Jump to content

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lazulilasher (talk | contribs) at 14:38, 20 October 2008 (→‎Virginia and Yorktown: even simpler). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
Buried
Picpus Cemetery
Allegiance United States of America
France
RankFile:Brigadier-general insignia.png Brigadier General
Maréchal de camp
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War
RelationsWife: Marie Adrienne Francoise de Noailles
Uncle: Jacques-Roch
Son: Georges Washington de Lafayette
Daughters: Anastasie de Lafayette
Virginie de Lafayette
Other workPolitician
Estates General (Auvergne)
Member of the National Assembly

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, (formerly Marquis de) Lafayette (or la Fayette) (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834) was a French military officer born in the Haute-Loire region of France. Lafayette was a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution.

In the American Revolution, Lafayette served in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded during the Battle of Brandywine, he still managed to organize a successful retreat. He served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war, he returned to France to negotiate an increased French commitment. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown while the armies of Washington and Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, prepared for battle against the British.

In 1788 in France, Lafayette was called to the Assembly of Notables to respond to the fiscal crisis. Lafayette proposed a meeting of the French Estates-General, where representatives from the three traditional classes of French society—the clergy, the nobility and the commoners—met. He served as vice president of the resulting body and presented the first draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Lafayette was appointed commander-in-chief of the French (la Garde nationale) National Guard in response to violence leading up to the French Revolution. During the revolution, Lafayette attempted to maintain order, for which he ultimately was persecuted by the Jacobins. In 1791, as the radical factions in the Revolution grew in power, Lafayette attempted to flee to the United States through the Dutch Republic. He was captured by Austrians and served nearly five years in prison. For his contributions to the American Revolution, cities and monuments throughout the United States bear his name, and he was the first person granted honorary U.S. citizenship.

Early life

Young Marquis de Lafayette

Ancestry

Lafayette was born in Chavaniac at the Château de Chavaniac, near Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire.[1] His full name is rarely used. Instead he is referred to as the marquis de Lafayette or, in the United States, as General Lafayette. In 1790, Lafayette renounced his claim to the nobility title.[2]

Lafayette's ancestor, Marshal of France Gilbert de La Fayette III, was a companion-at-arms who led Joan of Arc's army in Orleans. According to legend, another ancestor acquired the Crown of Thorns during the 6th Crusade.[3] Lafayette's uncle Jacques-Roch died fighting the Austrians, and left the marquis title to Lafayette's father.[4]

Lafayette's father died on 1 August 1759 during the Seven Years War at the Battle of Minden, where he was struck by a British cannonball.[5] Lafayette became Lord of Chavniac, but the estate went to his mother. On 3 April 1770, Lafayette's mother died, and on 24 April his grandfather died: leaving Lafayette an income of 25,000 livres ($30,000 in the 18th century). Upon the death of an uncle, the 13-year-old Lafayette inherited a yearly sum of 120,000 livres ($144,000, then). This was a considerable fortune; more than most in the court.[5] Lafayette was raised by his paternal grandmother, Madame de Chavaniac, who had brought the Château into the family via dowry. Also in the household were the Madame's daughter, Madeleine de Motier, and Charlotte Guérin, the baronne de Chavaniac. His grandmother told him stories of his father's death, advising him to dislike the English.[4]

Education and marriage

He was educated by his aunt and two priests, including the Abbe Fayon, Curé de Saint-Roch de Chavaniac. His education focused on reading, mathematics and writing; emphasis was placed on the Roman Republic, including the works of Livy, Tacitus and Plutarch. In 1768, Lafayette's grandfather wanted the young man to travel to the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris to introduce him to society. At age 11, he entered the Collège du Plessis, a school for noblemen's children that emphasized Latin and the Greek and Roman civilizations.[6] He studied military matters at the Versailles Academy, and on 9 April 1771, he was commissioned as a sous-lieutenant in the Mousquetaires.[7][8] As a young, wealthy nobleman, the 13-year-old Lafayette received many marriage proposals. However, through an arranged marriage he wed Marie Adrienne Francoise de Noailles (2 November 1759 – 24 December 1807), the daughter of Jean-Paul-François, 5th duc de Noailles, from a prosperous family. The agreement was kept secret from the young couple until after they completed their educations. Marie Adrienne's mother, the duchesse d'Ayen, arranged for them to meet as if by accident. On 14 March 1774, Louis XV signed the marriage contract, and the wedding took place on 11 April.[9] Lafayette's father-in-law gave the young man the rank of captain and command of a company in the Princess Dragoons.[10]

