The Special Expedition (French: ''Expédition Particulière'') was an expeditionary force deployed by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to North America to support the

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against

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during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Arriving at Newport, Rhode Island on 11 July 1780 under the leadership of the Comte de Rochambeau, it numbered up to 5,500 troops and played a decisive role in the final battles of the war. Another 2,500 troops were intended to join the force but could not escape the British

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

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. After remaining inactive for almost a year, Rochambeau marched his troops south to rendezvous with

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

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for a planned attack on

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. At Rochambeau's urging, Washington abandoned the operation and both forces were marched to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

to join the French fleet of Admiral François de Grasse in trapping British Lieutenant-General Charles Cornwallis's army at Yorktown; the subsequent Franco-American siege ended in Cornwallis surrendering in October 1781, which hastened negotiations towards a peace treaty ending the war.

Background

France had been in contact with American Patriots as early as 1774 and by 1776 was sending large amounts of covert financial aid and military supplies to their cause. Following the loss of a British army during the Saratoga campaign of 1777, France signed a Treaty of Alliance in February 1778 recognising American independence. The subsequent Franco-American alliance legitimised the American cause while securing direct French aid in the war. Shortly thereafter, a French fleet under Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing sailed out to coordinate with American allies against the British, with the aim of helping bring a swift end to the war. The initial attempts to seek victory were beset by problems. An operation against Newport miscarried in 1778; the following year, the Franco-American siege of Savannah ended in defeat. D'Estaing and his ships then sailed for home, with relations between the allies severely strained.

Expeditionary force

On 2 May 1780 Admiral Ternay d'Arsac departed Brest with a seven-ship and three-frigate squadron, escorting 36 transports carrying troops to support the

in the

. The squadron comprised the 80-gun ''Duc de Bourgogne'', under Ternay d'Arsac (admiral) and Médine ( flag captain); the 74-gun ''Neptune'', under Sochet Des Touches, and ''Conquérant'', under La Grandière; and the 64-gun ''Provence'' under Lombard, ''Ardent'' under Bernard de Marigny, ''Jason'' under La Clocheterie and ''Éveillé'' under Le Gardeur de Tilly, and the frigates ''Surveillante'' under Villeneuve Cillart, ''Amazone'' under La Pérouse, and ''Bellone''. ''Amazone'', which constituted the vanguard of the fleet, arrived at Boston on 11 June 1780.

Organization

The Special Expedition contained four regiments of foot:Selig, Robert (2007). ''March to Victory.'' U.S. Army Center of Military History. Special Publications CMH Pub 70-104-1, p. 3. * Régiment de Bourbonnais * Régiment de Soissonnais * Régiment de Saintonge * Régiment de Royal–Deux–Ponts One battalion of artillery: * Second Battalion, Régiment d'Auxonne One combined-arms legion: * Lauzun's Legion

Yorktown campaign

In July 1781, Rochambeau's army left

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

and marched across

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

to join Washington's army on the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

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. From there the combined forces marched overland to Virginia. During this time, Admiral de Grasse managed to defeat a British fleet sent from New York City to evacuate British General Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September, trapping Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula. On September 22, Rochambeau and Washington combined forces with those of the marquis de Lafayette and began the siege of Yorktown. The siege ended with the surrender of Cornwallis on 19 October 1781.

Departure to the West Indies

Rochambeau's force wintered in Virginia. The following year they moved north towards

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. Washington again tried to interest Rochambeau in an attack on New York City, Charleston, or

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, but the Frenchman rejected the proposals. Orders instead arrived for his expedition to go to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, and in late 1782 it sailed from Boston for

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

. However, by then the Peace of Paris had been agreed, and the planned 1783 campaign in the Caribbean never took place. In late April the French sailed for home, reaching Brest and

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

in June and July 1783.

Legacy

The expedition has been described as the only substantial force of foreign allies ever to serve on United States soil for an extended period.Scott p.3

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

The Expédition Particulière in Rhode Island.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Expedition Particuliere 1780 in the United States 1781 in the United States 1780 in France 1781 in France Military operations of the American Revolutionary War