Major General Rochambeau

The story

Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau is a bronze statue honoring Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, a French nobleman and general who played a major role in helping the Thirteen Colonies win independence during the American Revolutionary War. Rochambeau joined the French military as a teenager; he participated in the War of Austrian Succession, after which he was promoted to colonel, and the Seven Years' War. During the war in America, Louis XVI asked him to lead a force of 5,500 French soldiers to assist the fight against the Kingdom of Great Britain. He and George Washington later worked together in the successful siege of Yorktown. He led the Army of the North during the French Revolutionary Wars, but was arrested and almost executed during the Reign of Terror. His military rank was restored by Napoleon, and he died a few years later in 1807. In the late 1800s, a plan was made to erect four statues in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., honoring foreign heroes of the war. The statue of Rochambeau was the second one erected. French embassy official Jules Boeufvé worked tirelessly to have the statue installed, a replica of the original statue in Vendôme, France, and Congress authorized the plan in 1901. The following year, sculptor Fernand Hamar's replica was delivered to the United States. A base was also installed with additional statuary. The dedication took place on May 24, 1902, with thousands of invited guests and onlookers in attendance. Among those who spoke during the unveiling and dedication ceremony were President Theodore Roosevelt, French General Joseph Brugère, French Ambassador Jules Cambon, and members of Congress. After the festivities in Washington, D.C., the French delegation was taken on a train tour of places where Rochambeau had spent time. The statue has often been cleaned to remove verdigris, but a portion of the inscriptions has faded due to weather. The statue rests on a tall base adorned with two figures: a woman depicting Victory who is holding a sword and two flags, and an eagle beside her. Rochambeau's statue is one of 14 American Revolution Statuary in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year. In addition, the statue is a contributing property to the L'Enfant Plan and the Lafayette Square Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dates from 1901.

Wikidata Q6738069, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Built

1901

Height

2.4 m

Elevation

17 m

How to reach it

Named places within 25 miles

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Major General Rochambeau. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

When to go

Light through the year

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct.

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Washington Reagan Natl AP, 4 mi away.

Where this comes from

OpenStreetMap element way/257934463