George Washington made him an assistant to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben at Valley Forge in the spring of 1778.

But it was in the desperate Battle of Stony Point, New York in 1779 that de Fleury's courage under fire won him the accolades of Congress.

The Point was actually a peninsula jutting nearly half a mile into the Hudson, tipped with rocky crags which shot up 150 feet above the river.

On the landward side was swamp which flooded at high tide, sinking a causeway running to the shore under two feet of water and making the Point an island.

The formidable defense included several batteries partially connected by trenches, log and earth redoubts around the main fort, and a double abatis.

British occupation gave them control of a vital segment of the river and rerouted American communications, supplies and troops moving between New England and the other colonies.

Worse, General Washington was convinced the enemy was preparing to strike West Point, less than 15 miles upriver.

American reinforcements were quickly moved into position north of Stony Point, but Washington thought there was no hope of recapture.

A recently formed light infantry corps led by the daring Brigadier General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, consisted of hand picked combat veterans.

So it was that on 1 October 1779, de Fleury stood before the Continental Congress to be praised for his valor at Stony Point by the men who had penned the Declaration of Independence and would later sign the Constitution.