Trail of Revolutionary War March Marked in Morris County
Published on August 28, 2026
New Jersey Historical Commission Marker Unveiled at Frelinghuysen Arboretum
A New Jersey Historical Marker was unveiled yesterday at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township, memorializing a section of the famous Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail in Morris County that led the Continental Army and French allies to final victory during the American Revolution.
The marker, titled “French Forces Pivot to New Jersey,” commemorates Aug. 29, 1781, when French forces under Gen. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, left an encampment in nearby Whippany to head south with American forces. Both the Continental Army, led by Gen. George Washington, and the French Expédition Particulière took part in a 14-week campaign along the trail from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia to engage in the final battle of the American Revolution.
The French forces marched from Rhode Island in June 1781, joining the Continental Army forces in New Jersey before marching south to Yorktown in August 1781, exactly 245 years ago this week.
The trail was a combination of different roads in the 18th Century stretching 680 miles across nine states. While most of the physical path still exists today, as modern roads, parks and even waterways, much has been lost to time and development. Still, the exact location of the entire trail has been accurately and meticulously mapped by historians.
The marker placed at the Morris County Park Commission’s Frelinghuysen Arboretum is the first to physically designate where the trail passed through Morris County, which is known as the “Crossroads of the Revolution.”
View Photos from the Trail Marker Ceremony at Frelinghuysen Arboretum
“This historical marker reminds us of the brilliant military tactics that led to the United States’ victory in the final siege and land battle of Yorktown and of a major turning point in your country’s independence,” said Myriam Gil, Deputy Consul General of France in New York.
France formally entered the Revolutionary War in 1778 and ultimately sent approximately 12,000 soldiers and more than 32,000 naval personnel to support the American cause. About 5,000 French soldiers and officers under Rochambeau passed through and encamped in the Morris County area in August 1781.
The French forces had been expected by the British to move toward Staten Island but instead divided into three columns and marched south through New Jersey. Their route brought them through Whippany, Pompton Plains and the grounds of what is now the Frelinghuysen Arboretum before continuing toward Virginia.
“The Revolutionary War was not only about the battles. Most of the time was about the time in between, which was very long and arduous and very scary,” said Morris County Commissioner Christine Myers, reflecting on military movements through Morris County that depended on local roads, communities and people along the route.
The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail passes through more than 200 municipalities, including eight communities in Morris County.
“You hear the state referred to as the Crossroads of the Revolution, and it is true when you look at it,” said Sen. Anthony Bucco, a member of the New Jersey Historical Commission. “Our country’s independence was centered much of the time right here in Morris County.”
The new marker is one of 42 being installed throughout New Jersey by the New Jersey Historical Commission as part of a special series commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. It is the third marker installed to date in the series, which will recognize Revolutionary War history and other significant aspects of New Jersey’s history.
“These markers are that physical reminder of the past,” said Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission.
The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, which was designated by an act of Congress in 2009, is a unit of the National Trails System, under the U.S. National Park Service, but the federal government does not own the land once covered by the trail. The trail traverses a great deal of private and developed property, as well as parks and public land. Markers such as the one placed at Frelinghuysen Arboretum are important to preserving the history of the trail
“The fact that this is part of the National Park Service is a testament to the importance of this story to winning America’s independence as a nation,” said Brad Fay, executive director of the National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association, an organization dedicated to educating the public of the significance of the trail.
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, originally known as Whippany Farm, is part of Morris County’s long history of preserving the area’s significant past. David Helmer, executive director of the Morris County Park Commission, detailed the history of the 127-acre property during the unveiling.
Matilda Frelinghuysen donated the first 50 acres of Whippany Farm to the Park Commission in 1964 and bequeathed the remaining 77 acres in 1969. The property was dedicated as an arboretum in 1971 in memory of her parents, George Griswold and Sarah Linen Ballantine Frelinghuysen.
The property also has a connection to France through its architecture. The Colonial Revival mansion, completed in 1892, was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Rotch and Tilden, whose architects were products of the École des Beaux-Arts curriculum in France.
The unveiling was attended by representatives of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, New Jersey Historical Commission, National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association, the Washington-Rochambeau Trail Alliance, Morristown National Historical Park, Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum and The Park Alliance.
While 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the new marker provides a permanent reminder of the alliance between the United States and France that helped make American independence possible and of Morris County’s place along the road to Yorktown.
“We are deeply grateful to have contributed to the birth of your republic, and just as importantly, for the alliance and friendship that began after that,” Gil said.
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Photo 1: The Marquis de Lafayette, portrayed by interpreter Stephan Bocket (born in France), stands beside the New Jersey Historical Marker unveiled today at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township on Aug. 27, 2026. His services were provided through the Washington-Rochambeau Trail Alliance of New Jersey.
Photo 2: (l-r, front) Sara Cureton, executive director of the New Jersey Historical Commission; Lynn Laffey, director of Historic and Interpretive Sites at the Morris County Park Commission; Commissioner Christine Myers; Senator Anthony Bucco; Myriam Gil, Deputy Consul General of France in New York; (l-r, back) Dave Helmer, executive director of the Morris County Park Commission; Stuart Lasser, Morris County Park Commissioner; Brad Fay, executive director of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association; the Marquis de Lafayette portrayed by interpreter Stephan Bocket; and Kathleen Humphreys, Senior Collections Care Specialist, Morris County Park Commission.
Photo 3: The historical marker is unveiled. From left, Morris County Park Commissioner Executive Director Dave Helmer; New Jersey Historical Commission Executive Director Sara Cureton; Morris County Commissioner Christine Myers; Morris County Park Commissioner Stuart Lasser and Senator Anthony M. Bucco.