| Maryland Day, Maryland | 24 Feb 2010 |
| History Lesson: What is the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route? by fourrivers |
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Between the years 2000 and 2008, the United States has been celebrating the 225th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. The aid and assistance of France was crucial for the success of the war. The most visible expression of this assistance is the presence of French forces under the comte de Rochambeau in America from July 1780 to May 1783 and their participation in the victory at Yorktown in October 1781. Maryland's substantial role in this victory is largely unrecognized. Congress authorized the National Park Service in December 2000 to conduct a study to determine the eligibility of the route, tentatively identified as the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R), taken by the combined Franco-American forces from Newport, RI, and Newburgh, NY, to Virginia, for designation as a National Historic Trail. That designation is part of a larger omnibus bill, S.22, which was passed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year and is currently under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rochambeau's troops camped at nearby Belvoir between September 18th and 21st, 1781. The majority of these boarded ships here in Annapolis to be transported down the Chesapeake Bay. The ox-drawn wagon train and horse-mounted hussars traveled south separately, overland.
Submitted by Carol Benson on 02/24/10. Would you like to submit a blog entry? Email us at heritage_area@aacounty.org.
