41To George Washington from Lieutenant General Rochambeau, 1 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have the honor to send to your Excellency, an Extract from the Ministerial Letters which I have received by the Frigate commanded by Mr De La Perouse. You will see that my son has staid, by orders of his Majesty to wait for the result of a definitive project. By Private Letters of the 20th [Decem]ber all from Versailles, We Learn that the Pce de Montbarey has given his resignation, that he...
42To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 15 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have received your Excellency’s Letter of the 11th instant. The report mentioning the number of ships in the British fleet, seems to me to be accurate and confirmed by the correspondance of M—— T—— and by the prisoners arrived on board a flag: they have 7. ships of the line 2. 50 gun ships and 4. 44 gun ships with some frigates. The Troops for the embarkation according to M—— T—— is only of...
43To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 18 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have the honor to send to your Excellency the Letter which I write to Sir Henry Clinton, by the Chevalier Destouches’s desires, and I beg of your Excellency to send it to him, as quickly as possible, as our frigate and our Transports remaining here are in an absolute want of seamen, which is the reason that the Frigate La Gentille did not along with the other ships. Mr Hancock has desired Mr...
44To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 21 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I received this last night, your Excellency’s Letter of the 18th instant dated from hartford; The Intelligence your Excellency gives me of the return of the fleet of Transports on the 11th makes me believe that this convoy will wait for Arbuthnot’s fleet to sail afterwards under its protection, I hope that this will occasion a delay long enough to give our Expedition a great advance. I wait...
45To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 25 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I received this Evening your Excellency’s favor of the 21st and 22d instant. I am exceeding glad to hear that your Excellency is returned in good health at head quarters. The advices that your Excellency has received from the Marquis de La Fayette, bearing date of the 15th from York, saying that he had not heard of the French fleet, give me a good deal of uneasiness. The going out of the...
46To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 27 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
Our fleet entered yesternight and the Chevalier Destouches has the honor to give your Excellency an account of his engagement, by duplicata, as he already wrote to your Excellency the Hermoine which he sent to Philadelphy, I join here a copy of the Letter which I received from the Baron de Viomenil, and a return of the Loss of our detachment of Land forces. All that has yet reached my...
47To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 31 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
The Last engagement of the Chevalier Destouches has shewn to your Excellency the uncertainty of success in naval fights and of combined operations upon that element. We must not flatter ourselves that our successes will be greater, as Long as we have not a decided Superiority. Our Squadron had run great risks by a Separation and the bad weather and united again only 24. hours before the fight...
48To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 3 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have received your Excellency’s Letter of the 29th ulto by which I see that you could receive only the day after, the intelligence of the return of our fleet. Your Excellency must have received since a Letter of mine, under date of the 31st in which I told you, (After having resumed all that had been said here in your presence) the motion which it would be possible for the french army to...
49To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 4 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
I received this instant your Excellencys Letter of the 31st ulto. Our Land forces and naval troops I am sure, will look on your Excellency’s approbation as the most flattering reward of the courage which they shewed in the engagement of the 16th Ulto. It is of the highest importance to be thoroughly informed if the Troops on board at New york have set sail, and if the British design rigorous...
50To George Washington from Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 6 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have communicated to the chevalier Destouches some proposals made to me by the Council at Boston about an attack on Penobscot, together with the Answer made to me by your Excellency upon that subject. The chevalier Destouches Appeared to have a great mind to it. he ordered Mr DelaPerouse to ask a Plan of it which was brought to us yesterday by deputies from Boston; after examining it, he...