An Honorary Son
The Marquis de Lafayette (full name: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier- whoa!) was born to immense wealth in France, but at 19 years old he bought a ship and sailed to South Carolina to join the American Revolution, arriving on June 13th. He volunteered to serve in the Patriot army without pay, saying that, “the welfare of America is intimately connected with the happiness of all mankind.” His intelligence and passion for the American cause were quickly appreciated, leading Congress to commission him a Major General. His famous friendship with George Washington led him to later give Washington a key to the Bastille (still displayed in the front hall at Mount Vernon) and name his own son after the man he saw as an honorary father.
After the Revolution, the Marquis returned to France but visited America twice; the first time at Washington’s invitation and the second time as an old man in 1824. As he toured America, crowds of cheering people greeted him wherever he traveled, and at one place, an old soldier saluted him and asked Lafayette if he remembered the snows of Valley Forge. He showed the blanket that he was carrying and said that at one point Lafayatte came upon a shivering soldier in the snow on guard, he sent the soldier to get his blanket out of his tent, and then cut the blanket in half, giving half to the soldier. He said, “I am the soldier whose life you saved.”
As we celebrate the patriotic holidays of summer, sometimes it is important to remember that it was not only Americans who were fighting for our independence. Let us know if you teach about about the Marquis de Lafayette, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, or any of the other international heroes that helped our fledgling country…
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