Count de Rochambeau, French General of the Land Forces in America Reviewing the French Troops (April 1, 1781) by E. Hedges|Anonymous, British, 18th centuryThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
By 1779, the American Revolution had reached a grueling stalemate, with the Continental Army struggling to maintain the fight against the British. General George Washington was exhausted; his troops were unpaid, nearing the end of their service terms, and in some cases, mutinous.
The Surrender of Earl Cornwallis (Lieutenant General of the British Army in North America) to General Washington & Count De Rochambeau, on the 19th of Octr. 1781 (after 1781) by Thornton|HamiltonThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Americans desperately needed a decisive battlefield victory, which would only be possible with the support of a powerful ally.
The turning point began in July 1780 when a respected French commander, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, landed off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island.
Le Général la fayette soutenu sur les batons des marechaux Lukner et Rochambeau prend la Lune avec les dents (January 22, 1792) by Anonymous, French, 18th centuryThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
He brought with him 450 officers and 5,300 elite men of the French Expeditionary Forces to assist Washington's patriots. Initially, the allied armies met north of New York City with plans to attack the British stronghold there.
However, in the spring of 1781, Washington and Rochambeau recognized a golden opportunity. British General Lord Charles Cornwallis had garrisoned his army in Yorktown, Virginia.
Washington before Yorktown (1824, reworked 1825) by Rembrandt PealeNational Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Assured of critical naval support from Admiral Comte de Grasse's French fleet, which was traveling from the Caribbean to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the allied commanders decided to abandon the New York attack and bet everything on a southern campaign.
In August 1781, Washington and Rochambeau left the outskirts of New York and began a massive trek. Traveling by land and sea, the combined forces marched hundreds of miles, effectively executing the largest troop movement of the entire American Revolution.
This staggering 680-mile-long journey—stretching all the way from Rhode Island down to Virginia—culminated at the end of September 1781 when the allied armies finally arrived at Yorktown.
The grueling, five-week march allowed Washington and Rochambeau to completely trap Cornwallis's forces. This monumental logistical feat, completely reliant on the vital Franco-American alliance, secured the critical victory that collapsed the British war effort and successfully birthed a new nation.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.