Location:  Hunt’s Tavern, 2138 Compound Road, Route 202, Yorktown Heights, New York, 10598

Army:  French

Units:  Bourbonnois, Soissonnois, Saintonge, Royal Deux-Ponts plus campaign artillery and Lauzun’s Legion consecutively

Direction:  From Yorktown, Virginia

Date:  September 24 – October 22, 1782

      On the return march from Yorktown, Virginia, Rochambeau’s Army again set up encampments surrounding Hunt’s Tavern. The army stayed nearly five weeks at Hunt’s Tavern. General Rochambeau made his headquarters at the house of Captain Samuel Delavan, which formerly stood on Hallock’s Mill Road. Four additional camps surrounding Hunt’s Tavern, which included the Royal Deux-Ponts Regiment as well as the Bourbonnais Regiment, the Soissonnais and Saintonge Regiments, and Lauzun’s Legion.

     The first camp was located on the north side of Baldwin Road, near the intersection with Crompond Road. A second encampment was on the north slope of French Hill, in the area of French Hill School. A third camp was situated on the north side of Hallock’s Mill Road by Parker Lane. The fourth camp was located south in Croton Heights Hamlet, in what is now known as Hilltop Hanover Farm.

     During these five weeks, the French soldiers helped repair some of the ravages of the war. They restored Hallock’s Mill and part of the home of Captain Samuel Delavan. They improved the local infrastructure by building an aqueduct to increase the water supply which is still here today and is a prominent part of Yorktown’s local geography. They cut large amounts of wood, tearing down fences in order to keep themselves warm in the colder weather and to cook their meals. They constructed barracks in the fields, and built two large field ovens to allow the army to bake bread.

     Right before departing for Boston on October 22nd, 1782, an unpleasant incident occurred. Mill owner, Jesse Hallock, claimed what the French regarded as an exorbitant amount of compensation for wood removed from his property. A sheriff was prepared to arrest Rochambeau. Gracious as always, General Rochambeau ordered his quartermaster to settle the dispute by paying for the damages.

     What impressed Rochambeau’s fellow officers, in addition to his wisdom and generosity, was that the Americans had such respect for property rights that they would not hesitate to seek redress from a person of the Count’s social standing. In turn, Rochambeau’s respect for colonial landowner rights in this widely publicized affair reportedly helped save his life at least once during the French Revolution. With this incident resolved, the French departed Yorktown on October 22, 1782.

     When Yorktown was incorporated in 1788, residents changed the name of their community from Hanover to Yorktown to commemorate the role they had played in achieving the victory in Yorktown, Virginia.