TIMELINE
January
February
March
1781, March 2: Washington departs from New Windsor with Major General
Robert Howe and his aides Tench Tilghman and David
Humphries to meet with Rochambeau in Newport.
1781, March 3: Washington spends the night at the home of Col. Andrew
Morehouse of Dutchess County on the Fishkill-Hopewell road,
near the Connecticut State line.
1781, March 4: Washington and his entourage arrive in Hartford were they
meet up with Governor Jonathan Trumbull and his son
Jonathan Jr. Washington and the younger Trumbull continue on
to Lebanon where they spend the night.
1781, March 5: Washington reviews Lauzun’s Legion and continues on to
spend the night in Kingston, RI.
1781, March 6: Washington and his military family take the Narragansett Ferry
to Jamestown and arrive in Newport around 02:00 p.m.. Here
they board a barge sent by Admiral Charles René Dominique
Gochet, chevalier Destouches that takes them to Destouches’
flagship the duc de Bourgogne.
1781, March 6-12: Washington visits with Rochambeau in Newport.
1781, March 8: Departure of a French fleet under Admiral Charles René
Dominique Sochet, chevalier Destouches, Destouches with
1,500 troops under the baron de Vioménil for the Chesapeake.
Their aim is to capture Benedict Arnold.
1781, March 13: Travelling from Newport via Bristol Ferry and Warren,
Washington reaches Providence where he spent the nights of
13/14 and 14/15 March.
1781, March 15: Washington and his military family leave Providence and ride
to Lebanon in Connecticut via Canterbury, Scotland and
Windham, traveling more than 60 miles on horseback that day.
1781, March 16: Washington spends the night in Hartford.
1781, March 17: Washington spends the night in Hartford.
1781, March 18-21: The itinerary for these days is unknown.
1781, March 22: Washington and his military family are back in New Windsor.
1781, March 27: Destouches returns from Virginia after having engaged a
Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot off the
Chesapeake Bay.
1782, March 28: The frigate Emeraude arrives in Newport with 4.8 million livres.
She had left Brest on 14 February.
The funds are escorted overland by Major DePrez of the Royal
Deux-Ponts to Philadelphia, where they arrive in the second
week of May. With the departure of DePrez all French forces
have left Rhode Island.
April
May
1781, May 18: Washington leaves New Windsor and spends the night at
“Morgans Tavern 43 miles from Fishkill Landing”.
1781, May 19: Washington arrives in Wethersfield accompanied by Generals
Henry Knox and Louis Lebègue Duportail and lodges in the
home of Joseph Webb.
Rochambeau and Chastellux set out from Newport for
Wethersfield in Connecticut. They spend the night most likely
with Lieutenant Governor Jabez Bowen in Providence.
1781, May 20: Rochambeau and Chastellux spend the night at Daniel “White’s
Tavern at the Sign of the Black Horse” in Andover.
1781, May 21: Rochambeau and Chastellux arrive in Wethersfield and lodge at
Stillmann’s Tavern.
1781, May 22: Washington and Rochambeau meet at Wethersfield to discuss
strategy. They decide to focus on New York City.
1781, May 23: Rochambeau and Chastellux spend the night in Wethersfield.
1781, May 24: Rochambeau and Chastellux spend the night at Daniel “White’s
Tavern at the Sign of the Black Horse” in Andover.
1781, May 25: Rochambeau and Chastellux spend the night in Providence.
1781, May 26: Rochambeau and Chastellux return to Newport.
June
1781, June 5: The town council of Newport votes “to draw up an address of
thanks, to His Excell[enc]y General Rochambeau, for his
particular Attention for the Welfare of this Town during his
command here.”
The infantry and artillery of Lauzun’s Legion receive orders to
embark at 6:00 a.m. the next day to cross over to Providence.
1781, June 6: Lauzun’s men spend the night in the barracks at Poppasquash.
1781, June 7: A convoy of eight vessels accompanied by the 50-gun ship of
the line Le Sagittaire carrying 592 infantry replacements and
two companies, 68 men, of artillery, arrives in Boston from
France. The replacements had been drawn from the Regiments
of Auvergne (71 healthy and 7 sick soldiers) and Neustrie (19
plus 28) for the Bourbonnois; Languedoc (80 plus 6) for the
Soissonnois; Boulonnois (112 plus 36) for Saintonge; Anhalt
(46 plus 4) and La Marck (39 plus 36) for the Royal Deux-
Ponts; and Barrois (31 plus 17) for Lauzun’s Legion.
Upon arrival in Providence on 13 June the 398 men fit for duty
Will join their units, the 262 sick will continue on to Newport.
Lauzun’s Infantry and artillery reach Providence from Newport.
1781, June 10: Around 5:00 a.m. in the morning of 10 June 1781, the First
Brigade of French forces begins to embark on vessels waiting
for them in the harbor of Newport to take them to Providence.
