The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-24
GALLANT RoCHAMBEAu.
Description Of Statue In Mem
DRY Of His Services.
HERO OF MANY BATTLEFIELDs.

Career Of the Celebrated French Sol
der Who Enabled the Revolutions
airy Forces to Turn the Tide In
Our War Of Independence-How He
Trapped Lord CORVALLIS.
The R~ochambeau statue has it's place
In Lafayette square in the national
capital, the place of all others most fit
ting for it, says a special dispatch from
Washington to the Chicago Record
Herald. 1t TANKS the bronze effigy Of
the young Marquis de Lafayette, who
owned the Comte de Rcchambeau as
his father in war" The statue is of
heroic size. 1t represents the marshal
at the siege of Yorktown ordering the
French wing of the besieging army to
attack the works of the English gen
eral, Lord CORVALLIS, on the morning
of Oct. 10, 1871. .....
Against the pedestal rises a splendid
female figure Of France holding aloft
two fiagstaffs with the left hand-the
flags of France and America-and
grasping IL threatening sword with the
right. The war eagle with extended
wings is at her feet, SO typifying the
defensive alliance, the only one ever
consecrated by a treaty which has been
signed on behalf of the United States.
The statue is a replica Of one that
stands in the town of Vendome, close
to the ancestral chateau of the Ro-
chambeau family. Fernand Hamar,
the sculptor, gave to it's execution long
study and much love, and when it was
unveiled June 4, 1900, he received the
highest praise for his skill and his ar
tistic conception.
Few months had passed before it oc-
Cured to NJ. Jules Boeufve, chancellor
Of the French embassy at Washington,
that a duplicate of the statue should be
erected in the United States. Then
General Horace Porter, American en-
bassador at Paris, wrote to Chairman
Cannon OF the house committee on APP
preparations recommending the project
and expressing his appreciation of the
high artistic worth of the monument.
1t was found that u replica could he
purchased for $500, and this amount
was appropriated March 3. 1901, as al
amendment to the sundry civil bill. On
March I Il joint resolution set aside
$4,000 as a fund for entertaining the
representatives OF the French govern
ment, and invited the families of Ro-
11,ovo1,nor, mud 7 q fo 1,nffn tn offor1 tho
unwilling ceremonies. Within the
month an additional sum of the same
amount has been authorized.
Marshal de Rochambeau was a sea-
soned warrior of fifty-five when he
brought G,OOO French troops to Amer
lea in 1880. He held the high grade
Of lieutenant general in the French
army and many and great We're the
debts his king and his people owed him
for his services in battle. He was CIV
en- his early education for the priest
hood, but when he was seventeen years
old, his elder brother died. and he was
summoned from the college halls to
prepare for the active life that would
be his as his fathers successor.
The wal of the Austrian succession
was being fought, and young Rocham-
beau was soon in the field as Il cornet
in st. Simon's cavalry regiment. He
did dashing work in many campaigns,
and finally at Namur, in the Low Coun-
tries, came his great opportunity. He
took it into his head to climb a height
considered in.pregnable. and there he
found two sentinels lazily smoking in
the sun. Not disturbing them, he
slipped away and was soon back at
the head of a strong force. He too
the height, and with it the battle was
won. For this he was made a colonel
at the age of twenty-five.
From this his story urs on with
ever increasing honor. Name the bat
ties of Europe in which the French
army took part during the middle of
the eighteenth century, and you name
the scenes of Rochambeau's exploits.
In the expedition against the island of
Minorca he became brigadier general.
At Creveldt he held the whole Austrian
army at bay for hours. At Ninden his
own part was glorious, despite his
country's defeat.
When Louis Nv. determined to send
money and men to help the American
colonies, he chose Rochambeau for the
leadership. The army of 5000 men dis
embarked at Newport, while the sup
porting army under Admiral de Ternay
occupied the bay. There perforce he
had to remain with his command, play
ing his part in the game Of chess to
which the war had reduced itself.
Washington he first met in September
of 17SO at Hartford. It was decided
that the two armies should join forces,
Washington's troops being then along
the highlands of the Hudson.
1t was not till June, 1871, after Ro-
chambeau's son had come from France
with re-enforcements. that the armies