Marquis de Lafayette and His Division

In April 1781, as a British military campaign developed in Virginia, Washington sent the Marquis de Lafayette with a detachment of troops to protect the state. At age 23, Lafayette was the youngest of the major generals in the Continental Army. Though always outnumbered by the British, he occasionally sparred with the enemy while keeping Washington, then in New York, informed about the war in Virginia. After Cornwallis moved his army to Yorktown, Lafayette provided accurate military intelligence that helped Washington plan the siege as he moved his forces south to join him. On September 14, 1781, Washington reached Williamsburg, where Lafayette and his small army were waiting. When the rest of the American and French forces arrived, Washington consolidated Lafayette’s regiments into his army and placed Lafayette in command of a division of the Continental Army. During the siege, Lafayette’s soldiers spent most of their time helping construct earthworks and manning the trenches, and his light infantry successfully stormed British Redoubt 10 on the night of October 14. After the British surrender, Lafayette expressed satisfaction with the end of his Virginia campaign.

Virginia · United States