Rochambeau leaves behind in Newport an infantry detachment
of half a dozen officers, 100 NCOs and enlisted men from each
of the four infantry regiments and 30 men artillery under the
command of Brigadier Gabriel de Choisy.
He also leaves behind his siege artillery consisting of
twelve 24-lb guns, eight 16-lb guns, four 8-inch and seven 12-
inch mortars and two 8-inch howitzers.
1781, June 11: The First Brigade of French forces arrives in Providence
around 9:00 p.m., too late to set up camp.
Those who reach Providence spend the night in the Market
House, others in the Old Work House on the west bank of the
Moshassuk River just north of Smith Street.
The Second Brigade embarks.
The replacements leave Boston and march to camp in Dedham.
The exact march route is unknown; the stops in Dedham and
Wrentham are based on the route of Rochambeau’s infantry to
Boston in December 1782.
1781, June 12: The Second Brigade of French forces disembarks in Providence
and joins the First Brigade in camp on either side of Cranston
Street between Westminster Avenue and Broad Street.
The replacements leave Dedham march to Wrentham.
The exact march route is unknown.
1781, June 13: Lieutenant-Colonel Hugau of Lauzun’s Legion receives orders
to march from Providence to Lebanon on Saturday, 16 June,
with the 31 healthy replacements for the Legion from the Royal
Barrois due to arrive that day from Boston.
1781, June 14: The infantry and artillery of Lauzun’s Legion leave Providence
and spend the nights of 14/15 June in Plainfield, and of 16/17
June in Windham. They arrive in Lebanon on 17 June.
1781, June 16: Lt.-Col. Hugau of Lauzun’s Legion departs from Providence with
the replacements for Lauzun’s Legion for Lebanon where they
arrive on 19 June.
1781, June 18: For the march to New York Rochambeau organized his forces
into four divisions of one infantry regiment each plus its
artillery complement and wagon train. Lauzun’s Legion took a
route separate from the infantry that took it along the coast..
The Regiment Bourbonnois as the first French division leaves
its camp in Providence for its next camp at Waterman’s Tavern.
The remaining three Regiments Royal Deux-Ponts,
Soissonnnois and Saintonge follow over the next three days.
1781, June 19: The Regiment Bourbonnois leaves its camp at Waterman’s
Tavern on its way to its camp in Plainfield, CT. The remaining
three regiments, Royal Deux-Ponts, Soissonnnois and Saintonge
follow over the next three days.
1781, June 20: The frigate Concorde leaves Newport for the Caribbean with a
report about the Wethersfield Conference and a request that
de Grasse borrow 1.2 million livres in Martinique or St.
Domingue. Eventually de Grasse will borrow the funds in Cuba.
De Grasse receives Rochambeau’s letter of 28 May (with post-
scripts) on 16 July; his response informing Rochambeau that
he would sail to the Chesapeake , leaves St. Domingue on the
Concorde on 28 July, reaches Newport on 11 August, and White
Plains on 14 August 1781.
July
1781, July 10: A small French fleet under Captain de La Villebrune sails out of
Newport for Long Island.
1781, July 12: The Romulus and three French frigates from Newport enter the
Sound between Long Island and the mainland in an attempt to
capture Fort Lloyd (or Fort Franklin near Huntington, Long
Island). The enterprise fails.
1780, July 11: Around 10:30 a.m. a fleet commanded by Admiral Charles-
Henri-Louis d’Arsac de Ternay carrying some 450 officers and
5,300 men under the comte de Rochambeau, sails into
Narragansett Bay and anchors between Conanicut, Rose and
Goat Islands.
1780, July 12: “The town (Newport) was beautifully illuminated this evening.”
1781, July 14: The small French fleet under Captain de La Villebrune returns
from Rhode Island to Newport.
1780, July 18: News of safe arrival in Boston of the Ile de France with 350 men
of the Bourbonnois Regiment reaches Newport. The would
indicate an arrival date of 14/15 July 1780.
1780, July 20 (?): The Bourbonnois soldiers set out for Providence and Newport.
Presumably they spend the night in Dedham (?). The departure
date is probably 20 July since it is a three day’s march to
Providence where the unit arrives on 22 July.
The exact march route is unknown; the stops in Dedham and
Wrentham are based on the route of Rochambeau’s infantry to
Boston in December 1782.
1780, July 21 (?): The Bourbonnois soldiers spend the night in Wrentham (?).
1780, July 22: The Providence Gazette reports that “a Transport with 350
troops on board and a large quantity of Military Stores which
had been separated from the fleet is safe arrived in Boston. The
Troops are on their march for this Town on their way to
Newport and are expected to arrive here To-day.”
1780, July 22: Navy Lieutenant de Valernais of the frigate Hermione is buried
in the cemetery at Trinity Church.
1780, July 23: The Bourbonnois detachment marches from Providence to
Newport and rejoins the regiment on 24 July.
