Guide to the Adam Philippe, comte de Custine letter of recommendation, 1782
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org
Published in 2013
Collection Overview
| Title: | Adam Philippe, comte de Custine letter of recommendation |
| Date range: | 1782 |
| Creator: | Custine, Adam Philippe, comte de, 1740-1793 |
| Extent: | 0.01 linear feet (1 folder) |
| Abstract: | Adam Phillippe, comte de Custine (1740-1793) was the colonel of the Saintonge regiment, part of the French expeditionary force led by Comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), during the American Revolutionary War. In this document, written in French, Custine lists the various soldiers in his regiment and explains why they are deserving of payment, a pension, or promotion. |
| Language of materials: | French |
| Repository: | Redwood Library and Athenaeum |
| Collection number: | RLC.Ms.512 |
Scope & content
This collection consists of a letter of recommendation in French from Adam Philippe, comte de Custine dated October 12, 1782. Within this letter, Custine lists various soldiers in his Saintonge regiment and explains why they are deserving of payment, a pension, or promotion.Access Points
Geographical Names Subject Topics Document TypesArrangement
This collection is arranged in chronological order.
Biographical note
Adam Philippe, comte de Custine (1740-1793) was a French general who began his military career as a captain in the Seven Years’ War (1754-1763) in Europe. He later served again as a colonel for the Saintonge regiment which was selected by Comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), the general in charge of French troops during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), to participate in the French expeditionary force. Custine and his regiment arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, in August 1780, and remained there until June 21, 1781, when they began their march south towards Yorktown, Virginia. They arrived before the British fortifications at Yorktown in late September where Custine and his Saintonge regiment distinguished themselves, with the rest of Rochambeau’s French army, at the siege of Yorktown which ultimately brought an end to the Revolutionary War. Following the surrender of the British at Yorktown, Custine and his regiment returned to Rhode Island by November 1782, and sailed back to France in December.Custine’s experience during the American Revolution made him sympathetic to the ideals of the French Revolution, and in 1789 he was elected to the Estates General. When his term ended, Custine again joined the French Army in 1791 with the rank of lieutenant general and was involved in the War of the First Coalition (1792-1797), during which he occupied the German cities of Spires, Worms, Mainz, and Frankfurt in the fall of 1792. When Custine and his French revolutionary army were forced out of Frankfurt by the Prussian army in the winter and later when he did not take any offensive action against the Austrians in northern France, he was accused of treason. Custine was found guilty by the Revolutionary Tribunal, a court instituted in Paris for the trial of public offenders, for having intrigued with the enemies of the French Republic. Comte de Custine was sentenced to the guillotine and died on August 28, 1793.
Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
| Use of the materials: | This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
| Preferred citation: | Adam Philippe, comte de Custine letter of recommendation, RLC.Ms.512, Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
| Contact information: | Redwood Library and Athenaeum 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Acquisition: | Acquisition information is unknown. |
| Processing information: | This collection was initially processed by Leah Podolsky in 2009 and Aimee Saunders in 2010. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Author: | Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage. |
| Encoding: | Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage 2013 December 17 |
| Descriptive rules: | Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
| Sponsor: | Funding for processing and cataloging this collection was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation. |
Additional Information
Inventory
| Manuscripts Box 1 | Letter of recommendation |
1782 Oct 13 |