The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-08-10


r-ho recommendations OF the war.ship
rrenton have proved insufficient 'or tne
F.ensh p,,ests who have accepted the Gov
ornmen,'s invitation to assist st the YORK
tovy n ceutensry, and additional Transports
,st,on. II Il announced, viii be PROVIDED oy
Secretary Hunt on a French passenger
sfeamer. IL is q gratifying omen Tor the
SUCCESS Of the October ceremonies tost 50
GOOD a foreign representation has Deen
ssedged a those whose lineage enttie them
10 the Spccial hospitality OF the nation on
this occasion. II should be kept steadily III
view that the commemoration at foIktown
Is the one among all the Revolutionary fesu-
walls whose hundredth anniversaries nave
heen celebrated during the past SIX or
seven wears in which we are to bonor Tue
M emorv Of that alliance between france
and the struggling colonies WITHOUT Wncu
.he success of our forefaihers against neaVy
Odds would have been doubtful, u not fm-
possible. o,i;or m
casions when public acknowledgment OF
this aid might have been appropriately rem
dered. Three years and more ago we mlgnt
have celebrated the centenary OF the treaty
Cor offensive and defensive succor which
the King OF France made with the congress
~ the limited States. Or, a title later, we
miobt have celebrated the first fruits OF that
treaty in the arrival OF Admiral d'Estainge
with his feet and his fve thousand
men. Prior to the treaty we m'gnt
have commemOrated the arrival on
our shores of young lafayette. Inc
moyement OF d'Estainge 10 The west In
dies. TO attack the British possessions thefe'
might have been not unworthy OF note, sincc
| n caused The English feet at New YORK 10
folleN, thus depriying Clinton Tor a time OF
his naval strength. The attack upon "a,
yannah in the autumn Of InS, ga'Iaht
though disastrous, might nave Deeh
sneeial occasion for the acknowledgment
of French aid as 10 was the Frencb VINO
first laid siege to the city, and VINO lost
three OF their men to every one OF tne
Americans in the assault, q EstalDSe h'h-
self being twice wounded lue cept1-
naIv Of John Paul Joness naVai uueI WIN
the Scraps might have furnished Us ano'neI
sucb national reminder, since Jones sup
was the BonbOmme Richard. llttle more
than a year ago in June, lSSO, we ailsnt
well have commemoraled the aiiiNal VI Au'
miral DE ,Jernay at Newport, with ten war
Sbins. three OF them being ships OF the line,
cnnvoyino six thousand well.drilled soldiers,
under Count de ROchambeau and had II
been necessary to frame motto for such
celebration, no better could have been select
| ed than Rochambeau's response to an address
| 10 the Rhode Island Assembly: g assure
tbe General Assembly that, as brethren, not
onIy nv life. but the lives Of the troops I'M
der nv command. are entirely devoted 10
their service" In this present year we
might have recalled the movement OF Inc
| fret Of Count de GrasSe from the west H.
dies TO aid the colonies, or noted the gilt Oy
France of six million lvres and the loan OF
many millions more.
Rnt the services Of the French at York
town were so special and important tDat tue
coming IS h and 10 h Of October have prop.
erIv been selected as the occasion Tor con-
cpntrating The acknowledgment OF our his
toric Indebtedness. In one portion OF
the proposed ceremonies the country Is Out
tardily carrying out q project which the
Congress OF the confederation formed nearly
q ce injury ago. Very soon after the victory
CONGRESS passed q resolution providing that
n marble column should be erected on the
field. This monument was not designed 10
SET forth the constancy OF the Colonies, nor
the harmony with which they had carried
their great cause TO success, nor the special
yalOr of the cOmbatants in this last great
battle. Any OF these things might nave been
appropriately enough cOmmemOraled, but
the one thing aimed at by Congress was to
proyide " emblems Of the alliance between
The United States and his Most Christian
Majesty" This is still the central fact OF
any suitable commemoratiOn OF this great
event. II.
The Virginia campaign Of 1871 was made
possible TO Washington only through the
help OF the Frouch land and naval forces.
In July Of that year Lafayette, who was
operating against CORVALLIS, sent WORD
from his camp on Malvern Hill to General
Washington, urging him TO transfer his
army TO Virginia, and also to send the
French fleet to Hampton Roads so as to
block up any relief Of CORVALLIS by GIN
ton. Rapidly moving his forces south
ward, part by land and part by water
Washington had substantially shut up
CORVALLIS by the end Of September. Adj
miral de GrasSe had in the mean time de-
feated the British feet OF Admiral Graves,
which had followed him from New YORK, so
remaining master OF the Chesapeake. The
parallels were then pushed vigorously, with
the Americans on the right and The French
on the left. In the successful assaults OF
October 14h by far the heaviest loss fell
upon the French. When the surrender OF
Corvallis 7,247 soldiers and $40 sailors
took place the land forces and stores were
assigned TO the Americans and the ships and
their crews to the French, while the march
of the vanquished was between the lines OF
both armies. "Nor must impartial history
fail to relate" says Bancroft, "tbat the
French provided fol the siege Of Yorktown
thirty.seven ships Of the line, and the Anne
ricans not one; that while the Americans
supplied 5000 troops, Of whom $500 were
regulars, the contingent OF the French con-
sisted Of 1000" In former centennial cell
ebralions we nave done filial homage to the
! patriots OF the Revolution-to their strug-
giles, their sacrifices, and their success. The
duty remains Of honor TO their faithful and
eflicleBt ally; and It should be the special
task Of the October ceremonies to make the
modes Of rendering that honor graceful,
grateful, and generous.