New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RARON DE KALB.

I'D. IT,, 1897. Henry llot 70
MIR. Kapp. who has long been favorably known 10
students of American history by ms Lie OF Steu-
nor hos established fresh claim upon the graft
tude of the country in which he passed many active
years by this careful and discriminating biography,
Uo has drawn his materials largely from original
manuscript authorities including letters AMI other
documents in the possession of DE Kalbs descend
ants the archives of the French Governments the
unpublished collections of various historian
societies and similarly important sources anu mas
brought to light a great many facts which escaped
The searches of previous investigators. The lreSh-
est portons of his narrative are those when r'lale
TO De Kalb's early life, the circumstances OF Ms
entry INTO the American service, ana the mlhule "I
the disastrous Southern expedition OF Generai
Gates. ending with the battle of Camden, where
Gates lost his reputation and DE kalO lost MS me-
The particulars of De Kabs coming to tins country
ore esneciolv valuable on nj of the clear llSht
which they throw upon the French alliance. MI
Konp declares that his purpose in writing the INeS
ot Steuben and De kalb was to commemorate 'l'
particpatlon of German generals III the eN'to"s"-
ment of American independence; but II Is I" i"cc
rather than Germany that we ought 10 De S't''lu'
for DE Kalb; he was an officer III the french ser
vice he was sent here by France. he was "cII""l
only bv the accident of birth, and there Is even 10
,r,of that no knew the German language. He came
ant
1877. both having an agreement with Silas peanc
that they should receive from Congress thelrank Oh
or-Gcneral but there was remarkable din'r
once IN the character and impulses of the two men,
AZ Kopp apparently does not quite perceive TINS
diaerencc and he has a not unnatural jealousy OF
the popular preference for the ardent young
Frenchman: but he uncOnSciouSly states the cast
in one happy phrase when he says that the same
vessel brought to the new world 1.-THE last ol tlle
condottieri and the last Of the knghtS-errant' he
Kalb MIR Kapp calls him simply halb' Whlth was
his name but he always signed himself DE haIp J
was a remarkably favorable specimen OF the pro-
fessional soldier. who was 4 condOiUeIe lew ''"
1rr,es AGO a ncrcenarv and military adventurer
when society grew a little more settled ana whom
Germany always sent ont in prodiglous plenty. Mt
Kopp devotes some readable pages to an eNplana-
+ior and q not unsuccessful defence of these soldiers
of fortune In Germany the very sentiment OF ma
+ionaltv had not yet arisen; sherman BENG
word which indicated race, not country coni0 h'J
oppeal to the imagination; there were hun"i'd
nettv German States often hostile to one another
Int tborc was no nation: the German princes let
ont their soldiers when they had no personal use
for them and sometimes raised soldiers TOT hI'' us
n snpculation. II made no dunercnce 10 u'W
whether these troops were TO be employed against
c,o,os of tbe - German race. or those of another
soldier. either II was no disgrace to Them Of under
these circumstances they were found hHhlmf
AGAINST what modern history calls their country, ms
De Kalb fought against Germany under the nag oi
France. thew had no country except some niue
priucipniitv or dulcdon or FREE" city; and ihcf i't
no more special regard for that than % Ncw-loit"
enfc~iaina for the ward m which he votes ana ~
faxed # patriotism was virtue for Nuch th'F
had no u-c nor perhaps auy respect that "a7 moro
their misfortune than their fault
rbot. has beon "a great deal of uncertainty about
DE- KALI. birth and cytractIou. bat Mr.. Knapp IH'
cleared il M. The di.tiup he'd soldier was not %
Laron n. hc used 10 clll himself bat plain John
Kalb the son Of peasant of the village OF li1ct"i-
do,C in fine inarprayiate of Bayrcuth where l" was
horn in 112l Nothing J. known co. lns hlat steps
toward fortune. lie received some schoolu9' be-
came II waiter. ana at the ago of sixteen went
abroad Then all trace of him is lost until hc turns
up I'm France, six years later as jean dc RAN
lieutenant i'm the LocWcndal regiment ol II'A'h M
f1utrv His assumption of title "l upbIIIt} Nhich
did NOT belong 10 him J. accounted Ior, II NOT '\-
cused bv hi, biouaphcr ON tine ground 'h"i I'D 'h'
armies Of that day coumoucrs were not eligible to
nromotion But how the young peasant "pd ser
want ,couired the manners and education necessary
a. sunuort his assumptiOu III not explained mat
he did pick MP q good deal more than professional
knowledge is certain lOr hls correspondence ih 'ler
life is not that of an IllItemtc man. The regiment
IN which be belonged was one ol several maintained
in the service of France IN accordance with INed
motley recruited partly in the German provinces oil
France and partly IN the German states ana
ol,vors commanded by German officers. Princes.
counts. barous and miscellaneous adventures
Oockcd from Germany 10 Paris. and rose there TO
f,rtune and high rank De Kalb ma ic his first cam
,ocn as a French oGiccr-his FIST of which we have
onv record-lnder German commandments
Marshal SAKE and the commander OF ms own reel-
ment. Count Loewendal, was also "a German who
became a Marshal Of France. 1T the close OF the
Seven Years War De Kalb was a Northumberland
and assistant quartcrma>tergcne ana hau very
hiqh reputation as careful ana JuGlcouS olhcer.
He seems T. have rendered important services TO
come DISTINGUISHED families i'm Germany, who
claimed compensation for supplies furnished the
French troops. and he found these functions so
lucrative that he returned to France with full
rockets. and was enabled to make a rich marriage
Il i, pleasant to add that the union proved a very
happy one.
In 1867 the Duke de Choiscul charged him with a
mission of observation t. the English colonies III
America. He arrived in Philadelphia at the height
of the agitation over the duty ON tea. and spent
about three months in travelling through the coun
try. drawing up reports upon the temper and re-
sources of the coloni~ts which display remarkable
acuteness and sagaclty, besides presenting curious
pictures of the life and manners of the time. lie
took the measure Of the people 50 quickly and cor
rectly that his judgment seems instructive In par
ticular he perceived, what French statesmen were
little disposed to acknowledge, that bitter as might
be their discomfort with the English Government
the Americans would not risk their liberties by
turning 10 the foreign enemies of England for re-
dress; and he treated an utter deusion the idea
cherished at Versailles that any French sentiment
survived in Canada which in case of war il would
be possible to use against England. His reports
however were not well received by Choiscul they
tLn NJ