Departure from France

Joining the American war

In 1775, Lafayette took part in his unit's annual training in Metz, where he met Charles-François, comte de Broglie, the Army of the East's commander and a senior superior. De Broglie invited the young Lafayette to join the Freemasons, for whom the American Revolutionary War had become an issue. When the Duke of Gloucester, King George III's brother and colonial policy critic, traveled through the region, he was invited to dinner with de Broglie and his men.[3] Lafayette wrote in his memoirs that at this dinner when he "...first learned of that quarrel, my heart was enlisted and I thought only of joining the colors."[11] Lafayette returned to Paris in the fall and participated in sociétés de pensée (thinking groups) that often discussed French involvement in the American Revolution. At these meetings a frequent speaker, Abbé Guillaume Raynal emphasized the "rights of man". He criticized the nobility, the clergy and the practice of slavery. The monarchy banned Raynal from speaking, and he expressed his views secretly in the Masonic Lodges of which Lafayette was a member.[12]

On 7 December 1776, Lafayette arranged through Silas Deane, an American agent in Paris, to enter the American service as a major general.[13] Lafayette's father-in-law did not approve, and he had him appointed to a post in Britain. The young soldier's stay was brief, however, because Lafayette refused to toast King George.[14] In 1777, the French government granted the American military one million livres in supplies after Minister Charles Gravier pressed for French involvement. De Broglie met German Johann de Kalb, an American sympathizer, who explained the American situation. After this meeting, de Broglie approached Gravier, suggesting assistance to the American revolutionaries. De Broglie then presented Lafayette, who had been placed on the reserve list, to de Kalb.[15]

Departure for America

Returning to Paris, Lafayette found that the Continental Congress did not have the money for his voyage; hence he paid for the ship La Victoire himself.[14][16] The king "officially" forbade his leaving after British spies discovered his plan, issuing an order for Lafayette to join his father-in-law's regiment in Marseille.[17] To ignore such orders was punishable by imprisonment. At the request of the British ambassador, orders were issued to seize the ship Lafayette was fitting out at Bordeaux, and Lafayette was threatened with arrest.[18][17][19] He eluded capture disguised as a courier and traveled to Spain. On 20 April 1777, he sailed for America with 11 companions, leaving his pregnant wife.[7] The ship's captain intended to stop in the West Indies to sell cargo; however Lafayette, fearful of arrest, bought the cargo to avoid docking at the islands.[17] He landed on North Island near Georgetown, South Carolina, on 13 June 1777 after a voyage of nearly two months.[14][20][21]

American Revolution

Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge

On arrival, Lafayette met with Major Benjamin Huger, with whom he stayed for two weeks before their departure to Philadelphia. In letters home, Lafayette remarked on his experience, noting the "simplicity of manner ... love of country and liberty, the delightful equality that reigns everywhere."[22] After a 32-day journey, Lafayette waited 4 days for the Continental Congress to declare, on 31 July 1777, "that his services be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connections, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States".[14][16][23] He was not assigned a unit, and because of this he nearly returned home. However, Benjamin Franklin penned a letter to George Washington requesting that he accept Lafayette as his aide-de-camp in hopes that this action would influence France to commit more aid to the American war.[24]

Washington accepted, and Lafayette met him at Moland Headquarters on 10 August 1777.[9][25] When Washington stated that he was embarrassed to show a French officer the state of their camp and troops, Lafayette responded, "I am here to learn, not to teach."[26] He became a member of Washington's staff, although confusion existed regarding his status. The Congress regarded his commission as honorary, while he considered himself a full-fledged commander who would be given control of a division when Washington deemed him prepared. To address this, Washington told Lafayette that a division would not be possible as he was of foreign birth; however Washington said that he would be happy to hold him in confidence as "friend and father". Both men regarded this as their "great conversation".[27]

Brandywine and Albany

Further information: Battle of Brandywine
Lafayette wounded at the battle of Brandywine

Lafayette's first battle was the loss at Brandywine on 11 September 1777.[9][28] After the British outflanked the Americans, Washington acquiesced to a request by Lafayette to join General John Sullivan. Upon his arrival, Lafayette went with the Third Pennsylvania Bridge, under Brigadier Thomas Conway and attempted to rally the unit to face the attack. In face of the British and Hessian numeric superiority, Lafayette was shot in the leg. During the American retreat, before being treated for his wound, Lafayette created a control point allowing a more orderly retreat.[29] After the battle, he was cited by George Washington for "bravery and military ardour" and was recommended for the command of a division in a letter to Congress on 1 November.[14]

