By Brig. Gen. John S. Brown
U.S. Army retired

September 6 marks the 250th birthday of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier—the Marquis de Lafayette. Born an aristocrat, he became a renowned champion of republican governance in two nations. To our own country he proved invaluable as an accomplished soldier, a compelling diplomat crucial to the war-winning French alliance and an inspirational example of selfless statesmanship.

Lafayette committed to military service at a young age. In 1771 the young Frenchman joined a company of musketeers, and two years later transferred to a regiment of dragoons. By 1774 he was a captain in the dragoons but was bored by inactivity and the trivia of court life. Tales of the fighting in America stirred him to offer his services to the struggling young republic overseas. In addition to idealism and France’s traditional hostility to Britain, Lafayette had a personal score to settle: his father had been killed fighting the British at the Battle of Minden in 1759. Arriving in Philadelphia in July 1777, and offering to serve without pay, the Marquis secured a major general’s commission from the Continental Congress.

Congress was undoubtedly mindful of Lafayette’s French connections when they offered the young man a commission, but he soon proved himself a serious and capable soldier rather than a dilettante. When the British marched on Philadelphia, he fought bravely and well at Brandywine in September 1777 and received a leg wound. Recovering from this wound, he led a detachment of 300 men in November to defeat a larger force of Hessian mercenaries near Gloucester Point. He rose to division command and briefly exercised independent command in a Canadian expedition that aborted because of supply constraints. Returning to Washington’s army, he skillfully withdrew an American force from Barren Hill in the face of an overwhelming British attack. His performance at the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778 was exemplary and steadied what could have been a rout into a creditable stalemate. Fighting the much touted British regulars to a draw proved a considerable morale boost for the evolving Continental Army.

After Monmouth, Lafayette became increasingly instrumental in furthering the Franco-American alliance and sailed to France in January 1779. There he diligently and skillfully negotiated for greater French participation, particularly stressing the importance of dispatching ground as well as naval forces. French and Spanish maritime participation were already stretching the British into global war, and the prospect existed of gaining local superiority somewhere in North America. Lafayette’s efforts succeeded, and in April he returned to America with the welcome news of an expeditionary force soon to deploy under the Count de Rochambeau. He continued his liaison, commanding in Washington’s army while facilitating the negotiations and conferences that brought Rochambeau’s army into play.

Lafayette proved instrumental in setting the strategic circumstances that allowed the French reinforcements to be employed to greatest advantage. Dispatched to Virginia in command of a small contingent, he foiled an incursion by Benedict Arnold—now in the British service—and skillfully withdrew when Arnold was joined by more numerous forces commanded by Lord Cornwallis. Reinforced in turn by forces under Anthony Wayne and then the Baron von Steuben, Lafayette and his colleagues artfully maneuvered Cornwallis into an enclave surrounding Yorktown. In a brilliant strategic maneuver, Washington and Rochambeau converged on Yorktown as well, bringing overwhelming ground forces to bear on Cornwallis. Meanwhile, a French fleet under Adm. de Grasse beat back the British fleet and isolated Yorktown from the sea. An energetic siege forced Cornwallis to surrender, inflicting a defeat from which British forces in North America never recovered.

Lafayette returned to France to engineer further operations against the British and dispatched a speedy ship to Philadelphia bearing news of the peace accords when they had been agreed. At Washington’s invitation, he returned to North America to visit Mount Vernon and make a triumphal tour from Virginia to Massachusetts. He was welcomed as a hero in town after town and made an honorary citizen of several states.

Returning to France, Lafayette championed moderate liberal republicanism for the rest of his life. During the French Revolution he served in the Estates General and commanded in the National Guard while simultaneously attempting to protect the persons of the royal family. He openly opposed the radical Jacobins and was forced to flee the country when they seized power and initiated a reign of terror. He was imprisoned by the Prussians and then Austrians after having refused to serve with them against France and was liberated in the aftermath of Napoleonic victories. He refused to serve in the several Bonapartist regimes, recognizing them for the returns to authoritarianism that they were. He did, however, undertake to protect the person of Napoleon Bonaparte after having been instrumental in Chamber of Deputies deliberations that forced Napoleon’s abdication. He continued to serve in the Chamber of Deputies, advancing liberal measures and moderate constitutional progress until his death in 1834. Through a turbulent half century Lafayette remained true to his principles and consistent in his moderation, helping France to avoid or recover from the worst excesses of a violent era.

Revered in France, Lafayette remained revered in the United States as well. In 1824 he returned to America at the invitation of President James Monroe and toured for a year through each of the then-24 states. Everywhere he was greeted with tokens of esteem and affection. Congress presented him with land and money in recognition of the nation’s debt to him, and he celebrated his 68th birthday in the White House among America’s governing elite. He continues to hold a special place in the hearts of Americans and at the spiritual core of Franco-American relations. It was entirely in keeping with national sentiment when Gen. John J. Pershing, arriving in command of the World War I American Expeditionary Force dispatched to aid the French, announced upon his arrival: “Lafayette, we are here.”


Recommended Reading:

Middlekauff, Robert, The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution 1763-1789 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1982)

Webster’s American Military Biographies (Springfield, Massachusetts: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1978)

Wright, Robert K. Jr., The Continental Army (Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 1983)