First Meeting of General Washington and Comte de Rochambeau - Hartford, CT - U.S. Revolutionary War Memorials on Waymarking.com

On July 10, 1780, King Louis XVI of France sent Comte de Rochambeau and an army of 450 officers and 5,300 men to Rhode Island to assist George Washington in his battle against the British. Rochambeau and Washington decided to meet in Hartford, CT to plan the campaign which ultimately led to the surrender of Cornwallis and the British forces at Yorktown, VA. Rochambeau and Washington met in Hartford on September 20, 1780 and once again in May 1781. Hartford was chosen because it was equidistant between Rochambeau's Army in Newport, RI and Washington's headquarters in White Plains, NY. In June 1781, Rochambeau's force left Rhode Island and crossed Connecticut to join the Continental Army near White Plains, New York. The two armies marched together to Yorktown, VA. Congress declared the 600 mile route of Rochambeau's army from Newport RI and Boston, MA to Yorktown, VA the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.

The Rochambeau Boulder on the grounds of the Old State House in Hartford, CT has a plaque that commemorated the first visit of Rochambeau and Washington. The plaque is inscribed:

This tablet commemorates
the historic first meeting of
General George Washington and
General Comte de Rochambeau,
Commander-In-Chief of the French
Army in America, which took place
September 20, 1780.

On that occasion and in a
subsequent meeting the following
May, was developed the strategy
which resulted, at Yorktown, in
victory and independence for
the American Colonies.

Erected by the City of Hartford,
September 20, 1946, in grateful remembrance

"Upon their appearance in the city, they were received
with imposing ceremonies. The Governor's Guards, and a
company of artillery, were on duty upon the occasion."