Lafayette in Rhode Island
“The moment I heard of America, I lov’d her.” The Marquis de Lafayette wrote this in a letter from his camp near Warren, Rhode Island, on September 23, 1778.
Another “Black Regiment” in the Revolutionary War
The Act of the General Assembly in February 1778 was historic because it was the first attempt to raise such a force of enslaved men in America.
Rochambeau Comes to Help the Revolution, Gets a Cold Shoulder
When le Comte Rochambeau and his 6,000 men sailed into Newport Harbor on the afternoon of July 11, 1780, they expected to be met by a welcoming committee of dignitaries, cheering crowds perhaps, or cannon salutes, speeches, a parade.
Newport’s Last Slave Auction: Rochambeau’s Prizes
In this article, historian Robert Selig writes about what may be the last slave auction in Newport, which was held by the French forces occupying Newport in 1781.
Rochambeau’s Engineers at Butts Hill Fort July 1780 – June 1781
Butts Hill Fort was built early in the American War of Independence to protect the northern approaches to Newport, Rhode Island. Within days of his arrival in July 1780, the comte de Rochambeau sent his engineers to supervise and assist American forces in rebuilding and strengthening the fort.
Battle of Rhode Island Association’s Editorial Board Member Dr. Robert Selig Receives La Médaille d’Or des Valeurs Francophones
Battle of Rhode Island Association’s Editorial Board Member Dr. Robert Selig Receives La Médaille d’Or des Valeurs Francophones
The French Depart Newport
Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur Comte de Rochambeau (1725–1807) did not simply wake up on the morning of June 18, 1781 and order his army of more than 6,000 men to break camp and begin their march south.
Book Release: Journal of a French Quartermaster on the March to Yorktown June 16 – October 6, 1781; Translated & Annotated by Norman Desmarais
Book Release: Journal of a French Quartermaster on the March to Yorktown June 16 – October 6, 1781
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route and the Battle of Rhode Island Association fund Dr. Robert Selig’s translation of Comte de Rochambeau’s Orderly Book
W3R-US and BoRIA commissioned Dr. Robert A. Selig to translate sections of the Comte de Rochambeau’s Livre d’ordre, the Orderly Book.
Why Newport Scorned the French 1780
One would expect that a country that had been at war for five years would welcome its first ally with open arms.
