveille, doubly sheathed 
 
 with copper, 64 de Tilly, 
 
 The Jazon, 64 de Clochetterie, 
 
 The Ardent, 64 The Chevalier de Ma- 
 
 rigny. 
 Frigates. 
 
 The Surveillante, Sillart, 
 
 The Amazone, La Perouse,^ 
 
 The Guepe, a cutter, The Chevalier de Mau^eirtx.^^ 
 
 a^ S/cnuL J/u-/^ . 
 
 The Fantasque, an old vessel, was ai'mod on f/utc 
 and was intended to serve as a hospital ; the treasure, 
 the heavy artillery and many passengers were em- 
 barked upon it. 
 
 All the general officers lay on board on the 14tli of 
 April. I was there also and embarked upon the Con- 
 querant. On the first night I lay in the gun room 
 with thirty or forty persons. The next day they pre- 
 pared a little lodging place for me in the great cabin ; 
 that is where they eat. I lay there in a hammock, 
 in the English fashion, over a cannon. I can write 
 there, sitting on a portmanteau, and I have light 
 through a port-hole. 
 
 The convoy started and anchored at Bertheaunie, 
 which is likewise in the roadstead, but three leagues 
 
 1 The celebrated navigator. 
 
from Brest. On the 16 th we were unmoored and 
 ready to-follow ; but the wind having changed to the 
 west, we could not raise the anchors : these west 
 winds, which were contrary to us, also lasted for some 
 days. I availed myself of it to go frequently on shore 
 to finish some business which I had been compelled to 
 leave unfinished. Altogether, I was not useless at 
 this embarkation, owing to my activity and concilia- 
 tory disposition. At last, on the 2d of May, the wind 
 changed to the north and we started immmediately. 
 We passed, as did all the convoy, between the Island 
 of the Saints and the Beak of Ratz ; this passage is 
 narrow and even dangerous, it is said, but, I believe, 
 not so for good sailors ; we went through without ac- 
 cident. This route took us away from the entrance 
 of the channel and from every undesirable meeting;^ 
 we made about twenty leagues that day. We would 
 have made more if the convoy had not obliged us to 
 bring to two or three times : we could not lose sight 
 of them, which often compelled us to wait. The next 
 day, the 3d, we continued our course, by the help of 
 the same north wind, but it was light ; we had almost 
 a dead calm at noon and were only thirty-two leagues 
 from Brest. One of the frio-ates chased two small ves- 
 
 ' The Englisli fleet under Graves was watching for them. 
 
sels. The ships of war and the transports proceeded 
 in order ; on the 4th, we met a Danish ship coming 
 from Naples and going to Hamburg ; we obliged it to 
 follow us for twenty-four hours. We continued to 
 sail in this manner in the Gulf of Gascony until the 
 9th, on which day the wind became directly contrary, 
 it came from the west ; we might then be thirty 
 leagues from Cape Ortegal. At four o'clock in the 
 afternoon the wind became violent, it was a real 
 tempest ; we were at the Cape and we remained there 
 during the whole of the 10th. It is a very painful 
 situation for persons who suffer from sea-sickness. I 
 suffered then, and greatly, although I had already 
 sailed upon the Mediterranean, going to and returning 
 from Corsica, a voyage which I have often made. I 
 remained in bed during the whole of the lOtli and did 
 not recover until the 14th. On this day the wind 
 grew calm and we left the gulf fifteen leagues to the 
 north west of Cape Finisterre. One of our ships, the 
 Provence, lost her fore top owing to this bad weather ; 
 the captain wished to leave the squadron, but some 
 carpenters were sent on board of her and the damage 
 was quickly repaired. On the 15th, Mons. de Ternay 
 sent back a frigate which did not form a part of our 
 squadron ; she was to carry news of us and to put into 
 port in Spain. I was informed of it late, yet I hastily 
 
wrote a word to my wife and to Mons. Coussard. 
 This day and the next, the wind was north and pretty 
 fresh; we made seven knots an hour, which makes 
 two leagues and a third ; yet we had only one or two 
 sails hoisted, on account of the convoy, which would 
 not have been able to follow us, and among which 
 there were some laggards. Thus, we lay by every day 
 to give them time to rally. I was now wonderfully 
 well and I profited by it to write the preceding details. 
 Hereafter, I have written every day as will be seen. 
 
 May l^th. The winds continue northwardly, and 
 although they are not so strong as on the 16th and 
 17th (on those days we made forty-six leagues^ in 
 twenty-four hours) we could not be anything else than 
 very well satisfied with the progress which we are 
 making. We were then in the latitude of Cape Vin- 
 cent, at the distance of about a hundred leagues. 
 Whilst the weather is fine, I am about to write some 
 details respecting the vessel in which I am embarked. 
 At our departure it drew 22 feet of water at the bow, 
 and 19 at the stern ; height of the main mast 104 
 feet; main yard, 95 ; foresail mast 95 feet; mizzen 
 mast, 74 ; bowsprit, 62. Here are tne names of the 
 naval and military officers, with whom I am embarked. 
 
 1 Marine leagues. 
 
La Grandiere, captain, 
 
 Chirfontaine, ditto, second in command, 
 
 Nupuy, first lieutenant. 
 
 Blessing, ditto (a Swedish officer). 
 
 Ensigns. La Jonquieres, Kergu, Maccartlij, Duparc 
 de Bellegarde, Buissj. 
 
 Naval Guards. Li vet, Legritz, Lourmel. 
 
 Auxiliary Officers. Cordier, Deshayes, Marassin, Gu- 
 zence ; we left one of them, M. Gautier, sick at Brest. 
 
 We also had the captain's son, but he was not yet a 
 marine officer. 
 
 Officers of Infantry, a detachment upon the vessel, 
 drawn from the regiment of La Sarre ; Laubanie, 
 captain ; La Mothe, lieutenant ; Loyas, sub-lieutenant. 
 
 Passengers. The Baron de Yiomenil, major general ; 
 Count de Custine, brigadier and colonel of the regiment 
 of Saintonge. 
 
 The Grenadier company of the said regiment, of 
 which these were the officers : De Vouves, captain ; 
 De James, ditto, in the second class; Champetier, 
 lieutenant ; Josselin, lieutenant in the second class ; 
 Denis, sub-lieutenant; Fanit, second sub-lieutenant. 
 
 Menonville, lieutenant colonel, attached to the staff 
 of the army. 
 
 De Chabannes and De Pange, aides de camp of M. 
 de Yiomenil. 
 
8 
 
 Brizoii, a cavalry officer, discharging the functions 
 of secretary to the said general. 
 
 We also had a surgeon and a chaplain, making part 
 of the staff of the vessel. Including the domestics and 
 the passengers, there are 960 persons on board, with 
 provisions for six months. Up to this day, the 19th, 
 there are no sick on board except several sailors, al- 
 ready attacked by the scurvy at the time of our de- 
 parture from Brest. However, we have lost an old 
 sailor. 
 
 On the 20th, we had the same wind ; to-day a man 
 died on board. I remark that we ought not to be 
 surprised that the winds were always from the north 
 or north east. These winds are constant in these 
 parts and are what are called the trade winds. Ad- 
 vantage is taken of them to go to St. Domingo ; 
 another route is followed, for returning. 
 
 On the 21st, the same wind, and pretty strong ; we 
 made 25 leagues in 24 hours. At noon, on the said 
 day, we being in 35° 19' of latitude, and 20° 19' of 
 longitude, I ascended to the mizzen-top. I was not 
 lashed there, as is usually done ; I gave six livres to 
 the top-men ; the first sailors are thus called, those 
 who commonly remain in the tops. To ascend the 
 tops whilst under sail, at about forty years of age, 
 when one is not accustomed to it, is not bad. 
 
9 
 
 On the same day the admiral having signaled to go 
 on board to receive some orders, I accompanied the 
 officer who was sent. M. de Tarl6, our commissary, 
 who had embarked thereon, confirmed me in the be- 
 lief that we were going to New England and that we 
 would land at Rhode Island. I had always thought 
 that such was our destination, inasmuch as we had 
 embarked goods suitable for the savages, and which zT 
 must be given to them in the intercourse that we might 
 have vfith them. They dwell on the frontiers, as is 
 known. I also learnt that a vessel which they had 
 met some days before had mentioned that a Spanish 
 heet had set out on the 20th of April from Cadiz, but 
 that its destination was unknown. 
 
 On the 22d, the same wind, north and north east. 
 We were on the o4th degree of latitude, forty leagues 
 from Madeira, the weather was pretty cloudy this day 
 and, in general, it has always been so since we left 
 Cape Finisterre 5 we do not experience great heat. 
 This cloudy weather caused me violent head-aches, 
 especially at night, but I experience the same on land. 
 Otherwise, my health was good. 
 
 My servant, Bourdais, has been sick for some days 
 with a violent cold and an intermittent fever. 
 
 At this period, our real destination was unknown 
 on board, and many persons supposed that we were 
 2 
 
10 
 
 going to Jamaica. They believed it the rather be- 
 cause, for reasons which I shall explain hereafter, we 
 bore much towards the south, and were following 
 the route which is taken to go to Jamaica or Saint 
 Domingo. 
 
 The 25th, Corpus Christi day. The latitude, 35°. 
 We continued to make from 25 to 30 leagues a day, 
 the convoy preventing our doing more : every day we 
 lay to. 
 
 The Me of France, a store-ship, or, at least, a large 
 transport ship, which had a part of the regiment of 
 Bourbonnais on board, and wherein my brother-in-law 
 was the Chevalier de Coriolis, a lieutenant in this regi- 
 ment, had taken in tow the Baron d' Arras, another 
 transport ship. On the same day, a vessel armed as 
 a man of war and laden with merchandise, called the 
 Lutin, which had followed us up to this day, left us 
 to proceed to Cayenne. 
 
 I remark that on the 24th the admiral had slightly 
 altered his course and borne more towards the west ; 
 nevertheless the reasoners considered that we were 
 still going too far towards the south. 
 
 For some days past we have seen in the wake of 
 the vessel, a great number of fishes which they said 
 were bormites ; the crew took one of them weighing 
 four pounds ; this fish tastes like the tunny-fish, but 
 
11 
 
 it seemed to me not so good and drier. In the Medi- 
 terranean they are called polomine. 
 
 Sunday the 27th at noon we were in latitude 29° 
 55' and had made 30 leagues in our 24 hours. Our 
 politicians are still in a state of uncertainty, seeing us 
 go so much to the south, and there are some who pre- 
 tend that we are going to Porto Rico to take some 
 Spaniards. Notwithstanding all my presumptions for 
 believing that we were going to North America, I 
 myself will soon no longer know what to think of it. 
 
 On the 28th, at noon, the admiral signaled the point 
 of the compass and to bear towards the west ; then 
 all doubts were dispelled, and we saw plainly that we 
 were going to New England. I made a bet, this day, 
 that we would see the coast on the 26th of June, and 
 persisted in asserting that we would land upon Rhode 
 Island. 
 
 We were in the latitude of 28° and as high up as 
 the Azores at the moment when the point of the com- 
 pass was signaled. 
 
 It appears that this route, so much to the south, 
 had been directed by the court in order to avoid the 
 English : it is the same which M. d'Estaing followed 
 in 1778, and which we verified by the diary of M. de 
 Bellegarde, an ensign on board of our vessel, who had 
 been in M. d'Estaing's squadron. We bore towards 
 
12 
 
 the west, exactly in the same latitude as he. Some 
 sailors pretend that the northern route is preferable ; 
 it is much shorter ; yet Admiral Byron, who followed 
 it when he was running after M. d'Estaing, was greatly 
 delayed therein and arrived after the French admiral. 
 After all, this route enabled us to avoid the English, 
 whom we must especially avoid on account of the 
 convoy. 
 
 The 29th. According to the pilot's report, we have 
 made 36 leagues, and it seems that we continue to go 
 along well ; for the wind is fresh and directly from 
 the east, which gives us a wind in our stern, as we 
 proceed westwardly. We have few sick persons ; my 
 servant is better. As to myself, at the moment when 
 I am writing, I am perfectly well and without any 
 indisposition, not the least head ache; I cannot say 
 as much concerning the preceding days, having been 
 tormented by it almost continually. Without doubt 
 these head aches proceed from the stomach, owing to 
 the bad food on board.^ Tea has been very beneficial 
 
 1 Let me be pardoned for recurring so often to mj^ health ; it 
 proves that when one is on board shi}), he has little diversion 
 and concerns himself much about himself. I ought also to say 
 that I had scarcely recovered from illness when I went to sea. 
 This sickness, which I had neglected, I had contracted at Mor- 
 tain, whither 1 Avas called, during the autumn of 1779, to put in 
 order the hospitals of that city, crow^ded with 2000 patients, 
 
13 
 
 to me in these head aches, especially if a little citron 
 was put therein. I write these details for my children 
 and friends, who may be obliged to go to sea. At sea, 
 if one suffers, he is disgusted, disheartened and curses 
 the sea, but these moments pass away and one loves 
 it. I perceived that I should become accustomed to 
 it and that this service would even have been attract- 
 ive to me. Whilst I am writing, I feel happy ; it is 
 true that we have reason to be satisfied with all the 
 officers, excepting the captain, who is ill-humored, de- 
 vout, illiberal, selfish, communing every Sunday, 
 without being more humane towards the sailors and 
 the sick, in short announcing a Molinist religion. 
 On the 31st,^ we discovered at noon that we had 
 
 in'oceeding from the squadron of M. Voirilliers, which had re- 
 turned to Brest a short time before. These patients, attacked 
 by dysentery and putrid fever were massed in five hospitals, 
 hastily established ; T there lost a large part of the nurses and 
 many surgeons and aiH)thecaries. The only tM'o physicians who 
 were charged with the care of these five hosi^itals, contracted 
 serious diseases there, of which they nearly died. As I did not 
 spare myself on this occasion, I suffered from this i)estilence for 
 a long time, the rather as I took no j^reventive. I may say that 
 the labors which I then underwent were not ignored, and that 
 I procured myself some honor. [An interesting note and a sad 
 picture of the old French military administration, and Avhicb 
 does not seem to have improved in these latter days.] 
 
 ' I do not find any remark upon the 30th, and 1 suspect that 
 some mistake as to the date has crept into my journal since the 
 26th and 2'7th when 1 Avas sick ; there is also a date erased. 
 
14 
 
 made 41 leagues ; I observe that it is always at noon 
 that the pilot marks the point where we are upon the 
 chart, and that he gives the longitude and the latitude 
 to the captain of the vessel, since it is at noon that he 
 ascertains the last and takes the altitude ; it is at 
 noon also that a report is made of the progress that 
 has been made since noon on the day before : there- 
 fore when I say that we have gone 20 or 30 leagues it 
 is always since noon on the preceding day. 
 
 June. This day, the first of June, we saw much sea- 
 weed [goemon] ; we began to see it at the 30th degree 
 of latitude, and this continues as far as the tropics. 
 The grape of the tropics is also called goemon. 
 
 The goemon is a grass which is detached from the 
 submarine rocks and from the Canary islands; it has 
 small grains shaped like grapes ; the sea is entirely 
 covered with it. 
 
 On the 2d, we sent on board the admiral's ship : 
 there it was openly said that we were about to land at 
 Newport in the island of Rhode Island. At noon, I 
 desired to take the altitude myself. I was struck by 
 seeing the sun directly over our heads ; I had not paid 
 attention to it up to that moment. 
 
 On the 3d, the wind being light, we made only 18 
 leagues. This day, the captains of the ships of the 
 line were ordered to go on board of the admiral's ship, 
 
15 
 
 who probably gave them some instructions concerning 
 making land. 
 
 On the 4th, little wind still, we made only 17 
 leagues. A negro sailor died on boaid of our ship. ^/" 
 We then had about sixty sick persons in the Conquer- 
 ant. The other vessels had much fewer, but it must 
 be observed that the Conquerant had been fitted out for 
 a long time, that it had left Brest on the 22d of Feb- 
 ruary with M. de Guichen, but that having sustained 
 damage it Avas compelled to return : the whole crew 
 was composed of men, both sailors and soldiers, who 
 had been at sea for a long time. The other vessels 
 had just been fitted out at the time of our departure, and 
 the crews were men who, for the most part, had ar- 
 rived from their own homes. We also had on board 
 about 150 persons more than the usual number on a 
 vessel of our size, which occasioned crowding and was 
 injurious to the wholesomeness of the air. Besides it ^ , . 
 seems to me that little attention was paid to the health y\ 
 
 of the crew and that the sick were neglected. "^ 
 
 On the 5th, we made only 5 leagues; we took a 
 gold fish, a fish which has beautiful colors and is 
 very good to eat. 
 
 On the 6th, we chased five vessels in the morning, 
 but we could not discover what they were ; as they 
 would have drawn us too much out of our course if we 
 
16 
 
 had continued to follow them much longer, the admi- 
 ral caused the chase to cease. It seems to me that it 
 would, nevertheless, have been interesting to ascertain 
 what they were in order to obtain news ; besides, they 
 might have been English vessels coming from India, 
 and that would have been a good prize : that was their 
 course for returning to Europe, for they usually follow 
 that latitude to reach the Azores. We were then in 
 the latitude of 27° 31' and the longitude of 43° 39'. 
 The admiral signaled a change of course or point of 
 the compass and we ran west a quarter north west 
 and, consequently, we were to proceed no farther south. 
 
 On the 7th, the heat was powerful, the sky clear 
 and cloudless. 
 
 On the 8th, the admiral signaled a change of the 
 point of the compass and bore due west. 
 
 On the 9th, the wind is cool. We lost three men, 
 two of whom were soldiers ; one died the evening be- 
 fore ; eight in all since our departure. 
 
 On the 11th, M. de Viomenil and M. de Custine re- 
 ceived the order of battle, or instructions respecting 
 our landing and some other details concerning our ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 On the 12th, at 6 o'clock in the morning, our frigates 
 which had been ordered the night before to chase a 
 little vessel, brought it with them ; it was English 
 
17 
 
 and laden with codfish ; it was coming from Halifax 
 and was bound to St. Eustacia. It told us that a ves- 
 sel of Arbuthnot's squadron, called the Defiance, had 
 been lost on the coast of New England, that the Robust, 
 a ship of war of the same squadron, had also been 
 greatly damaged and compelled to return to Halifax ; 
 it also informed us that M. de Guichen arrived at 
 Martinico on the 29th of March, and that Rodney had 
 not yet appeared there on the 6th of April. We also 
 learnt that the English were still busy in Carolina, but 
 that Charleston was not taken. The admiral caused 
 the codfish and the herrings with which this little 
 vessel was laden to be divided among the ships of 
 war of the squadron, and, after having pillaged and 
 unrigged it, we abandoned it. This day we made 30 
 leagues. 
 
 On the 13th, the admiral slightly changed his course 
 and bore more towards the west. Without doubt, he 
 was unwilling to go near the Bermudas, where gales 
 of wind are always encountered, and where we might 
 also meet with some English ships, which it was essen- 
 tial to avoid, having a convoy and assistance so im- 
 portant to convey to the Americans. 
 
 The 14th, remarkably cool ; the admiral caused the 
 squadron to advance, for some time, in order of battle, 
 that is to say, in a single line ; we usually proceeded 
 3 
 
 y 
 
in two, and even in three, the,^^*6^ forming one line. 
 The remainder of the convoy kept to the windward of 
 the squadron. To-day I saw a ilying-fish. They 
 had been seen for some days past ; these fishes are 
 one or two feet long; they rather leap than fly, and it 
 is their fins that support them. That which I saw 
 kept himself between wind and water ; he passed over 
 about five or six fathoms, A soldier of the regiment 
 of La Sarre died on board. 
 
 On the 16th, w^e calculated that we were only two 
 hundred leagues from St. Domingo, where we would 
 have been already if that had been our destination. 
 The heat was powerful, we were 4° from the tropic and 
 were approaching the moment when the sun turns 
 (June 21st) ; consequently, it was almost perpendicu- 
 lar over our heads. So far, our voyage is agreeable, 
 hardly any heavy sea, a good wind, no accident and 
 few annoyances. Our ship was the onl}^ one suffering 
 from sickness. To-day another man died. 
 
 On the 18th, we found ourselves in the longitude of 
 the Bermudas ; it is this high up that the trade winds 
 cease and that variable winds are found. At 9 o'clock 
 a vessel was signaled, at 10 o'clock it was joined by 
 our frigates, which it waited for, supposing that it was 
 an English squadron that it perceived. This vessel, 
 which was an English brig, had fourteen four-pounders 
 
19 
 
 and some swivels ; it had left Charleston at the be- 
 ginning of the month and was going to Barbadoes to 
 transport five officers who were rejoining their regi- 
 ments, and to carry some dispatches of the British 
 minister ; it had only a crew of thirty men ; they gave 
 us four sailors on board of the Conquerant. We learnt 
 from this vessel that the city of Charleston had sur- 
 rendered to the English on the 4th of May, and that 
 the siege began on the 1st of April, These news 
 made us desire more than ever to reach Newport or 
 some other point which the Americans should point 
 out to us. They also told us of an engagement be- 
 tween Rodney and M. de Guichen, but in a confused 
 manner, and without telling us of the result. 
 
 On the 19th, we sent ten sick persons on board of 
 the Fantasque ; we had already sent as many to it 
 some days before. This vessel was intended to serve 
 as a hospital, although having several passengers on 
 board. 
 
 On the 20th, we had made 34 leagues. At noon 
 the admiral signaled to steer to the north-west ; we 
 were then in 30° 24' of latitude and 69° 20' of longitude. 
 At half after one sails were signaled, which we caused 
 to be reconnoitered by the Neptune and the Eveille, our 
 best sailers. These sails bore down upon us ; we did 
 not delay in approaching them. At 4 o'clock the 
 
20 
 
 Neptune signaled that it was a hostile squadron ; it 
 was then very near one of the vessels of this squadron 
 and we supposed that it was about to commence the 
 engagement, which we would have supported, seeing 
 that we followed the Neptune pretty closely. Every 
 one on board of us was at his post, and the beating to 
 quarters had been ordered and executed. Then the 
 admiral gave the signal for forming in line of battle, 
 and we ran upon the same tack as the enemy, who 
 were then bearing to the south-west. It required 
 some time to form in line, because the vessels had 
 chased without regard to order, and each of them had 
 to regain its post. It was said that the admiral ought 
 to have formed the line without regard to rank. How- 
 ever that may be, we then perceived very distinctly 
 five ships of war and a frigate : three seemed to us to 
 be of 74 guns. At five o'clock the chaplain gave us 
 the benediction ; I visited all the posts with the Baron 
 Viomenil ; everywhere we witnessed the greatest 
 gaiety and the best behavior. The English were to 
 the windward, and our convoy, well collected, were to 
 the leeward of us. One of the enemy's vessels seemed 
 to wish to throw itself alongside of our convoj' ; it 
 was the first of the English line ; we supposed it to 
 be cut off by the Neptune, which was also at the head 
 of our line. But the admiral, who wished to preserve 
 
21 
 
 his line and cover his convoy, ordered it to slacken 
 sail, which was done. The Englishman then tried to 
 rejoin his squadron. It was six o'clock in the evening, 
 we then displayed the French tiag, the English hoisted 
 that of their nation ; and immediately the Neptune 
 and the English ship, which was in advance of its line, 
 began to cannonade each other, and in succession all 
 our ships fired. The English vessel, against which 
 the Neptune had fought, manoeuvred very well and re- 
 turned to take the tail of its line ; it was exposed to 
 all the fire of ours, whilst replying. We fought a 
 little too far from each other. The English, who were 
 to the windward, might have come nearer, but they 
 did not seem to care about it. Nevertheless we saw 
 very distinctly some of our shot reach the English 
 vessels ; our ships for their part also received some. 
 As to our ship, it did not appear to have received a 
 single ball ; the English fired too high, for we heard 
 the balls passing over our heads. This cannonade 
 lasted about a quarter of an hour. During this time, 
 I was before the mast with M. de Viomenil ; we also 
 proceeded back of the mast near the captain, and once 
 or twice I ascended the quarter deck bunk to under- 
 stand the manoeuvres better. The admiral, after this 
 first cannonade, gave the signal to take by counter- 
 marching, desiring by that means to get near the 
 enemy : as we formed the rear guard and as we were 
 
22 
 
 the last to perform this movement, we greatly enjoyed 
 the sight of this manoeuvre, which is very handsome 
 and which was very well executed. The English 
 made no move in opposition to it and then showed that 
 they were unwilling to prolong this engagement ; it 
 was seven o'clock in the evening. Our ships again 
 fired some broadsides, especially at the vessel of the 
 rear guard, which had already been exposed to the 
 whole fire of our line. It replied on its part and did 
 not cease firing. As to us, it appeared to us too dis- 
 tant, and we despised firing upon it to no purpose. 
 The sun was about to set and the English withdrew. 
 It was too late to follow them ; besides it would have 
 been useless, they seemed to be good sailers and we 
 had bad sailers. Besides, the convoy, of which it 
 would have been imprudent to lose sight, would ne- 
 cessarily have delayed us. During the whole time the 
 wind had been southwardly, it was a little cool, the 
 sea was fine and everything was favorable for joining 
 battle or being a spectator of it. This was not such 
 as it might be ; but it might become murderous. We 
 had the beginning of it. It is then that one may 
 judge of the behavior of a person in it. They were 
 satisfied with mine, and I was satisfied with it 
 myself. In general every one conducted himself 
 well, and the captain set us the example of it. I 
 
23 
 
 have not given a handsome portrait of him ; but we 
 pardon his defects on a day of battle, then he exhi- 
 bited much activity and great composure. I am 
 writing to-day, the 21st of June, the details of this 
 encounter according to the impression made upon me, 
 and such as I have beheld it ; and I believe that M. de 
 Ternay could not have behaved otherwise than he did, 
 as well on account of the convoy as with respect to 
 the little daylight which was left when the English 
 retired. Notwithstanding, from that very day I have 
 heard him blamed by some naval officers and other 
 persons, sufficiently enlightened : first, for having 
 formed his line according to the order of battle ; se- 
 condly, for having signaled the Neptune to slacken 
 sail at the moment when it was about to cut off the 
 English ship with which it was engaged, and which 
 would have been undoubtedly captured, as they al- 
 lege ; or else the English would have desired to assist 
 it, which would have brought on the engagement, 
 which must have been to our advantage, since we had 
 two more vessels, were better armed and had captains 
 of ships truly distinguished for their courage, such as M. 
 de la Clochetterie and M. de Marigny. I shall not 
 undertake to decide this question ; moreover, I shall 
 return to this cannonade and shall insert in my journal 
 the details which will be drawn up respecting it by some 
 
24 
 
 man in the service, contenting myself in these first 
 moments with mentioning in ray own way what I 
 have seen and what I think. The English having 
 disappeared, we proceeded in a bow and quarter line, 
 steering to the north-west. On the evening of the en- 
 gagement, whilst conversing with the Ardent, by means 
 of a speaking-trumpet we learnt that the Neptune had 
 had two men killed and five or six wounded. 
 
 On the 21st, at noon, we found that we had made 
 21 leagues, notwithstanding the time which we had 
 lost owing to this encounter ; we saw the English no 
 more, but we captured a small vessel belonging to that 
 nation, laden with sailors going from Savannah to 
 Jamaica. That day we lost two men, a soldier and a 
 negro servant. All the sick whom we had shut up 
 during the fight in the holds, had suffered greatly, 
 many had come up on the deck and had taken their 
 posts. This soldier who died had asked the favor of 
 being allowed to serve. This day the admiral caused 
 the captain to come on board of his vessel ; we learnt 
 that the Duke of Burgundy had had two men killed 
 and five or six wounded, and in the whole squadron 
 they summed up 21 men killed or wounded. It was 
 suspected on board of the Duke of Burgundy that it 
 was Admiral Arbuthnot whom we had met, and that 
 he was proceeding to Jamaica; that was also our 
 
26 
 
 opinion, which agreed with that of the English offi- 
 cers who were prisoners in our ships. 
 
 On the 22d, 22 leagues. In the evening we had a 
 dead calm. I took advantage of it to go on board of 
 the Arde)d, to see my comrade, M. de Villemanzy, who 
 was on board of it, and M. Demars, the manager of 
 the hospitals. It seemed to me that they greatly re- 
 gretted there that we had not come nearer to the 
 enemy. M. de Marigny, without explaining himself 
 too much, seemed to regret it more than any one else ; 
 an answer of his to the admiral was quoted, which 
 deserves to be related ; the latter asked him with 
 what English admiral he believed that they had been 
 engaged. M. de Marigny replied : " We have lost the 
 opportunity of finding it out." To-day, several sails 
 were perceived from the tops of the masts; six of 
 them were counted, which were presumed to be the 
 ships which we had fought. 
 
 On the 23d, in the morning, the calm ended : the 
 wind was from the west and we may have made 14 
 leagues by noon. We went on a direct course towards 
 Rhode Island, from which we were distant 160 leagues. 
 The nearest land might be distant 110 leagues. Some 
 vessels were perceived which were chased to no pur- 
 pose. The Oaepe entered into this pursuit so far that 
 4 
 
26 
 
 we lost sight of her ; she did not rejoin the squadron 
 until very late at night. 
 
 On the 24th, 15 leagues; in the evening, we again 
 had almost a dead calm. M. de ViomeniVs brother, who 
 was on board of the Neptune, came aboard of our ship. 
 According to what he said to us, it did not appear that 
 they were as much dissatisfied aboard of the Neptune 
 with M. de Tern ay's conduct as upon the other ships. 
 They only thought on board of this ship that he might, 
 without inconvenience, have permitted it to chase 
 the enemy's ship which it was pursuing, and which it 
 had attacked, as I have related ; it was a ship of 64 
 guns. They had lost only one man by sickness on 
 board of the Neptune, and they had not the scurvy 
 there ; we have already seen that we were not in so 
 good a condition, very far from it. 
 
 Note added, on copying this journal : 
 
 If I have spoken of this combat at great length, it 
 is because it interests me much and also because we 
 are incessantly speaking of it among ourselves. On a 
 vessel, the least event occupies the mind, and espe- 
 cially those of this sort. To-day when I am cool, I 
 judge without passion and with more experience : I 
 will therefore confess that I have defended M. de 
 Ternay too much. It is certain that his chief object 
 being to carry assistance to the Americans, he ought 
 
27 
 
 not to risk an engagement so lightly, nor rashly to 
 expose the generals of the land forces and the troops 
 which are on board of the ships of war ; but on this 
 occasion he had so decided a superiority that he was 
 really wrong in causing the Neptune to slacken sail or 
 in forming his line in such a way as caused him to 
 lose much time. 
 
 Besides, we have since learnt that the five vessels 
 were commanded by Commodore Cornwallis, who was 
 returning to Europe with them after having escorted 
 a convoy, which was returning to Europe, as high up 
 as the Bermudas. The account that he has given of 
 this engagement is not entirely correct. It is to be 
 found in the Gazette of Utrecht of October 27th, 1780, 
 and the Courier of Europeoi i\\Q 13th of the same month. 
 He states that only three men were killed and five 
 wounded in his squadron, which seems impossible, cne 
 of his ships having been twice exposed to the fire of 
 our whole squadron. Our ships, which received the 
 fire of only a single English vessel, had many more. 
 
 Here is the list of this English squadron over which 
 we had a great superiority of force. 
 
 The Bristol, 50 guns ; The Sultan, 74 ; The Lion, 
 64 ; on board of which was the commodore. The 
 Hector, 74, and the Ruby, 64. (This is the one that 
 was engaged). He also had one frigate. 
 
28 
 
 The 25th, 15 leagues. 
 
 The 26th, 16 leagues. A soldier of the regiment of 
 La Sarre, who had the scurvy, died on board. 
 
 The 27th, 27 leagues. In the evening, the wind 
 became violent and changeable ; there was thunder 
 and the admiral made us lie to ; we remained there 
 all night. The sea was rough. We lost a sailor. 
 
 On the 28th, at 10 o'clock, the sea became calmer. 
 At noon, we had made 13 leagues. We were then in 
 latitude 35° 45' and in longitude 74° 24'. The general 
 signaled a course to the west-north-west, which led us 
 towards Chesapeake bay. We again lost a man. On 
 the 30th, another. 
 
 On the first of July the wind was from the north- 
 east. According to the pilot's observations, we were 
 in the latitude of Chesapeake bay and we had run 
 less to the north than we had supposed, which proves 
 that there are currents. We saw plainly that we had 
 been deceived in the calculation of our longitudes, for, 
 according to those which the pilot had given us, we 
 ought to be in Chesapeake bay, and it seems that we 
 were still far from it ; for not only were we unable to 
 see the land, but on sounding we found no bottom. 
 Another soldier who had the scurvy died. 
 
