Washington's Engineer

Louis Duportail and the Creation of an Army Corps

Washington's Engineer
Norman Desmarais
RRP:
NZ$ 65.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 54.44
Hardback
h241 x 163mm - 288pg
16 May 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781633886568
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
The French were the archenemies of the British and her American colonies, particularly after the French and Indian War which was begun by George Washington. So, why did America look to the French as their principal ally in the American Revolution and why did General George Washington choose a Frenchman as his chief engineer? This biography of Louis Duportail, founder and first Commandant of the Army Corps of Engineers, begins by exploring those questions. It then explores the life of this man, who is virtually unknown in America and less known in his native France. This is an unique biography about an overlooked, even obscure, French officer that was instrumental in the American cause for independence. As a complete biography, it covers his return to France and his service in the French army. Cementing his role in the seminal events of the era, readers will also learn of his problems under the Reign of Terror and his escape to the United States where he purchased a quite farm near Valley Forge. It concludes with his unusual death at sea and the problems of settling his estate. Duportail died in the greatest anonymity, in the greatest indifference, without earthly burial, without military honors, a dedicated monument to his glory in service to France or the United States, and without intervention of his brothers in arms to honor and recall his memory.
"General Louis Duportail is one of the most important, yet overlooked, of Washington' s lieutenants. Now, thanks to Norman Desmarais, the chief engineer receives his just due in this modern biography. Utilizing original documents and keen analysis, Desmarias demonstrates why Duportail was an indispensable advisor to Washington and is honored as the Father of the modern Corps of Engineers. I certainly recommend this biography to all students of the revolution. " - Williams Welch, President, American Revolution Round Table of Richmond and Co-Founder of the Congress of American Revolution Roundtables
Norman Desmarais is professor emeritus at Providence College and an active reenactor. He is a member of Le Regiment Bourbonnais, the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment and the Brigade of the American Revolution. He is the author of Guide to the American Revolutionary War series (six volumes about the war on land and seven volumes about the war at sea and overseas). He is also the editor-in-chief of The Brigade Dispatch, the journal the Brigade of the American Revolution and has translated the Gazette Francoise, the French newspaper published in Newport, RI by the French fleet that brought the Count de Rochambeau and 5800 troops to America in July 1780. It is the first known service newspaper published by an expeditionary force. He has also translated the journal of Louis Francois Bertrand Dupont d' Aubevoye de Lauberdiere which will be published in 2019. The Count de Lauberdiere was General Rochambeau' s nephew and aide-de camp.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781633886568
Published: 16 May 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Prometheus Books
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Format: Hardback
Height: 241mm
Width: 163mm
Spine: 27mm
Weight: 567g
Pages: 288

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