Duc de Lauzun letter to Vicomte d'Arrot, 1781 March 4

Discusses exchanging British prisoners of war currently on transport ships; the replacement of M. le Prince de Montbary by M. de Segur as Minister of War; and the handling of correspondence.

[English Translation]

It is no longer thought, Sir, to place the English prisoners at Lebanon, they prefer to stay on board the transport ships until they will be exchanges. I believe it is not necessary that yo have towards Col. Williams, nor [towards] Governor Trumball the air of having communicated to me his response, but that you only said that in the fear that he does not find himself employment at the fight, M. le Comte de Rochambeau resolved to keep them in Newport.

You must have received the letters which came to you at my address.

We learn from Paris of 20 October that M. le Prince de Montbary is no longer Minister of War, [and] that M. de Segur, the one-armed Lieut. Gen. has his position.¹

[illegible] I ask you as a favor very very covetous of the hazards of correspondence, to only let pass by the chain the letters from Gen. Washington, or from M. le Chev. de la Luzern, [and] to await for all others which could be addressed to me an occasion inorder to forward them to me [with] those coming from France. I pray of you to seal all countersigned letters from Washington to my address, and to then pass them to me on the first occasion, you will judge if they are sufficiently important in order to send them to me by the chain. Have the goodness to take great caution to forsee that these packages [which] come will deliver themselves with great rapidity.

Are you willing to send me Lavel with his horse, and tell him to come join me in Newport without tiring his horse. When I will know the time of my return, I will have the honor to inform you of it. I have that to be with the most sincere, and the most inviolable attachement, Sir, your most humble and most obedient servant.

[Envelope]

To Sir Monsieur le Vicomte d'Arrot Colonel Commanding the Foreign Volunteers of Lauzun to Lebanon

1. Lieutenant General de Segur was wounded in 1760 in Corsica.

Ink on paper