TheWashington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route is a 680-mile (1,090 km) series of roads used in 1781 by theContinental Army under the command ofGeorge Washington and theExpédition Particulière under the command ofJean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during their 14-week march fromNewport, Rhode Island, toYorktown, Virginia.
French forces left Rhode Island in June 1781 and joined Washington's force on theHudson River the following month. The combined American and French armies headed south in August, marching throughNew Jersey,Pennsylvania,Delaware, andMaryland, a route that allowed them to evade British troops. They reachedWilliamsburg, Virginia, in late September, several weeks after the French royal fleet had won theBattle of the Chesapeake, preventing the British from reinforcing or evacuatingGeneral Charles Cornwallis's army. On September 22, they combined with troops commanded by theMarquis de Lafayette. A three-weeksiege of Yorktown led to Cornwallis's surrender on October 19, 1781. The route is a designatedNational Historic Trail with interpretive literature, signs, and exhibits that describe the key role of French diplomatic, military, and economic aid to the United States during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[1]
In 1780, French KingLouis XVI dispatched Rochambeau, 450 officers, and 5,300 men to help Washington and the American forces. They arrived inNarragansett Bay offNewport, Rhode Island, on July 10, 1780.
In June 1781, Rochambeau prepared to march fromRhode Island to join theContinental Army underGeorge Washington on theHudson River atDobbs Ferry, New York. Rochambeau divided his force into four regiments: "Royal DeuxPonts" under theBaron de Vioménil; "Soissonnais" under the Baron's brother Count de Vioménil; "Saintonge" under theMarquis de Custine; and a fourth regiment. This final unit remained in Providence where it guarded the baggage and munitions stored in theOld Market House and supported the surgeons and attendants at the hospital inUniversity Hall. The advance party was led byArmand Louis de Gontaut or Duc de Lauzun. HisLauzun's Legion would march ahead of the main army and stay 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) to the south, protecting the exposed flank from the British.[2]
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Rochambeau and his general staff left Newport on June 10, 1781, arriving atProvidence the following day. The remainder of his force at Newport was transferred by boat and camped in Providence. The French Army performed a grand review in Providence on June 16, then set out forCoventry in four divisions. One division departed each day from June 18 to 21.
Each division had roughly the same amount of artillery and supplies, as well as a field hospital. Rochambeau left with the first division (the Bourbonnais Regiment) and arrived atWaterman Tavern in the evening of June 18. The remainder of the army started leaving camp between Broad and Plain Streets on June 19. The route generally followed the alignment of Broad Street toOlneyville. They passed through Stewart Street to High Street, and west along this to the "junction" (Hoyle Tavern), where they took Cranston Street (then called the Monkey Town road) that went toKnightsville (then Monkeytown), then tookRoute 14 to the eastern side of theScituate Reservoir. The original road is submerged in the reservoir but picks up again as Old Plainfield Pike inScituate. The march route resumes west ofRoute 102 inFoster, following Route 14 into Coventry.[3]
The march continued the next day throughSterling, Connecticut, viaRoute 14A (Plainfield Pike) toPlainfield opposite Plainfield Cemetery. A3.6-mile portion of the march route is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Its 2002 NRHP nomination document records "the road retains its narrow, hilly, winding character, and for most of its length, the characteristic borders of stone walls remain in place."[4][5]: 8 The French found this particular segment to be difficult for marching, resulting in the late arrival of some artillery and supply wagons at the Plainfield camp.
On June 20, they continued along Route 14A toCanterbury then along Route 14 toScotland. They arrived in the evening of June 20 inWindham by theShetucket River, just west ofWindham Center.
Most of Routes 14A and 14 have lost their 18th-century visual character, but several short road segments remain preserved. Some of these road segments have been listed on the NRHP. One such segment is Old Canterbury Road in western Plainfield which was bypassed by state highway construction in the 1930s; it preserves some of the features of the original roadway, including the low stone walls lining the road. The designated portion of the route also includes a 1,200-foot section of modern Route 14A east of the eastern end of Old Canterbury Road that maintains visual continuity of Old Canterbury Road.
Manship Road and a portion of Barstow Road (between Manship Road and Route 14) in Canterbury were also bypassed during highway construction, located midway between Canterbury Center and the village of Westminster. A segment of Route 14 east of Scotland Center has also been recognized as a preserved section of the march route. The designated segment runs from Miller Road to the top of a hill, about 800 feet east ofRoute 97, known locally as Palmer Road. The low stone walls remain in place on both sides of this road segment, described by the French as "a narrow, steep, and stony road".
