great number of people had assembled from all the neighbouring towns.
He did not enter the city till evening, which prevented in some measure,
the brilliant honors which had been intended to be offered. A committee
proceeded to meet him several miles from the city, and to conduct him on
his way. They were attended by an escort of dragoons, and a great number
of the citizens in carriages. The roar of cannon announced his approach,
and the houses in the city were at once illuminated. The procession
moved on to the capitol, amidst the cheers and _welcomes_ of 40,000
people. General Lafayette was here addressed by the mayor of the
city; and being introduced to the governor, he also offered him the
salutations of the state. A number of the revolutionary officers and
soldiers were then presented to him. The interchange of greetings was
most affectionate between the parties, and most interesting to the
spectators. A standard of Gansevort's regiment, which had waved at
Yorktown, under the command of Lafayette, attracted particular attention
among the numerous decorations in the capitol. In the course of the
evening, he was conducted to the splendid ball room, where the ladies
appeared in all their attractions, and were anxious to show their
respect to the far-famed hero, who almost fifty years ago, had devoted
his life and his all, to the cause of America.
On the following day, many of the inhabitants of both sexes were
introduced to him, at the capitol. The old soldiers of the revolution
were among them. One, when he took his hand, said, "General, I owe my
life to you; I was wounded at the battle of Monmouth. You visited me in
the hospital--you gave me two guineas, and one to a person to nurse
me. To this I owe my recovery, and may the blessing of heaven rest upon
you."
He afterwards visited Troy and the great canal, recently made in the
state of New-York, the commencement of which is not far from the city
of Albany. He was accompanied by the governor, Hon. De Witt Clinton, the
chief projector and patron of this great work, by a deputation of the
city council, and several other gentlemen of distinction. When passing
to the canal, he was greeted with repeated _welcomes_ by the people
who crowded the streets and the public roads. The steam boat which
he entered, was commanded by a captain of the revolutionary army. On
passing the arsenal, he was saluted by three field pieces captured
at _Yorktown_. Here he was also shown the field train taken from
_Burgoyne_, and some French field pieces which he was instrumental in
procuring to be sent to the United States, in 1779. At Troy, he was
received by a deputation of the city, and one of them addressed him in
the name of the inhabitants; referring to his meritorious services, and
declaring the joy they experienced in beholding him in this favoured
land of peace and freedom. He also received an affectionate address
from the Free Masons, and one still more affectionate from the ladies of
Troy. They bid him _welcome_, and acknowledged that to him, with others,
they were indebted for the blessings of social, and the joys of domestic
life. The misses of the academy were then presented to him, and sang a
hymn prepared for the occasion. He made a short reply, but was so much
affected, that it was not sufficiently understood to be preserved. He
then returned to Albany, followed by the cheers and blessings of the
people, who crowded about him on the water and on the land.
In the evening he embarked on board a steamboat for the city of
New-York, "amidst the melody of music, the shouts of the people, and the
roar of cannon." His departure excited deep regret, but it was matter
of joy, that they had had opportunity to present their offerings of
respect, to such a pre-eminent friend of America.
In the winter of 1777-8, General Lafayette was a short time at Albany,
as commander of the troops stationed in than quarter, after the capture
of Burgoyne. There was a plan in contemplation at this time, to make an
attack upon Canada, but it was not prosecuted. The recollection of this
circumstance, no doubt, added to the pleasure which swelled the joyful
hearts of the good people of Albany. For his conduct in that department,
as well as on all other occasions, manifested his great regard for the
comfort and the improvement of the soldiers. When he first arrived, he
was not very cordially received; he was young, being then only about
twenty; and they were full of respect also for their victorious general
Gates. But his attention was immediately given to improve the condition
of the troops; he was constant in his personal anxiety to provide
clothes, provisions and comfortable quarters for them, of which they
were sadly deficient. He visited the hospital, and furnished cordials
for the sick, from his own private resources; and was also duly careful
of the discipline and order of those, who were able to perform military
duty. The feeling of the soldiers was soon changed; they became
personally and warmly attached to him, in a short time, and many, at
this day, have a deep and grateful remembrance of his kindness as a man,
as well as of his fidelity and energy as an officer.
General Lafayette passed three days in the city of New-York, on his
return from Albany. The society of Free Masons gave him a public dinner,
which was uncommonly sumptuous and splendid, and the mayor of the city
entertained him with distinguished hospitality. Wherever he appeared,
many of the citizens attended him, and all expressed their joy at his
presence. One of them presented him a cane, worn by FRANKLIN, and left
in his will to Washington.
