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General George Washington
  Honoring the American and French armies that defeated the British at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War.
Sept. 26th, 2009, 10 AM to 4 PM
  (Rain date Sun. Sept. 27th, 2009, 12 PM,
              at Millstone Borough Hall)

The day's events will begin at the
corner of Old Amwell Road (Rt. 650)
and Main St. (Rt. 533), near the
Reformed Church in Millstone.

See the schedule below for a complete listing of times and locations. A map of Millstone with the location of the Reformed Church can be found here. For more information call Christine Fung at 908-904-0436.

FEATURED EVENTS
WHY WE CELEBRATE
Le Comte de Rochambeau, commanding general of the French army fighting at Yorktown alongside the American Army under Washington.

A day-long festival celebrating the role that Millstone and New Jersey played in the American Revolutionary War.

This is an event for young and old: everyone is welcome!

   

Featured Events
During the American Revolution, in both the British and Continental Armies, each of the 8 to 10 companies of every regiment fielded one fifer and one drummer who were often young men in their teens.
    Performances by members of the Fifes and Drums of the
    Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey
  The Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks present a repertoire of authentic 18th century music which is the result of years of extensive research into the music and performance practices of the period. The uniforms worn by the corps members are authentic reproductions of the uniforms that would have been worn by the fifers and drummers of the 2nd New Jersey Regiment, four of whose eight companies were raised at the Barracks in Trenton in 1775.

Founded in 2004, the Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks were the result of a conversation between Senator Peter Inverso and Richard Patterson, the director of the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, NJ. The corps is made up of boys aged 12-18 drawn from central and southern New Jersey as well as eastern Pennsylvania. The group is directed by musician Steven Hudak of Newtown who is assisted by fellow musicians Drew Wierbowski of Robbinsville, John Lane of Hamilton, and Drum Major James Newberry of Roebling.
   

    Children's Parade, Picnic, and Children's Games and Crafts
  A highlight of Millstone's W3R Celebration is the Children's Parade up Main Street to Borough Hall. With flags flying, everyone marches the short distance to the grounds of Millstone's historic Borough Hall and enjoys a moderately priced picnic. After that there are crafts for children and games for all to enjoy. The above photo shows adults and children playing with a large, muticolored parachute.
    Lawrence Walker, Storyteller, Filmmaker, and Historian
  Storyteller Lawrence Walker will entertain festival-goers during the afternoon program. Lawrence E. Walker, storyteller, filmmaker & historian, portrays Caesar, a slave and Revolutionary War soldier who was born in 1755 and died in 1832. Mr. Walker has spent seven years collecting historic photographs, visiting African-American historic sites in New Jersey and neighboring states, and researching Journey to Freedom: The African-American Experience in New Jersey, 1638-1931, a project which includes a book, an educational CD-Rom and an inspirational music CD.
    Guided walking tour of Millstone's Historic District
  The Historic District in Millstone is a state and nationally recognized place of historic houses and Revolutionary War encampments, including the Old Millstone Forge, a one-room schoolhouse (c. 1860, now Borough Hall), a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the historic Hillsborough Reformed Church (1838), and houses built during the colonial period (late 1600s to 1775) and the early and late 19th century.

During this guided tour, the visitor will learn about the Revolutionary War sites and the many historic buildings in the village.

  Dutch Dancers
  The Dutch Dancers perform several times annually, often in historic houses once owned by Dutch families. At Millstone's W3R Celebration, their performance celebrates the contributions and sacrifices made by the Dutch settlers of the Millstone Valley during America's War for Independence.

Descendents of the New Netherland Dutch began settling the Millstone River Valley around 1700. They built a thriving farming community and became an integral part of the development of New Jersey. Families with Dutch surnames such a Van Doren, Vanderveer, Van Cleev, Cortelyou, Van Neste, Beekman, Veghte and Hageman are still prominent in Somerset County today.

  Revolutionary War Reenactors: Outwater's Militia and Heard's Brigade
  The Outwater's Militia is a non-profit educational/historic association dedicated to recreating/reenacting the life and times of the soldiers and civilians who served in the original company during the American War of Independence from 1777 to 1783. The Heard's Brigade is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the role of the Organized and Irregular companies during the American Revolutionary War. The Brigade participates in battle reenactments and living history displays to portray military and civilian life.

At left: Viola Prevete of Outwater’s Militia with her spinning wheel during living history demonstration on the front lawn near the children’s craft tables at the 2008 Millstone W3R Celebration.

