Nearly 245 years after two unnamed French soldiers died while marching through Waterbury during the Revolutionary War, the public is invited to gather in prayer and remembrance at their burial site. On Saturday, October 24, Father Sullivan will celebrate a Memorial Mass at East Farm Cemetery, 3156 East Main Street, honoring the two soldiers who died in Waterbury in July 1781 while traveling with General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau’s French army.
The soldiers were among approximately 5,000 French troops who marched through Connecticut to support General George Washington’s campaign at Yorktown, Virginia. Their combined forces helped secure the decisive victory that led to American independence.
Rochambeau’s route through Connecticut included Southington, Waterbury, Middlebury and Southbury. While in Waterbury, two soldiers became seriously ill and were unable to continue with the army. In an act of compassion, Rochambeau reportedly left money with local resident Josef Beecher so the men could receive care. Both soldiers died shortly afterward.
They were buried in the small East Farm Cemetery, a wooded burial ground near Generali School, formerly East Farm School. Two modest, unnamed gravestones were placed at the site at the time of their burial. In 1914, a larger monument was erected to recognize the French soldiers’ sacrifice and their connection to the nation’s founding.
Although a Catholic priest traveled with Rochambeau’s troops, he was required to continue on with the rest of the army. At the time, there was no established Catholic parish in Waterbury. Catholic ministry did not formally arrive in the city until 1847, with the arrival of Father Michael O’Neill, the first pastor of Immaculate Conception Church. As a result, the two soldiers never received a Catholic funeral Mass or formal Catholic burial rites.
Father Sullivan said the plan to honor the soldiers arose after parishioners independently mentioned their story following his return from the Alps. He later visited the cemetery and felt called to offer a Memorial Mass at the burial grounds. The observance comes as communities across the country mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and reflect on those who contributed to the nation’s birth. “Very often, it is easy to forget those who have gone before us and given their lives for our freedom,” Father Sullivan said. “So many have died so that we may be free.”
The Memorial Mass is open to the general public.
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