The Alliance Française de Newport will be holding a Rochambeau Celebration on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at the Rochambeau Monument in King Park on Wellington Ave. in Newport. The event will be held to commemorate the landing of French troops under the command of Comte de Rochambeau and to honor a 243-year special bond between the people of France and the United States.
The National Park Service Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail originates in Newport, RI. Trail Administrator, Johnny Carawan, will be on hand to talk about how the Trail preserves and interprets over 680 miles of land and water trails taken by American and French soldiers beginning in Newport and ending in Virginia with the victory over British forces at the siege of Yorktown in 1781.
King Park in Newport is the Origination Point of the Trail where Comte de Rochambeau and nearly 6,000 French troops, plus an additional 7,000 sailors landed in July 1780 to provide critical aid and support to the American Revolution.
Special guests will include U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner and Christine Pittsley, Special Projects Director, Museum of Connecticut History, accompanied by 30 students from the Museum’s Digging Into History Program. The students, half of whom are from France, have been involved in an immersive archaeology experience and will report of some of their findings.
George Antone, Ph.D., retired professor, will give brief remarks about Rochambeau, the man and his importance to the success of the War for Independence.
Thierry Chaunu, President American Society of Lafayette and Chuck Schwam, C00, American Friends of Lafayette, will join the Alliance Française de Newport and the visiting students in a wreath laying ceremony.
Members of the Newport Artillery and Norman Desmarais, from Le Régiment Bourbonnais as Rochambeau’s Aide de Camp, are expected to attend.
The Rochambeau Celebration is free and open to the public.
The mission of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail is to preserve and interpret the routes taken by American and French soldiers from 1781 – 1782 and to commemorate the role of the critical French-American alliance in the victory over British forces at the siege of Yorktown, Virginia. www.nps.gov/waro
The mission of the Alliance Française de Newport is to promote an understanding and appreciation of the language and culture of France and French-speaking people and our nation’s historic and continuing relationship with France by providing educational and cultural programs for members and the general public. https://alliancefrancaisenewportri.org
The Newport Historical Society is celebrating French in Newport Weekend July 14th and 15th with several events. https://newporthistory.org/event/french-in-newport-2023/
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