 On the 2d of July, 15 leagues ; we still bore towards 
 Chesapeake bay. In the evening we were becalmed. 
 
29 
 
 On the 3d, the wind rose. They again sounded 
 without finding bottom ; we were all very impatient 
 to see land ; our voyage was beginning to be long, and 
 we had a great number of sick persons on board. The 
 scurvy was seizing the whole crew, and even the com- 
 pany of Grenadiers of Saintonge. We were the more 
 impatient to arrive as, according to all the observations 
 of the pilot of the squadron on the longitudes, we 
 ought to have arrived already. However, these mis- 
 takes in longitudes are common, and there is no sure 
 method of rectifying them ; well-regulated chronome- 
 ters may give some pretty nearly, but this method 
 has not been sufficiently tried. 
 
 Besides, the watches which were on board of the 
 Duke of Burgundy had not been well regulated on our 
 departure. I observe also that a squadron which 
 often lies to, which increases or slackens sail at every 
 moment, is more likelv to be deceived in the reckoning; 
 of its longitudes than a vessel which goes alone and 
 uniformly ; it may also be that our charts are not 
 exact, and that New England is improperly put down 
 upon them. 
 
 On the 4th, a sailor died ; we lost one of them the 
 night before. I learnt it from the surgeon-major with 
 whom I was intimately acquainted ; for otherwise 
 these events would not be known in the round house 
 
30 
 
 where we remain, nor even upon deck. A dead man 
 is thrown into the sea through a port-hole, and no one 
 sees it except the persons entrusted with the care of 
 the sick, who are kept in the lowest parts of the ship. 
 On the same day the pilot gave us only 27 leagues. At 
 one o'clock we paid out as nlucli as eight knots, which 
 makes three leagues, less one-third. A small vessel 
 was discovered which our frigates chased. It dis- 
 charged its guns two or three times, but after a chase 
 of two hours it surrendered. Whilst the Amazone 
 was lashing it, the Surveillante signaled that it had 
 found bottom at 22 fathoms, which has occasioned 
 great joy and gave us hope of seeing land to-day. I 
 am writing this a moment afterwards. The Conquer- 
 ant has also just sounded ; it found 25 fathoms. The 
 admiral has made us lie to. We learnt from the Ama- 
 zone, on board of which we sent, that the prize which 
 we have just taken was coming from New York and 
 was going to Charleston ; it was a merchantman laden 
 with wine ; it confirmed us in the opinion that we 
 were only eight or nine leagues from shore and from the 
 entrance of Chesapeake bay. At half after four, we 
 resumed our course, and at six o'clock we could not be 
 more than five or six leagues from land. The admi- 
 ral having perceived some sails in front of us and in 
 the direction of the land, which was not in sight, p-nd 
 
31 
 
 believing that they were large vessels, he gave the 
 signal to clear the decks for action and then to tack 
 about, so that we went away from the land. It was 
 suspected that the vessels which we saw were those 
 which Admiral Graves was bringing from Europe, and 
 among which were some with three decks. We ex- 
 pected to be pursued and attacked during the night ; 
 but at daybreak we saw only two vessels which seemed 
 to be frigates ; one of them bore the English flag ; our 
 admiral chased them with two frigates. It was about 
 six o'clock when this chase began ; at ten o'clock the 
 admiral ordered it to be discontinued, as he perceived 
 that the vessels in pursuit were not gaining upon the 
 enemy's vessels. This was unfortunate ; for besides 
 that they might have afforded us some useful informa- 
 tion, such a prize would have delighted us; we had to 
 regret removing from the land, only five or six leagues 
 distant, in order to go now in search of it at a greater 
 distance. At three o'clock we lay to in order to col- 
 lect the convoy, which was scattered. The admiral 
 restored order. We learnt by the return of the officer 
 of our ship that the two vessels which had been chased 
 had been mingled with us during the night and had 
 even discharged their cannons twice at the Duke of 
 Burgundy and the Neptune ; it was fortunate that 
 they had not fastened upon the convoy; they might 
 
32 
 
 have captured some vessel or at least have damaged 
 it. According to appearances, their design was to 
 have themselves chased and to entice one or two of 
 our vessels into the midst of the English squadron, 
 which, doubtless, was not so strong as had been sup- 
 posed, since it did not pursue us. The officers of our 
 frigates say that they were gaining upon the English 
 vessels, one of which was of 26 guns and the other 
 only a corvette of 18 ; they offered in proof that one 
 of these frigates had itself admitted that we had the 
 advantage over it, since it had thrown its boat and its 
 spare maintop mast into the sea, in order to lighten it. 
 The admiral continued his course towards Rhode Is- 
 land ; yet he said that circumstances might induce 
 him to proceed to Boston ; he also declared that he 
 had never intended to enter Chesapeake bay, except 
 to procure water and to land his sick ; that it had al- 
 ways been his intention to land the army at Newport 
 or Boston. This assertion of his was disbelieved by 
 many ; and he was blamed for having tacked about on 
 the evening of the 4th, when he perceived some ves- 
 sels ; we ought to have gone near to ascertain pre- 
 cisely their number and strength. Not more than 
 eight had ever been counted, among which there had, 
 perhaps, been some frigates. If it was too late on that 
 day, the 4th, when these sails were perceived, we might 
 
33 
 
 have lain to, after coming as near as possible, and have 
 rejoined them at daybreak. These reflections did not 
 escape the crews, thus they were dissatisfied and lost 
 confidence in their leader ; it ^vas, therefore, greatly 
 to be desired that they should land speedily and not 
 meet the enemy's squadron, and the rather as we had 
 two hundred and fifty sick. 
 
 Note. It is certain that M. de Ternay manoeuvred 
 very badly on this occasion. I have heard this as- 
 serted by M. de Cappellis, a very well-informed naval 
 officer, who was attached to the admiral on board of 
 the Duke of Burgundy. He manoeuvred so much the 
 worse, as we have learnt that these vessels were only 
 a convoy, escorted by only two or three ships of war, 
 and that the frigates which mixed themselves among 
 us had been sent to take up our time and to draw us 
 away. They risked them to save the convoy. However, 
 it has been more to our advantage that we landed in 
 Rhode Island instead of Chesapeake bay ; it is cooler ; 
 the air there is much more healthful ; the army and 
 the squadron recovered there much better and more 
 rapidly. 
 
 On the 6th, at noon, we had made 24 leagues ; we 
 were in the latitude of 38° and longitude of 75° ; the 
 wind was favorable, the sea calm. We saw many 
 5 
 
34 
 
 sharks and porpoises or blowers ; some were more 
 than 25 feet long. 
 
 On the 7th, 25 leagues. We lost a man. It is sup- 
 posed that we are not more than 50 leagues from 
 Newport. The captains of the ships were summoned. 
 I accompanied M. de la Grandiere and learnt that we 
 were positively to proceed to Newport and not to Bos- 
 ton. It had been foggy all day, in the evening it be- 
 came very thick and the ships could not see each other ; 
 therefore, that they might not run foul of each other, 
 cannons and muskets were fired from time to time ; 
 this fog lasted all night. 
 
 On the 8th, in the morning, the fog cleared off, but 
 we had calms, so that at noon we had made only 12 
 leagues. Again we lost a sailor. In the afternoon, 
 the fog reappeared, we did not perceive a single ves- 
 sel. This fog lasted all night and was accompanied 
 by thunder. These fogs are very frequent in these 
 seas and as far as the banks of Newfoundland ; it also 
 happens that a troubled sea is found there without 
 there being any wind ; this proceeds from the banks 
 of sand ; as we approach them that is produced which 
 is called the accords of a bank, and the sea is always 
 rough. 
 
 At this period and for about a month past, notwith- 
 standing the bad food, especially the bad water, and 
 
the scurvy, by which we were surrounded, I was very 
 well ; in s23eakingof the water, I will say that although 
 it was black and unpleasant to the sight, it had not a 
 bad taste ; we had drunk some of it which had been 
 on board for six months. 
 
 On the 9th, in the morning, one of our frigates 
 sounded and found bottom at forty fathoms. 
 
 The fog became thicker than it had yet been. At 
 half after 11, being about three leagues from Block 
 island, a little island situated four leagues from 
 Rhode island, the admiral by eight discharges of 
 cannon, gave a signal for anchoring, which was done. 
 The wind was cool and the fog very thick ; yet this 
 manoeuvre was very successful and without accident. 
 I am writing this a moment afterwards, about noon. 
 It is very desirable that the fog should cease and that 
 we should at least be able to land. The condition of 
 our sick is worse, and a battle loould not he more mur- 
 derous than a longer stay at sea. We are in a very 
 critical moment. Shall we meet the English before land- 
 ing, and will they have a superior force ? At any rate, it 
 is to their interest to attack us. Therefore the gene- 
 ral opinion is that we shall not land without firing a 
 gun, and perhaps at the moment when we least expect 
 it. An English squadron may be near us without our 
 knowing it on account of the fog. How shall we be re- 
 
36 
 
 ceived hy the Americans ? Have they not made their 
 peace ? or, at least, have not the EngHsh seized the 
 ground to which we expect to proceed ? These are 
 the questions which we ask each other. I have, there- 
 fore, reason to say that we are in a critical and truly 
 interesting situation ; and it is to be regretted that we 
 have not met with any American vessel ; it is still 
 more surprising that they have not sent any one to 
 meet us. 
 
 At half after one, the fog began to disperse ; then 
 the admiral signaled to raise the anchor and to set 
 sail. We found ourselves very near him and con- 
 versed with M. de Rochambeau ; he invited M. de 
 Viomenil to go and talk with him. He did so and, on 
 his return, told us that M. de Ternay's intention was 
 to go as near to the land as possible and then, if we 
 did not meet with the enemy, to land M. de Rocham- 
 beau and his staff; that, for this purpose, he would go 
 on board of a frigate and, as soon as he has gone, a 
 signal will be made on board of the Due de Bourgogne 
 for M. de Viomenil's going to it with me, that he may 
 take command of the troops which are not landed, and 
 that I may receive his orders respecting the business 
 of my department ; M. de Tarle, the directing commis- 
 sary, is to accompany M. de Rochambeau. At half past 
 three on the same day we set sail. A minute after- 
 
37 
 
 wards one of the merchantmen which we had captured 
 signaled the land. At four o'clock, it was discovered 
 from the masts of our vessel ; at five o'clock, we all saw 
 it very distinctly : After a voyage of 69 days, this 
 was a great joy ; our sick people came out of their 
 beds, and this sight seemed to restore them to health. 
 I am writing in the first moment of excitement ; one 
 should have been at sea, in the midst of the sick and 
 dying, to feel it thoroughly. What adds to our satis- 
 faction is that we do not discover a sail, and that, ac- 
 cording to appearance, we shall land without hindrance, 
 which is greatly to be desired, I repeat it, for there are 
 many sick, not only on our vessel but upon all those 
 of the squadron and of the convoy. On the same day 
 at about eight o'clock, the admiral made us anchor ; 
 we were three leagues from the land ; what we saw was 
 Martha's Vineyard, a little island lying to the north 
 and twelve leagues from Rhode island. We again lost 
 two sailors. 
 
 On the 10th, at four o'clock in the morning, the ad- 
 miral caused us to set sail ; towards noon, some pilots 
 reached us from the neighboring islands. The one 
 whom we had on board told us that the Americans 
 were still masters of Rhode Island and that he did 
 not believe that the English had a greater force than 
 ours in these seas. This man was from the island of 
 
Martha's Vineyard ; he had come of his own accord to 
 offer us his services ; he was a good man and displayed 
 intelligence. He was neither a royalist nor insurgent, 
 but a friend to everybody, as he told us with much 
 simplicity. At ten o'clock in the evening, we an- 
 chored. Another sailor died. 
 
 On the 11th, at four o'clock in the morning, we raised 
 the anchor. At seven o'clock, during foggy weather, a 
 vessel of the convoy gave a signal of danger ; it was 
 very near the land ; before long, we perceived it our- 
 selves. The admiral made us anchor, the rather as the 
 fog was growing thicker ; but it soon dispersed at eight 
 o'clock ; we saw the land very distinctly, which was 
 on one side. Point Judith, from which we were only a 
 league distant, and on the other, Rhode island. We 
 distinguished the shore of Point Judith perfectly well ; 
 it appeared pleasant to us. But what we saw with 
 great satisfaction was a French flag placed upon each 
 of the two shores which were in front of us. This 
 signal, doubtless agreed upon with M. de La Fayette, 
 who had preceded our squadron, informed us that the 
 English were not masters of Rhode island, and that 
 we would be well received there. M. de Rochambeau 
 and the officers of his staff repaired on board of the 
 Amazone, which immediately set sail for Newport, 
 where he arrived before noon. For my part, I went 
 
39 
 
 with M. de Viomenil on board of the Due de Bour- 
 gogne, as had been agreed upon. 
 
 In the meanwhile, the vessels of the convoy raised 
 their anchors and also proceeded to Newport. The wind 
 was light, but having risen at four o'clock, M. de Ternay 
 caused the ships of war to set sail ; the sea was calm 
 and everything favored our progress so that we reached 
 Newport about seven o'clock. The ships anchored pretty 
 near each other a quarter of a league from the city. 
 M. de La Touche, a naval lieutenant, the commander 
 of the frigate Hermione, who had left Rochefort a 
 month before us, to announce our arrival and to con- 
 duct M. de La Fayette as well as M. de Corny, came on 
 board of the Due de Burgogne and confirmed what we 
 had already learnt from our pilots, that he had had an 
 engagement a short time before with an English frigate 
 of equal force, an engagement which had been nearly 
 equal on both sides, and in which he had 10 men 
 killed and 37 wounded ; he himself had received a 
 ball in his arm. The Englishman had lost more men, 
 but had been less damaged in the rigging. 
 
 Note. When M. de La Fayette set out for America, 
 it was a question whether a commissary should be 
 given to him, in order to prepare what would be ne- 
 cessary for our troops. They cast their eyes upon me ; 
 but I w^as at Nantes, and although it was proposed to 
 
40 
 
 send a courier to me, they calculated that I would not 
 have twenty-four hours to prepare for my departure. 
 M. de Corny was then appointed, who did not belong 
 to the expedition, and who happened to be at Ver- 
 sailles ; it occasioned great expense and was not of 
 much assistance. I will speak of it again. 
 
41 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 LcDidlng at Rhode Island — Threatened Attack of an Jincflish 
 Fleet — Estahlhhment of the Hospitals — M. Blanchard is 
 sent to Boston — Rhode Island is placed in a State of De- 
 fense — Composition of the Army — First Intercourse of the 
 F'ench Generals iiu.fh General Washington — Residence at 
 Providence — Its Environs — Markets for the Army — 
 Winter Quarters of the French Forces. 
 
 (From July 12th, 1780 to March 27th, 1781.) 
 
 On the Vlt\\ of July, L780, the day after our arrival, 
 the troops had not yet landed ; there was even an 
 express prohibition against landing, and I did not ob- 
 tain permission until four o'clock in the afternoon. I, 
 therefore, placed my foot upon the earth at Newport. 
 This city is small, but handsome ; the streets are 
 straight and the houses, although mostly of wood, of 
 agreeable shape. In the evening there was an illu- 
 mination. I entered the house of an inhabitant, who 
 received me very well ; I took tea there, which was 
 served by a young lady. 
 
 On the loth, I was at Papisquash on the main 
 land, twenty leagues from Newport, to examine an 
 6 
 
42 
 
 establishment which M. de Corny had arranged for 
 our sick. I stopped at Bristol, a village not far from 
 Papisquash, and looked for an inn where I might dine ; 
 but I found nothing there but coffee and badly-raised 
 bread ; we were obliged to have it toasted to be able 
 to eat it. I was with M. Demars, the steward of the 
 hospitals, and M. Corte, the first physician. We were 
 obliged to pay 12 livres for the passage of a ferry-boat : 
 they asked 30 of us : we found on our way some pretty 
 houses ; but the country is generally barren in the 
 part which we traversed ; there are few trees and they 
 are not very hardy. From this day, the 13th, our 
 troops began to disembark. 
 
 On the 14th and 15th the tioops finished landing 
 and encamping about half a league from Newport. 
 We sent some of the sick to Papisquash, and, at the 
 same time, put some of them in an establishment 
 hastily formed at Newport, On the 15th, the fri- 
 gate Hermione, which M. de Ternay sent to cruise 
 from the instant of our arrival, to go in search of 
 the Isle of France, one of our transports which 
 had become separated from us during the fogs of 
 which 1 have spoken, returned without having found 
 it. This transport was conveying 350 men of the 
 regiment of Bourbonnois, some military stores, and 
 many effects belonging to the general officers ; we 
 
43 
 
 were all very uneasy, aiicl I more than any one 
 else : my brother-in-law, the Chevalier de Coriolis, 
 an officer of the regiment of Bourbonnois, was' on 
 board of it.^ Nevertheless, we hoped that this ves- 
 sel might reach Boston, and we impatiently waited 
 for news of it. 
 
 On the 16th, we sent a great number of the sick to 
 Papisquash. For this purpose, I was in the harbor on 
 board of several vessels. On the same day I went to 
 occupy a lodging that was furnished in a very pretty 
 house ; previously, I had lodged with M. de Tarle ; I 
 also continued to live with him. 
 
 On the 17th, in the morning, I chanced to enter a 
 school. The master seemed to me a very worthy 
 man ; he was teaching some children of both sexes ; 
 all were neatly clad ; the room in which the school 
 was kept was also very clean. I saw the writing of 
 these children, it appeared to me to be handsome, 
 among others, that of a young girl 9 or 10 years old, 
 very pretty and very modest and such as I would like 
 my own daughter to be, when she is as old ; she was 
 called Abigail Earl, as I perceived upon her copy-book, 
 on which her name was written. I wrote it myself, add- 
 ing to it " very pretty."^ This school had really in- 
 
 ' Batistaine de Coriolis. 
 
 - These two words are in English in the original. 
 
44 
 
 terested me, and the master had not the air of a mis- 
 sionarj^ but the tone of the father of a family. 
 
 On the 18th, I visited, in company with M. de 
 Rochambeau, an Anabaptist temple,^ where we esta- 
 blished a hospital. 
 
 On the 19th, I was at Papisquash, where there were 
 aU^eady 280 sick persons ; but they were far from being 
 provided with everything that was necessary for them ; 
 fortunately, they were in a pretty good air. Papis- 
 quash forms a kind of landscape surrounded by trees. 
 The commonest are acacias, pear-trees and cherry- 
 trees ; the ground is sown with flax and maize, with 
 a little barley and rye. Besides, our sick who had 
 the scurvy began to recover ; vegetables were furnished 
 them and the physician allowed them to eat cherries. 
 We lived on good terms with the inhabitants of this 
 neighborhood. They are affable, well clad, very 
 cleanly and all tall. The women enjoy the same ad- 
 vantages, have fair skins and are generally pretty. 
 They all have oxen and cows, at least as iiandsome as 
 those of our Poitou ; their cows are not stabled and 
 pass the night in the fields ; they give much milk. 
 
 On the 20th I returned to Newport ; I there learnt 
 that the Isle of France had put into port at Boston, 
 
 Protestant churches are called temples in France. 
 
45 
 
 which was very good news for me, as for everyone 
 else. 
 
 On the 21st, after having dined with the Baron de 
 Viomenil, as we were at the quarters of General de 
 Rochambeau, who was holding a council, we were in- 
 formed that several vessels were perceived steering for 
 Newport ; it was four o'clock ; he immediately mounted 
 his horse and caused several batteries to be established 
 upon the shore. M. de Ternay, for his part, made 
 some arrangements. The vessels that were discovered 
 were lying to at nightfall. I also mounted on horse- 
 back and saw them very plainly ; I counted nineteen 
 of them. 
 
 On the 22d, the same vessels still appeared, they 
 cruised all day ; it was not likely that they would at- 
 tempt to enter Newport. M. de Rochambeau, with 
 whom I dined that day, said publicly that he wished 
 that the English would attempt it. At this dinner 
 were several Americans, all good patriots, and also an 
 English officer, who was a prisoner. They addressed 
 some sharp words to each other ; which proves how 
 earnest both parties were. 
 
 On the 23d, we still saw the English ; there were 
 eleven large vessels, the rest were frigates or trans- 
 ports. M. de Rochambeau came to hear mass at the 
 hospital and to visit the sick ; we had 400 of them at 
 
46 
 
 Newport and 280 at Papisquash ; the detachment of 
 the regiment of Bourbon nois, which had landed at 
 Boston, also had a hundred of them, so that we had 
 about 800 sick out of a body of troops amounting to 
 5000 men ; for I speak only of the sick among the land 
 forces. The navy had its own in its own hospitals. 
 The royal regiment of Deux- Fonts had 300 of them ; it 
 appears that the Germans feel the heat more and are 
 more subject to the scurvy than the French. All 
 these maladies had begun to manifest themselves when 
 we were in the latitude of 27°. There is reason to be- 
 lieve that we shall save many of them ; the air of 
 Rhode Island is good ; it is hot there, but only in the 
 middle of the day ; for the mornings and evenings are 
 cool without being damp. I have not been able to as- 
 certain positively the degree of heat, not having a 
 thermometer. At present, the temperature seems to 
 me to be the same as that of the island of Corsica, 24° 
 on an average. 
 
 On the 24th, the detachment of the regiment of 
 Bourbonnois, which had landed at Boston, arrived at 
 Newport. I saw my brother-in-law, to whom I gave 
 a dinner the next day. 
 
 On the 25th, it was decided that I should go to Bos- 
 ton to introduce a little order into the hospital which 
 had been hastily established there to receive the sick 
 
47 
 
 who had been landed from the Isle of France. In the 
 evening the Count de Rocliambeau sent me some 
 letters to carry to the captain of a French vessel which 
 was at Boston, and which was expected to sail imme- 
 diately. The general sent for me again and pretty 
 late, since I had gone to bed. I went to him ; he 
 asked me to start on horseback the next day, as early 
 as possible (I was to go in a coach with M. de Capellis, 
 a naval officer) and he gave me some letters for the 
 Boston committee, to persuade them to order the pro- 
 vincial troops under their command to repair to New- 
 port as quickly as possible. In fact, he had just been 
 informed by General Washington that the English 
 intended to attack us at Rhode Island. M. de Rocli- 
 ambeau told me what to add on my own account, in 
 order to supplement what he had not been able to say 
 in the dispatch, in order to make them feel the need 
 of this assistance. 
 
 On the 2Gth, at five o'clock in the morning, I 
 mounted my horse, accompanied by a dragoon in the 
 American service, a Saxon who had come to America 
 with the Hessian troops in the pay of England. He 
 spoke English, with which I was as yet unacquainted, 
 but fortunately Latin also and very well, so that we 
 were able to converse ; it is the first time that Latin 
 has been of use to me in this way. I explained my 
 
48 
 
 ideas in Latin to this dragoon, and, by translating 
 them into English, he served as my interpreter with 
 the people of the country. At noon, we were at 
 Providence, a city of the same importance as Newport 
 and more commercial ; it has good anchorage and a 
 very convenient port, suitable for trade. I got down 
 at the house of some French merchants, to which 
 one of their clerks whom I met on the road conducted 
 me, and I dined with them. M, Lyon, one of these 
 merchants, whose main house was at Boston, gave me 
 a letter to his partner, M. Adolph, who had remained 
 there. My horse being tired, they procured me a 
 small carriage drawn by a horse which I drove myself. 
 I set out at five o'clock, still accompanied by my dra- 
 goon ; at eleven o'clock in the evening we were only 
 five leagues from Boston ; but we were obliged to lie 
 at an inn. On the road and when night had arrived, 
 as we were passing through a wood, I gave free course 
 to my thoughts. I was 1500 leagues from my own 
 country, accompanied by a man who had come him- 
 self a still greater distance ; a strange destiny placed 
 us beside each other for a moment. 
 
 On the 27th, I set out for Boston and arrived there 
 at nine o'clock. I got down at M. Adolph's, who re- 
 ceived me very well and offered me a room which I 
 accepted. I had myself taken immediately to the 
 
49 
 
 house of Mr, Bowdoin,^ the president of the Boston 
 committee, to whom I handed M. de Rochambeau's 
 letter and another which had been entrusted to me by 
 M. de Corny, who was acquainted with him and had 
 been very intimate with him when he was in Boston. 
 I had a Frenchman with me, as an interpreter, called 
 the Chevalier de Luz, who called himself an officer. 
 Mr. Bowdoin caused the committee to be assembled, 
 agreeably to the general's letter ; and in the evening 
 he sent me an answer which I immediately forwarded 
 to M. de Rochambeau ; it was favorable and orders 
 had been given for the militia to repair immediately 
 to Rhode Island. On the 28th, I saw Mr. Bowdoin 
 again, in company with M. de Capellis, who had ar- 
 rived. He invited us to come in the evening to take 
 tea at his house. We went there ; the t^a was served 
 by his daughter, Mrs. Temple, a beautiful woman, 
 whose Imsband was a tory, that is to say opposed to 
 the revolution ; he had even left America and gone to 
 England. Mr. Bowdoin has a very handsome house ; 
 he is a wealthy man and respected in his country ; he 
 is descended from a French refugee and his name pro- 
 claims it. He received us politely and had a very 
 noble bearing. I ought not to forget that he told me 
 that I resembled Franklin when he was young. On 
 
 ' Spelt Beaiidoiu in the original. 
 
 7 
 
50 
 
 the same day we went to Mr. Hancock's, but he was 
 sick and we were not able to see him. This Mr. Han- 
 cock^ is one of the authors of the revolution, as also is 
 the doctor with whom we breakfasted on the 29th : he 
 is a minister who seemed to me to be a man of intelli- 
 gence, eloquent and enthusiastic. ~ He has much in- 
 fluence over the inhabitants of Boston who are devout 
 and Presbyterians, imbued, generally, with the principles 
 of Cromwell's partisans, from whom they are descended. 
 Therefore, they are more attached to independence 
 than any other class of people in America; and it was 
 they who began the revolution. 
 
 During my stay in Boston, I dined at the house of 
 a young American lady, where M. de Capellis lodged. 
 At Newport we had seen her sister and her brother-in- 
 law, Mr. Carter, an Anglo-American, who had come 
 to supply provisions to our army. It is a great contrast 
 to our manners to see a young lady (she was twenty, 
 at the most) lodging and entertaining a young man. 
 I shall certainly have occasion to explain tjie causes 
 of this singularity. 
 
 The city of Boston seemed to me as large as Orleans, 
 not so broad, perhaps, but longer. It is, likewise, well- 
 built and displays an indescribable cleanliness which 
 
 ' vS})elt Ancouke in tlie originul. 
 - The Rev. Dr. Cooper. 
 
51 
 
 is pleasing ; most of the houses are of wood ; some are 
 of stone and brick. The people seemed to be in easy cir- 
 cumstances. Nevertheless the shops were poorly stocked 
 with goods, and everything was very dear, which re- 
 sulted from the war. Their bookstores had hardly 
 anything but prayer-books ; an English and French 
 dictionary cost me eight louis d'or. I saw on the signs 
 of two shops the name of Blanchard, written like my 
 own, one Caleb Blanchard, the other, John. 
 
 In general, we were very well received by the Bos- 
 tonians, we exhibited much interest in them and made 
 them understand how much the king felt for them ; 
 we mentioned a speech of his to them, on this sub- 
 ject ; he said to the Count of Koch.ambeau who was 
 taking leave of him that he recommended the Ame- 
 ricans to him, adding, "These are my real allies;" 
 which, doubtless, meant that it was Louis XVI himself 
 who had made a treaty of alliance with them, whilst 
 the treaties with other allies dated from previous reigns. 
 Ought I to mention that M. de Volnais, the consul of 
 France, having taken me in his coach along with M. 
 de Capellis, overturned us at the corner of a sloping 
 street ? It was a very high and open carriage, a kind 
 of whisky, so that we were thrown upon the pavement 
 and to a considerable distance. Fortunately we were 
 not in the least hurt, excepting the consul, who fell 
 
52' 
 
 upon a wound which he had received a short time 
 before, whilst fighting a duel with another Frenchman ; 
 for he was a manslayer, my fate being to meet them 
 everywhere. This one was a good fellow, but not very 
 well adapted for the post which he filled. 
 
 M. de Capellis and I left Boston on the oOth and 
 slept at Providence, which is distant 45 miles, that is 
 to say, about fifteen leagues. The road is pleasant, 
 we passed through some woods, where there are some 
 pretty handsome oaks. They appeared to me to be 
 of a different species from ours ; their leaf is larger and 
 the bark is not so smooth. We find also some pretty 
 handsome villages, and, as it was Sunday, we continu- 
 ally met people who were going to the temple or re- 
 turning from it, most of them in light carriages, drawn 
 by a single horse. There are few inhabitants in this 
 part of the country who do not own one, for, without 
 being rich, they are in easy circumstances. They 
 cultivate the earth themselves, with the help of some 
 negroes ; but these estates belong to them and they 
 are owners. We also met some provincial soldiers, 
 who, in obedience to the orders that the Boston com- 
 mittee had sent to them, were repairing in crowds to 
 Newport, where, in less than three days, there would 
 have been more than four thousand of them, if there 
 had not been a countermand, upon the information 
 which we received that we would not be attacked. 
 
53 
 
 On the 31st, we started for Newport, where we ar- 
 rived on the same day. There were ten good leagues 
 and a ferry sometimes difficult to cross. We found 
 that they were at work over the whole island in restor- 
 ing the old redoubts made by the English and in making 
 new ones. At this work the American militia were 
 employed, a part of whom had been retained ; our 
 troops worked on them, for their part, so that they 
 were in a condition to give a warm reception to the 
 English, who had committed a great fault in not at- 
 tacking us as soon as they appeared ; then, whatever M. 
 de Rochambeau said, who, nevertheless, did very well 
 to appear secure, they might have done us much mis- 
 chief; nothing was ready, few of the cannon were as 
 yet in battery, our soldiers were sick or tired and almost 
 all of the sailors on shore. But, in fifteen days, they 
 had had time to recover and to make good arranoe- 
 ments as well for our vessels as for the land forces. 
 
 I have been very busy during the first days of Au- 
 gust ; moreover, I do not perceive any observations that 
 appear to me to be worth mentioning, until this day, 
 August the 13th. Since the 1st, we have remained 
 very quiet in our island of Rhode Island. The Eno-- 
 lish ships have appeared and disappeared ; it has been 
 said by turns that they would attack us and that they 
 would not attack us ; the two admirals, French and 
 
54 
 
 English, have sent flags of truce to each other. Be- 
 sides, we have continued to put the island in- a con- 
 dition of defense, with the assistance of some American 
 troops. To-day, the 13th, there was a council of ad- 
 ministration at M. de Rochambeau's, composed of the 
 general officers and the commissaries. I had a very 
 lively scene with the steward^ respecting a purchase of 
 meat which we have passed for the hospitals, which 
 he had at first rejected, although he has made one 
 subsequently for the whole army at a much higher 
 price than that for the hospital. Our dispute arose 
 from his having asserted that either M. Demars or I 
 had reported that he had refused to accept an advan- 
 tageous bargain, and that this was injurious to his re- 
 putation. I repeated it in every particular and 
 answered him with a coohiess and vigor of which I 
 did not believe myself capable. • The Messrs. de 
 Viomenil, who are friendly to me, consider that I was 
 not gentle enough towards the steward. M. de Ro- 
 chambeau said nothing to me about it, but I perceived 
 that he disapproved of my conduct. The next day I 
 went to Papisquash with M. de Beville, quarter-mas- 
 ter general of the army. I saw M. de Tarle before 
 my departure ; we spoke to each other coolly, but with- 
 out any explanations. On my return, I was at the 
 
 1 M. de Tarle. 
 
55 
 
 quarters of M. de Rochambeau, who behaved to me as 
 usual. But the Baron de Vionienil insisted on recon- 
 ciling me with the steward ; he had the kindness to 
 take me to his house : [we embraced and all was said ;^] 
 but I am afraid that this scene will be repeated, the 
 said gentleman having ways of doing business utterly 
 opposed to mine. He is cold, methodical, hard to 
 please in matters of business and not very enlightened : 
 besides he is haughty and certainly has a cold heart.^ 
 
 On Thursday the 17th, I went to Providence with 
 M. Demars. I have already spoken of this city which 
 I prefer to Newport ; it seems more lively, more ad- 
 dicted to commerce, more sujaplies are to be found there. 
 We there established a very considerable hospital in a 
 very handsome house, formerly occupied as a college. 
 
