By RoselynMartin Somtochukwu Ilo and Emily Sousa, SCSU Journalism students
The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route stretches 680 miles from Newport, Rhode Island, to Yorktown, Virginia, tracing the route that French troops marched with the Continental Army in 1781.
For Trail Administrator Johnny F. Carawan of the National Park Service, the route is more than a line on a map. It is a living military story that still runs through American towns, including East Hartford.
“East Hartford holds a key place along the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route because it was one of the encampments and crossing sites used by the French Army during their 1781 march to Yorktown,” he said.
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a lieutenant general with the French Army, which helped George Washington and the American troops secure victory over the British during the Revolutionary War.
“Without the French, without their money, without their arms, without their soldiers, without their ships, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” said Anthony Martin, an adjunct professor of anthropology at Central Connecticut State University.
For people looking to explore Revolutionary War history, the National Park Service details the full route the soldiers marched. The Connecticut portion of the trail includes camps in Lebanon, East Hartford and Middlebury.
Those are among dozens of Revolutionary War sites in Connecticut drawing attention during the nation’s 250th celebration in 2026. Additionally, the Connecticut Revolutionary War Trail, a project of the Connecticut Veterans Coalition, highlights more sites around the state worth visiting. See the full Connecticut Revolutionary trail here.
“East Hartford was a really important part of the Rochambeau Trail because it is the location where the French soldiers camped when Rochambeau and Washington were meeting in Hartford and Wethersfield,” said East Hartford Public Library’s Cultural Asset Manager Jana Colacino.
After the war, East Hartford aimed to preserve their connection to the Revolution.
“There is a marker on Silver Lane near the I-84 passover, and that commemorates the location where the French troops camped, both on their journey west and then their journey back east to Newport,” said Colacino.
Carawan said the Connecticut River crossing posed a major challenge to the French forces, yet the route through East Hartford remains traceable today.
“It is just amazing how this trail and the story all comes together as the art of the possible and how they crossed that particular segment,” Carawan said.
A major focus of Carawan’s work is preparing for the America 250 commemoration. Several events will highlight the role of France in the American Revolution. For example, the National Park Service dedicated a sign at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. this spring.
The Newport Historical Society will also host its annual French in Newport day on July 11, 2026, marking the 246th anniversary of the French Army’s arrival.
“We will have the installation of 6,000 French flags and will go for the Guinness Book of World Records for the most French flags assembled in one place in the United States,” he said.
Carawan said the event will include keynote remarks from the French ambassador, a performance by the French Army Band, and town-wide educational activities.
“The event will help to portray the French arrival and what life was like at that time,” he said.
RoselynMartin Somtochukwu Ilo and Emily Sousa, journalism students at Southern Connecticut State University, reported this story in 2025 as part of Journalism Capstone coursework on the Revolutionary War.