Charles Armand autograph letter signed ("C Armand: Mqs. de la Rouarie"). One page, 7" x 9.25", Philadelphia; March 27, 1783. To [George Washington]. The jubilant and newly-minted Brigadier General Armand writes to thank General Washington for the promotion. "Permit me to give your Excellency my most respectful thanks for this new proof of your good wishes towards me & to assure you that nothing would afford me more satisfaction than to spend the whole time of my military life under your Command." Charles Armand Tuffin, Marquis de la Rouarie (1750-1793), was a French cavalry officer who accepted a commission as colonel in the Continental Army on March 10, 1777. He took command of Pulaski's Legion after General Casimir Pulaski's death in 1779. It was duly renamed Armand's Partisans Corps and consisted of an assortment of foreign cavalry and infantry soldiers. Armand wintered at Valley Forge and saw action at the battles of Short Hills, Monmouth, Brandywine, Whitemarsh, and Yorktown. He was appointed a brigadier general on March 26, 1783, and wrote this letter of thanks to General Washington the very next day. It reads, in full: "I have been this instant honored with the Commission of brigadier and I am sensible that to you alone I am indebted for my promotion. Permit me to give your Excellency my most respectful thanks for this new proof of your good wishes towards me & to assure you that nothing would afford me more satisfaction than to spend the whole time of my military life under your Command. I have the honor to be with the highest respect sir, your Excellency's the most obdt. hbl. Servant" Signed, "C. Armand: Mqis. De la Rouarie." He left the army in November 1783 and returned to France, although Armand continued to correspond with Washington until shortly before the former's death in 1793. During the French Revolution, Armand, somewhat ironically, took the side of the royalists after the Third Estate checked the authority of the Breton nobility. He began to travel the countryside to rally support for a potential uprising but contracted a fever in early 1793 before much headway was made. He died on January 29, just after receiving news of King Louis XVI's execution. This French general and close friend of Washington's has been largely overlooked historically, especially when compared with the auspicious Marquis de Lafayette. His autograph material is uncommon amongst foreign officers who served in the American Revolution, and the content found here makes this letter truly exceptional. Condition: 1.25" and .75" closed tears to folds along right edge. Minor scattered foxing. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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