French Azilum is a French word for “Asylum”.  In 1793 a group of Frenchmen and their families traveled to America to escape the Revolutionary “Reign of Terror”.  They met a land developer who sold them land in north-central Pennsylvania (it was still Indian country!).  The French settlers quickly established a community. They built homes and cultivated prosperous farms for next ten years.  In 1803, Napoleon offered an amnesty program for any Frenchmen wishing to return to France.  Many of the French immigrants at the Asylum sold their farms and returned to France.

The site is a beautiful, pastoral setting with a grand farm house, several period buildings and a visitor center with an introductory video.  However, Bradford County, Pennsylvania is a GPS-challenged county.  The wandering adventures of several of our members made for hilarious campfire conversation.  Attending this event were John Dittamo, Bill Goumas, Jim Tate and Rich Miller.  We shared a mess arrangement with the six members of the 88^th Foot for the weekend.

This was a small event (it was a first-time event for the Brigade Napoleon) with British infantry and French light cavalry in attendance.  Although we had no battle scenarios, we had several drill demonstrations that elicited comments and interaction with the spectators.  It also gave the British infantry contingent the opportunity for both close-order and light infantry exercises.  A local English Country Dance troupe held dance demonstrations on Sunday afternoon.

The site had an excellent set of fields for demonstrations.  In the future this site would be a good location for battle scenarios, both infantry and cavalry.   There was a riverside nature trail that could be adapted for a “combat course”.

Submitted,

Jim Tate, 95^th Rifles 1^st Battalion, 2^nd Coy