Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie
| Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Colonel Armand |
| Born |
April 13, 1751 Fougères |
| Died | January 30, 1793 (aged 41) Near Lamballe |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of France United States of America Breton Association
|
| Service/branch | Cavalry and infantry |
| Years of service | 1777–1793 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands held |
Pulaski's Legion, Armand's Legion, Head of the Breton Association |
| Battles/wars |
American war of independence (Monmouth, Brandywine, Yorktown) Chouannerie |
| Awards |
Ordre de Saint-Louis Society of the Cincinnati |
Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie (April 1751 – January 1793), also known in the United States as "Colonel Armand", was a French cavalry officer who served under the American flag during the American War of Independence. He was promoted to brigadier general after the Battle of Yorktown. He is also known as one of the early leaders of the Breton Association (the Chouannerie) during the French Revolution.
Destined for a military career from his earliest years, his impetuous temperament soon brought him to public attention. He spent a stormy, riotous and rebellious youth, in and around the French royal court, serving as an officer in the gardes françaises. Infatuated with an actress (Mademoiselle Fleury born 1766), he was thwarted in his intention of marrying her and met his rival, the count of Bourbon-Busset, in a duel. He thus fell into disgrace with the king and, ejected from the gardes, took poison and went to la Trappe to die. However, his friends met him there and prevented his suicide. His family then made him return to Fougères, though he did not remain there long.
At the end of 1776, he embarked at Nantes to join the Americans in their fight for independence. The Morris, the ship in which he crossed the Atlantic, was attacked by 3 British ships on its arrival. It was sunk in Chesapeake Bay (Delaware), but La Rouërie succeeding in getting to the shore, albeit completely naked and with only 3 surviving servants.
Under the orders of George Washington, he became colonel Armand and recruited volunteers, paid from his own pocket. Pulaski's Legion, initially named after its commander, was renamed the 1st Partisan Corps (or Armand's Partisan Corps or Armand's Legion) after Pulaski's death at the end of 1779. Made up of infantry and cavalry, this corps of foreign volunteers fluctuated between 3 and 5 companies strong.
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