Philippe Hubert Preudhomme de Borre
Philippe Hubert Chevalier Preudhomme de Borre | |
---|---|
Born | 17 September 1717 Brigadier General, 1780 |
Battles/wars | War of the Austrian Succession American Revolutionary War |
Awards | Order of Saint Louis 1757 |
Philippe Hubert, Chevalier de Preudhomme de Borre (17 September 1717 in Liège – 30 May 1789 in Brussels) joined the French Army in 1740 and served in the War of the Austrian Succession. During the American Revolutionary War he traveled to America where he was presented as a military expert. Promoted to general officer, his career as a Continental Army officer was brief and undistinguished. He resigned under a cloud and returned to France in 1779. His career ended in obscurity.
De Borre began his military career in the French royal army as a volunteer. He served as a cavalry officer in several campaigns during the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1745 he was seriously wounded. In 1757 he raised a unit from his home town of
Early career
De Borre was born on 17 September 1717 at
While a
American Revolutionary War
De Borre disembarked from the Mercure at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 17 March 1777. He made his way to Morristown, New Jersey where on 17 May George Washington presented him with a brigadier general's commission back-dated to 1 December 1776.[1] That week, Washington was in the process of forming the main army into ten permanent brigades. There were four from Virginia, three from Pennsylvania, two from Maryland, and one from New Jersey. William Smallwood was appointed to lead the 1st Maryland Brigade while de Borre was given command of the 2nd Maryland Brigade.[6] At the same time, a Frenchman of Irish heritage, Thomas Conway received command of another brigade.[7] De Borre's brigade consisted of the 2nd Canadian Regiment,[8] and the 2nd, 4th, and 6th Maryland Regiments.[9]
In May 1777, de Coudray and his entourage of 18 officers and 10 sergeants reached America. At this time Americans were becoming aware of the problem of accepting foreign adventurers into their ranks.
On 22 August, Sullivan mounted an unsuccessful raid on British positions near
On 11 September, the British-Hessian army of
Sullivan's division held the right flank with the two Maryland brigades. He deployed 1,100 troops and two artillery pieces from both de Borre's and Smallwood's brigades at Brinton's Ford. The 250-man
Washington immediately instructed Stirling and Stephen to march north toward Birmingham Meeting House, a place of
After Sullivan got his men onto a hill 400 yards (366 m) west of Birmingham he realized that his division was separated from and several hundred yards in front of the other two divisions. Sullivan rode over to confer with Stirling and Stephen. Because Smallwood was on detached duty with the Maryland militia, de Borre was left in charge of the two Maryland brigades. The Frenchman, whose command of English was rudimentary, was not popular with the officers or the rank and file.[22] Sullivan issued orders for the Maryland division to move to the right in order to come in line with the other two divisions. To make room, Stephen and Stirling also had to shift rightward.[21]
Stephen and Stirling moved their divisions without incident, even though their troops were coming under fire from the enemy's light troops.[23] De Borre somehow mismanaged the shift of Sullivan's division. Instead of simply moving to the right, the Frenchman ordered the division to file off to the left and circle back to the northeast. At the end of the bizarre maneuver, the 1st Brigade was in almost the same position it started. Instead of being alongside the 1st Brigade, the 2nd Brigade was behind it. At this moment, the crack Brigade of Guards supported by two 12-pound cannons attacked. When the sound of gunfire erupted, the confused soldiers of the 2nd Brigade volleyed into the backs of the 1st Brigade. The 1st Maryland Regiment put up some resistance, suffering 26 casualties, but the entire division soon crumbled. The soldiers headed to the rear pursued by the British Guards. De Borre later stated to Samuel Smith of the 4th Maryland that a wound on his cheek was caused by the English firing fish hooks. Smith suspected that de Borre misrepresented his injury and that it was caused by riding through some briars.[24] Since it led the column of march, Hazen's regiment apparently did not take part in de Borre's maneuver and instead joined Stirling's left flank.[25]
Under the direction of Sullivan, the divisions of Stirling and Stephen resisted the British attack stoutly for an hour.[26] Stirling's command was forced to retreat first, though Conway acquitted himself well.[27] Finally, Stephen's division was overwhelmed and compelled to withdraw.[28] Washington averted a disaster when he brought up George Weedon's brigade of Greene's division at 6:00 PM to slow the British pursuit.[29]
De Borre reported to Congress that his division ran away without having suffered any casualties.
Later career
Leaving
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Boatner, 888
- ^ Noailles, p. 357
- ^ Selig, 33
- ^ Millar, Foreign Infantry Regiments
- ^ Morton & Spinelli, 105-106
- ^ Wright, 112
- ^ a b Wright, 129
- ^ Wright, 318
- ^ Wright, 278-280
- ^ a b Boatner, 1117-1118
- ^ McGuire, 282
- ^ Boatner, 1054
- ^ Abbott, Staten Island
- ^ McGuire, 169-171. On page 197 the author credits Stephen and Stirling with having 1,500 men each.
- ^ McGuire, 171
- ^ McGuire, 173
- ^ McGuire, 183
- ^ McGuire, 193-197
- ^ Boatner, 108
- ^ McGuire, 197-199
- ^ a b McGuire, 220
- ^ McGuire, 217
- ^ McGuire, 221
- ^ McGuire, 222-224
- ^ Eastby, Brandywine
- ^ McGuire, 230-233
- ^ McGuire, 234
- ^ McGuire, 238
- ^ McGuire, 243
- ^ McGuire, 223
- ^ a b Boatner, 889
- ^ McGuire, 217-221
- ^ McGuire, 284-285
- ^ Expédition Particulière, French Volunteers
References
- Abbott, Tim. greensleeves.typepad.com Sullivan's Staten Island Raid
- Boatner, Mark M. (1994). Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0578-1.
- Eastby, Allen G. historynet.com Military History Magazine: Battle of Brandywine
- Expédition Particulière xenophongroup.com French Volunteers in the American Revolution: Preudhomme de Borre
- McGuire, Thomas J. (2006). The Philadelphia Campaign, Volume I. Mechanicsburg, Penn.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0178-6.
- Millar, Stephen. napoleon-series.org French Colonels and Colonels-in-Chief (1789): Regiment Royal-Liegeois
- Morton, Brian N.; Spinelli, Donald C. (2003). Beaumarchais and the American Revolution. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books. ISBN 0-7391-0468-3.
- Noailles, Amblard-Marie-Raymond-Amédée (1903). Marins et Soldats Français en Amérique Pendant la Guerre de l'Indépendance des États-Unis (1778-1783) (in French). Paris: Libraire académique Didier Perrin et Cie. OCLC 21226344.
- Selig, Robert A. (2003). The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route in the State of Delaware, 1781-1783 (PDF). Dover, Del.: State of Delaware. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-06.
- Robert K. Wright Jr. (1989). The Continental Army. Washington, D.C.: US Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 60-4.