Memorial Of The Heirs Of Silas Deane

Excerpt from Memorial of the Heirs of Silas Deane: Formerly Political and Commercial Agent in Europe; And One of the Ambassadors of the United States in France in the Revolutionary War It will be perceived, by the very terms of this contract, that it was in the contemplation of all the parties to the same, that one of the contract ors should, personally, superintend in Europe the execution of its pro visions, so vitally important to the public interests. The Hon. Silas Deane, one of the contractors, and who was also at the same time, a member of the Congress, and who, as may be seen by a reference to the numerous letters and other documents, which accompany this memorial, enjoyed, in a very high degree, the confidence and esteem both of the Congress and the Committee of Secrecy, was selected as the agent of the parties, to superintend the execution of the contract in Europe; and he, thereby, became solely entitled to a clear commission of five per cent. On the original cost of all his remittances from Europe. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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Silas Deane was the victim of one of the most vicious character assassination conspiracies ever carried out in the Revolutionary War era. Even after almost two and a half centuries, he remains in the eyes of many modern historians, "worse than Arnold," his boyhood friend. This is very wrong. Because Deane was such a capable individual in his endeavors very early in the war, he became the political target of envious others with quite different abilities and philosophies. Even so, his political strength kept growing and in 1776 Congress appointed him America's first secret agent to secure military supplies from France for Washington's army. This biography is written on the man himself and on the malicious and largely successful lies and intrigues by his rivals. The work does not downplay the contributions of his contemporaries, especially those of his close friend throughout, Benjamin Franklin, but shows exactly where specific credit should be placed. A lot of credit for the new nation's success belongs to him.

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"... a well-written and thoroughly researched biography of a 'forgotten Frenchman' ... Schaeper wades masterfully through the conflicting evidence and interpretations and produces an admirable synthesis of recent scholarship on the French-American alliance ... also presents excellent background on the many aspects of the prewar French economy ..." - William and Mary Quarterly This is the first detailed study account of the life and career of Chaumont whose chief claim to fame was the fact that from 1777 to 1785 Benjamin Franklin livedin his home in the Parisian suburb of Passy. Basing his work on documents from two dozen archives in the United States and France, Schaeper demonstrates that Chaumont was far more than merely a landlord. Prior to the American Revolution he had become one of the most powerful and respected businessmen of the Old Regime. For personal as well as patriotic reasons he aided the American insurgents and worked with a wide array of persons. In addition to Franklin, these included John Adams, Silas Deane, Caron de Beaumarchais, the marquis de Lafayette and the comte de Vergennes. Chaumont performed an astounding range of services - acting as intermediary, an adviser, and a supplier of arms and clothing. His most dramatic contribution to the American cause involved John Paul Jones. It was Chaumont who obtained the famous Bonhomme Richard for the commodore. Through looking at the activities of this intriguing individual the author is able to offer many new insights into both American and French history. Lively and well written this biography will appeal to both the historian and the general reader. Thomas J. Schaeper, Professor of History at St. Bonaventure University and a member of the board of French Historical Studies. His previous books include The Economy of France in the Second Half of the Reign of Louis XIV (1980) and John Paul Jones and the Battle of Flamborough Head: A Reconsideration (1989).