 On the 18th, after having attended to this establish- 
 ment, I paid some visits in the city, first to Mr. Var- 
 num : he had been made the commander-in-chief of 
 
 ^(Apparently by a later hand.) Tliey embraced easily in 
 those days. This fashion has passed away. 
 
 ~ All that was tnie, and the steward, in this instance, was cer- 
 tainly the first in the wrong ; biit on my ])art, I was too warm ; 
 I ought, either by great moderation or by some jests, to have 
 put the laughers on my side, whereas my warmth was blamed. 
 I have often reproached myself for this scene, and I reproach 
 myself for it still more strongly to day (2d year of the republic). 
 It certainly excited prejudice against me. 
 
56 
 
 the militia of the country and had been styled gene- 
 ral. I then went to Mr. Hancock's whom I have 
 already mentioned ; he has come to Providence on 
 account of business ; I was very well received by them. 
 
 On the 19th, General Varnum took me two miles 
 from the city to a sort of garden where difierent per- 
 sons had met and were playing nine-pins ; they made 
 us drink punch and tea. The place was pleasant and 
 rural, and this little jaunt gave me pleasure. I was 
 beginning to speak some English words and was able 
 to converse. Besides, General Varnum spoke Latin. 
 On the 20th, I dined at the house of the said general 
 with his wife and his sister-in-law ; after dinner some 
 young ladies came who seemed well disposed to con- 
 verse and to become acquainted with us. They were 
 very handsomely dressed. 
 
 In the evening, M. Gau, commandant of artillery, 
 who arrived from Boston, informed me that the Alli- 
 ance, an American frigate, had just arrived. It had 
 left Lorient on the 9th of July. The captain, named 
 Landais, born a F)'enchinan, had left Lorient without 
 waiting for the king's despatches. He wished to cruise, 
 although laden with powder which he was ordered to 
 bring straight to Boston ; his crew, tired of his follies 
 and his vexations, had shut him up in his cabin and 
 had given the command of the frigate to his mate. 
 
57 
 
 On board were two French officers, aides-de-camp of 
 M. de la Fayette, and Mr. Lee, who had been a long 
 thne in France, a deputy of the congress; they told us 
 that on the 9th of July the body of troops which they 
 were to send to usand which they called the second 
 division had not yet started. Besides this, they gave us 
 no very certain news respecting the affairs of Europe. 
 
 On the 19th, I was about two miles from Providence 
 with the health officers of the hospital to examine 
 some waters which were said to be mineral ; but we 
 found nothing in them but a little more coolness than 
 in the water which we use every day. This fountain 
 is situated in a rural and pretty agreeable spot and 
 quite near to a little wood which, by its shape, the 
 way in which the trees were situated, their size, etc., 
 reminded me of that which is opposite to Les Grullieres} 
 To-day the wind blew from the north and we were cold. 
 This sudden change from cold to warmth causes colics ; 
 my servant Bourdais had a very violent one, a kind 
 of cholera-morbus, which made me fear for his life. 
 
 On the 22d, I returned to Newport. I dined mid- 
 way at Warren, in a pretty handsome inn. Not far 
 from there there was a salt-work which I went to see. 
 On the following days we had some councils of ad- 
 ministration, which passed off pretty well. 
 
 ' A cliateau in the neighborhood of Angers (eoniniime of 
 Saint Sylvixin), whieli then beh)nge(I to M. BLaneluml. 
 
58 
 
 I have given a list of the officers with whom I 
 had embarked upon the Conquerant. Here now are 
 the principal persons composing our armj^ 
 
 M. the Count de Rochambeau, coinmander-in-chiefj 
 lieutenant general. 
 
 The Baron de Viomenil, ~j 
 
 The Count de Viomenil, V major-generals. 
 
 The Chevalier de Chastellux, ) 
 
 The latter discharging the functions of major-gen- 
 eral. 
 
 De Beville, quarter-master general. 
 
 Tarle, directing commissary, discharging the func- 
 tions of steward. 
 
 Blanchard, chief commissary. 
 
 Corny, couunissary. (We found him in America : 
 he set out for France in the early part of February, 
 1781.) 
 
 Villemanzy, commissary. 
 
 Gau, commissary of artillery. 
 
 D'Aboville, commandant-in-chief of the artillerj^ 
 
 Nadal, director of the park. 
 
 Lazie, major " " " 
 
 Tucrenet. 
 
 Note from the origiiuil. J)e Clioisy did not arrive until the 
 80th of September ; he liad witli liim tlie ]N[essrs. Bertliier, wlio 
 entered the staff, (hw of them was afterwards niarechal undei- 
 Napoleon. 
 
59 
 
 Ch^ D'Ogre. 
 Caravagne. 
 H. Opterre. 
 Turpin. 
 
 Coste, chief physician. 
 Robillard, chief surgeon. 
 
 Daure, steward of provisions. 
 
 Demars, steward of the hospitals. 
 
 There were also some other stewards for forage, for 
 meat, etc ; in general, too many employees, especially 
 among the principals ; all that was according to the 
 taste of M. Veymeranges, who had arranged the com- 
 position of our army as to the administration, an in- 
 telligent man, but inclined to expense and luxury and 
 whom it was necessary to watch. 
 
 Bouley, treasurer. 
 
 Messrs. de Menonville and the Chevalier de Tarle, 
 the brother of the steward, were adjutant generals. 
 
 Messrs. de Beville Jr. and CoUot were quartermaster 
 generals. 
 
 M. de Rochambeau's aides-de-camp were Messrs. de 
 Ferry, de Damas, Charles Lanieth, Closen, Dumas, 
 Lauberdiere and de Vauban. 
 
60 
 
 M. Cromot-Dubourg who arrived a short time after 
 us, was also an aide-de-camp to this general. 
 
 The Messrs. de Viomenil also had several of them, 
 among whom were Messrs. de Chabannes, de Pange, d' 
 Olonne, etc. 
 
 Those of M. de Chastellux were, Montesquieu (grand- 
 son of the president) and Lynch, an Irishman. 
 
 Colonels. 
 Regiment of Bourhonnois. 
 The Marquis de Laval. 
 The Viscount de Rochambeau, in 2d. 
 
 Royal Deux Ponts. 
 Messrs. De Deux Ponts, brothers. 
 
 Sahitonge. 
 M. Custine. 
 The Viscount de Charlus (son of M. de Castries). 
 
 Soissoniiois. 
 M. de Saint Mesme. 
 The Viscount de Noailles. 
 
 Lauzuits Legion. 
 The Duke de Lauzun. 
 M. de Dillon. 
 
 It is known that M. de La Fayette was not attached 
 to our army, any more than M. Du Portail ; they 
 served with the American troops. We had in our 
 
61 
 
 army two officers who had served among the Ameri- 
 cans with distinction, M. Fleury, major of Saintonge, 
 and Maudait, adjutant of the artillery. 
 
 On the 29th, a score of savages arrived at Newport; 
 part of them were Iroquois. Some others came from 
 a village called the Fall of St. Louis (situated in the 
 environs of Albany), which is Catholic, as they asked 
 to hear mass, on arriving. Among them was a mu- 
 latto, who had served with the Americans ; he spoke 
 French and they called him Captain Louis. There 
 was also a German who had lived among them since 
 he was twelve years old. The only clothing which 
 these savages had was a blanket in which they wrapped 
 themselves ; they had no breeches. Their complexion 
 is olive, they have their ears gashed and their faces 
 daubed with red. There were some handsome men 
 among them and some tall old men of respectable ap- 
 pearance. We also remarked two young persons at 
 least five feet ten inches high, and one of them with 
 a very agreeable physiognomy ; some of them, never- 
 theless, were small. These savages, for a long time 
 friendly to the French and who, in speaking of the 
 king of France, called him our father, complimented 
 M. de Rochambeau, who received them very kindly 
 and gave them some presents, among other things 
 some red blankets which had been greatly recom- 
 
62 
 
 mended to us at our departure from Brest. He told 
 them that many of their neighbors, deceived by the 
 English; had made war upon the Americans, who, they 
 had told them, were our enemies, that, on the contrary, 
 they were our friends and that we came to defend them, 
 and that they would pursue a course of conduct agree- 
 able to their father if they would act in the same 
 way and make war upon the English ; he urged them 
 to remember this discourse well and to repeat it to 
 their neighbors. They dined that day with him at 
 his quarters. I saw them at table for an instant, they 
 behaved themselves well there and ate cleanly enough. 
 In the afternoon the troops were shown to them, who 
 manoeuvred and went through the firing exercise ; 
 they showed no surprise, but seemed to be pleased with 
 this exhibition. On the next day thej^ dined on board 
 of the Due de Bourgogne. In the evening they were 
 persuaded to dance ; their singing is monotonous, they 
 interrupted it with sharp and disagreeable cries. In 
 singing, they beat time with two little bits oi wood. 
 In dancing, they content themselves with bending the 
 hams without taking any steps; there is no jumping, 
 no springing; they reminded me of those peasants in 
 my province when they tread the grapes in the wine- 
 press ; the movement which they then make resem- 
 bles the dance of these savages. They went away on 
 
63 
 
 the second of September, Some other tribes of Catholic 
 savages had asi^ed us for a })riest ; we sent them a 
 Capuchin who was chapUiin of one of the vessels. 
 
 September, 1780. We perceived after the early part 
 of this month that the heat had considerably abated. 
 I caused a fire to be lit on the second of September, 
 in the evening, and I was not the onl}^ one ; we began 
 to have fogs and heavy rains. On the 6th, the Vis- 
 count de Noailles and M. de Dillon fought ; the cause 
 of the quarrel does not deserve to be mentioned. 
 
 On the 7th, I dined on board of the Conquerant, 
 where I had not appeared since our arrival ; I was 
 very kindly received there. 
 
 On the 8th, there was a very great rain in the 
 morning; in the afternoon the weather improved. 
 We then had about five hundred sick, and among 
 them a great number attacked by dysentery, this 
 disease has been prevalent tor fifteen days without 
 appearing to be dangerous. 
 
 From the 9th, to the 11th, fine weather, and even 
 warm. On the 11th, there was a council of adminis- 
 tration. The tone which prevailed at it was not 
 pleasant. I preserved profound silence at it. 
 
 On the 12th, I was at Providence with M. Corte, 
 the chief physician ; it was cloudj' and we had rain. 
 In the afternoon, we observed a plant which is very 
 
(54 
 
 common in the country. The botanists call it Race- 
 mns Americana ; in France, it is found only in the 
 gardens of ihe botanists. We saw no other peculiar 
 plant anywhere else, but much wild chickory and 
 sorrel thorn. 
 
 I found our hospital at Providence in very good 
 order ; we had then 340 sick there, and we had a few 
 more than 200 at Newport, which made the sick 
 amount to a tenth part of the army. 
 
 On the 13th, it was warm in the morning, but there 
 was rain in the evenino- and during the nioht. To- 
 day I walked much through the city ; I especially 
 visited the temple which is pretty large, although 
 built of wood; it is very clean, i also ascended the 
 steeple, which, like all of them in America, is over- 
 loaded with carvings and ornaments, painted with 
 different colors ; it is likewise entirely of wood. 
 
 On the 14tli, we had rain until nine in the morn- 
 ing ; the remainder of the day was clear. I profited 
 by it to walk alone in the woods and upon the hills 
 with which the city of Providence is surrounded ; 
 these solitary walks have always been agreeable to me. 
 
 On the 15th, rain in the morning, fine weather in 
 the afternoon.^ 
 
 ' T often inuke these remarks :il)()ut tlie weatlier, tlie raiu, the 
 heat and the eold, whicli wserve to make theelimate ot" a countrv 
 
65 
 
 This same day, the 15th, I was invited to a party 
 in the country to which I went. It was a sort of 
 pic-nic given by a score of men to a company of 
 ladies. The purpose of this party was to eat a turtle, 
 weighing three or four hundred pounds, which an 
 American vessel had just brought from one of our 
 islands. This meat did not seem to me to be very 
 palatable ; it is true that it was badly cooked. There 
 were some quite handsome women ; before dinner 
 they kept themselves in a different room from the men, 
 they also placed themselves at table all on the same 
 side, and the men, on the other. They danced after 
 dinner to the music of some instruments of Lauzun's 
 legion, which had been brought there expressly. 
 Neither the men nor the women dance well ; all stretch 
 out and lengthen their arms in a way far from agreeable. 
 I found myself at table very near a captain of an 
 American frigate, whom I had seen at Nantes. I per- 
 ceived to-day whilst trying to converse with the ladies, 
 that I still was very little accustomed to the English 
 language. During dinner we drank different healths, 
 
 known. Sinct' my ivtuin to France liaving seen some per- 
 sons who Avished to proceed to America, I luive communicated 
 these notes to tliem, and thej^ have told me that tliey have de- 
 rived more ])roiit from tliem tlian from Aa<>iie descriptions often 
 embellished or exaggei-ated. 
 9 
 
66 
 
 as is usual, we to those of the Americans, and they 
 to the health of the king of France. This extended 
 to everybody ; for on passing through an anteroom, 
 where some negro servants were drhiking, I heard 
 them drinking together the health of the king of 
 France. 
 
 On the 18th, M. de Rochambeau and the Chevalier 
 de Ternay started for Hartford, in Connecticut, whither 
 General Washington was to repair on his side for the 
 purpose of concerting together, for it was time for them 
 to think of making some use of our troops, who had 
 required some indulgence on their arrival but ought 
 not to remain useless forever. 
 
 On the 19th, we learnt that Admiral Rodney, who 
 had been for a long time in the West Indies, had just 
 appeared upon the coasts of America. This news sur- 
 prised us and nuide us uneasy. We did not know 
 whether he was followed by M. de Guichen, who had 
 been a long while at sea. Rodney joined to Arbuthnot, 
 ought to have about 24 vessels, most of them of three 
 decks, and, consequently, he had a force greatly su- 
 perior to ours. However, they prepared, as well on 
 the part of the navy as of the land forces, to repel the 
 enemy. That day we had a council of administration 
 at the quarters of M. the Baron de Yiomenil, which 
 went off very well. 
 
67 
 
 On the 20th and 21st, they continued to make ar- 
 rangements for putting themselves in a state of defense. 
 I went over the island to ascertain if there were not 
 some pieces of ground suitable for pastures for the 
 horses, for whom we feared that we should be in want 
 of forage ; I continued my search on the 22d, Saint 
 Maurice's day (the patron of the Cathedral of Angers) . 
 
 On the 23d our preparations for defense in case of 
 attack were continued with success ; and the longer 
 the English delayed, the more difficult the attack be- 
 came for them. It was fine weather and even very 
 warm. 
 
 On the 24th, our military and naval generals arrived. 
 They had had an interview with General Washington, 
 from whom they returned enchanted : an easy and 
 noble bearing, extensive and correct views, the art of 
 making himself beloved, these are what all who saw 
 him observed in him. It is his merit which has de- 
 fended the liberty of America, and if she enjoys it one 
 day, it is to him alone that she will be indebted for it.^ 
 
 Nothing new until the 30th. This day, the frigate 
 La GentiUe, coming from the cape, arrived at New- 
 
 I "1 wrote tliis in 17S(). Tlie event lias shown how i-iti-lit I was ; 
 It is to Mr. Washington's eonrage, to his h)ve for liis conntry 
 and to his jtrudence that the Americans owe tlieir snccess. He 
 lias never l)een inconsistent, never discouraged. Amidst suc- 
 cess as amidst reverses, lie was always calm, always the same ; 
 
68 
 
 port; it brought M. de Choisy and some other officers 
 appointed to our army ; they had left France on the 
 25th of June on a frigate which proceeded to Cape 
 Saint Domingo, where they reembarked for Newport. 
 They informed us that Monsieur de Guichen had re- 
 turned to Europe with a considerable convoy, and that 
 he had left Monsieur de Guichen ^ with only ten ves- 
 sels. 
 
 On the same day we learnt the infamous plot and 
 treason of Arnold, an American general. It was dis- 
 covered because M. Andre, major-general of Clinton's 
 army, with whom Arnold was in correspondence and 
 who had come to the American arm}', was captured. Ar- 
 nold, who knew it, immediately went to New York; 
 his project was to deliver West Point, an important 
 post upon the North river, and the loss of which 
 would have interruj^ted the communication between 
 the northern provinces and those of the south. Up to 
 this time this Arnold had behaved like a hero, and had 
 made a body of 6000 Englishmen lay down their arms. 
 October, 1780. On the 1st of October, M. de La 
 Luzerne, the minister plenipotentiary of France to 
 
 and his personal qualities have done more to kee]) soldiers in tlie 
 American army and to procure partisans to tlie cause of liberty 
 than the decrees of the congress." — N'otc fr<»ii the MS. 
 
 ' This re]ietition of the name a])pears to V)e a slip of the pen. 
 
69 
 
 Philadelphia, arrived at Newport to see M. de Ro- 
 chambeau ; he had stopped at General Washington's 
 camp, with whom he might have been captured, if 
 the plot which I have just mentioned had not been 
 discovered ; in the evening there was a council of ad- 
 ministration at which M. de La Luzerne was present. 
 
 On the "2(\, there was a feint of a descent; it was 
 very fine^weather, even warm, although the mornings 
 and evenings were cold, sufficiently so to require a 
 fire. I had not until this day some letters from 
 France, brought for me by the frigate La Gentille. It 
 is the first time in five months that I had news of my 
 family, having started on the second of May. My 
 brother informed me of the death of my nephew Ro- 
 main, ^ a naval guard, who had gone to sea. I great- 
 ly regretted this young man, of a fine figure, and who 
 gave promise of talents. 
 
 I also learnt that a vessel, fitted out at Brest by M. 
 Gaudelet, laden with provisions and merchandise, 
 which could have been disposed of to the advantage 
 of our army, had arrived at the cape (Saint Domingo), 
 and, for want of an escort, was unable to reach 
 Newport ; it is a pity, the merchandise would have 
 brought three hundred per cent. 
 
 ' The Count <le Koiiiaiii, tlie l)r()tlier of tliis young man, was 
 a I'ellow-.student of Xapoleon at La Fere. 
 
70 
 
 On the 3d. I again received letters which had been 
 left on board of the frigate and forgotten. One of 
 them was from my wife, dated the 7th of May, written 
 only five days after our departure. It gave me plea- 
 sure none the less. 
 
 On the 4 til and 5th, cold, wind and rain. 
 
 On the 7th, another pretended attack, when the 
 American troops plaj^ed their part and manoeuvred 
 very well. Ice was seen for the first time. In the 
 evening a kind of tempest occasioned damage to the 
 merchantmen in port and overturned a large number 
 of tents in camp. 
 
 On the 8th, M. de Tarle, with whom I was living, 
 gave a dinner to M. de La Luzerne and the generals. 
 
 Nothing remarkable on the subsequent days. 
 
 We learnt that Andre, that English officer, who had 
 dissruised himself to communicate with the traitor, 
 Arnold, and who had been captured by the Americans, 
 had been put to death, General Washington having 
 treated him as a spy. 
 
 On the 14th, M. Holker, the consul of France at 
 Philadelphia, a man of inteUigence and great ability, 
 arrived at Newport. A council of administration was 
 held, in which it was resolved that I should proceed 
 to Providence, to try to procure wood for the army, 
 which began to be in want of it. There was none 
 
71 
 
 upon the island of Rhode Island, where the English, 
 who had occupied it for some time, had destroyed all. 
 On the 15th, I started for Providence, as had been 
 ordered, but having commenced my journey late, I lay 
 at Warren and did not reach Providence until the 
 next day. I was at Patuxet on the same day, a vil- 
 lage a league from Providence. Then I went through 
 a neighboring forest, where there were some portions 
 of wood for cutting, which they proposed to us to have 
 cut. This forest was pleasant ; not very far from the 
 place where they proposed to us to cut is a pond 
 which reminded me of a similar site in the vicinity of 
 Nantes. On the 17th, I returned to the forest ; it 
 was very cold, with a clear sky and sunshine. During 
 the succeeding days I continued to be employed about 
 my cutting, and I succeeded in making a bargain with 
 Mr. Harris, the owner of these woods. I attended 
 also to the means of collecting forage, which was not 
 easy at that season. They set about it too late. Be- 
 sides, the Americans are slow and do not decide 
 promptly in matters of business. It is not easy for us 
 to rely upon their promises. They love money and 
 hard money ; it is thus that the}-' designate specie to 
 distinguish it from paper money, which loses prodi- 
 giously. This loss varies according to circumstances 
 and according to the provinces. Whilst I am writing, 
 
72 
 
 at Providence and Newport itloses sixty for one ; that is 
 to say, a silver piaster is worth sixty paper piasters. 
 Bills of exchange upon France, even that of the trea- 
 surer of the army upon the treasurer-general at Paris, 
 lose 25 per cent at Philadelphia, as well as at Boston, 
 owing to the scarcity of silver. The Americans at 
 present owe much money in France, and they ought 
 easily to find bills of exchange to pay it.^ I speak of 
 this paper money because we were beginning to make 
 use of it in our army to pay some daily expenses, but 
 only to the people of the country ; we should have 
 begun with it to spare our ready money, with which, 
 unfortunately, our chest was not well supplied. 
 
 We were unable to make use of this paper money 
 long, because it fell completely, and no human power 
 could have been able to raise it again. 
 
 On the 20tli and 21st, alternations of cold and heat. 
 At present, there are not more than three hundred 
 sick, many of whom are suffering from the remains of 
 the scurvy. I have also mentioned the dysenteries 
 which began to prevail a month ago, but they have 
 not proved fatal. I cannot avoid remarking that this 
 disease, which made so much havoc in France in 1779, 
 and especially in Brittany and Normandy, was equally 
 
 ' Thoy were not llieii in a eoudition to pay, or else they did 
 not care about it. 
 
73 
 
 fatal in this part of America in which we are dwelling ; 
 it is singular enough that an epidemical complaint 
 should be prevalent at the same time in places so dis- 
 tant and separated by the sea. 
 
 On the 2"^d and 23d, fine weather. Three good 
 English prizes, captured by an American privateer. 
 The news was then circulated of the capture of Jamaica 
 and of a considerable fleet belonging to the English 
 and on its way to the Indies. 
 
 On the 24th, I took into the forest where I had 
 bought wood, fifty soldiers who had been sent to me 
 lo cut it. The next day I went to see them atw^ork; 
 this business interested me. I love the woods. I was, 
 in some sort, alone, far from the world. I mounted a 
 horse and led the life of a man upon his estate. 
 
 On the 26th, I again returiied to see my laborers, 
 in the most beautiful w^eather. Mr. Harris, whom I 
 met, sliowed me an orchard, in which he said that his 
 father had been killed by the savages, which proves 
 that it was not a great while ago w4ien they were in 
 these districts. Patuxet and Papisquash, villages and 
 hamlets of which I have spoken, are Indian names 
 that have been preserved. 
 
 On the 27th, in the morning, a thick fog, which 
 dissipated at the moment of an eclipse of the sun. 
 lu 
 
74 
 
 At 11 o'clock it was very visible, and between noon 
 and one o'clock it was considerable enough to darken 
 the air. It seemed to me that it also became night 
 some minutes after sunset. M. de Gachain, major of 
 the squadron, took advantage of this eclipse to make 
 some observations upon the latitude and the longitude 
 of the coasts of Rhode Island. He sent them to the 
 Academy of Philadelphia ; he also observes that these 
 points are exactly marked upon the map. Upon con- 
 sulting an American almanac which mentioned this 
 eclipse, I happened to cast my eyes upon the list of 
 the princes of Europe. I read of Louis XVI, " Whom 
 God preserve ;" the same invocation upon the king of 
 Spain ; but respecting the king of England, " the san- 
 guinary tyrant " and some words besides, the meaning 
 of which is, born to dismember the British empire 
 and make America independent. 
 
 I returned to Newport on the 28th ; I learnt that 
 our three frigates were gone. TheAmazoue returned to 
 France. It had M. de Rocham beau's son on board 
 and carried our letters. 
 
 November, 1780. On the first, rain, wind and snow. 
 The regiment of Bourbonnois had left the camp the 
 night before and had come to take up its quarters in the 
 city ; the other regiments came thither in succession, 
 that is to say, they took up their winter quarters, and 
 
75 
 
 it appeared settled that our troops would make no 
 movement before the spring. 
 
 From the 2d to the 6th, I remained at Providence, 
 in cold weather ; but the sun shone and I did not 
 cease to ride on horseback and go to see my laborers 
 in the wood. I also had much to do for Lauzun's 
 legion, which was to proceed to Connecticut to take 
 up its winter quarters, and which passed through 
 Providence. All these details, elsewhere very easy, 
 nevertheless met with many difficulties among the 
 Americans, who dislike to lodge troops and who, as I 
 have already mentioned, are slow and even mistrustful. 
 
 For some days past mention was made of an advan- 
 tage gained over the English in Carolina, by General 
 Smallwood ; it was said that he had captured about 
 1600 men. 
 
 On the 9th, much snow fell and it was very cold, as 
 was the next day. Lauzun's legion arrived at Provi- 
 dence to-day; it found everything that it needed. 
 The Duke de Lauzun gave a ball, at which T was 
 present for a moment. 
 
 On the 1 1 th, the legion remained, the cold continued, 
 but it was fine weather and the sun shone. I dined 
 with M. de Lauzun. 
 
 On the 12th, the legion departed. The Chevalier 
 de Chastellux arrived in the morning ; he was on his 
 
76 
 
 way to General Washington's camp and thence to 
 Philadelphia. I gave him a dinner and we paid some 
 visits together. In conversing with him respecting the 
 steward, whom he did not like and of whom he spoke 
 ill to me, I remarked to him how disagreeable it was 
 to our cloth and especially to me to have so mediocre 
 an administrator for chief. He replied to me that 
 when one was more than thirty, it was better for him 
 to be the assistant of a fool than of a man of sense. 
 He departed the next day. The ground was covered 
 with snow. 
 
 On the 14th, a great rain. The loth, clear and 
 cold : it is said that the traitor Arnold hns landed in 
 Virginia with five thousand men. 
 
 On the 16th, fog and rain. M. Beaudouin, a lieuten- 
 ant-colonel of Lauzun's legion, passed through Provi- 
 dence to go to and embark at Boston and return to 
 France. I gave him some letters. 1 go regularly 
 every day to the forest where they are busy about the 
 wood. 
 
 On the 17th, cloudy weather, rain and very violent 
 wind from the north-east. 
 
 On the 18th the same weather. Messrs. de Laval, 
 de Custine and De Deux Ponts, who were going to 
 travel in the interior of America, passed through 
 Providence. 
 
77 
 
 On the 20th and 21st, clear and cold. It is to be 
 observed that usually after one or two days of dry 
 cold, snow and rain follow. The same alternation in 
 the succeeding days. 
 
 I already had much wood cut and corded ; but it 
 was necessary to transport it to the seaboard, where 
 the vessels of the squadron had just come in search of 
 it. For that purpose, I hired vehicles, but I had great 
 difficulty in starting them. On the 22d I could not 
 procure a single one on account of the rain ; another 
 time it was the cold which prevented their going. 
 Patience and care are necessary. 
 
 On the 23d, in tolerably fine weather, I was three 
 or four leagues from Providence, and I saw large tracts 
 of country newly cleared and many houses recently 
 built. This district will grow rich and become peopled 
 gradually. I dined at Patuxet in the house of M. 
 Dourville, a Canadian and a lieutenant in the Ame- 
 rican navy. He had married in this village where he 
 was held in esteem ; he was of great use to me for the 
 wood-cutting which was entrusted to me. He had 
 been employed upon the squadron of M. d'Estaing, and 
 M. de Ternay had also employed him on his vessel. 
 
 On the 24th, it was still pretty fine and I mounted 
 my horse according to my usual practice. I dined at 
 Providence with Dr. Bowen, a physician and a re- 
 
78 
 
 spectable old man. He said grace before sitting down 
 to table ; he seemed beloved and respected by his 
 numerous family and had the style and manners of a 
 patriarch. I also dined frequently at the house of 
 Mr. Bowker, a merchant, born in England, but for a 
 long time settled in America. They do not eat soups 
 and do not serve up ragouts at these dinners ; but 
 boiled and roast and mucli vegetables. They drink 
 nothing but cider and Madeira wine with water. The 
 dessert is composed of preserved quinces or pickled 
 sorrel. The Americans eat the latter with the meat. 
 They do not take coffee immediately after dinner, but 
 it is served three or four hours afterwards with tea ; 
 this coffee is weak and four or five cups are not equal 
 to one of ours ; so that they take many of them. The 
 tea, on the contrary, is very strong. This use of tea 
 and coffee is universal in America. The people who 
 live in the country, tilling the ground and driving 
 their oxen, take it as well as the inhabitants of the 
 cities. Breakfast is an importn.nt affair with them. 
 Besides tea and coffee, they put on table roasted meats 
 with butter, pies and ham ; nevertheless they sup and 
 in the afternoon they again take tea. Thus the Ame- 
 ricans are almost always at the table ; and as they 
 have little to occupy them, as they go out little in 
 winter and spend whole days along side of their fires 
 
79 
 
 and their wives, without reading and without doing 
 anything, going so often to table is a relief and a pre- 
 ventive oi ennui. Yet they are not great eaters. 
 
 Tliey are very choice in cups and vases for holding 
 tea and coffee, in glasses, decanters and other matters 
 of this kind and in habitual use. They make use of 
 wall-papers which serve for tapestry ; they have them 
 very handsome. In many of the houses there are 
 carpets also, even upon their stairs. // In general, the 
 houses are very pleasant and kept with extreme neat- 
 ness, with the mechanic and the countryman as well 
 as with the merchant and the general. Their educa- 
 tion is very nearly the same ; so that a mechanic is 
 often called to their assemblies, where there is no dis- 
 tinction, no separate order. I have already mentioned 
 that the inhabitants of the entire country are proprie- 
 tors. They till the earth and drive their oxen them- 
 selves. This way of living and this sweet equality 
 have charms for thinking beings. These manners 
 suit me pretty well. Burning a great quantity of 
 wood is one of their luxuries, it is common . One-half 
 of the districts which I have traversed are wooded, 
 almost altogether with oaks, among which there are 
 some very handsome ones. Yet wood is very dear 
 owing to the difficulty of transporting it.fi It costs us 
 for a leao-ue about 15 livres a cord. 
 
80 
 
 I have spoken of the cups, the glasses, the paper- 
 hangings, the carpets and other articles in which the 
 Americans are very choice, and which they procured 
 from Enghind before the war. It is in this direction 
 that French merchants ought to turn their attention 
 by trying to bring these articles to perfection, in order 
 to accustom the Americans to dispense with the En- 
 glish entirely. 
 
 On the 24th and 25th, rain and very violent west 
 wind ; the 26th to the 28th, cold and clear weather. 
 I took advantage of it to go to Greenwich, a small 
 town upon the coast, five leagues from Providence, 
 Thence I proceeded to Coventry, two leagues from 
 Greenwich. General Greene's residence is there. He 
 is a farmer whose merit has raised him to the rank of 
 general. He was then with the army and possessed 
 the confidence of General Washington ; he has even 
 been commander-in-chief of a body of troops in the 
 south ; one of his brothers, an inhabitant of the country, 
 had furnished the wagons for transporting the wood 
 which 1 had caused to be cut, and he drove them him- 
 self: such are the manners of this part of America! 
 My object was to pay. a visit to the wife of General 
 Greene, whom I happened to see at Newport and Pro- 
 vidence. I was accompanied by M. Haake, a captain 
 in the regiment of Royal Deux Ponts, and the chaplain 
 
81 
 
 of the hospital. Mrs. Greene received us very kindly. 
 She is amiable, genteel and rather pretty. As there 
 was no bread in her house, some was hastily made ; 
 it was of meal and water mixed together ; which was 
 then toasted at the fire; small slices of it were served 
 up to us. It is not much for a Frenchman. As for 
 the Americans, they eat very little bread. Besides, 
 the dinner was long ; we remained to sleep there. 
 Mrs. Greene's house is situated upon a barren piece of 
 land ; this site could have been chosen only on account 
 of the iron-works situated in the neighborhood. There 
 is not a single fruit-tree, not even a cabbage. Another 
 country-house is pretty near, inhabited by two ladies, 
 who compose all the society that Mrs. Greene has ; in 
 the evening she invited them to her house, and we 
 danced ; I was in boots and rather tired ; besides, the 
 English dances are complicated, so that I acquitted 
 myself badly. But these ladies were complaisant. 
 
 On the 29th and the 30th, I continued my trans- 
 portation of wood, notwithstanding the rain. 
 
