Evening star., 1901-02-23

Proposed Statue of ROchambeau.
| or the fame of others. it may be truthfully
said that among all the benefits showered
| upon us by that virtuous and worthy but
unfortunate prince none was more import
ant, none more conducive to the final VIC
| tory, than his personal gift of the brave,
| tried and distinguished soldier the Comte de
| Rochambeau. Here we only with ex-
| treme brevity recall his career and his
| splendid achievements in behalf of Ameri-
| can liberty.
Splendid Achievements.
Jean Baptiste Donation de Vimeur,
| Comte de Rochambeau. was born in 1725
He was intended for the church. but pre-
| ferred to follow in the footsteps of his
| father, and therefore he adopted the mill
! tary profession, entering the French army
| in 1.42 After thirtyeight years of varied
and arduous service. i'll March, 1880. he
reached the grade of lieutenant general
| and, in the same year, was assigned to
! command the expedition in aid of the colo
| nies. With 6000 troops. which were fol-
| lowed by reinforcements, he sailed from
Brest in May, 1880, landing at Newport
r. l., in July.
with great skill and address Comte de
Rochambeau thwarted a contemplated at
tack upon Newport by the British COM
manders Clinton and Arbuthnot. In Sep
tember, 1850. he held a conference with
General Washington, and proposed to the
latter plan of campaign for the ensuing
summer. circumstances lnterpOSed to
change the character and objective of their
joint operations, but under wise dispensa-
ton of Providence they were able to CO.
| operate in 1871 and in that year to con-
duct to a successful issue the decisive cam
paign of the war.
THE operations of the British in the Car
olinas and Virginia had been proceeding
with varying fortune under Lord Cornwall
lis when his superior, Gen. Clinton, fearing
an attack upon New York by the allied
forces, ordered him to detach 5000 men to
that place, and to seek and fortify a de-
fensbe position and hold it with the 1000
left him. Cornwallis thereupon established
himself at Yorktown.
washington was at Dobbs Ferry plan
! ming a campaign against Clinton at New
York when the happy news reached him
that Comte de Grasse in command of the
French West Indian fleet who had been
urged to hasten to our aid by Count de
Rochambeau, was prepared to cooperate.
Worked With Washington.
"The objective of the American operations
was Immediately changed. Rochambeau
hurried to join Washington at Dobbs Ferry,
where he arrived July 6, 1871, and then the
two great comrades-in-arm began that Sc
res of strategical and tactical movements
which has filled students of military science
with admiration ever since. By a number
Of feints, cleverly planned and executed,
Clinton was made certain that he was to be
attacked, and assembled all his forces and
IcSouICeS lOT TIE Contest. w nile ne was
held perfectly in play the allies passed
from the west bank of the Hudson into
New Jersey, and began their historic march
to Virginia. When the allied armies had
Washington learned that De Grasse with
his ships and troops, had entered the Ches-
apeake.
"Three days later Washington. Rocham
beau and the Marquis de Chastelux started
from Baltimore for two days visit to
Mount Vernon, which the father of his
country had not seen for six years. On the
25th Of September the last division of the
allied forces reached Williamsburg, twelve
miles distant from Yorktown and advanced
in force upon Lord Cornwallis on the 2Sth
under Washington and Rochambeau, the
French fleet meantime covering the Brit
ish position from York river. BY the 3Oth
the investment was complete. From all
sides the siege was pressed with vigor and
friendly emulation by the allies. Help fall
ing him, the desperate efforts at sortie prov
ing disastrous. and an epidemic breaking
out in his camp prostrating 1000 of his
troops, the British general was in despair.
After terrible cannonade from the Amer
lean and French lines on the afternoon and
night of October and the morning of DC
tober 10 his position became no longer ten
able.
HOnOred Here and al Home.
Satisfied that neither squadrons nor any
other reinforcements were coming to bis
rescue, Lord CORVALLIS capitulated on Oe-
tCDef. 1S Inc surrender included 1000
British regulars. 1000 sailors and marines.
1.5OO tories and a large number of negroes.
The French contingent participating in the
victory consisted of 1000 troops under
Comte de Rochambeau and thirty-seyen
ships under Comte de Grasse. The Ameri-
can force with Washington aggregated 5000
men, of whom $500 were regulars. After
the triumph of the allied arms at Yorktown
Comte de Rochambeau went to the south
to assist General Greene in the Carolinas
His service ended in America he sailed for
France in January 1888. the year of the
peace. He received the thanks of Congress,
and after his return to his native country
was honored with the baton of field mar
shal. Under the revolution Comte de Ro-
chambeau commanded the army of the
north for some time, but. being suspected
Of disloyalty, was removed. He disproyed
the charges against him before the legisla-
tive assembly. but did not rejoin the army, |
He was arrested under Robespierre and but |
for the timely death of that leader in the |
reign of terror. would have been executed |
as an aristocrat He was released and |
spent the evening of his days In peace In |
1906 Napoleon I conferred upon him the |
grand cross Of the Legion Of Honor. He |
died at sThore, in France. In 1907.
'aThe record shows that while this i'm |
portant, perhaps vitality important, contrib |
utor TO our Independence and to the foun- |
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