Scotland Road in Windham also remains between the third and fourth encampments, from Back Road to a point about 300 feet east of Ballahamack Road. This portion is also listed on the NRHP, and it was one of the less difficult roads, according to the French. The road is now mostly modern in appearance, but the expansive views of the surrounding landscape contribute to the visual historical significance of the site, in addition to the preserved stone walls.
The army continued its march through Connecticut on June 21, pastWillimantic, roughly following modern Route 14 andRoute 66. They proceeded throughColumbia andAndover towards the fifth camp site inBolton. In Andover, the original march route used what is now Hutchinson Road and Bailey Road. A segment of Hutchinson Road between Route 6 and Henderson Road retains the stone walls and mature trees along the side of the road, as well as the expansive views of open fields towards theHop River. This road segment is listed on the NRHP. TheDaniel White Tavern was built in 1773 and used by French officers, and it still stands along this road segment. North of Henderson Road, Hutchinson Road has modern development and no longer has the visual continuity of the southern part of the road.
The march route proceeded along Route 66 thenRoute 6 until roughly the northwest corner of Andover. The camp was located in Bolton Center, but the original road leading there has been unused since the late 19th century and has been overgrown by forest. A remnant of Bailey Road in Bolton (also on the NRHP) exists as an unpaved footpath and still retains the characteristic stone walls, as well as two original stone culverts.
The march continued on June 22 along Bolton Center Road (partlyRoute 85), continuing along Middle Turnpike East inManchester until Route 6. From there, they followed Route 6 through Manchester Center to Silver Lane inEast Hartford. The four divisions had been traveling a day apart. They rested for three nights in East Hartford, necessitating additional camp sites. Route 6 is a state highway trunk line route, and the surrounding area is heavily urbanized and has lost most of its historic character. However, two sections of the road have been bypassed in Andover and Bolton and remain relatively preserved in their 18th-century appearance.
The first division crossed theConnecticut River by ferry on June 25 intoHartford, with the other divisions following in one-day intervals as before. From there, they traveled along Farmington Avenue throughWest Hartford untilFarmington, the site of the seventh camp. The camp site was located toward the south end of the town center village. Rochambeau and his officers are said to have stayed at the Elm Tree Inn. The army followedRoute 10 on June 26 through the town center ofSouthington until theMilldale section of town, then headed west alongRoute 322 until they reached the eighth camp site in theMarion section of Southington. Rochambeau and his officers stayed at theAsa Barnes Tavern.
The following day, they continued westward along Route 322, then Meriden Road intoWaterbury. In Waterbury, the route followed East Main Street and West Main Street, crossing theNaugatuck River along the way. The road west of Waterbury was difficult and characterized by the French as being "détestables" for being very stony and mountainous. The route continued intoMiddlebury, specifically the area around Breakneck Hill. The march route followed Park Road to Watertown Road, then turned south on Watertown Road until Breakneck Hill Road. The ninth camp was located at the foot of Breakneck Hill, where the first division stayed the night of June 27. Rochambeau and his officers were entertained at the Israel Bronson Tavern.
On June 28, the first division resumed its march heading south on Artillery Road and Middlebury Road (Route 64) through the town center of Middlebury, continuing alongRoute 188 and Waterbury Road into the center ofSouthbury. The army continued west along Main Street South and River Road through Southbury, crossing theHousatonic River intoNewtown using a bridge built by the Colonial troops in 1778 at Glen Road. They continued along Church Hill Road through the center of Newtown, where they set up their tenth camp west of the town center. The officers stayed inCaleb Baldwin's Tavern.
Rochambeau reorganized his troops into two brigades in Newtown. The first division resumed its march on June 30, heading west on West Street and Castle Hill Road, then turning north along Reservoir Road and west again on Route 6. The Reservoir Road portion is well preserved and is listed on the NRHP. The army marched along Route 6 and Newtown Road intoDanbury. In Danbury, they used West Wooster Street, Park Avenue, and Backus Avenue to reach theRidgebury section of the town ofRidgefield. The eleventh camp was set up on July 1 in Ridgebury near the Congregational Church.
