In 1825 General Marquis Lafayette was returning back to his home in France after a very triumphant return to America where he was received as a hero of the Revolutionary war. To further honor the General who fought so valiantly along side George Washington in the war, President John Quincy Adams wanted to show him one last favor by having him return home on the newest and best ship that the Navy had to offer. Adams commissioned a 44-gun frigate Brandywine after Battle of Brandywine where Lafayette was wounded fighting with the American troops. The frigate Brandywine set sail on September 8, 1825 to take the hero General Marquis de Lafayette back home.
At age 19, Marquis de Lafayette joined the Continental army as a volunteer Major General. Just a couple of short months after joining, Lafayette experienced his first action at the Battle of Brandywine. Here, along the Brandywine River, Washington and his men were outmaneuvered by the British, and were unable to defend their position. The American army fought valiantly, but were forced retreat. General Lafayette was sent to lead the retreat, but soon after arriving he became wounded during a bayonet attack from the British. When Washington learned of this, he sent a physician and future president James Monroe, who spoke French to accompany him. Despite Lafayette's wound, he rallied the troops into an orderly retreat before being treated.
During the following winter, Lafayette spent most of his time with George Washington and his troops a their winter quarters at Valley Forge. It was long and harsh winter that caught the Americans unprepared, and many had to go without blankets or proper footwear. Food was scarce, and hundreds died of disease and dysentery. At Valley Forge, Lafayette was promoted to commander and given a division of troops. Lafayette freely spent his own money to furnish the men with uniforms and muskets and lived with them during even the coldest days and nights of winter. Marquis de Lafayette's heroism and unwavering support for the American cause of freedom made him into a legendary hero of the Revolution. After the war, Lafayette returned to America where he remained until his return in 1824. When Marquis de Lafayette arrived in New York and was "received with the warmth of affection and gratitude to which his very important and disinterested services and sacrifices in our Revolutionary struggle so eminently entitled him" (Monroe, 1824). Lafayette, had returned to America to see for himself the changes to this new country since her Independence had been won. As he toured around the nation, he drew large crowds and was given a hero's welcome everywhere.
When Lafayette was to return home in the fall of 1825, President John Quincy Adams wanted to show him one last favor by having him return home on the newest and best ship that the Navy had to offer. It was a frigate that was currently being built in Washington, and in honor of Lafayette, Adams had it christened the Brandywine. The 44-gun frigate was initially named the Susquehanna, but it was renamed to commemorate the Battle of Brandywine where Lafayette was wounded fighting with the troops of George Washington. After being commissioned in August, the Brandwine returned back in September to take Lafayette back to France under the command of Captain Charles Morris. After final good-byes the brandywine set sail on September 8, 1825 capping off a very triumphant trip to the United States for Marquis de Lafayette.
In his first State of the Union address, President Adams bragged about the naval forces in action in the Mediterranean, off the coasts of Sourth America and the West Indies. But he gave special mention of "the first service of a new frigate has been performed in restoring to his native soil and domestic enjoyments the veteran hero whose youthful blood and treasure had freely flowed in the cause of our country's independence". In 1825, Adams shared these words of tribute in his first state of the Union address to General Lafayette.
"The portion of the naval force of the Union in actual service has been chiefly employed on three stations -- the Mediterranean, the coasts of South America bordering on the Pacific Ocean, and the West Indies. An occasional cruiser has been sent to range along the African shores most polluted by the traffic of slaves; one armed vessel has been stationed on the coast of our eastern boundary, to cruise along the fishing grounds in Hudsons Bay and on the coast of Labrador, and the first service of a new frigate has been performed in restoring to his native soil and domestic enjoyments the veteran hero whose youthful blood and treasure had freely flowed in the cause of our country's independence, and whose whole life has been a series of services and sacrifices to the improvement of his fellow men.
The visit of General Lafayette, alike honorable to himself and to our country, closed, as it had commenced, with the most affecting testimonials of devoted attachment on his part, and of unbounded gratitude of this people to him in return. It will form here-after a pleasing incident in the annals of our Union, giving to real history the intense interest of romance and signally marking the unpurchasable tribute of a great nation's social affections to the disinterested champion of the liberties of human-kind."References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). John Quincy Adams: First Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29467 [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). USS Brandywine. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Brandywine [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].
The Hill is Home. (2018). Lost Capitol Hill: The USS Brandywine | The Hill is Home. [online] Available at: https://thehillishome.com/2015/08/lost-capitol-hill-the-uss-brandywine/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].
Ushistory.org. (2018). Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site. [online] Available at: http://www.ushistory.org/brandywine/thestory.htm [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].
Wagner, D. (2018). 1824 James Monroe - Welcoming General Marquis de Lafayette. [online] Stateoftheunionhistory.com. Available at: http://www.stateoftheunionhistory.com/2017/11/1824-james-monroe-welcoming-general.html [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].
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