Tales From a Revolution: Rhode-Island
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Size: 5.50 x 8.50 in
Pages: 206
Size: 5.50 x 8.50 in
Pages: 206
Rhode-Island, 1779: He came from France to fight for liberty for all Americans...
Serving King Louis and his maman, Yves never expected to be sent across the ocean to fight the British on a distant shore. He expected even less to discover that the liberty for which he was supposed to fight would not be shared with all Americans.
Historical Context
Set against the French military intervention in the American Revolution, The Path explores the experiences of soldiers who crossed the Atlantic to fight Britain in a conflict whose ideals did not always match the realities of American society. French troops under the comte de Rochambeau arrived at Newport, Rhode-Island, in 1780, establishing a major base for the alliance that would help secure American independence. Their presence brought together people divided by language, nationality, religion, and social position. For French soldiers encountering slavery in the new United States, the rhetoric of universal liberty could stand in uncomfortable contrast to the institutions they witnessed.
The springtime air was sweet, and the woods around Yves de Bourganes fairly burst with the stirring of life reborn. His heart, however, was full of worry and doubt, and it was difficult for him to notice much about the beauty that surrounded him.
READ MOREHis bas-officier had woken him, addressing him as “Ledisciple” -- his nom de guerre awarded by a long-forgotten sergeant – and giving him the news that their company of chausseurs had received orders to march to Brest. There they were to embark upon a voyage over the sea to a destination unnamed, but widely expected to be either the shores of England, or the Indies, or even America itself. It was whispered that they might join in the battle against their perennial enemy, the English, by backing the rebellion of their colonies there.
Out of professional interest, of course, Yves had followed the news of events across the ocean. It seemed incredible that the colonists--who had mere years before taken part in an enthusiastic trouncing of French forces in America--might now become allies, never mind that they might actually stand a chance of winning their independence from Mother England.
Tales From a Revolution:
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