Two hundred years to the day, Major General Marquis de Lafayette was again honored by admirers when Mount Vernon Estate held a re-enactment of his Oct. 17, 1824, return to George Washington’s home.

“Lafayette stood right here 200 years ago today,” said Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of the American Friends of Lafayette, at the “old tomb” overlooking the Potomac River where George and Martha Washington and 18 other family members were interred. (They were later moved to the “new tomb,” as Washington instructed in his will.)

President James Monroe invited Lafayette to visit America to help celebrate the nation’s 50th anniversary. On Aug. 15, 1824, he arrived in New York City with his son, George Washington Lafayette, and was met by over 80,000 cheering fans, his first trip to America in 40 years.

He had originally come to America in 1777 from France at age 17. In the Revolutionary War, Congress made him a major general without pay or command, and later, Washington put him on his staff, promoted him to general and gave him command of a division. Describing Lafayette’s relationship with Washington, Patti Maclay said, “It was more than a wartime alliance. Washington was his beloved adopted father. Washington treated him as a son.” Maclay is National Vice Chair of the Lafayette Bicentennial Committee.

At the ceremony, Ben Goldman, re-enacting Lafayette, got teary-eyed when he received a replica ring that had a lock of Washington’s hair from Michael Halbert, portraying George Washington Parke Custis, Washington’s adopted grandson. 

In 1824, Lafayette’s secretary, Auguste Levasseur, wrote about the poignant moment at the tomb: “Lafayette descended alone into the vault, and a few minutes after re-appeared, with his eyes overflowing with tears.” Lafayette had commented at that time, “This moment oppresses my heart,” said Schwam. The Frenchman then went into the mansion and viewed the key to the Bastille prison on the wall which he had sent to Washington as a gift in 1789. The key is still there today.

The event was organized by the Sons of the American Revolution and the American Friends of Lafayette. Schwam told the crowd of around 200, “This is a very special day.” He lauded Lafayette as one who “crossed the ocean to fight for independence, liberty and equality. His visit was a tribute to the cause of freedom and justice.” 

Several speakers related that Lafayette fought for freedom in both America and in France, calling him a “hero of two revolutions.” He played a prominent role in the French Revolution and proposed a declaration of rights. “Lafayette was a deeply committed abolitionist, and the great irony that the land of liberty prospered due to the forced labor of millions of enslaved people was certainly not lost on him,” according to “The Nation’s Guest: Lafayette’s Grand Tour of America,” in the current Virginia History and Culture magazine.

In an interview, Goldman, a Washington, D. C. resident who did five re-enactment events in five days, said he only portrays Lafayette because of the Frenchman’s “commitment to a revolutionary mission.” Doing Lafayette re-enactments is my “side hustle,” he quipped.

“Lafayette was America’s first rock star,” Schwam told the gathering. “He had 80,000 people in New York City. The Beatles only had 6,000.”

A Visit to Alexandria Too

Historic Alexandria also hosted several events commemorating Lafayette’s visit where in 1824 he was honored with a grand parade. “Women waved handkerchiefs from open windows along neighboring buildings,” says a new placard at 301 South St. Asaph Street, where he spent the night. The house today is known as the Lafayette House.

He had planned on a three-month tour, but it evolved into a 13-month journey in the nation’s 24 states. He spent more time in Virginia than any other state. 

He named his son George Washington Lafayette to honor his spiritual father and hero and named his daughter Virginie after Washington's home state. His grave in Paris is covered with soil from Bunker Hill.

The Office of Historic Alexandria reports that 35 U.S. cities took on his name. In Alexandria, Fayette Street is named for him. The Mount Vernon area has Lafayette Drive.

Information and Other Events

https://friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org/