To Benjamin Franklin from the Comte de Charlus, 27 November 1781
From the Comte de Charlus2
AL: American Philosophical Society
Paris Le 27. 9bre. 1781.
M. Le Cte. de Charlus Qui arrive de L’Amerique a L’honneur de faire Mille Complimens à Monsieur francklin & de Lui adresser Trois paquets que Le Général Waschington L’a chargé de lui remettre;3 M. de Charlus Sera très empressé à avoir L’honneur de voir incessamment Monsieur francklin, & auroit désiré en profiter à Son arrivée.
Notation: M le Comte de Charlus Novr 27. 1781
2. Armand-Charles-Augustin de La Croix de Castries, comte de Charlus (1756–1842), son of the minister of the navy and second in command of the Saintonge regiment, had gone to America with Rochambeau. He returned from Yorktown with the comte de Deux-Ponts on the Andromaque. The duc de Lauzun, hoping for better treatment for the army from Charlus’ father, had advised Rochambeau to send Charlus with the news from Yorktown. Rochambeau refused the advice and Charlus evidently never forgave him. See Bodinier, Dictionnaire, pp. 269–70; Jean-Jacques Fiechter, ed., Mémoires du duc de Lauzun, général Biron (Paris, 1986), p. 251; Rice and Brown, eds., Rochambeau’s Army, I, 62.
3. Probably Washington’s letters of Oct. 22, 1781, to BF, JA, and John Jay: XXXV, 637–8. BF had already received another set; see BF to JA, NOV. 26.