“If War should break out between France and Great Britain, during the continuance of the present War between the United States and England, his [French] Majesty and the said united States, shall make it a common cause, and aid each other mutually with their good Offices, their Counsels, and their forces, according to the exigence of Conjunctures as becomes good & faithful Allies.”
“In order to fix more precisely the sense and application of the preceding article, the Contracting Parties declare, that in case of rupture between France and England, the reciprocal Guarantee declared in the said article shall have its full force and effect the moment such War shall break out … ”
– Articles 1 and 12 of the “Treaty of Alliance Between The United States and France” (6 February 1778)
Fellow Americans tend to remember the American Revolution as a time of heroes. The names of Franklin, Washington, Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison are known widely in this country. And for many Americans, the Marquis de Lafayette is right up there in the pantheon with these Founding Fathers, even though he was obviously not an American himself. As you may know, he was born a Frenchman, and was a citizen of France throughout his life. He never sought to obtain American citizenship, and was highly patriotic to France. Why, then, is he remembered with such fondness by so many Americans today?
Marquis de Lafayette
Lafayette fought in the American Revolution long before his country had entered the war …
Part of it was that he fought on the American side during the American Revolution. As you may know, the United States and France signed a Treaty of Alliance in 1778. Without the support of the French (and some other European powers), the United States would never have won its independence. But Lafayette’s involvement in the American Revolution began much earlier than this peace treaty, as this documentary makes clear. He was swept up in the ideals of the American Revolution, and traveled to the New World seeking glory in it – long before his country had officially gotten involved. His earliest battle was the Battle of Brandywine, which was fought in September 1777 (long before the peace treaty of February 1778). He was wounded during this early battle, but still managed to organize an orderly retreat of American forces despite this. Like most of the battles of that war, the battle was an American defeat, but it taught the young Lafayette much, as this documentary shows. Lafayette gained a reputation as a man who could be trusted, and was brought into George Washington’s inner circle. He suffered with the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and he fought in some early battles of that war, serving with great distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island.
Lafayette wounded at the Battle of Brandywine
Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge
Lafayette had a reputation for trustworthiness, and was brought into Washington’s inner circle
George Washington was extremely desperate for soldiers to join him at that time, but he decided that he needed Lafayette in France more than he needed him in America. This is because Washington was hoping that Lafayette would be able to persuade his fellow Frenchmen to enter the war on the American side, and thus bring their massive military might to support the American cause. Thus, Lafayette returned to France, on a mission to persuade his government to support the Americans. But it turned out that they had already done so, and that Lafayette’s persuasion was not really needed after all. In those days, it took a long time for news to travel across the Atlantic; so the Continentals had not really heard about the signing of the peace treaty. After the American victory at Saratoga, the French were convinced that the Americans could win, and thus officially received Benjamin Franklin as the new American ambassador. Lafayette had actually acted against orders by going to America without permission, and was thus punished with a sort of “slap on the wrist” at this time. But after this, he was quickly promoted and sent back to America, this time with the official blessing of the French government. They needed soldiers with combat experience, and Lafayette was already a veteran of the North American campaigns. Thus, he was desperately needed, and commanded some of the French troops in North America. Because of his good relationship with George Washington, his country’s alliance with the local Americans was maintained quite smoothly, and he let the Americans take charge of much of the war. This was a wise move, since it helped to promote good public relations with the American people (which were sorely needed at that time).
Lafayette meeting George Washington for the first time
Lafayette in his Continental Army uniform
Lafayette was present at the Siege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the war
Lafayette was actually present at the Siege of Yorktown, which (as you may know) was the last major battle of the war. But he was not the senior French officer present, since the French land forces at Yorktown were commanded by General Rochambeau. I should mention that the French navy had also been involved in clearing the nearby Chesapeake Bay of British ships (and thus, reinforcements and resupplies). Obviously, the naval chain of command is somewhat different from that of the army; so the senior French officer in their naval intervention was Admiral Comte de Grasse. But the French navy had already departed from the area when British General Cornwallis surrendered his army to the Allied forces. Thus, the senior French officer present was indeed General Rochambeau, the commander of their army (and not Lafayette, who was somewhat lower-ranking). This documentary is good at covering Lafayette’s involvement in the American Revolution, and dramatizing his letters through good voice actors. Many of these letters were actually written in English, and thus did not need to be translated for this film (which is in English). The letters written in French are translated into English, for the benefit of an American audience. Some of the talking heads in this film are from France (including one of Lafayette’s descendants), but their commentary is sometimes in English. For the times when they’re speaking French, English subtitles are provided for the benefit of the Americans. My own French is a little rusty (at least with regards to spoken French), so I’m glad that they went through the trouble of translating this. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to understand them, and would have had to rely on high school and college French that I haven’t used conversationally for years.
Siege of Yorktown, with Rochambeau and Washington giving their last orders before the battle
Surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, 1781
Controversies over his role in the French Revolution, and how they are handled in this film
The biggest weakness of this program is that it’s only one hour long, which limits what they can do with it. It feels more like a special feature in some larger series about the American Revolution (such as PBS’s “Liberty!” series). But they make the most of their limited running time, and help to dramatize the most important moments of his life. The American Revolution isn’t really that controversial in either France or America, but the French Revolution is somewhat different in this regard. Thus, their coverage of the French Revolution portion of his life had to navigate a minefield of controversies. I thought that they actually did this quite well. Lafayette tried to steer a middle course between the extremes of the French Revolution, and (with help from Thomas Jefferson) helped to co-author their “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.” This is one of the most famous documents in French history, and is rightly remembered as a great achievement on his part. It is a pity that the French Revolution didn’t live up to the ideals expressed in it, and instead descended into anarchy and the terror of mob violence. The French Revolution portion of his life is covered even more extensively in the special features, where talking heads debate the controversial legacy of both the revolution itself, and the nature of Lafayette’s involvement in it. In fairness to the Frenchmen of his time, they could not help it that their country was “going to the dogs,” and could only try to prevent things from getting worse.
Lafayette at the balcony of Versailles with Marie Antoinette
The oath of Lafayette at the Fête de la Fédération, 14 July 1790
Conclusion: This is an excellent introduction to his life, despite its being only one hour long
Lafayette would later visit America in his old age, and see the country that his efforts had helped to create. He was received with a hero’s welcome, and remembered as one of the great “heroes” of the American Revolution. In my opinion, he belongs right up there in the pantheon with the heroic commanders of the Revolution, and should be remembered more widely than he is at this time. This documentary is an excellent introduction to his life, and will leave you wanting to know more of this enigmatic “lost hero.”
“The representatives of the French people, constituted into a National Assembly, considering that ignorance, forgetfulness or contempt of the rights of man are the sole causes of public misfortunes and of the corruption of governments, are resolved to expose, in a solemn declaration, the natural, inalienable and sacred rights of man … ”
“In consequence, the National Assembly recognizes and declares, in the presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen … ”
– “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” (1789), which was co-authored by Lafayette and the Abbé Sieyès, with consultation from Thomas Jefferson (translated from French into English)
If you liked this post, you might also like:
A review of “Versailles” (contains episode about King Louis XVI)
George Washington: The man and the movies
A review of Muffie Meyer's “Benjamin Franklin” (PBS)
A review of “Rebels & Redcoats: How Britain Lost America” (British-made, shown on PBS)
A review of “Liberty! The American Revolution” (PBS) and “The Revolution” (History Channel)
A review of “The French Revolution” (History Channel)
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