 December, 1780. The month opened with a very 
 violent and very cold north wind. 
 
 On the 3d, snow ; my friend M. de la Chese, an 
 
 officer of artillery, had come to Providence. We 
 
 mounted on horsebacK together and went to dine at 
 
 Patuxet at the house of a miller's wife, whose dress, 
 
 11 
 
82 
 
 style of living and furniture differed in no respect 
 from the best that I had seen in the houses of the 
 richest Americans. 
 
 On the 4th, M. de Eochambeau, who had been to 
 Lebanon, in Connecticut, to visit the quarters of Lau- 
 zun's legion, passed through Providence ; he lodged 
 there. I gave him an account of my works which he 
 could not visit. He departed on the 5th, in the morn- 
 ing. I had to make some bargains for the artillery 
 and the navy ; to the latter I had already sent some 
 pieces suitable for building. On this head I remark 
 that a species of oak is found in America which was 
 very common in France and which is found there no 
 longer, at least in the provinces with which I am ac- 
 quainted ; it is the white oak, mentioned by M. 
 Buffon. This white oak was used in our old carpenter 
 works, for which the chestnut has since been used. 
 
 From the 6th to the 12th alternations of cold, snow 
 and rain. I do not neglect my work in the woods or 
 in the hospital, which, being remote from the army, 
 requires this supervision. Lastly, one hundred and 
 twenty soldiers, of different regiments, led only by an 
 adjutant and scattered through the woods for my 
 labors, equally demand my whole attention. 
 
 On the 14th I went to Newport by sea in an Ame- 
 rican vessel which was struck by a gale of wind and 
 
88 
 
 was nearly upset ; we were laden with wood, even 
 upon deck. The cold was very severe. M. the 
 Chevalier de Ternay, the commander-in-chief of the 
 squadron, had been sick for several days and had just 
 been taken on shore ; M. Corte, our chief physician, 
 had been sent for, who told us that he found him very 
 ill. 
 
 On the ISth, M. de Ternay fell a victim to his dis- 
 ease; it was putrid fever. M. de Rochambeau was 
 not then at Newport; he had gone to Boston. 
 
 On the 16th, fine weather. M. de Ternay was buried 
 with great pomp ; all the land forces were under arms. 
 
 I returned to Providence on the 17th. The same 
 employments until the 24th ; I learnt that several of 
 our men had received letters by a vessel which had 
 arrived at Boston from Nantes. These letters men- 
 tioned reports of a change of the minister of the navy 
 (Monsieur de Sartine). 
 
 The 25th, Christmas-day. Fog in the morning, rain 
 in the evening. These observations upon the weather 
 prove that dry cold or rain does not last more than 
 two or three days. They have not here those long 
 spells of cold weather with which we are so often 
 afflicted in some provinces of France. Yet I hear it 
 said that, last year, at the same period, the sea was 
 frozen from Newport to Providence, that is to say for 
 
84 
 
 a distance of ten leagues, and as broad as the Loire 
 above Nantes. On this day we had lightning and a 
 little thunder. 
 
 On the 27th, the sea began to freeze in the channel 
 from Providence to Newport, and it would have done 
 so entirely but for the violence of the wind, which 
 agitated the water. It was Saint John's day, a great 
 festival for the free-masons. There was a meeting of 
 them at Providence ; it was announced in the public 
 papers, for societies of this sort are authorized.' I met 
 in the streets of Providence a company of these free- 
 masons, going two b}' two, holding each other s hands, 
 all dressed with their aprons and preceded by two men 
 who carried long staves. He who brought up the rear 
 and who was probably the master had two brethren 
 alongside of him and all three wore ribbons around 
 their necks like ecclesiastics who have the blue ribbon. 
 
 On the 28th, the Count de Vioinenil and the Vis- 
 count Mesme came to lodge at Providence, and set 
 out the next morning for Boston. Our army remain- 
 ing inactive, they take advantage of it to travel and 
 become acquainted with the country. 
 
 On the 31st I finished the cutting of my wood. My 
 
 ' " Authorized I This note is truly Frencli. Why authorize<l ? 
 These societies, from that time were simply free in America. 
 With us they are still only authorized.''' — F'roni flie 3IS. 
 
85 
 
 bargain was for two thousand cords. I was very busy 
 during these last days of the year. I paid the soldiers 
 who had worked under me, and supplied them with 
 the means of returning to Newport. Yet I kept some 
 of them for another cutting of wood which I was about 
 to undertake. 
 
 January^ 1781. It was clear, the wind was from 
 the south-west, the same weather continued on the 
 subsequent days. At this period there was a very 
 warm quarrel at Boston between the sailors of an 
 ' American frigate, the Alliance, and those of the Sur- 
 veillante, a French frigate. The Americans were the 
 aggressors ; two were killed. The two sailors who 
 were killed were discovered to be Englishmen, in the 
 American service, which aided in appeasing the quar- 
 rel. 
 
 On the 5th, I made two new bargains for wood. 
 
 On the 6th, Twelfth Night, [jour des Eois] the 
 Americans had no rejoicing, no festivity. 
 
 On the 7tli, melted snow and rain ; on the 8th, 
 wind from the north and sudden cold, very sharp. 1 
 saw the Chevalier de Chastellux, who was returning 
 from his journey, with which he appeared satisfied. 
 He told me that the Academy of Philadelphia had 
 chosen him an associate member; that he had col- 
 lected some notes respecting the American revolution, 
 
86 
 
 that be would not content himself with mere observa- 
 tions, and that he would publish a complete work.^ 
 
 From the 10th to the 20th changeable weather. 
 Monsieur de Rochambeau had caused a large hall to 
 be constructed for the purpose of assembling a large 
 number of officers therein in the evening, to afford 
 them recreation ; they began to frequent it about this 
 time. 
 
 On the 23d, the revolt of a body of American troops 
 in Pennsylvania was spoken of; on the 26th, M. de 
 Rochambeau received a letter from General Washing- 
 ton which informed him of the quieting of this rebel- 
 lion. 
 
 On the 28th, at Providence, where I still was, T saw 
 General Knox, who commanded the American artillery 
 and who had acquired reputation. He was a printer 
 and bookseller. He is a man of from thirty-five to 
 forty years of age, of a very handsome figure ; he spent 
 two days at Newport. 
 
 General Lincoln also came to see our troops ; he had 
 with him Mr. Laurens, the son of a president of the 
 
 ' '•'• I i\o not perceive that he hajs kept his promise. He lias 
 had the aeeount of his journey printed in two volumes, and some 
 agreeable details are to be found in it, but many trifling matters, 
 mediocre 2)leasantries and eulogiums, often but little deserved, 
 of persons who had flattered him. Brissot de Warville has 
 sharply criticised this work." — Note from MS^. 
 
87 
 
 congress, who had been captured by the English whilst 
 on his way to Europe, and was still detained in the 
 Tower of London. I supped, next day, with them and 
 General Greene's wife, of whom I have spoken above. 
 
 Fehruary, 1781. M. de Corny, the commissary, was 
 preparing to depart for France, on board of the Alli- 
 ance, an American frigate which also took Mr. Lau- 
 rens to Europe. I forwarded many letters to M. de 
 Corny, especially for M. de Veymeranges and for my 
 relation M. de Saint-James, the treasurer-general of 
 the navy. This M. de Corny, a man of intelligence, 
 but intriguing and greedy, was going away because 
 there was nothing for him to do. Nevertheless, his 
 stay in America, short as it has been, has not impaired 
 his fortune. 
 
 On the 2d, Messrs. de Laval and de Custine returned 
 from a long journey which they had taken in the in- 
 terior of America. They confirmed the news which 
 had been spread that the CuUoden, an English ship of 
 94 guns, had been cast upon the coast by a violent 
 gale of wind and had been lost. Two other English 
 ships had been dismasted and damaged, so that, at 
 this moment, the English squadron was reduced to six 
 ships, 
 
 Fehruartj. On the 3d, I gave a dinner to Mrs. Greene 
 and to Mrs. Carter, and also to Messrs, de Viomenil 
 
88 
 
 and Chastellux. For some days past I no longer 
 boarded with the steward, and I had procured a cook. 
 I then kept house, at our joint expense, with M, de 
 la Cheze, an officer of artillery, a gentleman, a deep 
 gamester, |( skillful and successful gameotcr , and also 
 generous and enjoying life. 
 
 We now have snow and hail nearly every day. 
 
 On the 6th, I went to Providence and on horseback, 
 although the roads were very slippery owing to the 
 snow which the cold had condensed. So we met 
 many sleighs, in which people were going on parties 
 of pleasure or on business. 
 
 On the 7th, M. de Jumecourt, an officer of artillery, 
 and M. Pisangon, my secretary, both very zealous free- 
 masons, conferred on me the grade of apprentice, and 
 in the evening I was at an American lodge where I 
 was present at two receptions. I was then nearly 39 
 years old. This was beginning rather late. 
 
 From the 8th to the 13th, snow and cold; on the 
 13th I got into a sleigh and went twelve miles in this 
 conveyance, which is easy and very pleasant. They 
 go very quickly. I returned from Patuxet to Provi- 
 dence (five miles) in 30 minutes. I dined at the house of 
 Mr. Flint, an American, where I learnt much news : 
 that the Eveille, a ship of our squadron, had just gone, 
 with two frigates and the cutter, upon a special ex- 
 
89 
 
 pedition ; that an American regiment of New Jersey 
 had imitated this revolt of the Pennsylvania troops, 
 but that the sedition had been quickly suppressed ; two 
 of the principal leaders had been put to death. 
 
 On the 18th„ being at Newport, M. de Custine who, 
 as I have mentioned, had just returned from traveling 
 in the interior of America, showed me his journal and 
 the results of his observations. This journal seemed 
 to me to be very wise and judicious. 
 
 He agreed, as I have remarked, that the virtues of 
 General Washington hade-been the strongest support 
 of liberty. He hal^ found the country moderately 
 fertile, a point of vi|t respecting which I questioned 
 him : what I have s%n of it makes me think the 
 same ; in the vicinity of our army none is found fer- 
 tile except upon the banks of a river which waters 
 Connecticut, from which we derive the greater part of 
 our supplies of provisions. 
 
 On the 19th, we learnt that the English had been 
 defeated by General Morgan in South Carolina. The 
 Americans had behaved very well in this affair, in 
 which they had charged with fixed bayonets. The 
 account which the American general gave of this bat- 
 tle was very well done. The English had one thou- 
 sand men, of regular troops, two hundred of whom 
 were dragoons. The Americans had only eight hun- 
 12 
 
 LoLo*- 
 
90 
 
 dred. We cannot conceive how regular troops and 
 they superior in numbers allowed themselves to be 
 beaten by peasants ; they were utterly routed ; the 
 Americans took 29 officers and 500 soldiers prisoners, 
 they captured ihe baggage and a large number of 
 horses, two cannons and two tiags. Although this 
 news reaches us by an extraordinary courier, we do 
 not receive it until a month after the event. 
 
 On the 24th, during a very strong wind, we per- 
 ceived four large vessels pretty near to the shore. 
 These vessels came in at eight o'clock. They were 
 the Eveille, which went out a few days before, and 
 the two frigates ; they brought with them the Eonnchis, 
 an English ship of fifty guns, wdiich they had captured 
 in Chesapeake bay. They had also taken nine pri- 
 vateers and other small vessels, which they had burnt 
 or left at York, a little port belonging to the Ameri- 
 cans. But they had been unable to rejoin Arnold, on 
 board of some vessels which had withdrawn towards 
 the coasts of Virginia into some rivers which the 
 Eveille could not enter. 
 
 On the 24th, in consequence, I believe, of intelli- 
 gence furnished by General Washington, orders were 
 given to the grenadiers and chasseurs to hold them- 
 selves in readiness to start. This order was counter- 
 manded the next day, but I learnt that an expedition 
 
91 
 
 was in preparation, of which I was to form part, and I 
 had to busy myself about it all the subsequent days. 
 
 We learnt on the 27th that the Astr6e, a French 
 frigite of forty guns, commanded by M. de la Perouse/ 
 had just arrived at Boston after a passage of 03 days, 
 having left Brest on the 24th of December. During 
 the evening of the 28th, we received letters brought 
 by this vessel. I received good news from my wife, 
 my children and all my friends ; it is not without 
 trembling that I open their letters at this distance. 
 M. de Montbarrey (minister of war) was succeeded 
 by M. de Segur. Besides, there was, I was informed, 
 an infinite amount of intrigue at the court. 
 
 ^ The well known navigator. 
 
 
92 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Arrival of General ^\^as}iinf/t<>n at Neicport — Einharkatlon of 
 a Body of Troops on hoard of the Squadron — j\J. JJ/anch- 
 ard is Part of it — jVav(d J^n(/ai/e)/U'rit iu Chesffpeake Bay — 
 The Array commences its March to form a Junction icith 
 the Americans — 31. Blanchard p>recedes it — He ^x/sses 
 through Providence, Wctterman- Tavern, Plainfield, IVind- 
 hain, Bolton, Hartford, Farniington, Baron- Tavern, Break- 
 neck, Newtoiiyn, Peekskill- Landing — Sojourn at General 
 Washington's Camj) at Peekskill — March of the Two 
 Armies against N^eiP Yo7'k — Camps of ISforthcastle and 
 Phillipshurg — Character of General de Bocharnbeau — The 
 S(p(adron of 31. de Grasse is anitounced — the tioo Armies 
 move to support it. 
 
 31arch, 1781. From the 1st to the 4th, arrangements 
 continued to be made for the proposed embarkation, 
 which was postponed, notwithstanding. 
 
 On the 4th, a captain of the regiment of Saintonge, 
 named Laforest, held in esteem in his corps, to whom 
 M. de Custine had addressed some language for which 
 he had in vain demanded justice, killed himself in 
 despair. This event, which was known a moment be- 
 fore the parade, created great excitement there. M. 
 de Custine was insulted there ; and, if it had not been 
 for the presence of some superior officers, worse would 
 have befallen him. 
 
93 
 
 On the 5th, cold and a high wind in the morning. 
 Rain in the evening. The order was given for 1000 
 men of the infantry and 1500 of the artillery to em- 
 bark the next day, which took place on the 6th. 
 
 This day General Washington, who was expected, 
 arrived about two o'clock. He first went to the Due 
 de Bourgogne, where all our generals were. He then 
 landed ; all the troops were under arms ; I was pre- 
 sented to him. His face is handsome, noble and mild. 
 He is tall (at the least, five feet, eight inches).^ In 
 the evening, I was at supper with him. I mark, as a 
 fortunate day, that in which I have been able to be- 
 hold a man so truly great. 
 
 On the 7 th, I repaired on board the Due de Bourgogne, 
 a ship of 80 guns, commanded by M, Destouches, who 
 had command of this squadron. M. de Viomenil, had 
 embarked thereon with several officers of the grenadier 
 company of Bourbon nois ; the other troops, making a 
 total of 1120 men, were distributed among the other 
 ships of war and the Fantasque armed en flute ; we 
 also had two frigates and the Romulus, captured from 
 the Englisli a short time ago, and which had been 
 brought into the line. The wind being favorable on 
 the 8th, M. Destouches gave the signal for raising the 
 anchor. Several vessels were already under sail, 
 
 ' French feet and inches. 
 
94 
 
 when the Fantasque, commanded by an auxiliarj^ 
 officer, made a bad manoeuvre and ran aground ; for- 
 tunately after some shallops were sent to it, it was got 
 off and was found to be free from damage ; but our 
 departure was delayed by it for six hours, and we were 
 unable to leave the narrow entrance to the harbor 
 until six o'clock in the evening. The wind kept up 
 until noon the next day : we had made 24 leagues. 
 We steered towards Delaware bay to attack Arnold, 
 who was ravasrino- Virorinia. 
 
 On the 11th we were 70 leagues from Cape Henry ; 
 the wind, favorable up to that time, became variable 
 during the whole night, and next day we found our- 
 selves separated from part of our vessels. We had 
 with us only the Neptune, the Eveille and the Sur- 
 veillante. This separation was alarming ; for thus 
 each of our divisions was very inferior to the English. 
 We fired some volleys to find our comrades, but in 
 vain ; unfortunately it was foggy ; at noon we had 
 made only 14 leagues, and we found ourselves as far 
 from the Chesapeake bay as on the preceding evening. 
 At night, the wind became favorable, but strong. All 
 night we had very bad weather. On the 13th, at 
 noon, we had made 28 leagues, and were not more 
 than 40 leagues from the bay. 
 
 On the 14 th, at eight o'clock in the morning, we 
 
95 
 
 saw land ; it was Cape Henry ; this shore is low, so 
 that we were pretty near to it. We put about ; soon 
 afterwards a sail was signaled, then some others, which 
 comjjels us to clear the decks for action. In the 
 meanwhile we made signals of recognition and soon 
 recognized the five vessels and the frigate from which 
 we had been separated and which soon rejoined us to 
 the great satisfaction of all. On the next day, the 
 15th, we tacked about to keep ourselves off the Chesa- 
 peake bay ; we were in latitude 27° 34' and in longi- 
 tude 77° 53'. 
 
 On the 16th, at 6 o'clock in the morning, a sail was 
 signaled which was perceived to be a frigate. Other 
 vessels were soon discovered. Decks were cleared 
 throughout our whole squadron. At 9 o'clock the 
 English squadron was perfectly well distinguished, 
 which formed a line after different manoeuvres. 
 
 The English had eight ships, one of which was of 
 three decks ; they also had three frigates. We also 
 had eight ships, but inferior to those of the English, 
 for we had no ship of three decks, and we had brought 
 the Romulus into line, which had only fifty guns. 
 The English had also one of this force, but it was in 
 the rank of the frigates ; finally, we wanted one of 
 our frigates, the Surveillante, detached the evening 
 before for exploring. M. Destouches's intention was 
 
96 
 
 to avoid an engagement ; but perceiving that the En- 
 glish were gaining on us considerably, he tacked about 
 and went at them. We began the engagement 
 at 2 o'clock ; it was bad weather and there was a little 
 rain. We were to the leeward, but that was not 
 detrimental, owing to a heavy sea, because we were 
 thus enabled to make use of the first battery. How- 
 ever, the wind changed during the engagement which 
 lasted a little more than an hour. I will try to write 
 an exact account of it and one prepared by a man of 
 the service ; all that I can say in the meanwhile and 
 on my own account is, that the English seemed to me 
 to fire very badly, that they did not take advantage of 
 their superiority, and that there was confusion among 
 them. One of their ships was so disabled that it fell 
 to the leeward and made a signal of distress; it had 
 encountered our ship and two others at the same time ; 
 if the Neptune had wished to follow it, it might have 
 captured it or compelled it to run ashore. The Con- 
 querant, on which I had been posted during the voyage 
 to America, had, for its part, to sustain the attack of 
 three of the enemy's ships, and fought hand to hand 
 with the ship of three decks ; it had also three officers 
 killed, among others M. de Kergu, a young man of 
 promise and of the most brilliant courage, with whom 
 I was intimately acquainted. A hundred soldiers or 
 
97 
 
 sailors on board of it were hit, among whom forty 
 were killed on the spot and an equal number mortally 
 wounded. The greatest carnage was on the deck ; 
 the boatswains, the captain at arms and seven steers- 
 men were among the dead, its tiller and the wheel of 
 its helm were carried away ; notwithstanding which 
 it held out. The English, who were to the windward 
 and, consequently, could renew the combat, were not 
 anxious for it, put about and went away. M. Des- 
 touches's project seemed to be to follow them and 
 attack them again ; but we lost time in ascertaining 
 ■ the condition of the Conquerant, which had made a 
 signal of distress. 
 
 Night came and the enemy were already at a dis- 
 tance. On b )ard of the Due de Bourgogne we had only 
 four men killed and eight wounded ; an auxiliary 
 officer also received a contusion along side of me ; the 
 Ardent, one of the ships of our squadron, found itself 
 for some time between us and an English ship, which 
 warded oif many blows, but at the same time was pre- 
 judicial to our manoeuvre and hindered us from doing all 
 the damage to the English that we might have done. 
 Besides, as I have mentioned, the English did not fire 
 well ; for we were within pistol shot of one of their 
 vessels, which twice fired a broadside at us, which I 
 saw very plainly, without injuring us; a ball passed 
 13 
 
98 
 
 through our mizzen-mast without rendering it unser- 
 viceable ; fourteen balls were found in the hull of the 
 ship. During the whole of the engagement I remained 
 upon the quarter deck, within reach of the captain 
 and of M. de Viomenil. There I displayed coolness ; 
 I remember that in the midst of the hottest fire, M. 
 de Menonville having opened his snuff box, I begged 
 a pinch of him and we exchanged a joke upon this 
 subject. From M. de Viomenil I received a testimony 
 of satisfaction which gave me pleasure. 
 
 On the 17th, the admiral caused us to lie to. and 
 all the captains repaired for orders. Some infantry 
 officers came with them, who all did justice to the 
 valor of the naval officers and the crews. This en- 
 gagement united the army and the navy. M. de la 
 Grandiere, captain of the Conquerant, if he did not 
 display superior intelHgence, distinguished himself by 
 his heroic courage. M. de la Clochetterie, the comman- 
 der of the Jason, was also inentioned, and de Marigny, 
 the captain of the Ardent. Lastly, M. de la Ville- 
 brune, the commander of the Romulus, of fifty guns, 
 which sustained the shock of the London, a ship of 
 three decks, deserved praise. 
 
 It was decided that they should return to Newport, 
 the landing in Virginia seeming impossible in presence 
 of the English, who, being better sailers than we, had 
 
99 
 
 certainly proceeded to Chesapeake bay. Besides the 
 Conquerant was in a bad condition and the Ardent 
 had also sustained some damage, even before the en- 
 gagement. At four o'clock we set sail. The next 
 day we did not see a single ship, and at noon we found 
 ourselves in the latitude of 36° 6' and in the longitude 
 of 76°.^ 
 
 On the 19th, they again lay by to wait for the 
 Eveille and the Hermione, which had chased and 
 captured a merchantman going from Bermuda to New 
 York. There were four English officers on board, who 
 informed us that the English had captured Curagao 
 and St. Eustacia, belonging to the Dutch. M. Des- 
 touches sent the Hermione to Philadelphia with dis- 
 patches for the congress and our embassador. 
 
 ' " A very exact account of tlie engagement Avas printed shortly 
 afterwards. It will l)e found in the ]ia])ers of the time. I am 
 unable to find the coi)y which I had kei)t. What is certain is 
 that the English had the worst in this affair, l)y which, never- 
 theless, we did not profit, because the Conquerant could not re- 
 pair her damage quickly enough. The captain of this ship also 
 made some mistakes in manoeuvring, and lastly, M. Destouches, 
 who was in command for the first time, and who had been un- 
 expectedl}^ called to this post by the death of M. de Ternay, was 
 afraid of the court, and did uot display all the energy that was 
 requisite. The English had more cannons, but we had more 
 men, and, I believe, more officers ; in our scpiadi-on there were 
 some distinguished for bravery and talents." — Note from MS. 
 
100 
 
 From the 20th to the 2od we chased two vessels 
 unsuccessfully, one of which was a stout frigate. The 
 winds were contrary, we tacked about and were com- 
 pelled to lie by for fear of the land. 
 
 On the 23d, in the morning, there were snow, a 
 thick fog and a violent wind from, the south-east. We 
 scattered considerably, and there was reason to fear 
 that we might be cast upon the coast. At two o'clock 
 the admiral resolved to spread a little sail, which di- 
 minished the danger, but exposed the Ardent and the 
 Conquerant, already greatly damaged, to be entirely 
 dismasted. Our hope was in a change of weather, and 
 indeed at three o'clock the wind abated a little ; at 
 four o'clock it became more favorable, the whole crew 
 were joyful, for they had been really uneasy, and the 
 rather because we were unacquainted with the coast 
 and there was a very thick fog ; we had been unable 
 to take the altitude. Besides, we were in a dangerous 
 season and a dangerous sea. During the night the 
 wind again became violent and the sea rough. On 
 the 24th, the weather grew clear; three of our 
 ships, which had separated from us, rejoined us. At 
 last, we perceived land ; it was Martha's Vineyard, 
 eleven leagues from Newport ; in the evening, we an- 
 chored near this island; but at midnight, the wind 
 having suddenly sprung up from the north-east, we 
 
101 
 
 dragged our anchors and were compelled to set sail. 
 We stood for the offing, but on the 25th at two o'clock 
 in the afternoon, we tacked about. Our prize, from 
 which we had been separated, rejoined us, as likewise 
 the Surveillante, one of our frigates which M. Des- 
 touches had detached on the evening before our en- 
 gagement for the purpose of reconnoitering. She- 
 reported that she had seen the Endisii crowdino- 
 into Chesapeake bay, having several ships unrio-o-ed 
 and that she had been hotly pursued. It was fortu- 
 nate that she was able to save herself, for she was ig- 
 norant of our engagement and might have fallen into 
 the midst of the English ships. 
 
 On the 26th, the wind being favorable, we took ad- 
 vantage of it to proceed to Newport, where we an- 
 chored at five o'clock in the afternoon. I landed in 
 order to have our hospitals prepared for the reception 
 of the wounded. I found almost all our troops still 
 under arms, because they did not expect our return, 
 and had mistaken us for an English squadron. 
 
 On the 27th, the troops landed; nothing of interest 
 occurred at Newport. 
 
 The cold continued and there was ice. We had 
 had some on board also. 
 
 April, 1781. The first days of April passed away 
 very quietly; we received news of an engagement 
 
/ 
 
 102 
 
 which had occurred on the 15th of March between the 
 Americans and the English in Carolina. The English 
 had remained masters of the field of battle, but with 
 great loss of men, so that this victory had been of no 
 great importance to them. We also had the account 
 which the English gave of the naval engagement of 
 the IGth of March. It was contradictory. They said 
 that they would have gained a complete victory if 
 three of their ships had not been greatly damaged. 
 Three vessels disabled out of eight was not a very 
 brilliant victory, whilst we had only two disabled. 
 
 On the loth of April, being Good Friday, having 
 recovered from a violent cold, I set out for Providence, 
 where my wood-cutting had fallen behindhand, and 
 where the hospital also required my presence : many 
 sailors had been sent to it. I slept at Warren, it was 
 cold and I again saw ice. As yet none of the trees 
 had leaves, and the apple-trees, which by this time 
 are covered with blossoms in France, had not a single 
 one. On my arrival at Providence I resumed my old 
 way of living which was agreeable to me, and I re- 
 paired to the wood almost every day. 
 
 On the 18th, the merchantmen, which had left 
 Brest with us, and on which we had embarked a part 
 of the troops and of our property, left us and repaired 
 to Saint Domingo, under the escort of a frigate. 
 
103 
 
 Nothing new to the 27th, on which I am writing. 
 The same weather and alwaj-s cold, on account of the 
 wind which does not cease to blow strongly ; these 
 winds are one of the discomforts of this climate. 
 Different news was then spread, as is usual among 
 armies. I do not reproduce it, not knowing whether 
 it is true. 
 
 On the 29th, I received the degree of master mason 
 in a lodge held by the French, over which M. de 
 Jausecourt presided. 
 
 May, 1781. The first days were fine and warm ; the 
 country was still very backward. 
 
 On the 6th, I came to Newport. On the same day 
 the Concorde, which had brought us out, arrived at 
 Boston. The Count de Baras, chief of the squadron, 
 appointed to take the place of M. de Ternay, and M. 
 de Rochambeau's son [were on board]. They left 
 Brest on the 28th of March. On the 'I'M of the same 
 month M. de la Grasse had left that port at the head 
 of a strong squadron, accompanying a considerable 
 convoy, one part of which was for the Indies, and the 
 other part, say 15 merchantmen, for us. These ves- 
 sels were laden with goods for our army, two compa- 
 nies of artillery and five hundred men drawn from 
 different regiments who were to fill up ours and be in- 
 corporated with them. I saw M. de Alpherau, lieu- 
 
104 
 
 tenant of the navy, who came with M. de Barras, and 
 who was connected with my wife's family and knew 
 my brother. 
 
 Since the 6th the weather has been bad enough, with 
 alternations of rain, wind and cold ; people did not 
 begin to do without fire until about the 15th.^ 
 
 On the 19th, eight hundred men were embarked 
 upon the vessels which were getting ready to go to 
 meet the convoy which we are expecting ; but the 
 English having made their appearance in superior 
 force, it was not considered proper to send out the 
 squadron. M. de Rochambeau set out for Hartford, 
 on the same day, with the Chevalier de Chastellux ; a 
 meeting with General Washington had been appointed, 
 to confer about the operations of the campaign. The 
 bad weather returned again and we made a fire. 
 
 On the 26 til, M. de Rochambeau returned from his 
 interview with General Washington and on the suc- 
 ceeding days made arrangements for a movement of 
 the troops. 
 
 ' " Notwithstanding this changeal^lcMveather wliicli I have ob- 
 served at Rhode Ishiud during- the wliole winter, the country is 
 healthy, the rest of my sojourn proved it to me. I have always 
 had fewer sick i)ersons in our hos][)itals than in France, and when 
 our army set out in the latter part of 1782, after staying in 
 America two and a half years, we had not ten sick in a thousand 
 men." — JVote from MS. 
 
105 
 
 On the night of the 28th-29th, an officer of artillery 
 named la Boioliere was assassinated by a sergeant of 
 his company, without anyone's knowing the reason. 
 The murderer desired to drown himself, but they 
 dpew him out of the water. The officer, although he 
 received several blows with a sabre, does not appear 
 to be in danger. There was no delay in the trial of 
 the assassin, who was hung, after having his hand cut 
 off. He did not acknowledge his crime and died with 
 firmness. 
 
 June, 1781. The first days were fine and pretty 
 warm. We learnt that M. de Grasse had arrived 
 fortunately^ at Martinico. A council of war was 
 held on board of the Due de Bourgogne and decided 
 that the squadron should not go to Boston, but should 
 remain at Newport where we would leave four hun- 
 dred men of the infantry. We continue to make pre- 
 parations for the departure of the troops. 
 
 On the 4th, I spent part of the day on the island of 
 Conanicut, with which I was not yet acquainted ; it 
 is two miles from Newport and may be about two 
 leagues long. I was there with some naval officers 
 and M. de la Grandiere, who had dinner provided 
 for us. 
 
 On the 7th, the cold returned and people warmed 
 14 
 
106 
 
 themselves. I was invited to a great farewell dinner 
 on board of the Due de Bourgogne. There were sixty 
 persons present, several of whom were ladies of New- 
 port and the vicinity. The quarter-deck had been 
 arranged with sails, which made a very handsome 
 hall. On the same day there was a council of admin- 
 istration, composed of officers of the land and sea ser- 
 vices. M. de Lauzun had just arrived, after having 
 been to settle several points with General Washington. 
 In the evening M. de Tarle told me to get ready the 
 next day for Providence, as the first division of the 
 troops was to proceed thither on the 10th. 
 
 At this period I sent some bills of exchange to 
 France. Our salaries were paid in money, and 
 we took them to the army-banker, who gave us 
 bills of exchange at 20, 25 and sometimes 30 premium. 
 I mention, for instance, that I then sent to my sister 
 525 livres in a bill of exchange which I had obtained 
 for 367 livres. It was an abuse; it seems to me that 
 the treasurer himself might have given us bills of 
 exchange with some loss to the king, but not with 
 that which he had to bear. There was something 
 odious about it ; he paid us and we ^went as quickly 
 as possible to sell this money to him with usury. 
 At this time the American paper money was utterly 
 
107 
 
 depreciated. It was at 700 per cent discount ; hereto- 
 fore we had seen it at from 60 to 80, and I had 
 passed much of it at 72, 
 
 On the 9th, I went to Providence. On the road I 
 met a naval officer, who was going to report at New- 
 port that the Sagittaire, a ship of 50 guns, had arrived 
 at Boston, after a passage of 80 days, with the greater 
 part of the convoy which we were expecting. Only 
 four ships, which had gone astray, were missing ; 
 among which was the Jauny, armed by M. Gaudelet, 
 the correspondent of my family at Brest and my own. 
 
 On the 10th, M. de Tarle passed through Providence 
 on his way to Boston. The troops arrived to-day and 
 the next day ; M. de Rochambeau, the generals and 
 the entire staff also passed through Providence. After- 
 wards several successes of M. de Grasse were men- 
 tioned. 
 
 From the 10th to the 16th I was occcupied with the 
 business of the army. 
 
