Rochambeau, Comte de, << row shahn BOH, kawnt duh >> (1725-1807), a French general, came to America in 1780 with French troops to serve under General George Washington in the American Revolution (1775-1783). In 1781, he helped plan the Battle of Yorktown and the defeat of Lord Cornwallis.
Rochambeau was born on July 1, 1725, in Vendome, the younger son of a French noble. His full name was Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur. In 1742, he began a long and distinguished career as a soldier. Rochambeau’s bravery and skill in the War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years’ War won him steady advancement. As inspector general of the army, Rochambeau made important military reforms later used successfully during the French Revolution and by Napoleon.
On his return from America in 1783, Rochambeau was appointed governor of Picardy and Artois. He served in the French Revolution, and was promoted to Marshal of France in 1791. He resigned after suffering defeats early in a war that France had begun fighting against Austria and Prussia in 1792. Imprisoned during the Reign of Terror, Rochambeau narrowly escaped being executed. Napoleon later restored his rank. Rochambeau died on May 10, 1807.
