Rochambeau: Washington’s Ideal Lieutenant by Jini Jones Vail (review)

instilling the essential values of good citizenship in their families. Such is the case in the chapters on Félicité de Genlis, Olympe de Gouges, or Condorcet. In “Rereading Rousseau’s Émile,” however, it is more challenging “to show that Rousseau constructs a civic identity for women and that he conceives of the intimate sphere as an important location for civic formation” (27). Smart must admit that “while Sophie is not certainly the most robust female character in Émile, it would be a mistake to reduce Rousseau’s views on women to Sophie” (52). Readers interested in discovering lesser-known aspects of eighteenth-century literature will welcome the discussion of Sébastien Mercier’s L’an 2440, a utopian novel that “envisions the home of the future as the site of both private subjectivity and civic values” (62). To reinforce her thesis, she examines the visual arts, where ample evidence of positive portrayal of Républicaines is found in two major sources: Lesueur’s “gouaches révolutionnaires” and the “Grand Concours de l’An II” (177). Ordinary women are shown to engage in patriotic actions, and to share the revolutionary space with men. Moving beyond literary text and visual art, Smart extends her focus to post-revolutionary theater, especially during Year II of the Republic with the development of “new, albeit eminently forgettable genres such as ‘faits historiques,’ ‘faits patriotiques,’ and ‘impromptus républicains’” (210). Among hundreds of short plays, she selects three depicting women as strong characters, where the domestic space appears as an extension of the revolutionary public space, and where the “neat division of genres, space, and civic duty” (207) is somewhat blurred. Citoyennes will inspire readers to reconsider their views of eighteenth-century women and citizenship, and will promote research in lesserknown , yet more intriguing facets of that period. Auburn University (AL) Samia I. Spencer VAIL, JINI JONES. Rochambeau: Washington’s Ideal Lieutenant. Tarentum, PA: Word Association, 2011. ISBN 978-1-59571-602-6. Pp. 381. $25. Worthy of more than a paragraph in American history, Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur de Rochambeau gets his due in Vail’s biography of the hero of Yorktown . Vail traces the general’s life, but devotes the major portion of her book to 1780–83. These four years cover Rochambeau’s departure from Brest, with 5,500 troops and command of a 42-ship convoy, to Newport, RI, his correspondence and meetings with George Washington, the siege and victorious battle of Yorktown , and his return to France. Describing Rochambeau as “Washington’s Ideal Lieutenant,” Vail frames the French commander’s role in the Expédition particuli ère as intentionally deferent to Washington. Her portrait of the experienced, reflective French general is reinforced by attributions that emerged during his youth and early military career: “honest, patient [...] brave, noble, focused, dependable , self-effacing, wise, loyal to his king and family; a warrior beloved by his men” (xxi). Resurging during the American campaign, these characteristics provide the linchpin in the war’s final outcome. Whereas Rochambeau appears already formed when he arrives in America, Washington and other major players mature, influenced by the veteran soldier of several European campaigns. Through Rochambeau’s perseverance and persuasion, as well as evolving circumstances, Washington is induced to abandon the vengeful campaign to retake New York and instead march to Virginia to defeat Cornwallis. From decisions and actions of 1282 FRENCH REVIEW 86.6 major actors, like Washington, Lafayette, and De Grasse, in this bellicose theater, Vail teases out their personality markers as examples of strengths and weaknesses . Against these traits, she juxtaposes those of Rochambeau to show how the latter could work with or in spite of their attributes to achieve an advantageous outcome. Adding socio-cultural details to a familiar war story, Vail makes the tale more compelling. She contrasts the American army’s inadequate food rations, threadbare clothing, and worthless Continental money with the favorable conditions of the French army, which had impeccable uniforms and hard currency. Into the military campaign, Vail weaves anecdotes, like the balls for French soldiers and American high society, and after Yorktown, the imprisonment of British soldiers while the British officers dined with their former enemies. As each...