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

Duportail entered into frequent correspondence with Franklin between December 29, 1776, and May 15, 1777, to maintain secrecy and not to arouse the British ambassador’s suspicions through frequent visits. He provided Franklin with a list of officers of the French Corps of Engineers and emphasized that no artillery or infantry officer could replace an engineer in matters of attacking or defending places or in the design and construction of fortifications and entrenchments. He stressed that the skill of an engineer was particularly important in a defensive war, such as the one America was fighting, because a poorly fortified city or post could be decisive. He requested to be at the head of the Corps of Engineers and to report only to the commander in chief. He also sought a rank one level higher than his French rank and proposed to take two captains of engineers with him. Duportail would receive the rank of lieutenant colonel, and the others, that of major. This was not out of line, as other foreign volunteers were getting appointments to superior ranks. However, it would make it more difficult for Duportail and his companions to get noticed for promotion.

Duportail had a friend who knew English and could translate for him but suggested that Franklin could respond to him in Latin, indicating that he had better facility with that language than with English. Franklin’s response, though, came in English at a time when Duportail’s friend was absent. His attempt at “decrypting” Franklin’s response was atrocious and could have changed the course of his career, as he totally misunderstood the message, thinking that Franklin had rejected his conditions.

He wrote to Franklin again on January 19 to request further clarification. Duportail was now in Paris for a month at the Hôtel de Hollande, where he was probably preparing for his departure.2 He reminded Franklin that he would find no other officer in the Corps of Engineers who was better qualified. Franklin might find somebody calling himself an engineer but really wasn’t or one who studied at the school of engineering a short while but not long enough to absorb the principles of fortification.

Franklin must have responded quickly, or the friend returned, for there is no record of the response. Duportail wrote to Franklin again on January 21, expressing his regrets for having misunderstood his letter of the nineteenth and causing him to lose valuable time. He departed that night for Versailles to consult with the minister of war, as well as with his companions to get their agreement, after which he would send their names to Franklin. In the meantime, he vouched for their character and skills.

THE KING’S APPROVAL

Four days later, on January 25, King Louis XVI signed his orders, granting him two years’ leave to take care of his personal business (pour aller vaquer à ses affaires particulières) and to thank him for completing the work for the Corps of Engineers.3 This is the first time that the king signed a document that committed France to supporting the young nation’s fight for independence. The king also granted him the title of lieutenant colonel of the Royal Corps of Engineers. Duportail identified his companions (Jean-Baptiste de Gouvion; Louis-Guillaume-Servais des Hayes de La Radière; and Jean Baptiste Joseph, Chevalier de Laumoy), the youngest of whom was thirty, and their ranks, along with a request that they receive the next-higher rank in the Continental Army. Their recruitment was confided to the minister of war, the Comte de Saint-Germain, and approved by the

King Louis XVI’s order granting General Duportail, Major de La Radière, Major de Gouvion, and Captain de Laumoy leave to take care of their “personal business.” Ministère de la Guerre, Archives Administratives, General Du Portail’s dossier; Archives des Affaires Étrangères, États-Unis, correspondence politique, vol. 2, no. 66, in André Lasseray, Les Français Sous Les Treize Étoiles, 1775–1783 (Macon: Imprimerie Protat frères, se trouve à Paris chez D. Janvier, 1935), 276.

king. The three received the same orders as Duportail, signed by the king. They were the only French officers obtained under the direct instructions of Congress and approved by the king.

Duportail also recommended that if Franklin made any inquiries about them, that he do so with the utmost secrecy because the slightest rumor could result in the failure of the enterprise. He concluded by requesting an immediate response. If it arrived before 6:00 p.m., then he would go visit Franklin that very night to make further arrangements. He also requested the exact time he should arrive and that Franklin ensure that no stranger be present, as it was important that Duportail not be seen.4

He announced to Franklin in a new letter dated January 26 that he was going twenty leagues outside Paris to prepare for his departure, that he received the king’s permission that very morning, and that he would be ready to depart in less than fifteen days.

The correspondence became more frequent as the departure approached. Duportail wrote from his parents’ house in Pithiviers on February 1 that Mr. Laumoy, one of his companions, wanted to meet Franklin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 3, to tell him that they expected to be at Nantes or Bordeaux, ready to embark about February 15.

Having completed his recruitment mission, Franklin was now in Paris. Duportail returned to Paris on February 7 and requested to meet with him at 7:00 that evening to discuss the matters of their departure. He may not have been able to meet with Franklin that evening, as he wrote another letter to him the following morning to finalize some details. He notified Franklin that he and his companions would sail out of Nantes, which offered greater security and more amenities. He also specified that he located three protractors, three compasses, and three azimuth reading devices for about fifteen louis (a louis d’or equals six livres). He asked whether Franklin wanted to arrange for their purchase or whether he should purchase them and be reimbursed, in