Vive l'Hermione! Reception and lecture

Vive l'Hermione! Join us as we welcome the frigate L'Hermione to Boston! The original frigate arrived in our harbor in 1780 carrying the Marquis de Lafayette, our hero of the American Revolution! There is a special Reception and lecture here at Shirley Place for members and friends on Saturday, July 11 from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.. Tickets for the reception are $25 per person and space is limited.  You must RSVP for this event. There will be a free lecture to follow the reception at 2PM in the Carriage House.

Reception with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres: 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. - $25 - Advance registration required - Very limited space.  To RSVP, please call 617-442-2275 or email: governorshirley@gmail.com

Lecture: 2:00 p.m. with Robert A. Selig, Ph.D. - No cost for the lecture - No need to contact the organizers if you're only coming to the lecture.

Note: There are no more spaces left on the private tour of l'Hermione.  However, there are public tours.  More details on public tours and other free activities taking place while the ship is here in Boston.

More about the lecture: "En Avant [Forward] on Water and on Land: Lafayette, L'Hermione and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route"

On 28 April 1780, l’Hermione with the marquis de Lafayette on board sailed into Boston Harbor with news that the comte de Rochambeau was on his way with enough French troops to decide the outcome of the American War of Independence. In June 1781, Rochambeau’s troops joined their American allies under General Washington for the march to Yorktown where Lafayette was already waiting for them. l’Hermione joined them in late September. Their travels form the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.

This talk will tie together the land and naval operations of the Yorktown Campaign with a focus on the role played by l’Hermione in the campaign of 1781.

Dr. Selig, holds a PhD in eighteenth-century German history from the Julius-Maximilians Universität in Würzburg, Germany. His recent publications deal primarily with the role of France in the American War of Independence within a global context. He currently serves as project historian to the National Park Service for the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.