In her book, Revolutionary Friends, Selene Castrovilla, brings to life the friendship of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Marquis de Lafayette
In the spring of 1777, nineteen-year-old Lafayette had a dream. He would go to America and help General George Washington win the Revolutionary War against Britain. King Louis XVI rejected the idea. But Lafayette left France for America determined to help.
After a long and difficult voyage, Lafayette reached South Carolina. And as Selene Castovilla writes: “…suffered a month of broken carriages, lame horses, and nightly mosquito raids as he trekked hundreds of miles” to meet George Washington in Philadelphia.
Marquis de Lafayette meets General George Washington
When Lafayette arrived in America in June, the war was not going well. The Continental Congress needed help. They believed that Lafayette’s connections in France might be the answer. He may be able to strengthen America’s ties to his country.
The congress appointed him a major general in the Continental Army. This was an honorary appointment. But perhaps Lafayette misunderstood. He expected his role in the war would be that of a division commander.
At first, Washington complained to the Continental Congress about Lafayette’s desire to command a division. But soon Washington softened. Lafayette told him, “I am here to learn, not to teach.” Lafayette became a part of Washington’s military family. He visited the troops and rode with Washington in parades.
Washington and Lafayette
Washington and Lafayette were together at Brandywine Creek, thirty-two miles from Philadelphia. Word reached their headquarters that the Americans fighting in the Battle of Brandywine were in trouble. Lafayette asked to join the fight. Washington gave his permission. He knew that Lafayette was taking a risk.
At Brandywine, Lafayette watched the America soldiers scatter. He dismounted from his horse. Then bravely rallied them to fight the British. A musket ball tore through his leg. He was gravely wounded. But he continued the charge. The Americans again retreated. Lafayette tried to regroup the soldiers, but the battle had been lost.
General George Washington
George Washington sent his own physician to take care of Lafayette’s wound. Lafayette wrote to his wife, “When he sent me his personal surgeon, he told him to take care of me as if I were his son…” Washington asked the Continental Congress to commission Lafayette a major general.
In January 1779, Lafayette sailed to France, a hero. He named his new son George Washington Lafayette. Lafayette returned to America in April 1780. This time it was with the king’s permission. The king gave his commitment to aid America in the war. Lafayette wrote to Washington upon his arrival, “here I am, My dear General, and in the Mist of the joy I feel in finding Myself again one of your loving soldiers.”
Major General Lafayette
The French military helped the Americans at the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781. Lafayette commanded a division. The British lost the battle and the war. Lafayette realized his dream to help America win its independence. The war formally ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
Lafayette Visits George Washington at His Home, Mount Vernon, in 1784
George Washington and Lafayette wrote to each other until Washington’s death on December 14, 1799. Ten years earlier, on July 14, 1789, the French Revolution began. It was inspired by the ideals of the America Revolution. With the destruction of the prison, the Bastille, Lafayette sent the key to Washington. It hangs today in Washington’s home, Mount Vernon.
