The fate of the American Revolution had yet to be decided when a
remarkable 21-year-old Frenchman arrived in America.
Louis-Francois-Bertrand, the Count of Lauberdiere, belonged to an
old noble family that traced its heritage back to the Crusades. His
father, Francois-Charles-Mathieu, was musketeer of the guard of
King Louis XV. More important, his uncle was General Rochambeau,
the commander of all French forces in America. The Count of
Lauberdiere kept one of the most remarkable diaries of the entire
war, and it is published here for the first time as The French
Campaigns in the American Revolution, 1780-1783: The Diary of Count
of Lauberdiere, General Rochambeau's Nephew and Aide-de-Camp,
translated and edited by Norman Desmarais. Serving as aide-de-camp
on General Rochambeau's staff, the young and well-educated
Lauberdiere enjoyed a unique perspective of the war. He rubbed
shoulders with some of the Revolution's most important
personalities (including George Washington and Lafayette), and was
in the epicenter of many of the war's momentous events. His journal
covers a host of topics in remarkable detail, including
descriptions of the French army's camp in Newport, Rhode Island,
the long march to Yorktown, the siege, and capture, and a
fascinating examination of the people and their distinctive
colonial culture. His keen eye and sharp descriptions of the Army's
daily activities and movements provide a wealth of information for
inquisitive readers and historians-details found only in this
diary. For example, nearly all French diaries mention the army's
arrival and landing at Newport, but only Lauberdiere's identifies
exactly where it occurred. Anti-French prejudices were common, and
the nephew recorded how Rochambeau dispelled them and won over the
locals. Culture fascinated the young Count, who keenly observed how
the colonials attempted to imitate European manners and styles,
marveling at how Philadelphia adopted Parisian fashions in the
brief time between his visits there. He even visited Washington's
home at Mount Vernon and made pointed comments about his wife,
Martha. With its expertly crafted footnotes, maps, and
illustrations,The French Campaigns in the American Revolution,
1780-1783: The Diary of Count of Lauberdiere, General Rochambeau's
Nephew and Aide-de-Camp offers a fresh and invigorating firsthand
account that will satisfy even the most demanding student of the
American Revolution.
General
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