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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02437.02290 |
| From Archive Folder | The Henry Knox Papers [0060] 1-15 July 1783 |
| Title | Jean Baptiste Gouvion to Henry Knox about his time in America with Knox and the French Army |
| Date | 15 July 1783 |
| Author | Gouvion, Jean Baptiste (1747-1792) |
| Recipient | Knox, Henry |
| Document Type | Military document; Correspondence |
| Content Description | Written by Colonel Gouvion, a French engineering officer, to Major General Knox, in reply to Knox's letter at GLC02437.02218. Says when he left the army he received letters of some importance that kept him from going through West Point. Says if he saw Knox he would tell him "how grateful I am for all the marks of friendship you gave me during my staying in America." Praises America saying "the prodigious difference I find between what this country was during the war and what it is now, the activity which prevails now every where, and the happiness which appears already to be generally diffused gives me the most favorable opinion of the flourishing state in which it shall be soon." Hopes he can visit for 5 or 6 months in the coming years if he can get time away from the French army. Sends greetings from General du Portail. Asks to be kept informed about the Society of the Cincinnati, "of which I am proud to be a member." "Free" stamped on address leaf with no signature. |
| Subjects | Society of the Cincinnati France Revolutionary War Revolutionary War General Military History Continental Army Friendship Travel Fraternal Organization Global History and Civics |
| People | Gouvion, Jean-Baptiste (1747-1792) |
| Place written | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Government & Politics; Foreign Affairs |
| Sub-collection | The Henry Knox Papers |
| Additional Information | Gouvion was one of the four French military engineers sent to America upon the request of Congress (the others being Duportail, La Rodière, and de Laumoy). He entered the Continental Army on 8 July 1777 as a major. In November 1777 was given the rank of lieutenant colonel. Along with Duportail, he planned and executed the fortifications at West Point. He also built the redoubt at Verplancks Point. He participated in the Battle of Yorktown, was brevetted a colonel in November 1781, and retired from the army in October 1783. Although his service was considered exemplary, little is actually known of his activities in America (see Boatner, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution). |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Related documents | Letter from Henry Knox to Jean Baptiste Gouvion expressing his affection and esteem for Gouvion |
| Transcript | Show/hide Download PDF |