In July 1777 the Marquis de La Fayette (6th September, 1757 -
20th May, 1834), arrived in Philadelphia to receive his commission
as major general in the Continental Army. A French aristocrat and
military officer, Lafayette, as he was known, had been impassioned
by the American cause and had agreed to serve without pay in the
revolutionary army. Using his own funds he procured a ship and
secretly sailed to America against the wishes of the French king.
He served with distinction in a number of battles and became a life
long friend of the Continental Army's commander-in-chief (and
future US President) George Washington.
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