Nostalgia: The French’s Legacy in Newport

Sean O’Brien, left, portrays General Rochambeau and Benjamin Goldman portrays the Marquis de Lafayette at Washington Square during a previous French in Newport exhibit. Photograph by Maddie Van/ courtesy of the Newport Historical Society

BY 1780, NEWPORT WAS PHYSICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY  devastated by the Revolutionary War. British forces occupied the city for three years until 1779, stripping the once-prosperous town of its trees and demolishing many of its buildings for fuel. So when French forces sailed into port the following July, residents were understandably skeptical, according to Newport Historical Society Executive Director Rebecca Bertrand. “It was a pretty desolate time for the community,” she says. “We were thrilled to have relief, but it came with a little bit of suspicion.” For the next eleven months, 6,000 French troops gathered in Newport to prepare for a long march south alongside the Continental Army. The 680-mile journey ultimately ended in Yorktown, Virginia, and victory for the Americans in 1781. “We always say that we’re the beginning of the end of the American Revolution because if it weren’t for the French, we never would’ve won the American Revolution,” Bertrand says. Today, that legacy is commemorated in the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail — which starts in Newport — and the annual French in Newport celebration hosted by the NHS. This year, the event takes on new significance amid the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. On July 11, guests will be able to meet reenactors, observe panels, try on eighteenth century clothing and participate in other family-friendly activities commemorating the American and French alliance. The city’s Colonial-era homes will also be open for visits, including the newly opened Center for Black History at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House. The event concludes a weeklong celebration throughout the city remembering America’s fight for independence — a victory that would not have been possible, Bertrand reminds us, without the fledgling country’s ally. “They built trust with the Colonists and helped to build a community together and build an alliance,” she says. “And it changed the course of history.” For more information about French in Newport and other 250th anniversary events, visit newporthistory.org/250.