#Peter Stephen Du Ponceau

[livelaughlovelams]

IMPORTANT!!!!

TOMORROW, JUNE 3RD, IS THE BIRTHDAY OF PIERRE-ETIÉNNE/PETER-STEPHEN DU PONCEAU!!!!

DU PONCEAU WAS A FRENCH-AMERICAN LINGUIST AND LAWYER, AS WELL AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY!!! HE WAS THE FIRST MAJOR WESTERN LINGUIST TO STUDY ASIAN AND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES, AND EVEN COINED TWO MAJOR LINGUISTIC TERMS STILL USED TODAY!!! DU PONCEAU WAS ALSO HEAVILY SPECULATED TO HAVE BEEN BISEXUAL, AND TOMORROW IS BISEXUAL PRIDE DAY!!! EVERYONE TOLD HIM TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, BUT HE DIDNT, BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE WASNT WORTH REMEMBERING!!! LETS SHOW HIM THAT HE WAS!!!!

Reblog this to show pretty boy that he was so worth remembering.

[marsfingershurt]

"Steuben grew impatient and flew into a violent passion. After exhausting all his store of German oaths he called in that language to his servant to bring his pistols, which he did. Then the Baron, presenting the deadly weapons at the affrighted land-lord...."

ERM. STEUBEN?? NO???

i love Du Ponceau's autobiography lmao

[yr-obedt-cicero]

Platonic communal sleeping in the American colonies

Platonic bed-sharing was actually quite common custom in the colonies, especially during time's of need, after all, space and privacy were a luxury of the wealthy. It didn't necessarily have to be intimate either, it was not uncommon for sometimes even complete strangers - often travelers or soldiers - of the same sex to share a bed together at an Inn if there was little space, and needed room. Samuel Pepys, an 18th century diarist, often slept with male friends and wrote about the conversations they would have at night. [x]

Rotundo also explains that; “It is not too much to suggest that in an era before central heating, the body warmth of an already beloved bedmate may have been so welcome as to be a source of emotional as well as physical pleasure.” And implies that while it was most of the time done out of necessity, it was also oftentimes simply a warming act of affection, romantic or platonic; “This was, after all, a culture that fervently contrasted the secure and cozy warmth of home with the coldness of a cruel and heartless world outside… A bed, when shared with a special person, could become a nest of intimacy, a place of casual touch and confidential talk.” [x]

Additionally, during the days before central heating was truly a common thing (Especially if you weren't royal or wealthy), bedmates were also seen as warmth. Oftentimes servants even slept alongside their mistresses. This was also how many sicknesses would spread, as bedbugs and lice were transported from person to person in the colonial period usually when sharing bunks or close quarters.

Even notable figures took part in this custom, like Robert Troup and Alexander Hamilton, as Chernow writes how the two shared beds while studying law together at King's College; “At King's, Troup wrote, ‘...they occupied the same room and slept in the same bed’” [x]

Which also leads to a humourous story about when John Adams slept with Benjamin Franklin in a New Jersey tavern during the fall of 1776. Just ten days prior, Washington and his men had barely escaped capture on Long Island after a suffering defeat to the British. The Continental Congress had debated for days about what was to be done. The British had captured General John Sullivan during the Battle, Earl Howe and his brother William Howe paroled Sullivan so he could take a message to Congress, as they wanted a talk peace. Eventually, Sullivan went to Philadelphia and spoke to Congress about the peace talks, to which the Congress decided that they would send a three-man committee to Staten Island. Which was composed of; Benjamin Franklin, Edward Rutledge, and Adams. The men represented the northern, middle and southern colonies. The three had set out on September 9th, Franklin and Rutledge each in a two-wheeled chaise, Adams on horseback. Later, the three men arrived in New Brunswick, and unfortunately had found the Inns all too crowded. Which led to Franklin and Adams having to share a tiny room, barely bigger than the bed, without a chimney, in the Indian Queen Tavern. Which then began an interesting debate, as they prepared to retire;

