From — Le Franq
ALS: American Philosophical Society
<Montreuil-sur-Mer, December 30, 1777, in French: It would
be glorious for me if my son, Antoine-Maximilien-César, should
distinguish himself in the American service. The young man
of twenty-one left Martinique last February for New England
as second in command of an American ship, and wrote me
from Baltimore in May that he had accepted a second lieutenancy
in a galley with a French captain; but he did not tell me
the name of the ship or the man. I have heard nothing since,
and the long silence worries me; I should suffer less from
knowing that he had done his duty and lost his life than I do
from this uncertainty. I ask your protection for him, and a
recommendation to Congress. He is honorable, a well trained
seaman, and eager to make a name for himself. May all things
combine to bring you the due reward for your rare and sublime
virtues!>
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