Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
French Forces Memorial
Photographed by Thierry Chaunu, July 10, 2020
1. French Forces Memorial
1778 • A la Mémoire des Combattants Français de la Guerre de L’Indépendance Américaine • 1783
La Fayette
Major-General de L’Armée Américaine
Corps Expéditionnaire Francais
Marine
D’Estaing
De Grasse
De Ternay
Destouches
De Barras
De Guichen
De La Motte-Picquet
De Suffren
Armee de Terre
Rochambeau
De Viomenil
De Chastellux
De Choisy
D’Aboville
Desandrouins
De Lauzun
De Saint-Simon
Escadre du Comte D'Estaing
Unités / Équipages / Pertes
Languedoc 875/80
Le Zèlé 514/27
Le Fantasque 462/51
Le Magnifique 577/29
Le Tonnant 662/29
Le Protecteur 410/15
Le Fier 437/61
La Provence 429/55
L’Artésien 642/107
Le Guerrier 346/13
L’Amphion 454/24
Le Marseillais 731/48
Le César 555/45
Le Vengeur 690/124
L’Annibal 1381/98
La Prudente 322/21
La Concorde 299/38
La Chimère 307/21
L’Alcmène 205/8
L’Étourdie 171/11
L’Aimable 141/0
L’Andromaque 334/14
La Blanche 294/16
Le Fendant 1331/295
L’Alerte 69/0
Escadre du Comte De Grasse
La Ville de Paris 1165/110
L’Engageante 217/2
La Concorde 227/7
Le Magnanime 580/92
L’Aigrette 75/13
Le Diadème 1020/160
L’Ivelly
this page online
Le Northumberland 800/105
Le Scipion 596/83
Le Sceptre 923/112
La Couronne-le-Pluton 906/76
La Bourgogne 439/59
Le Glorieux 633/80
Le Caton 654/70
L’Auguste 1026/74
L’Hector 650/62
Le Sagittaire 389/25
Le Serpent 142/6
La Diligente 179/17
Le St Esprit 760/93
L’Amazone 316/23
L’Expériment 457/51
Escadre des Comtes De Guichen & De Grasse
L’Indien 768/69
Le Marseillais 630/33
Le Citoyen 802/47
L’Actionnaire 854/131
Le Souverain 511/46
L’Hercule 310/81
Escadre du Comte de Ternay (Armée de Rochambeau)
Le Duc de Bourgogne 840/134
Le Jason 535/65
Le Jason 391/35
La Provence 404/22
L’Éveillé 484/65
Le Conquérant 731/118
L’Ardent 404/87
Le Neptune 626/70
Regiments / Effectifs / Pertes
Armée de Rochambeau
De Bourbonnais 1220 / 179
De Soissonnais 1250 / 110
De Saintonge 1322 / 129
De Royal Deux-Ponts 1163 / Inconnues
D’Auxonne 601 / 81
De Metz 351 / Inconnues
Légion de Lauzun 310 / Inconnues
Hussards 310 / Inconnues
De Grenoble 65 / Inconnues
Armée de Saint-Simon
D’Agénois 1166 / 7
De Gâtinais 1061 / 429
De Touraine 1297 / 200
Armée Terrestre D’Estaing
(D'Estaing's
Photographed by Thierry Chaunu, October 19, 2022
2. French Forces Memorial
De Dillon 1164 / Inconnues
De Walsh 532 / Inconnues
D’Hainaut 511 / 200
De Foix 357 / 82
Marine
Équipages / Pertes
31497 / 3520
Armée de Terre
Effectifs / Pertes
12680 / 1520
Total
Forces / Pertes
44177 / 5040
Erected 1971.
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary.
Location. 37° 14.455′ N, 76° 31.288′ W. Memorial is in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. It is at the intersection of Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp and Water Street, on the right when traveling west on Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Yorktown VA 23692, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once
Photographed by Thierry Chaunu, July 10, 2020
3. French Forces Memorial
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Yorktown French Memorial (a few steps from this marker); French Trench (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named French Trench (within shouting distance of this marker); The Washington-Rochambeau Route to Victory (within shouting distance of this marker); Fusiliers Redoubt (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Washington-Rochambeau Route (about 700 feet away); Massachusetts (approx. 0.2 miles away); Connecticut (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.
More about this memorial. "In Memory of the French Fighters of the American War of Independence"
Inaugurated on October 19, 1971—predating the Yorktown French Memorial by 18 years—this flat bronze marker rests on a concrete bed a few steps to the right of the War Memorial.
Regarding French Forces Memorial.
Between 1778 and 1783, King Louis XVI dispatched the French Navy and Army to support American independence. This marker details each naval vessel and regiment by headcount and casualties sustained, concluding with a comprehensive recap for the Navy, Army, and a Grand Total.
Notably, the Marquis de Lafayette's position at the top of the masthead is strictly honorific; serving as a volunteer Major General in the Continental Army, he operated separately. French forces on American soil answered exclusively to Admirals and Generals under royal command—specifically D'Estaing (1778–1779) and Rochambeau (1780–1782)—with Rochambeau under direct orders from Louis XVI to place his forces under General George Washington's overall command.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 12, 2026, by Thierry Chaunu of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 12, 2026, by Thierry Chaunu of New York, New York. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