 On the 16th, I set out in the morning for General 
 Washington's camp, to which I was ordered to proceed, 
 stopping at the different places where our troops were 
 to be stationed, in order to examine if anything was 
 needed. The Americans supplied us with nothing ; 
 we were obliged to purchase everything and to pro- 
 vide ourselves with the most trifling things. It is 
 
108 
 
 said that it is better to make war in an enemy's 
 country than among one's friends. If this is an 
 axiom, it acquires still more truth when war is made 
 in a poor and exhausted country, where the men are 
 \^ possessed of little information, selfish and divided in 
 their opinions. I stopped to dine at Waterman's 
 tavern, the principal place of the county, the first 
 station of the army, fifteen miles from Providence, say 
 five leagues. The road is agreeable, we pass through 
 some woods ; but we see few cultivated fiirms and 
 meet with many rocks and tracts of sand. I paid nine 
 livres for my dinner ; it only consisted of a piece of 
 veal, hastily fricasseed ; but in this payment, the dinners 
 of my two servants and of three horses were included. 
 
 At night, I lay at Plainfield, fifteen miles from 
 Waterman's tavern. The country is a little more 
 cleared, especially in the environs of Plainfield, where, 
 nevertheless, there are only five or six houses I saw 
 some firms sown with rye and wheat, but especially 
 with maize (what we call Turkish corn in Anjou) and 
 with potatoes. I also passed tli rough many woods, 
 mostly of oaks and chestnut trees. My lodging cost 
 me IS livres. 
 
 On the 17th, 1 set out at half after six for Wind- 
 ham, where I arrived at ten o'clock, after a journey 
 of fifteen miles. The country is very similar to the 
 
109 
 
 environs of Plainfield ; yet we see more pasture lands 
 there, which are in the valleys. So we have to ascend 
 and descend continually on this road. Plainfield and 
 Windham are in Connecticut. Windham seemed to 
 have sixty houses, all pretty ; there is also a very 
 handsome temple/ called in this country a meefin'/-house. 
 Lauzun's legion had spent the winter at Lebanon, 
 which is only six miles from Windham. There is 
 another village between Plainfield and Windham, 
 called Strickland, which seemed to me to be pretty, 
 and where we also saw a temple. I lay at Bolton, 
 where I was very sick, after a fatiguing march ; it is 
 eighteen miles from Windham to Boston, and we had 
 to ascend and descend. I saw some pla,ces cleared, 
 that is to say, where the wood had been cut, and 
 which are tilled. 
 
 On the 18th, I arrived at Hartford, the capital of 
 Connecticut, fourteen miles from Boston ; the road is 
 fine. Before entering Hartford we pass by a ferry 
 across the Connecticut river, which empties into the 
 sea and carries vessels of seventy tons to Hartford ; it 
 is not navigable any farther except for flat boats ; 
 moreover, it is not very broad. After having paid 
 some attention to my business, I went to dine with 
 Colonel Wadsworth, whom I had known at Newport, 
 
 ' The French word for a Protestant church. 
 
v/ 
 
 110 
 
 the person who supplied our army. He has a hand- 
 some house very neatly furnished. He introduced me 
 to the governor, Mr. Truml)ull, who presides over the 
 state of Connecticut, for there is a governor in every 
 state, chosen by the people I learnt at Hartford that 
 General Greene, at the house of whose wife I had been 
 at Providence, had obtained a considerable advantage 
 in the south, and had taken 700 of the English pri- 
 soners. 
 
 On the 19th, I was particularly busy with a hospital 
 which we were establishing at Hartford ; and I was, by 
 way of parenthesis, compelled to fight, in presence of 
 a great number of Americans, with three nurses who 
 mutinied. I dined at the house of Mr. Alley, the su- 
 perintendent of provisions. Hartford, the capital of 
 Connecticut, somewhat smaller than Providence, is 
 built in the same style ; the streets are wider, but they 
 are not all paved. We saw there two temples, and a 
 third outside of the city, and a Court House or City 
 Hall. The environs are fertile, especially the banks 
 of the river, where very good pasturage is found. Be- 
 fore reaching Hartford and crossing the river, we find 
 a village called East Hartford ; it is there that our 
 troops are to encamp. Tliis village has only thirty 
 houses and a temple ; but three or four miles off are 
 some houses which depend upon it. 
 
Ill 
 
 I did not leave Hartford until early on the 22d. M. 
 de Rochambeau arrived on tliat day with our first divi- 
 sion, and he desired me to precede them. I dined and 
 remained at Farmington, ten or twelve miles from 
 Hartford. The country between these two points 
 seemed to me to be dry ; but Farmington is in a plea- 
 sant valley. I continued my journey and lay at 
 Baron's Tavern, which is situated between two steep 
 mountains. 
 
 On the next day, the 23d, to reach Breakneck for 
 dinner I was obliged to follow a difficult road, to leave 
 the valley and climb a mountain ; so that Breakneck 
 means to break one's neck. From this place to 
 Newtown, where I was to pass the night, is eighteen 
 miles, more than half of which is in a bad road. In 
 general, the country is middling, yet in the midst of 
 these rocks, we find some pieces of sown ground which 
 seem to produce much grain, at least for the time 
 being ; for these farms, newly cleared, seem to me to 
 have little depth of soil. At first they have produced 
 much, because beds of the leaves of trees are found 
 there which, being rotten and mixed with the soil, 
 fertilize it ; but this can only be for the moment, 
 
 Newtown is on a hill surrounded by hills which 
 are still higher. There are only a hundred houses 
 with "two temples. One of them was near the place 
 
112 
 
 where I lodged ; and, as it was Sunday, I saw many 
 people from the vicinity dismount there As all the 
 inhabitants of the country are proprietors and, con- 
 sequently, in pretty easy circumstances, they had 
 come on horseback, as well as their wives and daugh- 
 ters. In the neighborhood of Boston, they come in 
 carriages; but here the country is mountainous and 
 the horse is more suitable. The husband mounts his 
 horse along with his wife ; sometimes there are two 
 women or two young girls together ; they are all well 
 clothed, wearing the little black hat in the English 
 style, and making as good an appearance as the 
 burghers in our cities. I counted more than a hundred 
 horses at the door of the temple, where I heard sing- 
 ing before the preaching, in chorus or in parts. The 
 singing was agreeable and well performed, not by 
 hired priests and chaplains, but by men or women, 
 young men or young girls whom the desire of praising 
 God had assembled. 
 
 To-day I was rejoined at Newtown, where I spent 
 the whole day, by M. de Sanson, my secretary and 
 some surgeons and apothecaries. I pointed out to 
 them the site which I had selected for the hospital, 
 and set out, on the 25th, to proceed to the American 
 army. 
 
 I dined at Plainfield, a very small village, where I 
 
113 
 
 found nothing but some fried ham and I lay at a 
 place called Crampond. The country is mountainous 
 and barren ; the trees are small and very inferior to 
 those in the vicinity of Providence. Crampond and 
 its environs are not considered a very safe country ; 
 it is peopled by tories and, besides, is af no great dis- 
 tance from New York, where the English have their 
 principal forces, at present. 
 
 I set out very early on the 26th and reached the 
 American army. I stopped at Peekskill, a small vil- 
 lage. I could hardly find a room in the inn, which 
 was occupied by Mr. Pearson, one of the American 
 generals. Peekskill is situated on the North river 
 which is very broad ; it is almost an arm of the sea, 
 which vessels of war ascend. In some respects it 
 divides America into two parts, and it is upon this 
 river that the fortifications of West Point are found, 
 the important post which Arnold had intended to 
 give up to the English. I went to speak to General . 
 Pearson, who gave me an aide-de-camp, to conduct me 
 to General Washington, whose quarters were at a dis- 
 tance of two miles. I found him sitting upon a bench 
 at the door of the house where he lodged. I explained 
 my mission to him and he gave me a letter for the 
 quarter-master of Peekskill landing, to which I pro- 
 ceeded. These quarter masters have here, in the 
 15 
 
114 
 
 army, almost the same functions as we, but with more 
 authority. I set out immediately upon the same 
 horses, although I had more than eight leagues to 
 travel and in the rain. I passed through another 
 Peekskill where the Americans have their magazines 
 and their arsenals. These are large wooden barracks, 
 built recently, situated between two ranges of mount- 
 ains. This other Peekskill is on the bank of the 
 river ; it is there that they are building our ovens, a 
 business which 1 found very little advanced. The 
 builder, desiring to make them elegant, sent to a dis- 
 tance for the materials. The next day 1 went to 
 Poughkeepsie, a village where it was proposed to esta- 
 blish our hospitals, five leagues beyond Peekskill 
 landing, on the road to Albany, and, consequently, to 
 Canada. I sent a letter to General Chnton, which I 
 had for him ; he is the governor of the province of 
 New York, in which we were. The legislature was 
 then sitting, to which I was summoned, the governor 
 having informed them of my demand of a site to esta- 
 blish a hospital. After waiting for some time, two 
 deputies were sent to me who spoke French, General 
 Schuyler, retired from the service and residing at Al- 
 bany (he was brother-in-law of M. Coster, one of the 
 providers of our army) ; the other. General Scott, 
 commanding the militia of the province, both about 
 
115 
 
 50 years of age and of good manners. On ttie same 
 day I returned to sleep at Peekskill landing. It is a 
 village partly inhabited by Dutch families. They have 
 preserved the manners and character of their nation. 
 The inn at which I dismounted was kept by one of 
 these families. 
 
 I set out again on the 28th for the American army. 
 I passed by General Washington's quarters, but as he 
 had changed them I did not see him, and I proceeded 
 directly to the inn at which I had previously dis- 
 mounted at Peekskill. I met M. Du Portail, a French 
 engineer in the service of America, with whom I con- 
 versed. He was greatly esteemed by the Americans. 
 I spent the remainder of the day in the camp and saw 
 two regiments go through their exercise. The soldiers 
 marched pretty well, but the}' handled their arms 
 badly. There were some fine-looking men ; also manj' 
 who were small and thin, and even some children 
 twelve or thirteen years old. They have no uniforms 
 and in general are badly clad. 
 
 On the 29 th, I got on horseback to see some barracks 
 which had been occupied by an American regiment 
 during the winter ; my purpose was to establish a 
 hospital there. On the road I met General Washing- 
 ton, who was going to review a part of his troops. He 
 recognized me, stopped and invited me to dine with 
 
116 
 
 hiin at three o'clock. I repaired thither ; there were 
 twenty-five covers used by some officers of the army 
 and a lady to whom the house belonged in which the 
 general lodged. We dined under the tent. I was 
 placed alongside of the general. One of his aides-de- 
 camp did the honors. 
 
 The table was served in the American style and 
 pretty abundantly : vegetables, roast beef, lamb, chick- 
 ens, salad dressed wdth nothing but vinegar, green 
 peas, puddings and some pie, a kind of tart, greatly in 
 use in England and among the Americans, all this 
 being put upon the table at the same time. They 
 gave us on tlie sanie plate beef, green peas, lamb, &c. 
 At the end of the dinner the cloth was removed and 
 some Madeira wine was brought, which was passed 
 around, whilst drinking different healths, to the king 
 of France, the French army, etc. I rose when I heard 
 General Washington ask for his horses, because I de- 
 sired to have a conversation with him and Mr. Coster, 
 the purveyor of our army, who had arrived and spoke 
 French well. We all three left the table ; the other 
 officers remained ; the lady also withdrew at the same 
 time as we. Our conference being ended, the general 
 proposed to us to return again to the table for a moment, 
 whilst waiting for the time of departure. Again some 
 healths were drunk, among others that of the Count 
 
117 
 
 de Grasse ; then everyone rose from table. I have 
 dwelt upon the details of this dinner, because every- 
 thing that relates to General Washington seems inte- 
 resting to me. 
 
 I have already described his figure. His physiog- 
 nomy has something grave and serious ; but it is 
 never stern, and, on the contrary, becomes softened by 
 the most gracious and amiable smile. He is affable 
 and converses with his officers familiarly and gaily. 
 I was not sufficiently accustomed to the English lan- 
 guage to maintain a connected conversation with him ; 
 nevertheless we exchanged some words, for instance, 
 respecting the battle of the Chesapeake, which he 
 considered glorious to our arms. He excused himself 
 respecting the entertainment which he had given me, 
 to which I replied that I found myself in good case in 
 America, better than in Corsica, where I had been for 
 a long time. As to this subject he told me that the 
 English papers announced that the Corsicans were 
 about to revolt and create a diversion against us. I 
 replied that I had no fear of it, that the Corsicans 
 were not dangerous, and that Paoli was not Washing- 
 ton. In the evening I saw him again ; he had come 
 to see General Pearson, in whose house I was lodo'ino- 
 He invited me to come and dine with him as long as 
 I remained in his quarters. On the next day, passing 
 
118 
 
 by this house, again, he stopped there, caused me to be 
 called, and proposed to me to take me to dine at the 
 house of one of the American generals to which he 
 was going. I thanked him, on account of some busi- 
 ness, and he invited me in the most polite manner in 
 the world for the next day. 
 
 July, 1781. I went thither, indeed ; it was the first 
 of July. I found the table served as at the first time 
 with about the same number of guests. I was along- 
 side of General Washington and another general 
 named Lord Stirling (he claimed to be an English 
 lord). General Washington seemed, for a moment, 
 to be somewhat absent, at other times he joined in 
 the conversation and appeared to be interested in it. 
 There was a clergyman at this dinner who blessed the 
 food and said grace after they had done eating and 
 had brought on the wine. I was told that General 
 Washington said grace when there was no clergyman 
 at table, as fathers of a fimily do in America. The 
 first time that I dined with him there was no clergyman 
 and I did not perceive that he made this prayer ; yet 
 I remember that, on taking his place at table, he made 
 a gesture and said a word which I took for a piece of 
 politeness, and which perhaps was a religious action. 
 In this case, his prayer must have been short ; the 
 clergyman made use of more forms. 
 
119 
 
 We remained a pretty long time at t.able. They 
 drank twelve or fifteen healths with Madeira wine^. 
 In the course of the meal beer was served and grum, 
 rum mixed with w\ater. 
 
 On the -d. the American army left the camp of 
 Peekskill to advance nearer to New York. The first 
 division of our troops proceeded in the same direction. 
 I was informed of this march, the evening before, by 
 M. de Tarle, which altered our projects of establish- 
 ments for victuals and hospitals in the environs of 
 Peekskill, where I was, nevertheless, obliged to re- 
 main. General Washington himself departed, and I 
 saw him pass with his staff' and an escort of dragoons. 
 
 On the 3d, I learnt that our army was at North- 
 castle. I ought to send bread to it. Only a small 
 quantity, 3000 rations, reached me. The ovens of 
 Peekskill landing were found to be too distant from 
 our army, and this service was not well performed. 
 Besides, I was not entrusted with it and had very 
 little authority over it. 
 
 On the 4th, in the morning, I saw several American 
 officers returning wounded to Peekskill ; they had 
 been so the evening before at Kingsbridge. The 
 English were guarding a post there which the Ameri- 
 can advanced-guard attacked ; one of these officers 
 was stretched out in the room in which I was dining j 
 
120 
 
 his wife was busy about him and dressed his wounds 
 herself, a touching spectacle, but little suitable for 
 giving an appetite. On the same day, the effects of 
 the American troops which had remained at Peeks- 
 kill were sent to them upon a great number of vehicles, 
 escorted by some soldiers of this nation, who, contrary 
 to all discipline, fired incessantly and thus spent their 
 powder very uselessly, a commodity which, neverthe- 
 less, was very scarce in America. 
 
 On the 5th, I rejoined the army at Northcastle. It 
 left that place on the 6th. I remained at Northcastle 
 to establish a hospital there. On the 7th, I rejoined 
 our troops, encamped at Phillipsburg, eight leagues 
 from New York. I lay in M. de la Cheze's tent, not 
 having my baggage with me. The heat was excessive ; 
 it was not moderated until the 10th by a great rain 
 which lasted all night and passed through all the 
 tents. I dined that day at the intendant's with 
 General Washington. He was rather grave ; it was 
 said that there had been a little misunderstanding 
 between him and General Rochambeau. General 
 Washington's army was encamped near ours ; it was 
 about 4000 men. 
 
 On the 11th, I returned to Northcastle to see our 
 hospital establishment ; I busied myself until the 14th 
 in the details of the service. I learnt some particulars 
 
121 
 
 respecting the attack of Kingsbridge, of which I have 
 spoken ; they expected to surprise the English, but 
 they were upon their guard, so that the Americans 
 were repulsed. Lauzun's legion marched to their assist- 
 ance; but General Lincoln, who was retreating, did 
 not think fit to employ it. We had news that the 
 English were evacuating Virginia, which, it was said, 
 was to be ascribed to the march of our troops. Lastly 
 an eno'ao'ement was mentioned between the Surveil- 
 lante, a frigate of our squadron and a ship of 50 guns ; 
 she got off with much glory ; she was commanded by 
 M. de Villars. It is the same frigate that fought with 
 so much couraoe ao'ainst another Enolish frioate 
 
 O O CO 
 
 which took fire ; she was then commanded by M. de 
 Conedie, who received a wound of which he died. 
 
 On the 15th, I returned to the camp. In the even- 
 ing M. de Rochambeau reproached me respecting the 
 supply of bread which had failed. It was in vain for 
 me to justify myself by telling him that I was not 
 especially entrusted with this service ; he was unwil- 
 ling to listen to me. Nevertheless I had foretold that 
 the bread would fail owing to the remoteness of the 
 ovens. Next day the following remarks of M. de 
 Rochambeau were related to me, that I was well 
 pleased to see the supply fail, because I wished to 
 have the intendaut sent away and to fill his place ; 
 16 
 
122 
 
 that as to the rest, the provisions ought to have been 
 entrusted to me. Never were reproach and suspicion 
 more unjust, and I felt it much. But such is M. de 
 Rochambeau. He mistrusts every one and always 
 believes that he sees himself surrounded by rogues and 
 idiots. This character, combined with manners far 
 from courteous, makes him disagreeable to everybody.^ 
 On the ITth, I had occasion to see him again and he 
 charged me to go and reconnoitre a site where he pro- 
 posed to esbablish new storehouses of provisions, which 
 I performed the same day. On the next day I wasted 
 a whole day in running over, tediously and uselessly, 
 the -environs of the camp in a barren and desert region 
 with which I was unacquainted, to find some employees 
 whom I needed. Nevertheless, I succeeded in having 
 
 ' I wrote what precedes in a moment of ill-hnmor ; and al- 
 though M. de Rochambeau was i;njust to me, on this occasion, 
 and there is some truth in the portrait, which is here drawn of 
 him, I ought to say that he also has good qualities, that he is 
 wise, that he desires what is good, and that, if he is not an able 
 administrator, he is generally verj^ active, having an excellent 
 glan(?e, readily becoming acquainted with a country, and undei-- 
 standing war perfectly. He has served well in America and 
 has given a favorable idea of the nation. People expected to 
 see a French fop, and they saw a thoughtful man. " Your 
 general is abstemious," an American alongside of whom I was din- 
 ing, once said to me, and who remarked his moderation at table. 
 This moderation and this wisdom were generally observable in 
 the most important points. 
 
 i 
 
123 
 
 a service of provisions established in a village called 
 Rick's mill. On returning to camp I learnt that a cap- 
 tain of Lauzun's legion had been killed whilst going 
 the rounds with the patrol 
 
 On the 2 1st, I saw M. de Rochambeau, to whom I 
 gave an account of what I had done. His reception 
 of me is usually cold. Nevertheless, I knew that he 
 had spoken of my performances with praise. In the 
 evening, at 9 o'clock, Lauzun's legion and the grena- 
 diers and chasseurs of the Bourbonnois brigade started 
 under the command of M. de Chastellux for an expe- 
 dition, of the cause and object of which we are igno- 
 rant. An American corps also marched. M.- de 
 Rochambeau and Washington followed these divisions. 
 
 We learnt, on the 22d, that these troops had not 
 accomplished anything, and they returned on this 
 same day after having pillaged extensively and com- 
 mitted disorders, of which hitherto there had been no 
 example. On the contrary, the army had behaved 
 with a prudence which had merited the greatest 
 praises from the Americans themselves. The latter 
 marched in a very orderly manner to-day. I beheve 
 that they had no other object tiian to make a recon- 
 noissance, the result of which was to satisfy them that 
 they could not attack New York without very superior 
 forces. 
 
 I 
 
124 
 
 Nothing new happened until the 26th, when I re- 
 turned to Northcastle. At this time it was said that 
 the English fleet had left New York, to go to Virginia 
 in search of Lord Cornwallis, who seemed to be desir- 
 ous of evacuating that province altogether. If this news 
 is true, the English must be very strong in New York, 
 which ought to oblige us to retreat and to evacuate 
 the camp of Phillipsburg : that would not be much re- 
 gretted as to the matter of convenience. The head- 
 quarters especially are badly situated and all the corps 
 and services too distant from each other. I was 
 obliged to go four or five leagues every day to attend 
 to my business. 
 
 The country is uneven, cut up by hills and woods. 
 It is hard to find any valleys at all fertile. The hos- 
 pital, for instance, was located on a farm, the truly 
 rural situation of which was very pleasing. In these 
 fields we saw two trees which are met with in France 
 only in the gardens of the botanists and of some con- 
 noisseurs ; the tulip tree and the catalpa. The first is 
 of the poplar genus ; it becomes very tall and very 
 straight ; its bark is handsome and its leaf large ; it 
 has a flower which resembles a tulip, whence its name. 
 I saw one at Northcastle taller than the finest elm and 
 as thick, straight and affording much shade ; this 
 would be a fine tree for an avenue ; the other the cat- 
 
125 
 
 alpa, or the caltapa, resembles the plantain, but its 
 leaf is larger ; the flower resembles that of the horse- 
 chestnut ; it bears it at the same time as the leaves. 
 This would be a very suitable tree for ornamenting 
 gardens and making arbors. It is known in France 
 by the name of bignonia, a name which Tournefort had 
 given it in honor of the Abbe Bignore, the keeper of 
 the king's library. //In conversing with the Americans 
 about agriculture, I became confirmed in the opinion 
 that the farms which appeared fertile in the north of 
 America were chiefly so because they were newly 
 cleared, but that they soon become exhausted. It is 
 said that better soils are found on penetrating to the 
 west. I am willing to believe it, but this country is 
 unknown and inhabited by savage tribes, difficult to 
 be subjugated. " 
 
 August, 1781. Nothing interesting occurred during 
 the first days of the month. I went and came, from 
 the camp to Northcastle and from Northcastle to the 
 camp. Pretty often we had storms and heavy rains, 
 which cooled the air only for a moment. We had few 
 sick men and less in proportion than in France. The 
 retirement of M. Necker was much spoken of at this 
 time, which seemed to concern everyone. We learnt 
 this news through the English, who often sent 
 trumpets and forwarded gazettes to us. We learnt 
 
126 
 
 from the same papers that M. de la Mothe-Piquet had 
 captured a rich convoy. The parleys between us and 
 the English were displeasing to the Americans, and 
 even to General Washington ; they were unaccustomed 
 to this way of making war. 
 
 We were very quiet in our camp, foraging without 
 being disturbed. The Enghsh contented themselves 
 with guarding their cities and the outposts without 
 making the least attempt against us ; this made us 
 sometimes believe in peace. On the other hand we 
 were in daily expectation of M. de Grasse's squadron. 
 
 On the 16th, having gone to Peekskill to see our 
 magazines and two churches which I was fitting up to 
 serve as hospitals for us in case of need, I received an 
 express from the intendant telling me to transfer the 
 hospital from Northcastle to Peekskill ; he added that 
 he was about to proceed to Chatain on the North river. 
 I proceeded immediately to the army, taking another 
 route than the usual one. I skirted the North river 
 and passed through a village called Taristown,^ where 
 there was a little trade. On arriving at headquarters, 
 I learnt that the Concorde frigate, detached by M. de 
 Grasse, had just arrived and that it had brought dis- 
 patches from him. He announced that he was about 
 to join us with twenty-eight ships of the line ; as, ac- 
 
 1 Qu. Tarrytown ? 
 
127 
 
 cording to all appearances, he must have entered 
 Chesapeake bay, the French and American generals 
 made a movement with the two armies to be nearer 
 to him and to confine, or rather to hem in, Cornwallis's 
 army which was at the extremity of Virginia. This 
 frigate confirmed to us the capture of a convoy by M. 
 de la Mothe-Piquet ; we also learnt that they had re- 
 captured Pondichery and were besieging Madras. It 
 seemed also that the news of the retirement of M. 
 Necker was assuming consistence. 
 
 On the 19th, the army began its movement to the 
 rear from Phillipsburg to Northcastle. Many wagons 
 broke down on the road and there was much disorder 
 in the columns ; a very great rain which came on de- 
 layed the marcli, and the troops bivouacked on the road. 
 M. de Rochambeau had a very lively scene with the 
 intendant upon this subject ; I was present and suffered 
 much on account of it. I thought that if these posi- 
 tions are handsome they certainly have their discom- 
 forts. 
 
 On the 21st, the army left Northcastle. In the 
 evening I received orders from the general to carry a 
 letter to General Washington, who was already on the 
 other side of the North river, where we also were be- 
 ginning to form some establishments. The Americans 
 were already much farther off than I had supposed ; I 
 
128 
 
 joined them, nevertheless : General Washington was 
 occupying Smith's house, famous owing to the fact that 
 there Andre and Arnold had held their meeting. Gene- 
 ral Washington was taking tea ; I took it with him. 
 He read the letter, which I had brought him, twice, and 
 which, I believe, contained nothing very important. 
 When he had given me his answer, I immediately set 
 out again ; it was late and I crossed the North river 
 by night ; I reached head quarters at eleven o'clock. 
 All the rooms were occupied in the inn where I 
 alighted, and I slept on the floor and upon a staircase. 
 The next morning I learnt that some letters had 
 arrived for us by the frigate la Magicienne, which had 
 just reached Boston after a passage of fifty-three days, 
 and which brought us 1,800,000 hvres. Another fri- 
 gate, la Fortune, which had put into St. Domingo, 
 followed her closely. The retirement of M. Necker is 
 confirmed. M. de Viomenil received a memoir com- 
 posed against him, which he communicated to me, and 
 which seemed to me a little masterpiece of wit. 
 
129 
 
 CHAPTER ly. 
 
 The Allied A)-)nies cross the North River and march tovmrds 
 the Chesapeake Bay — M. Blanchard rejoins them soon 
 aftericards — He passes through VTJi ippony, Somerset, Prince- 
 ton and Redlines, stops at Philadelphia, and goes on through 
 Chester, Wilmington, Brandywine, Christian Bridge and 
 Head of Elk, xohere he rejoins the Army — He embarks 
 with a Detachment to effect a tTunction ivith the Troops 
 hrouglit by 31. de Grasse''s Squadron, 'which had arrived in 
 the Bay. 
 
 August, 1781. On the 22d and 23d, the army began 
 to cross the North river, and it was decided that I 
 should remain for the present at Peekskill. 
 
 On the 2od and 24th, our troops finished crossing 
 the river. This crossing occupied much time, owing 
 to the breadth of the river, which tliey were obHged 
 to cross in ferry boats collected in great numbers, but 
 still not enough. On the 25th, I went myself to the 
 spot and saw many of the troops and much baggage 
 cross. General Washington was there ; they had pro- 
 vided apaviUon for him, from which he examined every- 
 thing very attentively. He seemed, in this crossing, 
 in the march of our troops towards the Chesapeake 
 bay and in our reunion with M. de Grasse, to see a 
 17 
 
130 
 
 better destiny arise, when at this period of the war, 
 exhausted, destitute of resources, he needed a great 
 success which might revive courage and hope. He 
 pressed my hand with much affection when he left us 
 and crossed the river himself. It was about two 
 o'clock. He then rejoined his army, which had com- 
 menced its march in the morning, as also the first 
 division of our army. 
 
 On the 26th, the second division of our army and 
 all our troops directed their course towards Phihadel- 
 phia. The American general Heath was entrusted 
 with the command of this side of the river and the 
 protection of our establishment. 
 
 On the 28th, after having caused a convoy for the 
 army to set out, I mounted a horse to go to West 
 Point. It is a fortification, or rather a mass of fortifi- 
 cations, erected upon a rock which projects much into 
 the river and contracts it considerably at this place. 
 The passage of it was difficult and the Americans had 
 neglected nothing to increase the natural difficulties. 
 Thus the English had never dared to attempt this im- 
 portant crossing. West Point is the post which the 
 traitor Arnold wished to give up in the latter part of 
 
 JS^ote. The event lias justified my remarks ; for the capture 
 of YorktowH, the result of our reunion witli M. cleGrasse, greatly 
 c()ntril)uted to the peace and secured the liherty of America. 
 
131 
 
 1780. The Americans have some establishments in 
 the neighborhood, among others, a hospital which I 
 visited ; the sick were in single beds, but without 
 sheets and only on the straw with a coverlid. Besides, 
 they had no nourishment but bread and meat which 
 the convalescents prepare. The buildings which serve 
 for the hospital were nothing l)ut barns which had 
 not even been repaired.^ People sometimes complain 
 of our military hospitals, but it is enough to see these 
 to acknowledge that these complaints are unfounded. 
 Military men who have traveled know it well and de- 
 clare that our army-hospitals are greatly superior to 
 all those of foreign countries. From West Point I 
 went to Peekskill, where I had already been in the 
 month of June. As I was passing in the midst of 
 some barracks connected with the American establish- 
 ments, I was greatly surprised at hearing French 
 spoken. In fact, these barracks were occupied by 
 eight or ten families who had come from Canada ; the 
 men had been employed among the troops and the 
 women and children had been left in these barracks, 
 and some assistance had been given to them. They 
 
 ' Let tlie reader consult the Avork of the sub-intendant Vigo- 
 Roussilon, Of the Military Pover of the Tainted States of Ame- 
 ricn, 186, and let hira compare the American hospitals of 1781 
 with tliose of the AYar of the Succession. 
 
132 
 
 presented a very miserable appearance. A woman to 
 whom I spoke, twenty years old and of a tolerably 
 pretty figure, called herself by her maiden name, 
 Marie Goguet. She spoke pretty good French with- 
 out accent. I gave her a piaster, which she received 
 with pleasure. On the 30th, I crossed the North 
 river at King's-ferry, and, having concluded to rejoin 
 the army, after having given my instructions, I set 
 out on the first of September. 
 
 Septemher, 1781. The country which I crossed for 
 three or four leagues is mountainous and middling, it 
 is better and more agreeable in the place where I 
 stopped to dine, at Suffern, which is also the name of 
 the inn-keeper. His house is situated in the state of 
 New York ; but Pompton, where I passed the night, 
 is in New Jersey. The road to it is very level, it is 
 in a valley tolerably well cultivated and pleasant. I 
 lodged at the house of a Dutchman, John Van Gelder, 
 who received me very well. The next day, at two, I 
 dined at Whippany, where the army had stopped. The 
 road which I followed continues to be fine, situated in 
 a cultivated valley. Some wood is found there never- 
 theless. I observed fewer apple trees there than in 
 the other provinces through which T had passed, but 
 many peach trees. This valley is also very narrow 
 and the mountains which border on it are barren : 
 
133 
 
 there are some sandy places in the valley itself. I 
 saw nothing there but buckwheat and maize, and 
 these farms are greatly in need of manure. In France 
 these farms would be middling good. I learnt, on the 
 way, that the La Resolute frigate had arrived ; we 
 were impatiently expecting it ; it had been announced 
 to us by the Magicienne. It brought us money, as 
 well for us as for the Americans, and some goods for 
 their troops. It also brought back Mr. Laurens, the 
 son of a president of the congress, whom i have al- 
 ready mentioned, and who had gone to France in the 
 month of February to ask for this assistance. On the 
 same day I came to spend the night at Bullion's tav- 
 ern, after having passed through Chatham, a village 
 where our ovens had been set up, which I was well 
 pleased to visit, which caused me to go five miles far- 
 ther and prevented my passing through Morristown, 
 where General Washington had his quarters for a 
 long time, and where the Americans have some iron- 
 works as at Peekskill ; I also lost the opportunity of 
 visiting the country house of Lord Stirling, that 
 American general whose nobility is somewhat con- 
 tested. This country house is almost unique in these 
 parts, where the dwellings resemble farm houses ; 
 they have no gardens, no fences, no fruit-walls, only 
 some apple trees, some peach trees and some scattered 
 
134 
 
 cherry trees, or forming what we call orchards. The 
 road which I took to reach Bullion's tavern is not dis- 
 agreeable ; but the farms are still middling, they were 
 sown with maize and buckwheat ; I also saw a little 
 hemp there. 
 
