On September 6, 1757, the French aristocrat and military officer Gilbert du Motier—universally known as the Marquis de Lafayette—was born at the Château de Chavaniac in Auvergne, France.
Raised amid the traditions of the French nobility, Lafayette would nevertheless risk both his fortune and position to support the American Revolution. In 1777, at just 19 years old, he crossed the Atlantic and volunteered to serve without pay in the Continental Army.
Lafayette formed a profound, lifelong bond with General George Washington. He was wounded while helping rally American troops at the Battle of Brandywine, and later played an important command role in Virginia during the campaign that culminated in the allied victory at Yorktown. He also became an influential advocate in France for greater support of the American cause—support that proved indispensable to American independence.
Today, his childhood home stands as a lasting symbol of the Franco-American alliance, the international character of the Revolutionary cause, and Lafayette’s enduring commitment to liberty.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
