Winnowing of the Line [Early 18th c., New York]

Original of the Franco-American Treaty of 1778 with signatures. (source)

 Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy:
   This wide and universal theatre
   Presents more woeful pageants than the scene
   Wherein we play in. --Duke Senior, As You Like It, Act. 2, Scene VII.

"All great events hang by a hair. The man of ability takes advantage of everything and neglects nothing that can give him a chance of success; whilst the less able man sometimes loses everything by neglecting a single one of those chances." Napoleon, Letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Passariano (26 September 1797), as quoted in Napoleon as a General (1902) by Maximilian Yorck von Wartenburg, p. 269 (source)

"The fit [of Orlando Harriman with his namesake character in Shakespeare] could not have been less appropriate. There was nothing of the romantic in Orlando, who came to loathe his name. "  Klein (2000).

c. 1808 Orlando Harriman, age approx. 18, last surviving son of William Harriman Sr., goes into the commerce trade with his father in New York City. "Orlando did not need his mother's fervent pleas to spurn adventure at sea in favor of joining his father in business."

(source) The Battle of Trafalgar, as seen from the starboard
mizzen shrouds of the Victory
by J. M. W. Turner (oil on canvas, 1806 to 1808)

1805 (Oct. 21) Battle of Trafalgar. Twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeat  thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under the French Admiral Villeneuve in the Atlantic off the southwest coast of Spain. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer during the battle and died shortly after, becoming one of Britain's greatest war heroes.

c. 1800-1808? Alfonso Harriman, son of William Harriman Sr., drowns in New York Harbor, off the Battery.

c. 1800-1808? Edward Harriman, son of William Harriman Sr., disappears at sea. "His father had made him master of cargo on one of the vessels he fitted out for the West Indies, but the ship never reached port and was never heard from again."

c. 1800-1808? William Harriman Jr., eldest son of William Harriman Sr., is killed in naval battle between Britain and France.

c. 1800 (definitely by 1803) William Harriman Sr. of New Haven, after several less than prosperous years engaged in the West Indies shipping trade, and having lost most of the money he brought from England, moves his family to New York City, where he gradually shifts from shipping to general commission business. "There he prospered in a modest way." (Klein, Ch. 1).

François Bouchot   - Le general Bonaparte au Conseil des Cinq-Cents
Depicts General Bonaparte during the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud, painting by François Bouchot, 1840 (source)

1799 (Nov. 9) General Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power in France (The Coup of 18 Brumaire).

1798 to 1800 The Quasi-War, between the United States and the French Republic, an undeclared war fought almost entirely at sea.

1797 (Mar. 4) John Adams is inaugurated as the second U.S. President.

1795 (Apr.) William Harriman Sr. of London emigrates from England to America with his family, settling in New Haven, Connecticut. His sons include William Jr., Alfonso, Edward, and Orlando (born 1790).

1794 (Jul. 28) Execution of Robespierre. End of the Reign of Terror.

1793 (Oct. 24) Adoption of the French Republican Calendar (calendrier républicain français) by the National Convention.

1793 (Oct. 16) Execution of Marie Antoinette.

1793 (Sept.6) Beginning of the Reign of Terror (la Terreur). Total of 16,594 people executed by guillotine (2,639 in Paris), and another 25,000 in summary executions across France.

1793 (Feb.) Britain and the French Republic at war.

1792 (Sept. 21) Overthrow of the French monarchy and establishment of the French Republic, with the National Convention (Convention nationale) as the governing body.

1789 (Jul. 14) Storming of the Bastille. Beginning of the French Revolution.

1789 (Apr. 30) George Washington inaugurated as first U.S. President.

1788 (Jun. 21) Ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

1785 (Apr. 1) John Adams appointed the first U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.

1783 (Sept. 3) Peace treaty between U.S. and Great Britain signed, ending the war with British recognition of the United States.

1781 (Sept. 5) The French fleet under the Comte de Grasse arrives off the Virginia Capes, trapping the British Army under Lord Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula.  Cornwallis surrenders to Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau on Oct. 17. "A drummer appeared followed by an officer waving a white handkerchief. The bombardment ceased, and the officer was blindfolded and led behind the French and American lines." (source).

1778 (Feb. 6) Franco-American Treaty. Louis XVI of France (king since 1774) signs alliance with the United States, giving them aid in their war of independence. Negotiated for the Americans by 72-y.o. U.S. envoy Benjamin Franklin.

1777 (Oct. 7) Battle of Saratoga. Turning point of the American Revolutionary War. A year into the war, British invasion force under General John Burgoyne moving south from Canada towards the Hudson Valley is defeated and surrenders to the Americans under General Horatio Gates in upstate New York. The victory convinces Louis XVI of France that the American cause is viable, making possible a Franco-American Alliance in the war of independence.

Surrender of General Burgoyne by John Trumbull. Horatio Gates is in the center, with arms outstretched.  "The scene of the surrender of the British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, on October 17, 1777, was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War that prevented the British from dividing New England from the rest of the colonies. The central figure is the American General Horatio Gates, who refused to take the sword offered by General Burgoyne, and, treating him as a gentleman, invites him into his tent. All of the figures in the scene are portraits of specific officers. Trumbull planned this outdoor scene to contrast with the Declaration of Independence beside it. John Trumbull (1756–1843) was born in Connecticut, the son of the governor. After graduating from Harvard University, he served in the Continental Army under General Washington. He studied painting with Benjamin West in London and focused on history painting. Major figures in the painting (from left to right, beginning with mounted officer): American Captain Seymour of Connecticut (mounted) American Colonel Scammel of New Hampshire (in blue) British Major General William Phillips (British Army officer) (in red) British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne (in red) American Major General Horatio Gates (in blue) American Colonel Daniel Morgan (in white) A full key is available here. The dimensions of this oil painting on canvas are 365.76 cm by 548.64 cm (144.00 in by 216.00 in) (source)

 

source: Klein (2000). Ch. 1.