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The march was resumed the morning of July 2, heading south on Ridgebury Road, then turning west on Mopus Bridge Road. After crossing the New York state line, they continued southwest and south followingRoute 121 past the hamlets ofNorth Salem andCross River to the hamlet ofBedford Village. The first brigade set up camp in Bedford Village (12th camp) and resumed the following day, while the second brigade skipped the Bedford camp. The march continued west alongRoute 172 to the village ofMount Kisco, about five miles west of the Bedford camp. The French stayed in Mount Kisco until the morning of July 6. They marched west and south for 16 miles alongRoute 133 andRoute 100 to the present-dayHartsdale area ofGreenburgh. They camped in Greenburgh (14th camp) for the next six weeks. This location became known asPhilipsburg Camp as the land belonged to the massive colonial landholding,Philipsburg Manor. It was here that the French forces under Rochambeau and the American forces under Washington united for the first time.[6]
Rochambeau's force left Philipsburg Camp in late August, crossing theHudson River atKing's Ferry and headed south into New Jersey following several paths southward. Washington's route starts at the New York border inMahwah and winds throughBergen,Passiac,Essex,Union,Middlesex andMercer counties. Rochambeau's route is similar but goes further west, passing throughMorris andSomerset counties before ending up, like Washington's, inTrenton for the crossing of theDelaware River into Pennsylvania.[7]
In Union County the trail along which the American troops marched runs along numerous county roads, including: Raritan Road (CR509) and Lamberts Mill Road (CR606) inScotch Plains, West Broad Street inWestfield (CR509), Mountain Avenue in Westfield,Mountainside andSpringfield (CR613), Morris Avenue in Springfield (SR 82), and Morris Turnpike inSummit (SR 24).[8][7] The forces camped atMorven August 29-31. A monument atTrinity Church, Princeton, commemorates the occasion.[9] The troops crossed theMillstone River twice, atGriggstown Causeway and atRoute 518 nearRocky Hill. They left Princeton on August 31 and headed south on theKing's Highway towardsTrenton.[10] They camped at theWilliam Trent House in Trenton on September 2, also known as Bloomsbury and owned by an assistant quartermaster general of theContinental Army.[11]
After crossing the Delaware, they roughly followedU.S. Route 13 south, crossing thePennypack Creek Bridge along the way.[12] InPhiladelphia they camped on the east bank of theSchuylkill River, near the site of theMarket Street Bridge andPhiladelphia City Hall.[13] By September 5, the French army marched through the city and was reviewed by theCongress of the Confederation. TheFreeman's Journal reported "the appearance of these troops far exceeds any thing of the kind seen on this continent, and presages the happiest success to the cause of America."[6]
Washington and Rochambeau left Philadelphia by September 5. Washington traveled overland, roughly continuing on modern U.S. Route 13,[14][15] while Rochambeau embarked on the Delaware River. They met atChester, Pennsylvania, where Washington shared the news of the French fleet's arrival in theChesapeake Bay.[16] Washington pressed ahead toHead of Elk, the beginning of navigable Chesapeake waters, to procure transport. About 1,000 American and French troops embarked forJamestown, Virginia, while the remainder continued their march throughBaltimore andAnnapolis, Maryland.[17] In Baltimore, one French regiment was encamped atCamden Station at the modern intersection of South Howard and West Camden Streets. Across the harbor to the east, a German regiment under French leadership camped along Harford Run (Central Avenue) inJonestown. Others were situated along theJones Falls on modern North Charles Street. The French cavalry, artillery, and baggage train camped just to the north of Market (now Baltimore Street) between Paca and Howard Streets. A brigade of American troops rested atFells Point. The allied forces left Baltimore on September 15.[18]
Washington and a small group of aides rode ahead and reached his estate atMount Vernon on September 9, after a six-year absence; Rochambeau and his staff arrived the following day.[6] On September 12, the two commanders continued their journey and arrived inWilliamsburg, Virginia, on September 14, gathering the troops and supplies to begin the siege at Yorktown.[19] The allied supply wagon train arrived inAlexandria, Virginia, after a two-day march fromGeorgetown in late September, including crossing thePotomac River. It occupied a length of about half a mile, north of Oronoco Street and bisected by Washington Street (subsequently theRobert E. Lee Boyhood Home). The wagon train left Alexandria on September 26, heading west, then south.[20]
Washington ordered construction of a wagon road toWolf Run Shoals on theOccoquan River nearWoodbridge, Virginia. The combined American-French force followed this road and crossed the Occoquan to the south on September 27.[21][22] The wagon train followed modernRoute 234 toDumfries,[23] then followed theKing's Highway south nearTriangle.[24][25] By the end of September, the wagon train was atTrebell's Landing on theJames River and was then conveyed overland about six miles (nowRoute 238) to the siege lines at Yorktown. The accompanying troops disembarked at landings near Williamsburg.[26]
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