Although not well known to students of American history today, General John Armstrong was, in his day, a prominent and colorful public figure. From 1804 to 1810, he held the difficult position of United States Minister to France at a time when the world was in upheaval resulting from the Napoleonic Ware. As Great Britain and France struggled for supremacy, the United States--the world's foremost neutral commercial power--was slowly, but inevitably, drawn into this struggle, becoming the victim of the hostile edicts of the two major belligerents, as they wantonly violated established practices of international law.