In their description of life in America for the officers in Rochambeau’s expeditionary corps, Schwerin’s letters make it painfully clear how hard it was for a lieutenant to live up to the requirements of rank and status. Like so many of his comrades, he felt he was being fleeced by locals, both in New England and in Virginia. Schwerin found it hard to have to pay his allies for food and forage, when that really ‘was your due in times of war.’ The American colonies were not poor–his experiences in Philadelphia proved that beyond any doubt. To dine in the magnificent and splendidly furnished house of former servants in Philadelphia, to be shown a chest full of Louis d’Or at 24 livres each, must have been a humbling experience for Schwerin.

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For an officer without funds, life was boring and entertainments were few and far between: learning English during winter encampment in Newport, hunting while in Virginia. Schwerin was anxious to get back home, to rise slowly through the ranks. Peace in Europe, paradoxical as that might sound, was better for his career than service in wartime America–and cheaper as well.

This article was written by Robert A. Selig and originally published in the February 2003 issue of Military History magazine.

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