The window was open, and I, who was an invalid and afraid of the air in the night, shut it close. “Oh!” says Franklin, “don't shut the window, we shall be suffocated.” I answered, I was afraid of the evening air. Dr. Franklin replied, “The air within this chamber will soon be, and indeed is now, worse than that without doors. Come, open the window and come to bed, and I will convince you. I believe you are not acquainted with my theory of colds.” Opening the window, and leaping into bed, I said I had read his letters to Dr. Cooper, in which he had advanced, that nobody ever got cold by going into a cold church or any other cold air, but the theory was so little consistent with my experience, that I thought it a paradox. However, I had so much curiosity to hear his reasons that I would run the risk of a cold. The Doctor then began a harangue upon air and cold, and respiration and perspiration, with which I was so much amused that I soon fell asleep, and left him and his philosophy together, but I believe they were equally sound and insensible within a few minutes after me, for the last words I heard were pronounced as if he was more than half asleep. I remember little of the lecture...

Source — The Works of John Adams, Volume 3, by John Adams

Especially during time of war, when the revolution was rough, and means were low. Or as some day; “These are the times that try men's souls”. If the army was running low on space, or even beds, many - if not most - men resorted to sharing the same bed. Although this particular custom was not as accepted by many European visitors who came to the colonies, this cultural difference was often completely condemned by them. Pierre Du Ponceau - an aide of Baron von Steuben's - wrote of a particular dispute between a Virginian and a Frenchman about the subject in his autobiography;

One evening at an Inn in Virginia, a Frenchman and a Virginian were discussing about the manners of their respective countries. The American exclaimed violently against the horrid custom of the French of kissing one another at meeting and parting. The Frenchman made no answer, but as it was late, he took his candle and went up to bed. He was soon followed by the Virginian who after undressing came to take his place in the same bed with his companion “Stop, Sir,” said the Frenchman, “that won't do—I shall kiss you as much as you please, but by Jupiter, I'll not sleep with you.”

Source — Autobiographical Letters Of Peter S. Duponceau

It seems like this custom was almost exclusively English/Colonial, as David Montagu Erskine wrote to his father in 1799 of the living arrangements he and his companions encountered among the transient inhabitants of Washington, DC;

Each of us have a bed room to ourselves, if we chuse, but people in this country seem to think so lightly of such an indispensable comfort as I consider it, that I believe there are but three of us, who have rooms to ourselves.

Source — Menk, Patricia Holbert. “D. M. Erskine: Letters from America, 1798-1799.” The William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 6.

Edward Thornton, secretary to the new British minister to the United States, wrote to his former employer in 1792;

Mr. Hammond's rank may possibly secure him from some of the inconveniences, which others, rendered fastidious by the style of travelling in England, are loud in their complaints of, such as [...] fellow lodgers in the same room and not infrequently in the same bed.

Source — Jackman, S. W. “A Young Englishman Reports on the New Nation: Edward Thornton to James Bland Burges, 1791-1793.” The William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 18

This custom was even common after the revolution and the war of 1812—As Lieutenant John Le Couteur, a British army officer from the Isle of Jersey, traveled through New York in 1816 accompanied by Captain George Thew Burke. Le Couteur and Burke arrived at an Inn one day after dinner had been served and cleared, and they were hard-pressed to convince the hostess to bring out more food, “But this was not the last grievance.” Le Couteur recorded in his diary and concluded;

There was only one spare bed, a small one, which of course I insisted Burke should take. The Yankee Landlord wished me to take half of it as a matter of course but I said: “we Britishers were particular on that pint.’ “Then,” said mine host, “I guess if you don’t chuse to take half a bed with some one, you’ll jist sleep in a cheer [chair] or by the kitchen fire’

Source — Male-Male Intimacy in Early America: Beyond Romantic Friendships, by William E Benemann

[screechingsandwichhologram]

everyone should talk about peter stephen du ponceau more. for my benefit. my two current interests (linguistics & american revolution) together. please

[livelaughlovelams]

ah fuck man can I have some of that uhmmm

*checks notes*

fried manumission abolitionist

fried bastard orphan

fried obnoxious and disliked congressman

fried baronussy wussy

fried crossdressing sailor

fried trans French diplomat

fried Philadelphia lawyer and certified twink

fried terrible queen

fried slave owning redhead

fried mini french aristocrat

fried VERY mini former president

fried tired commander-in-chief

fried fairly normal president

Aw cool, thanks dawg.

hey man i took your blorbo and scrambled him in a bowl. yeah he's on the pan now. yeag i added some seasoning. yeah im eating him now

[enlitment]

Top 5 underappreciated historical figures!

