The Rise and Fall of America’s First Diplomat, Silas Deane

Silas Deane’s Fatal Betrayal by British Spy Secretary

Silas Deane went to France in 1776 as America’s first spy-diplomat on a secret mission.

He got there broke when his money lost value, yet still scored French guns that helped win at Saratoga. Soon after, he signed key treaties with France but got called home on shady money charges.

Back in America, Deane couldn’t fight back since his records sat in Paris. Later, his letters bashing the Revolution got leaked, and folks called him a traitor.

Then in 1789, he died fast after breakfast on a ship, with many thinking his secretary, a British spy, had slipped him poison.

The Silas Deane House in Connecticut tells this wild tale of America’s forgotten diplomat.

Congress Picks an Unlikely Spy for a Secret French Mission

On March 2, 1776, Congress picked Connecticut merchant Silas Deane for a secret job as America’s first undercover diplomat.

They wanted him to get France to help the rebelling colonies with military supplies for 25,000 troops. Deane was a strange choice.

He never had any diplomatic training, couldn’t speak French, and hadn’t traveled beyond Philadelphia. Congress told him to act like a merchant buying goods while getting French support.

The Awkward Moment When Your Money Becomes Worthless

Silas Deane arrived in Paris on July 6, 1776, not knowing Congress had just declared independence back home.

His money troubles started fast when he found out his 200,000 Continental dollars lost 90% of their value.

Because mail took so long, Deane didn’t learn about the Declaration of Independence until November 16, over four months later.

Despite these problems, he got a two-hour meeting with French Foreign Minister Vergennes on July 17.

A Fake Company Smuggles Weapons to American Rebels

French Foreign Minister Vergennes wanted to help the Americans without starting a war with Britain. His solution?

Create a fake business called “Roderigue Hortalez and Company” to secretly ship weapons across the Atlantic.

Deane often used his own money to make deals. He got a million French livres in credit and arranged weapons for 30,000 American troops.

By March 1777, he sent the Continental Army over 1,000 barrels of gunpowder, 52 cannon, and 12,000 muskets.

Franklin Shows Up and Changes Everything

On December 4, 1776, Deane got a big surprise.

Benjamin Franklin arrived in France with news that Congress named Deane, Franklin, and Arthur Lee as America’s official representatives to France.

The three men formed a commission to get a formal alliance with France. Deane and Franklin worked well together, making Lee jealous.

None of them knew their secretary, Edward Bancroft, worked for the British and sent everything back to London.

The Weapons That Helped Win the Revolution

The military supplies Deane sent to America helped the Patriots win at Saratoga in October 1777. He shipped arms worth more than 6 million livres to the Continental Army.

Deane also brought several foreign military officers to join the American cause, including the Marquis de Lafayette, Baron Johann de Kalb, Thomas Conway, Casimir Pulaski, and Baron von Steuben.

Many of these officers caused more problems than help, and Congress blamed Deane for bringing them.

Success in Paris, Trouble Brewing at Home

The American diplomats won big on February 6, 1778, when they signed the Treaties of Commerce and Alliance with France.

This deal got crucial French support for the revolution.

But Deane’s success didn’t last. On March 4, 1778, he got a letter from James Lovell with bad news: Congress called him back based on claims from Arthur Lee.

Despite the recall order from December 8, 1777, Deane stayed in Paris to sign the treaties. King Louis XVI gave Deane a diamond-framed portrait as a goodbye gift.

No Books, No Defense: Deane Faces Accusations

Deane arrived in Philadelphia on July 14, 1778, and walked into a mess. He couldn’t get paid back for the money he spent buying supplies for the American cause.

Congress even accused him of money wrongdoing, but Deane couldn’t defend himself because he left his account books in Paris.

While waiting to speak to Congress, Deane stayed with Benedict Arnold, the new military governor of Philadelphia. Congress offered Deane $10,000 in nearly worthless Continental currency, but he refused it.

A Public Fight Turns Into an International Mess

The charges against Deane started a bitter public fight. Thomas Paine, who worked for Congress, wrote essays accusing Deane of profiteering.

John Jay defended him before Congress, and Deane published his defense in the Pennsylvania Packet on December 5, 1778.

But Paine went too far, revealing that France secretly supported the American colonies since 1776. This mistake angered the French ambassador so much that Congress fired Paine for leaking sensitive information.

Private Letters Turn a Diplomat Into a Traitor

Deane went back to Europe as a private citizen, hoping to get back the money he spent supplying the American army.

By 1781, with the British controlling South Carolina and New York, Deane lost faith in America. He wrote letters to friends suggesting America should make up with Britain.

Edward Bancroft stole these private letters and sent them to London, then to New York, where they were printed in October 1781 just as French and American forces beat Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Deane became known as a traitor and stayed broke in Europe until 1789.

A Spy’s Poison and Justice 52 Years Too Late

Historian Julian Boyd shared a shocking theory in 1959. He suggested that Edward Bancroft might have poisoned Deane to keep him quiet.

Bancroft had worked with poisons like curare back in 1763 and took care of Deane during his illness in early 1789.

Boyd thought Bancroft feared Deane would expose his double-agent activities once back in America. The truth died with both men, but Congress finally did right by Deane’s family in 1841.

They paid his granddaughter $37,000 for the money owed to him, admitting the previous audit was “a gross injustice to Silas Deane.”

Visiting Silas Deane House, Connecticut

The Silas Deane House at 211 Main Street in Wethersfield tells the story of America’s first diplomat who secured French aid in 1776 but later faced scandal and mysterious death.

Tours run at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm Tuesday-Saturday, plus 1pm and 3pm Sunday from May-October.

Admission costs $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, $6 for kids 5-12. Your ticket includes all three historic houses, gardens, and exhibition galleries.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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