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Celebrating French Heritage With Conversations about Charles Gravier

Tuesday January 6, 2009

By Cookie Steponaitis

    Like many men who lived in the age of revolution, Charles Gravier’s life was one of sharp contrasts: “…tranquility and chaos, respect and humiliation, triumph and failure.”  Born in Dijon, France on December 28th 1719, Gravier became a seasoned diplomat and staunch supporter of the American Revolution. His financial support and advocacy for the colonies’ during the Revolutionary War earned him a place in history and established a link to the Champlain Valley. At the bequest of Ethan Allen, the “Little City” bears his name reflecting one of Charles Gravier’s many other titles, the Count de Vergennes. While the Count never set foot in Addison County and nor saw his namesake, the link between the man, the colonial rebellion and this area is a story critical to the American Revolution. Based on the work of historian Orville T. Murphy, retired Bixby Librarian Lois Noonan, and several other Vergennes residents, both cited and anonymous, it is possible to know about the man for which Vergennes was named.

    Gravier was born into a family with strong diplomatic records of service. He entered into the diplomatic venue under the tutelage of his uncle Chasigny in Lisbon, Portugal. Gravier quickly became the ambassador to Constantinople and then to Sweden, where he was involved in the Revolution of 1772. When Louis VXI became king of France, he appointed Gravier to the position of Foreign Minister which he held from 1776-1783. His career was marked by a style of diplomacy that noted his calm demeanor and yet also documented his hatred of England and all of its policies.

    While the Count’s involvement in the American Revolution is but one chapter in a career that spanned continents and three revolutions, it was crucial to the success of the American cause. At this time, there was no factory in the colonies capable of mass production of muskets or cannons, and supplies of gunpowder were dwindling. In 1777, his correspondence with the colonies confirmed the French’s willingness to make not only a defensive, but an offensive alliance as well. Vergennes was convinced not only about the issue of human rights that the colonists were fighting for, but also believed that the forces of revolution sweeping America demonstrated that, “ …the Americans will be neither discouraged nor subjugated and that the moment was decisive…America has learned to know its strength.”  

    While the Counte de Vergennes would present differing positions regarding the amount and type of support needed for the American rebellion, he at no time stepped back from his thoughts supporting the time for change in America. He worked diligently to keep the peace on the European continent and played a sophisticated chess game with French funds and support as the American Revolution began and advanced. In letters to Ben Franklin and others Vergennes openly repeated an optimistic tone for military success in the struggle. He also followed with correspondence stating his anguish about the early defeats of the Army of the Potomac.

     While historians still debate who made the decision to openly intervene on the behalf of the colonists, none can debate that French aid came at a turning point in the revolution. Vergennes himself attributes credit to the French king and wrote in a letter to the ambassador of Spain, “The supreme decision was made by the King.” The king however did note in his own memos that it was the passion and persuasion of the facts presented by Vergennes that moved him to openly intervene. Under the cover of a fictitious firm, France poured supplies into the colonies that included clothing for 20,000 soldiers, 3,000 muskets, 100 tons of gun powder, medicine, surgical instruments and large sums of money. He also delved into his own holdings and supplied the colonies with cargoes totaling most of his own personal fortune. In 1778 he wrote to the Congress, “My money and my credit are gone. Relying on returns so often promised I have exhausted my own funds and those of my friends.

     With an eye always to the future and the ability to sense change in the European political world, Vergennes always looked out for France’s interests in treaties and agreements with the new struggling nation. In addition to advising the French king on matters involving Russia, India, England and more, Vergennes was present and vocal at treaty negotiations involving fishing rights and trade agreements between the two powers.

     While history records in most text books the important roles of the Marquis de Lafayette and others, Vergennes’s impact is mostly overlooked.

    If we could sit down today with this French diplomat, what would we be able to learn from conversations with him? He was highly respected by the French king and in addition to supporting the American cause, helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. He was a devoted Catholic and a strong family man. He worked incessantly to keep a stable balance of power in Europe, while promoting the French cause. His diplomatic skills had few equals, but he did suffer many tragedies and defeats in his work. As a catalyst for change, he was one of America’s earliest supporters and most productive advocates. His proximity to the ear of the French king secured many of the funds, troops and connections that were provided at pivotal moments in the development of America. He died on February 13, 1787 at the court of Versailles and was buried in his home city. At his passing the French King Louis remarked, “I have lost the only friend on whom I could count, the only minister who never deceived me.”

    History also shows that the naming of the city in Addison County in honor of Gravier was led by Ethan Allen who wrote in a letter to the French Consul, “I would propose that the town to be laid out on the first falls of Otter Creek by called the town of Vergennes. This is in honor of Count de Vergennes, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.”4 The link was honored between the two nations and it is seen in the correspondence of 1917 Vergennes Mayor Bristol who documents the connection with photographs, signed correspondence and pictures of the Count’s home. Later research by now retired Bixby Librarian Lois Noonan documented the coat of arms of the Count and other personal facts. All of the resources available locally tell of a French diplomat who used power, persuasion and even bribery to secure for a struggling American rebellion the tools necessary to survive until open French support could arrive. As the Champlain Valley enters 2009 and begins the Quadra centennial celebration of the discovery of Lake Champlain, recognition and celebration of the role of Charles Gravier must not escape our notice. He was a diplomat and the Count de Vergennes and his role in the creation of our nation and in the naming of our town is largely overlooked and highly under rated.

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