Jean Baptiste Joseph, chevalier de Laumoy facts for kids
Jean Baptiste Joseph, chevalier de Laumoy (1750–1832) was a French Army engineer. He fought in two major conflicts: the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
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Early Life and Military Start
Jean Baptiste Joseph de Laumoy was the son of a French army captain. He began his military training at a French engineering school in 1760. This was a special school for people who wanted to design and build military structures.
In 1777, Laumoy was sent to America to help the American forces fighting for independence. On November 17, he became a Colonel in the engineering army. He then joined George Washington's winter camp at Valley Forge. French engineers like de Laumoy, Louis de la Radiere, and Louis Lebègue Duportail were very important. They shared their knowledge about building forts and how to attack them, which was called siege warfare.
Fighting in America
On February 8, 1779, Laumoy was sent to the southern part of America. He advised General Benjamin Lincoln during the Siege of Charleston. Laumoy told Lincoln that the city's defenses were not strong enough, so they should surrender.
Because of this, Laumoy was captured when Charleston fell on May 12, 1780. He was held as a prisoner until November 26, 1782, when he was traded for another prisoner. On September 30, 1783, he was given the honorary rank of Brigadier General. The next month, he left the army with honor.
Return to France and Later Career
Laumoy returned to France in December 1783. On July 4, 1784, he received the Order of Saint Louis. This was a special award that his father had also received.
On July 1, 1785, Laumoy became a high-ranking assistant in the military at Saint-Domingue. Later, he came back to France and became a Mestre de camp (a military rank like a colonel) on December 2, 1787. For a few months in 1788, he worked on the army's main staff.
On February 14, 1789, he was second-in-command in Martinique. While there, he helped put down a rebellion on the island. Because he was one of the officials, Laumoy had to return to France in May 1790.
Final Years
For a while, Laumoy held several staff jobs in the French Revolutionary Army. However, he had to escape in August 1792 with Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, whose staff he served on. Laumoy was caught by Austrian soldiers in Rochefort, Belgium.
After being released, he lived away from his home country in Holland. But when Napoleon invaded The Netherlands, Laumoy escaped to America. He lived in Philadelphia until he was allowed to return to France. He came back in the summer of 1801. Laumoy retired from the military in 1810 and passed away on January 19, 1832.
