1 JULY
1654 Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, often simply called Vendôme (1 July 1654 â 11 June 1712) was a French general and Marshal of France. One of the great generals of his era, he was one of Louis XIV’s most successful commanders in the War of the Grand Alliance and War of the Spanish Succession.
1725 Marshal Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1 July 1725 â 10 May 1807) was a French nobleman and general whose army played the decisive role in helping the United States defeat the British army at Yorktown in 1781 during the American Revolution. He was commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force sent by France in order to help the American Continental Army fight against British forces. He commanded the French Expeditionary Force that arrived in America in 1780. Together with George Washington he lead the Siege of Yorktown, securing the surrender of the British forces under Captain Charles Cornwallis and ending the war.
1731 Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, KB (1 July 1731 â 4 August 1804) was a British admiral who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown on 11 October 1797. This victory is considered one of the most significant actions in naval history
1818 Josiah Gorgas (July 1, 1818 â May 15, 1883) was one of the few Northern-born Confederate generals and was later president of the University of Alabama. As chief of ordnance during the American Civil War, Gorgas managed to keep the Confederate armies well supplied with weapons and ammunition, despite the Union blockade, and even though the South had hardly any munitions industry before the war began. In this effort he also worked closely with the Fraser, Trenholm shipping company that brought in shipments of ordnance by means of blockade runners. He kept diaries during the Civil War which are now a popular subject of study for historians.
1877 Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. (July 1, 1877 â November 26, 1970) was a United States Army general. In 1940, he became the first African-American to rise to the rank of brigadier general. He was the father of Air Force Lieutenant General Benjamin O. Davis Jr.. According to historian Russell Weigley, his career is significant not for his personal accomplishments, because he was only allowed a limited range of responsibilities, but as an indicator of a small forward movement for African Americans in the United States Army in the World War II era. The New Deal era of Franklin D Roosevelt was favorable toward African Americans, and in 1940 he appointed Davis as the first Black general. During World War II, Davis held troubleshooting staff assignments designed to assist the expanded role of African Americans, albeit in segregated units. He did not have command of troops.
1916 Wing Commander Robert Roland Stanford Tuck, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC (1 July 1916 â 5 May 1987) was a British fighter pilot, flying ace and test pilot. Tuck joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1935 and first engaged in combat during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, claiming his first victories. In September 1940 he was promoted to squadron leader and commanded a Hawker Hurricane squadron. In 1941â1942, Tuck participated in fighter sweeps over northern France. On 28 January 1942, he was hit by anti-aircraft fire, was forced to land in France, and was taken prisoner. At the time of his capture, Tuck had claimed 29 enemy aircraft destroyed, two shared destroyed, six probably destroyed, six damaged and one shared damaged.
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