 On the 3d, I dined at Somerset, the same kind of 
 country and the same road, and lay at Princeton, a 
 pretty village, of about sixty houses ; the inns there 
 are handsome and very clean. A very handsome col- 
 lege is also to be seen there, built in the same style 
 as that at Providence. The English had quartered 
 their troops in it when they were masters of this part 
 of the country ; they had damaged it somewhat. I 
 visited the college ; there were fifty scholars ; there 
 was room for two hundred. Several languages were 
 taught ; a student who accompanied me already spoke 
 a little French. 
 
 He showed me a tolerably ingenious machine repre- 
 senting the movement of the stars, which was moved 
 by springs. My intention had been to spend the 
 night at Princeton, but the weather was fine and I 
 proceeded to Trenton, going forty miles in the day. 
 Trenton, ten leagues from Philadelphia, is a pretty 
 considerable village, of at least a hundred houses, sit- 
 uated on the Delaware. This village, or little city, 
 is pretty and seems to announce the vicinity of a capi- 
 
135 
 
 tal. I made haste to leave it on the 4th, having 
 learnt that our first division was already at Philadel- 
 phia, and that the second arrived there on this very 
 day. I crossed the Delaware in a ferry boat ; it is 
 neither broad nor deep at this place, but at the dis- 
 tance of four leagues it becomes as broad as the Loire 
 below La Fosse. I had heard Americans say that 
 these two rivers resembled each other ; this resem- 
 blance also struck me owing to the colors of the white 
 and limpid water and the low and agreeable banks. 
 The road leading to Philadelphia is fine, at least to 
 Avithin ten miles from this city, at Redlines,^ where I 
 stopped to dine and wrote these notes. It is quite 
 wide and skirts the Delaware ; forests are passed 
 through in some places. At last, 1 reached Philadel- 
 phia in the evening ; the country in the neighborhood 
 is cultivated ; here and there I met with pretty houses 
 and everything announced the vicinity of a great city. 
 Philadelphia is a very extensive city, and regularly 
 built ; the houses are of brick and pretty high, the 
 streets straight, broad, and very long ; there are side 
 walks for persons on foot. Some public buildings are 
 also to be seen there which are worthy of a great city, 
 such as the house where the congress meets, the hos- 
 
 The Red Lion ? 
 
136 
 
 pitals and the prison. The absence of quays upon the 
 Delaware deprives it of a great convenience and a 
 great beauty. In the evening I repaired to the house 
 of M. de la Luzerne, who was giving a great dinner to 
 the chief officer of the congress, General Washington 
 and the principal officers of our troops. On entering 
 the city they defiled before the president of the con- 
 gress and saluted hiui. Beginning on the 5th, our first 
 division set out for the Chesapeake bay. I walked 
 much in the city, without neglecting my business and 
 the attention to be paid to our sick, who had been 
 quartered in the Philadelphia hospital. I dined on the 
 same day at the house of M. de la Luzerne with more 
 than eighty persons. Whilst we were at table, news 
 was brought that M. de Grasse had arrived in Chesa- 
 peake bay with twenty-eight ships of the line, and 
 that he had landed three thousand men who had joined 
 M. de la Fayette, so that Cornwallis, who found him- 
 self between the fleet and the land forces, was in dan- 
 ger of being captured. This news was received with 
 great joy by all the guests, French and Americans, 
 In the evening the citizens assembled and proceeded 
 in a crowd to the hotel of the ambassador. During 
 the day, the regiment of Soissonnois had manoeuvred 
 before a crowd of the inhabitants, who seemed to ad- 
 mire the fine appearance of the soldiery and their 
 
137 
 
 discipline. The tories could not avoid agreeing to it, 
 but they said that it was a regiment recruited in Eng- 
 land. The English had described us to the Americans 
 as pigmies. 
 
 On the 6th, the second division commenced its march. 
 M. Holker, the French consul at Philadelphia, took 
 me to dine at his country house, only three miles from 
 the city. We drank some excellent Burgundy wine, 
 which is very scarce beyond the sea. Several French 
 merchants were at this dinner. 
 
 On the 7th, after having breakfasted at the house of 
 our ambassador, I set out to rejoin the army, and lay 
 at Chester, after having crossed the Schuylkill one 
 mile from Philadelphia, at the place where M. Tron- 
 9on-Du-Coudray, a well-known officer of artillery, who 
 had been sent to the Americans, was drowned in 
 crossing a ferry. At present there is a bridge. Chester 
 is a little village, five leagues from Philadelphia and 
 on the Delaware. The next day I started early and 
 lay at Wilmington, a village upon the Brandywine, 
 whereon an important battle was fought which has 
 retained its name. Thence, I went to dine at Christian 
 Bridge, where I did the honors of the public table to 
 some Americans with whom I drank toasts. At night, 
 I lay at the Head of Elk, where I found our army. 
 The country through which I had passed for two days 
 18 
 
^JVW*-' 
 
 was, generally, barren and sandy, so that we were 
 covered with dust. 
 
 On arriving, I learnt that 1200 of the troops, of 
 whom a part were grenadiers and chasseurs, were to 
 embark for the purpose of joining the troops which M. 
 de Grasse had brought, and that I was to be on this 
 expedition. They were to embark on a little river 
 leading into Chesapeake bay ; the remainder of the 
 troops were to proceed by land to the appointed spot; 
 that is to say in front of York to which Cornwallis had 
 withdrawn. 
 
 On the 9th, I devoted myself to the embarkation. 
 On the 10th the boats provided to convey us repaired 
 to Plumb Point, where the embarkation was easier, and 
 on the 11th they were on board. In company with 
 M. de Custine I got on board a small boat, in which 
 were sm<^ officers and fifty grenadiers. Cooking could 
 not be done on these boats and we had nothing but 
 some biscuits and cheese for the soldiers, and some 
 cold meats for us. On the 12th, in the morning, we 
 had not made much headway, the wind being contrary, 
 yet we entered Chesapeake bay on the same morning. 
 At this point it is a league in breadth. This Chesa- 
 peake bay is a little Mediterranean, and some immense 
 rivers empty into it which bear the largest ships, such 
 as the Potomac. On the evening cf the said day, the 
 
139 
 
 12th, a storm of wind and rain came on, so that we 
 were compelled to anchor. We were cruelly tossed 
 about all night and almost everyone was sick. We 
 were then as high up as Annapolis and in sight of two 
 friofates and a cutter which the bad weather did not 
 allow us to join, and which we supposed to form apart 
 of M. de Grasse's squadron. Next day we had fine 
 weather and continued to advance ; but we were not 
 followed by the other boats, twenty in number. We 
 perceived a pretty strong boat coming towards us by 
 the use of oars ; we did not pay much attention to it, 
 when suddenly it tacked about and left us. We sus- 
 pected that it was a little pirate (there are many of 
 them in these parts) ; desiring to attack us it concluded 
 on approaching that we had too many people on board. 
 On the 1 1th, we joined M. de Grasse's squadron and 
 M. de Custine, and I went on board of the Ville de 
 Paris which he commanded. He received us very well 
 and gave us dinner. We learnt that he had had an 
 engagement with the English squadron a few days 
 before. M. de Grasse had the advantage, but he did 
 not pursue the English because he was unwilling to 
 leave the Chesapeake bay, the rather because he was 
 expecting the ships which M. de Barras was bringing 
 to him, and which we had left at Newport when the 
 army departed from that city in the month of June, 
 
140 
 
 They might have been intercepted by the English, but 
 fortunately the}' joined M. de Grasse. 
 
 Two days afterwards, the squadron having left the 
 bay, two English frigates entered it to cut loose the 
 buoys of the squadron which had been left there ; 
 they had not time to escape, and were captured upon 
 the return of the squadron. 
 
 M. de Grasse's squadron, after its junction with M. 
 de Barras, was composed of more than forty ships or 
 frigates. I saw several naval officers of my acquaint- 
 ance, and was on board of the Due de Bourgogne. 
 Then being in haste to land, I hired a little American 
 boat on which I embarked with M. de Lauberdiere,^ 
 who had followed M. de Custine. We were to ascend 
 the James river and join M. de la Fayette, to inform 
 him of our arrival, and that I might prepare every- 
 thing that was necessary for the arrival of our troops. 
 There w^as some imprudence in embarking in so small 
 a boat and upon a very stormy river, and I heard it 
 mentioned to M. de Grasse who saw us start from his 
 stern-gallery. We had scarcely room to lie down in 
 this little boat, and we were in the open air. It rained 
 the next day, and we were penetrated to the skin. 
 Moreover the captain was very little acquainted with 
 
 An aide-de-camp to M. Kochambeati. 
 
141 
 
 this river, and there were many sandbanks so that we 
 touched several times. At last, after having wandered 
 for a long time in an unknown river, we landed two 
 leagues from Williamsburg, where M. de la Fayette 
 was posted ; at least that is what a woman told us 
 whom we met. There was no house or place where 
 we landed, and we were compelled to go a long way 
 on foot. At length we arrived at a deserted house 
 where were two persons who let us in, but neither 
 furniture nor provisions. We lay upon the floor. 
 The next day, having hired horses, we proceeded to 
 Williamsburg, the capital of Virginia. It consists of 
 only a single street, but very broad and very hand- 
 some. Two or three public buildings, pretty large, 
 are also to be seen there. We got in at the quarters 
 of M. de la Fayette, where I found M. de Chastellux, 
 who liad arrived the evening before, with M. de Roch- 
 ambeau and M. de Washington. They had got 
 in advance by making forced marches across Mary- 
 land and Virginia. This latter province is General 
 Washington's birthplace ; he has there a very hand- 
 some dwelling-house, where he received our two 
 generals : he had not been in his own country since 
 the beginning of the war. A body of Americans under 
 the command of M. de la Fayette were encamped near 
 Williamsburg. Three French regiments, which M. 
 
142 
 
 de Grasse had brought, were joined to them, forming 
 a body of 3000 men. They were the regiments of 
 Gatinois, d' Agenois and Touraine. I found among 
 my acquaintances the Count d' Autichamp, who com- 
 manded one of the regiments ; he spoke much to me 
 of my uncle, settled in St. Domingo, with whom he 
 was connected. From this day, I set to work, although 
 without a piece of paper or an employee or a bag of 
 flour at my disposal ; I was completely overwhelmed, 
 which I still remember now that I am copying this 
 thirteen years afterwards. The Baron de Steuben, a 
 German general officer in the service of America, gave 
 a great dinner to our generals, and I went to it. The 
 next day the French and American generals, went 
 on board of the Ville de Paris to see M. de Grasse. I 
 sent a note to M. de Rochambeau to obtain some sup- 
 plies from the navy in wines, flour, &c. On the 17th 
 and the following days I worked much with M. de la 
 Fayette, who was pleased to assist me in providing for 
 our troops. It is difficult to employ more order, pa- 
 tience and integrity in the discussion of business 
 matters ; he reminded me of Scipio African us in Spain ; 
 as young and as modest as he, he already had the 
 reputation of a skilful warrior ; for the last campaign 
 which he had just made, whilst sustaining himself 
 against Cornwallis with inferior forces, had procured 
 him much glory, and justly so. 
 
143 
 
 On the 21st and 22d my work was doubled ; I caused 
 ovens to be constructed, but I was in want of tools and 
 I had to run about much and negotiate to obtain even 
 a hammer. Our generals came and deposited with 
 me 800,000 livres in piasters, which M. de Grasse had 
 brought for us. The grenadiers and chasseurs also ar- 
 rived; everybody applied to me for bread, vehicles 
 and all possible necessaries. I was alone and had not 
 a single employee to assist me. On the 28d I was sick, 
 owing to fatigue ; I had spent part of the previous 
 nights on my feet. In the evening I threw myself on 
 a bed ; fortunately two employees arrived who made 
 a report to me and to whom I gave orders from my 
 bed. During the night, as I was more oppressed than 
 drowsy, the floor of the chamber adjoining that in 
 which I was suddenly broke in pieces with a great 
 noise. This accident proceeded from the money which 
 I had deposited there ; it Avas on the ground floor and 
 underneath was a cellar, fortunately not very deep: 
 the floor, being too weak, had been unable to bear 
 the weight of these 800,000 livres in silver. My ser- 
 vant, who lay in this room, fell down the length of a 
 beam, but was not hurt. 
 
 At last, on the 25th, the intendant arrived, as well 
 as M. de Villemanzy, the commissary of war. In the 
 evening we had a conference with M. de Rochambeau ; 
 
144 
 
 we were then in the greatest anxiety on the subject 
 of subsistence. The country in which we were was 
 exhausted by the Americans and laid waste by the En- 
 glish ; and our troops which had made forced marches 
 could not be followed by the magazines. A vessel 
 forming a part of M. de Barras's squadron was an- 
 chored near to us, laden with flour which it had been 
 to procure at Baltimore or Annapolis, for the squadron. 
 I persuaded M. de Rochambeau to ask M. de Villebrun, 
 who commanded this vessel, and with whom we were 
 all well acquainted, to spare us a part of this flour ; I 
 undertook to draw up the letter and it had the desired 
 success. I note it because M. de Rochambeau, often 
 fearing to compromise himself, had on this occasion a 
 sort of repugnance to writing, and this feeling was 
 often injurious to him. 
 
 On the 27th, M. de Chastellux had a very lively 
 and very unbecoming scene with M. Daure, the steward 
 of provisions, because there was only bread for two 
 days, w^iilst he had announced enough of it for four, 
 when M. de Chastellux had to commence his march 
 the next day. I do not like this steward, nor, in 
 general, the superintendent of the provisions, who is 
 too pretentious and often hinders business by his scru- 
 pulous formalities. But, at present, M. Daure was 
 not at all in the wrong; without vehicles, without 
 
145 
 
 wood, in a country absolutely stripped of everything, 
 where it was necessary to create everything, it was 
 impossible for him to do better ; and M. de Chastellux 
 was not only unjust at that time, but he had not the 
 manner of a philosopher or of a man of quality. 
 
 On the 28th, the Frencli and American troops came 
 in front of Yorktown, four leagues from Williamsburg, 
 where Cornwallis had shut himself up with his whole 
 army. They took post half a league from the city and 
 invested it, which was done without opposition. I 
 remained at Williamsburg, where our principal esta- 
 blishments were, and where it was often necessary to 
 provide for the service of the hospitals : I had 300 sick 
 persons and a single employee; of these 300 sick, 10 
 officers were harder to please than all the rest. 
 
 October, 1781. I learnt that some reconnaissances 
 had already been made in front of York. M. Drouillet, 
 an officer of the regiment of Agenois, was wounded 
 there, and a hussar of Lauzun's legion was killed. The 
 English also abandoned some redoubts without resist- 
 ance. On the 3d, I was five miles from Williamsburg 
 at Trubell Landing to witness the hmding of our heavy 
 artillery, and some other effects whicli we were im- 
 patiently expecting. To day a body of English troops 
 which occupied Gloucester, opposite to York, desired 
 to prevent M. de Lauzun and M. de Choisy, who com- 
 19 
 
146 
 
 manded at this point, from occupying a position where 
 they wished to encamp, M. de Lauzun charged them 
 with the cavalry of the legion and drove them back ; 
 it was Tarleton, a partizan, very well known in Ame- 
 rica, who commanded the English ; he was wounded 
 and thrown from his horse and had 50 men killed or 
 wounded. We lost 3 men and 11 were wounded, 3 
 of whom were officers, among whom was M. de Dillon. 
 
 I learnt these details on the 4th, on going to the 
 camp ; but I was obliged to return the same evening. 
 It was already cold and I made a fire on the 5th. I 
 learnt that the English admiral Digby, who was ex- 
 pected from Europe with a strong squadron, had ar- 
 rived with only three vessels, two of which were in a 
 bad condition. We also learnt that the English had 
 a vessel so much damaged in the last ensraorement with 
 M. de Grasse, that they had been compelled to aban- 
 don it and burn it at sea. M. de Grasse, nevertheless, 
 spoke with much modesty of this engagement, and I 
 heard him say that it was only an encounter between 
 two advanced guards. 
 
 On the 6th, I went to the camp in the evening. The 
 trenches were open on this same day. I trembled lest 
 it should be murderous, for we had not the means to 
 afford assistance! I spent the evening with some 
 officers of the artillery and of the engineers, who were 
 
147 
 
 awaiting the result. At nine o'clock, a pretty brisk 
 fire was commenced at the attack of the left. There 
 we had an artillery officer dangerously wounded and 
 also six grenadiers wounded. On the right there was 
 a soldier wounded. I visited the ambulance and an 
 especial depot which I had placed near the trenches, 
 to which I had gone as near as possible. I saw the 
 city perfectly well and the English flag which was float- 
 ing upon the intrenchments. 
 
 On the 7th, I returned in the evening to Williams- 
 burg and continued to attend to the hospital which 
 was becoming filled. It is nothing to see the unfor- 
 tunate when we can render them assistance ; but it is 
 cruel to be unable to aid them, and this is what I ex- 
 perienced. The eflects and the employees of the hos- 
 pitals had not yet arrived, and they could not have 
 arrived, owing to the forced marches which we had 
 made, half by land and half by water. We might at 
 least have been able to land the effects indispensable 
 for the service. I had made the remark. But the 
 generals rarely listen to the administrators, when they 
 do not themselves possess the spirit of foresight. 
 
 I learnt, on the 8th that we had had only 5 or 6 
 men wounded in the trenches. 
 
 On the 9th we commenced discharging our batteries 
 at night ; on the 10th, in the morning, the fire became 
 
148 
 
 very brisk and was kept up all day ; we had artillery 
 of the first class, and the Americans, for their part, had 
 large cannons and displayed great activity; but they 
 did not approach the perfection of our gunners, who 
 were the admiration of General Washington ; it is true 
 they had perfect instruments, so to speak ; the cannons 
 were new and the balls perfectly suited to their calibre. 
 
 In busying myself to-day about something connected 
 with my employment, T had occasion to enter the 
 trenches, in a place where a mortar-battery had 
 been established, which was firing upon one of the 
 redoubts of the enemy ; it replied with some howitzers 
 which did no damage. I mounted this trench with 
 M. de St. Simon, who commanded it, and to whom I 
 had occasion to write, some days before, a pretty de- 
 cided letter; we exchanged some friendly explanations. 
 Some deserters from the enemy came to us, who told 
 us that our fire greatly annoyed the English. According 
 to their account, it was suspected that Cornwallis de- 
 sired to escape ; it would have been possible for him 
 to do so by passing, during the night, across to 
 Gloucester, but where would he have gone ? He had 
 a long journey to make to reach Carolina, where the 
 English held some places ; he ran the risk of perishing 
 from want. 
 
 Next day, the 12th, our batteries set fire to an En- 
 glish ship of 44 guns. 
 
149 
 
 During the night of the 11th -12th, they made 
 the second par<allel, which caused the wounding of 
 only two or three men. I was at Williamsburg, al- 
 ways busy about our sicl^ men ; I had four hundred 
 of them and thirteen officers. Besides there was always 
 the same want of assistance ; they required of me sup- 
 plies for the ambulance, for M. de Choisy's division, 
 encamped in front of Gloucester; I found myself in 
 the most cruel embarrassment and on the eve of seeing 
 the service fail which was especially entrusted to me. 
 And that would have happened if we had not had at 
 this period from two to three hundred wounded ; that 
 might be. Therefore I could not think without dis- 
 tress of M. de Chastellux's remarks, of whom I had 
 required vehicles from the North river, only for carry- 
 ing some effects, at the rate of 250 sick persons — 
 "• We shall not have fifty sick ! " And already at the 
 beginning of the siege we had four hundred of them. 
 Fortunately I had procured some assistance, on my 
 own account, which allowed me to wait a little. At 
 last, on the loth, some supplies reached me which I 
 made haste to send off for the army. I went thither 
 myself and lay in the tent of my friend La Cheze. 
 There was much firing during this night and twenty- 
 three wounded men were carried to the ambulance. 
 I again returned to the trenches, in a battery from 
 
150 
 
 which we discovered very plainly ail York river, Glou- 
 cester, the English buildings and three of our ships 
 which formed the entrance to the river. 
 
 In the evening we carried, by main force, two 
 redoubts, which were captured in an instant, one by 
 the French, the other by the Americans. The former 
 were commanded by the Baron de Viomenil, having 
 under him the younger M. de Deux Fonts ; the latter 
 by M. de la Fayette, having under him M de Gimat, 
 an American colonel, a Frenchman by birth. We lost 
 during our attack about 30 men killed and 60 wounded, 
 of whom three were officers of the regiment of Gatinois 
 and M. de Lameth, assistant quarter master general 
 and nephew of Marshal de Broglie. I spent two or 
 three hours at the ambulance in the midst of these 
 wounded, a part of whom I despatched to Williams- 
 burg. At this time I had more than five hundred 
 sick, of whom twenty were officers. 
 
 I received some details respecting the attack upon 
 the two redoubts. Our soldiers displayed great courage 
 and liveliness. The English had about two hundred 
 men in the redoubt attacked by the French ; they 
 made one or two charges before abandoning it, leaving 
 only thirty men in it, who surrendered at the instant 
 when our party penetrated into the fort. The Ame- 
 ricans met with less resistance than we and lost only 
 six men. 
 
161 
 
 On the 16th, I intended to go to the camp and to 
 dine with General Washington, who had invited me, 
 but many wounded men reached me, which compelled 
 me to remain at Williamsburg. They had been in a 
 sortie which the English had made on the night of the 
 15th-16th, and in which at first they had been suc- 
 cessful. They spiked four cannons and took a captain 
 of the regiment of Agenois prisoner, but our troops 
 soon rallied and the English were repulsed. Our works 
 were nevertheless continued vigorously; we fired upon 
 the English by ricochet, which greatly annoyed them, 
 and they might have feared being captured sword in 
 hand. Therefore, on the 17th, at noon, they asked 
 to capitulate and the firing ceased. M. de la Cheze 
 had the kindness to send me word of it immediately; 
 I greatly rejoiced at it as a citizen, and also for this 
 especial reason, that I perceived in this capitulation 
 the end of our uneasiness respecting the service of the 
 hospitals. There were still some difficulties respecting 
 the articles of the capitulation ; they even recommenced 
 firing. At last, on the next day, the 18th, at noon, 
 everything was concluded. Cornwallis surrendered 
 as prisoner of war with all his troops, amounting to a 
 body of 8000 men. It was not until the next day, 
 the 19th, that they defiled in front of our troops and 
 the Americans. Cornwallis said that he was sick and 
 
152 
 
 did not appear. The general who commanded in his 
 stead wished to give up his sword to M. de Rocham- 
 beau, but he made a sign to him that he ought to 
 address himself to General Washington. The English 
 displayed much arrogance and ill humour during this 
 melancholy ceremony ; they particularly affected great 
 contempt for the Americans. Being detained else- 
 where by our service, I was unable to be present at this 
 spectacle, which would have greatly interested me. 
 
 On the 21st, I went to see the city of York. I 
 visited our works and those of the English ; I perceived 
 the effect of our bombs and balls. I made this visit 
 with M. de Viomenil, who had been to see Cornwallis, 
 who had not yet appeared ; he had even sent a refusal 
 to Mr. Washington, who had invited him to dinner. 
 M. de Viomenil invited him, and the English general 
 accepted. M. de Viomenil invited me to this dinner, 
 but having accepted an invitation to M. de Chastel- 
 lux's, I was obliged for this day to decline. I regretted 
 that I could not be present at this first meeting of 
 Cornwallis with the French and American generals. 
 He behaved well there and praised our troops, espe- 
 cially the artillery, which he said was the first in 
 Europe. 
 
 M. de Rochambeau had gone to-day on board of 
 the Ville de Paris to see M. de Grasse for the purpose 
 
153 
 
 of thanking him and conferring with him ; it is certain 
 that we were greatly indebted to him. But it was 
 time for the siege to end. M. de Grasse spoke of going 
 away. 
 
 M. de Lauzun was entrusted by M. de Rochambeau 
 with the carrying of the news of the capture of York 
 to France and he embarked on the same day on the 
 Surveillante. I saw him at the moment of his de- 
 parture ; he perceived me, got off his horse and asked 
 me what were my commands for France. 
 
 The English and Hessian troops, prisoners of 
 war, also left the camp ; they were very fine-looking 
 men. There was also a battalion of English grenadiers 
 of great height and good appearance. The remainder 
 of the English were small ; there were some Scotch 
 troops, strong and good soldiers. They proceeded 
 towards Williamsburg. I went to visit their camp ; 
 T saw them make their soup, go for wood, etc. The 
 Germans preserved order and a certain discipline ; on 
 the contrary, there was very little order among the 
 English, who were proud and arrogant. There was 
 no call for this ; they had not even made a handsome 
 defense, and, at this very moment, were beaten and dis- 
 armed by peasants who were almost naked, whom they 
 pretended to despise and who, nevertheless, were their 
 conquerors. ; 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 Nothing new occurred until the 27th. Our troops 
 were still at York and its vicinity. Cornwallis dined 
 with General Washington and, successively, with all the 
 French generals. On the 24th, M. de Deux Fonts set 
 out for France on board of a frigate ; he was charged 
 by M. de Rochambeau to transmit to the ministry the 
 statement of the corn which he demanded for the army. 
 He required of the intendant a memoir for M. de Vil- 
 lemanzey and me and added to the note which the in- 
 tendant had given me " an accomplished person of the 
 greatest distinction. " 
 
 The weather changed from cold to warm ; but the 
 temperature was much milder than that of Rhode 
 Island. The climate of Virginia is much more tem- 
 perate. 
 
 At this time the regiments which M. de Grasse had 
 brought with him from our island reembarked. 
 
 There was some conversation between the French 
 and American officers. These latter seemed displeased 
 at the civility shown to the English prisoners, who, 
 for their part, were very attentive to us. The quarrel 
 also arose from the fact that the French were forbid- 
 den to purchase some goods that were in York, 
 whilst liberty to do so had been allowed to the Am- 
 ericans ; undoubtedly, the motive was that the latter, 
 being in want of everything and badly paid, had 
 
155 
 
 been desirous of being allowed to buy merchandise 
 cheaply. 
 
 November. The last of October and the first days of 
 November were fine ; the nights were cool, with white 
 frost; but by day the sun shone and it was even fine. 
 At the same period last year at Newport we had snow 
 and very sharp cold. 
 
 The troops went into winter quarters on the first of 
 November. Part remained at York; the remainder 
 came to Newport^ where M. de Rochambeau estab- 
 lished his head quarters. I secured a very pretty 
 lodging there, where I settled myself with my friend 
 La Cheze. We kept a very good house there ; and 
 altogether we led a very pleasant and quiet life, but 
 not very fruitful in events. Therefore my journal is 
 about to become barren. 
 
 M. de Grasse had sailed on the 4th, and the frigate 
 which conveyed M. de Deux Fonts, having been de- 
 layed for some time, went away on the 1st. 
 
 On the 2 2d a pavilion took fire, which was attached 
 to the hospital for the officers, then amounting to 
 twenty-two, of whom several were severely wounded. 
 We had time to remove them elsewhere without any 
 accident and lost only a few goods. This pavilion 
 
 ' In Virginia. 
 
156 
 
 was distant only 5 or 6 toises from the large hospital 
 which, fortimatel}', was not reached. 
 
 ' Decemher, 17S1. Another fire broke out a short dis- 
 tance from the American hospital, which was burnt 
 up in a short time. A- sick soldier perished. 
 
 Jcuniary, 1782. The weather grew warm from the 
 early part of January and seemed to announce the 
 spring. 
 
 On the 5 til, we learnt the capture of St. Eustacia by 
 the Marquis de Bouille. The arrival of Monsieur de 
 la Mothe-Piquet at our islands and ten ships also men- 
 tioned. This event and these new circumstances 
 seems to promise us the peace which we began to desire. 
 
 On the 7th, the French frigate la Sibelle anchored 
 at the entrance of the bay. Having left Brest in the 
 end of October, she met near the Bermudas with a 
 French vessel which had informed her that the French 
 army was in Virginia. She was entrusted with two 
 millions for us : she brousrht the news of the birth of 
 
 o 
 
 a dauphin. On the same day letters reached us from 
 Philadelphia, announcing the sending of a French 
 corps of 4000 men to Minorca, to capture that island, 
 jointly with the Spaniards. On the 10th we received 
 our letters which came by the Sibelle. 
 
 The sudden changes of the weather in this province, 
 as in the north, must be injurious to agriculture; for 
 
157 
 
 instance, it does not seem to me possible in such a 
 climate to have olive trees and vines, which the 
 warmth of the summer would recommend to the cul- 
 tivator. We had cold weather on the 5th and the 
 9th ; my ink and my wine froze in my chamber, 
 where I had fire continually ; the next day we some- 
 times had 16° above zero. 
 
 February, 1782. At this period I finished a great 
 many letters and transmitted them to the Baron de 
 Viomenil, who was preparing to start for France with 
 some officers on board of the frigate Hermione. She 
 set sail on the 2d, at tlie same time with the frigate 
 Dihgente, commanded by M. de Clumard who pro- 
 ceeded to Boston and who ran aground owing to the 
 fault of the pilot. M. de Clumard succeeded, with 
 great difficulty, in saving himself and his crew ; twenty- 
 three sailors or soldiers perished from cold and fatigue ; 
 the vessel gradually disappeared and it was impossible 
 to save anything from it. 
 
 March. The news of the capture of the island of 
 Saint Christopher by M. de Grasse, which was spread 
 for some time past, was confirmed. Two engagements 
 between M. de Grasse and Admiral Hood, in which 
 we had the advantage, were also mentioned. 
 
 The weather had the same successions of cold, snow, 
 light rain and very fine weather. 
 
158 
 
 M. de la Luzerne arrived at Williamsburg on the 
 25tli ; I received him at dinner. He had just learnt 
 from some English papers that a great convoy which 
 had set out from Brest, escorted by M. de Guichen, 
 had been scattered by a gale of wind and that the 
 English had captured a part of them ; M. de Guichen 
 had been compelled to return to Brest, which must 
 have greatly delayed the projected attack upon 
 Jamaica. 
 
 April. The first days of the month were fine. I 
 made a voyage to York. We had some letters which 
 gave us no interesting news, except from our families. 
 My wife and children were well. 
 
 May. No occurrences. The heat began to increase. 
 We received news of some engagements between M. 
 de Grasse and Rodney on the 9th and 18th of April ; 
 but the truth gradually came to light. M. de Roch- 
 ambeau, relying upon a worthless newspaper of 
 Grenada, at first had cannons fired in token of victory.^ 
 
 Jime. But about the 20th of June we learnt that, 
 on the contrary, we had met with a defeat and that 
 the ViUe de Paris had fallen into the hands of the 
 
 ' I have before me the Broadside which gives the details of 
 the supposed victory. It is dated at Martinique, le 11 Avril, 
 1782 and is headed in hirge capitals, Detail du Combat Naval 
 
 DE M. LE COMTE DE GrASSE AVEC l'AdMIEAL RoDTS^EY. 
 
159 
 
 English.^ I had one of the severe heart-aches to which 
 I am subject. 
 
 At this period we prepared to set out for the North 
 river, after being in winter quarters for eight months. 
 The heat kept up between 28° and 30° from the be- 
 ginning of June. 
 
 On the 23d of June, the first division of the army 
 began its march. 
 
 July. I only started on the 4th of July with the 
 fourth division, consisting of the regiment of Saintonge 
 and a detachment of artillery, the whole under the 
 command of M. de Custine. Baltimore was the point 
 of reunion for all the troops. Our corps stopped and 
 encamped on the first day at a place called Drinking 
 spring, only nine miles from Williamsburg. The 
 country is like the environs of this last mentioned city, 
 that is to say, it is dry and covered with wood. We 
 met with nothing there but Indian corn, apple trees 
 and some peach trees. I saw very little tobacco there, 
 although this is the chief production of Virginia, and 
 the part which we were traversing, situated between 
 the James river and the York river, is renowned for 
 
 ' I have elsewhere cited the account of this disastrous battle 
 as given by Count de Grasse. It is in the Archives of the French 
 Navy Department and inscribed J/e>/io«-e6^ c?;« Comtede Grasse, 
 
 Nos. 15, 186 and 6, 397. 
 
160 
 
 this crop ; as to wheat, I saw only one field of it in 
 Virginia. 
 
