In 1781, American and French allies united their armies at a pivotal turning point in the Revolutionary War. Under General George Washington and French General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, they marched south to besiege Yorktown, Virginia, where they captured the British Army under General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, in a decisive victory that assured American independence. The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail follows the routes used between 1781 and 1783 by allied American and French forces traveling to and from the successful siege of Yorktown, forming a network of roads and water trails stretching over 700 miles through nine states and the District of Columbia. George Washington, chosen by Congress in 1775 to command the Continental Army, led with strategic insight that culminated in independence, resigned his military command after the war, and became the first President of the United States in 1789. Rochambeau, a French nobleman and distinguished officer, was appointed commander of the French Army sent to America in 1780 to fight the British, continued his military career until 1792, and after being arrested during the French Revolution in 1794, was released later that year and retired to his estates.

Photo: Michael Herrick