Thanks for the ask! This one was super fun, but also super difficult to answer. I've purposefully avoided mentioning the ladies of the French Revolution, since I have another question specifically about them lined up.

With that being said, in no particular order:

Fulvia

Anyone in the classics circle likely knows much more about her than I do, but I'm so glad I've discovered her through Tumblr! All of the things I've learned about her so far have been so interesting. It's incredible to see how much political (and military) power a Roman woman was able to yield despite living in a deeply patriarchal society.

(also, the part of me that loves drama really appreciates the story about her stabbing Cicero's tongue with hairpins after the proscriptions and Octavian's atrocious poem about her)

2. Émilie du Châtelet

Also hardly a surprise for anyone who's been following me for a while. Again, the fact that I've only relatively recently found out that there was a female mathematician and physicist in the fist half of the 18th century with such significant contributions to the field makes me almost feel as if I've been lied to.

She is special to me both because she was incredibly smart (she was able to understand Newton like few other people in her time and she spoke so many languages!) but there's also something about her writing that makes her feel deeply human and relatable. I've read some of her texts, and not only are they written in a beautiful prose but they're also incredibly moving. Her view on how to achieve happiness in life is one of the best I've ever came across, and her arguments for the education of women always make me feel so emotional...

...when she says that it was only after she realised that the circle of (male) French intellectuals accepted her among themselves and treated her as equal that she realised she too "might be a thinking creature"... I don't know, there's something about it that always gets to me.

Okay, time to introduce some male historical figures as well! This one is a residue from the time when I was really into the American Revolution.

3. Peter Stephen Du Ponceau

He was probably the only one in Baron von Steuben's original group that was able to speak decent English when they first arrived in the US to join the revolutionary war, which a) makes him quite important b) is kind of funny to think about.

But what I especially like about him is that he was a talented linguist who seemed to have genuine respect for other cultures, which let's face it, was quite rare in his times. While taking part in the American Revolutionary War, he recorded and studied the languages of Native American People. How cool is that?

(He was also potentially queer and I do have a soft spot for queer history)

Okay, guess should bring up someone interesting from Czech history as well. I fully confess that my own country's history is not necessarily my favourite area of study, but for her, I'll always make an exception:

4. Milena Jesenská

Probably most well known as Kafka's (kind of?) girlfriend/pen pal, but there is so much more to her story!

She was a writer and a journalist during the first half of the 20th century. She was really talented and soon made a reputation for herself, which let's face it, wasn't an easy thing to do for women in her time.

After Czechia became occupied by Nazi Germany, she joined the resistance movement and helped Jewish families to escape. She was later transported to a concentration camp, where she worked as a nurse and was said to have been "a moral support for other prisoners". She unfortunately died there when she was only 47. Still, what a life!

5. John Polidori

He's not necessarily my number one favourite person but I'd argue he is one of the most unappreciated figures. Vampires in fiction are massively popular but he rarely gets credited as one of its first authors. (Also the theory that Lord Ruthven, the charismatic, immoral aristocrat featured in The Vampyre is heavily based off on Lord Byron is not only entirely plausible but also quite funny).

Whenever I read something about the Geneva Squad, I always end up feeling kind of bad for him. As a foreigner, someone who was of a lower social status and - since he technically came along as Byron's personal physician - a paid employee, it just seems to me like he was never actually fully part of the group. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me, he felt kind of like a perpetual outsider. Lord Byron also got the credit for writing The Vampyre that should have gone to Polidori.

