Our Lafayette

"What better pledge can be given, of a persevering national love of liberty, when these blessings are evidently the result of a virtuous resistance to oppression, and institutions founded on the rights of man, and the republican principle of self-government?"--Lafayette before Congress, 1824

Marquis de Lafayette | Thomas Jefferson's Monticello:

The Real Face of Marquis de Lafayette - Life Mask Reconstruction (yarbs.net)

"Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier Lafayette (1757-1834) was born into an illustrious, aristocratic family, but lost his father at the age of two and his mother at the age of thirteen. Upon his inheritance of large estates and an annual income, Lafayette found himself to be one of the wealthiest men in France. By the age of sixteen, he was a second lieutenant of a regiment commanded by his uncle the Marquis de Noailles. Thus, Lafayette began a military career that would lead him to international fame as the "hero of two worlds." In 1774, relatives arranged his marriage to Adrienne de Noailles who was just fourteen and a half years old. The following year Lafayette joined the Freemasons, an association that prompted his determination to help the American colonists. Once the announcement of the Declaration of Independence was made, the Marquis signed on to serve the colonies without compensation, with the right to return to France if called to do so by his family or the King, and he purchased a ship to transport him to the United States.

"Franklin had written to Washington asking him to take the young man on, in hopes of securing an increase in French aid to the American war effort. The two men bonded almost immediately, forming a relationship closely resembling that of father and son. The fatherless young French officer, and the father of his country who went to his grave, childless."-June 13, 1777 An Indispensable Man – Today in History

Lafayette's modest proposal to a committee of Congress to begin as a volunteer led to his position of major general, but the American congressmen gave him no active command. General Washington took him under his wing, and Lafayette received his baptism by fire when he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in 1777. Congress then voted to give him command of a division of Virginia troops. He soon earned the title of "soldier's friend" for sharing the deprivations of army life with his men. He returned to France in 1779 to negotiate for naval support. At the same time that he was proposing an invasion of Great Britain and a conquest of Canada, he organized a French army for expeditionary service in America. Lafayette greeted the Comte de Rochambeau and fifty-five hundred French infantrymen in Rhode Island in 1780. The following year George Washington implemented an attack to capture Benedict Arnold, who was at Hampton Roads. For this mission he entrusted twelve hundred New England troops to Lafayette, who marched to Head of Elk, on Chesapeake Bay. Governor of Virginia Thomas Jefferson assured Lafayette of his cooperation, saying that Virginia would be "indebted for it to a Nobleman who has already so much endeared himself to the Citizens of these States by his past Exertions and the very effectual aids he has been the means of procuring them." At the same time that Jefferson welcomed the appointment, he worried that he could not offer the campaign much support. He warned Lafayette to expect oxen, not horses, and scows, not seaworthy vessels. Lafayette graciously accepted whatever help he could get from the legislature. 

Although the French fleet did not arrive and lost the opportunity to capture Arnold, Lafayette marched his troops to Richmond just in time to prevent its occupation by the British army under Major General William Phillips. Jefferson finally met Lafayette shortly after his arrival there on April 29, 1781.[3] After Thomas Nelson succeeded Jefferson as governor, Jefferson felt compelled to vindicate his behavior during Colonel Banastre Tarleton's raid on Charlottesville. At this time, Lafayette wrote to Washington about Jefferson's official troubles: "the Governor does what He can the Wheels of His Government are so very rusty that no Governor whatever will be able to set them fiercely agoing, time will prove that Jefferson has been too severely charged." When Lord Cornwallis marched northward and was joined by the troops formerly under Phillips, Lafayette skillfully retreated to avoid a battle he could not win. Then, with the arrival of Rochambeau's army and Washington's Continental Army, Cornwallis was besieged at Yorktown, where he surrendered on October 19, 1781. During the entire Virginia campaign, descriptions of Lafayette portray him as a model of virtue, courage, and wisdom. Basking in fame upon his return to France, Lafayette attained the rank of major general in the French army. As an American citizen (the only foreigner so honored until Congress conferred citizenship on Sir Winston Churchill in 1963) and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, Lafayette established himself in Paris, where he hosted a salon and promoted republican principles. ... 

Library of Congress: The Marquis de Lafayette was the last surviving general of the Revolutionary War. He is shown here, with his commander in chief, Gen. George Washington, at Valley Forge, 1777-78.

