Newport, French Army at

views updated

NEWPORT, FRENCH ARMY AT

NEWPORT, FRENCH ARMY AT. On 10 July 1780, a French fleet arrived off Newport, Rhode Island, in support of the American Revolution. Carrying 6,000 French soldiers under the command of Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, the troops began to disembark the next day. Some 600–800 cavalrymen departed for Connecticut for the winter, and a part of the infantry traveled to Providence, Rhode Island. On 10 June 1781, the remainder of the French army left Newport by boat for Providence and then marched to Yorktown, where it participated in the siege that resulted in the surrender of Gen. Charles Cornwallis and the end of the war.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schaeper, Thomas J. France and America in the Revolutionary Era. Providence, R.I.: Berghahn Books, 1995.

Howard M.Chapin/c. w.

See alsoFrench in the American Revolution ; Revolution, American: Military History ; Yorktown Campaign .

About this article

Newport, French Army at

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article