thousand men to America.  La Fayette also, through his friendship with Vergennes, exerted himself toward the same end, the proposition being not unfavorably received by the government, which merely demurred as to the number of troops required.  Before leaving France, however, La Fayette had secured full consent to the expedition, and on him devolved the grateful task of bearing to Congress and Washington the news of the co-operation of that country.  The fleet was prepared at Brest, and was placed under Admiral de Ternay, the command of the troops being given to the comte de Rochambeau, not through court favor, but in consideration of the affection of the army for him.

Jean Baptiste de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau and marshal of France, was born in Vendome in 1725.  At sixteen he served under the marechal de Broglie, was afterward aide to the duc d’Orleans, and distinguished himself in the battles of Crevelt, Minden, Closterkamp and Corbach, being seriously wounded several times.  A thorough soldier, Rochambeau possessed not only courage, but a clear, practical eye, accompanied by foresight and judgment.  His memoirs show him to have taken more kindly to the camp than the court, and outside of war to have been fond of the sports of a country gentleman.  His appearance in Trumbull’s picture of the surrender of Cornwallis shows us more of a Cincinnatus than of an Alexander.  He was reserved in his manner, even with his officers, and De Fersen, writing to his father, complains of it, acknowledging, however, that it was shown less with him than with others.  Later on he does Rochambeau justice, and says:  “His example had its effect on the army, and the severe orders he gave restrained everybody and enforced that discipline which was the admiration of the Americans and of the English who witnessed it.  The wise, prudent and simple conduct of M. de Rochambeau has done more to conciliate America to us than the gain of four battles.”

With this representative soldier of his time came so fine a showing of the noblesse of France, fresh from the most brilliant court of Europe, that they are worth a short description.  They are interesting, if from nothing else, from the fact that they are the men who appear on the page of history one day steeped in the enervating luxury and intrigue of Versailles and Marly, the next fighting and dying with the courage of the lionhearted Henri de la Rochejaquelin in Vendee, leaving as an epitaph on their whole generation the words of the Chouan chief, “Allons chercher l’ennemi!  Si je recule, tuez moi; si j’avance, suivez moi; si je meurs, vengez moi!” Never even in Napoleon’s campaigns, where each man had as incentive a name and fortune to carve, was there such a race of soldiers as these same aristocrats.