Joan Van Der Capellen Tot Den Pol - Advocate of The American Cause

Advocate of The American Cause

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Previously, he had fallen foul of the Stadholder prince William V of Orange and the members of the States when he proclaimed himself against expansion of the army and the fleet. When in 1776 the British King George III asked the Dutch whether he could borrow the Scotch Brigade (a unit of mercenaries in Dutch service) to be deployed in the war with the American Republic, he voted against.

His overt support for the American revolutionaries was not appreciated either. Nevertheless, he continued to dedicate himself to the American War of Independence. He regarded the American struggle as an example for Dutch patriots.

To lend support to his views he translated "Observations on Civil Liberty" by the Welshman Richard Price into Dutch. The book was an important inspiration to the American revolutionaries. The Dutch translation was banned in 1789, together with other patriot writings.

In 1782 Van der Capellen arranged a loan for the American cause. A consortium was set up by Nicolaas van Staphorst and Wilhelm Willink. Eventually an amount of two hundred thousand guilders was raised. He contributed twenty thousand guilders himself.