On August 27th, my daughter and I attended the 4th Annual March to Yorktown Day in Westfield, NJ. The event was run by the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association New Jersey (W3R-NJ) to commemorate the day (August 29th, 1781) that General Benjamin Lincoln’s line of the Continental Army, passed through Westfield, NJ on their way to Yorktown, Virginia. The French Army, led by the Comte de Rochambeau, took a route to the west of the Continental Army before the two armies met up outside Princeton, NJ. The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route highlights the route that the American and French armies took from Newport, Rhode Island, to Yorktown, Virginia, which culminated in the defeat of the British Army in The Siege of Yorktown in October 1781. The Washington-Rochambeau Trail is a unit of the National Park Service.

The event began with an opening ceremony at Mindowskin Park. Re-enactors included Washington, Rochambeau, General Chastellux, and the Marquis de Lafayatte. Speakers during the opening ceremony included Julie Diddel, W3R-NJ Chair, who explained the significance of the Washington-Rochambeau Historical Route, as well as Westfield’s role in the Revolution. She did a fantastic job organizing and running the event. Speakers also included Westfield mayor Shelley Brindle, State Senator Jon Bramnick, and others.

Following the opening ceremonies, the crowd marched into the center of Mindowskin Park, led by Washington and Rochambeau. The park took on the form of a Revolutionary Era militia encampment with colonial games, cooking demonstrations, and frequent marches, drills and musket firing from the soldiers.

Local history organizations set up tents and provided information. Organizations included the Washington Association of New Jersey, the Chatham Historical Society, the Union Township Historical Society, the Princeton Battlefield Society, the Miller-Cory House Musuem, the Westfield Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and others. Music was provided througout the event by fife and drums which took you back to the 18th century.

My daughter and I chatted with the re-enactors as well as members of the different historical groups there. We tried out colonial games and learned about colonial encampment cooking. There was a Family Flava food truck at the event so my daughter and I had lunch on a park bench. After we ate, we found out that Mindowskin Park has a beautiful playground that my daugher really enjoyed. I had to bribe her to leave with a stop at the ice cream truck.

My daughter and I had a wonderful time at the March to Yorktown Day in Westfield. The event was another reminder of the rich history in New Jersey and the strong ties that the state has to the American Revolution. The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association New Jersey did a great job providing an event that was fun and informative for all ages. I look forward to attending again next year!

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