- Armand Louis de Gontaut
Armand Louis de Gontaut,
Duc de Lauzun , later duc de Biron, and usually referred to by historians who?|date=May 2008 of theFrench Revolution simply as Biron (April 13 ,1747 –December 31 ,1793 ) was a French soldier and politician, known for the part he played in theAmerican War of Independence and theFrench Revolutionary Wars .Biography
Early career
Born in
Paris , he bore the title ofDuc de Lauzun , which had passed, on the death ofAntoine Nompar de Caumont , duc de Lauzun (1633-1723), to his niece, the wife ofCharles Armand de Gontaut , duc de Biron (1663-1756). In 1788, he succeeded to the "duchy of Biron" on the death of his uncle,Louis Antoine de Gontaut , duc de Biron (1700-1788)After, for a while, spending his fortune in various parts of Europe, he attracted attention by an essay on the military defences of Great Britain and her colonial empire ("Etat de defense d'Angleterre et de toutes ses possessions dans les quatres parties du monde"). This led to his appointment to a command against the British in 1779, in which he gained several successes. In 1781, he took an important part in the
American War of Independence by being the advqance party of the main French army ofRochambeau sent to reinforce GeneralGeorge Washington at theSiege of Yorktown in 1781. Lauzun's Legion left their winter quarters inLebanon, CT on June 9, 1781 and marched south through Connecticut known as theWashington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route . Their main function was to be an advance party but also to remain ten to fifteen miles south of the main army to protect the flank against any British located in the manytory towns in lowerFairfield County . The French made camps in Middletown, Wallingford and North Stratford. They arrived at North Stratford, now Trumbull on June 28th and stayed for two days. From the hilltop in Trumbull, now Abraham Nichols Park, one could easily see for seventy miles pastLong Island Sound to New York and beyond. The French used this time to spy on British ships in New York harbor. After the successful campaign at Yorktown and subsequent British surrender, Lauzun returned to France a hero and was made "maréchal de camp ".Deputy and commander
In 1789, he was returned as deputy to the Estates-General by the "noblesse" of
Quercy , and affiliated with the Revolutionary cause. In 1791, he was sent by theNational Constituent Assembly to receive the oath of the army of Flanders, and subsequently was appointed to its command. In July 1792, on the wake of the revolutionary conflict, he was named commander of the army of theRhine , with the duty of watching the movements of theHabsburg Monarchy troops.In May 1793, he was transferred to the command of the
French Revolutionary Army on theLa Rochelle front, operating against the Vendéan insurgency. He gained several successes, among them the capture ofSaumur and the victory ofParthenay , but the insubordination of his troops and the suspicions of his political supervisors made his position intolerable and he sent in his resignation.Execution and legacy
He was thereupon accused by the notorious
Jean-Baptiste Carrier of "incivisme" ("lack ofcivic virtue ", the equivalent oftreason under theReign of Terror ) and undue leniency to the insurgents, deprived of his command (July), imprisoned in the Abbaye, sentenced to death by theRevolutionary Tribunal andguillotine d. His wifeAmélie de Boufflers was herself executed onJune 27 ,1794 .His "Memoires", which come down to 1783, were published under his name in 1822 (and reprinted in a new edition of 1858), and letters were published in 1865, said to have been written by him in 1789 to friends in the country, describing the Estates-General.
Miscellany
An American warship was named after Armand Louis de Gontaut :
USS Duc de Lauzun .External links
* [http://www.lauzunslegion.com/ Web site "of the Volontaires-ètrangers de Lauzun, also known as Lauzun’s Legion"] ]
* [http://www.americanrevolution.org/lauzun.html "The Duc de Lauzun and his Legion: Rochambeau's most troublesome, colorful soldiers," by Robert A. Selig]
*worldcat id|lccn-n83-143988References
*1911
*Hall, Charles S., "Life and Letters of Samuel Holden Parsons", Ostenigo Publishing Co., Binghampton, NY, 1905
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