Clément Gosselin
Encyclopedia
Clément Gosselin was a French Canadian
soldier who served in Moses Hazen
's 2nd Canadian Regiment
of the Continental Army
during the American Revolutionary War
. He recruited other French Canadians, assisted in American operations during and after the Battle of Quebec
, and, following the American retreat from Quebec in 1776, continued to serve in Hazen's regiment. Included in that service were spy missions to the province of Quebec.
east of the city of Quebec
. At the time of the British invasion of 1759
Gosselin was twelve years old.
, Pennsylvania to guard prisoners captured at Yorktown. In 1783 he was discharged and given a Major's pension. He was also given a land grant at Chazy
, near Lake Champlain in New York state.
He was with General von Steuben
in Newburg, New York, to receive his membership in The Society of the Cincinnati
.
series Canada: A People's History
as one of a number of French-Canadians who not only sympathized with the American cause, but was willing to fight for them against the British.
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
soldier who served in Moses Hazen
Moses Hazen
Moses Hazen was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rangers. His service included particularly brutal raids during the Expulsion of the Acadians and...
's 2nd Canadian Regiment
2nd Canadian Regiment
The 2nd Canadian Regiment, also known as Congress' Own or Hazen's Regiment, was authorized on January 20, 1776, and raised in the province of Quebec for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Moses Hazen. All or part of the regiment saw action at the Staten Island,...
of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He recruited other French Canadians, assisted in American operations during and after the Battle of Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1775)
The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
, and, following the American retreat from Quebec in 1776, continued to serve in Hazen's regiment. Included in that service were spy missions to the province of Quebec.
Early life
Clément Gosselin was born in 1747. He was the youngest of a large family living in Saint-Famille, on the eastern side of Île d'OrléansÎle d'Orléans
Île d'Orléans is located in the Saint Lawrence River about east of downtown Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The island was one of the first parts of the province to be colonized by the French, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace ancestry to early residents of the island...
east of the city of Quebec
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. At the time of the British invasion of 1759
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
Gosselin was twelve years old.
American Revolutionary War
- Gosselin participated in the American attack on Quebec CityBattle of Quebec (1775)The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
on December 31, 1775, probably serving in James LivingstonJames Livingston (American Revolution)Colonel James Livingston was born in the French province of Canada to New York-born parents. He was living in Quebec when the American Revolutionary War broke out...
's 1st Canadian Regiment1st Canadian RegimentThe 1st Canadian Regiment, was raised by James Livingston to support Colonial efforts in the American Revolutionary War during the invasion of Quebec...
. - In March 1776 Gosselin joined Moses HazenMoses HazenMoses Hazen was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rangers. His service included particularly brutal raids during the Expulsion of the Acadians and...
's 2nd Canadian Regiment2nd Canadian RegimentThe 2nd Canadian Regiment, also known as Congress' Own or Hazen's Regiment, was authorized on January 20, 1776, and raised in the province of Quebec for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Moses Hazen. All or part of the regiment saw action at the Staten Island,...
as a Captain. - He took part in the Battle of Saint-PierreBattle of Saint-PierreThe Battle of Saint-Pierre was a military confrontation on March 25, 1776, near the Quebec village of Saint-Pierre, south of Quebec City. This confrontation, which occurred during the Continental Army's siege of Quebec following its defeat at the Battle of Quebec, was between forces that were both...
on March 25, 1776, when 150 pro-American Canadians and 80 Americans defeated 150 pro-British Canadians recruited by Liénard de Beaujeu. - When the Continental Army retreated from Quebec in May 1776, Gosselin went into hiding in Canada, not reappearing until August 1777, 15 months later.
- He was taken prisoner by the British in October 1777 and released eight months later in June 1778.
- In May 1778, he rejoined Hazen's regiment with his father-in-law, Germain Dionne, and his older brother, Louis Gosselin.
- On November 28, 1778, Gosselin, following a spy mission to Quebec, sent a report on the state of the British force in Canada to Washington.
- In April 1779, he went with Moses HazenMoses HazenMoses Hazen was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rangers. His service included particularly brutal raids during the Expulsion of the Acadians and...
to build a proposed invasion route from the "Coos Country" of northern New Hampshire (then part of the disputed New Hampshire GrantsNew Hampshire GrantsThe New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 , were made on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also...
, which eventually became the state of VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
) into Canada. Known as the Bayley-Hazen Military Road, it was never completed. - In 1780, his regiment was sent to Albany to guard the frontier from Iroquois attack.
- In June 1781, he was in FishkillFishkill (town), New YorkFishkill is an affluent suburban town in the southwest part of Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 20,258 at the 2000 census, however, current estimates put the town's population at over 22,100. Fishkill partly surrounds the city of Beacon....
east of the Hudson river, just below West Point. There his regiment received orders to proceed to YorktownSiege of YorktownThe Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
in the south. - On October 4, 1781, he was severely wounded in the leg during the Siege of YorktownSiege of YorktownThe Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, due to wood splinters sent flying by a cannon ball.
After the war
In January of 1782 Clément was stationed in LancasterLancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, Pennsylvania to guard prisoners captured at Yorktown. In 1783 he was discharged and given a Major's pension. He was also given a land grant at Chazy
Chazy River
Chazy River is the name of two tributaries of Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York in the United States.The more northerly river is the Great Chazy River, which empties into Lake Champlain at King Bay in the Town of Champlain....
, near Lake Champlain in New York state.
He was with General von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben , also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
in Newburg, New York, to receive his membership in The Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
.
Media
Gosselin was featured in the CBC TelevisionCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
series Canada: A People's History
Canada: A People's History
Canada: A People's History is a 17-episode, 32-hour documentary television series on the history of Canada. It first aired on CBC Television from October 2000 to November 2001. The production was an unusually large project for the national network, especially during budget cutbacks. The unexpected...
as one of a number of French-Canadians who not only sympathized with the American cause, but was willing to fight for them against the British.
External links
- Major Clément Gosselin at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Biography from the Gosselin Family Web site
- Biography from Henri Gosselin, related to Clément
- The Washington Letters, containing letters from Gosselin
- Clément Gosselin home on Lake Champlain after the war
- Canadian TV Series speaking about him