Yet no matter how useful he had been as a mediator for American interests in France, Lafayette was forced to flee for his life during the reign of Robespierre. When France declared war on Austria, the Marquis was quite vocal in his support of the King. So when Louis XVI was deposed, the National Assembly impeached Lafayette. He was captured by the Austrians in Holland. Lafayette went from being the most popular figure in France to being incarcerated from 1792-1797 in Austria, where he was joined by his family. Neither Congress, nor Gouverneur Morris, nor George Washington could obtain his release. Napoleon eventually negotiated his release, but Lafayette remained in exile in Holland and Germany until 1799. At that time he was able to return to La Grange, an estate his wife managed to gain control of, even though many of her family had been guillotined and the family fortunes destroyed. Lafayette spent the years of Napoleon's reign with his family, a son named George Washington, two daughters, Anastasie and Virginie, and his wife (who died in 1807), living the life of a gentleman farmer.

Paris, 1815

Lafayette returned to public life during the era of the Restoration of the monarchy. Elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1818, his symbolic status as a representative of France's revolutionary past enabled others to look to him for inspiration for France's liberal future. He even cooperated with a secret Carbonari plot to overthrow the French regime by force, but most of his political activity took the form of speeches, letters, and meetings. Jefferson and Lafayette shared a rich correspondence during this time, discussing, among other topics, the new University of Virginia, the means of maintaining political independence for the republics in South America, and slavery. Lafayette challenged Jefferson: "While I feel an inexpressible delight in the progress of Every thing that is Noble minded, Honourable, and Useful throughout the United States, I find, in the Negros Slavery, a great draw-Back Upon My Enjoyments. ... this Wide Blot On American Philantropy and Civilisation is Ever thrown in my face When I indulge my Patriotism in Encomiums, otherwise Undisputable. ... I Would Like, Before I die, to be assured that progressive and Earnest Measures Have Been adopted to Attain, in due time, So desirable So necessary an object."

In 1824 Lafayette accepted an official invitation from President James Monroe and Congress to visit the U.S. Not only did the invitation give the U.S. the opportunity to express its gratitude to the only surviving major general of the American Revolution, it also enabled Lafayette to restore his political clout and fortune. Defeated in the February 1824 election to the Chamber of Deputies, discredited for his role in the Carbonari conspiracies, and finding himself in financial straits, Lafayette hoped to serve the liberal cause in France. He publicized the trip's political significance by sending reports to the French press through his secretary, Auguste Levasseur. If the trip was advantageous to Lafayette, it was also a boon to fledgling American industries. Printers, glassblowers, and other craftsmen vied with each other to produce souvenirs – from snuff boxes, ribbons, flasks, bottles, and bandanas to engravings, songs, and plays. Levasseur left the only eyewitness report of the entire tour. Although at times he could not keep dates straight, his two-volume work, published in France in 1828 and in two American translations in 1829, remains the most accurate account of a visit that unified the disparate twenty-four states of America.

Lafayette arrived at Staten Island on August 15. For over a year, his tour provoked demonstrations of an enthusiasm without precedent in American history. After his reception in New York, he traveled across New England to Boston, and then southward through Philadelphia and Baltimore, making leisurely stays everywhere. After a long stay in Washington, D.C., he joined the October anniversary celebrations at Yorktown. He visited Monticello from November 4-15 and then returned to Washington for official events and receptions during most of the winter. At the end of February, he went southward through the coastal states and to New Orleans. He made his way to St. Louis before traveling back to the east on a route that passed through Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and dozens of small towns. He visited Braddock's Field, Lake Erie, Niagara Falls, and other American battlefields. He returned to Boston for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He visited New York City four times on this trip, and before he left, he enjoyed a final visit with Jefferson from August 18-21. Lafayette attended more receptions in Washington before his departure for France on September 8, 1825, on the new frigate "Brandywine", named in honor of his first battle.

When asked for his reaction to the murder of Hamilton by Aaron Burr, Lafayette replied.
“Hamilton was to me, my dear Sir, more than friend, he was a brother.”

