Who Was Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau
Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, known as Comte de Rochambeau, was a French soldier born in Vendôme on July 1, 1725. He died at his castle in Thoré on May 10, 1807. His father was a lieutenant general and governor of Vendôme. Initially intended for the church, Rochambeau studied at the Jesuit college in Blois. After his elder brother’s death, he became heir to the family estate and entered the army in 1742 as a cornet in the Saint-Simon regiment.
Early Military Career
Rochambeau served in campaigns across the Rhine, Bavaria, and Bohemia. By March 1747 he was promoted to colonel and took part in the siege of Maastricht in 1748. Following the peace, his regiment earned a reputation for precision in drill. On June 1, 1749, he succeeded his father as governor of Vendôme.
During the assault on Fort St. Philippe in Minorca in April 1756, his leadership contributed to the capture of Port Mahon. He was made a knight of St. Louis, promoted to brigadier general, and earned distinction in Germany between 1758 and 1761. In 1769 he became inspector-general of cavalry and was promoted to lieutenant general on March 1, 1780.
Command in the American Revolution
King Louis XVI appointed Rochambeau to command a French army supporting the American patriots. Authorized to expand his force to 6,000 men, he sailed from Brest on May 2, 1780, under naval escort. After avoiding a British fleet near Bermuda, he landed in Rhode Island on July 12. At Newport, he fortified positions to prevent a British attack.
On August 27, he advised Lafayette to proceed cautiously and met George Washington in Hartford in September to plan operations. Rochambeau enforced strict discipline and sent his son to Paris to secure funds and reinforcements. The arrival of Count de Grasse’s fleet in 1781 prepared the stage for the decisive Yorktown campaign.
The Yorktown Campaign
On June 18, 1781, Rochambeau feinted toward New Jersey to mislead British forces, then joined Washington at Phillipsburg. This forced Sir Henry Clinton to abandon plans to aid Cornwallis in Virginia. After crossing the Delaware at Trenton, Rochambeau and Washington were honored by Congress in Philadelphia before marching south.
In Williamsburg, they met Lafayette and Count de Saint-Simon to finalize plans. The siege of Yorktown began on September 29, 1781. French troops under Rochambeau and Saint-Simon led key assaults. With Count de Grasse blocking the British fleet, Cornwallis surrendered on October 19. Congress honored Rochambeau with captured cannons engraved with his coat of arms.
Return to France and Later Career
In April 1782 Rochambeau prepared for an assault on New York, but the plan was canceled. He oversaw his army’s embarkation from Boston and returned to France in early 1783. King Louis XVI appointed him governor of Picardy and Artois, granted him the Order of the Saint-Esprit, and presented paintings commemorating Yorktown.
Rochambeau served in the Assembly of Notables in 1788, suppressed unrest in Alsace in 1790, and became field marshal in 1791. Though he declined the post of secretary of war, he briefly commanded the Army of the North before resigning in July 1792. Imprisoned during the French Revolution, he narrowly escaped execution. Napoleon later made him a grand officer of the Legion of Honor in 1804 and granted him a pension. He died in 1807 and was later honored with a statue as part of the Lafayette monument in Washington, D.C.
His Son: Donatien Marie Joseph de Vimeur, Vicomte de Rochambeau
Born on April 7, 1750, Donatien joined the army in 1767 and rose to colonel by 1779. He served alongside his father in America as assistant adjutant-general, carrying dispatches to France and returning to Newport in 1781. Promoted to major-general in 1791 and lieutenant-general in 1792, he became governor-general of the Leeward Islands.
In 1794, he defended St. Pierre in Martinique for 49 days against overwhelming British forces before negotiating an honorable surrender.
Campaigns in Santo Domingo
Reappointed to Santo Domingo in 1796, Donatien clashed with French commissioners and was removed from command. In 1802, he returned as deputy commander of the expedition against Toussaint Louverture, winning battles at Crête-à-Pierrot and Ravine de Couleuvre. After Leclerc’s death, he assumed overall command.
His harsh policies and heavy taxation alienated local elites, while disease and desertion devastated his army. Besieged at Cap-Français by Dessalines and blockaded by the British, he surrendered on November 30, 1803, and was sent into British custody. Held in England until 1811, he later fought in the 1813 German campaign, commanding at Lützen, Bautzen, and Leipzig, where he was killed on October 18, 1813.
Sources and Related Pages
- Biography of Rochambeau
- American Revolution French Commanders
- Yorktown Campaign History