Rochambeau Day
Connecticut Old State House
Hartford
Oct. 3, 2026
America had a lot of help when we beat the British Empire for our independence in the 1780s. The Connecticut Old State House honored one of the men most responsible for the triumph, French General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, by recreating the historic meeting between him and General George Washington that took place in Hartford 246 years ago.
It was a critical meeting for the course of the war. Washington and Rochambeau laid the groundwork for a relationship that eventually saw the men combine forces and surround the British at the Battle of Yorktown, leading to the British surrender that ended the war. Reenactors Eric Dutaud (Rochambeau) and John Koopman III (Washington) portrayed the men as appropriately friendly yet aristocratic, and conveyed the seriousness of the proceedings without feeling heavy.
On hand presenting the colors and a 13-gun salute was the First Company Governor’s Footguard, which has stood protecting the state since 1771, longer than the nation has existed. It was the Footguard that provided security for the original meeting between the French and American generals, and they were there to continue the legacy. The Footguard led a short procession to the Ancient Burial grounds, where members of the Footguard who passed in the last year were honored.
That’s where I caught up with a group of teenagers who were recording the proceedings with their cellphones. I’d noticed them standing just outside the gate back at the Old State House, and thought they were stopping to watch for a moment on their way to something that teenagers do. But they’d stayed for the whole ceremony. They had even walked over with the parade to the Ancient Burial Grounds.
I asked them point blank: Everyone there was much older than they are. So what drew them to an historical reenactment on a Saturday morning? It turns out they’re all Hartford youth who were simply hanging out in downtown, and the reenactment caught their interests for many different reasons.
Matthew, 16, is originally from New York City. He said that seeing the military uniforms and horses intrigued him.
“A lot of things like this happen in New York,” he said. “It reminded me of home."
Tiffany, 17, is a history buff who loves animals, so a Colonial reenactment featuring horses was right up her alley.
“This made me more interested in learning about that kind of history,” she said. “It’s valuable information that everyone should know, because some people suffered back then. People should know why.”
It made me very happy to see young people taking an interest in the history that surrounds them. Their enjoyment is the ultimate proof of why events like Rochambeau Day are so important, to connect the future of our nation to its past by igniting their imagination in a way books and lectures don’t always achieve.
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