 On the loth, we lay at Bird's Tavern. The country 
 seemed to me to be still worse. I was pretty well 
 lodged. I was billeted at the house of some Americans, 
 who received us by private contract. This is contrary 
 to their laws and usages; but, generally, they submit, 
 with pretty good grace, to this unpleasant duty. As 
 yet I had no sick persons; I was ordered to receive 
 not only those of my division, but also the sick of the 
 troops which marched in advance and who were left 
 for me. ^ 
 
 ,0n the 6th, we stopped at Rate4«ft^ House. The 
 country is still barren and sandy. On the 7th, we 
 encamped at New Kent ; it is not a village but the 
 center of some scattered houses, distant from each 
 other, in a county. I lodged at the house of a colonel 
 whom I found rather unfriendly, like all my hosts ; 
 the women also seemed to me very unsociable. All 
 these people lead rather a dull life, not knowing how 
 to employ or amuse themselves. The dwelhng of this 
 colonel, moreover, was handsome enough and built upon 
 a hill, with an agreeable prospect which is rare in 
 Virginia, where the country is fiat. A branch of the 
 York river runs below the house, in a valley where it 
 would be possible to form meadows ; but all that is not 
 
161 
 
 understood by the Virginians. This valley is also 
 watered by the Pamunky, a small river which resem- 
 bles that of France and likewise empties into York 
 river. 
 
 I have mentioned that we lodged in the houses of 
 the Americans ; but we only asked them for shelter. 
 Every one took with him his provisions, his utensils, 
 a bed and sheets and we put our hosts to no expense. 
 For my own part I had two wagons or covered vehicles, 
 drawn by good horses, and was in want of nothing. 
 At any rate this kind of life was not displeasing to me. 
 After having been on the road all morning, I spent the 
 evening alone and quiet, often in handsome houses, 
 given up to my reflections and happy in my own way. 
 
 On the 8th, after a long and painful march, we 
 reached Newcastle ; our division encamped and re- 
 mained there. The Pamunky flows alongside of this 
 village. The Count de Yiomemil, who had stopped 
 there with the third division, gave a ball. He was 
 lodged in the house of a resident who had a handsome 
 dwelling and who derived a great profit from a stallion 
 which was valued at two thousand guineas. 
 
 On the 5th, we reached Hanovertown, only fi.ve 
 
 miles from Newcastle. This city is situated in a plain 
 
 agreeable enough and of a pleasant appearance, where 
 
 some handsome dwellings were seen. The principal 
 
 21 
 
162 
 
 crops still consist of Indian corn and I saw no other 
 products there. I except a small quantity of ordinary 
 hemp. There are in this county some rich proprietors, 
 having a great number of negroes. In fact, the inhabit- 
 ants of these southern provinces do not cultivate their 
 estates themselves, like those of the north ; they have 
 negro slaves, like our colonists in our islands, and they 
 themselves lead an idle life, giving themselves no con- 
 cern about anything except their table. In general, 
 they are not equal to the people of the north, as re- 
 gards morals and honesty, and in some respects they 
 are two different peoples. 
 
 On the 11th, we arrived at Hanover Court-House. 
 I made the journey by night. In the morning, as it 
 began to grow light, I was struck by the beauty of 
 five or six trees, grouped together on the bank of the 
 Pamunky. I dismounted to measure them and exa- 
 mine them more attentively. They were twenty feet 
 in circumference and about eighty feet high, and also 
 straight and of handsome proportions. These trees, 
 the handsomest that I have seen in America, were 
 tulip trees. 
 
 On the 12th, an encamping at Brunksbridge. It 
 had rained in the night so that we were not very 
 warm. The country here is less cultivated and 
 less cleared than in other parts of Virginia. So the 
 
163 
 
 habitations are rarer and poorer there. I was lodged 
 in a house situated in the midst of the woods and 
 where there are some very handsome fir-trees. I had 
 not yet seen any in America of this height ; in the 
 vicinity of Williamsburg the fir tree is common enough ; 
 but it is of moderate height. I saw also in this place 
 some handsome oaks, some fruit trees and especially 
 peach trees ; the roads are fine and solid. 
 
 On the loth, we are at Bowling Green, a dry and 
 barren country, as usual. Near our encampment is a 
 handsome house, with terraced gardens and some arti- 
 ficial meadows in the vicinity. I saw clover mowed 
 by some negro slaves, as I have mentioned. The 
 dwelling house which we see has not less than eighty ; 
 the species greatly multiplies there. The children, 
 boys and girls, go naked until ten or twelve years 
 old ; the others have nothing but a shirt or some 
 miserable rags. 
 
 On the 14th, we encamped twelve miles from Fred- 
 ericksburg. I walked in the surrounding woods ; this 
 country seemed to me below mediocrity, wherefore it is 
 thinly inhabited. 
 
 On the loth, our division passed through the city 
 of Fredericksburg without stopping there ; it crossed 
 the Rappahanock river to go and encamp on the other 
 side, that is to say at Falmouth ; this town is not 
 
164 
 
 much, but Fredericksburg is considerable. The Rap- 
 pahanock is not very broad, very nearly as the Seine 
 at Paris. We could ford it there : but for fear of ac- 
 cident all the vehicles were transported upon ferry- 
 boats, which are large and very convenient in Ame- 
 rica. 
 
 Mr. Washington's mother and sister reside at Fred- 
 ericksburg. Our generals and several officers visited 
 them. I left a hospital establishment at Falmouth ; 
 we had sixty sick men there. To-day, the 15th, I 
 dined at M. de Custine's. I mention it because he 
 was lodged in a handsome house, situated upon a hill 
 from which we perceived the course of the Rappahan- 
 ock and the cities of Falmouth and Fredericksburg 
 which made up a pretty brilliant prospect rather rare 
 in America. 
 
 On the 17th, the division marched ; they encamped 
 near a tavern called Peton's Tavern ; the rojid to it 
 is hilly, in a barren country. I went to lodge three 
 miles beyond the camp in a place where the country 
 was more agreeable. The house where I was is sit- 
 uated in a valley where there was an orchard planted 
 symmetrically ; the apple trees in it were covered with 
 fruit. 
 
 On the 18th we came to Dumfries, a little town sit- 
 uated two leagues from the Potomac and which is 
 
165 
 
 watered by one of its branches. I was lodged in the 
 house of a young Irishwoman, twenty-six years old and 
 pretty handsome ; she told me that her name was 
 Margaret ^'- ''•'' * and that she was of the family of this 
 name, settled in France and that she had a brother, 
 John * * * in the French regiment of Walsh. Her 
 husband, * ''' '•" * * * was a Scotchman ; she 
 seemed far from being rich, although well lodged. 
 I found her manners easy and European. She did 
 not come to America until she was seventeen years 
 old and she seemed to desire to leave it. In the even- 
 ing I introduced to her one of her fellow countrymen, 
 an Irish priest, the Abbe Lacy, the chaplain of our 
 hospital, whom she received very well. 
 
 The weather was cooler ; it seems to me that from 
 this part we begin to feel a difference in the tempera- 
 ture which perhaps arises from the country's being 
 mountainous and intersected by numerous rivers. 
 
 On the 19th we encamped at Colchester after having 
 crossed the Occoquon, which is a branch of the Poto- 
 mac. This town is small and miserable as well as the 
 country. A horse had been stolen from me at Dum- 
 fries. I strongly suspected the people of my amiable 
 Irishwoman, about whom I learnt nothing good, any 
 more than about her husband, who is considered an 
 adventurer. The woman is accused of some gallantries. 
 
166 
 
 which is rare in America ; besides, she was born in 
 Europe. 
 
 On the 20th we stopped at Alexandria, a city 
 situated upon the Potomac, where ships of fifty guns 
 can approach. This city is perfectly well situated for 
 becoming commercial. Therefore they have built 
 much there ; it may become considerable, still it is not 
 much. General Washington's residence, that in which 
 he was born, is situated between Colchester and Alex- 
 andiia. Mrs. Washington had arrived there the even- 
 ing before. She invited M. de Custine, who commanded 
 the division to which I was attached, to go and dine 
 at her house with some officers. He proposed to me 
 to go thither and we proceeded thither, to the number 
 of ten persons. Mrs. Washington is a woman of about 
 fifty years of age ; she is small and fat, her appearance 
 is respectable. She was dressed very plainly and her 
 manners were simple in all respects ; she had with her 
 three other ladies, her relations. As to the house it 
 is a country residence, the handsomest that I have yet 
 seen in America, it is symmetrically built and has two 
 stories, counting the false roofs, wherein some pretty 
 chambers have been constructed. All the rooms are 
 furnished with taste. 
 
 There are in the places around, many huts for the 
 negroes, of whom the general owns a large number, 
 
167 
 
 who are necessary to him for his large possessions, 
 which are supposed to amount to ten thousand acres 
 of land. (The acre is very nearly of the same extent 
 as our arpent.) Among these some of good quality is 
 found, and I have observed some of it of this sort. A 
 large part is woodland, where Mr. Washington, before 
 the war, enjoyed the pleasure of the chase, which had 
 inclined him to the military life which he has since 
 led. The environs of his house are not fertile and 
 the trees that we see there do not appear to be large. 
 Even the garden is barren. What decided the gen- 
 eral's parents to choose this dwelling place is the sit- 
 uation which is very handsome. The Potomac flows 
 at the foot of the garden and the largest ships of war 
 can anchor there. It has different branches of a kind 
 of bays and in this place is about half a league broad. 
 The whole make a very agreeable prospect. The 
 opposite shore needs rather more houses and villages. 
 Taken all together, it is a handsome residence and 
 worthy of General Washington. In the evening, we 
 left her respectable company after having spent a very 
 agreeable and truly interesting day. 
 
 On the 21st, we crossed the Potomac ; the camp 
 was placed at Georgetown, a small town, wherein 
 many German families are found. We then leave 
 Virginia and enter Maryland. 
 
168 
 
 On the 22d, an encampment at Bladensburg ; this 
 town is small, but agreeably situated and surrounded 
 by meadows; there are some handsome houses built 
 upon the hill. I was very well lodged in the house of 
 the judge of the place, named William Anderson ; he 
 had a handsome family with whom I took tea. On the 
 23d, we received the bad news of the capture of one of 
 our convoys bound to the Indies and of two ships 
 which were escorting it. We were all distressed at it, 
 we saw peace still remote. 
 
 On the 25th, encampment at Rose Tavern. A march 
 through a country more cultivated than in Virginia, 
 but still middling. I lodge at the house of a very rich 
 4\^ resident named Major SWoden. His wife invited me 
 to dine and seemed to me genteel, with the air of a 
 good education, although she had never left her own 
 country ; she had a daughter equally well bred. I 
 taught them some words of French. The husband 
 did not come until the evening ; I also supped with 
 them. A piece of ham was served up to us, as at dinner. 
 They informed me that they eat it at breakfast, 
 dinner and supper. Indeed bacon is very common in 
 all this region and is very good food. Major Smoden's 
 house is situated near a little river called the Patuxet, 
 which we crossed yesterday at a ford. 
 
 On the 24th, encampment at Spurier's Tavern. All 
 
169 
 
 this country is bad and the buildings indicate poverty. 
 To-day, after dinner, I saw a humming buTl very dis- 
 tinctly. I knew that they were in North America, 
 and several persons had already seen them ; but this 
 was the first for me. I easily recognized it from the 
 description that had been given to me ; its small size, 
 its quickness, its beak and its colors are remarkable ; 
 it makes a noise in flying and at first one might sup- 
 pose that he saw that insect which is called demoiselle 
 in some provinces of France. They are not larger ; it 
 has also a peculiar way in flying, that is to stop sud- 
 denly without moving its wings. I also saw it place 
 itself upon a shrub and very near me ; finally I had 
 the pleasure of seeing it for a long time. 
 
 On the 27th, we arrived at Baltimore, where we 
 stopped, as likewise all the army. This city is situ- 
 ated upon a creek which leads to the bay ; it is com- 
 mercial. After Boston and Philadelphia it is the 
 most important city of America. From thirteen to 
 fourteen hundred houses and from eight to nine thou- 
 sand inhabitants are counted there. They are build- 
 ing much there and this city will become flourishing. 
 V^We had caused all our sick men, as well from York as 
 from Williamsburg, to be transported to it by sea ; we 
 also brought a certain number of them, so that I was 
 22 
 
170 
 
 obliged to establish a pretty considerable hospital, a 
 part of which was made of boards. 
 
 August, 1782. It is said that peace is seriously con- 
 sidered. The English then sent back a larsre number 
 of American prisoners. In the meanwhile, M. de 
 Vaudreuil, coming from St. Domingo, appeared in 
 these seas with thirteen ships of the line and, after 
 having cruised for some time, he brought to Boston 
 five vessels laden with wheat and masts which he had 
 taken from the English ; but one of his ships of war 
 ran aground on entering the harbor of Boston and 
 w^as entirely lost. The frigate I'Emeraude, coming 
 from Newport to York, captured an English brig. All 
 our heavy artillery left at York was brought to Balti- 
 more, where we found ourselves all reunited ! But this 
 was for a short time, Mr. Washington having insisted, 
 notwithstanding the rumor of peace, that the army 
 should make a movement. In consequence, M. de 
 Luzern set out on the 23d of August and proceeded 
 towards Philadelphia. The other divisions had orders 
 to follow and to set out successively. I was attached 
 to the last, which started on the 27th, which gave me 
 a little time to recover from a tertian fever, of which 
 I had a violent attack during our stay at Baltimore. 
 I have, therefore, few notes respecting this city and 
 what occurred while we remained there. These 
 
171 
 
 fevers, moreover, were very prevalent in our army at 
 this time and I believe that Baltimore is unhealthy, 
 especially in the low part which I occupied and which 
 borders on the marshes. I ought not to forget to 
 mention that our troops were admired by the inhabit- 
 ants of Baltimore for their handsome bearing and their 
 manoeuvres, and, indeed, I was surprised myself that, 
 after a march, so painful owing to the dust and the 
 great heat, they found themselves in so good a condi- 
 tion. I have not seen a better review at the camp of 
 Compeigne. We had been in America nearly two years 
 and our soldiers had become stronger ; we had not a 
 recruit, for the men who had been sent to us from 
 Europe were all disciplined and drawn from old regi- 
 ments. At one manoeuvre a gun happened to be 
 loaded with a bullet and a woman had her thigh 
 wounded. She was an Acadian, about thirty years of 
 a<ye : she was well attended to and her wound was not 
 serious. I remark, on this occasion, that there is at 
 Baltimore a quarter entirely composed of Acadian 
 families, where they speak nothing but French. 
 
 On the 27th we started and encamped twelve miles 
 from Baltimore at Great Falls ; I made the journey 
 in a cabriolet, being still very weak. 
 
 On the 28th, a station at Burchtown. The country 
 since leaving Baltimore is very thickly wooded and 
 
172 
 
 little cleared ; we see upon the road many brooks and 
 ponds which serve to keep some foundries going ; there 
 are some districts of handsome wood ; in another, it 
 has been cut down, but it does not spring up again. 
 
 On the 29th, our division reached the banks of the 
 Susquehannah, a river which empties into the Chesa- 
 peake bay ; it is two miles broad at this place, so that 
 all our vehicles could not cross it in the ferry boat on 
 the same day and we were obliged to remain at this 
 place. This river is usually crossed at a ford, two 
 leagues above the place where we were ; but this 
 passage is not free from difficulty and danger. It has 
 been proposed to build a city on the right bank and 
 near the ferry where we crossed it. It should be called 
 Havre de Grace. 
 
 On the 31st, station at the Head of Elk, a town sit- 
 uated upon a small river which empties into the ba}^ 
 exactly at its extremity. It is there that I embarked 
 when we proceeded towards York. Elk is in a very 
 dry soil ; one is drowned with dust there. Fever is 
 very prevalent there, doubtless caused by the swamps 
 in the vicinity. 
 
 September, 1782. On the 1st of September we en- 
 camped at Newport, a small town situated on a creek, 
 which communicates with the Delaware and is navi- 
 gable. Newport is in the state of Delaware ; we 
 
173 
 
 leave Maryland between this town and the Head of 
 Elk. This district is pretty well cultivated ; but the 
 land there is equally poor and sandy. 
 
 On the 2d, encampment at Chester, a small borough 
 situated on the Delaware, fifteen miles from Philadel- 
 phia and in Pennsylvania. Half way between New- 
 port and Chester we meet with Wilmington which be- 
 longs to Delaware, and where the assemblies of this 
 state are usually held. This city, built of brick, a 
 mile from the Delaware, is as large as Williamsburg 
 and capable of growth. A mile from this city we 
 find the Brandywine, of which I have already spoken, 
 famous for the battle which the English gained there 
 over General Washington ; for he has lost some bat- 
 tles, but, like Coligny, he seemed greater after defeats 
 and has never been discouraged. 
 
 The Brandywine is also remarkable for its large 
 water mills, which the grain of Pennsylvania supports. 
 In this district, and especially below Chester, the Dela- 
 ware makes swamps of the water left by the sea upon 
 this shore, which is very low. 
 
 On the 3d we were at Philadelphia. M. de la Lu- 
 zern, who was still there as ambassador of France, 
 offered me a lodging at his house, which I accepted ; 
 I remained there until the 5th. 
 
 On the 6th we proceeded to Trenton where the army 
 
174 
 
 was concentrated into two. divisions, instead of four. 
 I remained attached to the hist. I was not entirely 
 recovered from my Baltimore fevers ; therefore after 
 having run about and attended to my official duty, as 
 soon as I arrived at the lodfrinsr which was intended 
 for me, I rested and kept quiet. Thus, my journal 
 was almost laid aside. I will only say that we were 
 not far from New York. We marched in military 
 manner as ftir as the banks of the North river, where 
 we arrived on the 15th. I had some ojood lod2;ino; 
 places, and especially in [New] Jersey, where there 
 are many Dutch families. I lived alone there and 
 was happy. In this province, I also heard an inhabitant 
 mentioned, named Blanch ard. It was then said that 
 M. de Suffren had defeated the English in the Indian 
 ocean. 
 
 On the 16th, I crc ssed the North river and caused 
 my sick men, amounting to more than a hundred, to 
 be taken across. I placed them in the Peekskill 
 temple, where I had already established hospitals in 
 the previous year. In going to it, I passed near the 
 camp of the Americans, who then formed a body of 
 six thousand men ; almost all of them were clothed 
 and in uniforms ; their camp was adorned with leaves, 
 which presented an agreeable appearance. 
 
 Our troops also crossed the North river and the head 
 
175 
 
 quarters were established at Peekskill. The American 
 troops were made to manoeuvre in our presence, and 
 they seemed very well drilled ; it was the work of five 
 or six months; for, a year ago, these troops were 
 utterly disorganized and withoutany sort of instruction. 
 This proves that we probably attach too much impor- 
 tance to our manoeuvres, especially certain colonels of 
 excessive zeal. It is Baron Steuben, a German by 
 birth and a oeneral in the service of America, who 
 had contributed the most to forming and exercising 
 the American troops.-^ 
 
 On the 20th we learnt that the Gloire, a frigate 
 coming from France, had happily arrived at Philadel- 
 phia. The Aigle, another frigate, which accompanied 
 her, under the command of M. Desouches, being 
 pursued by the English, had been desirous of going 
 through a place wliere the Gloire had not met with 
 any accident ; but, apparently, drawing more water, 
 she touched upon a sandbank and ran aground. They 
 had time to send the money and the passengers ashore ; 
 but the English captured the frigate, the crew and 
 
 I The Biognipliy of Steuben {Lehen Von 8teuhen,\^eYY\\\, 1858), 
 and also that of de Kcdh have been written by tlie Hon. Frederic 
 Kapp, member of the imperial German parliament, with rare 
 pains and impartiality. Translations of both of these interesting 
 books have been published at New York. 
 
170 
 
 the captain. Considering the frigate too much dam- 
 aged, they set fire to it. The passengers who arrived 
 by this frigate were the Baron de Viomenil, the Duke 
 de Lauzun, and the Marquis de Laval, who had left 
 us after the siege of York, the Prince de Broglie, the 
 Marquis de Segur and some other young people of the 
 court, who came to America for the first time. Some 
 days before, the two frigates had had a glorious en- 
 gagement with a ship of seventy-four guns. 
 
 On the 22d, in the evening, we had our letters. 
 As to political news, always an uncertainty respect- 
 ing the peace ; some projects as to Gibraltar, the de- 
 parture of the Count d' Artois for this place and the 
 war of Geneva. 
 
 On the 24tli, our army proceeded to Crampond, 
 about nine miles from Peekskill ; that of General 
 Washington, being encamped upon the banks of the 
 North river, made no movement. I remained at 
 Peekskill, not being attached to the moving hospital 
 near the army, which was then near to Peekskill, to 
 have the sick forwarded to it. 
 
 Octoher, 1782. The army remained in this position 
 about a month. Putting it in motion was several 
 times under consideration, and I believe that General 
 Washington desired it ; he had the siege of New York 
 always in view, but he needed additional forces. 
 
177 
 
 Finally, it was decided that our troops should ap- 
 proach Boston. It began to be said that we were 
 about to embark upon M. de Yaudreuil's squadron, and 
 proceed to the West Indies or some other point. This 
 idea caused a fermentation in men's minds and es- 
 pecially in mine ; for I desired nothing so much as to 
 go to Saint Domingo to see my uncle. 
 
 The first division left the camp of Crampond on the 
 22d, and the second, on the following day. They 
 stopped at Salem, which is also in the province of 
 New York. I write this on the 23d and the weather 
 is so fine that I am working in my shirt sleeves ; to 
 night I shall be obliged to put on garment over gar- 
 ment. 
 
 I had divined it, for it is very cold to-day, the 21th. 
 I was obliged to get off my horse and walk on foot to 
 keep myself warm. At the end of some miles we 
 found ourselves in the road which I had passed over 
 eighteen months before We passed by Richbury and 
 stopped at Danbury ; it is a pretty large town where, 
 three or four years ago, the English committed great 
 disorders, which are still visible. There are some 
 pretty valleys in the neighborhood, some hills and 
 rocks which remind me of Pegou near Angers. 
 
 I believe that I ought to mention here a rather re- 
 m-arkable occurrence that happened to M. de Roch- 
 23 
 
178 
 
 ambeau soon after his departure from Crampond. His 
 host, named Delavan, who was said to be of French 
 origin, demanded a considerable compensation from 
 him for some damage that the army had done him by 
 encamping upon his property ; his demand was ex- 
 orbitant, it needed examination ; but this man was 
 unwilling to wait, he complained to the judge of the 
 county and to the sheriff; the latter in coniormity with 
 the laws made his appearance to arrest M. de Roch- 
 ambeau and, for that purpose, touched him on the 
 shoulder. All those who were present desired to take 
 him away ; but M. de Rochambeau replied that he 
 would conform to the laws of the country and he de- 
 parted after giving security. However the plaintiff's 
 charges were examined and reduced to on(!-half by the 
 people of the country, but faithfully paid.-" This in- 
 cident shows the power of the law among the Ameri- 
 cans and the good temper of M. de Rochambeau. I 
 lodged at Salem in tlie house of the constable who ar- 
 rested M. de Rochambeau. I did not know it then ; 
 he received me very well and niade me take tea with 
 him. He was a little old man, pretty lively. He had 
 a daughter, not handsome and very familiar ; one 
 thing which shows this familiarity, but the American 
 
 Paid by Rochambeau, we must understand. 
 
179 
 
 manners at the same time, is, that having met her in 
 the kitchen, she told me that she had left her room 
 where the chimney smoked ; I proposed to her to 
 come into that which had been given to me. She 
 agreed to it and remained there for a long time ; 
 sometimes we conversed, at other moments she suffered 
 me to write and attend to my business. 
 
 On the 25th, our division proceeded to Newtown, a 
 small town which I have mentioned, situated upon a 
 hill whence the view is pretty agreeable. On the 27th, 
 we took up our march for Breakneck : 1 met again, 
 after more than a year, with all the places that I had 
 passed through. 
 
 On the 28th, at Baron's Tavern, in a tolerably fer- 
 tile valley which extends as far as Hartford. It is 
 one of the best parts of America ; so we found more 
 readily what we needed, for instance, straw. 
 
 On the 29th, my division stopped at Farmington, 
 and I proceeded to Hartford. There I saw M. de 
 Tarle, who confirmed to me the report of our approach- 
 ing embarkation upon M. de Vaudreuil's squadron, to 
 proceed to our colonies without a precise knowledge of 
 our destination. He told me that I would embark 
 with the troops and that they would give me another 
 commissary of war as assistant. M. de Rochambeau 
 also spoke to me to the same purpose. 
 
180 
 
 On the 30th and 31st, the weather was frightful and 
 the rain continual. The arui}' remained at Hartford. 
 I lodged at East Hartford, which is, in some sort, a 
 second city upon the left bank of the Connecticut 
 river. This country is very populous and entirely 
 cleared ; the soil is also good, and yet I suspect that 
 the cultivation of it could be increased. 
 
 The army resumed its march on the 4th, in two 
 divisions; it stopped at Boston on the 5th, at Windham 
 on the 6th and at Canterbury on the 8th. On the 
 9th, the army proceeded to Watertown, where I saw 
 the inn, Dorancy Tavern, of which the Chevalier de 
 Chastellux gives so handsome a description in his 
 travels, printed and well embellished. Moreover, the 
 two young ladies of whom he speaks were no longer 
 there and they both had houses of their own. 
 
 The inhabitants of this province, generally speaking, 
 are more affable and more lively than those of Virginia. 
 Our troops, upon arriving in their camp, 
 
 [Here there is a blank in the original manuscript.] 
 
 On the 11th we were at Providence, where I had 
 spent so much time in 1780 and 1781. The entire 
 army was quartered there until M. de Vaudreuil's 
 squadron, in which we were to embark, was ready. 
 
 The artillery went first and set out for Boston, where 
 it arrived on the 18th. I had already gone over this 
 
181 
 
 road, which is a fine one ; we pass thereon through 
 different vilhiges and frequently meet with houses on 
 it ; yet the Land there is pretty middling ; it is the 
 cattle, whom they feed there partly with maize, and 
 some iron-works that make up the principal abundance 
 of the country. 
 
 The next day I dined at the house of the consul, 
 M. de I'Etombe. In the evening I was presented there 
 to M. de Vaudreuil, and I worked during a part of the 
 day with his son, the Chevalier de Vaudreuil, who 
 served him as major. 
 
 On the 21st, there was a dinner at which I was 
 present, given by Mr. Brick,^ a wealthy American to 
 M. de Vaudreuil and to several navy officers. 
 
 On the 22d I went to see the Commandeur Coriolis 
 d' Espinousse, a relation of my wife and the chief 
 of the squadron ; he was residing five or six miles 
 from Boston until his departure for France whither 
 his health obliged him to return. 
 
 The Count de Rochambeau had transferred the com- 
 mand of the army to the Baron de Viomenil and set 
 out on the first of December for Philadelphia, where 
 he was to embark to return to France. M. de Chas- 
 
 ' I have not succeeded in ascei'taining who was the gentleman 
 thus characterized as a " Brick." 
 
182 
 
 tellux also started. Our troops arrived at Boston suc- 
 cessively on the 3d, 4th and 5th of December ; and 
 they encamped in the order that they arrived. The 
 weather was very fine, so that Dr. Cooper, the pomp- 
 ous protestant clergyman whom I have mentioned be- 
 fore, said " Heaven smiles upon the troops of France." 
 
 We then learnt that the expedition against Gibral- 
 tar had been unsuccessful. 
 
 On the i2th, the members of the assembly of Bos- 
 ton ^ came to congratulate the Baron de Viomenil, who 
 received them in the midst of a large number of of- 
 ficers, of whom I was one. The spokesman, Mr. 
 Samuel Adams, a respectable old man, spoke very 
 spiritedly. His discourse and M. de Viomenil's reply 
 were inserted in the public papers. On the same day 
 the assembly gave a great dinner to M. de Vionienil 
 and the principal officers of the army. It was Mr. 
 Hancock, at that time the governor of the state, who 
 presided at it. 
 
 On the 13th, in company with M. de Viomenil, I 
 again went to see the Commandeur Coriolis d' Espi- 
 nousse. We were in a boat; but the wind became 
 so violent and contrary that we returned upon some 
 bad horses which they had the kindness to procure for 
 
 ' Massachusetts must be meant. 
 
183 
 
 us in the district. Before reaching Boston we had to 
 cross an arm of the sea which was half a league wide. 
 It was so agitated that we were covered with water, 
 and it was so cold that the water froze upon us. We 
 were in danger, the water entered the boat in which 
 we were, which our affrighted horses shook still more. 
 But, some days afterwards, we returned thither to 
 dine. He was making preparations to return to 
 France, on board of a frigate wherein, upon my re- 
 commendation, he granted a passago to two persons. 
 
 We thought of starting on about the 20th ; but we 
 were still at Boston on the 2 2d, in consequence of 
 some delays. The 22d was a Sunday; I mention it 
 because, having walked through the city, I saw no one 
 there. The inhabitants were in the temples or retired 
 in their own houses ; they do not allow the least re- 
 creation and do not visit. Moreover, this is the same 
 almost everywhere in America. At Providence some 
 amiable women, of a lively disposition, at whose houses 
 I called, were even unwilling to sing on Saturday 
 evening. In the month of September last, a pretty 
 singular occurrence befel me, on going from Philadei- 
 phia to the North river, which proves this great strict- 
 ness. Some officers came to see me on a Sunday and 
 I proposed to them to play a game of revereis ; the 
 mistress of the house where I was lodging entered the 
 
184 
 
 room angrily and wished to snatch the cards from us. 
 I had difficulty in quieting her and was obliged to 
 have her told by the chaplain of the hospital, an Irish 
 priest who spoke English, that it was not contrary to 
 the principles of our religion to play cards on Sunday. 
 
 Boston is reckoned to contain 25,000 inhabitants. 
 Its size is about that of Angers. The houses are 
 mostly of brick, the streets are pretty wide and well 
 laid out, especially the main street. There are also 
 some unsightly quarters which give Boston an appear- 
 ance less modern than Philadelphia and the other 
 cities of America. 
 
 I have already mentioned that several families of 
 the name of Blanchard are found there. One, very 
 rich, of French origin, went from Rochelle to America 
 after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Many 
 families belonging to Rochelle did the same ; for there 
 is a village in New York entirely built by the Roch- 
 ellois. It is called New Rochelle.^ Our army was 
 pretty near to it m 1781 and several of our officers 
 went to it. 
 
 ' Jimc 5, 1751. Joseph Shippen (afterwards colonel and sec- 
 retary to the Province of Penn.) writes to his father, that 
 President Burr (of tlie College of New Jersey) advises him to 
 go to New Rochelle to pass some months for the purpose of 
 perfecting himself in French. 3I^S. in the possession of Hon. 
 J. C. G. Kennedy of Washington. 
 
185 
 
 ^ At this time mention was made of a man who had 
 killed his wife and his children and afterwards him- 
 self. These crimes are rare in America and this was 
 the only one that I heard of during all my stay. 
 
 On the -3d of December 1782 I went on board of 
 the Triomphant, with M. de Viomenil, and on the 24th 
 the whole squadron, carrying the army, set sail and 
 left the harbor of Boston ; the channel is narrow 
 and has little depth ; so that we were not without un- 
 easiness. Our pilot himself did not appear to be quite 
 composed and incessantly repeated " to rig." How- 
 ever, we fortunately got through ; one only of the 
 transport ships, the Warwick, was shattered upon the 
 rocks on setting sail ; happily, there were no troops 
 on board. We were to cruise as high up as Ports- 
 mouth, a pretty good port beyond Boston, where two 
 ships of wav were which were to rejoin us and then to 
 cruise alongside of Rhode Island in order to meet with 
 the Fantasque, a vessel armed e/i fiate, to the wind. 
 The bad weather changed these designs ; we could 
 not, without danger, remain upon these coasts exposed 
 to being cast away upon them or driven upon sand 
 banks. 
 
 On the 27th, the frigate Iris left us, to proceed to 
 France. On the same day we lost sight of our convoy 
 and our frigate. Moreover, every vessel carried a 
 24 
 
186 
 
 sealed package pointing out the general destination of 
 the squadron. 
 
 We thus found ourselves reduced to ten ships of 
 war. 
 
 
 Guns 
 
 Commanders 
 
 The Triomphant, 
 
 80 
 
 M\'. de Vaudreuil, 
 
 The Coronne, 
 
 80 
 
 Mitton, 
 
 The Neptune, 
 
 74 
 
 Daltains, 
 
 The Northumberland, 
 
 74 
 
 Medine, 
 
 The Brave, 
 
 74 
 
 Damblimon, 
 
 The Souverain, 
 
 74 
 
 Glandeves, 
 
 The Bourgogne, 
 
 74 
 
 Champmartin, 
 
 The Due de Bourgogne, 
 
 80 
 
 Charette, 
 
 The Citoyen, 
 
 74 
 
 Dethis, 
 
 The Hercule, 
 
 74 
 
 Chv De Bros. 
 
