Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie

Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie

Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie
April 13, 1751 – January 30, 1793 aoremovetag(aged 41)
Nickname	Colonel Armand
Place of birth	Fougères
Place of death	Near Lamballe
Allegiance	Kingdom of France United States of America Breton Association
Service/branch	Cavalry and infantry
Years of service	1776-1793
Rank	general
Commands held	Pulaski's Legion, Armand's Legion, Head of the Breton Association
Battles/wars	American war of independence (Monmouth, Brandywine, Yorktown) Chouannerie
Awards	Ordre de Saint-Louis Society of the Cincinnati

Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie (April 1751 – January 1793), also known in the United States as "Colonel Armand", was a Breton cavalry officer who served under the American flag during the American War of Independence. He was promoted to brigadier general after the Battle of Yorktown. He is also known as one of the early leaders of the Breton Association (the Chouannerie) during the French Revolution.

Life

Military career

Destined for a military career from his earliest years, his impetuous temperament soon brought him to public attention. He spent a stormy, riotous and rebellious youth, in and around the French royal court, serving as an officer in the gardes françaises. Infatuated with an actress (Mademoiselle Fleury), he was thwarted in his intention of marrying her and met his rival, the count of Bourbon-Busset, in a duel. He thus fell into disgrace with the king and, ejected from the gardes, took poison and went to la Trappe to die. However, his friends met him there and prevented his suicide. His family then made him return to Fougères, though he did not remain there long.

American Revolution

At the end of 1776, he embarked at Nantes to join the Americans in their fight for independence. The Morris, the ship in which he crossed the Atlantic, was attacked by 3 British ships on its arrival. It was sunk in Chesapeake Bay (Delaware), but La Rouërie succeeding in getting to the shore, albeit completely naked and with only 3 surviving servants.

Under the orders of George Washington, he became colonel Armand and recruited volunteers, paid from his own pocket. Pulaski's Legion, initially named after its commander, was renamed the 1st Partisan Corps (or Armand's Partisan Corps or Armand's Legion) after Pulaski's death at the end of 1779. Made up of infantry and cavalry, this corps of foreign volunteers fluctuated between 3 and 5 companies strong.

Made a general in 25 June 1778, he took part in the battles of New York, Monmouth, Short Hills, Brandywine, Whitemarsh, the Campaign in Virginia, and the Siege of Yorktown. In 1781, Colonel Armand returned to France to re-equip his troops, and was there made a knight of the Order of Saint-Louis. On 26 March 1783, he was made a Brigadier General in the American Army, though he left the American army on 25 November that year. He returned to France for good in summer 1784, covered in glory and retaining Washington's friendship (the pair continued to correspond), though he is less-remembered than Lafayette in treatments of French participation in the War.

As well as his military deeds, he also brought back American tulip trees (offered him by Washington), the first to be imported into Europe, and these are still to be seen at the château de Saint-Ouen-la-Rouërie.

Fall of the monarchy, start of the Revolution

In the troubles leading up to the French Revolution, La Rouërie declared himself the champion of the nobility and parliament of Brittany, which was struggling against the central court at Versailles. He was one of 12 angry deputies sent to the king in 1787, to petition for the restoration of the province's privileges. In 1788 he gave up his military career when he was offered a command by Louis XVI, out of opposition to his suppressing the liberties which the kingdom of France had accorded Brittany on their union, and so was imprisoned in the Bastille on 15 July that year, making him a popular hero. He was freed a month later, but would give up his ideas. Initially he welcomed the Revolution which came soon afterwards, but at the Estates General of 1789 he was indignant to see the Breton nobility succumbing to the pretensions of the Third Estate. Excited to resistance, he provoked a refusal to send representatives to the Estates, saying that he did not want this ancient nobility to bend over itself to become a double representation of the people. Finally, having made this chivalrous protest, they signed it in the blood of the Breton nobles, against the Ministry's anti-monarchist innovations.

The Breton "conspiracy"

The Breton Association

Initially the partners, reaffirming citizenship, were as a simply defensive Association against the factious crowd, robbers or criminals , but as the Republicanism became more radical in Paris, and as foreign war became increasingly inevitable, the association radicalized in the early 1792, now favoring armed struggle.

Back in Britain, La Rouërie received powers granted to him by the Comte d'Artois:

Thereafter, the association also received the support of Count of Provence, who in the meantime had also emigrated. The 4 October 1791, he wrote:

La Rouërie then begin to organize the association. In each , were placed six commissioners and a secretary of the association from the three orders. Administration was provided by two secretaries: Deshayes and Loaisel. The treasurer of the association was André Désilles. Thomazeau, of Saint-Malo, was responsible for stewardship. Two men, Henry, innkeeper at Saint-Servan and Vincent were charged with links to Jersey. The partners received the delivery, through England, of silver, 6600 guns, powder, 300 complete uniforms and 4 Cannon.

La Rouërie now found support among the population of Brittany, which was very disappointed with the Revolution, after having first been in favor, and strongly opposed to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.

La Rouërie was Catholic, too, although not practicing, he criticized the Civil Constitution of clergy, and prepared a the manifesto of the association:

He also argued that since the abolition of the States of Brittany, poverty had increased, and taxes were now three times higher.

La Rouërie also took with him three aides de camp: Aimé Picquet du Boisguy, aged only fifteen years, of Picot Limoëlan, father of and his cousin , became liaison officer of Fontevieux. Of other nobles, who later can be distinguished in the wars of the Chouannerie who joined the association in Brittany, included: , , , Vincent de Tinténiac , Louis Pontavice of the brothers Charles and Louis-Edouard-Joseph de La Haye-Saint-Hilaire, , and the . If the common people, like , had joined the Association, the majority of members were, however, from the aristocracy.