  Old Millstone Forge Blacksmith Shop and Museum
  The Old Millstone Forge Blacksmith Shop and Museum features volunteer blacksmiths who demonstrate the art of the anvil. This two story brick and timber building houses an unusual display of traditional metalworking and wagon building equipment. Displays focus on the transition from traditional blacksmithing to modern machining, with tools from the earliest days of the Colonies up to the 1920s. This site will be open to the public during the W3R celebration.
  Exhibition of paintings by Watercolorists Unlimited
  Exhibition at the Hillsborough Reformed Church Memorial Hall, Main St., Millstone, around the corner from the Reformed Church at 1 Amwell Rd.. Open 10 am. to 11:45 am and 12:30 pm to 3 pm.

Watercolorists Unlimited is a group of artists that was formed in 1987. The group has had exhibitions in several venues around New Jersey, including at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury and the Canal House in Franklin, where their annual shows have attracted a devoted following. We are glad to be able to show their paintings as part of the W3R celebration. The painting at the left is Arizona Sky, a watercolor by Berenice Fatto.
  Display of quilts and hooked rugs at the Van Doren
  House, built c. 1755.
  The Van Doren House was Gen. Washington's headquarters on the night when the American Army marched north after the battles of Trenton and Princeton. At left: fireplace in the old kitchen of the house, now a dining room. At right: a hooked rug by Dorothy Heins.
       

 

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Schedule

Millstone Borough 2009 Celebration of the Rochambeau Army Encampment in Millstone

September 26, 2009

Rain Date: September 27, 2009

  10:00 a.m.   Festival begins at the corner of Amwell Rd. and Main St. in Millstone with tours of the Hillsborough
Reformed Church at Millstone and performances by the Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks.
  10:00 a.m.   Art exhibition with paintings by Watercolorists Unlimited at the Hillsborough Reformed Church
Memorial Hall on Main St. in Millstone, around the corner from the Reformed Church on Main St. in Millstone. Open 10 am. to 11:45 am and 12:30 pm to 3 pm
  10:30 a.m.   Opening ceremony on the grounds of the Hillsborough Reformed Church at Millstone. Music by
the Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks, laying of wreath on Revolutionary War soldier's grave,
re-enactor's rifle salute.
  11:00 a.m..   Dutch Dancing on Amwell Rd., near Reformed Church entrance.  
  11:20 a.m.   Children's parade: Marchers and floats assemble at the corner of Main Street and Old Amwell Road.  
  11:30 a.m.   Parade leaves Church area, proceeds down Main St. to South River St., crosses Amwell Road, to North River St. to Borough Hall.
  12:00 p.m.  

Picnic starts at Borough Hall. $$

  12:30 p.m  

Afternoon program begins

  • The Fifes and Drums of the Old Barracks
  • Storyteller Lawrence Walker at Borough Hall
  • Children's games and crafts at Borough Hall
  • Re-enactor living history exhibits and visits to the Old Forge Blacksmith Shop and Museum
  • Art exhibition at the Hillsborough Reformed Church Memorial Hall with artworks by Watercolorists Unlimited open for afternoon viewing.
     

  1:30 p.m.   Tour of the Hillsborough Reformed Church at Millstone, 1 Amwell Rd., Millstone
  2:00 p.m.   Guided tour of the Millstone Borough Historic District, including a display of quilts and hooked rugs at the Van Doren house, built ca.1755, where Gen. George Washington stayed after the battles of Trenton and Princeton.
  4:00 p.m.   End of Festivities

 

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Millstone and the Victorious March of the American and French Armies to and from the Battle of Yorktown

 

Yorktown Campaign, 1781-1782

 

In July of 1780, France finally came to the aide of the American colonists in their fight against the British. French General Comte de Rochambeau landed in Newport, Rhode Island, with an army of 5,000 officers and men. In June and July of 1781, Rochambeau's army marched through Rhode Island and Connecticut to join General George Washington's Continental Army in Phillipsburg, New York. In the late summer of 1781, the combined American/French Army moved southward in order to operate in Virginia against the Crown forces under General Cornwallis. On August 30 the American baggage train passed through Millstone. Later that same day the first two of four regiments of Rochambeau's army arrived in the village. Two French Regiments and artillery encamped just southwest of the intersection of the Princeton (River) and Amwell Roads. Rumors of a British raid from New York caused Baron de Viomenil who was in command (Rochambeau had ridden ahead to Princeton) to encamp the cavalry of "Lazun's Legion" in the area south of the intersection of the Princeton and Coryell's Ferry (Hamilton) Roads north of town on high ground to defend against attack.

