User:Kbenha44/Emmanuel de Pliarne

Emmanuel de Pliarne, dead in 1776, is a french merchant, he is one of the early Frenchmen engaged in the United States War of Independence.

He’s settled in Nantes as merchants. As early as 1775, we find in the American record that two French “officers”, Pierre Penet and De Pliarne, were recommended by Governor Cook, from Providence, to General Washington, to hear the suggestion that they had in favour of the cause of Independence. Nevertheless, neither Pierre Penet, nor Emmanuel de Pliarne were officers ; and de Pliarne is found anywhere else than in this American adventure. Was it an alias, commonplace at the period during which the secrecy outweighed anything else?

These two men coming from France via the Cap Français (Saint-Domingue) were received in December by the Congress, which agreed to their request regarding the provision of powder, weapons and various ammunition.

Falsely claiming to be French undercover agents for the Government, they were in negotiations with the secret committee, of which Benjamin Franklin is a member, and offers to supply powders and weapons to the American(1776).

The secret agreement was signed and enforced, at least partially, because, in a letter submitted from Paris, on 10 June 1776, by the physician Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg to Benjamin Franklin, he says that he received news from M.Penet, arrived from Philadelphia, and that a shipment of 15 000 rifles of royal manufactures which had been supplied to him under the name “La Tuilerie”, arms manufacturer, will go from Nantes with Penet himself.

He died “unintentionally” in a drowning accident in the Potomac River in 1776. Some say that he was intentionally drowned and a premeditated murder.