itUBSON
ROCHE
ROBSON, Stuart, actor, was born in Annapo-
lis, Md., March 4, 1836. On Jan. 5, 1853, he made
his first appearance on the stage at the Baltimore
Museum, Md. , as one of a mob of boys in John E.
Owen's "A Glance at New York." Having de-
cided to make comedy his forte, he filled several
desultory engagements, and subsequently ap-
peared in various southern and western cities,
playing at Laura Keene's theatre, 1863-63; at the
Arch Street theatre. Philadelphia, Pa., with Mrs.
John Drew, 1863-66, and at Selwyn's theatre, Bos-
ton, Mass., 1868-70. His first pronounced success
was in the role of Captain Crosstree in the bur-
lesque " Black-Eyed Susan" in 1870, and in 1874
appeared in the Gaiety theatre, London, England,
as Hector in " Led Astray." He was afterward
associated with William H. Crane (q.v.) in " Our
Boarding-House," " A Comedy of Errors," " Merry
Wives of Windsor" and "The Henrietta." After
separating from Mr. Crane in 1889, he starred in
legitimate comedy, appearing in several new
plays and reviving " The Rivals," " She Stoops to
Conquer," " A Comedy of Errors," " Married
Life," "The Henrietta," and others. He was
married in 1894 to May Waldron of Hamilton,
Ont., who had been a member of Augustin Daly's
and Robson and Crane's companies, and who sub-
sequently played the leading counter roles with
Mr. Robson. In 1898 he produced Augustus
Thomas's comedy, " The Meddler," with his own
company, which scored a success in New York
city and Boston. Mass. He died, April 39, 1908.
ROCHAMBEAU, Jean Baptiste, Donatien de Vimeure, count de. soldier, svas burn in Vendome, France. July 1, 172.1. He attended the Jesuit col- lege at Blois, having been intended for the church, but in 1742 he entered the French army as cornet in the regiment of St. Simon, serving with distinction in Germany, and in 1747 gaining promotion to the rank of colonel. He succeeded his father as governor of Vendome, June 1, 1749; was created a knight of St. Louis; was promoted brigadier-general, serving in Germany, 1758-61, and became inspector-general of cavalry in 1769, and lieutenant-general, March 1, 1780. He was appointed to the command of the army to sup- port the American patriots, increased it to 6000 men and embarked under the escort of Chevalier de Teruay, with five ships of the line, May 3, 1780. They arrived at Rhode Island, July 12, 1780, after having defeated a British fleet off Bermuda, and began at once to erect fortifications to prevent the concerted attack threatened by Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Arbuthnot. He established his head- quarters at Newport, R.I., and sent his son, Dona- tien, to Paris, to urge a reinforcement of money, supplies and troops. On June 18, 1781, he marched toward the Hudson river and defeated on Man- hattan Island a body of Clinton's army; made a
feint toward New Jersey, and joined Washing-
ton's army at Phillipsburg, N.Y., thus obliging
Clinton to abandon his reinforcement of Corn-
wallis and compelling t.he latter to retire from
Virginia. The siege of Yorktown was begun by
the allied forces, Sept. 29, 1781, and Rochambeau
led the two assaults, forcing Cornwallis to sur-
render. In April, 1783, he marched against New
York, but the plan being abandoned he embarked
with his army at Delaware, Jan. 14, 1783, upon
the frigate Ameraude, and arrived at Brest in
March, 1783. He was deputy to the assembly of
the notables in 1788; was engaged in repressing
the riots in Alsace in 1790; was commissioned
field marshal, Dec. 28, 1791; refused the office of
secretary of war and was appointed to the com-
mand of the Army of the North, but resigned,
June 15, 1792. He was taken prisoner at Paris
during the Reign of Terror in 1793, and in 1804
was created a grand officer of the Legion of Honor
by Napoleon. He was created a knight of the
Saint Esprit by Louis XVI, , and was appointed
governor of Picardy and Artois. The U.S. con-
gress presented him with two cannons, taken
from the British at Yorktown, and bearing his
escutcheon and an inscription, and also passed
resolutions commending his bravery, the services
he had rendered and the discipline he had main-
tained in his arm}^ A bronze statue was dedi-
cated to his memory. May 34, 1903. in Lafayette
square, Washington, D.C., a replica of one dedi-
cated at Vendome, France, in 1900. He died
in Rochambeau castle, Thore, near Vendome,
France. May 10. 1807.
ROCHE, James Jeffrey, editor and poet, was born in Mountmellick, county Queens, Ireland, May 31, 1847; son of Edward and Margaret (Doyle) Roche. He emigrated with his parents to Prince Edward Island in 1847, and attended St. Dunstan's college, Charlottetown. He came to the United States in May, 1866, and was employed in business in Boston, Mass. He contrib- uted to various news- papers and maga- zines, and in June, 1883, joined the staff of the Pilot as assist- ant editor under John Boyle O'Reilly. In August, 1890, he suc- ceeded Mr. O'Reilly as editor-in-chief. He
was a member of the Metropolitan Park commis- sion, Boston. Mass., in 1893. He was the poet at the unveiling of the '"high-water mark"monu-
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