(Photo provided by the Library of Congress) Commemorative engraving of Lafayette’s arrival in New York, August 16, 1824, by Frances Scott King.

Woody Allen said “80% of success is in showing up.” French nobleman Marquis de Lafayette, showed up in 1777 and brought success to the American Revolution and himself. May 23 will be the 200th anniversary of his 1825 visit at Marietta. Check out the special Lafayette exhibit at Campus Martius Museum.

Lafayette’s full name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier. The Marquis de Lafayette was merely his title. “Lafayette” refers to Aix-La-Fayette, a small town in France. At age 11 he had inherited a huge fortune. But he became more interested in military glory. He won a captain’s commission at age 16. By chance he heard the Britain’s Duke of Gloucester demean American colonists for resisting British rule. He mocked their belief in equality and self rule. That was a turning point for Lafayette: “My heart was enlisted, and I thought only of joining my colors to those of the revolutionaries.”

A precocious 19-year-old wealthy French nobleman joining the upstart patriots? A culture clash, for sure, but his wealth and personality earned him credibility. Congress granted him a commission as Major General: “on account of his great zeal in the cause of liberty…” General Washington soon bonded with Lafayette who humbly stated, “I am here to learn, not to teach.” Lafayette was wounded in his first action at Brandywine. Washington told the surgeon, “Treat him as if he were my son.”

As local historian Scott Britton points out, most events and persons in history have a Marietta connection. So it was with Lafayette.

–Lafayette served in the Revolutionary War with many officers who settled here. He was friends with General James Mitchell Varnum and served with him in the Battle of Rhode Island. Varnum entertained Lafayette and French officers in 1778 at his mansion. According to Varnum’s cousin, Ellen Fry, “Nights were spent in conviviality. It was a free living hard drinking age…” General Varnum moved to Marietta in June 1788 but died of tuberculosis 7 months later at age 40. Others that Lafayette served with are mentioned in a letter George Washington wrote to Lafayette in 1787: “Many of your military acquaintances, such as Generals Parsons, Varnum and Putnam, Colonels Tupper, Sproat and Sherman… propose settling (at Marietta). From such beginnings much may be expected.”

Scan QR code to learn more about Lafayette’s boat trip and Marietta Visit.

–He was a commander of American light infantry which helped defeat the British at Yorktown in 1781. Several veterans who served there under Lafayette, including Major John Wyllys, Captain Jonathan Heart, and Lt. Ebenezer Denny, were later posted at Fort Harmar.

–The steamboat MECHANIC which transported Lafayette up the Ohio River was built at Marietta in 1823. The ship sank when it struck a submerged tree in the river. All passengers were rescued. Captain Wyllys Hall was despondent, “My countrymen will never forgive me for exposing Lafayette to so much danger…” Passengers consoled Wyllys; Lafayette added a written note “acknowledging my personal obligations to him.”

–Lafayette was a life-long abolitionist, as were most Marietta civic leaders. He spent most of his adult life actively promoting abolition of slavery. During one debate in France about rights of blacks, Lafayette challenged opponents, “Now I ask, are they human beings (and therefore entitled to equal treatment)? I do think so!” Lafayette was imprisoned for five years for his “radical” ideas about democracy and equality.

–Lafayette visited Marietta on May 25, 1825. Crowds gathered, cannons fired, and bells rang. He was read a list of veterans who settled in Marietta. The 68-year-old Lafayette was moved; he said “I know them all. I saw them at Brandywine, Yorktown, and Rhode Island. They were the bravest of the brave.” A plaque with this quote is at the entrance to Mound Cemetery.