Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-02
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RANCE has Just slorifed Amer.
n ica's part In winning the world
war by laying the corner stone

sco pdIt IN winning the Worlo
war by laying the corner stone
~ Of a great monument to COM
@emorate the arrival Of the first
American troops. II is the replica
ff Bartholdrs statue Of liberty in New
York harbor.
The date Of the ceremony was the
1s2d anniversary Of Lafayette's birth
And the NTH anniversary Of the frst
battle Of the Marine.
The site Of the monument Is the
same Pointe-de- Grave, 10 the mouth
Of the Gironde. from which Lafayette
sailed in 1777. and which was the first
point Of land seen by the vanguard
OF the American Army In 1917.
But while the name and address of
every American soldier sailing for
France Cor ready to saiD will echo
through the halls of fame, with exact
spelling-thanks to our statisticals
and the admirable new c. r. O.-for
future generations to point back with
pride in their ancestors. SO little is
known about the members Of that
other, earlier expedition that 1t will
cause surprise to learn that 1 have
rediscovered five acts of embark
ment of Lafayette and his party,
containing the names of twenty-one
OF his companions. eleven Of whom
are quite unknown. unheard Of, out
side these documents.
X X ~
1t Is strange that none of the
searchers and historians who for
nearly century have been gathering
together all the information they
could find regarding American revo.
lutionary history anu Lafayette's con-
nection with 1t should not have un.
earthed the expedition list.
Tradition says 1t was rather large.
For example, 1t is known that fifty
young officers waited at San Sebas.
tien to Join the Victoire, and were
ordered to" pass back into France
by formal orders Of the king. But
lafayette himself. arriving in the
ship at San Sebastien or Pasajes,
found similar orders Of the king
awaiting him ITO pass on to Mar
seilles'-and we know that he did
not do 1t. How many Of those Pasa.
jes-San Sebastien boys went with
him on the quiet? s.
, Il 10 curious. In any case, that
Lafayette himself. realizing the i'm.
portance Of his voyage. should not
have preserved, though secretly. at
least the names Of those who shared
1t with him.
De Kalb. in his letters to his wife
(privately printed thirty-fve years
ago). gives the names of ten persons
who accompanied the expedition.
This number seems to have been
regularly accepted by historians as
correct. The encyclopedias all speak
of Lafayette and his eleven COM
panions. among whom was the Baron
de Kalb."
Now, just before the war. five
American families claiming descent
from one David Louis, Lewis, Levas,
or even Lopes, as modified in Europe,
and Lewis. Levin, Lewis or Levin.
according to the American variants,
had the tradition that Dave fallowed
Lafayette from Metz-where the
Knights of Columbus are erecting a
Lafayette statue to recall his resig-
nation from the garrison Of that city
to offer his sword to America.
Dave was born in Strassburg, but
Of Spanish origin, the family having
the status Of "old Christians" though
Of Jewish race. Dave lived in New
Orleans, where he founded a family,
possessed q mansion, and told his
grandchildren all about landing at
Charleston (Georgetown). s. G.. with
Lafayette and the young officers from
PASSAGES"
And his present-day descendants,
now become i've American families,
naturally proud Of the whole bust
ness, asked me to look for proofs in
France.
TO please the families.
hunted for Dawes sailing.
mean Lafayette's.
Probably should have found moth
ing had not been ON summer vaca-
tion with man who has since be-
come famous-1Daul Mantoux. French.
English oral translator Of the big
four's private meetings Of the peace
conference. which has won for him
Frances secretariat of the league of