NORTH ATTLEBORO - Drivers along Route 1 Tuesday
should be forgiven if they thought they had been briefly transported
back to the Colonial era as re-enactors dressed as French soldiers
marched by on their way to Boston.
Bearing a flag decorated with fleur-de-lis and dressed in period garb, the soldiers marched by McDonald's, a host of car dealerships and other establishments French soldiers of the day never could have dreamed of, all in the name of recalling the French Army's contribution to the Revolutionary War.
The re-enactors are walking from Providence to Boston to commemorate the French intervention under Gen. Comte de Rochambeau during the American Revolution.
In 2006, the group, known as America's Walk to Yorktown, spent four months recreating the 700-mile march from Newport, R.I., to Yorktown, Va., staying at sites thought to be the original camps after reading French journals and maps.
"We pitched tents as close as possible," said Michael Fitzgerald. "We left Newport and walked through the town 225 years to the day that they did, walking down the same roads and arriving in each place on the same date. Most people have no idea 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers walked down their streets."
The re-enactment came at a sticky time for relations between the United States and the French, but Fitzgerald said 99 percent of those they encountered were supportive. At a time when Americans were promising to order freedom fries, they did get occasional ribbing, however.
"There was a gentleman getting his newspaper, standing in his driveway in his bathrobe and slippers," Fitzgerald said. "Dave said 'bon jour' - and you have to remember this is at the beginning of the Iraq War, so the French weren't popular. The guy said 'Are you French? Then get the hell out of here and just keep going.'"
Dave Halloway said the group met many people on the journey who opened up their homes to them, with shower locations ranging from a horse stall to a historic house once owned by a sculptor.
The group also later testified before Congress to get official recognition for the the route, now known as the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, which was recognized by President Barack Obama in 2009 as a National Historic Trail.
The group is finishing its long march this year, following the last leg of the route to Boston. After the victory over Cornwallis, almost 4,000 French soldiers marched from Yorktown, Va., to Boston, where they boarded ships and departed for the Caribbean on Christmas Day in 1782.
Fitzgerald said the re-enactors have been fortunate thus far because they have encountered warmer weather than Rochambeau's men. One morning was reportedly so cold that soldiers found their frozen tents continued to stand after the poles and stakes were pulled out.
The re-enactors stayed overnight at First Congregational Church in Oldtown, giving a free lecture about their trek, including descriptions of their clothing, weaponry and the historic route.
The march will continue onto Wrentham on Wednesday where a lecture will be held at the Fiske Public Library at 7:30 p.m. The march will end at the site of the Boston Massacre.
For more information, visit www.w3r-us.org or go to the National Park Service website, www.nps.gov/waro
Bearing a flag decorated with fleur-de-lis and dressed in period garb, the soldiers marched by McDonald's, a host of car dealerships and other establishments French soldiers of the day never could have dreamed of, all in the name of recalling the French Army's contribution to the Revolutionary War.
The re-enactors are walking from Providence to Boston to commemorate the French intervention under Gen. Comte de Rochambeau during the American Revolution.
In 2006, the group, known as America's Walk to Yorktown, spent four months recreating the 700-mile march from Newport, R.I., to Yorktown, Va., staying at sites thought to be the original camps after reading French journals and maps.
"We pitched tents as close as possible," said Michael Fitzgerald. "We left Newport and walked through the town 225 years to the day that they did, walking down the same roads and arriving in each place on the same date. Most people have no idea 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers walked down their streets."
The re-enactment came at a sticky time for relations between the United States and the French, but Fitzgerald said 99 percent of those they encountered were supportive. At a time when Americans were promising to order freedom fries, they did get occasional ribbing, however.
"There was a gentleman getting his newspaper, standing in his driveway in his bathrobe and slippers," Fitzgerald said. "Dave said 'bon jour' - and you have to remember this is at the beginning of the Iraq War, so the French weren't popular. The guy said 'Are you French? Then get the hell out of here and just keep going.'"
Dave Halloway said the group met many people on the journey who opened up their homes to them, with shower locations ranging from a horse stall to a historic house once owned by a sculptor.
The group also later testified before Congress to get official recognition for the the route, now known as the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, which was recognized by President Barack Obama in 2009 as a National Historic Trail.
The group is finishing its long march this year, following the last leg of the route to Boston. After the victory over Cornwallis, almost 4,000 French soldiers marched from Yorktown, Va., to Boston, where they boarded ships and departed for the Caribbean on Christmas Day in 1782.
Fitzgerald said the re-enactors have been fortunate thus far because they have encountered warmer weather than Rochambeau's men. One morning was reportedly so cold that soldiers found their frozen tents continued to stand after the poles and stakes were pulled out.
The re-enactors stayed overnight at First Congregational Church in Oldtown, giving a free lecture about their trek, including descriptions of their clothing, weaponry and the historic route.
The march will continue onto Wrentham on Wednesday where a lecture will be held at the Fiske Public Library at 7:30 p.m. The march will end at the site of the Boston Massacre.
For more information, visit www.w3r-us.org or go to the National Park Service website, www.nps.gov/waro
