Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie

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Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie
13 April 1751 – 30 January 1793

Statue of Tuffin in Fougères, by Jean Fréour
Nickname Colonel Armand
Place of birth Fougères
Place of death Near Lamballe
Allegiance Flag of France 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

Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie[1] (April 1757 - 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 where he was promoted to brigadier general after the Battle of Yorktown. He is also known as one of the initial leaders of the Breton Association during the French Revolution.

Contents

[edit] Life

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 war of movement in Virginia and the battle of Yorktown. In 1781, colonel Armand was forced to return 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.

[edit] Fall of the monarchy, start of the Revolution

In 1785 La Rouërie married Louise-Caroline Guérin, marquise de Saint-Brice, a rich aristocrat. Shortly afterwards, his wife went mad and was treated by doctor Valentin Chevetel, with whom La Rouërie became friends, discussed politics and shared the same liberal political ideas.

In the troubles leading up to the French Revolution, La Rouërie declared himself the champion of the nobility and parliament of Britanny, 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 Britanny 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.

[edit] The Breton "conjuration"

[edit] The Breton Association

[edit] The chouannerie

[edit] End of the Association

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pronounced "La Rouarie" and not "La Rouérie".

[edit] Bibliography

  • Charles-Armand Tuffin, Marquis de la Rouërie, Chef de la conjuration bretonne. Généalogie, Notes, Documents et papiers inédits. Une Famille bretonne du Template:Sp-. J.Pilhon et L. Hervé, Libraires - Rennes - 1899. Par P.Delarue.
  • Le Marquis de la Rouërie et la Conjuration bretonne. G. Lenôtre. Librairie Académique Perrin, 1927
  • Le marquis de la Rouerie "Colonel Armand " de la guerre américaine à la conjuration bretonne Christian Bazin .Perrin .1990
  • Le Colonel Armand Marquis de la Rouerie . Job de Roincé .Editions Fernand Lanore . 1974.
  • Colonel Armand, Marquis de la Rouërie Hervé Le Bévillon. Editions Yoran Embanner.2006.
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