Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-15
e WE
Deserved to n Gallant and
Patriotic French General.

Patriotic French General.
Chicago Tribune.
BY the end Of this month the city Of
Washington will have a statue of Jean
Baptiste Rochambeau. When that statue
Is unveiled the American nation, acting
through its government, will be present to
acknowledge its obligations to the gallant
French general and to pay part of its debt
Of gratitude. 1t IL q most commendable
characteristic OF the people of this country
that they have always been willing TO ac-
knowledge such obligations and to pay such
debts to the last farthing. Seldom does
one hear any attempt to depreciate the
services OF those Europeans, aliens by blood
but kindred by sentiment, who fought
shoulder to shoulder with the continentals.
Steuben, Koeciuska, De Kalb. Lafayette,
Rochambeau and the rest of that glorious
company OF strangers have had no reason
to complain OF the forgetfulness OF repub-
lies.
The United States will never cease to
bear II clearly in mind that there were
Frenchmen under Rochambeau as we'll as
Americans under Washington at the surren-
der Of yorktown in 1881, and that Corn
wallis yielded to the allied rms OF France
and the evolted colonies. In fact. the his
tory of the whole Yorktown campaign is
bound up ineXtricably with the exploits of
the foreign commanders. II was lafayette,
that boy" as CORVALLIS called him, who
led the British general a merry dance across
the rivers and through the marshes of Vir-
ginia till the invading troops were ready TO
rest their weary virtue on that tongue OF
land which they left only as prisoners. It
was Rochambeau whose troops made II
possible for Washington to keep CORVALLIS
cooped up. Finally, It was De Grasse who
beat on the British fleet under Graves and
prevented the escape OF the British army by
water. 1t is true. of course. that what De
Grasse did he did In the ordinary execution
OF his ordinary duties. He was not a vol
unteer. He was ordered by his government
TO proceed to America and to assist the
armies of Washington and RockambeAu in
every way possible. 1t may be said. there
fore. that with him It was all in the days
work. 1t must not be forgotten. however,
that 1t was a move of his which perhaps
made Yorktown inevitable. While Wash
ington and Rochambeau were s~parrlng with
clinton in the country about New York.
he sent them a letter in which he said
he was going down to the Chesapeake, and
hoped that they would be able TO use him
at once. After this letter the march to
Yorktown could hardly be deferred. II
began Immediately. Its result was inde-
pendence.
II, therefore. there is to be a monument
to Rochambeau, might " not be we'll TO
honor DE- Grasse in the same way? II was
the French arm and the French navy to-
Eether that assisted Washington. The one
without the other might have been useless.
Their commanders deserve an equal meas
ure Of praise. And in these days, when in
the United States things are so large as ia
suggest q possible danger OF national hys-
terra, there could be no better discipline
than a glance a upon the days when
things were exceedingly small, and wher
the help Of foreign countries was BY nd
lmeanA 10 be deSpissd.