Washington's Engineer by Norman Desmarais (speed reading book TXT) 📕

was appointed a captain of engineers the same day to have rank, February 18, 1778. Congress voted him the sum of $500 on April 16, 1779.

Soon after his promotion in the Continental Army, L’Enfant went south and joined Colonel John Laurens’s light infantry. He was wounded at Savannah, taken prisoner at Charlestown, and not exchanged until the beginning of 1782. It seems that Duportail first observed him while a prisoner at Charlestown and remembered him after his (Duportail’s) release. The Rochambeau Papers include the following note:

M. L’Enfant came to America with M. du Coudray furnished with a brevet of Lieutenant in the Colonial troops. He served in the American army and obtained in 1778 a commission of Captain of Engineers. Later he attached himself to the light Infantry in the Army of the South. He was at the Seige of Savannah and in the assault of that place he commanded an American column. He was wounded a coup de feu and remained on the field of battle. He was at Charlestown during the seige and was made a prisoner. He owed his exchange to the Comte de Rochambeau; since that time he joined the Army of General Washington where he has been employed as Engineer. M. Duportail intends immediately to request Congress to raise him to the rank of Major. He desires strongly to obtain for M. L’Enfant a company in the Royal Grenadiers or in the provincial Regiments with a pension as for M. Villefranche; those two officers have been obliged to spend the greater part of their fortune in the service of the United States.28

In the meantime, L’Enfant personally addressed Washington in connection with the question of rank after having learned that Captain Roche-fontaine, his ranking inferior, had been made major after Yorktown. He deplored the fact that his nineteen-months’ imprisonment prevented him from the privilege of serving at that siege. The letter dated February 18, 1782, said, “I do not complain nor pretend to any preference to my brother officers, when I say that in five years I have served the United States, I have sought every opportunity and neglected none that offered, to distinguish myself by love of their service.”29 He gave the following detail of his service in America:

In 1778 I was honored with the commission of Capt. Engineer. By leave of Congress attached to the inspector general from this moment I have made every possible effort to employ for the public benefit the little theoretic knowledge I had acquired by study—having finished that campaign by working five months successively during the winter of 1778 and 79, and seeing no appearance of an active campaign to the northward—my whole ambition was to obtain leave to attend the southern army where it was likely the seat of war would be transferred. I arrived at Charlestown at the moment when General prevot [Major General Augustine Prevost] retired from before it—and hastened to join the army but finding very little to do in the corps I belonged to and I obtained leave to join the light infantry under lt. col. laurens his friendship offered me many opportunities of seeing the enemie to advantage. . . . I remained attached to the corps of engineers seizing every opportunity to follow the light infantry when any thing offered,—and in this manner I passed the campaign of in georgia.

the affair of savannah was I thought a glorious opportunity of distinguishing myself. . . . my disappointment was compleat, I had however this satisfaction to have been among troops, who among the distresses of that unfortunate day, acquired as much glory as if they had been crowned with success—it is without partiality I say that never were greater proofs of true valour exhibited than at the assault at Savannah. . . .

there my military career was stopped for a time by a wound I received that day which detained me in bed till january 1780—my weak state of health did not permit me to work at the fortification of charlestown, and when the enemy debarked I still was obliged to use a crutch. . . . the 30th march . . . the major who commanded the light infantry being wounded by the fire, I supplied his place. . . . I successfully opposed the parties sent by the enemy to reconnoitre the works . . . from this moment to the reduction of the place. . . . I attached myself wherever I could render the least service.

. . . sensible of the duty of an officer and jealous of my personal honor I have done nothing with a lucrative view, my ambition was to gain the general esteem of the army and perticularly to merit the approbation of your Excellency deprived (by my captivity) in sharing in the reduction of Yorktown I dare, however . . . compare the merit of several unfortunate campaigns with the good fortune of those who happened to be at York. . . .

I have etc. L’ENFANT, capt. of the corps of engineers.30

The commander in chief wrote a personal reply on March 1, 1782, expressing his sympathy at seeing “inferior officers promoted over one’s head.”31 He explained that he had no part in the promotion of Rochefontaine, that it was done solely on the recommendation of Duportail to Congress and according to the custom in Europe. The letter ended with the following complimentary observations regarding L’Enfant’s record: “Your zeal & active services are such as reflect the highest honor on yourself and are extremely pleasing to me and I have no doubt they will have their due weight with Congress in any future promotion in your corps.”32

The French minister wrote General Washington about this time, asking that L’Enfant be permitted to remain a month at Philadelphia and adding, “[H]is presence will be very helpful in constructing a hall which I am making in order to give to Congress and the inhabitants of Philadelphia a festival to celebrate the birth of Monseigneur the Dauphin.”33