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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1708 (headquarters 1780-1781)

Vernon House

c. 1708 (headquarters 1780-1781)

A historic house in Newport, Rhode Island that served as Rochambeau's headquarters while his army was stationed there, and where he met Washington in 1781.

Rochambeau used this house as his headquarters during his year at Newport and met Washington here in 1781.

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Stone wall of pale blocks with a green bronze relief medallion of a man in a tricorn hat and cloak, with the inscription 'Headquarters of General Count de Rochambeau commanding the French Allied Forces, 1780-1781'. Below are two dark plaques: 'Vernon House has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark' and a plaque in memory of Lafayette.
Plaque on Vernon House, Newport, Rhode Island, commemorating Rochambeau's headquarters there, 1780-1781.

About this source

What it is

Vernon House is a colonial-era wood-frame house in Newport, Rhode Island, built in the 18th century with earlier construction history. During the American Revolutionary War, it served as the headquarters of Rochambeau while his French forces were stationed in Newport from 1780 to 1783. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968.

Why it matters

The house marks the presence of French forces supporting the American cause, and the meeting between Rochambeau and George Washington here in March 1781 was an important step in coordinating the alliance that led to victory at Yorktown. The house's later owner, William Vernon, was a prominent slave trader, a reminder of the complex society of the period.

Look closer

  • Why would a general's headquarters be chosen in a private house rather than a military building?
  • What does the plaque on the building tell visitors, and what does it leave out?
  • How might the house's connection to the slave trade complicate how we remember this Revolutionary War site?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Document

Primary source

Articles of Capitulation, Yorktown

Charles Cornwallis; George Washington; Comte de Rochambeau; Comte de Barras · 19 October 1781

Scan of a handwritten two-column manuscript on aged, browned paper. The left column is in English under the heading 'Treaty of Alliance', and the right column is in French under 'Traité d'alliance eventuelle et défensive'. The text opens by naming the Most Christian King and the United States of North America.Document

Primary source

Treaty of Alliance with France

6 February 1778

Photograph of the back cover of a book bound in red leather at the spine and corners, with dark blue, black, and tan marbled paper covering the boards. The marbled pattern shows swirling circular shapes.Book

Primary source

Mémoires militaires, historiques et politiques de Rochambeau

comte de Rochambeau · 1809

Oval oil portrait of an older man with powdered gray hair, looking toward the viewer, wearing a dark cloak with gold braided trim, a white cravat, pink garment beneath, and a large embroidered star-shaped order insignia on his chest, set in a gold frame against a dark background.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau

Charles Willson Peale · 1782

Large painting of a battlefield scene with a grey, stormy sky. On the left, British redcoat troops stand in lines beside a white flag. On the right, American troops in blue and buff stand beside a striped flag. In the center, a mounted commander on a white horse, with a figure in red uniform walking in front, faces the lines.Painting

Secondary source

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

John Trumbull · 1819

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