The 2006 Full-Route March of the Trail 
from Newport RI to Yorktown VA,
"America's March to Yorktown"

Starting Out: Lee Patrick Anderson, David Holloway, Mike Fitzgerald,
David Fagerberg, Richard Swartwout and a young friend on June 16, 2006.
[Photo courtesy of Lee Anderson]

"America's March to Yorktown" (AMtY) was conceived and planned independently from the W3R®-US, but it was supported enthusiastically and partially funded by members of the W3R®-US and by the public. Five seasoned re-enactors started out aboard a boat from Newport RI to Providence RI (as the French troops did in 1781) and three of them marched the full 685 miles along the trail from Providence RI to Yorktown VA, stopping at the same campsites (or nearby) on the same calendar days as the French Army did in 1781. Many people (some in period uniforms) joined the march for part of a day, a full day, or several days. The full story, links to the AMtY blogs, W3R®-US photo-reports, and newspaper articles on this march are posted below. The AMtY Web site describes the route, and has all the daily Web logs. Their photo-gallery has over a thousand photos.

Mike Fitzgerald, David Holloway, and David Fagerberg marched the entire 680-mile route of the trail, through heat, cold, sun, rain, and wind -- along country dirt roads, city allies, and multi-lane cement highways. Rose Morin drove the support truck (with trailer), scouted the trail, took the photos, and jotted down all the details and people of the day -- to enter later in the daily blog of the march. Richard Swartwout helped with the organization and supplies, marched part of the route, and provided a historical blog (as though from a Revolutionary soldier). The full-route marchers and several shorter-term companions started out from Newport, Rhode Island on a bright, sunny morning with a boat ride, stout hearts, and a well-stocked support van.

News for Rhode Island | Connecticut | New York | New Jersey News for Pennsylvania | Delaware | Maryland and DC | Virginia

Boy Scouts Start the March in Rhode Island   May 6, 13, 20: from Newport to Providence: photo-report from various contributors May 27, June 4, 10: from Providence to the CT state line: photo-report from various contributors June 18: Scouts and re-enactors from Rhode Island and Connecticut held a Border Ceremony -- with a parade and military demonstrations -- to pass the Rochambeau baton and banner from RI to CT: photo-report from various contributors June: 225th Anniversary Activities in Providence RI  New Eng. Life, June 2006 photo-report and review article [No longer posted.] "March to Victory -- Nine States, International Impact", by Chris Brunson [Corporate Connecticut], summarized the history behind the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route and notes its value for heritage tourism. [No longer posted.] June 16-18: 225th anniversary of Count Rochambeau's departure from Providence [Consulate General of France in Boston] -- a professional journalist's report [No longer posted.] June 16: Providence Welcomes the French Troops: photo-report from various contributors June 17: The Brown University Symposium on France and the American Revolution was followed by a parade to, review at, and ceremony in the State House: photo-report from various contributors

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June-October: America's March to Yorktown (AMtY)  Full-route March: During June to October, 2006, several re-enactors are marching the entire 680-miles of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route from Newport RI to Yorktown VA. See the map below and photo-report of the start of the march. The marchers are following (to the extent possible) the same route and schedule as 225 years ago. The AMtY Web site gives their march schedule, daily Web log. Their photo-gallery has over a thousand photos.

White Plains NY in July <== <== Hartford CT in June <== <== Newport RI in May

AMtY Starts Out in Rhode Island June 18: Starting out in Rhode Island: photo-report from various contributors Crossing Connecticut   June 18-July 1: Connecticut: The AMtY Web site has a blog and many photos of this section. Resting for the Long March South  July 6 to Aug 14: The AMtY marchers rested their bodies and repaired their gear in 2006 during the six weeks that the allied armies camped and skirmished near White Plains NY in 1781. Aug 22 Yorktown NY: After this rest the AMtY team continued south. "History buffs retrace French general's revolutionary march through Yorktown", by Brian J. Howard [The Journal News] (Yorktown NY) [no longer posted] Franco-American Army Crosses the Hudson [Hudson River Valley Institute] -- brief article in Sept 2006 newsletter with photo of "Washington" being rowed across the Hudson River. [no longer posted] The Inland Route across New Jersey  "A wet but spirited march in Suffern", by Alice Gomstyn [The Journal News] (dateline: Aug 28, Suffern NJ) [no longer posted] Aug 29 Princeton NJ: Mike Fitzgerald, David Fagerberg, day-marcher Paul Hutchins, David Holloway, and Mathieu Petitjean, President of the American Society of the Souvenier Français 2006 Aug 31 Trenton NJ: March to Yorktown through Trenton NJ (ten photos with text) by Gerald S. Williams [The Philadelphia Inquirer] (Pennsylvania) [no longer posted]

