ARP190 French Arrive in America

American Revolution Podcast

Michael Troy

History, Education

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 February 2021

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In July 1778, the first French fleet sails into Delaware Bay. It drops off the new French Minister, Conrad Alexandre Gerard, as well as returning diplomat Silas Deane. Congress receives the French delegation in the newly recaptured capital of Philadelphia. Admiral d'Estaing sails to New York Harbor to confront the British Navy. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic. Book Recommendation of the Week: The Minister from France: Conrad-Alexandre Gerard, 1729-1790, by Ruth Strong Hudson. Online Recommendation of the Week: France and the American Revolution, by James Breck Perkins: https://archive.org/details/franceinamerica00perk Follow the podcast on Twitter @AmRevPodcast Join the Facebook group, or follow the Facebook Page for American Revolution Podcast. American Revolution Podcast mail list: https://mailchi.mp/d3445a9cd244/american-revolution-podcast-by-michael-troy Support this podcast on Patreon or via PayPal. Find more books at https://bookshop.org/shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.
0:19.2	Today episode 190, the French arrived in America. Weeks after the British evacuated Philadelphia, the French
0:28.2	fleet arrived in Delaware Bay. On July 6th, 1778, Charles Henry, Hector, the Comte de Estang, dropped anchor of his flagship, the Languede
0:41.3	D'Langudoc. The massive ship was armed with 90 cannons and had a crew of
0:46.3	over 900 sailors. Passengers aboard the ship included Conrad Alexandra Gerard, the new French minister to America, as well as the returning
0:57.8	American minister, Silas Dean.
1:01.6	Following Dean's recall, the French government had offered Dean accommodation with the French fleet.
1:06.7	Congress had demanded Dean return to Philadelphia to answer questions about suspicious
1:12.4	financial transactions, mostly lies propagated by fellow
1:16.7	Commissioner Arthur Lee.
1:19.3	French Minister Virgin hoped that Dean's return to America aboard the massive military French vessel, along
1:26.5	with a fleet at the side of the new French minister to America, would underscore just how well the French government thought of Dean's diplomatic
1:36.4	work and that it would help to impress members of Congress.
1:41.5	Upon arrival, though, the French commander, Dostang, received word that the British fleet had
1:47.0	evacuated to New York. The British ships in New York Harbor were inferior to his fleet of 17 massive ships of war
1:55.8	armed with over 1,000 cannons and supported by nearly 10,000 sailors.
2:02.0	Rather than allowing Dean and Gerard to make an impressive entry into
2:06.0	Philadelphia aboard the French fleet, the Astang dropped off his passengers at the shore in
2:12.2	Delaware Bay and then set sail for New York to do battle.
2:17.5	Dean and Gerard had to make their way to Philadelphia aboard far less impressive local transport ships.
2:25.0	Despite the quiet entry, the arrival of the first foreign ambassador in the newly recaptured seat of Congress was cause for celebration. The new French minister, Conrad
2:37.1	Alexandra Gerard de Ravenal, was a lifelong diplomat. He did not come from nobility. He was the eldest son of the
	...

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