Postal Stationary - Postal Cards
Landing of Rochambeau at Newport, Rhode Island in 1780
Scott #UX84 Issued on July 11, 1980
First Day of Issue Ceremony Program

Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Rochambeau landed with an expeditionary Force at Newport, Rhode Island on July 11, 1780. General Rochambeau remained at Newport for almost a year awaiting a force of an additional 2100 men, who never arrived and Admiral Ternay's fleet, which had ferried the force to Newport remained bottled up inside Narragansett Bay by the British. In June of 1781, General Rochambeau joined forces with General Washington and marched to Virginia. The combined Army joined with General Lafayette's force and Admiral de Grasse's fleet at Yorktown and on October 19, 1781 the British Army under General Cornwallis was forced to surrender. 

The "Landing of Rochambeau" Postal Card was designed by David Blossom. The stamp was issued jointly with the French 2.5 Franc commemorative issue, (July 12, 1980). SEE: Dual First Day - French & U.S. Issues 

Salve Regina College was founded by the "Catholic Sisters of Mercy" in 1934 as an independent institution of higher learning for men and women. The College's charter was amended in 1991 and the name changed to Salve Regina University. The school is accredited by the "New England Association of Schools and Colleges" and is located on a 75 acre campus bordering the famed Cliff Walk.

The ceremony was presided over by Newport Postmaster Eugene F. Laparle and the Invocation was given by Bishop Louis Gellineau. The ceremony was also attended by the French Ambassador, Francois de Laboulaye and David Blossom, the designer of the postal card.