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A Frog Feast
Let’s admit it. Most of us have used or have heard the word “frog” as a derogatory term to refer to the French. But…
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The French Depart Newport
Lt. Gen. Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur Comte de Rochambeau did not wake up on the morning of June 18, 1781 and order his…
French Military Hospitals in Rhode Island
Louis-Dominique Éthis de Corny (1736–1790),Commissioner of War, came to America aboard the French warship Hermione along with Maj. Gen. Marie Jean Paul Joseph du Motier…
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Blessing of the Flags
During the era of the American Revolution, French and Spanish regiments were comprised primarily of Roman Catholics who customarily have objects and implements blessed…
“Gazette Françoise,” The French Gazette in Newport, Rhode Island
When General Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur Comte de Rochambeau arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 10, 1780 with over 5800 troops, most…
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Why Newport, Rhode Island, Scorned the French
One would expect that a country that had been at war for five years would welcome its first ally with open arms. We might…
Rochambeau’s Arrest
The French army was returning from Yorktown, Virginia in 1782 on their way to Newport and Boston. Lt. Gen. Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur…
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Captain de Latouche-Tréville’s Strange Affair
Louis René Madeleine Le Vassor de Latouche-Tréville (1745-1804) commanded the French frigate l’Hermione which brought Maj. Gen. Marie Jean Paul Joseph du Motier Marquis…
Russia and the American War for Independence
The use of foreign troops in time of war was not an uncommon practice in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Much as we have…