 The vessels remaining at Portsmouth and which 
 were to start were the Auguste, of 80 guns, com- 
 manded by the Chevalier de Vaudreuil's brother, and 
 the Pluton, commanded by M. d' Albert de Riom ; 
 they had with them the Amazone, a frigate which M. 
 de r Aiguille, the brother of the major of the squad- 
 ron, commanded, and the Clairvoi/aute, Pache, com- 
 mander. The weather was so bad in the first days 
 that it wns impossible for me to write, the rather as I 
 had not a room and slept with thirty officers in the 
 
187 
 
 main cabin. I ate also at M. de Vauclre nil's table 
 where we had ten or twelve. The rolling was so 
 great during the first days that we were obliged to eat 
 upon the floor. 
 
 January, 1783. To-day, January the 8th, we are 
 at present in 27° ; the heat is very great. Our des- 
 tination is still a mystery, I do not even know if we 
 have a positive one. One circumstance would make 
 me believe so. We were joined on the 5th by a ves- 
 sel which left Boston five or six days after us and 
 which brought a letter from the consul to M. de Vau- 
 dreuil. This informed him that, shortly after our de- 
 parture, an aid-de-camp of M. de Rochambeau had 
 arrived, bringing some letters which he had been 
 afraid to trust to this little vessel, but which he had 
 sent to Portsmouth to be brought to us by the ships 
 of war which were there and which were to rejoin us. 
 He also mentioned that a frigate commanded by M. 
 de Capellis had just arrived from France in the Dela- 
 ware, after a passage of forty-five days ; she, doubtless, 
 brought orders from the court, which, perhaps, would 
 have modified our route. 
 
 January V^th. The difficulty of finding a place for 
 writing, prevents my keeping my journal regularly. 
 To-day I have the means and I profit by it. We are 
 near Porto Rico, an island belonging to the Spaniards. 
 
188 
 
 We cruise there to collect the merchantmen and trans- 
 ports from which we were separated. Many have 
 already rejoined us. We have chased two English 
 frigates without success. Our prizes at present con- 
 sist of only two brigs. According to their account 
 and that of a frigate, the Aigrette, commanded by 
 Cabanis, and the cutter, the Malin, commanded by 
 Beauvais, anchored at Saint John of Porto Rico, the 
 English are cruising with sixteen ships of the line 
 alongside of the cape of Saint Domingo, from which 
 we were not far distant ; we had only ten vessels, 
 therefore the match was not equal. On the other 
 hand, they told us that the question of peace is under 
 consideration. However we prepared to leave our 
 cruising ground, to reach I know not what point, 
 which M. de Vaudreuil keeps a secret. It seems to be 
 a place of meeting agreed upon with the Spanish tleet. 
 
 Although we are still in the latitude of 20°, we do 
 not find the heat too powerful. The sun is intense, 
 but refreshing winds almost always prevail. On cross- 
 ing the tropic, we had the usual ceremony. It is the 
 carnival of the sailors, to whom it brings in some 
 money. 
 
 Here is the staff of the Triomphant which I have 
 not yet given. 
 
 M. de Yaudreuil, chief of the squadron. 
 
189 
 
 Montcabier, flag-officer. 
 
 The Chevalier de I'Aiguille, major. 
 
 The ChevaUer de Grimaldi, adjutant. 
 
 The Chevalier de Viola, adjutant. 
 
 The Chevalier de la Panouse, of the marines, assist- 
 ant adjutant. 
 
 Repentigny and Desson, lieutenants. 
 
 Delange, Panat and Belzin, ensigns. 
 
 Mandat, de Dussus, le Pont and Moucheron, officers 
 of the marines. 
 
 Three auxiliary officers and three officers of the 
 regiment of Medoc, keeping garrison in the ship, who, 
 with the officers who were passengers, made 55 persons. 
 
 The soldiers and sailors were in proportion, so that 
 there were more than eleven hundred persons on board 
 of this ship. We also had on board the famons Paul 
 Jones, who had asked permission to embark on board 
 of us and who behaved with great propriety. 
 
 At last we learnt, in the last days of January, that 
 it was at Porto Cabello, in New Spain, Province of 
 Caraccas, that we were to put into port. In order to 
 reach it we were compelled to cruise for a long time 
 between Curagoa and New Spain. This is only a dis- 
 tance of ten leagues and is not free from danger. 
 Bottom is easily found there and these channels were 
 unknown to us. Our Spanish pilot did not appear to 
 
190 
 
 be acquainted with them. The island of CuraQoa be- 
 longs to the Dutch ; we went sufficiently near to it to 
 have a good view of it. It is seven leagues in length, 
 the city seemed pretty and announces that cleanliness 
 which distinguishes the Dutch. One evening we ap- 
 proached the coast so closely that a cannon was fired 
 from the land to inform us of the danger which we 
 were running. 
 
 February.^ 1783. On the 8th, several of our ships 
 were obliged to put into port at Cura9oa, and we also 
 found ourselves separated from the convoy which we 
 had brought from Porto Rico. We were joined by a 
 French lugger, the captain of which came on board of 
 us. He informed us that the Bourgogne, a ship of 
 74 guns, which was a part of our squadron and of 
 which we had lost sight on the night of the 3d and 
 4th of February, had struck upon a sand bank, two 
 leagues from the Spanish coast, without being able to 
 get off. This lugger had been dispatched from Porto 
 Rico to bring assistance to the shipwrecked vessel and 
 had indeed succeeded, with a frigate and a small 
 Spanish vessel in saving three hundred men who had 
 remained on board of this ship, entirely destitute of 
 succor and food, for the vessel was half swallowed up 
 and was gradually sinking in the sand bank. This 
 captain told us that all the officers had perished in 
 
191 
 
 endeavoring to land by means of long boats and rafts. 
 As among these otiicers there were twenty of the regi- 
 ment of Bourbonnois, and as we also had several of 
 the same regiment on board of the Triomphant, who 
 had relations and friends on board of the shipwrecked 
 vesseP (I myself had my brother-in-law in it!) as in short 
 we were exposed to the same danger on this unknown 
 coast, this news was a clap of thunder for us all. Yet 
 there are some doubts still as to the loss of the crew 
 and we impatiently waited to land in order to know 
 the truth. At last, on the night of the 10th, we ar- 
 rived at Porto Cabello, where we anchored. 
 
 Since morning, we had perceived the high moun- 
 tains which overlook this port and which do not pre- 
 sent an agreeable appearance. The next day we 
 landed and paid a visit to the assistant commandant 
 of the Province of Caraccas, to the commandant of 
 the city and to the administrator, the delegate of the 
 intendant, who resides at Caraccas, the capital of the 
 province. 
 
 We dined on the 12th at the house of M. de Nava, 
 the assistant commandant of the province. The 
 dinner, well cooked and abundant, composed of French 
 
 ^ The Chevalier de Coiiolis, whose account of the loss of the 
 Due de Bourgogne, and the sufferings of the survivors has been 
 printed by M. La Chesnais in the Henue Militalre Frangais. 
 
192 
 
 and Spanish ragouts, was served on rich silverware. 
 The city consists of nothing but huts, without orna- 
 ment, without hangings, without furniture and only 
 one story high. The commandant's house had sev- 
 eral, with 1 irge rooms, but all quite bare. 
 
 At length we learnt from an officer of the regiment 
 of BourbonnoiS, saved from the shijjwreck of the 
 Bourgogne, and who arrived to-day, that only four 
 officers were lost, of whom my brother-in-law was not 
 one. I had the pleasure of seeing him the next day ; 
 he had saved himself upon a raft. There was much 
 disorder in this affiiir and the captain and some of the 
 officers will always be reproached for abandoning the 
 vessel and leaving three hundred soldiers and sailors 
 in it. 
 
 After the above mentioned day, the 12th, I took up 
 my quarters on shore, as likewise the superior officers 
 of the army ; the troops remained' on board. My du- 
 ties did not amount to much, the whole being on ac- 
 count of the navy. My service consisted in keeping 
 the army-chest, and remitting money to the diffi^rent 
 persons attached to the staff of our army, either as 
 employees or officers. 
 
 The heat here is excessive. Porto Cabello is only 
 the port of entry of the commercial company of Car- 
 accas, situated thirty leagues from here. This com- 
 
193 
 
 pany deals especially in cocoa, and that of Caraccas is 
 considered the hest. It is also an excellent harbor ; 
 the largest shi[)s anchor at the qnay. The country 
 would be able to furnish the best products of our 
 ishind, if it were cultivated ; but the Spaniards are as 
 lazy here as in their native country. I have visited 
 some residences in the viciuity. I have seen there 
 the most beautiful trees, palms, citrons, oranges, ba- 
 nanas and cocoa-nuts ; I have eaten some delicious pine- 
 apples there Several of our officers went to Carac- 
 cas, a pretty considerable city where there is good 
 society, and some very rich people. A bishop resides 
 there who has a considerable revenue. 
 
 March, 1783. The heat is excessive ; almost all the 
 persons who lodge on shore became sicl<:, and I was so 
 myself; my domestics likewise. De la Cheze's servant 
 died of fever, accompanied by vomiting. At last, on 
 the 24th of March, the frigate Andromaque arrived at 
 Porto Cabello and brought us official information of 
 the certainty of peace. The news was received with 
 delight. From this I except some little ambitious 
 grandees who think of nothing but themselves and 
 their own advantage. This peace, advantageous to 
 France, was disastrous to England, and it seemed to 
 all that if the former knew how to avail herself of this 
 25 
 
194 
 
 prosperity, she might recover the superiority in Europe 
 to which England pretended. 
 
 At last we thought of leaving Porto Cabello, which 
 was becoming more and more injurious to our health. 
 On the 2d of April I went on board of the Triomphant, 
 with all my effects, where we again met with the 
 same officers ; there was no one in addition to them 
 except the Chevalier de Roquelaure, an ensign, 
 from the Bourgogne. On the 2d, I went to dine on 
 board of the Souverain, commanded by M. de Glan- 
 deves, whom I had known in Corsica, an officer re- 
 spectable for his accomplishments and talents. On 
 the od, the squadron sailed, except the Triomphant, 
 the Auguste and the Nereide, which did not set sail 
 until the -Ith. Having learnt that M. de Vaudreuil 
 granted the frigate Amazone to the Count de Segur, 
 in order to proceed directly to Port-au-Prince or to 
 Jacmel, in the island of Saint Domingo, where he had 
 a house (the squadron was to put into port at Saint 
 Domingo, but at the cape) . I obtained permission to go 
 on board of the Amazone with M. de Segur. We had 
 a very good wind and made a hundred leagues in three 
 days. All this time was pleasant for us. M. de Gas- 
 ton, the captain, treated us very well ; he had with 
 him two or three amiable officers and M. de Segur, 
 really a man of wit, a poet and an interesting story 
 
195 
 
 teller, who added much animation to the conversation. 
 We also had M. Berthier, an officer of the staff of the 
 army, who accompanied M. de Segur. The officers 
 of the navy were, with M. de Gaston, Da petit 
 Thouars, his mate ; he is from Saumur ; he is an odd 
 young man, but intellectual, zealous and devoted to 
 his calling ; La Mothe Guillonnais, an ensign, and 
 Boulen, an officer of marines, besides two auxiliary 
 officers. There were also three officers of the resri- 
 ment of the Cape, with a detachment from this corps 
 which was in garrison there. 
 
 On the 8th, in the morning, we discovered the 
 coast of St. Domingo ; it was the point of Salines 
 in the Spanish part, forty leagues from the place 
 where we were to land ; this point semed to be unculti- 
 vated and uninhabited. We were almost becalmed 
 on this day, and we made very little headway the 
 next day. 
 
 On the 9th, we perceived at the distance of three 
 leagues a fleet of thirty sails, several of which were 
 ships of war. We concluded that they were English 
 on their way to the Windward islands and Jamaica ; 
 that was the route. Hostilities had not ceased in 
 these seas until after the 3d. 
 
 On the lltli, we had advanced very little, having 
 no wind except at intervals ; we were, however, pretty 
 
196 
 
 near the coast ; it is mountainous and we did not per- 
 ceive many inhabitants. 
 
 On the 12th, having sent a boat ashore to a little 
 town which was in sight, we learnt that we were at 
 Jacmel. M. de Segur, M. Berthier and myself pro- 
 ceeded to it in a boat at four o'clock in the afternoon. 
 It is a small town of about fifty houses, where there is, 
 nevertheless, a military commandant, at whose house 
 we were put on shore. M. de Segur, being desirous of 
 setting out that evening, the commandant procured 
 some saddle-horses for us, and we started, after supper, 
 at eight o'clock for Leoiirane, which is fourteen leagues 
 distant. The road is mountainous, bordered by preci- 
 pices, cut up by torrents and very picturesque. It 
 was beautiful, clear moonlight, so that we enjoyed the 
 spectacle ; a negro served as our guide ; he went on 
 foot ; as he was tired and I had the best horse, he 
 mounted behind me. A league before arriving at 
 Leogane, we found a vast plain where there were seve- 
 ral dwelling houses. We observed that of M. Michel, 
 called the Barbot residence. It was five o'clock in 
 the morning and daylight when we arrived at Leo- 
 gane. This town is small, but pretty, with a hand- 
 some square. We dined at the house of M. de 
 Theridan, who procured carriages for us to proceed to 
 Port-au-Prince, distant seven leagues. We performed 
 
197 
 
 this journey in three hours and a half and arrived at 
 Port-au-Prince at nine o'clocli at night. We stopped 
 at the door of a hirge inn and I had not yet got out of 
 the coach when an inhabitant approached. I recog- 
 nized my uncle whom I embraced with transports of 
 joy. He took me to the house of one of his friends, 
 M. Prieur, whose house was in the neighborhood and 
 where they were at supper when the noise of the car- 
 riage attracted his attention. In the evening he took 
 me to his residence, situated a league from Port-au- 
 Prince. 
 
 On the next day, the 14th, the Count de Segur, for 
 whom my uncle had sent to the city, arrived and 
 shortly afterwards departed for his residence, which 
 was in the neighborhood. On the 16th, my uncle 
 gave a great dinner of thirty covers in honor of him, 
 which was aduiirably served by some negroes and 
 negresses, making a very good appearance, the women 
 in white with a kind of hoop-petticoats. This dinner 
 was returned to us on the 19th and we visited M. de 
 Segur's residence. 
 
 I pass over the recollections, altogether personal, of 
 my stay at St. Domingo. They interest only my 
 children to whom I have often related them. 
 
 The Cape is a city with broad and straight streets, 
 but the houses of which have only a ground-floor. 
 
198 
 
 They are of wood and the windows are without glass. 
 Their appearance is not very agreeable. Even the 
 greater part of the single storeys are not ceiled, in 
 order to give more air, so that we see the woodwork 
 and the roof which is of small boards. A few houses 
 are covered with slates. There is, besides, much build- 
 ing and the city grows every day. It is deficient from 
 the want of quays, which are entirely wanting. The 
 church is neat and large. 
 
 On going to see one of my uncle's neighbors, we 
 found him engaged in flogging one of the negroes, who 
 had been detected in a fault. However, all the in- 
 habitants do not treat them harshl}^, and some are 
 even very good to them. But if more correct ideas 
 are entertained in the colonies respecting the condition 
 of the slaves, who are often treated with humanity, 
 this condition is none the less cruel. I know that 
 there is no registry kept of their birth and that they 
 are not taken to church to be baptized ; the most part 
 have no religious principles which no one takes the 
 trouble to give them. 
 
 At last, I had to leave, and I proceeded to the Cape 
 where the squadron was assembled. There T found 
 the Baron de Viomenil, with whom I was to be em- 
 ploj'ed. I also saw again my brother-in-law, Baptiste 
 de Coriolis. I had hardly time to seethe Cape, which 
 
199 
 
 is a considerable city, witli stone houses, of two 
 storeys. Much was said at this time of the visit which 
 had been paid to this city, a few days before, by Prince 
 Wilham,^ the son of the king of Enghuid. 
 
 On the 30th of April, I embarked upon the North- 
 umberland, with M. de Vaudreuil and the Baron de 
 Viomenil. Our squadron consisted of eight vessels 
 only. The Couronne, the Triomphant and the Sou- 
 verain received orders to proceed to Toulon and were 
 not to start until some days after us. M. de Medine 
 commanded the Northumberland and the other officers 
 were : 
 
 Le Veneur, lieutenant. 
 
 Gombaut, Vasselot and Chauvigny, ensigns. 
 
 Bossard, lieutenant of a frigate and auxiliary officer. 
 
 Mouton, pilot with the brevet of lieutenant of a fri- 
 gate. 
 
 Belfonds, St. Pair and de Baunay, officers of marines. 
 We had very nearly the same officers as on the Triom- 
 phant, with the addition of M. de Segur. 
 
 On the 2d of May, we were still only ten leagues 
 from the Cape. Calms prevailed which delayed us. On 
 the morning of the 4th we were in the latitude of 
 Cap-Aux-Sables, one of the Turks' islands ; we had 
 
 1 Afterwards William TV. 
 
200 
 
 doubled them all before noon. This part of St. Do- 
 mingo is encompassed by a multitude of islands. We 
 were uncomfortable enough on board. I rented the 
 cabin of our boatswain, situated on the poop in a good 
 air, and I thus had a corner to write in, to retire to 
 and to be alone, which is very agreeable. Thus I 
 never was so comfortable on board, my room was my 
 happiness. I was at liberty to go to bed when I 
 wished to ; it is usually early. I also rose at day- 
 break, then I went to walk upon the deck, where there 
 were not many persons, and to breathe the fresh air. 
 I then breakfasted with Caraccas cocoa. I dressed 
 myself and remained in my room until ten or eleven 
 o'clock ; I then went down into the council-cabin, 
 where tlie time was spent in conversing until dinner 
 time. I ate. with eight or ten persons, at M. de Vau- 
 dreuil'b table ; we lived well. After dinner, I made 
 up my party, I returned to my room, I conversed. 
 
 On the 9th, towards night, in ordinary weather, we 
 saw, at about half a league from us, a water-spout, or 
 otherwise a column of water which rose from the sea 
 in a cloud or which fell into it out of a cloud. We 
 distinctly saw the column of water, the motion of the 
 sea and of the water to the point of connection be- 
 tween the column and the sea; this column appeared 
 to rise. 
 
201 
 
 On the 14th of May, we were in sight of the Ber- 
 mudas. They are a string of several ishands which 
 may be about ten leagues in length ; they belong to 
 the English. The climate there is mild, and these 
 islands are reputed to be healthy. The English send 
 their sick thither to recover their health ; there is, 
 however, no harbor for ships of war ; but they are 
 an asylum for merchantmen and a place of resort for 
 pirates. 
 
 After this period, nothing remarkable occurred. 
 On the 16th of June, we perceived that the color of 
 the water was changing, which showed that we were 
 approaching land, although, according to our reckon- 
 ing, we ought to be a hundred leagues from Brest. 
 Between two and three o'clock we found bottom at 
 eighty-five fathoms. It was supposed that we were 
 forty leagues from Ouessant. 
 
 On the 17th, at eight o'clock, a sailor, who was in 
 the tops, cried out " Land !" but it was the allurement 
 of some louis which M. de Viomenil had promised to 
 whomsoever should announce it first that made him 
 see it; for we again proceeded for more than three 
 hours without discovering anything. At last, shortly 
 after noon, M. de Medine himself, the captain of the 
 ship, saw a breaker, which was perceived and signaled 
 at the same time by some other vessels. We imme- 
 26 
 
202 
 
 diately ran up. This breaker i.s known by the name 
 of The Saints ; it is situated at the entrance of the 
 harbor, and is a very dangerous rock. We were a 
 a league from it and it was time to tack about. An 
 hour afterwards we saw the land quite distinctly. At 
 last, at three o'clock we were in the harbor of Brest. 
 Boats were immediately launched in the sea and we 
 repaired to land. It was a great satisfaction ; but the 
 matters of business to which I was obliged to attend, 
 on my arrival, and which were already occupying me, 
 prevented my feeling this joy so vividly. 
 
 We found fires in almost all the houses and warmed 
 ourselves with pleasure. I was obliged to remain at 
 Brest until the 2d of July, 1783. I bought a carriage 
 and horses and set out by short stages. I did not ar- 
 rive at Rennes until the evening of the 6th ; I spent 
 a day there and was at Angers on the ^th at noon. 
 My brother, whom I had notified, was awaiting me ; I 
 passed through the city without stopping and pro- 
 ceeded immediately to Echarbot. I found my wife 
 and children on the road. I do not speak of the 
 pleasure which I felt on seeing my family again, after 
 an absence of more than three years. These emotions, 
 these feelings cannot be described. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Acadians at Baltimore, 171. 
 Adains, Samuel, 181. 
 Adolphe, 48. 
 Alley, 110. 
 
 Anderson, Judge William, 167. 
 Andre, Major, 68, 70, 128. 
 Arbuthnot, Admiral, 17, 24, 60. 
 Arnold, Benedict, 68, 70, 76, 90, 94, 
 128, 130. 
 
 Beaudoin (Bowdoin), 49. 
 
 Beaudoin, Lieut. Colonel, 76. 
 
 Beauvais, 187. 
 
 Belfonds, 198. 
 
 Belzin, 188. 
 
 Berthier, 193, 194. 
 
 Bignore, 125. 
 
 Blanchard, 51, 58, 174, 183. 
 
 Blessing, 7. 
 
 Bossard, 198. 
 
 Bouleu, 194. 
 
 Bouley, 59. 
 
 Bourdais, a domestic, 9, 57. 
 
 Bowen, Dr., 77. 
 
 Bowker, 78. 
 
 Brick, 180. 
 
 Brizou, 8. 
 
 Buifon, 82. 
 
 Buissey, 7. 
 
 Byron, Admiral, 13. 
 
 Cabanis, 187. 
 
 Caravagne, 59. 
 
 Carter, 50. 
 
 Carter, Mrs. , 87. 
 
 Champmartin, 185. 
 
 Cliamptier, 7. 
 
 Charette, 185. 
 
 Chirfontaine, 7. 
 
 Clinton, General, 68, 114. 
 
 Closen, Aide de Camp, 59. 
 
 Coligny, 173. 
 
 CoUot, Aide Marechal General des 
 
 Logis, 59. 
 Cooper, Rev. Dr., 181. 
 Cordier, 7. 
 Cornwallis, General, 9, 124, 136, 138, 
 
 145, 148, 151, 152, 154. 
 Cornwallis, Commodore, 27. 
 Corte, 42, 63, 83. 
 Coste, 59. 
 Coster, 114, 116. 
 Coussard, 6. 
 Custine, 60. 
 
 Daltains, 185. 
 Damblimon, 185. 
 Daure, 144. 
 D'Aboville, 58. 
 
204 
 
 D'Alpheran, 103. 
 
 D'Auticliamp, Count, 143. 
 
 D'Aitois, Count, 175. 
 
 D'Ogre, 59. 
 
 De Barms, Count, 103, 139, 140, 144. 
 
 De Bauuay, 198. 
 
 De Beville, 54, 58. 
 
 DeBeville, Jr.,59. 
 
 De Bouille, Marquis, 156. 
 
 De Broglie, Marshal, 150. 
 
 De Broglie, Prince, 175. 
 
 De Bros, Chevalier, 185. 
 
 De Capellis, 33, 47, 50, 51. 52, 186. 
 
 De Chabannes, 60. 
 
 De Charlus, 60. 
 
 De Chastellux, Chevalier, 58,60, 75, 
 
 85, 88, 104, 123, 141, 144, 145, 
 
 149, 152, 179, 181. 
 De Choisy, 68, 144, 149. 
 De Clumard, 157. 
 De Coriolis, Chevalier, 10, 43, 197. 
 De Corny, 39, 40, 41, 49, 58, 87. 
 De Custine, Count, 7, 16, 76, 87, 89, 
 
 92, 138, 139, 140, 158, 164, 166. 
 De Damas, Aide de Camp, 59. 
 De Deux Fonts, Count, 60, 76, 154, 
 
 155. 
 De Deux Fonts, the younger, 150. 
 De Dillon, Colonel, 60, 63, 146. 
 D'Espinousse, 180, 182. 
 D'Estaing, 11, 12, 77. 
 De Ferry, Aide de Camp, 59. 
 De Gachain, 74. 
 De Gaston, 193. 
 De Glandeves, 193. 
 De Grasse, Count, 103, 105, 107, 129, 
 
 130, 136, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143, 
 
 146, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158. 
 
 De Gfimat, 150. 
 
 De Grimaldi, 188. 
 
 De Guichen, Admiral, 15, 17, 19,66, 
 68, 158. 
 
 De James, 7. 
 
 De Jousecourt, 103. 
 
 De Kergu, 96. 
 
 De Lange, 188. 
 
 De Lameth, Aide Marcschal, 150. 
 
 De Laubardieres, 140. 
 
 De Lauzun, 2, 60, 75, 82, 106, 121, 
 145, 146, 153, 170, 175. 
 
 De Laval, Marquis, 60, 76, 87, 176. 
 
 De Luz, Chevalier, 49. 
 
 De Manterrier, Chevalier, 3. 
 
 De Marigny, Chevalier, 3, 23, 25. 
 
 Demars, 25, 42, 54, 55. 
 
 De Medine, 185, 198, 200. 
 
 De Menonvillc, 59. 
 
 De Montbarrej-, 91. 
 
 De Nava, 190. 
 
 Denis, 7. 
 
 De Noaillcs, Viscount, 60, 63. 
 
 De Fange, 7, 60. 
 
 De Riom, 185. 
 
 De Rochambeau, Count, 1, 2, 36,44, 
 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55, 58, 59, 
 61, 66, 69, 82, 83, 86, 104, 107, 
 120, 121, 122, 123, 127, 141, 142, 
 143, 144, 152, 153, 154, 155, 177, 
 178, 179, 181, 186. 
 
 De Rochambeau, Vicomte, 60, 74, 
 103. 
 
 De Roquelaure, 193. 
 
 De Saint James, 87, 91. 
 
 De Saint Mesme, Colonel, 60. 
 
 De Saint Simon, 148. 
 
 De Sanson, 112. 
 
205 
 
 De Sartine, 83. 
 
 De Segur, Marquis, 91, 175. 
 
 De Segur, Count, 198, 194, 195, 19G, 
 
 198. 
 Deshayes, 7. 
 Desson, 188. 
 De Steuben, 142, 174. 
 Desouches, 175. 
 Destouches, 3, 98, 95, 99, 101. 
 De Suffein, 174. 
 De Tarle, Chevalier, 1, 9, 36, 48, 54, 
 
 58, 59, 70, lOG, 107, 119. 
 De Ternay, Adn,iral,2, 5, 23, 20, 33, 
 
 36, 39, 42, 45, 60, 77, 83, 99, 103. 
 De Theridan, 195. 
 De Tilly, 3. 
 Dethis, 185. 
 
 De Vauban, Aide de Camp, 59. 
 De Vaudrcuil, 169, 176, 179, 180, 
 
 185, 186, 187, 198, 198. 
 De Vaudreuil, Jr., 180. 
 De Veymeranges, 87. 
 De Viola, 188. 
 
 De Villenianzy, 25, 58, 143, 154. 
 De Viomenil, Baron, 7, 16, 20, 21, 
 
 26, 36, 89, 45, 54, 55, 58, 60, 66, 
 
 84, 87, 98, 98, 128, 150, 152, 157, 
 
 161, 175, 181, 182, 184, 197, 198, 
 
 199, 200. 
 De Viomenil, Count, 54, 58, 60. 
 De Volnais, 51. 
 De I'Aiguille, 188. 
 De la Cheze, 81, 88, 120, 149, 151 
 
 155, 193. 
 De la Clochetterie, 8, 23, 98. 
 De I'Etombe, 180. 
 De la Fayette, 38, 39, 57, 60, 136, 
 
 140, 141, 142, 150. 
 
 De la Grandiere, 2, 7, 34, 105. 
 
 De la Luzerne, 68, 69, 70, 136, 157, 
 
 173. 
 De la Mothe-Piquet, 127, 156. 
 De la Panouse, 188. 
 De la Pemuse, 3, 91. 
 De la Touche, 89. 
 Delevan, 177. 
 De la Villebrune, 98, 144. 
 Digby, Admiral, 146. 
 Dourville, 77. 
 Drouillet, 144. 
 Dubourg, Cromot, Aide de Camp, 
 
 60. 
 Du Coudray, 137. 
 Dumas, 59. 
 
 Duparc de Bellegrade, 7, 11. 
 Du Petit-Thouars, 198. 
 Du Portail, 60, 115. 
 
 Earl, Abigail, 43. 
 
 Fanit, 7. 
 Fleury, 61. 
 Flint, 88. 
 Franklin, 49. 
 
 Gau, 56, 58. 
 Gauledet, 69, 107. 
 Gautier, 7. 
 Glandeves, 185. 
 Goguet, Marie, 132. 
 Gombaut, 198. 
 Greene, General, 80, 110. 
 Greene, Mrs., 80,81,87. 
 
206 
 
 Greeve (Graves?) Admiral, 4, 31. 
 Guzence, 7. 
 
 Haake, 80. 
 
 Hancock, 49, 56, 181. 
 
 Harris, 71, 73. 
 
 Heth (Heatli ?) General, 130. 
 
 Holker, 70, 137. 
 
 Hood, Admiral, 157. 
 
 Jones, Paul, 188. 
 Josselin, 7. 
 Jumencourt, 88. 
 
 Kergu, 7. 
 
 Knox, General, 86. 
 
 La Barolien, 105. 
 Laforest, 92. 
 La Jonquiercs, 7. 
 La Mothe Guillonais, 194. 
 Laubanie, 7. 
 Lauberdiere, 59. 
 Laurens, son of 
 congress, 86, 
 Lazie, 58. 
 Lee, 57. 
 Legritz, 7. 
 Le Pont, 188. 
 Le Veneur, 198. 
 Lynch, 60. 
 
 Lincoln, General, 86, 121. 
 Livet, 7. 
 Lombard, 2. 
 
 Louis, Captain, an Iroquois, 61. 
 Lourmel, 7. 
 
 the president of 
 7, 133. 
 
 Loyas, 7. 
 Lyon, 48. 
 
 Macarthy, 7. 
 Mandat, 188. 
 Marassin, 7. 
 Menonville, 7. ^ 
 Mesme, Viscount, 84. 
 Michel, 195. 
 Mitton, 185. 
 
 Montesquieu, grandson of the pre- 
 sident, 60. 
 Montcabier, 188. 
 Morgan, General, 89. 
 Moucheron, 188. 
 Mouton, 198. 
 
 Nadal, 58. 
 
 Necker, 125, 127, 128. 
 
 Nupuy, 7. 
 
 Olonne, 60. 
 Opterre, 59. 
 
 Pache, 185. 
 
 Panat, 188. 
 
 Paoli, 117. 
 
 Pearson, General, 113. 
 
 Pisanijon, 88. 
 
 Prieur, 196. 
 
 Repentigni, 188. 
 Robillard, First Surgeon, 59. 
 Rodney, Admiral, 17, 19, 66, 158 
 Romain, 69. 
 
207 
 
 Saint Pair, 198. 
 Scliuj'ler, General, 114. 
 Sillart, 3. 
 Sinallwood, 75. 
 Stirling, Lord, 118, 133. 
 Sraoden, Major, 168. 
 Siifferu, 132. 
 
 Tarleton, 146. 
 
 Temple, Mrs., 49. 
 
 Trumbull, Gov. of Connecticut, 110. 
 
 Tucrenet, 59. 
 
 Turpin, 59. 
 
 Van Gelder, 132. 
 
 Varnum, Gen. of militia, 55, 56. 
 
 Vasselot, 198. 
 Veymeranges, 59. 
 Vigo-Rouissilon, 131. 
 
 Wadsworth, 109. 
 
 Walsh, Margaret, 164. 
 
 Washington, 66, 67, 69, 76, 86, 89, 
 90, 93, 104, 106, 107, 113, 115, 
 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 133, 127, 
 128, 129, 133, 136, 148, 151, 152, 
 154, 165, 166, 167, 173, 176. 
 
 Washington, Mrs., 165, 166. 
 
 Washington, the mother and sis- 
 ter of, 163. 
 
 William, prince of England after- 
 wards William IV, 197. 
 
y^umx oj^L^ eUc^ . 
 
 THE JOURNAl. 
 
 OF 
 
 CLAUDE BLANCHAKD, 
 
 COMMISSARY OF THE FRENCH AUXILIARY ARMY SENT 
 
 TO THE UNITED STATES DURING THE 
 
 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 
 
 17 8 0-1783. 
 

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