From Philipsburg to Yorktown: How a Six-Week Encampment Changed the War In-Person
In the summer of 1781, George Washington and the French General Rochambeau spent six critical weeks at the Philipsburg Encampment—a vast joint military camp in today’s Greenburgh where the French and American armies finally united and operated side-by-side for the first time—and at Rochambeau’s headquarters at today’s Odell House in Westchester. There, through what became known as the Grande Reconnaissance, the allies tested British defenses, built mutual trust, and made the bold strategic decision that led to Yorktown and victory in the American Revolution.
Drawing on newly uncovered French sources and her forthcoming book, Dr. Iris de Rode will take the audience inside this turning point—where diplomacy, intelligence, and Enlightenment ideals met the realities of war.
The talk will be accompanied by exclusive clips from Ken Burns’s new documentary series, in which Dr. de Rode appears.
- Date:
- Wednesday, December 10, 2025
- Time:
- 7:00pm - 8:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Multipurpose Room
- Audience:
- Adults Teen
- Categories:
- History & Local Interest
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