After two months of rest, Lafayette was well enough to return to the field and assisted General Nathanael Greene in reconnaissance of British positions in New Jersey. With 300 soldiers he defeated a numerically superior Hessian force in Gloucester on 24 November 1777.[9] He returned to Valley Forge for the winter, where he was asked by the War Board, headed by General Horatio Gates, to travel to Albany, New York, to prepare for an invasion of Canada. Gates, capitalizing on his success in the Battle of Saratoga, hoped to remove Washington from command, and this included separating him from Lafayette. Lafayette awaited approval from Washington before departing for Albany, where he found too few men to mount a Canadian invasion. After writing to Washington about the situation, Lafayette made plans to return to Valley Forge. Before departing, he recruited the Oneida tribe, who referred to Lafayette as Kayewla (fearsome horseman), to the American side.[14] His return foiled Gates' plan to assume control of the army. Meanwhile in March 1778, treaties signed by America and France were made public, and France formally recognized American independence.[3]

Barren Hill, Monmouth and Rhode Island

Further information: Battle of Barren Hill
Further information: Battle of Monmouth
Map of the battle of Barren Hill

After France entered the war, the Americans tried to sense what the British forces' reaction would be. On 18 May, 1778 Washington dispatched Lafayette with a 2,200 man force to reconnoiter. The next day, the British heard that Lafayette had made camp nearby and sent 5,000 men to capture him for his symbolic value representing the Franco-American alliance. On 20 May, General Howe led a further 6,000 soldiers and ordered an attack on Lafayette's left flank. The American left flank scattered, and Lafayette organised a retreat while the British remained indecisive. To feign numerical superiority, he ordered a few men to appear from the woods on an outcropping known as Barren Hill (now Lafayette Hill) and to fire upon the British periodically. Simultaneously, Lafayette's troops escaped via a sunken road.[30] Lafayette was then able to cross Matson's Ford with the remainder of his force.[31]

Unable to trap Lafayette, the British resumed their march north from Philadelphia to New York; the Continental Army, including Lafayette, followed and finally attacked at the Monmouth Courthouse.[3]

The French fleet arrived in America on 8 July 1778 under Admiral d'Estaing, with whom General Washington planned to attack Newport, Rhode Island. Lafayette and General Nathanael Greene were sent with a 3,000-man force to participate in the attack. Lafayette wanted to control a joint Franco-American force in the attack but was rebuffed. On 9 August, the American force attacked the British without consulting D'Estaing. Afterwards when the Americans asked the admiral to leave his fleet in Narragansett Bay, he demurred and attacked the British under Lord Howe.[1] The attack dispersed the British fleet, but a storm damaged the French ships.[14]

D'Estaing moved his ships north to Boston for repairs. When the fleet arrived, Bostonians rioted because they considered the French departure from Newport a desertion. John Hancock and Lafayette were dispatched to calm the situation, which they did. Lafayette then returned to Newport to prepare for the retreat necessitated by D'Estaing's departure. For these events, Lafayette was cited by the Continental Congress for "gallantry, skill and prudence"; however he realized that the Boston riot might undermine the Franco-American alliance in France. Therefore he asked and was given permission to return to France.[14]

Return to France

In February 1779, Lafayette returned to Paris. For disobeying the king by going to America, he was placed under house arrest for two weeks. Nevertheless, his return was triumphant.[14] Benjamin Franklin's grandson presented him with a 4,800 livre gold-encrusted sword commissioned by the Continental Congress, and the king asked to see him.[32] The king, pleased with the soldier, restored his position in the dragoons after Lafayette proposed schemes for attacking the British. Lafayette used his position to lobby for more French aid to America. Working with Franklin, Lafayette secured another 6,000 soldiers to be commanded by General Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau.[14]

On 24 December 1779, Lafayette received news that Adrienne had borne him a son, George-Washington Lafayette.[9] After his son's birth, the young general spent his time pushing for additional commitments of support from France to the American Revolutionary War. He ordered new uniforms for the soldiers and arranged for the fleet's departure. Before returning to America, Lafayette and the French force learned that they would be operating under American command, allowing Washington to control military operations. In March 1780, Lafayette left Adrienne and departed for the Americas aboard Hermione.[33]

