Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell

Lafayette is the subject of Sarah Vowell’s newest work of non-fiction. She chose him for a number of reasons, but her choice was solidified by an incident during her initial research. Someone had inquired what her new project was to be, and when she said it was Lafayette, the person replied, “So you’ll be spending a lot of time in Louisiana.” Upon explaining, the person still didn’t seem to know who Lafayette was, and this reinforced the idea that it was time for him to be the subject of a best-selling book.

After reading Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, I had a similar reaction when I reported on this delightful book at a book club meeting. Members asked, “Is this a fictional person?” and “Who was Lafayette? I’ve never heard of him.” I was aghast just like Sarah Vowell, and proceeded to give them some background.

Who was Lafayette?

The life of Lafayette, who became the Marquis de Lafayette upon the death of his mother and grandfather when he was only twelve years old, is a tale of the political and military events of the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries in both France and America. Vowell begins with his 1824 thirteen month tour of the United States as last living general of the American Revolution. This illustrates how important to the United States Lafayette was, and how beloved by the populace, no matter their politics. Eighty thousand fans turned out to welcome his arrival in New York. The population was only 123,000 at that time. And huge crowds turned out all along his twenty-four state tour. He was the one thing all Americans could agree on.

Lafayette in our Revolution

In 1777, at the age of nineteen, this rich French aristocratic general left his young wife to come to America to aid in our fight to get rid of the British. His father had been killed in one of the many battles France fought with England in the Seven Years War. So hatred for England came to him at a young age, and his studies had reinforced the new democratic ideas. Once given a place within our Continental Army, Lafayette showed an eagerness to learn and natural ability. He became what Vowell calls a “chummy minion” to George Washington and was given a command of his own eventually.

During the war he wrote letters to people in France pleading for financial and military aid to the struggling country. Historically speaking, there might not have been a United States at the Revolution’s end without the assistance of the French. Washington and Lafayette were responsible for trapping Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia. But the French navy fleet was responsible for keeping them from escaping by sea.

Lafayette in his own country’s Revolution

Lafayette continued helping the United States in the 1780’s. We were in need of trading partners to replace those we lost when the British left our shores. He had returned to France by this time and had many powerful friends in government and commercial circles. While Thomas Jefferson was serving as minister to France, he and Lafayette became good friends and worked on trade agreements. Jefferson helped him when France began its journey towards democracy. Later, when the French Revolution turned on its own leaders with aristocratic connections, the U. S. helped Lafayette flee his own country. They later aided in saving his wife and family as well.

Lafayette’s return to America

Lafayette had fond memories of the successful revolution in America. Though a man of sixty-six by then, he agreed to the extended tour of the U.S. when invited by James Monroe. Throngs greeted him everywhere he went. They reminded him of the love he had for the United States, the country that he had helped found.

America returns the favor

France gave us the Centennial birthday gift of the Statue of Liberty, as a memorial to our alliance with them during the American War for Independence. And when the American Expeditionary Forces under General Pershing landed in France in World War I, they marched to Paris on July 4, 1917 and went directly to Lafayette’s tomb. They draped an American flag over his tomb, made a speech that spoke of our alliance with France, and finally said, “Lafayette, we are here.” Buried in a cemetery used as a mass grave during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution, the dirt that covers his grave came from Bunker Hill.

Today, there is ceremony on the Fourth of July at Lafayette’s grave in Paris. Representatives from both the French and U. S. governments and militaries, along with his descendants, swap the American flag flying over his grave for a new one every year. At least some of us remember who he is.  Sarah Vowell, in her usual witty way, has ensured that more will remember him in the future.