The French Arrive in Rhode Island 

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Latest changes: 2008-06-05: split off Lafayette in VA / 2009-11-15: added table of regiments / 2010-02-07: added context notes on d'Estaing and Lafayette /

In 1778 April a French fleet under Adm. d'Estaing sailed from Toulon to fight in U.S. and Caribbean waters. After a series of battles with mixed results the fleet returned to France in 1779 December. In 1779 January, U.S. General Lafayette returned to France to visit his wife and children and to ask the King and his advisors to send additional French military assistance be sent to the U.S. After d'Estaing's return it was agreed to send several thousand troops and a squadron of warships as an expeditionary force under General Rochambeau. On 1780 March 21 Lafayette boarded the 26-gun frigate Hermione to bring to General Washington news of the impending arrival of new French reinforcements. After a 38-day crossing he landed in Boston, then rode to Morristown NJ where the Continental Army was in winter quarters.. On 1779 May 02 The French Expeditionary Force under General Rochambeau left Brest, with four infantry regiments and Lauzun's Legion -- which was half infantry and half cavalry. The 33 transport ships were guarded by a naval escort squadron consisting of seven ships-of-the-line and four frigates under the command of Admiral Ternay. Due to lack of troop transports one-third of the assigned troops and all of the horses were left behind to be shipped out later. Waiting at Newport 1780 Jul 10 -- The convoy arrived at Newport RI. "First Anchorage" by David R. Wagner (used with the artist's permission) About 5,700 officers and men (see table below) disembarked along with some 400 servants. [Source: Private communication, Jacques de Trentinian, 2009] Unit -----------Officers---Servants----Men&Ncos-----Total Bourbonnais 63 70 842 975 R. Deux Ponts 76 66 1,016 1,158 Saintonge 103 79 1,147 1,329 Soissonnaise 61 67 919 1,047 Lauzun's Legion 61 40 648 749 --------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL Troops 364 322 4,572 5,258 Unit -----------Officers---Servants----Men&Ncos-----Total Artillery 46 50 386 482 Sappers 18 17 71 106 Engineers 16 13 223 252 --------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL Auxiliaries 80 80 680 840 Unit -----------Officers---Servants----Men&Ncos-----Total Surgeons 2 7 -- 9 Prevote&services 10 8 12 30 Vivriers 10 7 35 52 --------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL Support 22 22 47 91 ========================================================= GRAND TOTAL 466 424 5,299 6,189 Remaining with the ships were the ship's officers and crew plus some 800 men in the military garrison: Unit -----------Officers---Servants----Men&Ncos-----Total Garrison 21 -- 781 802 Upon disembarkation 418 of the men were sufficiently ill to require hospitalization in a large mansion in Conanicut RI. As was usual in most wars until the 20th century illness was the main cause of death for soldiers. Deaths in the French Expeditionary Force (including later re-inforcements) during its thirty months in the U.S. are given in the table below. [Source: Warrington Dawson, "Les 2112 Française morts aux Etats-Unis de 1777 à 1783", which includes the navy and d'Estaing's expedition in 1778-79.] Regiment Died Bourbonnais 102 Royal Deux Ponts   49 Saintonge 117 Soissonais 106 Lauzun's Legion   69 Auxilieries   53 TOTAL 496 Volontaires-ètrangers de Lauzun, also known as Lauzun’s Legion -- a regiment of light infantry and hussar cavalry commanded by the duc de Lauzun. More about Lauzun's Legion Régiment de Bourbonnais, commanded by the Marquis de Laval de Montmorency. The second in command was Rochambeau's son, Donatien. Régiment de Royal Deux Ponts (French for "Royal Regiment of Two Bridges"), commanded by the Comte Christian de Forbach. More about the Royal Deux Ponts Regiment [Real Story of the AmRev]. Régiment de Soissonnais, commanded by the Comte de Saint Maisme. The second in command was Lafayette's brother-in-law. Régiment de Saintonge, commanded by the Comte de Custine. Régiment d'artillerie d'Auxonne under Goullet de La Tour was not the entire regiment -- only the second battalion, the engineers, and the artillery park. D'Aboville was in charge of Rochambeau's artillery, and he later commanded all the artillery at Yorktown. For further information and the regimental flags see French regiments in the EP [Expédition Particulière] Many of the new arrivals were quite ill. Since all could not be cared for in the small town of Newport RI about 100 were sent Roxbury MA (which was then known as New Boston). The Rhode Island Continental Regiment served as guards and local guides for the French as they established their camps and defensive battlements at Newport.

