The New Jersey Historical Commission marker, titled “French Forces Pivot to New Jersey,” was unveiled Aug. 27. It recalls Aug. 29, 1781, when French forces under Gen. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, left an encampment near Whippany and joined American forces in their march south toward Yorktown.
The route was part of the campaign that brought Continental Army troops led by George Washington and French allies from Rhode Island through New Jersey and on to Virginia. About 5,000 French soldiers and officers passed through and camped in the Morris County area in August 1781.
County officials said the new marker is the first physical designation of the trail in Morris County. The 680-mile route crosses nine states and includes more than 200 municipalities; its New Jersey path passed through Whippany, Pompton Plains and the grounds that are now the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
The marker is one of 42 planned statewide installations commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. For Morris County residents, it offers a permanent reminder of the local roads and communities that formed part of the campaign leading to American independence.
The marker stands at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, a 127-acre Morris County Park Commission property whose grounds were once known as Whippany Farm. The Washington-Rochambeau route was designated a National Historic Trail in 2009; the new marker connects that nationally recognized history to a place residents can visit locally.