The orphaned boy and a childless father.

The Orphaned Boy

Gilbert de Motier, with a long string of additional names, but primarily the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), was orphaned as a toddler, and inherited a huge estate in Auvergne, France. His noble lineage assured him of the benevolent guardianship of the King of France himself, Louis XV. Part of that guardianship was receiving an excellent education, which included the family tradition of military training. He became an officer by the time he was thirteen.

The American Revolution, more than an ocean away, had just begun when Lafayette was still in his teens, but the essence of its cause – independence from Great Britain and liberty for itself as its own nation – was infectious to the young man, who by nineteen, had been commissioned a General, despite his youth and lack of combat experience. 

At his own expense, he outfitted a ship, recruited and subsisted a regiment, and sailed to the United States, determined to offer his services (and those of his men) gratis. He arrived in Philadelphia at the end of July, 1777, little more than a year after the United States of America claimed title to that name. 

Presenting himself and his self-styled mission to Congress was not difficult. When he advised them that he intended to serve with no pay, and indeed to provision his own troops, he had their attention. (Records indicate that Lafayette personally spent upwards of $200,000 on his men.) 

Congress duly commissioned him as a Major General, believing it to be “honorary.” General Washington was in Philadelphia at the time, and a few days later, the young Marquis was sent to meet his new “commander.” 

George Washington had no idea what to do with the gallant and likable, but totally unequipped  teenaged-officer. But he needed men. 

That the two men, a cool, aloof 45-year-old military General would become a devoted friend to the exuberant Frenchman – the same age as Jacky, his stepson, seemed unlikely. That he was also a Freemason like himself, was an unexpected bonus. 

Brandywine and Beyond

The battle of Brandywine, not long thereafter, provided the cement needed to build relationships. 

Washington originally planned to keep the young officer out of harm’s way, but the battle was not going well. Lafayette pressed hard to be sent into action, and was so ordered into battle – under General John Sullivan. The Frenchman demonstrated not only his courage, but that he understood the military commands, their purpose, and the business of the battle. He was wounded, but pressed on, refusing medical attention until after he had organized an orderly retreat.

George Washington was impressed – and he did not impress easily. He gave the young Marquis a full command, and never regretted it. During the cruel winter of 1778 in Valley Forge, Lafayette wrote that [Washington’s] “trust in me is deeper than I dare say… Not a day goes by without talking to me at length or writing long letters to me. And he is willing to consult me on most interesting points.”

With Washington’s approval, the Marquis returned to France for a brief time, gaining an audience with King Louis XVI and his advisors, convincing them to send the French fleet north from the Caribbean. Since the French and the British were centuries-old enemies, it was not a hard sell. 

When he returned to the USA, he was a key participant in the Battle and Siege of Yorktown, which, for all intents and purposes, ended the War. 

The Personal Connection

Despite nearly 300-year-old treasure troves of information available about George Washington, one is still hard pressed to find the separation between person and persona. The “marble man” sculpted by Houdon is etched in the hearts and souls of his countrymen. But elusive as it may be, and as challenged as the “evidence” may be, the deep friendship and regard between Washington and his young French “bon ami,” remains strong. Lafayette was a warm, affectionate and exuberant man his entire life. 

In George Washington, Lafayette found the father he never knew, and said so numerous times throughout his long life. If Washington considered the Marquis the “son he never had,” it was not in so many words, although the sentiment is not unreasonable. (GW surely cared for and about his stepson, but all indications point to a lack of esteem in Jack’s abilities and perhaps even character.) But he definitely grew to respect and admire the Frenchman. 

The Gifts

After the War, the Generals kept in frequent touch. George Washington was a wealthy man. He had been born to gentry, certainly comfortable, but it was his marriage to Martha Custis that boosted the bank account. She was one of the wealthiest young widows in Virginia, and it was her inheritance that permitted Washington to give free rein to his business acumen and his skills as a planter. Despite all that, the wealth of the French Marquis dwarfed all that Washington had. 

Perhaps the greatest gift Lafayette gave to his “American father” was the one purely from the heart, and of no monetary value. He named his first son “Georges Washington Lafayette,” and asked the General to be his godfather. Washington was glad to accept the honor.

Lafayette sent some jackasses that he knew GW sought for his plantation; President Washington sent silver shoe buckles – made in the USA. Lafayette sent Christmas presents for The Washington grandchildren. The Washingtons reciprocated with a barrel of Mount Vernon bacon. Lafayette sent a portrait of himself and his wife and children. GW sent seeds from Kentuck[e]…

And when Lafayette became a major participant in France’s own Revolution, he “acquired” the key to the Bastille, the French prison whose overthrow is always associated with the end of their Monarchy. He sent that key to his Adopted Father George Washington.

It is still at Mount Vernon to this day.

Sources:

Chernow, Ron – Washington: A Life – Penguin Press – 2010

Clark, Harrison – All Cloudless Glory – Regnery Publishing, 1996

Flexner, James Thomas – George Washington in the American Revolution 1775-1783 – Little Brown, 1968

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/bastille-key/

https://founders.archives.gov

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/07/14/bastille-day-key-mount-vernon/