The Encampment at Newport Interpretation and modern references by Richard Sheryka (Chairman, W3R-RI Military Committee) The following description is based on a map drawn by Henry Crublier D'Opterre, captain in the Royal Corps of engineers in the French Expeditionary Force -- published in "The American Campaigns of Rochambeau's Army, 1780-1783", by Howard Rice and Anne Brown (Brown Univ Press, Providence RI, 1972). Lauzun's Legion was stationed near Castle Hill (South of Brenton's Point). The infantry units were camped east of Newport, roughly along the line of the current Bowery and East Bowery Streets. Several cannon were placed just south of this line and just north of the current Narragansett Avenue, forming a defensive line along the narrow waist of the island. There was also a northern defense line, based on older British defense works, part of which -- the earthworks of the Redoubt Saintonge -- can still be seen on Vernon Avenue in Middletown. Some say these works were originally constructed by the British before the Battle of Rhode Island and later improved by the Saintonge Regiment.

A Year of Waiting and Planning 1780 Sep 20-22 -- Washington met with Rochambeau in Hartford CT. Washington did not speak French, and Rochambeau did not speak English, yet they worked together to coordinate a successful joint military operation that involved troops and ships from Boston to the Caribbean islands. Since it was now clear that the remaining French troops were not en route from France, and since no significant military operation was possible without the assistance of the French navy, the commanders agreed that Rochambeau's troops should settle in for the winter at Newport. Lauzun's hussars (who had now acquired horses) went to winter quarters at Lebanon CT (5 miles south of Willamantic). They were in Lebanon for seven months, from 1780 November to 1781 June. During this time the hussars delivered messages and helped the French engineers as they mapped out the chain of campsites to be used during the French troop movements from Newport RI to New York NY. In 1780 Dec 13-15 Gen. Rochambeau came to Boston to visit William Vernon, who owned the house in Newport where Rochambeau was lodging. [It is interesting to note that George Washington's home was called Mt. Vernon and that the boards cut and painted to look like stone blocks are the same design as for William Vernon's home in Newport.] While in Boston Rochambeau stayed at Governor John Hancock's house. 1780 Dec 15 -- French Admiral Ternay died in Newport RI and is buried there. Chevalier Des Touches was placed temporarily in command of the French squadron at Newport. 1781 January -- The British sent a naval squadron to blockade Newport. In spite of bad weather the 64-gun Eville and two French frigates mauled the British ships. 1781 March -- Washington conferred with Rochambeau in Newport, stopping at Lebanon CT to review Lauzun's hussars. ==> Also in this month British Gen. Cornwallis suffered 500 dead or wounded (25% of his force) at Guilford Courthouse NC. On 1781 May 8 a French transport squadron arrived in Boston with about 6,300 soldiers. The commander was Admiral de Barras de Saint-Laurent, who now command of the squadron that Admiral Ternay had brought the prevoius year. The ships had left Brest in 1781 March, and about 600 men were so ill that they were left to recover in the barracks on Governor's Island in Boston Harbor. Rochambeau Map Collection [Library of Congress] Search for "Boston 1778" to get a zoom-able map of French ships in the harbor. The squadron next stopped at Newport RI, where 700 soldiers disembarked to join the French Expeditionary Force. The main body of about 5,000 then continued to the West Indies. Admiral de Barras brought Rochambeau bad news -- the 2,300 troops that had been left behind in France last year would not be sent to the U.S. But there was also good news -- Admiral de Grasse was headed for the West Indies and had instructions to cooperate with the allied commanders in the U.S. 1781 May 21-23 -- Washington met with Rochambeau and de Barras at Wethersfield CT (just south of Hartford). de Barras argued against any plan for transporting the French troops from Newport to the Chesapeake Bay to help drive British forces from the southern states, noting he did not have adequate naval strength to defend a fleet of transports against the British fleet stationed in and near New York. The allied commanders decided to march the French troops to New York to prepare for a possible attack there, supported by the French fleet under de Grasse. The artillery units would bring by land only a few field guns and mortars. The heavy artillery and most of the munitions would be left with de Barras for delivery by sea. The historic march of the allied French and Continental armies was about to be set in motion.

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