Tag: Rochambeau

Visiting the Revolution through Books

American history keeps coming to me as I travel in the northeastern United States. I realize that, as a political science major, I learned more about the French and the Russian revolutions than the one had here at home. French…

Celebrating Louis XVI

Excess at Versailles Photo credit: L. Tripoli

Accomplishments besides Marrying Poorly Louis XVI, king of France, was born 261 years ago on August 23, 1754, and what many seem to remember about him is his wife, Marie-Antoinette, originally of Austria, and his general ineffectiveness in leading his…

Wherever I Go, There’s Rochambeau

Recalling Rochambeau in Mount Kisco, N.Y. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini

Recurring Characters in Historical Travels Revered as a hero in the American Revolution, the Comte de Rochambeau’s efforts helping the new country ward off the British are commemorated along the Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail—almost 700 miles extending from Massachusetts and…

Watch with a Tourist’s Eyes

How many times do I visit Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. before noticing a plaque about George Washington’s meetup with Comte de Rochambeau, a French general sent to help with the Revolutionary War? I volunteer at the hospital…