![]() George Washington, but the two quickly developed great mutual respect and admiration, establishing an effective partnership.Īfter the French fleet defeated the British naval force at Yorktown, Rochambeau oversaw the month-long Siege of Yorktown, forcing the surrender of Cornwallis and his forces on Oct. Rochambeau was subordinate to Continental Army Commander Gen. In Virginia, Rochambeau visited Mount Vernon, joining Washington for his first visit to the Potomac River estate since 1775. They seem actuated by one spirit,” Washington reported to Congress. “The greatest harmony prevails between the two armies. Seizing the opportunity to try to trap Cornwallis, Washington and Rochambeau, with stealth and speed, moved 12,000 soldiers to Virginia. When Cornwallis moved his British army into Virginia and took up a defensive position at Yorktown in 1781, a French fleet was on its way to America to help the land forces. He served in the Minocan campaign in 1756 and, after being promoted to general, served in the Seven Year’s War, again suffering battle wounds.Īlthough the Marquis de Lafayette is better known for his distinguished service in the Continental Army, Rochambeau was the commander-in-chief of the French expeditionary force of 5,500 troops that King Louis XVI sent to America in 1780 to support France’s new alliance with the former colonies. Rochambeau gained such a distinguished record, he was promoted to colonel in 1747 and given command of a regiment at age 22. ![]() It was a crushing defeat for the British army, leading to the end of the war.Ī week before the surrender, Washington wrote to Congress: “I cannot but acknowledge the infinite obligations I am under to His Excellency, the Count de Rochambeau” and all of the French officers “for the assistance in which they afford me.”īorn in 1725, Rochambeau first saw combat during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48) and was wounded in the Battle of Lauffeld. Charles Cornwallis and 8,000 British troops at Yorktown, forcing their surrender. Together, Washington and Rochambeau marched their combined force south to Virginia in 1781 and trapped British Gen. George Washington to win freedom from British rule for the thirteen American colonies. However, none of Rochambeau’s exploits had a greater impact on world history than his role in the American Revolution, when he brought some 5,500 French troops to America in 1780 to join the Continental Army and fight alongside Gen. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaignsįrench nobleman and career military officer Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau lived into his 80s, a miraculous accomplishment considering his many brushes with death on and off the battlefield, including an unwanted courtship with the guillotine during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution.Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History.Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields – Your Gift Tripled!.Phase Three of Gaines’ Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign.Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville.Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States.Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields.Help Acquire 20 Sacred Acres at Antietam.Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky. ![]() Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!.National Teacher Institute July 13 - 16, 2023 Learn More.USS Constitution In 4 Minutes Watch Video.African Americans During the Revolutionary War.The First American President: Setting the Precedent.
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