He was of course far from a perfect saint, with his drug and gambling addiction, but I still can't help but feel that he deserved better.

[saint-olga]

The Baron watched over me with a father's care. He well knew the dangers to which an inexperienced young man was exposed in this land of liberty, and took pains to guard me against them. "If," said he once to me, not long after our arrival in this country "if you write in the news-papers or get married I will renounce you." This fatherly advice made a strong impression on my mind, and was a salutary check to me on more than one occasion.

The Autobiography of Peter Stephen Du Ponceau

[dailyhistoryposts]

Friedrich von Steuben

September 17th, 1730 was the birthday of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (1730-1794), a Prussian military officer responsible for making the revolutionary American army successful. As close to an openly gay man as it was possible to be in the 18th century, he was entrusted with some of the most important military decisions in the nascent army.

[Friedrich von Steuben as a Major General of the United States Army]

Born in Magdeburg, Germany, von Steuben quickly became involved in military action. He served valiantly and was wounded multiple times, but quickly rose through the ranks of the Prussian Army. At the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 and related reduction of the army, von Steuben found himself out of work. He met Benjamin Franklin, overseas gathering support for the Continental Congress, but was disappointed to find he would be expected to volunteer rather than being given a rank, and he returned to Prussia.

In Prussia, he was confronted with allegations of homosexuality. Rather than attempt to fight them, he left for Paris and then America. He (and his military secretary, his aide-de-camp, and his dog) were immediately almost arrested because they were wearing red. Once that confusion was cleared up, von Steuben reported to Valley Forge in the midst of one of the lowest morale, most poorly supplied, most terribly sanitized, and least organized parts of the American Revolution.

Washington appointed von Steuben inspector general, where he proceeded to fix everything. His rules of organization and sanitation would be standard for more than a century and a half. He enforced strict record-keeping to prevent corruption and began training soldiers in advanced military techniques. He contributed to information acquisition and using bayonets as weapons. von Steuben was described by a soldier as "a perfect personification of Mars" (the Roman god of War) and essentially single-handedly turn the rebels into a competent fighting force.

von Steuben became a US citizen and settled on Manhattan with soldier and Senator William North, his lover. von Steuben never married and appeared to never take a female lover, though throughout his life he was likely involved with, along with North, his secretary Peter Stephen Du Ponceau and Benjamin Walker, both of whom he later formally adopted and made his heirs, so he could leave to them his estate after his passing.

[echo-bleu]

I’ve been reading and absolutely loving raven_aorla’s series Time Out of Mind and its spinoff Our Agency (Hamilton and 18th century history) so I drew one of the main couples, Pierre and Chev, loosely based on historical figures Peter Stephen du Ponceau and the Chevalier·e d’Éon.

Both series are wonderful, with a huge cast of great characters and strong, well-handled themes around mental health, neurodivergence and queerness, plus spies!

(ID under the cut)

[ID: Digital painting of two characters standing back to back, holding hands. On the left is Pierre, a young Vietnamese-French man with black glasses, black hair, a white t-shirt with a black ə and “be like the schwa, never stressed” written on, blue jeans and white sneakers. Part of a tattoo of the Vietnamese flag is visible on his wrist, as well as loom band bracelets in the colors of the pan flag and the Ravenclaw colors. On the right is Chev, a white nonbinary person with short dark blond hair with an undercut, a khaki shirt with a they/them badge on the pocket, a black pleated skirt and black healed ankle-length boots. Their wrist is bandaged and they wear several loom band bracelets in the colors of the rainbow, nonbinary and intersex flag, Slytherin colors and a blue, grey and white one.]

[amphibious-thing]

He concluded by recommending me to sleep in a stable and inhale the breath of cows, that, he said, had sometimes been effectual. I kept that letter long in my possession, but have unfortunately lost it. I perfectly well, however, remember its contents; they made too strong an impression on my mind to be forgotten.

The Autobiography of Peter Stephen Du Ponceau

Ok I completely forgot about the time a doctor thought Du Ponceau was dying of consumption and recommend he sleep in a stable and inhale the breath of cows. Du Ponceau lost all faith in this guy and “did not seek the company of cows, because there was other company that I liked better”.

