LA FAYETTE AND THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR.
ST. NICHOLAS.
Vol. XIII. JULY, 1886. No. 9.
[Copyright, 1886, by The Century Co.]
LA FAYETTE.
By Mrs. Eugenia M. Hodge.
One hundred and nine years ago, in the month of February, 1777, a young French guardsman ran away to sea.
And a most singular running away it was. He did not wish to be a sailor, but he was so anxious to go that he bought aship to run away in,—for he was a very wealthy young man; and though he was only nineteen, he held a commission asmajor-general in the armies of a land three thousand miles away—a land he had never seen and the language of whichhe could not speak. The King of France commanded him to remain at home; his friends and relatives tried to restrain him;and even the representatives, or agents, of the country in defense of which he desired to fight would not encourage hispurpose. And when the young man, while dining at the house of the British Ambassador to France, openly avowed hissympathy with a downtrodden people, and his determination to help them gain their freedom, the Ambassador acted quickly.At his request, the rash young enthusiast was arrested by the French Government, and orders were given to seize hisship, which was awaiting him at Bordeaux. But ship and owner both slipped away, and sailing from the port of Pasajes inSpain, the runaway, with eleven chosen companions, was soon on the sea, bound for America, and beyond the reach of bothfriends and foes.
On April 25, 1777, he landed at the little port of Georgetown, at the mouth of the Great Pee Dee river in SouthCarolina; and from that day forward the career of Marie Jean Paul Roch Yves Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, hasheld a place in the history of America, and in the interest and affection of the American people.
When he first arrived in the land for which he desired to fight, however, he found but a cool reception. The Congressof the United States was poor, and so many good and brave American officers who had proved their worth were desirous ofcommissions as major-generals, that the commission promised to this young Frenchman could not easily be put in force sofar as an actual command and a salary were concerned.
But the young general had come across the sea for a purpose, and money and position were not parts of that purpose.He expressed his desire to serve in the American army upon two very singular conditions, namely: that he should receiveno pay, and that he should act as a volunteer. The Congress was so impressed with the enthusiasm and self-sacrifice ofthe young Frenchman that, on July 31, 1777, it passed a resolution directing that "his services be accepted and that, inconsideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connections, he have the rank and commission of a Major-General of theUnited States."
General Washington was greatly attracted by the energy and earnestness of the young nobleman. He took him into whatwas called his "military family," assigned him to special and honorable duty; and when the young volunteer was woundedat the battle of Brandywine, the Commander-in-Chief praised his "bravery and military ardor" so highly that the Congressgave[Pg 644]La Fayette th