Although the tour was orchestrated as a public event and generated optimism about the consequences of legal and political equality in a democratic society, Lafayette also took time to make private visits with old friends like John Adams, Albert Gallatin, and Thomas Jefferson. Lafayette informed Jefferson of his plans to travel south and Jefferson replied that "our little village of Charlottesville insists also on recieving you." Lafayette had to postpone his arrival at Monticello for several weeks, and when he finally arrived at the county line, Jefferson sent him a letter of welcome through his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph. On November 4, Lafayette entered Albemarle County. After a brief ceremony and a lunch at Mrs. Boyd's tavern, he set out for Monticello at noon in a landau drawn by four gray horses. A long procession accompanied him. Amidst a number of spectators, a bugle announced his approach, and two lines, one of ordinary citizens and one of cavalrymen, formed on two sides of the ellipse on the east front of the house.

Lafayette's Visit to Monticello (1824) | Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Thomas Jefferson Randolph: "His escort — one hundred and twenty mounted men — formed on one side in a semicircle extending from the carriage to the house. A crowd of about two hundred men, who were drawn together by curiosity to witness the meeting of these two venerable men, formed themselves in a semicircle on the opposite side. As Lafayette descended from the carriage, Jefferson descended the steps of the portico. The scene which followed was touching. Jefferson was feeble and tottering with age — Lafayette permanently lamed and broken in health by his long confinement in the dungeon of Olmutz. As they approached each other, their uncertain gait quickened itself into a shuffling run, and exclaiming, "Ah, Jefferson!" "Ah, Lafayette!" they burst into tears as they fell into each other's arms. Among the four hundred men witnessing the scene there was not a dry eye — no sound save an occasional suppressed sob. The two old men entered the house as the crowd dispersed in profound silence.

Jane Blair Cary Smith: "On a golden November day we watched for the coming guests on the south western terrace. At length, in an open space at the foot of the mountain we discerned a train of several carriages, followed by 40 or 50 men on horseback. Then all was hurry and expectation! A few favored guests were assembled — among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Madison, and about a dozen young lady relatives, some of whom were beautiful enough to grace any reception. All were assembled in the portico, a stone structure with massive doric columns on the N.W. front of the house, Mr. Jefferson, Mrs. Randolph, Mr. and Mrs. Madison being the centre of the group. We lost sight of the cortege; as it wound around the base of the mountain, but at length through the pendant branches of the willows, we saw them with all the military show of gay scarfs and prancing horses, whose glittering accoutrements flashed in the sunshine as they formed in line on the edge of the lawn. Who can tell the excitement of that hour to a country rustic, who had seen nothing! Emotions so intense cd. not be experienced in our day, when girls of 14 or 15 are veterans and can stand the charge in a battle of sensations unmoved — At length, the first carriage reached the lawn and drew up; a crowd of gentlemen dismounted in eager haste and the Guest of the Nation was handed out: simultaneously Mr. Jefferson had walked to the edge of the lawn hurriedly and bareheaded to meet his guest. They embraced and kissed each other on the cheek in European fashion: — all was so still that we heard the words distinctly — "My dear Jefferson! — My dear Lafayette!"

The whole was a scene for an artist — a grand historic picture should have commemorated this meeting — on this mountaintop — the long chain of wavy outline, where the Blue Ridge met the horizon — the expanse of level country stretching away — away — until it seemed an ocean in the distance, — a high rugged peak in the front view — all beautified by the soft golden veil of Indian summer — the mystery and glory of our Autumn! At this moment few, if any had leisure to do aught but feel these influences; for all eyes were rivetted upon the principal figures of the [pair] — the distinguished soldier and the great statesman. The General was led up the steps by Mr. Jefferson, and introduced to Mrs. Randolph, whom he remembered as a school-girl at the Convent of St. Cyr, and then as the mistress of her father's house in Paris: he kissed her hands repeatedly and spoke many kind words as she received him with a grace peculiarly her own — a stately, elegant woman she was on all occasions, always self[-]possessed, though shrinking with painful timidity from notoriety. She then introduced her daughters and nieces, and among those white robed girls were some of the fairest the General had seen in all his long wanderings: — they crowded eagerly to touch the hand that had wielded a sword in our great Revolution. I had been accustomed to see MR. JEFFERSON — MR. MADISON — and MR. MONROE, but this French hero was a [spell?] to my inexperience: after various and long sittings in the parlor I discovered that a great soldier is not always a great man in the broadest sense. Fayette was good and noble natured and possessed excellent sense and tact, but intellectually he did not rise above mediocrity; and Mr. George La Fayette was a very commonplace sort of Frenchman." .......

