Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-06-26

served his country in three different capacities
is married man, the father of twins and one
olner child is a major general in the American
army and is not yet twenty years old"
Lafayette soon had an opportunity to show his
mettie. The English general Lord Howe. was
approaching Philadelphia with superior force.
washington marched out to meet him. and in
the skil1ptsh at Brandywine Lafayette was
wounded while urging his men to stand firm.
Lafayette wrote to his wife: BE entirely free
from anxiety as to my wound, for all the doctors
IN America are aroused in my behalf. have
friend who has spoken for me in way to insure
my being well taken care of, and that is General
Washington. That estimable man, whom ven
crate the more now that learn to know him.
has become my intimate friend His tender In
terest In my welfare quickly won my heart. When
he sent his surgeon in chief to me he told him to
care for me as If were his son, because he loved
me SO much; and, having learned that wanted
TO join the army too soon again. he wrote me
letter full Of tenderness. in which he admonshed
me to wait until I should be entirely we'll"
Washingtons exact words in writing to the
surgeon We're: take care OF him as If he were
my son, for, love him the same"
On November %, 1777, Lafayette was sent
with General Greene to test the strength Of the
British advance on Philadelphia Having dis
closed their position Gloucester, he attacked
the Hessians with such fury that the latter were
routed and CORVALLIS, thinking that he was sur
~,
with his 5000 men in hot haste
This pleased Washington SO much that he
wrote to congress asking for regular command
for Lafayette few days later Lafayette, to his
great delight was assigned to the command Of
the Virginia division of the army.
AS time went on relations between Washington
and Lafayette became steadily closer, the latter
sometimes referring to himself in their CORE
spondence as Washington's young soldier" The
m W0 il,o hat NJ
father and son, the Frenchman being twenty-five
years younger than the general he so greatly
admired.
Having made a voyage to France on furlough
he returned in May. 1880, Joining Washington at
the army headquarters In Morristown and telling
him what nobody on this side of the Atlantic
yet knew, of the coming of the military and naval
expedition sent by the king of France to help the
Americans. It was Lafayette himself who had
been largely instrumental In persuading the king
to send the fleet together with 5000 picked fight
ing men under Rochambeau and the young mar.
quis was dispatched in advance to carry the good
news
In due time Rochambeau arrived with the army
Of 6O00 men and Admiral dc Grasse with fleet
manned by 1000 sailors and marines
Lafayette was put In command Of 1900 men
and directed to march to Virginia and meet
CORVALLIS. the British commander The troop4
were SO destitute that something had to be done
Lafayette after expanding his own available cash
borrowed on his personal account $4,000 from
the merchants ofS8altimore
De Grasses feet headed for Yorktown, and
Washington with Rochambeau started to unite
with Lafayette In the struggle with CORVALLIS
How Washington made forced marches to the
South In order the more completely to hem in
Lord COrnwalls; how the Count de Grasse with
his great feet arrived of Yorktown before the
arrival Of General Washington. andAhow La.
fayette persuaded the French admiral to delay
the attack until Washington could take command,
80 that by winning that fight Washington could
overthrow the enemies in congress that were try.
Ing to have some one else made commander IN