Today, I am thankful for those ‘lost’ souls who find a cause.
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier was given a very long name by his parents when he has born in 1757 in Chavaniac, France, but, sadly, he was not given much of a childhood. His father was killed by British troops during the Seven Year’s War when he was two years of age, and his mother and grandfather died unexpectedly when he was twelve. Marie became a wealthy orphan without much direction, so he joined the Royal French Army. His affluence grew a few years later when, at the age of 16, he married one of the richest women of France. However, he felt lost in life, despite his enormous wealth and military skill. One evening, in 1775, Marie heard the Duke of Gloucester speak sympathetically about the enduring struggle in America, where colonists were being oppressed by the British monarchy. So, at the age of nineteen, Marie arranged for a furtive passage to help the colonists’ cause, landing in Charlestown, South Carolina, in June 1777.
Immediately, Marie was commissioned as a Major General in the army by commander-in-chief, George Washington. The tall commander of the Revolutionary Army grew a liking to this passionate young French man who was willing to serve the American cause without any remuneration. His intensity and strategic acumen earned him the respect of Washington, who was in desperate need of military leaders. Marie immediately proved his worth later that year, fighting valiantly at the Battle of Brandywine, where he was injured in the leg by a bullet wound. Following his recovery the next year, he brilliantly eluded the British at Bunker Hill, won a crucial battle in Rhode Island, and secured a critical stalemate at the Battle of Monmouth, despite being outnumbered in all battles.
Seeking to garner financial and military support for the colonists, he sailed back to France to advocate for the American cause. He convinced Louis XIV to ally with the colonial revolutionaries, securing the support of ammunition and a large French fleet. Upon his return to the colonies, Marie commanded the Virginia Continental Forces in 1781, ultimately pinning Cornwallis’ army in Yorktown long enough to allow Washington’s army to surround the British escape on land and to allow his naval colleague, Comte de Rochambeau, to prevent their escape by sea. With Cornwallis’ surrender, the American Revolution essentially ended, and the colonists secured their independence.
Marie retuned home to France in December 1781, where political unrest was brewing. He authored the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, with the assistance of Thomas Jefferson, a man who had some experience of similar documents proclaiming the unalienable rights of humanity. These measures sparked the French Revolution, in which he served (at least temporarily) as the General of the National Guard. These efforts also led to the abolition of slavery in France in 1794. Unfortunately, the fervent uprising in France led to an unusual turn of event that led him to seek a quieter existence.
Yet, he remained so well loved in the new United States of America. In fact, when he was invited back in 1824 by then President James Monroe, he and his son, Georges Washington, were greeted with one euphoric reception after another in each of the 24 states they visited at that time. However, Marie would return home to find the French government in political disarray. The recent death of Louis XVIII catapulted the now 72-year-old statesman back into the limelight. Despite the insistence of many, Marie refused to accept the role of French dictator. He died peacefully a few years later on this day (May 20) in 1834.
In all of history, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier is regarded as the only successful ‘Hero of Two Worlds’. Fortunately, he also had two names, including a shorter one we all could pronounce. Thank you, Marquis de Lafayette, for all you did to set the US and France on its current paths.
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