Virginia and Yorktown

Further information: Battle of Green Spring
Further information: Battle of Yorktown
Map of the Battle of Green Spring
A map of key sites in the Battle of Yorktown

Returning to the war zone in May 1781, Lafayette was sent to Virginia to defend against Benedict Arnold and to replace Baron Von Steuben.[34][35] Lafayette evaded Cornwallis' attempts to capture him in Richmond.[35] In June, Cornwallis received orders from London to proceed to the Chesapeake Bay and to oversee construction of a port, in preparation of an attack on Philadelphia.[35] As the British column travelled, Lafayette followed in a bold show of force that encouraged new recruits. In June, Lafayette's men were joined by forces under General (Mad) Anthony Wayne. On 4 July, the British decamped at Williamsburg and prepared to cross the James River. Cornwallis sent only an advance guard across the river, with intentions to trap should Lafayette attack. Lafayette ordered Wayne to strike on 6 July with roughly 800 soldiers. Wayne found himself vastly outnumbered against the full British force, and instead of retreating led a bayonet charge. The charge bought time for the Americans, and Lafayette ordered the retreat. The British did not pursue. The result was a victory for Cornwallis, but the American army was bolstered from the display of courage by the men.[35][36][37]

By August, Cornwallis had established the British at Yorktown, and Lafayette took up position on Malvern Hill. This manoeuvre trapped the British when the French fleet arrived.[3][38] On 14 September 1781, Washington's forces joined Lafayette's, which had succeeded in containing the British until supplies and reinforcements arrived. On 28 September, with the French fleet blockading the British, the combined forces attacked in what became known as the Siege of Yorktown. Lafayette's detail formed the right end of the American wing, the 400 men of which took redoubt 10, in hand-to-hand combat.[37] After a failed British counter-attack, Cornwallis surrendered on 19 October 1781.[39] During the surrender, as the British marched through the American and French columns, Lafayette stood with his American regiment and ordered the band to play Yankee Doodle.[40]

After the revolution

Lafayette returned to France on 18 January 1781, where he was welcomed as a hero and witnessed the birth of his daughter, whom he named Marie-Antoinette Virginie upon Thomas Jefferson's recommendation.[41][42] He was promoted to maréchal de camp, skipping numerous ranks.[43] Lafayette then helped prepare for a combined French and Spanish expedition, of which he was appointed chief-of-staff, against the British West India Islands. The armistice signed between Great Britain and the U.S. on 20 January 1783 made the expedition unnecessary.[23]

Lafayette and Washington at Mt. Vernon, 1784

At Washington's invitation, Lafayette visited the United States and Mount Vernon on 17 August, 1784. During the trip, Lafayette would address the Pennsylvania Legislature and advocate for a federal union. He visited the Mohawk Valley in New York during negotiations for a peace treaty between the Iroquis, some of whom had met Lafayette in 1778.[44] At Washington and Lafayette's final meeting in December, the men exchanged gifts before Lafayette sailed home from New York.[45]

Lafayette formed views in the U.S. that he later applied in France. He initially viewed slaves as property and, after meeting with American spy James Armistead, urged their use as soldiers during the revolution. However, he changed his mind.[23][46][47] When he returned to France, he joined the French abolitionist group, Society of the Friends of the Blacks. In 1786, he began freeing the slaves who worked on his land in the French colony of Cayenne, and he often told his American colleagues about his objections to the practice.[47][48]

French Revolution

Assembly of Notables and Estates-General

Main article: French Revolution
"Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen", proposed to the Estates-General by Lafayette

In France Lafayette worked with Thomas Jefferson to organize trade agreements between the United States and France. These negotiations aimed to reduce debt owed to France by the U.S., and included commitments on tobacco and whale oil.[49] In 1784 Lafayette returned to America, visited 11 states, and provided the Congress with news of trade negotiations. The trip included a visit to Washington's farm at Mount Vernon, an honorary degree from Harvard, a meeting with the Oneida Indians, a portrait of Washington from the city of Boston, and a bust from the state of Virginia.[50][51]

In February 1788, the king called the Assembly of Notables for the first time since 1626. The purpose was to discuss France's fiscal crisis. During the meeting, Lafayette proposed an Assembly of the French Estates-General to represent three classes of French society: clergy, nobility, and commons. In preparation, he agitated for the voting by headcount, as a member of the "Committee of Thirty".[52] In 1789, Lafayette was elected to the Estates-General. In preparation, he worked with Thomas Jefferson on a document called the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen".[53] It was similar to the Bill of Rights, noting the inalienable rights of "liberty, property, safety and resistance to oppression."[54][55]