August
1781, August 11: The Concorde arrives in Newport with a letter for Rochambeau
from Admiral de Grasse in Haiti dated 28 July 1781 stating that
he would sail for the Chesapeake on 13 August but that he
would only stay until 15 October.
The letter reaches Rochambeau in the Odell House in
Westchester County, NY on 14 August 1781.
De Grasse in fact departed eight days earlier on 5 August with
28 ships of the line, supporting frigates and around 3,300
officers and men from the Gâtinois, Agenois, Tourraine and the
Metz artillery.
1781, August 23: Admiral Barras slips out of Newport with nine ships, incl.
seven ships of the line carrying 480 men infantry and 130
men artillery as well as the siege artillery. They arrive in the
James River in Virginia on 10 September.
The remaining garrison of Newport, 104 men under Major
Louis Aimable de Prez de Crassier of the Royal Deux-Ponts,
march to Providence, where they arrive on 23 August.
1780, August 29: A delegation of Oneida Indians from upstate New York visits
General Rochambeau at Newport.
September
1780, September 18: Rochambeau and Admiral de Ternay set out from Newport at
around 9:00 a.m. to meet Washington in Hartford, CT. They
spend the night with Lt.-Gov. Jabez Bowen in Providence.
1780, September 19: A broken wheel forces Rochambeau and de Ternay to spend
the night in an unknown Tavern in Scotland.
1780, September 20: Rochambeau and Ternay take lodgings in the home of
Jeremiah Wadsworth in Hartford.
1780, September 21: Hartford Conference between Rochambeau and Washington.
1780, September 22: Another broken wheel at the same spot as on 19 September
forces Rochambeau and de Ternay to again spend the night in
an unknown Tavern in Scotland.
1780, September 23: Rochambeau and Admiral de Ternay spend the night with Lt.-
Gov. Jabez Bowen in Providence.
1780, September 25: Rochambeau and Admiral de Ternay return to Newport at
around 7:00 p.m.
October
1780, October 19: State of Connecticut offers winter quarters to Lauzun’s hussars
after Providence refused to provide quarters
1781, October 26: News of the surrender of Cornwallis reaches Newport
1780, October 28 : French frigate Amazone under Jean-François de Galaup, comte
de Lapérouse leaves Newport for Brest with Rochambeau’s
son, the vicomte de Rochambeau. The Amazone is accompanied
by the Hermione and the Surveillante. He arrives in L’Orient on
15 November 1780 and is back in Paris on 23 November 1780.
November
1780, November 1: French infantry enters winter quarters in Newport.
1780, November 9: Hussars of Lauzun’s Legion ride from Newport to Providence.
1782, November 9: In preparation for the march to the northward Rochambeau
had divided his forces into five divisions of one regiment each
which are to march one day apart. Lauzun’s Legion forms the
first division, the Bourbonnois Regiment the second, Royal
Deux-Ponts the third, Soissonnois the fourth and Saintonge the
fifth division.
That structure was maintained until the arrival of the Second
Division, i.e., the Bourbonnois Regiment, in Trenton on 3
September 1782, when Rochambeau re-organized his units
into two-regiment brigades for the march to Massachusetts.
Lauzun’s Legion does not join the infantry regiments on their
march to Boston. It marches instead from New York to winter
quarters in Wilmington, Delaware.
Coming from Dorrance Tavern in Connecticut the French First
Brigade consisting of the Regiments Bourbonnois and the Royal
Deux- Ponts camp near Waterman’s Tavern in Rhode Island.
1782, November 10: Coming from Waterman’s Tavern the French First Brigade
consisting of the Regiments Bourbonnois and the Royal Deux-
Ponts camp in Providence.
The Second Brigade consisting of the Regiments Soissonnnois
and Saintonge arrives in Providence
1780, November 12: Lauzun’s hussars leave Providence for Windham, Connecticut.
1782, November 13: The French camp is moved to the property of Jeremiah Dexter.
French forces will remain here until 4 December.
1782, November 16: The campaign artillery leaves Providence for Wrentham.
1782, November 19: French artillery arrives in Boston and is quartered in vacant
houses in the harbor.
1780, November 20: Hussars enter winter quarters in Lebanon.
December
1782, December 1: Rochambeau, accompanied by his son, by the comte de Vauban
and the comte de Lauberdière, says farewell to his troops in
Providence and in a heavy snowfall sets out for Newburgh, NY.
They spend the night at Dorrance’ Tavern in Connecticut.
1782, December 4: The French First Brigade consisting of the Regiments
Bourbonnois and the Royal Deux- Ponts leaves Providence
for a camp in Wrentham, Massachusetts.
The Second Brigade consisting of the Regiments Soissonnnois
and Saintonge camps in Providence.
1782, December 5: The Second Brigade consisting of the Regiments Soissonnnois
and Saintonge leaves Providence for a camp in Wrentham.