 Lafayette's memoirs include a description of the visit: "Mr. Jefferson received me with a strong emotion. I found him much aged, without doubt, after a separation of thirty-five years, but bearing marvelously well under his eighty one years of age, in full possession of all the vigor of his mind and heart which he has consecrated to the building of a good and fine university.... To-day [November 8] we visited this beautiful institution which occupies the honored old age of our illustrious friend. His daughter Mrs. Randolph lives with him; he is surrounded by a large family and his house is admirably located. We attended a public banquet in Charlottesville, MM. Jefferson and Madison were with us; the answer which Mr. Jefferson had read to the toast in his honor brought tears to everybody's eyes." It was in this toast that Jefferson summarized Lafayette's contributions to the American Revolution...

Thomas Jefferson Randolph: At a dinner given to Lafayette in Charlottesville, besides the "Nation's Guest," there were present Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. To the toast: "Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence — alike identified with the Cause of Liberty," Jefferson responded in a few written remarks, which were read by Mr. Southall. We find in the following extract from them a graceful and heartfelt tribute to his well-loved friend:

"I joy, my friends, in your joy, inspired by the visit of this our ancient and distinguished leader and benefactor. His deeds in the war of independence you have heard and read. They are known to you, and embalmed in your memories and in the pages of faithful history. His deeds in the peace which followed that war, are perhaps not known to you; but I can attest them. When I was stationed in his country, for the purpose of cementing its friendship with ours and of advancing our mutual interests, this friend of both was my most powerful auxiliary and advocate. He made our cause his own, as in truth it was that of his native country also. His influence and connections there were great. All doors of all departments were open to him at all times; to me only formally and at appointed times. In truth I only held the nail, he drove it. Honor him, then, as your benefactor in peace as well as in war."

Israel Jefferson, a slave: "In those times I minded but little concerning the conversations which took place between Mr. Jefferson and his visitors. But I well recollect a conversation he had with the great and good Lafayette, when he visited this country in 1824 or 1825, as it was of personal interest to me and mine. General Lafayette and his son George Washington, remained with Mr. Jefferson six weeks, and almost every day I took them out to a drive.

On the occasion I am now about to speak of, Gen. Lafayette and George were seated in the carriage with him. The conversation turned upon the condition of the colored people — the slaves. Lafayette spoke indifferently; sometimes I could scarcely understand him. But on this occasion my ears were eagerly taking in every sound that proceeded from the venerable patriot's mouth.

Lafayette remarked that he thought that the slaves ought to be free; that no man could rightly hold ownership in his brother man; that he gave his best services to and spent his money in behalf of the Americans freely because he felt that they were fighting for a great and noble principle — the freedom of mankind; that instead of all being free a portion were held in bondage (which seemed to grieve his noble heart); that it would be mutually beneficial to masters and slaves if the latter were educated, and so on. Mr. Jefferson replied that he thought the time would come when the slaves would be free, but did not indicate when or in what manner they would get their freedom. He seemed to think that the time had not then arrived. To the latter proposition of Gen. Lafayette, Mr. Jefferson in part assented. He was in favor of teaching the slaves to learn to read print; that to teach them to write would enable them to forge papers, when they could no longer be kept in subjugation.

This conversation was very gratifying to me, and I treasured it up in my heart." ......

After the visit, the two friends continued their correspondence. Jefferson convinced Lafayette to deposit his money with the Bank of the United States. Lafayette sent Jefferson the recently published book of Flourens on the nervous system of vertebrates. Lafayette continued to encourage Jefferson in his ideas "to facilitate the Emigration of Coloured people." Although Jefferson's health was greatly impaired, Lafayette returned to Monticello for one last visit. Lafayette found Jefferson in acute pain and offered to help by obtaining medicine for Jefferson in Paris. He wrote: "We have just made a tour of Virginia to pay our leaving calls to friends of fifty years standing, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe. The first one is much weakened; he was not able to attend the public banquet given by his dear University. These partings and many others are very painful." Before he left, Jefferson reminded Monroe of Lafayette's financial troubles, and Congress rewarded him with $200,000 and a grant of land in Florida. The tour enabled Lafayette to regain some political prestige in France, but although he participated in the French Revolution of 1830 and the Polish Revolution against Russia in 1830-1831, he never fulfilled his dream of establishing a republic in France. The reaction to his death, both in America and in France, was enormous. John Quincy Adams read a three-hour eulogy before both houses of Congress, and President Andrew Jackson set a time of national mourning. In fear of demonstrations, the French government forbade a public funeral, and Lafayette was buried under guard in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, his grave covered with American soil."- RLB, 10/96 .......