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The Allies Pass through Philadelphia PA  Aug 31 Philadelphia PA: Parades commemorate 225th anniversary of 1781 march to Yorktown, by Edward D. Kim Tiket (Montgomery County PA) [no longer posted] Sep 01 Philadelphia PA: "Reenactors trace steps of French and American troops" by Edward Colimore, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania) [no longer posted] "Chester parade has a French flair", by Kathleen Carey, Delaware County Daily Times (Philadelphia PA, Sep 01) [no longer posted] Sep 03-04 Philadelphia PA: Frankford, Fishtown, and the Schuylkill River [PDF] a good noncommercial photo-report by Torben Jenk and Donna Walker Delaware - the Shortest Route   Sep 05, 06, 07 crossing Delaware: Claymont, Wilmington, Newport, Christiana, and Newark: a photo-report by Ralph Nelson "Revolutionary Was re-enactors retrace steps of the march" (dateline Sep 5, Wilmington DE) Brandywine Community News for Sept 08 (Delaware) see page 3 (both Ease and West editions) for the story -- with photos in color -- by Andrea Miller [no longer posted] Same article, but with photos in greyscale: -- page 5 Hockessin Community News Sept 07 -- page 5 Greenville Community News Sept 12 -- page 3 Mill Creek Community News Sept 13 "Marching" by Jim Parks [www.delaforum.com] (Wilmington DE, Sep 08 ) (a two-paragraph note with photo of the marchers) "Reenactors hope to inspire a new national historic trail", by Pat Walters The News Journal (Wilmington DE, Sep 08) [no longer posted]

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From Elkton MD to Georgetown DC  Sep 11 Baltimore MD:

At the DAR Chapter House in Baltimore MD
Dave Fagerberg discusses how to care for a musket.

Both parents and children enjoyed the colorful uniforms
and the tales of army life on the three-month trip to Yorktown.

Roll Call, Web version, for Sept 25 -- a photo and paragraph on the visit to Capitol Hill.[no longer posted] Taking Many Country Roads through Virginia   "Marching To America's Real Independence Day", by Chuck Hagee (dateline: Sep 24-25 Arlington VA) The Connection for 2006 Sept 27 [no longer posted] Sep 20-23 Arlington VA: AMtY Enters Virginia -- photo-report by Durf McJoynt Sep 23-24 Mt Vernon VA: Exploring Alexandria and Mount Vernon, Virginia, also An Evening Visit at Mount Vernon -- photo-reports by Durf McJoynt Sep 25 Colchester VA: "The siege of Yorktown, 225 years later", by Theresa Medoff, AAAWorld.com {dateline: Oct 5-7, Yorktown VA) [no longer posted]

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Arrival at Yorktown on October 7

After over 600 miles of marching through eight different states (dozens of towns), going through several pairs of shoes, and taking thousands of photographs, "America's March to Yorktown" arrived, on Saturday, October 7th, 2006, at the Yorktown Monument to Alliance and Victory. The grey day on which the marchers arrived at Yorktown (see photo below) reminds us that most of the thousands of soldiers who made the original march had been away from home for over a year before the march started, suffered from inadequate clothes, food, and shelter along the way, and were anticipating heavy fighting that could result in death, injury with possible infection, or capture. The commemorative march was tough, but The marchers were in 21st-century surroundings during the weeks before the march. They enjoyed food and festivities that in 1781 were available only to staff officers. They returned to 21st-century surroundings immediately after the march. The re-enactment camps at Yorktown on Oct 19-22 helped remind us of the hardships suffered in 1781.

A moment for reflection about those who marched this route in 1781,
many of whom died along the way. [photo courtesy of Cheryl Sonderman]

Support for the March The W3R®-US thanks the members of the public, the W3R® state groups, Scouts, JROTC cadets, SAR, DAR, re-enactors, historical organizations, etc., who held commemorations and educational events as the marchers passed through their communities. We also thank the numerous organizations and individuals nationwide who made $1,300 in donations (plus paying for W3R®-US pins) that bought six hundred W3R®-US patches that were given to participating youth and also bought some of the food, shelter, gas and food for the AmtY team. We have posted a financial report on W3R®-US pin sales.

The AMtY team returned to Yorktown for the 225th anniversary commemorations. For links to a photo-report showing the AMtY marchers there see October 19.