On August 31 the remaining two French regiments arrived, and on September 1 the rear guard of the American Army stopped for rest as it passed through the village. The French/American journey was an amazing feat of endurance and military achievement. Elements of the French Army marched 629 miles to Yorktown from Providence, Rhode Island. Americans made the march of over 400 miles from Philipsburg (Greenburg), New York, to the York River. With the French fleet blockading Chesapeake Bay, the Continental Army and the French force under Rochambeau cornered and forced the surrender of a large British army under the command of Lord Cornwallis. The defeat of Crown forces at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781, forced the British to seriously negotiate for peace and to recognize American independence.

The French Army returned to New England in September 1782, camping in Millstone on September 8 and 9. There are excellent maps by Louis-Alexandre Berthier for Rochambeau documenting both French encampments in the village. After September 1782 large-scale military movements in the Somerset Court House area ended.

The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) is now a National Historic Trail !
On March 30, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which contained provisions designating the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route as a National Historic Trail. This new historic trail is the first national historic trail with a major presence in New Jersey! The Borough of Millstone is an important site on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, since the French army camped here in both 1781 and 1782, and an American Army contingent also passed through on the way to Yorktown.

A report commissioned in 2000 by the National Park Service recognized the national significance of the route taken by the two armies. The report that was compiled contained a feasibility study and planning strategy for the designation of a new national historic trail, with maps, photographs, and historical overview. see report

In March 2009, the provisions of the 'Washington -- Rochambeau Revolutionary Route' National Heritage Act of H.R. 4794 were amended to a related bill (H.R.146) which the House had passed and sent to the Senate for consideration. The focus of H.R.146 is to preserve battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The Senate passed H.R.146.EAS on March 19, 2009. The bill was then returned to the House, where it was debated and passed on March 25, 2009. President Obama signed the bill into law on March 30, 2009.

 

Below: Two maps by Louis-Alexandre Berthier showing both encampments of Rochambeau's French army in Somerset Courthouse (present-day Millstone).

The map on the left shows the encampment of August 30-31, 1781 during the march south to Yorktown, Virginia, and views Millstone from the north, as the French would have approached it. The map on the right views Millstone from the south and shows the encampment on Sept 8-9, 1782, as the French returned north after the victory.

 
   
 

MS, 32 x 21 cm. Princeton University Library, Berthier Papers, No. 39-28/3 \Rochambeau's copy is in the Library of Congress, Map Division. The maps are collected in the Princeton Department of Rare Books and Special Collections).

To learn more about the history of the French Campaign in NJ and the Berthier maps, visit the W3R-NJ maps page. There are more Berthier maps in the Rochambeau Map Collection in the Library of Congress.The Rochambeau Map Collection contains cartographic items used by Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), when he was commander in chief of the French expeditionary army (1780-82) during the American Revolution.

 

 

Links to Information about the Washington/Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

 

 

Links to other W3R websites

  • The official website of the W3R Association
    The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) refers to the series of campsites, the pathways travelled, the activities and events along the way, of the French troops under French General (and Count) Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau during the American Revolutionary War. The French army landed in Newport RI in 1780. It wintered in RI, and in 1781 it marched to join Washington's Continental Army units outside New York City. The two armies marched together to Yorktown, Virginia. At Yorktown they trapped, (with critical support from a French fleet under Admiral de Grasse) besieged, and accepted the surrender of a British army under Cornwallis
    W3R NJ website.
    This is the official website of for W3RNJ. It is a good way to find out about events that are scheduled in NJ.
     Regiments of l'Arm‚e de Terre Royale in the American War for Independence
    The focus of this Exp‚dition ParticuliŠre webpage is on the regiments that accompanied Rochambeau to American, in 1780, and those that joined him at Yorktown in 1781. Exp‚dition ParticuliŠre was the codename given to the French expeditionary army sent to help the American Revolution during 1780 to 1782. Its contribution was essential to the American-French allied victory at Yorktown in September 1781.
  • Statement of significance
    (1.6mb PDF file) A report evaluating the national significance of the trail known as the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. This is a feasibility study and planning strategy for the designation of a new national historic trail, with maps, photographs, and historical overview