Last updated: November 30, 2022
Place
Path to Victory Wayside
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
Morristown, NJ
Significance:
Wayside exhibit
While General George Washington was in headquarters at the Ford Mansion over the winter months of 1779 and 1780, he awaited the return of the Marquis de Lafayette from a mission to France. The alliance with France had been secured, but Washington needed men and ships to mount an offensive against the British in New York. Lafayette returned in May 1780 with the news of imminent French assistance.
France sent thousands of men and a fleet of ships later that year, but opportunity eluded Washington and the French commander, Rochambeau. It was not until the summer of 1781 that French forces marched down the nearby street in front of the Ford Mansion while en route to a secret destination - Yorktown, Virginia.
Today, we remember that long journey, over land and sea, by two armies united in cause with the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.
France sent thousands of men and a fleet of ships later that year, but opportunity eluded Washington and the French commander, Rochambeau. It was not until the summer of 1781 that French forces marched down the nearby street in front of the Ford Mansion while en route to a secret destination - Yorktown, Virginia.
Today, we remember that long journey, over land and sea, by two armies united in cause with the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.