La Rouërie and Noyan had also attempted to write a manifesto, to present the claims of the association:

The other manifesto presented to the Count d'Artois, at the end of the year 1791 began:

On 20 April 1792, the Kingdom of the French (1791–1792) declared war on the archduchy of Austria, and Holy Roman Empire. They received the same day, the support of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Army of Émigrés, the first coalition against Revolutionary France was formed.

The Breton Association was ready for battle, the numbers were strong, with 10,000 men..

The chouannerie

Bordering the park of the castle Launay-Villiers was the . This forest was the hideout of ,said Jean Chouanand his men who took the name Chouans. Cottereau and his companions had revolted on 15 August 1792 against the revolutionaries in Saint-Ouen-des-Toits. Since they had organized various helping hands against the Patriots. There is no evidence that La Rouërie and had met, or that he had been recruited by the Association, but La Rouërie remained for three months Launay-Villiers until early in September. La Rouërie might ignore the disturbances that shook the Mayenne at that time.

La Guyomarais

Meanwhile, la Rouerie, an outlaw, wandering in the countryside of Brittany, as later wrote:

He had adopted the false name of Gasselin and was accompanied by only Loaisel Fricandeau, his secretary, and Saint-Pierre, one of his servants.

The 12 January 1793, after galloping around the forest of La Hunaudaye, la Rouerie and his two companions went to seek refuge near GuyoMarch The castle, which belonged to the family of the same name in the parish of Saint-Denoual. It had snowed that day, and Saint-Pierre was suffering from fevers.

Monsieur de La Guyomar was a member of the Association and had already hosted la Rouerie three times during the previous month. They were housed in a room of the castle, but the state of Saint-Pierre is not improving. The next day, Loaisel Morel fetched a surgeon at Plancoët. On January 18 Saint-Pierre was healed, but the la Rouerie in turn fell ill on January 19 . The recalled Guyomar Dr. Morel, then as a precautionary measure, sent for Dr. Taburet of Lamballe. Suffering from chills, and severe coughing, he actually had pneumonia.

On January 24, the National Guard of Lamballe made a raid on the castle of GuyoMarch Alerted by a neighbor, La Guyomar hid the marquis at the Gouhandais, a farm, located some hundred meters from the castle. The Republicans did not discover anything, but this treatment could not improve the health status of la Rouerie .

The next day, Schaffner and Fontevieux came to GuyoMarch They brought with them a newspaper from which they had learned of the execution of Louis XVI on January 21. But the partners decided not to disclose the death of the King to the Marquis, saying that this would aggravate the fever. In spite of the episode of the previous evening, they maintained hope for his recovery. La Rouerie, however, asked to read the newspaper, because he wanted news of the trial of the king. It was his servant Saint Pierre who asked, but the Marquis sensing perhaps that he was hiding something, asked Saint Pierre to fetch him a drink. He left the newspaper in the room, which La Rouerie read, and learned the death of Louis XVI .

La Rouerie then had a crisis of delirium, he jumped out of bed, dressing, said he would leave, but collapsed totally weakened. For three days, he lay dying, alternating between prostration, delirium, and unconsciousness. A third doctor, Lemasson, was dispatched but cound not do anything.

La Rouerie died on 30 January 1793, at four thirty in the morning .

End of the Association

From the reports of Chevetel, Lalligand did arrest several members of the Breton conspiracy. He also discovered papers buried by Désille. But most associates avoided detection, because Thérèse de Moëlien burned the list of members of the Association, shortly after the death of la Rouerie.

A total of 27 Lalligand prisoners were led to Paris to be judged. The trial opened on 4 June 1793, and ended on 18 June 1793. At the end of the trial thirteen defendants were acquitted, two were sentenced to deportation, and the gardener Perrin, and the doctor Lemasson who sent to Bicêtre, were executed 26 June 1794 at the Prisons of the Reign of Terror., Twelve others were sentenced to death: Mr. and Mrs. La Guyomar, Louis du Pontavice the Chauvin, Madame de la Flonchais, Morin de Launay, Locquet Granville Jean Vincent, Groult La Motte, of Limoëlan Picot, Georges de Fontevieux and Thérèse de Moëlien. They were all executed on the same day.

References

1. Pronounced "La Rouarie" and not "La Rouérie".
2. Bazin, p.169
3. ^ National Archives, W.274
4. The father of Antoine-Joseph-Marc Désilles, killed at the . Bazin, p.232.
5. Lenôtre, p.89
6. Bazin,op. cit. p.176
7. Bazin, p.121
8. Bazin,op. cit.p.247
9. Bazin,op. cit., p.247-248
10. Lenôtre Breton,op. cit., p. 66.
11. Bazin,op. cit.p.245
12. Journal of Brittany collection , published by Oxford University Press, 2003, P. 67
13. Bazin, p.195
14. Bazin, p.196-197
15. Bazin,op.cit.P.211
16. Lenôtre, p.209
17. Lenôtre, p.211
18. Lenôtre, p.218
19. Bazin, p.220
20. Lenôtre, p.220
21. Theodore Lemas (1894). The District of Ferns during the Wars of the West and the Chouannerie 1793-1800. Rue des Scribes Editions. p. 20.
22. Lenôtre, p.361

External links

• "Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie", in , Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne : histoire par ordre alphabétique de la vie publique et privée de tous les hommes avec la collaboration de plus de 300 savants et littérateurs français ou étrangers, 2nd edition, 1843–1865

Bibliography

Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Armand_Tuffin,_marquis_de_la_Rouerie