Thomas Conway (February 27, 1735 – March 1795) was an Irish-born army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of French India from 1787 to 1789. Over the course of his military career, he served in the French Royal Army, Continental Army and British Army and fought in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. During the American Revolutionary War, Conway was involved with the alleged Conway Cabal with Horatio Gates, resulting in his dismissal from the Continental Army.[1]
Thomas Conway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 27, 1735 County Kerry, Ireland |
| Died | March, 1795 (aged 59–60) Bath, Somerset |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | France United States |
| Years of service | 1749-1777 (France) 1777-1778 (United States) 1778-1789 (France) |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | French Army Continental Army |
| Commands | Inspector General of the Continental Army Gouverneur Général de l'Inde française |
| Battles / wars | |
| Spouse(s) | Francoise Antoinette Jeanne Florimonde Langlois du Bouchet Conway |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editThomas Conway was born in County Kerry, Ireland to James Conway and his wife Julieanne Conway.[2] Though born to a Catholic family, it is unclear how closely he adhered to the faith.[3][4] As a child, he immigrated to France with his parents. At the age of 14, he joined the French Royal Army's Irish Brigade and rose to the rank of colonel by 1772.[5]
Arrival in America
editFollowing the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War he went to the Thirteen Colonies and volunteered to join to the Continental Congress for military service in 1777. Based on an introduction from Silas Deane, Congress appointed him as a brigadier general in the Continental Army on May 13, and sent him on to George Washington.
Conway commanded the leading brigade on the American right flank at the Battle of Germantown, and was praised for his actions. However, Washington opposed his promotion to major general, believing that many American-born officers with longer and valuable service deserved the rank; this caused a falling out between Washington and Conway. Congress appointed Conway a major general despite Washington's objections in December 1777, and made him Inspector General of the American army.
Conway Cabal
editWhen his name was used politically, it was used to describe the infighting known as the Conway Cabal. During the affair, he had written a letter to Horatio Gates in which he referred to Washington as a "weak general," criticizing General Washington's failed tactics against British General William Howe.[6] The letter stated: "Heaven has been determined to save your country; or a weak general [George Washington] and bad counselors would have ruined it."[7] The letter was intercepted by Washington and his backers after its delivery was botched by Brigadier-General James Wilkinson, and brought before the Congress for inquiry. When the contents of the letter were made public, Conway lost his command as a result. He tried a ploy that had worked before his promotion, and submitted his resignation to Congress in March 1778. This time it was accepted, so he was forced to leave the Continental Army. John Cadwalader shot him in a duel on July 4, 1778.[8] When he recovered, he wrote an apology to Washington and returned to France.
There is also a slightly different version of these happenings:
He was challenged to a duel by Washington's friend, Gen. Cadwallader, who proceeded to fire a bullet through Conway's mouth. Regarding Conway lying on the ground in agony, Gen. Cadwallader observed: "I have stopped the damned rascal's lying tongue at any rate." Conway, believing himself dying, wrote one more letter. This time to Washington, asking forgiveness for his villainies and declaring the chief to be a "great and good man." Then he "conditionally" resigned his commission as an officer in the American army. Congress accepted the resignation, unconditionally. However, Conway survived and proceeded to return back to France.[9]
Later life
editConway later returned to the French army, where in 1787 he was promoted to maréchal de camp and appointed as the governor of French India. In 1793 he fought with royalist forces in opposition to French Revolution in southern France. During the French Revolution he was condemned to death. He was saved only by an appeal to the British (against which he had fought in the American Revolutionary War), but was compelled to flee from France for his life.[9]
Having been aided by the British government, in 1794 Conway was named colonel of one of the six regiments of the British Army's Catholic Irish Brigade, formed by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger. Although people in positions of authority remained impressed with his military accomplishments, he continued to suffer from ill health. He visited Bath, Somerset on several occasions in the hopes of improving his health; the Bath Chronicle recorded his arrival for the final time on February 12, 1795.[10] He died soon after and was interred in Bath Abbey on March 3; the exact location of his memorial is unknown due to major renovations conducted in the 1860s.[1]
Conway was survived by his wife, Francois Antoinette Langlois du Bouchet who was created the Contesse de Conway, whom he married on June 1, 1775 and had a daughter the following year, on July 12, 1776, named Caroline. The Countess lived until 1828 and as a widow of a British Army colonel she continued to receive a government pension.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "General Thomas Conway: Cabal Conspirator or Career Climber?". 29 October 2018.
- ^ "James Conway (Count Conway) Biography". FamilySearch. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Conway of "The Cabal" and Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Concerning Washington". The American Catholic Historical Researches. 22. M.I.J. Griffin: 8–9. 1905. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Axelrod, Alan (1999). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Revolution. Penguin. p. 236. ISBN 9780028633794. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Fredriksen, John C. (2006). Revolutionary War Almanac. Infobase Publishing. p. 769. ISBN 9780816074686.
- ^ Buescher, John and Ron Martin. "Dissent in the Ranks." Teachinghistory.org. Accessed 30 June 2011.
- ^ Nathaniel Philbrick, "Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the Fate of the American Revolution," (New York: Penguin Books, 2016), p. 180
- ^ "John Thaxter to Abigail Adams". Founders Online. National Archives. 6 July 1778.
In the morning of the same day a duel was fought between Major Genl. Conway and Brigr. Cadwallader of Pennsylvania, the former of whom received a wound—the ball entered his Cheek and coming out under his Ear lodged in his hair. He is like to recover. There are so many reports respecting the origin of it that I cannot determine absolutely what did occasion it.
- ^ a b The Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) Jun 27, 1912
- ^ "Bath, Wednesday Feb. 11". The Bath Chronicle. Bath, Somerset, England. February 12, 1795. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.