Comte de Vergennes Archives - Journal of the American Revolution

Posted on April 17, 2025April 16, 2025

America’s Forgotten Founder: Comte Charles Gravier de Vergennes

Historians generally agree on who were America’s principal Founders, but the roll call invariably omits the name of one individual without whose steadfast assistance the United States would have been unlikely to have gained independence. Comte Charles Gravier de Vergennes, France’s foreign minister throughout the long, desperate war, was a crucial player in America’s victory […]

by John Ferling

Posted on February 18, 2025February 17, 2025

The Plot to Partition America

As the American Revolution morphed into a world war with the entrance of France and Spain, the diplomatic attempts to settle it became more complex. Europe became a hotbed of diplomatic activity, conducted by both state-sanctioned negotiators and freelancers of various sorts, all with their own agendas for negotiations. There was a series of third-party […]

by Richard J. Werther

Posted on August 29, 2023

At Ease: Baron von Steuben’s Final Resting Place

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, more commonly known as Baron von Steuben, served as a military officer in both the Prussian and American armies. He fought in the Prussian army for sixteen years, rising through the ranks from cadet in 1747 to adjutant general on the king’s staff in 1759. In 1762, he served as aide-de-camp […]

by Alexandra I. Griffeth

Posted on July 26, 2022July 25, 2022

Emergence of the French Alliance: The Beginning and Final Phases

It is widely acknowledged that the military alliance between the United States and France, established in 1778, was responsible not only for a number of American victories over the British, but also for the end of the Revolutionary War. While much has been written about this topic as well as the events that occurred between […]

by Marvin L. Simner

Posted on March 1, 2022February 27, 2022

From the First Partition of Poland to Yorktown

It is generally taken for granted that France was ready to jump into the war between Britain and the rebelling North American colonies on the side of the colonies as soon as the colonists showed themselves capable of giving the British a serious fight. After all, Britain had been a frequent antagonist to France, had […]

by Joseph Solis-Mullen

Posted on August 7, 2021August 7, 2021

This Week on Dispatches: Jack Cambell on Lafayette’s Plan to Invade Ireland

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor and historical interpreter Jack Campbell on the Marquis de Lafayette’s fascinating attempt to garner support for an invasion of Ireland in order to bring the American Revolution to European soil. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) […]

by Editors

Posted on July 6, 2021July 3, 2021

“The Scheme of My Heart:” Lafayette’s Plan to Invade Ireland

Marie Jean Paul Joseph Roche Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, the famous Frenchman who became an American general, had a pet project during the American Revolution. It never came to fruition, but if it had, it could have been a game-changer in European history. He wanted to launch an invasion of Ireland, and […]

by Jack Campbell

Posted on March 1, 2021March 3, 2021

King Gustav III of Sweden: Friendly Foe of the United States

New York City, November 16, 1783. It was finally here, Evacuation Day. The British, who had occupied Manhattan for seven long years, were finally leaving town. General George Washington and his troops paraded down Broadway, terminating their triumphant return at Fraunces Tavern at the southern tip of Manhattan. A raucous 120-person celebration, hosted by New […]

by Richard J. Werther

Posted on June 23, 2020June 20, 2020

Opposing the Franco-American Alliance: The Case of Anne-Robert Jacques Turgot

The participation of the French on the side of the newly declared independent American colonies is widely acknowledged as the factor that tipped the balance in the American Revolution and ultimately led to the defeat of the British. This alliance, actually two alliances—one of commerce and one of military cooperation—was concluded in early 1778, but […]

by Richard J. Werther

Posted on April 9, 2020April 8, 2020

Scouting the American Revolution: The French Intelligence Community

We often hear about intelligence activities which take place during times of war. Having good intelligence is indeed critical to military and diplomatic success. But there is also intelligence work that goes into the decision to enter a war in the first place, either as a primary combatant or as a participant in an alliance. […]

by Richard J. Werther

Posted on January 30, 2020

France and Spain Invade England—Almost

On February 6, 1778, France signed two treaties with the United States, one of Amity and Commerce, the other, a defensive Alliance.[1] In them, France recognized the absolute sovereignty and independence of the United States. On March 10, the Foreign Minister of France, the comte de Vergennes, sent a dispatch that included a copy of the […]

by Bob Ruppert

Posted on July 18, 2019July 17, 2019

Strange Bedfellows: Adams and Franklin as Diplomatic Duo

Close the window. No, leave the window open. Cold night air can be toxic to one’s health. No, what’s truly toxic is stifled, fetid air . . . . What has for centuries been an argument between couples long-married was, on one evening in September 1776, an impassioned dispute between temporary bedfellows John Adams and […]

by Geoff Smock

Posted on October 13, 2014August 28, 2016

The Three Documents that brought France into the War

In the spring of 1775, Arthur Lee, the American agent in London, attended a dinner party at the home of John Wilkes, an outspoken supporter of the rebellious American colonies. There Lee met Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the famous French playwright, satirist, and financier who had the ear of King Louis XV and now had the […]

by Bob Ruppert

Tag: Comte de Vergennes