Louis Lebègue Duportail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of War | |
| In office 25 May 1791 – 7 December 1791 | |
| Monarch | Louis XVI |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Louis de Narbonne-Lara |
| Secretary of State for War | |
| In office 16 November 1790 – 25 May 1791 | |
| Monarch | Louis XVI |
| Preceded by | Jean-Frédéric de la Tour du Pin-Gouvernet |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Chief Engineer of theContinental Army | |
| In office 22 July 1777 – 10 October 1783 | |
| Preceded by | Col.Rufus Putnam |
| Succeeded by | Lieut. Col.Stephen Rochefontaine (as Commandant of theCorps of Artillerists and Engineers) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1743-05-14)14 May 1743 Pithiviers, France |
| Died | 12 August 1802(1802-08-12) (aged 59) |
| Occupation |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France United States |
| Branch | French Army Continental Army |
| Years of service | 1765–1790 |
| Rank |  Major-General |
| Wars | American Revolutionary War |
Louis Antoine Jean Le Bègue de Presle Duportail[1][a] (French:[lwiləbɛɡdəpʁɛldypɔʁtaj]; 14 May 1743 – 12 August 1802) was a French military leader who served as a volunteer and theChief Engineer of theContinental Army during theAmerican Revolutionary War. He also served as the lastSecretary of State for War and firstMinister of War during the beginning of theFrench Revolution.
Louis Lebègue Duportail was born in 1743 atPithiviers,France. He graduated from the royal engineer school atMézières in 1765.
Promoted tolieutenant colonel in the Royal Corps of Engineers, Duportail was secretly sent to America in March 1777 to serve inWashington'sContinental Army under an agreement betweenBenjamin Franklin and the government of KingLouis XVI of France. He was appointed colonel and chief engineer of the Continental Army, July 1777; brigadier general, November 17, 1777; commander,Corps of Engineers, May 1779; and major general, November 16, 1781.
Duportail helped Washington evolve the primarily defensive military strategy that wore down the British Army,[citation needed] and participated in fortifications planning fromBoston, Massachusetts toCharleston, South Carolina, where he was captured following the surrender of the city in May 1780. Subsequently exchanged, he also directed the construction ofsiege works at theBattle of Yorktown, site of the decisive Franco-American victory of theRevolutionary War. During the encampment atValley Forge in late 1777 and early 1778, his headquarters was atCressbrook Farm.[2]
Returning to France in October 1783, Duportail became an infantry officer and in 1788 a Maréchal-de-Camp (brigadier general). He served as France'sminister of war from November 16, 1790, through December 7, 1791, during the beginning of theFrench Revolution and promoted military reforms. Forced into hiding by radicalJacobins, he escaped to America and bought a farm nearValley Forge, Pennsylvania. He lived there until 1802, when he died at sea while attempting to return to France.
This article containspublic domain text from"Major General Louis Lebègue Duportail".Portraits and Profiles Chief Engineer - 1775 to Present. Retrieved27 March 2016.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Minister of War May – December 1791 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by ColonelRufus Putnam | Chief Engineer of theContinental Army 1777 – 1783 | Succeeded by Lieutenant ColonelStephen Rochefontaine as Commandant of theCorps of Artillerists and Engineers |
