The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-06-04
MEMORIAL TO ROCHAMBEAU.

In the ceremonies attendant upon
the unvciling of monument to Mar
shall Rochambeau in Washington last
week, the government paid late tribute
to the man whose service TO the Unit
ed States in the Revolutionary war is
but rarely appreciated
The story of the French alliance
and aid to the colonies in the days Of
her struggle for independence is sell
dom rehearsed and while every school
history contains, at least, a brief eulO
gy of Lafayette and his noble devotion
to the colonies, but little mention is
made of Count de Rochambeau, the
commander Of the French forces, to
whose personality we owe, probably,
as much as to that of his compatriot.
1t is perhaps no more generally
known that when Washington's sol
diers were clamoring for clothes and
back pay to send to their families, when
| heir sutferings almost led to a revolt
and the Continental Congress was
! struggling to raise funds to carry on
| the war, France, III her sympathy,
contributed money and supplies, and
aided in establishing credit for the
colonies, for some time before she
openly acknowledged their independ-
ence and joined in the war with
fleet; nor, that following her leader
ship in the latter act Spain and Hol-
land declared war against England,
thus compelling a diversion Of military
forces that lessened the strength of
England attacks on the colonies.
Again, France having openly es.
poused the cause of the young Repub-
lie, she sent an army Of 5000 men I'M
der command of the brave soldier,
Count de Rochambeau, to cooperate
with Washington, as well as the fleet
of ships which were such important
factors in the final and decisive blow
to the Revolution by the capture of
CORVALLIS at Yorktown In the days
preceding this victory, the wise coun-
Gil and effective .co-operat!lu Of the
commander of the French forces was
of inestimable value, though with I'M
assuming modesty he announced on
his arrival at Newport, his intention
of Joining the forces under the COM
mand of General Washington and liv-
ing with American soldiers like breth-
| rem. "
That France should have been led
to so generously give her support to
the colonies is one of the marvels of
history. 1t is not to be attributed
entirely to her hatred to England but,
also, to popular sympathy with the
principles involved i'll the great strug-
gle for the rights of man. - Here
was to be realized the Acadia of
her philosophers, and, oblivious to the
circumstances that might endanger
! her own safety, France sent her fleets
and armies as we'll as manly and gal
liant leaders to help in our time of
| need.
If because of her financial aid in
this crisis, France became involved in
| difficulties that, later, cost her a long
and bitter struggle then the greater
the Indebtedness of the American peo-
pie and to her is due mea sureless graft
! tude
SO it is now, that the United States,
in spite of the years that have elapsed,
| does honor to the man who represent
ed France in her sympathy, sacrifice
and service and whose name shall go
down in history with that of La
! fayette and others who came to
the rescue of the colonies in the al
most hopeless period of existence.
Another struggle is now going on
between England and her colonies in
other lands, at which all the world
| is gazing, without intervention but
III mute sympathy with those who are
| fighting against apparently hopeless
odds
| No other nation as yet has come to
| the rescue of the weaker party in this
one sided struggle none has contrib
uted money and supplies; none has
made sacrifices, or with generous for
getfulness of consequences has sup
ported by word or acknowledgment
the cause of the Beers so desperately
holding out, despite the advice TO ac-
! cept terms of peace, the holding
aloof Of other nations and the I'M
compromising attitude OF England.
The Beers cannot forget the conse-
| quences of former yielding nor the
continued encroaohments of the en-
envy after more than one trek TO
newer lands and further hardships
! If, even now, peace be close at hand,
will not in after years the fact that
! the United States has contributed III
any degree to the prolongation of the
cruel warfare, by tacitly permitting
| the disposal to the English govern
ment, of horses, mules and provisions