In the summer of 1781, four regiments of French infantry, along with hundreds of mounted troops, marched through Connecticut on their way to joining up with the American army camped near the Hudson River.  It was a spectacle never before seen by local citizens: soldiers marching in formation, musicians, artillery, and hundreds of supply wagons.  The French made a major contribution to America’s victory at Yorktown, ending the American Revolution.  This presentation will describe the French march through Connecticut, how the route and locations of the French camps were reconstructed using old maps and documents, and what was learned through both historical research and archaeological testing.

Bio: BRUCE CLOUETTE has been active in the fields of Connecticut history and historic preservation for almost fifty years.  He has a Ph.D. in History from UConn and was part of a team of researchers who completed Connecticut’s Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Road Project in 2001.