Show americas DEBT TO LAFAYETTE washington paid tribute to great services rendered tho the It evolution began W WHEN americans wore were still plo find straight shooters the country was full of men who nho had seen bervice in war aga hist the french and Ind indians ions washington had been all his tire life a soldier it Is not hot surprising that american officers felt quite able to handle the military situation without assistance from froin the host of applicants for commissions from abroad therefore when washington heard that a young frenchman named lafayette lin had left ills wife and child and crossed t tho ocean to serve tho the american cause as aa a volunteer without pay lie he muttered one moro more incumbrance but lafayette pleaded julve me n chance I 1 to do not want to be an honorary soldier eold ler lie ile went to camp and there began a friendship which ran through so many years like an idyl in 1783 1788 briscot visited washington at sit aft vernon with a letter from lafayette A 1 s W lafayette ile says washington spoke to roe me of M do de lafayette with emotion lie ho considers him film as ills hla child 11 later lafayette Lafayet fe sent to washington the key icey to the destroyed Bast bastlin lip saying baying it Is it tribute which I 1 owe as aa a son eon to my adopted father ns as an ald de camp to tb tny my general as a missionary of liberty to its patriarch freick eager in Li bertys cause the spirit of Lafa lafayette yetto was tie cle spirit of army A host ot of young french officers looked on the as a crusade for liberty and crowded tar foi places young berthier Ber was a volunteer at yorktown and ho he a marshal of france Yle viscount coulat do de noailles Noal No allies lles marched afoot the whole miles from newport to yorktown young saint simon closen chastel lux a brother of Ml a brother of talleyrand barrns Bar rits later director burros barras and many other enthusiasts for liberty were in n the expedition they understood americans americana was tho the particular american trait which impressed them most find and t this idea was imported by them from america into france rochambeau placed himself and ills his army un under der tho the command of washington the ragged americans always tail lind tile right of the line in III caso care of equality of rank tho the american officer always took command not so much as a cabbage was taken without payment before yorktown the americans were not skilled in siege operations find and washington gratefully nc file tho the service of the french engineers enil the french fleet closed tile the river nna and tho the surrender came caine without that french help we tremble to think what might inight havo have happened fired Lafay ettes ardor ardo r toward tho the clo close of the year bilto 6 tile the duke of cu cumberland who was taw brother of king george of england was traveling in franco and one day lio to arrived at the iho town of metz then a french possession A certain count de DC broglie Brog lle a veteran of many battles was in command of the garrison and to do lionor to ills his distinguished visitor ho he invited somo some of its ills officers to meet igini at dinner now it happened that the duko duke of cumberland wits was in disfavor with its his royal brother ho was in fact in banishment ire ile hall had lately received news that certain of his maje colonies in america had rebelled and declared themselves free declining to be subject any longer to it tyrannical king icing it would seem that lint tile duke of cumberland told the story with somo some gusto ns as it if lie ho were not altogether soy sorry that its ills brother was in trouble one officer listened w with particular attention ile iia was a youth of nineteen tall and thin with a long nose and reddish calr ills solemn expression and his somewhat awk awkward ward manner contrasted strongly with tile tho frivolous criso and grace of the other young officers present ile he was a i inar quis of long descent connected hy by marriage with ono one of the greatest families in franco france laal lie ho had at ills his own disposition a very largo income lie ile listened intently lie he asked many eager questions and when he rose from the table lie he had made a momentous and historic resolution lie ile ind had resolved to abandon the pleasures and luxuries of tho the gayest court in tile the world even to leave his young wife and child and to cast in his lot with these strange rebels in america in his own words when first I 1 heard 0 american independence my heart beart was enli enlisted I 1 that young man was lafayette anil when the american army went to the iho front in france it merely paid n small part of tho debt of gratitude we owe that splendid young officer that true me nobleman a 0 major general by wash ington in july lie fought nt at tho the balelo of brandywine in september and received nn an ugly wound soon again in the saddle lie ho went through many vl vicissitudes arid privations with washington nt at valley tits ills crowning exploit being tho the forcing ut of tho the retreat of lord cornwallis Cornwall ls leading to ills his surrender at yorktown in 1781 although washington and other famous anderl american fill generals had joined him barn previous to tile surrender lafayette with a small force had initiated tile rout of cornwallis nt the battle of albemarle that tile tho highest credit was due to ln la faletto Is shown by tho the fact that washington warmly thanked and complimented ted idin in tho the presence of tho the after tho the great surrender which practically ended the war patriot of marblehead general lafayette Lafa yetto paid a tribute to marblehead mass by malting making two visits to tile people by whom lie wits was i 4 ipa P L an old time patriot cut off the corner of hla his house that Lafay ettes carriage Carr laga might go through his hl street streel received with bands of music and it huge procession of citizens it Is r related that on ills his first visit in 1784 there was a controversy as to liow how alif procession wits was to proceed through the main streets of the town owing to the fact that nt at one of the sharp turns it house so jutted butted into the road that eliat the gen generals ernis coach could not pass on the morning of tho the great event it was dia dl covered that the patriotic family occupying the he property had find cut off a section of the house removing the offending corner and thus tho the coach was driven without a hitch through tho the street the house with port parl of the first story missing ba seen la ill this year of 1919 anali and shown in the illustration |