Philippe Charles Jean Baptiste Tronson du Coudray (September 8, 1738 – September 11, 1777) was a French army officer who volunteered for service in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Early life

Born in

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, du Coudray entered the French military and trained as an artillery specialist.Meehan, Thomas. "Phillippe-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Tronson Du Coudray." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 19 September 2021 Well connected to the French court (he once tutored the future

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

on military affairs), du Coudray was a leading proponent of the

Gribeauval system The Gribeauval system (French: ''système Gribeauval'') was an artillery system introduced by Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval during the 18th century. This system revolutionized French cannons, with a new production system ...

of artillery in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

American Revolution

By 1775, du Coudray had risen to the rank of ''

chef de brigade Chef de brigade was a military rank in the French Royal Artillery and in the revolutionary French armies. Before the revolution ''Chef de brigade'' was equivalent to major in the French Royal Corps of Artillery. Each regiment of artillery was div ...

'', with a posting as an adjutant general. He was a leading figure in the French artillery, having written treatises on subjects such as gunpowder and metallurgy as it applied to the artillery. In 1776 the American diplomat

Silas Deane Silas Deane (September 23, 1789) was an American merchant, politician, and diplomat, and a supporter of American independence. Deane served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Continental Association, and then became the ...

came to France to recruit skilled military talent, particularly engineers, for the colonial cause. Impressed by du Coudray, whom he described as the "first engineer" of the French military establishment, Deane agreed to hire du Coudray into the

with the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and command of the Continental Army's artillery and engineering corps.Walker, p. 8 Du Coudray was to recruit engineers in France, and deliver 200 French cannons to the American forces. The methods by which du Coudray went about recruiting alarmed the French court, which wanted to maintain secrecy in its dealings with the Americans, and du Coudray was ordered to stay in France. He ignored the order, and slipped out of France, arriving in North America in May 1777. Deane in fact exceeded his authority in extending the offer to du Coudray, but the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

felt obliged to honor it, and he was commissioned with the offered rank. A number of American generals were outraged that high ranks were awarded to foreigners, and the Continental Army's artillery chief,

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

, was particularly incensed that du Coudray would outrank him. To placate Knox (who threatened to resign over the matter), and to resolve conflicts of command and personality issues between du Coudray and another French engineer,

Louis Lebègue Duportail Louis Antoine Jean Le Bègue de Presle Duportail (; 14 May 1743 – 12 August 1802) was a French military leader who served as a volunteer and the Chief Engineer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He also served as ...

, du Coudray was not assigned to a command position, and was instead appointed as " Inspector General of Ordnance and Military Manufactories" in August 1777. Du Coudray was somewhat unpopular because of the circumstances surrounding his commissioning, although they were not directly of his making. His superior attitude and aristocratic demeanor did nothing to improve relations with others. He was at first assigned to survey the defenses around Philadelphia and recommend improvements. His initial report on the matter suggested developing Red Bank (the site of

Fort Mercer Fort Mercer was a earthen fort on the Delaware River on its New Jersey shore constructed by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Built by Polish engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko under the command of George Washington, Fort Me ...

), and recommended significant changes to

Fort Billingsport Fort Billingsport (Fort Billings in some sources), at Billingsport in Paulsboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States, was an American Revolutionary War fort on the Delaware River. The site of the fort is now a public park of the same n ...

, while completely dismissing

Fort Mifflin Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island (or Deep Water Island) on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International A ...

. General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

took an active role in the distribution of the defenses, and chose

as the primary point of defense in opposition to du Coudray's suggestion. Du Coudray in a politically astute maneuver backed down from his assessment, and was given the assignment of working at Fort Mifflin. He continued to lobby Congress on the matter, however, with the result that improvements to all of the forts was slow.

Death

On September 11, 1777, he was riding across a pontoon bridge across the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It fl ...

when his horse suddenly became alarmed, leaping into the river. Du Coudray, caught in spurs and entanglements, drowned. His funeral, held at St. Mary's Church in Philadelphia, was attended by many Congressional representatives. He was buried in the church yard, but the exact grave location is unknown.

References

Sources

*Alder, Ken. ''Engineering the Revolution: Arms and Enlightenment in France, 1763-1815''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. *Purcell, L. Edward. ''Who Was Who in the American Revolution''. New York: Facts on File, 1993. . *Walker, Paul. ''Engineers of Independence''. Honolulu: The Minerva Group, 2002. . *Woodward, William. ''Lafayette''. Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., 1938. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tronson du Coudray, Philippe Charles 1738 births 1777 deaths American Revolutionary War deaths Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania Continental Army generals Deaths by drowning in the United States Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States French Army officers French duellists French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War French military personnel of the Seven Years' War Inspectors General of the United States Army People of colonial Pennsylvania Military personnel from Reims