In America250 history, which French general commanded troops alongside Washington at Yorktown?

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In America250 history, the Comte de Rochambeau commanded French troops alongside Washington at Yorktown.

Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, led the French army sent to assist the American Revolution. In 1781, his forces joined Washington’s Continental Army in the campaign that surrounded the British army commanded by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia.

The victory depended on cooperation among several commanders and services. Rochambeau directed the French land forces, Washington commanded the American army, and Admiral de Grasse brought the French fleet that blocked British relief by sea. The allied siege forced Cornwallis to surrender on October 19, 1781.

Rochambeau is sometimes confused with the Marquis de Lafayette, another prominent French officer who served the American cause, or with de Grasse, the naval commander. Rochambeau’s defining role in Yorktown was command of the French army on land. The alliance was a major example of international support for the American Revolution.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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