Washington stages a grand review for Rochambeau's French troops on the Hudson

Eleven months after Yorktown, Rochambeau's French expeditionary force paused at Verplanck's Point on its march back toward Boston. On September 14, 1782, George Washington rode out before the assembled ranks to review them, a formal honor staged in gratitude for the French arms and clothing that had outfitted the Continental Army. Stony Point and the Hudson Highlands rose on the horizon as the two allied commanders passed the lines together. The gesture was diplomacy dressed as ceremony, meant to keep the alliance visible while peace talks continued in Paris…