The Estates General convened on 5 May 1789 and Lafayette was a member of the noble Second Estate. When King Louis XVI encountered difficulty with the Estates General, he closed the meeting room of the Third Estate, the vast majority of the people who were neither clergy nor aristocracy. Instead of forcing a halt to their assembly, it led them to meet in the Tennis Court.[56] This new group called itself the National Assembly and declared itself the governing body of France. On 11 July 1789, Lafayette presented the document he had brought with him, his "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen".[54] The next day in response to the dismissal of Finance Minister Jacques Necker, Camille Desmoulins organized an armed mob. In response, the Assembly authorized a National Guard, appointing Lafayette as commander and electing him vice-president of the Assembly.[54] The following day, on 14 July 1789, the Bastille was stormed; Lafayette would send Washington the key.[54][57][53]

National Guard

Lafayette orders his soldiers to fire on members of the Cordeliers.

After hearing about the Bastille, Lafayette raced into Paris. Walking onto a city hall balcony overlooking a mob that was attacking a priest, he held his son aloft saying, "I have the honor to introduce my son." With the mob's attention diverted, the priest was saved.[58] At a later meeting, Lafayette proposed that the National Guard should police the Commune of Paris. He brought a red, white and blue cockade to the meeting, and these colors became the basis for the French flag.[54][57]

In the National Constituent Assembly he pleaded for religious tolerance, popular representation, the establishment of trial by jury, the gradual emancipation of slaves, freedom of the press, the abolition of arbitrary imprisonment and titles of nobility, and the suppression of privileged orders.[55] The Assembly members debated a veto measure, which would have allowed the king to bar any law passed by the Assembly. The agreement appeared reasonable until Louis XVI declined to ratify the Declaration of Rights. On 5 October Parisian crowds found bakeries empty throughout the city. In response to the empty bakeries and the king's refusal to ratify, a mob moved to Versaille to demand flour from the royal family and to order their relocation to Paris. Lafayette awoke the king and replaced most of the royal bodyguards with National Guardsmen. The remaining bodyguards were executed by the crowd. To quiet the crowd, Lafayette took the royal family onto the palace balcony and made a plea for order. The mob insisted they be taken to Paris. The next day the family relocated to the Tuileries Palace in Paris, escorted by 60,000 people.[59][60]

On 20 February 1791, the Day of Daggers Lafayette travelled to Vincennes to stop a mob from destroying a building which resembled the Bastille. Nobles, armed with daggers and pistols, simultaneously converged around the Tuileries, afraid the unprotected King would be attacked. Lafayette rushed back to Paris to disarm the nobles.[61]After suppressing a riot in April 1791, he resigned his commission, but was compelled to retain it.[57] On 20 June 1791, an unsuccessful plot nearly allowed the king to escape. Lafayette, the leader of the National Guard, was responsible for the royal family's custody. Although he tried to prevent it, he was blamed by Danton for the mishap and called a "traitor" to the people by Maximilien Robespierre.[62] These accusations portrayed Lafayette as a royalist.[63] The Jacobins split after the publication of "The French Patriot" (Le Patriote Francais), a republican document arguing the monarchy only be restored at the population's will. Lafayette aligned with the Feuillants, who argued instead for a constitutional monarchy.[64]

On 17 July, gunmen in a crowd fire on Lafayette after Georges Danton read the proposed Constitution at the Champ de Mars.[65] Lafayette's guardsmen fired back in retaliation. Martial law was imposed and the crowd was ordered to disperse. When it did not, Lafayette ordered the National Guard to open fire. About 50 people were killed in what became known as the Massacre of the Champ de Mars, which marked the end of the alliance between constitutional monarchists and radicals like Jean-Paul Marat and Danton. Agitation for a constitution increased, and Lafayette cooperated to achieve this with his rival Barnave. The document was signed by the King on 13 September, and Lafayette was awarded a sword.[64][66]

