Patriotism is a matter of perspective. If you believe a course of action is harmful to your country and you act against that direction, are you not being Patriotic? Unfortunately patriotism appears more to be a measurement of support for the ultimate outcome. Take, for example, the American Revolution. A large percentage of the population was loyal to the crown but they were on the losing side. These loyalists were branded as “Tories” by the American revolutionaries and were forced from their native land. Had Britain won the war, would they have been hailed as patriots?
In the case of Francis Duclos, he had luckily picked the right side. Born in Versailles, France, Duclos had only immigrated to New Jersey a year before the revolution broke out in 1775. Duclos joined as an Ensign in Col. Maxwell’s Battalion and by February 1776 was on his way to support American positions in Canada: “The late repulse at Quebeck requires every exertion of the friends of American freedom.” His first experience in Montreal was a cold one, with Duclos having to expropriate himself of a couple of blankets. At his first battle in Trois-Rivieres, Duclos fell prisoner to the British along with hundreds of his fellow soldiers, and George Washington noted him released ‘on parole’ in early 1777. After his official exchange, Duclos saw memorable service throughout the rest of the war, both on land and at sea. Wounded twice and captured again, Duclos was a bonafide American war hero.
