the history
The early war |
When the leaders of the thirteen Colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, they knew that King George III, the ruler of the British Empire, would not allow them to simply walk away from his reign. With hardly any military supplies, inconsiderable naval power, and little money to fund the war, General George Washington (photo left) knew that this would be no easy task for the American colonies. To add to those problems, the Americans would be facing the most powerful navy in the world and one of the most professional armies of the time.
Facing a strong enemy with minimal resources forced the Americans to search for allies to help them with the war. The Americans had been in contact with the court of King Louis XVI (16) of France since 1775. Through the use of Benjamin Franklin as an ambassador to the French, the Americans were asking for aid, both military and financial, to wage the war. The French did not have good relations with the British after suffering defeat in the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and saw the American Colonies' fight for independence as a way of getting revenge with Great Britain. So finally, in 1778, France signed a “Treaty of Alliance” with the United States of America. France had declared war on Britain and agreed to send money, supplies, and eventually troops to America. |
aid from france
Financial aid from the French was crucial to the Americans, but by March 1780 the war in the colonies was at a stalemate. France immediately responded by sending an expedition of thousands of soldiers across the Atlantic Ocean to help the colonies. Along with these elite soldiers was one of the best generals the French had to offer, Comte de Rochambeau (photo below).
In July of 1780, 450 officers and 5,300 men of Rochambeau’s force landed in Newport, Rhode Island. Washington and Rochambeau agreed to wait until the spring of 1781 to begin a joint military offensive against the British. Therefore, the French spent the winter in Newport, Rhode Island and Lebanon, Connecticut. During the winter months, the French prepared for the long march awaiting them in the spring that would join their forces with Washington’s.
In July of 1780, 450 officers and 5,300 men of Rochambeau’s force landed in Newport, Rhode Island. Washington and Rochambeau agreed to wait until the spring of 1781 to begin a joint military offensive against the British. Therefore, the French spent the winter in Newport, Rhode Island and Lebanon, Connecticut. During the winter months, the French prepared for the long march awaiting them in the spring that would join their forces with Washington’s.
When Spring arrived in 1781, when Washington and Rochambeau met, Washington had already made plans to invade the city of New York. For, British General Henry Clinton and his army were stationed in New York City and Washington desperately wanted to take back the city he lost in 1776. Because the American and French forces would be greatly outnumbered and the British had a superior navy stationed in New York harbor, Rochambeau persuaded Washington not to invade New York. Furthermore, French Admiral de Grasse and his fleet were stationed in the Caribbean; Admiral de Grasse had been ordered by King Louis XVI to support Washington in any way he could. But Washington could not use Admiral de Grasse's fleet in an invasion of New York City since it was hurricane season. Therefore, Washington heeded Rochambeau’s advice and the new target became British General Cornwallis and a small Virginia port called Yorktown.
the march to yorktown
The March to Yorktown began on August 18, 1781 and was roughly a three hundred mile journey from White Plains, New York (where the two armies met). Each man would carry at least 60 pounds for the nearly eight hour march each day. Officers would sleep in nearby taverns and houses, while thousands of soldiers would have to set up camp, which could take hours, and sleep in tents. Both armies would be marching in the hottest days of the year. The French suffered from the heat worse than the Americans because the French (photos right) were equipped with very thick wool uniforms and were not designed for the North American heat. To avoid the afternoon heat, both armies woke at 4 a.m. each morning and would march 15 miles to their next campsite. They would often arrive by late morning.
In order to conceal that the combined armies were marching to Yorktown, only very few officers were told about the plans. It was in Bridgewater, New Jersey that the rest of the French army finally found out they would be going to Yorktown, Virginia. Rochambeau’s army was the only army to march through Bridgewater. The whole route through Bridgewater was roughly five miles long. On August 30, Clermont, an engineer for the French Army explains the march through the Bridgewater area: “From Bullion’s Tavern to Somerset Courthouse [Millstone] the roads were superb and traveling was easy. We finally realized that we were leaving New York behind and were marching to the Delaware, the river that flows past Philadelphia. The plan of the campaign was at last unveiled, for now it was clear that we were marching against Cornwallis, though many happy events had yet to occur before this splendid operation was concluded”. On October 17th 1781, only a few weeks after after the French had marched through Bridgewater, the British surrendered at Yorktown, marking the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Aid from the French had been a primary factor in the creation and protection of the United States. Without the help of the French, America may have never won the war against Britain. |
A national Historic Trail.....in bridgewater, new jersey!
The only army that marched through Bridgewater was Rochambeau’s. The American armies had taken different routes through New Jersey, not far from each other, through Chatham, Springfield, and Scotch Plains. On August 29th, Rochambeau’s force of 5,300 men arrived at Bullion’s Tavern in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. They set up camp for the night, and the next morning, August 30th, they began the march through Bridgewater to Somerset Courthouse (now Millstone, New Jersey).
A French cartographer, Louis-Alexandre Berthier (photo left), who was under the command of Rochambeau, was one of the soldiers that marched through Bridgewater. Berthier used a personal journal to record the events of Rochambeau's march and also drew maps of the route. One of Berthier's maps showing the French route through Bridgewater, is shown below. In his journal Berthier also described the route and roads they took, such as Washington Valley Rd., Adamsville Rd., Steele Gap Road, and Foothill Road (at that time known as Pluckemin Road). Their march through Bridgewater ended when they passed the Van Veghten House near Adamsville road, and crossed over the Raritan River to their campsite at Somerset Courthouse.
Rochambeau's men met up with George Washington's American Army in Princeton and continued their march through Philadelphia and eventually reaching their final destination, Yorktown, on September 15th 1781. Rochambeau's army traveled the same route on their return trip from Yorktown to Providence Rhode Island in 1782.
A French cartographer, Louis-Alexandre Berthier (photo left), who was under the command of Rochambeau, was one of the soldiers that marched through Bridgewater. Berthier used a personal journal to record the events of Rochambeau's march and also drew maps of the route. One of Berthier's maps showing the French route through Bridgewater, is shown below. In his journal Berthier also described the route and roads they took, such as Washington Valley Rd., Adamsville Rd., Steele Gap Road, and Foothill Road (at that time known as Pluckemin Road). Their march through Bridgewater ended when they passed the Van Veghten House near Adamsville road, and crossed over the Raritan River to their campsite at Somerset Courthouse.
Rochambeau's men met up with George Washington's American Army in Princeton and continued their march through Philadelphia and eventually reaching their final destination, Yorktown, on September 15th 1781. Rochambeau's army traveled the same route on their return trip from Yorktown to Providence Rhode Island in 1782.