Marquis De Lafayette
Washington’s trusted French officer, Marquis de Lafayette’s tactical skill and help securing French support helped clinch victory at Yorktown.
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Noble Boy Finds Noble Cause
Marquis de Lafayette (1757 – 1834) was born in France to a wealthy noble family. When he was two years old, Lafayette's father was killed in battle against the English and as a result, his mother needed to move to Paris. Lafayette’s care fell to his grandmother, whose generosity and altruism influenced the boy’s forming character.
Fueled by lingering French resentment of the British after the Seven Years War and inspired by the noble cause, 19-year-old Lafayette cast his fortunes — both figuratively and literally — with the American pursuit of liberty.
Becoming Washington's Man
After 54 days at sea on his recently purchased ship La Victoire, he volunteered his services to the Continental Army. Though Congress was hesitant, his earnestness, and his assurance that he would serve at his own expense, won him the rank of major general. He quickly fell into the company of George Washington, and the two formed a bond of will and philosophy so strong that Washington came to regard Lafayette as his son, a relationship reciprocated by the young Frenchman.
Meet George Washington
George Washington was commander of the Continental Army and first president of the United States. Williamsburg played a key role in his rise as a military and political leader.
Crucial to the Cause
Lafayette was injured in the Battle of Brandywine, but his tactical cunning and fearlessness in battle helped to save the Revolution on many occasions. In 1779, Lafayette returned to France and helped to win formal French support for the American cause. Lafayette came to Williamsburg during preparations for the Virginia Campaign of 1781. At Yorktown, Lafayette helped corner Britain’s Lord Cornwallis, whose surrender after several days of siege was a fatal blow that ensured the American victory.
An Ambassador of Human Rights
After the American Revolution, Lafayette returned to France where his popularity soared as he navigated between angry subjects and the monarchy. Lafayette drafted France’s celebrated Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen, and advocated for religious toleration and the end of slavery. When most of Europe declared war against France in 1792, Lafayette commanded a French army in the north. But he was taken prisoner by the Austrians and remained with them for nearly five years. Lafayette and his wife Adrienne de Noailles had four children, including a son named Georges Washington. The general died in 1834.
Three Facts about Marquis De Lafayette
The name Lafayette is widely recognized — perhaps where you are from you have a town, street, county, or park named after him. Or maybe you have been so fortunate as to see the hit Broadway play Hamilton and that is where you recognize the name. Well, even though the name is familiar, perhaps the details of the life of this brave Frenchman are not familiar to you. Keep Going to learn 3 facts about the Marquis de Lafayette, America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman.
1. He was a very young General
The Marquis de Lafayette was a teenage captain in the French army when American Silas Deane promised him a military commission. Yet when Lafayette met with Congress, they told him they did not want his help. After risking so much, Lafayette told them that he would gladly serve as a private soldier at his own expense. With that great show of zeal and commitment, Congress endorsed his commission and made him a Major-General on 31 July 1777. Lafayette was 19 years old.
2. Nearly Stopped Short
The Battle of Brandywine began on the morning of Sept. 11, 1777. When Lafayette saw an opportunity to distinguish himself, he asked to join General Sullivan’s division, which was on the right flank and preparing to receive the enemy. During this fierce action, a musket ball passed through Lafayette's left leg. Blood began to pour out of his boot. Washington's personal physician Dr. John Cochran applied a field dressing. Lafayette stayed active as the army fell back in retreat twelve miles.
3. Prone to Seasickness
For the Marquis de Lafayette to participate in the American War for Independence, he was going to have to get on a ship and cross the Atlantic Ocean. But one thing that Lafayette did not like to do was to sail on ships. He was prone to mal de mer, or seasickness. Lafayette would be seasick for a week before he finally got his sea legs. On the long voyage, to occupy his time between bouts of seasickness, Lafayette learned English.
Resources
- Auricchio, Laura, Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered, New York. Penguin Random House LLC, 2014.
- Gottschalk, Louis, Lafayette in America, Chicago. The University of Chicago, 1975.
- Unger, Harlow Giles, Lafayette, Hoboken. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.
