Literatura científica selecionada sobre o tema "Chastellux, François-Jean de (1734-1788)"

Abstract: With the exception of the renowned Marquis de Lafayette and, to a lesser extent, General Rochambeau and Admiral de Grasse, French soldiers and officers have historically received little attention in the literary of the American War for Independence. This is due to a number of factors, including restricted or closed access to private archival collections in France. This essay will demonstrate that it is possible, under certain conditions, to study personal, unpublished source material of "forgotten" French officers who participated in the American Revolutionary War, thereby providing new opportunities for research into early American history. To demonstrate the historical significance of such materials, this paper will concentrate on the (mainly) unpublished papers of François-Jean de Chastellux (1734-1788), an influential major general who served directly under Rochambeau. The Chastellux family has preserved his private papers for more than 240 years in their Château de Chastellux. This article details the contents of this private archive as well as the history of its creation and preservation. Additionally, the existence of Chastellux's archive raises questions about the possible existence of similar unpublished French archival collections, which may also offer new perspectives on the American Revolutionary War. Furthermore, in the contemporary digital era, families that choose to preserve their records in private archives may now make them digitally accessible to the academic community. This introduces new circumstances and opportunities for the access and translation of previously inaccessible information.

Cette thèse biographique étudie le rôle du chevalier puis marquis François-Jean de Chastellux dans la diffusion transatlantique des idées et des pratiques des Lumières entre son départ pour l’Amérique en 1780 et sa mort en 1788. Dans notre recherche la phase antérieure à la « période atlantique » de Chastellux est incluse, pour permettre de mieux saisir les origines de ses échanges. Pour l’analyse de son rôle, nous avons emprunté des outils d’analyse de la théorie des transferts culturels. Pour cette étude nous nous sommes principalement basés sur ses archives privées inédites. Dans celle-ci nous montrons que Chastellux est un exemple de soldat-philosophe du dix-huitième siècle. Par sa famille maternelle, il était, dès son plus jeune âge, familier avec la mouvance des Lumières. Il a appliqué certaines idées sur l’égalité et le bonheur au sein de son régiment pendant et après la guerre de Sept Ans. En parallèle, il évoluait comme un « homme de lettres », membre de l’Académie française, qui s’était donné comme mission de diffuser le plus de « lumières » possible dans son réseau composé de la haute aristocratie, l’armée et de la République des Lettres. En 1780, pendant « l’expédition particulière » en Amérique, Chasttellux était le major général de l’armée franco-américaine dans la guerre d’Indépendance américaine. En tant que soldat-philosophe, il était à même de remplir cette mission également outre-Atlantique. Après la guerre, alors qu’il est rentré à Paris, Chastellux, maintenant marquis, est resté en contact avec des américains. Chastellux servait ainsi d’intermédiaire entre la France et l’Amérique jusqu’à sa mort soudaine en 1788
This dissertation studies the role of François-Jean de Chastellux in the spread of enlightened ideas and practices in the Atlantic world between 1780 and 1788, his departure from France to America until his death. Our research covers much of his life before this "Atlantic period", to examine the origins of his transatlantic exchanges. As a result, we have written a biography of Chastellux and made use of tools of the theory of cultural transfers. We have had access to the private, unpublished, archive of Chastellux, which contains over 4000 folios. Based on this material, we are able to demonstrate that he was an example of a soldier-philosopher. Because of his family background, he became familiar with Enlightenment thinking. Thereafter, when entering the French army, he applied several Enlightenment ideas within his own regiment during and after the Seven Years War, and thus represented the "Military Enlightenment". In parallel, he evolved into a man of letters and was elected to the Académie Française. He conceived his mission in life as the duty to disseminate enlightened ideas and practices throughout his network, composed of members of the French court, the army and philosophers. In 1780, during the American War of Independence, he served as a major general. As a soldier-philosopher, he was in a position to accomplish his mission in America. After the war, back in Paris, the now marquis Chastellux stayed in touch with Americans. By his correspondence and publications Chastellux played a role as a bridge between France and America, until he died, in 1788