French Infantry Campsites 9 (south), and 42 (north) in Middlebury

Location

State Rt. 64 and Charcoal Ave.
Middlebury, CT 6762

Who?:  French
Units:  Bourbonnois, Soissonnois, Saintonge, Royal Deux-Ponts plus campaign artillery consecutively
Direction:  both
Destination:  White Plains, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts (French infantry)
Date:  June 27-30, 1781, and October 26/27, 1782
Public Access:  1

The marker is one of 27 erected along Rochambeau’s route throughout the state in 1957 by the State Highway Commissioner in cooperation with an “Interstate Rochambeau Commission” and “local historical societies or fraternal community groups.” It commemorates French Camp 9 since departure from their first camp in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 18, 1781, and Camp 42 since departure from Williamsburg, Virginia, on July 1, 1782, of Rochambeau’s troops on their way to and from Yorktown. French troops camped here from June 27 through June 30, 1781, on their way to White Plains and again on October 26/27, 1782, on their way to Providence.

French forces camped twice on Breakneck Hill, in June 1781 on the way to White Plains, New York, and in late October/early November 1782 on their way to Boston, Massachusetts. Break Neck is today in the town of Middlebury.

For information on the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail provided by the friends’ group W3R-US click here: http://www.w3r-us.org/

For additional information on the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail provided by the National Park Service click here: https://www.nps.gov/waro/index.htm

For a timeline of the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail in Connecticut click here: Timeline

For in-depth information on this campsite click here:

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