The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-08-23
Our Debt to france
,By Caroline Ticknor. OF me
NigiianteS.
our debt 10 France

What is our debt 10 France
Let Us glance bacK 10 those uafh
DAYS of l716, that tried men : sous.
Some THINK the Declaration OF lhde-
nencence established our IhdtPeh-
uence. forgetting The years " hiSn 10
lowed. when our tC,er!ng cause
made even W aShington despair
Prior to the Declaration, France
had sent over million uolldlN :"
aid us. and in October, 90 our
three missioners we're sent l"
France to plead Tor Us. behJ"ilii"
Frankiin'S negotiations soon oIou
ght forth fruit. ana II was dSiee"
that France should furnish Us t"o
million lives a year, ana 'hIee shiiS
laden with military stores were dlS-
patched TO assist US.
Then. though the government U
France was not prepared 10 SEM US
troops volunteers were not WdhtIlS -
who cast their lot in with the cauSe
of liberty Lafayette, enough Dul
nineteen years OF age, bought ana
fitted out a vessel, sailing IN April
l171. From this time on, numerous
individuals in France contributed
large sums Of money, among theh
the beautiful Duchess OF Orleans
who gave to John Paul Jones at one
time $4,000 TO fit out the Bon
Homme Richard" donating 1t. she
said, Ito the great cause OF when Ne
was the ablest and braNest champion
OF the sea.
The arrival of Lafayette, at mo
ment OF grave perpieNlty for " ASH
ington, brought cheer and lnspira
ton. Washington welcomed Amos
as son the modest FTenchman, " IL
said, II am here TO learn and not Il
teach" and who during the next 1--WE
years rendered such brilliant min
tary service, returning TO France II
1879 10 secure for us the help he saw
that we must nave. He urged thu
immediate sending OF 1000 troops
and OF the necessary fleet. and II
April, 1880, he returned 10 America
announcing the success OF his mis-
sion.
This good news came in times o
deepest gloom when even the Vahan
spirit of Washington was almOs
yanquished The army was freezing
starving, and without money or clio
thes. The soldiers, without shoes
left bloody footprints behind them a
they marched The finances were il
most deplorable condition and pa
per currency was truly not worth
Continental" Indian corn sold 1
Boston Tor $50 d bushel; butter TO
S12 pound; 4 barrel OF flour COS
S1,575, and Samuel Adams paid So
900 for suit of clothes: it TOOK lie
paper dollars to make a cent. An
Washington declared "a WGgon-ioa
of money was needed to buy i Wa
gon-load of food" II was then tina
the glorious tidings came, Franc
would send men and ships and gOlC
There was indeed rejoicing when /
July, seven shipS-of-the-line an
three frigates. arrived at Newpor
bringing 5000 men under Cour
Rochambeau, with news of reinforce
ments to come. And so the year {
1880, which had witnessed the ann
hilation of two armies, the bankrup
cy of Congress, the spread of trease
and mutiny, brought a great hoE
from France. And the announce
ment of the French Alliance place
us before all Europe as an acllnOv
lodged Independent nation.
Daily the debt to France increase
At Yorktown, Lafayette, with onl
5000 troops, skillfuliy maneuvere
his inferior force until Cornwall
who had come out to crush tt
boy thought it wise to retreat /
his base of operations by the Sc;
where presently the boy held hi
at bay. Meanw lille, with keen e,
pectancy, Washington waited IL
of of a.
fleet commanded by de Grasse-2
ships of-the-line, 6 frigates carryin
1900 guns, and 10000 men. An
when the glorious news that the
had come gladdened the heart
Washington, he, with 1000 Cont
nentals, accompanied by Rochambea
with 1000 Frenchmen, began
march, the destination of which W;
known to only these two command
ers. On August 81, the great FrenC
squadron was on the scene, havir
gained a decisive victory over A,
miral Graves, and taken full posse
sion of the Virginia waters, with 70
men killed or wounded in the e.
gagement.
And now, while the French he
the sea, 5000 of their troops vel
sent ashore under the Marquis Sail
Simon, which by reinforcing Lafa
cite, enabled him to take his stan
across the peninsula at William
burg, thus cutting off Cornwall
from possible retreat So for s
days the Frenchmen held CORNWALL
until the arrival of Washington an
Rochambeau with the additional 4
600 Frenchmen. 1t was victor
for France as well as for Americ
when on October 10Th the enemy su
rendered
1t was day of happy omen. n,
only for the United States and fl
France, but for Great Britain as wei
for it meant the fall of the corrul
ana shameless government of Geors
III, and the birth of new England
that of William III, WaIpoIe, Pit
Chatham and Gladstone. And whe
years after, Lafayette said TO Napo
con that the American ReyolutiC