38. RELIEVING THE FRENCH AT NEWPORT -JOSEPH CUSHING (1732-1791) Massachusetts militia officer present at Bemis Heights. Fine content war date A.L.S., 2pp. legal folio, Hanover, June 27, 1781 ordering a regiment to be raised from the Plymouth County militia to protect Newport to replace French troops under Rochambeau marching west to join Washington for what would soon be the Yorktown campaign! The letter, addressed to Col. Nelson: "Commander of the fourth Regt. in the County of Plymouth" reads in small part: "...You are Required Immediately to Detach from said Regiment One Sergeant, one Corporal & fourteen Privates with other Detachments from the other Regiments in Sd. County are for formed into one Company...You are further required to March ...the Detachments...immediately to Rhode Island there to serve under the Command of Brigr. General De Choisy or such other Officer as may command at that post on the Term of Three Months from the time of their Arrival in Camp..." Four thousand French troops, under the command of Rochambeau left Newport on June 9, arriving in Providence several days later. On the 18th they began marching to the West, meeting with Washington's forces at the end of the month to attempt a joint attack on New York. That plan proved to be a complete failure. On August 14, Washington would learn of a French fleet en route to Chesapeake Bay and quickly altered the plan and began marching south to Yorktown. De Choisy himself would later arrive with the siege artillery. Moderate soiling, partial fold splits and marginal chips, otherwise, stain at margin, just good. $500-700