Iraq-America, America-France

[Bill Farnie]

"Layafette, we are here."


http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/arrival.htm

[revwardoc]

Ariovistus,

While Lafayette was given a commission in the Continental Army, the Compte de Rochambeau was a regular French army general. He graciously deferred to Washington's overall command despite the fact that he had much more experience. It was Rochambeau who finally convinced Admiral De Grasse to bring the much needed French fleet to the Chesapeake Bay when the combined American-Franco forces realized that Nathaniel Greene, through a series of strategic hit-and-run battles from which he withdrew, had forced Cornwallis to fall back to the Yorktown peninsula to await the English fleet that would bring his battered forces back to New York City.

There were many foreign officer in the Continental Army, Pulaski, Coziusko, De Kalb, Lord Sterling, and many others. It was a great opportunity for both young and experienced officers to add to their prestige and accomplishments. While many did serve, many more were turned away for, shall we say, embellishing their previous tours to the point of great fiction. But we needed all the help we could get.