French Officers that Died Fighting for the American Revolution Memorialized in Newport, Rhode Island

Nick Benson, a third-generation stone carver and letterer, has carved inscriptions for the World War II Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Eisenhower Memorial, and the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.

However, he has now been tasked with a humbler job: carving headstones for two French soldiers who died in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1780. With these new headstones, Lt. Augustin Benjamin of the French Frigate l’Hermione and Major Pierre du Rousseau Chevalier de Fayolle, a friend and aide to Lafayette, can now be put to rest.

Learn more about the project and the Benson family in our recent Hallowed Ground article.