Conflict and imprisonment

Main article: Reign of Terror

In December 1791, Lafayette was placed in command of three armies formed on the eastern frontier to attack Austria. In his absence, Paris became chaotic as Jacobins engaged in riots, slaughtered the king's Swiss Guard, and suspended the monarchy.[67] Lafayette decreed that their behavior was "unconstitutional", and the Jacobins replied that Lafayette was involved in an attempt to assist Prussia and Austria in a war against France.[68] He returned to Paris and the Assembly on 28 June and asked for the Jacobins to be outlawed. This was not permitted, and Lafayette moved to the Tuileries palace in order to have the National Guard protect the royal family. The queen refused his aid, and Lafayette returned to Metz. Meanwhile, the Jacobins and the Committee of Surveillance became more powerful and constructed a guillotine at the Place du Carrousel. Throughout September the ruling council became more radical, and about 1,400 people were executed.[69] After Lafayette refused the offered French presidency in return for giving up the king and the Constitution, the Jacobins asked him to relinquish command and return to Paris. The Jacobins offered a reward for his capture or death. Lafayette knew this meant his beheading, so he sought asylum in the U.S. via an escape to England through the Dutch Republic.[70][71] Attempting to flee amidst a group of supporters en route to the Dutch Republic, he was arrested on 19 August by the Austrians and imprisoned at Wesel, Prussia.[71]

Portrait of General Lafayette (by Matthew Harris) in 1825

On 10 September 1792 soldiers led by Jacobins arrested Lafayette's wife, Adrienne, but later released her. Their son Georges, who was hiding to avoid execution, was sent to the U.S. Many wives of Jacobin enemies divorced their husbands to escape the Terror, but Adrienne did not.[72] Instead, she sold her property and appealed to the Americans for assistance. For political reasons, the young nation could not officially assist the family, although they retroactively paid Lafayette $24,424 for his military service, and Washington personally sent financial aid. As chaos grew in France, Adrienne was again arrested by the Jacobins. The intention was for her to be tried and executed in Paris, as her "mother, grandmother, and sister" were.[73] However, James Monroe intervened and Gouverneur Morris noted that Adrienne's death would "much impair" the countries' relationship. On 22 January 1795 Adrienne was released.[73][74]

Adrienne then organized the family's finances, including the sale of her property,[73] and appealed to the U.S. for American passports. James Monroe secured passports for Adrienne from Hartford, Connecticut, which had granted the entire Lafayette family citizenship. She continued to Vienna, and at an audience with Emperor Francis II she was granted permission to live with Lafayette in captivity.[75] Adrienne lived in his cell with him and finally, in September 1797, after five years' imprisonment, Napoleon released the family. This was at the request of the Directory and as a result of the Treaty of Campo Formio drafted in 1797.[76] Lafayette was not allowed to return to France until 1799, after Napoleon's coup, when Adrienne obtained permission for his return. On return, Lafayette, averse to serving in Napoleon's army, resigned his commission.[77]

Later life and death

A U.S. Postage Stamp commemorating Lafayette

Later life

Lafayette felt that he would not be needed in Napoleon's government; thus he left Paris. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor after a plebiscite in which Lafayette did not participate. For the next several years, he remained relatively quiet, although he spoke publicly on Bastille Day events.[78] After the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson asked if he would be interested in filling the governor's seat. Lafayette declined, citing personal problems and the desire to work for liberty in France.[79] During a trip to Auvergne, Adrienne became ill. Due to her malady, worsened by the scurvy she contracted in prison, she was unable to hide her anemia. In 1807, she became delirious but recovered enough on Christmas Eve to gather the family around her bed and to say to Lafayette: "Je suis toute a vous" ("I am all yours").[80] She died the next day, apparently from lead-poisoning complications.[81]

President James Monroe invited Lafayette to visit the U.S. from August 1824 to September 1825, in part to celebrate the nation's 50th anniversary.[20] During his visit, he visited all of the American states and traveled more than 6,000 miles (9,656 km).[82][83] Lafayette arrived from France at Staten Island, N.Y., on 15 August 1824, to an artillery salute, a parade from West Point, and general adulation.[84] The towns and cities he visited, including Fayetteville, North Carolina, the first city of many named in his honour, gave him enthusiastic welcomes[82] On 17 October 1824, Lafayette visited Mount Vernon and George Washington's tomb. In late August 1825, he returned to Mount Vernon.[85] A military unit decided to adopt the title National Guard, in honor of Lafayette's celebrated Garde Nationale de Paris. This battalion, later the 7th Regiment, was prominent in the line of march when Lafayette passed through New York before returning to France on the frigate USS Brandywine.[82] Late in the trip, he received an honorary United States citizenship while attending the inaugural banquet of the University of Virginia, at Jefferson's invitation. Lafayette was also feted as the guest of honor at the first commencement ceremony of The George Washington University in 1824. He was voted, by the U.S. Congress, the sum of $200,000 and a township of land.[86]

