Joint Duportail and La Radière L.S., Boston, 28 Oct. 1785 : to [William Heath, Boston]|William Heath L.S. to Ebenezer Hancock

Joint Duportail and La Radière L.S., Boston, 28 Oct. 1785 : to [William Heath, Boston]|William Heath L.S. to Ebenezer Hancock

William Heath A.L.S., Boston, 28 October 1778 : to Ebenezer Hancock, Deputy Pay-master General to the forces of the United States of America, [s.l.]|General Heath's warrant

Boston 1778

2 items ; 32 cm. (fol.)

MSS L1989.1.149 M

Copies on one leaf in the hand of Seth Loring, secretary to William Heath; the first from Duportail and La Radière to Heath; the other from Heath to Hancock regarding pay to the two French officers.|"The business on which we came to this place ... having required our stay much longer than we expected, and our money not being sufficient to answer the necessary expences, ... we are under the necessity of requesting your honor to advance us five hundred dollars ...."|On verso: "Pay Brig. Genl Duportail & Col Laradier [i.e. Bailleul La Radière), engineers, five hundred dollars, of which you will give them a certificate to account for the same with His Excellency General Washington or the pay master general ... for which this shall be your sufficient warrant."|On July 8, 1777, it was resolved "That the treaty made by the Commissioners in France on the 13th day of February last, be confirmed as far as it respects the chevalier du Portail, monsieur de la Radiere, and monsieur du Gouvion; the first to be a colonel, the second a lieutenant-colonel, and the third a major of engineers." These officers were from the Royal Corps of Engineers in the French army, who with other educated, military engineers had been drawn to this country by the war. -- H. L. Abbot. Corps of Engineers, section 112|Bottom portion detached. Docketed on one side: Gen.l Heath's warrant in favor of Brig. Gen.l Duporteil & Col. La Radière for 500 Doll.s Oct 28 1778. On opposite side: receipt singed Duportail, brigadier general / chief engineer of the United States and La Radière, Colonel / of Enginering|Dupaortail and La Radière were two of the four officers from the French corps of engineers who, under terms of an agreement between B. Franklin, S. Deane and the four, arrived in the United States in June, 1777. La Radière was later promoted to Col. -- see Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War series, vol. 10, p. 389, note.|Heath and Duportail were original members of the Society of the Cincinnati, Massachusetts and France, respectively.

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