Gloucester County and The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc., will unveil a granite memorial honoring the French soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice at Gloucester County’s 1781 Battle of the Hook on Friday. The dedication ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. at Abingdon Elementary School, rain or shine.
The largest cavalry battle of the American Revolution, the Battle of the Hook, has often been overlooked, according to Robert Kelly, Gloucester’s Historic Resources Supervisor. It is one of the most important episodes of the siege of Yorktown, when the Duc de Lauzun’s famous Legion of hussars with 300 troops of the “Infanterie de Marine,” and Lt. Col. John Mercer’s Select Battalion of Grenadiers, under the overall command of Brigadier Gen. Claude de Choisy, defeated Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s British Legion and a detachment of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
In 2018, Gloucester County received funding from the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service to complete a site documentation and preservation plan for the Battle of the Hook. Published in 2021, the project revealed archival and archeological evidence showing that Abingdon Elementary was located within the “core area” of the battlefield. In 2022, Gloucester County and The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc., dedicated two interpretive markers at Abingdon Elementary School. This new memorial will be placed in a position of honor between these two interpretive markers.
Brigadier General Vincent de Kytspotter, Ph.D., Head of Military and Defense Mission, French Permanent Mission to the United Nations, will offer keynote remarks and the fourth grade class from Abingdon Elementary will also participate in the ceremony.
“This memorial symbolizes Gloucester County’s commitment to telling the Battle of the Hook story and commemorating the Franco-American Alliance,” Kelly said. “We must never forget the names of the brave soldiers who fought for freedom during the American Revolution.
“We are honored to partner with The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc., the French Military, the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, the Gloucester Historical Society, and numerous historians to continue shining a light on Gloucester’s pivotal role during the American Revolution,” Kelly added.
The memorial text was crafted by a committee that consisted of French Military officers Rear Admiral Frédéric de Rupilly, Col. Nicolas Durand, Capt. Jean-René Degans, and Lt. Col. Mathieu Brulais, along with Thierry Chaunu, Warren Deal, Robert Kelly, Jeff Lambert, Dr. Robert Selig and Nicole Yancey.
The American Society of Le Souvenir Français, Inc., is dedicated to honoring the memories of all the French soldiers and sailors who gave their lives for the cause of freedom and are buried in the United States.
“This memorial nicely adds to the two historical markers inaugurated last year,” said Chaunu, president of the Society, “It properly honors the names of French soldiers who fought and died in the Battle of the Hook. We are grateful for the support from Gloucester County officials, the National Park Service, the Gloucester Historical Society and their president Warren Deal, and all the volunteers in our committee who worked on this project.”