Hero of Two Worlds

Marquis de Lafayette, Georgetown, SC   

You don't have to call me Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Just call me Lafayette. 

What a life of adventure he led. He sailed to America to lend a hand in the American Revolution and happened to pull up in Georgetown, SC. Can you imagine opening your door to find a Frenchman arriving to fight the British? This statue is near the rice museum in Georgetown. 

Landing of Lafayette: After LaFayette’s plan to join the American cause under the steam of his own ship was discovered by the British, the King of France was pressured to forbid his nobleman from leaving his homeland. In fact, the King ordered LaFayette to join his father in Marseille and was informed that failure to comply with the royal command would result in his imprisonment. Again, LaFayette was not to be dissuaded.

LaFayette set out for Spain. Disguised as a woman, he set sail on April 20, 1777 for America. Although the captain of the ship intended to stop over in the West Indies to sell some goods, LaFayette feared any layovers would open a window of opportunity for the British that would result in his arrest. To avoid this delay in his mission to America, LaFayette again opened his own purse and bought the cargo from the captain in exchange for the skipper’s promise to sail directly to America.

On June 13, 1777, the Marquis de LaFayette landed on North Island near Georgetown, South Carolina. This was almost as a momentous a landing as any other in American history. 

It is almost the 240th anniversary of his arrival on June 13, 1777.  Cheers to the freedom loving Marquis!