As the restored monarchy of Charles X became more conservative, Lafayette re-emerged as a prominent public figure. He had been a member of the Chamber of Deputies from Seine-et-Marne since 1815 and had pursued the abdication of Napoleon.[87][88] Throughout his legislative career he continued to endorse causes such as freedom of the press, suffrage for all taxpayers, and the worldwide abolition of slavery.[89] He was not as directly visible in public affairs as in previous years; however he became more vocal in the events leading up to the July Revolution of 1830.[90] When the monarch proposed that theft from churches be made a capital crime, agitation against the Crown increased.[90] On 27 July 1830, Parisians began erecting barricades throughout the city, and riots erupted. Lafayette established a committee as interim government. On 29 July 1830, the commission asked Lafayette to become dictator, but he demurred to offer the crown to Louis-Phillipe. Lafayette was reinstated as commander of the National Guard by the new monarch, who revoked the post after Lafayette once again called for the abolition of slavery.[91]

Death

Monument to Lafayette in Paris

Lafayette spoke for the last time in the Chamber of Deputies on 3 January 1834. The winter was wet and cold, and the next month he collapsed at a funeral from pneumonia. Although he recovered, the following May was wet and, after a thunderstorm, he became sick and bedridden.[92] On 20 May 1834, Lafayette died. He was buried next to his wife at Cimetière de Picpus under soil from Bunker Hill, which his son Georges sprinkled upon him.[91][93] King Louis-Phillipe ordered a military funeral in order to keep the public from attending. Crowds formed to protest their exclusion from Lafayette's funeral.[82]

American President Andrew Jackson ordered that Lafayette be accorded the same funeral honours as John Adams and George Washington. Therefore, 24-gun salutes were fired from military posts and ships, each shot represented a U.S.. Flags flew at half mast for 35 days, and "military officers wore crape for six months".[94][95] The United States Congress hung black in chambers and asked the entire country to dress in black for the next 30 days.[96]

Legacy

Although he spent fewer than five years in the U.S. (in 1777–79,[9] 1780–81, 1784, and 1824–25), he has been widely commemorated there. In 1824, the U.S. government named Lafayette Park in his honor; it lies immediately north of the White House in Washington, D.C. In 1826, Lafayette College was chartered in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette was honored with a monument in New York City in 1917.[97] Portraits display Washington and Lafayette in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives.[98] Numerous towns and cities across the United States were named in his honor.

The Order of Lafayette was established in 1958 by U.S. Representative Hamilton Fish III, a World War I veteran, to promote Franco-American friendship and to honor Americans who fought in France.[99] Lafayette has twice been granted honorary citizenship by Congress.[100][101][102][103] Many U.S. cities bear the name Lafayette or derivatives of it such as Fayette. The frigate Hermione, in which Lafayette returned to America, has been reconstructed in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France.[104]

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Clary, pp. 7, 8
  2. ^ Gilbert Du Motier Lafayette, pp. 392–94
  3. ^ a b c d e Gaines, p. 33
  4. ^ a b Clary, pp. 11–13
  5. ^ a b Gottschlk, pp. 3-5
  6. ^ Clary, p. 17
  7. ^ a b Holbrook, pp. 13, 71
  8. ^ Holbrook, p. 8
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Lafayette Historical Society". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Clary, p. 20
  11. ^ Adams, p. 12
  12. ^ Clary, p. 28
  13. ^ Holbrook, p. 15
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Holbrook, pp. 15–16 Cite error: The named reference "Holbrook" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  15. ^ Clary, p. 75
  16. ^ a b "Marquis de Lafayette". Revolutionary War Hall. Virtualology.com. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  17. ^ a b c Holbrook, p. 17
  18. ^ Gaines, p. 56
  19. ^ Clary, p. 83
  20. ^ a b Glathaar, p. 3
  21. ^ "The Marquis de Lafayette". The Historic Valley Forge. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  22. ^ Holbrook, p. 18
  23. ^ a b c "Marquis de Lafayette". www.nndb.com. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  24. ^ Holbrook, p. 20
  25. ^ "The Moland House". The Moland House. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  26. ^ Gaines, p. 70
  27. ^ Clary, p. 100
  28. ^ Holbrook, p. 23
  29. ^ Gaines, p. 75
  30. ^ Gaines, p. 112
  31. ^ Holbrook, pp. 28, 29
  32. ^ Clary, p. 243
  33. ^ Clary, p. 257
  34. ^ Holbrook, p. 44
  35. ^ a b c d Gaines, pp. 153–155
  36. ^ "NPS Historical Handbook: Yorktown". National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  37. ^ a b Holbrook, pp. 53–54
  38. ^ Holbrook, p. 43
  39. ^ Clary, pp. 330–338
  40. ^ Gaines, p. 160
  41. ^ Holbrook, p. 56
  42. ^ Clary, p. 350
  43. ^ Holbrook, p. 63
  44. ^ Gaines, pp. 201, 202
  45. ^ Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens. "Washington & Lafayette". Washington & Lafayette. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  46. ^ "Introduction". Lafayette and Slavery. Lafayette College. August 9, 2002. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  47. ^ a b Diane Windham Shaw. "Lafayette and Slavery". Lafayette Alumni News Magazine. Lafayette College. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  48. ^ Kramer, p. 217
  49. ^ Holbrook, p. 65
  50. ^ Holbrook, pp. 67–68
  51. ^ Gaines, pp. 198–99, 204, 206
  52. ^ Doyle, p. 74, 90
  53. ^ a b Kramer, p. 35
  54. ^ a b c d e Gerson, pp. 81–83
  55. ^ a b Neely, p. 86
  56. ^ de La Fuye, p. 83.
  57. ^ a b c Doyle, pp. 112-13
  58. ^ Holbrook, p. 84
  59. ^ Doyle, p. 122
  60. ^ Clary, p. 392
  61. ^ Doyle, p. 148
  62. ^ Gaines, pp. 345, 346
  63. ^ Holbrook, p. 100
  64. ^ a b Doyle, p. 154
  65. ^ Gaines, p. 348
  66. ^ Holbrook, p. 105
  67. ^ Gaines, p. 360
  68. ^ Holbrook, p. 109
  69. ^ Gaines, p. 362
  70. ^ Clary, p. 409
  71. ^ a b Holbrook, p. 114
  72. ^ Clary, p. 413
  73. ^ a b c Clary,p. 410–16.
  74. ^ Gaines, p. 380
  75. ^ Clary, p. 418
  76. ^ Holbrook, p. 129
  77. ^ Holbrook, pp. 141–42
  78. ^ Holbrook, p. 146
  79. ^ Kennedy, p. 210
  80. ^ Crawford, p. 318
  81. ^ Clary, p. 438
  82. ^ a b c d Clary, pp. 443, 444
  83. ^ Loveland, p. 3
  84. ^ David Minor. "The Crooked Laek Review". The Crooked Lake Review. Eagle Bytes. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  85. ^ Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens. "Washington & Lafayette". Washington & Lafayette. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  86. ^ Holbrook, p. 177
  87. ^ Gaines, p. 427
  88. ^ Holbrook, p. 162
  89. ^ Clary, pp. 442–445
  90. ^ a b Holbrook, p. 188
  91. ^ a b Clary, pp. 443-445, 447, 448
  92. ^ Payan, p. 93
  93. ^ Kathleen McKenna (2007-06-10). "On Bunker Hill, a boost in La Fayette profile". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  94. ^ Gaines, p. 448
  95. ^ Clary, p. 448
  96. ^ Clary, p. 449
  97. ^ "Marquis de Lafayette". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. 2002-03-07. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  98. ^ Ike Skelton (22 May 2007). "House Record: Honoring The Marquis De Lafayette On The Occasion Of The 250th Anniversary Of His Birth: Section 29". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  99. ^ "Official website of the Order of Lafayette". Order of Lafayette. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  100. ^ Patricia Molen Van EE. "Lafayette's Travels in America Documented" (HTML). The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2008-04-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  101. ^ "the Marquis de Lafeyette" (HTML). Clan Sinclair. Retrieved 2008-08-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  102. ^ "Marquis de Lafayette Collection, 1781-1834: Finding Aid" (PDF). Princeton University Library Digital Collection. Retrieved 2008-04-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  103. ^ 107th Congress. "Joint Resolution" (TXT). United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved 2008-04-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  104. ^ Robert Kalbach. "L'Hermione". L'Hermione. L’association Hermione-La Fayette. Retrieved 2008-08-11.

Works cited

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gilbert_du_Motier,_Marquis_de_Lafayette&oldid=246501847"