The Eighth Tribe, 1976 (3. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1976-07-01 / 7. szám
June, 1976 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page 5 Lauzun’s Foreign Legion left Brest, France on the ship “Provence” and arrived in Newport, Rhode Island on July 13, 1780. It consisted of six hundred men which included a squadron of Lancers and one hundred and forty Hussars, composed mostly of Hungarians. Their commanding officers were Major John Polereczky and Lieutenant Francis Benyowsky. The Legion was ordered to Lebanon, Connecticut, where it was stationed during the winter months. To the local inhabitants in Lebanon, the Hussars were quite a colorful unit of horsemen in their blue, yellow and scarlet uniforms, wearing high leather hoots and fur hats called Shakos (csákó). They also wore elaborately braided capes, which were often slung over the left shoulder and served in battle to protect the left arm which controlled the horse. The Hussars were a welcome sight on the otherwise drab New England landscape and the Yankee maidens in Lebanon were dazzled by their appearance. On March 5, 1781, General George Washington rode to Lebanon, where he personally inspected the Foreign Legion. He was very impressed with the well disciplined cavalry unit. The following summer the Duc de Lauzun and the Comte de Rochambeau received orders to join Washington and his troops on the Hudson. Lauzun was about to meet with Rochambeau, when it was decided that his Foreign Legion should follow a more southerly course across Connecticut to New York, but parallel to Rochambeau and his army. Lauzun was to take the route closer to the Sound, so that in the event of an attack by the British coming ashore from tlie Connecticut coast, his Hussars with their fast horses would be a front line of defense. During the war the Hussars, when not fighting, were always watching over the safety of the French army, either by clearing tHe roads or protecting the right and left sides of the infantry or guarding the rear. According to instructions, Lauzun and his troops were to reach their destination within seven days. This meant that they would make six stops on their route through Connecticut, where the men would rest and camp overnight. The Foreign Legion started out along the route mapped out for them to travel. The going was rough for the roads in Connecticut were quite bad. However, the hospitality and goodwill of the people toward the Foreign Legion made up for the poor road conditions. In every town that the troops marched through, the inhabitants opened their storehouses and provided food for the soldiers, horses and animals; and lodging in private homes for the officers. When the Foreign Legion crossed the Housatonic River, on June 30, 1781, they made a stop and camped overnight in New Stratford (Monroe today) which was in Fairfield County. The journey had been long and the New England summer heat hard on the men. They arrived tired and thirsty, but the Foreign troops were forbidden to drink the local water until it was diluted with rum. This was a precautionary measure taken to prevent illness from dysentery or typhoid fever, which was so prevalent in the American army. In the evening, after resting and eating a good hearty meal prepared by the townspeople of New Stratford, the soldiers were ready to take part in the festivities arranged for them on the Town Green. The Foreign military band provided the music and, when the dancing began, the Hussars in their colorful uniforms captivated the hearts of the ladies. The officers were put up in private homes that night, while the main body of men camped in a nearby meadow, before leaving the next day on their march toward New York and later Virginia, where the famous Yorktown battle was fought ending the Revolutionary war. Major John Polereczky and Lieutenant Francis Benyowsky were Hungarian officers in Lauzun’s Foreign Legion. Major Polereczky, whose grandfather Major Matthias Polereczky had lost his life in the Hungarian uprising led by Prince Francis Rákóczi II, settled in Dresden, Maine following the war and retired in 1828 after having served as the Town Clerk for fifteen years. Lieutenant Benyowsky, descendant of a noble family, was later taken prisoner while fighting against the British, but he escaped. He died in America following the war in 1789. ☆ ☆ Metvs In Brief: Shoes Made In Hungary Exported To U.S. The Hungarian shoe industry signed a contract with the Katy Industries, Inc., to export over 2 million pairs of shoes to the United States. American experts in the shoe industry will install new machinery made in the United States and will train workers to operate the machinery for production.
