"The Revolutionary War's most Enigmatic Naval Captain" Topic

…. PIERRE LANDAIS

"One American Revolutionary War naval captain, Pierre Landais, appeared paranoid and somewhat deranged. Landais was a French merchantman lieutenant who trafficked arms to America for entrepreneur Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais.[1] Beaumarchais created a fictitious trading enterprise called Hortalez et Cie that channeled French arms to the Americans via colonial West Indian entrepôrts.[2] Once there, the arms were sold to American agents. When Landais left the smuggling trade, he became an honorary citizen of Massachusetts and subsequently, on June 18, 1778, was given command of the American warship Alliance,named to honor America's new alliance with France.He and his ship were assigned to an American squadron under the hot-blooded John Paul Jones whose initial impression of Landais was that he was "a sensible and well-informed man."

John Adams, who had been a commissioner in France, spent a good deal of time in Landais's company. Adams found him to be an enigma; frustrated in his ambitions, disappointed in love, unable to win the affection of his officers or hold their respect, and consumed by jealousy. An entry in Adam's diary for May 12, 1779 noted that Landais "is jealous of every Thing. Jealous of every Body . . . he knows not how to treat his officers, nor his passengers, nor any Body else. . . . There is in this man an Inactivity and an Indecisiveness that will ruin him. He is bewildered . . . an embarrassed Mind." Adams found Landais a mystified man, constantly talking about imaginary plots against him. Adams visited the Allianceand "had the pleasure to restore this ship to peace and harmony," but predicted that when he left, "all [officers and crew] will become unhappy again." He further predicted, "Landais will never accomplish any great thing. . . . This man . . . has a littleness in his mien and air. His face is small and sharp so that you form a mean opinion of him from the first sign…."
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Amicalement
Armand

This was very interesting. Thanks!

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I think that I must have worked for that guy's great-great-great-great grandson. I "deserted" and worked on a different ship.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand