Lafayette's Visit

From July 1824 to September 1825, the last surviving French General of the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette, made a famous tour of the 24 states in the United States. At many stops on this tour he was received by the populace with a hero's welcome, and many honors and monuments were presented to commemorate and memorialize the Marquis de Lafayette's visit.

The Marquis de Lafayette led troops alongside George Washington in the American Revolution over 40 years earlier. He fought in several crucial battles including the battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania, and the Siege of Yorktown in Virginia.

The Marquis had returned to France and pursued a political career championing the ideals of liberty that the fledgling U.S. Republic represented. After the Marquis left the French legislature in 1824, President James Monroe invited him to tour the United States, partly to instill the Spirit of 1776 in the next generation of Americans and partly to celebrate the nation's 50th anniversary.

Different cities celebrated in different ways. Some held parades or conducted an artillery salute. In some places school children were brought to welcome the marquis. Veterans from the war, some of whom were in their sixties and seventies, welcomed the Marquis and some dined with him. While touring Yorktown, he recognized and embraced James Armistead Lafayette, a free Negro who adopted his last name to honor the Marquis, (he was the first US double agent spy), the story of the event was reported by the Richmond Enquirer.

On his visit Lafayette covered 6,000 miles going as far west as Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee and as far south as Georgia. When he visited Vernon he left Boston on September 2, 1824 and arrived in New York City on September 5. Other stops on the way included Worchester, Stafford Springs, Tolland, Hartford and Middletown.

"The inhabitants of Sturbridge and other places through which General La Fayette passed, on his way to Hartford, in Connecticut, assembled in their respective towns, and presented him the ready homage of affectionate and grateful hearts. Companies of artillery fired salutes; ladies and gentlemen gathered round him to bid him welcome to America, and to express their deep and lively sense of his past services; and many veterans of the revolutionary army pressed upon him, without ceremony or introduction, expecting, as they found, a friendly and cordial reception.

General La Fayette was received at Hartford, in Connecticut, where he arrived on Saturday morning, with similar marks of affection and esteem to those so cordially bestowed on him in the towns he had already visited. He was expected by the citizens on Friday evening, and arrangements were made for a general illumination. He was escorted into the city by the military, and a large procession of the citizens received him soon after he entered within its bounds, and conducted him to the State House, where he was addressed by the Mayor of the city, who assured him of the affectionate welcome, with which the people received him,

References

"Cascades and Courage" by George S. Brooks, 1955, 529 pages. This is the classic local history book.

Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visit_of_the_Marquis_de_Lafayette_to_the_United_States

Memoirs of General Lafayette: With an account of his visit to America, and ... http://tinyurl.com/7f3dzc8