The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-06
"A GAY Young French Marquis Who,
: ~ Next to Lafayette, Was the Most
Brilliant Figure France Gave to America
in the Revolutionary War - " X

who was eleven years Fleury's, senior
had been in the French army fifteen
years.
These two men presented q sharp
contrast to the Continental soldiers.
Fleury, the aristocrat, blithe and gay,
became general favorlte. He laugh.
ed at discomfort and fatigue. Life
was JOY to him. Perls and hard
ships were incidents. Ducoudray, the
bridesmaids son, soured by the in
suits and the Sights he had been sub
jected to by the mobiles of his native
! land. was insistent on receiving from
| those who served under him every
| measure of respect his military rank
| at all times. he saw offense where
| none was done or intended. He be-
| came contemptuous in his ideas about
| the American Army because of its poor
| equipment and scant discipline. Never
| theless Lafayette probably was un-
he did not look upon 1t as loss
| when Ducounray was drowned, on
| September II, 1I77, less than a week
| after the battle of Brandywine.
| Fleury probably was the only one in
| the American Army who sincerely
mourned Ducoudray. The two men, so
| opposite in character, were the warm
| est of friends.
/ To FIeury promotion and honors
came rapidly His conduct in the
first sltirmish in which he took part
earned him the rank of captain. Then,
neer Corps, he was sent to Philade-
phia, the, coming theatre of war Ia
, fortity Blllingsport, make sounding in
: the Delaware and map the country
he was a major, and when his brigade
was routed and his horse killed under
him he fought SO well afoot that he
won the admiration of Washington.
Congress. too, took notice. for it pre-
sented him a horse to take the place
> of the one killed. in token of the
/ high esteem in which his merit Is
held by the Congress" is the way the
official report reads. But, alas! for the
gift horse. At the battle of German
town. the little dandy had the horse
killed under him. but not until after
he had captured several prisoners and
mad been wounded in the leg.
Fort nIifflin.
The. wound was not sufficient to
keep him out of service. however. and
be was sent as engineer-in-ch chief to
Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island. which
of Lord Howe and the army of Gen.
eral Howe. If ever Fleury showed
how much of the fighting spirit there
was in his dainty body he certainly
he held the fort Three times the
! commandant and GARRISON of 500 men
We're relieved, but Fleury refused to
retire. He sank two of Howe's war
ships. the big August of siXty-four
guns and the Merlin of twentyfour
guns. IT was not until he was severe
~ wounded, on October 49,, that the
fort was evacuated. For his valiant
Lieutenant colonel and sent a letter OF
thanks to him.
mo sooner was he out of the hos
pital than he conceived a project for
the destruction of the British fleet that
would have startled the world had 1t
been carried out successfully. There
! was a good deal of ice In the Della
/ ware that winter of 1777-7S. 1t was
| thick along the shores. but In mid
stream there was open water. Fleury
boat mines with time fuses. These
| boats could be run across the Ice and
| then launched to be carried by the tide
or directed by the men to where the
warships Were anchored. He worked
/, confident he could control the move
ments OF the floating mines from
shore and his arrangement of fuses
was so ingenious that he could time
| the explosions almost to a minute
| For month or more he gave all his
attention to the development Of this
| plan, but something happened to pre-
vent it being carried out. Either the
warships We're moved, some hint OF the
protect reaching Lord Howe, or the
requisite amount of material to be
used could not be obtained, At any
rate Fleury was ordered to the Army o!
the North. the surrender of Burgoyne
having led Congress to consider anoth-
er invasion of Canada, But the Cana,
Fleury was brought back and, like
Steuben. assigned to drilling and in
s,ructing the. Continental soldiers.
Ma doubt the baron was the, better
1 went gladly to edrill with the gay
young Frenchman, while they looked
upon the same work under the baron
as n hardship. Nothing sould damp
cold and hunger, raggedness and III,
ness, he persisted in being cheerful
and in making others cheerful. some
men t-un-%lo almost ms good work IN
the camp as in the field. Fleury was
of that kind.
/ stony Point.
I Al the opening of the campaign OF
IT'S he was made second In command
Of a picked corps of 500 men, which,
4 with two pieces Of artillery and flftv
troopers, practically was the BODY
guard of Washington, Tleury led this
Il body into action in the battle OF Mon
mouth, Next he was sent to Rhode
Island TO meet the Count dEstainS and
the French feet Fleury had far more
', sense than the count, and prevailed
Esupon the admiral TO raise tho useless
siege of Newport. But he could not
influence the count to use the fleet
where 1t would do the most good so
he, returned somewhat disappoint ed
Z with his procrastinating fellow-coun-
II was not until the middle OF 177s
That Fleury. had his great opportunity,