Washington's Engineer

and his companions’ status for the campaign of 1779. He stated that his furlough was to expire in February and that he and his companions would have to return to France if they were no longer needed in America. Congress did nothing about the plan for their continued service to the army.

Faced with the possibility of losing the French engineers, General Washington pleaded their cause to Congress. Duportail, Radière, and Laumoy expressed their gratitude in a letter dated January 15, 1779. Gouvion said that he would agree to whatever his companions did. They were pleased with Washington’s efforts to allow them to remain in the service of the United States through the next campaign, and they consented with “no conditions to the continuance of our residence in America.” They also considered it their duty to state “that being determined to remain here by our desire of serving and of being useful to the United States, if the means of usefulness should disappear on any account whatsoever we shall be desirous of preserving the liberty of returning into our country. Sensible of the interest which your excellency is so kind as to take in this affair, we beg you to accept our most humble thanks.”¹ Minister of War Conrad Alexandre Gérard was also pleased with Washington’s support and asked the king’s consent, which the officers of engineers needed.²

Duportail wrote to Washington on January 27, 1779,

The Inhabitants of Boston have a prejudice which may one day be fatal to them—they imagine their Town impregnable—Struck with seeing it at high Tide surrounded with water, and joined to the main only by a narrow neck—they appear not to have remarked that twice in twenty four hours the water ebbs and leaves on each side of the Passage two or three hundred yards uncovered—they repeat one after the other that the ground is miry and impracticable—I have caused people to walk there in several directions—and they did not sink at all—the bottom is very good and as there is no fortification on the sides of the Town—I see no difficulty in the enemys making himself master of it—if we suppose him in possession of the adjacent Country.

Many people believed that the enemy would act as they had in the past and expected that the British would only attack Boston by land. However, they might send enough ships into port to capture whatever vessels may be there and bombard and burn the town, or they could send a squadron against French fleets coming to Boston.³

Congress passed an act on February 2, directing Washington to send an engineer to South Carolina to serve in the Southern Department. He directed General Duportail to send one of his engineers to Charlestown to take orders from Major General Benjamin Lincoln or the officer commanding in that department. Duportail sent Laumoy.⁴

Busy completing a similar project for Boston, Duportail apparently did not turn his attention to Philadelphia until early 1779. When he approached the Board of War for men and equipment, the Board of War wrote a letter to Joseph Reed, governor of Pennsylvania, on February 22, requesting support from the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council for the French military engineer.⁵

DEFENSES OF PHILADELPHIA

The commander in chief again sent General Duportail to Philadelphia at the beginning of March 1779 with a message for Congress regarding the defenses of the Delaware. The Board of War directed him to take his request to Governor Reed, probably because of lack of funds. Governor Reed at first promised to supply the chief of engineers with a boat and men to conduct an examination, but he later recanted his offer, apparently offended that the request did not come directly to him. Duportail explained that he simply followed instructions and that, being a stranger, he knew nothing of “what was due the different powers.”⁶

Very much annoyed, Duportail wrote of his difficulties to Colonel Alexander Hamilton, asking him to explain the situation to the commander in chief. He added that the governor was about to visit camp, and he very much hoped that General Washington would speak to him about the importance of the work. Duportail’s insistence on keeping virtually all information from Reed and his council members caused irritation and led them to withhold cooperation. His instructions requested and expected “that he will not Communicate the Knowledge he shall acquire of the depth of the River or other important Circumstances of our defence to more persons than are absolutely necessary for his assistance.”⁷

Washington responded on March 30,

I am sorry to find by yours of the 20th that you have met with so many delays and disappointments in the prosecution of your plan for taking a survey of the Delaware. Although I am anxious to see you in Camp I shall be very unwilling to recall you while there is the least prospect of your rendering any service. I must therefore desire you to point out to that public Body before which you may have your affair [paper torn] disadvantage of your remaining so long in Philadelphia and to request them to enable you to execute your Business immediately or if that cannot be done in a short time to permit you to return to the Army, where the preparations for the ensuing Campaign call for your attendance.⁸

In the meantime, Governor Reed visited headquarters and conferred with the commander in chief. The Pennsylvania Council soon made a favorable decision, and Washington wrote to General Duportail on April 17, “I am glad that the Council have come to a resolution which will enable you to proceed; and I hope you may receive every aid necessary to execute the Business with satisfaction and despatch. It is agreeable to me that you retain such of the Gentlemen as you think proper to assist you in your operations.”⁹

Duportail completed his portion of the survey and presented a draft of the fortifications proposed for Philadelphia and the Delaware River to the Pennsylvania Council by May 14. The council adopted a resolution of gratitude