Love and Patriotism

This lively biography concerns the early careers of two European officers - one French, one Polish - who went on to serve with distinction in George Washington's secessionist Continental Army.


Count Casimir Pulaski and Louis Duportail both received acclaim for their service to the secessionists who would go on to found the United States of America. Fame and renown greeted the heroism and passion these men brought to the cause of George Washington and the colonists seeking freedom from the rule of Britain. That European soldiers admired the effort to the point of enlisting merited appreciative celebration and interest in their lives.


It is likely that the events related in this text are at least partly fictionalized; whether Duportail and Pulaski had associated with one another as young officers is unknown. While Pulaski became a famous commander in Poland during the early 1770s - and later a national hero - Couvray's account is certainly romanticizes his exploits. However, we receive a unique impression of a commander passionate and idealistic, yet competent in his soldierly duties.


Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvray was a French author and journalist who wrote on a variety of political topics. Living amidst the tumult of the French Revolution, he had no shortage of material with which to turn his focus. His education and immense interest in politics led him to take up a position as a diplomat; many of his works were expansive and internationally focused.