When Lafayette first got here in 1777, he was only 19 years old. A wealthy, orphaned, aristocrat, he charmed his way into a commission in George Washingtons Continental Army as an unpaid volunteer. He was a relentless soldier, almost freakishly brave, disciplined, and oozing panache all at once. He rode a white horse, was wounded in the Battle of Brandywine, led the liberation of Virginia, and suffered through a winter at Valley Forge living among his fellow soldiers in a crummy hut, though he could have easily afforded to wait for spring in a mansion the size of Newark. His troops adored him. George Washington considered him his adopted son. Alexander Hamilton wrote him letters that read like mash notes. (excerpt) —Sarah Vowell for This American Life Oozing Panache Day of Note: On this date in 1776 Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette arranged with American agent Silas Deane to enlist as a major general in the Continental Army.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 14:42:41 +0000
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