The American Friends of Lafayette - 27 Reasons (wildapricot.org)

27 Reasons Why We Should Honor General Lafayette

"5. Under General Nathanael Greene's command, he was sent to lead a reconnaissance mission. He ran into Hessians who outnumbered him and his men and drove them reeling into defeat at Gloucester, New Jersey, November of 1777.

7. He served with distinction at Valley Forge during the terrible winter of 1777-1778 when General Washington sent him on a reconnaissance mission to Barren Hill (now Lafayette Hill). It was here that the young lion and his 2200-man detachment on May 20, 1778 were completely surrounded by British Generals Grant, Grey, Howe, and Clinton, and Hessian General von Knyphausen with 16,000 of their crack British and Hessian troops. With the coolness of a superbowl quarterback, Lafayette--outnumbered 8-to-1--outfoxed the enemy and returned to Valley Forge with a minimum of casualties. His mission accomplished, the youthful general had pulled off one of the most astonishing escapes in the annals of military history. The enemy was stunned by their failure to capture him with the most powerful army on Earth. At Barren Hill Lafayette was the first Continental officer to trust, test and prove the value of General Baron von Steuben's masterful training and discipline of Washington's troops at Valley Forge by virtue of this stunning escape.

9. His generosity to his American troops--many of them Pennsylvanians-- was legendary. He spent $200,000 of his own money to pay for their much-needed items such as clothing and weapons at a time when the American economy was on the verge of collapse.

11. Realizing Washington's dangerous military dilemma by late 1778 and still awaiting the military and financial help promised the Americans by his country, he returned to France and argued for a speedy delivery. He arrived in Paris and Versailles January 1779. Using his diplomatic skills, he made strong appeals to three influential ministers: Vergennes, Maurepas, and Montbarey and King Louis XVI himself to send Washington a French Expeditionary Force complete with all supplies as soon as possible. The king sent him back to General Washington at Morristown, New Jersey on March 1780 with a secret message: the Expeditionary Force was on its way. Thousands of crack French troops, marines, and battleships with massive aid arrived at Newport, Rhode Island July 1780. All historians agree that without this help, Washington would have lost the War for Independence. Washington and Franklin credit Lafayette with the effort behind the delivery of these desperately needed supplies.

12. Because of his proven military ingenuity, Lafayette was chosen by Washington in 1781 to command American troops for the purpose of preventing British General Cornwallis from ravaging the state of Virginia and driving a strategic wedge between the American forces already deployed in the South and the North. An outnumbered Lafayette, with the valuable aid of Generals Anthony Wayne and John Peter Muhlenberg and their Pennsylvanians, cleverly used guerrilla tactics to harass and corner the British commander and pin him down at Yorktown until he was defeated on October 19, 1781 by French and American armies under General Washington's supreme command. Lafayette had become one of the key players and a hero of Yorktown. Washington's patient yet brilliant military strategy paid off; he won the War of Independence.

15. President James Monroe invited him to America as the nation's guest of honor from August 1824 until September 1825. During those thirteen months he visited every state in the Union--all twenty-four of them. Americans treated him as though he were a superstar everywhere he went. He took Philadelphia by storm from September 8 until October 6, 1824. Inside the State House where the Declaration and the Constitution were signed forty-eight years ago, he gave a speech that became one of the most important in American history.

Unfortunately, however, many of our present generation of young Americans have lost sight and interest in the foundations or the historical significance of American Revolutionary War history. We therefore need to remind them and future generations of this millennium that America for many good reasons is still the leader of the free world and that the freedoms we cherish today resulted from the sacrifices of our founding fathers and our foreign volunteers like Lafayette.".......

 Lafayette's Visit to the United States, 1824-1825 (schillerinstitute.com)

Lafayette greets the troops of the 2nd Battalion, 11th New York Artillery, in New York City, July 14, 1825. This unit later adopted the title “National Guard” in honor of Lafayette’s Garde National de Paris.

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