[breelandwalker]

On September 26, 1777, Prussian military officer Baron Frederich Wilhelm von Steuben arrived in America with his French live-in secretary and interpreter, Peter Stephen Du Ponceau. Von Steuben had been summoned by Benjamin Franklin to train the Continental Army, at a time when the Prussian was being hounded in his homeland by rumors of his homosexuality, writes journalist Randy Shilts in Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military. After serving as a major general in the war, and as George Washington’s chief of staff, von Steuben did not marry but rather moved upstate with two young men whom he legally adopted as his heirs.

In his time in the military, von Steuben often passed through Williamsburg, Virginia. Today, the city would be unrecognizable to the general, except perhaps for the living-history museum known as Colonial Williamsburg. Recently, the museum formed a new committee dedicated to exploring the history of 18th-century residents who did not conform to gender or sexual norms—what would now be considered a queer history.

OP Note: And yes, the committee is also looking into LGBTQ POC and indigenous folks who may have lived in the area as well. The program has already gotten some heat from some people [read: assholes] in the area, but the administration is not backing down. The response thus far has basically been, "Queer people have always existed and it's our duty to present that information if we find it, so...get over it."

[livelaughlovelams]

Message for amrev/hist. Lams Tumblr!

Let's talk about Du Ponceau portrayal. Du Ponceau isn't girly, he's soft. Du Ponceau isn't a pushover, he's kind. Du Ponceau isn't semi-bilingual, he's fluent in around 10-12 languages, and learned English as a small child, pursuing it since, even being mocked for it in school. Du Ponceau isn't a goddamn plaything. If you want to portray him as Von Steuben's partner, do it, but don't forget that homosexuality was fully illegal in the 18th century, even if they were around safer people at Valley Forge. Du Ponceau isn't stupid, he's curious. Du Ponceau isn't a throwaway filler character with zero trauma and no real life, he's one of the most complicated historical figures in the fandom, I'd say. It feels weird to call real people a fandom, but please take this into consideration.

[marsfingershurt]

"One day, on board of the ship, he asked me the following strange question. "Why," said he "are you called Duponceau and not Duponcy it seems to me to sound much better? " I lost no time in answering him: "And you, Sir, why are you called Francy and not Franceau {franc sot, in English a downright fool)?" He stood abashed, affected to laugh, and never again tried his wit upon me."

LMAO

[yr-obedt-cicero]

“The party stopped for a meal at one such inn in the village of Manheim. Nailed to a wall inside the tavern was a “paltry engraving… on which was represented a Prussian knocking down a Frenchman in great style,” accompanied by the inscription “A Frenchman to a Prussian is no more than a mosquito.” Steuben noticed it and “enjoyed it exceedingly”; he grabbed [Peter Stephen] Duponceau and pointed it out excitedly to the teenage secretary, flashing him a sly and knowing smile.”

— The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army, by Paul D. Lockhart

[screechingsandwichhologram]

YAAAAYYYYYY WE HAVE A PICTURE OF WHAT PETER STEPHEN DU PONCEAU LOOKED LIKE !!!!!!

[historybizarre]

On September 26, 1777, Prussian military officer Baron Frederich Wilhelm von Steuben arrived in America with his French live-in secretary and interpreter, Peter Stephen Du Ponceau. Von Steuben had been summoned by Benjamin Franklin to train the Continental Army, at a time when the Prussian was being hounded in his homeland by rumors of his homosexuality, writes journalist Randy Shilts in Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military. After serving as a major general in the war, and as George Washington’s chief of staff, von Steuben did not marry but rather moved upstate with two young men whom he legally adopted as his heirs.

In his time in the military, von Steuben often passed through Williamsburg, Virginia. Today, the city would be unrecognizable to the general, except perhaps for the living-history museum known as Colonial Williamsburg. Recently, the museum formed a new committee dedicated to exploring the history of 18th-century residents who did not conform to gender or sexual norms—what would now be considered a queer history.