A new state historical marker unveiled Aug. 27 at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township is the first to physically mark where the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route crossed Morris County.
The marker, titled “French Forces Pivot to Virginia,” commemorates Aug. 29, 1781, the day troops under Gen. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, broke camp in nearby Whippany and headed south with the Continental Army under Gen. George Washington. The British had expected the French to turn toward Staten Island, where their army was consolidating. Word that Admiral Comte de Grasse’s fleet was sailing for the Chesapeake changed the plan.
France entered the war in 1778 and eventually committed about 12,000 soldiers and more than 32,000 naval personnel. Roughly 5,000 French soldiers and officers passed through and camped in the Morris County area in August 1781, moving in three columns through Whippany, Pompton Plains and the grounds that are now the arboretum before continuing toward Virginia.
“This historical marker reminds us of the brilliant military tactics that led to the United States’ victory in the final siege and land battle of Yorktown,” said Myriam Gil, Deputy Consul General of France in New York.
Congress designated the route a National Historic Trail in 2009. It runs 680 miles across nine states and more than 200 municipalities, eight of them in Morris County. The new sign is the third of 42 markers the New Jersey Historical Commission is installing statewide for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“These markers are that physical reminder of the past,” said Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission.
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is at 353 East Hanover Ave. in Morris Township and is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. Residents can also tour the county’s Revolutionary sites through a free self-guided app, and Living History Weekend returns to Morristown Sept. 25 through Sept. 27.
Photo courtesy of Morris County.