He left New-York on Thursday, the 23d of September, attended by a
deputation of the city and the Society of Cincinnati. When he reached
the shore of New Jersey, the Governor of that state was ready to receive
him. He bid him welcome in the name of the state, and offered him his
own cordial salutations. He was conducted on his way by squadrons of
horse, and a large cavalcade of the citizens, and his progress was
announced by frequent salutes. His reception at Newark was unusually
splendid; three thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry were paraded
and reviewed by him. A spacious bower was prepared to receive him, which
was highly ornamented, and he was addressed by the Attorney General
of the state. After partaking of a collation, he proceeded for
Elizabethtown, accompanied by the governor, with a military escort. A
procession of the citizens was formed to receive and conduct him into
the centre of the city; arches and bowers were erected, military parade
exhibited, salutes were fired, and bells were ringing; the people
cheered, the ladies welcomed him; collations were prepared, and public
officers were eager in their attentions and assiduities.
Pursuing his route towards Philadelphia, he reached _New Brunswick_ the
next day, and the day following, arrived at _Princeton_. He was detained
on his way, at several places, by the earnest solicitations of the
people, who were desirous of manifesting the grateful sense they
cherished of his meritorious services and exalted worth. At Princeton,
he was met by a deputation from _Trenton_, a place rendered memorable by
the victory which General Washington obtained over a large body of the
British troops in December, 1776, when he had under his command a much
smaller number, many of which were militia. He was escorted to that
place by the citizens and a company of cavalry, as in other parts of
his journey. When he arrived, he was addressed by the mayor, in a very
affectionate manner. We can only furnish the following extract:--
"To receive upon this spot, where your Friend, our illustrious
WASHINGTON, raised the first successful barrier against the relentless
tide of oppression, which, in the eventful period of seventy-six, was
rolling over our country; the hero who, in the succeeding stages of our
revolutionary struggle, acted so conspicuous a part, and contributed so
essentially to its glorious termination, cannot fail to awaken the most
agreeable sensations. Next to our beloved Washington, there is no
name entwined with deeper interest in the hearts of Jerseymen, than
LAFAYETTE--None, which they will transmit to their posterity, encircled
with a wreath of nobler praise, or embalmed with the incense of purer
love, than that of the interesting stranger who embarked his life and
fortune open the tempestuous ocean of our revolution--and who fought at
Brandywine, at Monmouth and at Yorktown, to procure for Americans, those
blessings you now see them so fully, and we trust, so gratefully enjoy."
The following is the General's answer to the address at Princeton:--
"GENTLEMEN,
"While the name of this city recalls important military remembrance,
it is also connected with that of the illustrious college, which, in
diffusing knowledge and liberal sentiments, has greatly contributed to
turn those successes to the advantage of public liberty. Your library
had been destroyed; but your principles were printed in the hearts of
American patriots. I feel much obliged, sir, to your kind recollection
of the diploma, which the signature of my respected friend Doctor
Witherspoon, renders still more precious to me; and I beg you,
gentlemen, and you, interesting grand sons of my contemporary friends,
to accept my affectionate acknowledgments."
The civic arch reared at Trenton to his honor was the same, which
35 years before, was erected to receive the revered Washington.--A
sumptuous dinner was served up to him, his family, and the deputations
which attended on him. He spent the evening with his brother-soldiers of
the Cincinnati, and other revolutionary worthies.
On the Sabbath he attended divine service in the forenoon, and visited
Joseph Bonaparte in the afternoon. The latter apologized for not making
the first call, on the ground that it would necessarily involve him in
public associations, which it was his duty and his wish to avoid.--He
added, "_I am in adversity and misfortune--You, General, are full of
honor and glory, and deserving of both_."
After passing the Delaware, thirty miles from Philadelphia, he was met
by the Governor of Pennsylvania and suite, with an escort of two hundred
and fifty cavalry. For his accommodation, a splendid barouche was
provided, drawn by six cream coloured lofty steeds. "The guest of the
nation entered its former capitol" about noon, on Tuesday, the 28th
of September. When the Governor met Lafayette, as above mentioned, he
welcomed him to the State in the following address:--
"GENERAL LAFAYETTE,
"The citizens of Pennsylvania behold, with the most intense feeling and
exalted regard, the illustrious friend and companion of Washington.
"With sentiments of the highest veneration and gratitude, we receive
the early and great benefactor of the United States; the enlightened
statesman, philanthropist and patriot of both hemispheres.
"The sincere and universal joy which your arrival has diffused over
the nation, is no where more deeply or enthusiastically felt, than in
Pennsylvania; whose fields and streams are rendered memorable by your
achievements; whose citizens were the followers of your standard, and
the witnesses of your sacrifices and toils, in the defence of American
liberty. The eventful scenes of your useful life are engraved on our
hearts. A nation has rejoiced at your successes, and sympathized with
your sorrows.
"With ardent pleasure we have ever observed your strenuous exertions as
the friend of man; and whilst your great services, rendered in the cause
of humanity, have commanded our admiration, the purity of your motives
has insured the love and affection of Americans.
"With the best feelings of the heart we now approach you, with the
assurance that, if any thing could add to our happiness on this
interesting occasion, it would be the hope of enjoying the distinguished
honor of your permanent residence among us, and that a long and splendid
life of usefulness may be closed in the State, whose soil has been
moistened with your blood, generously shed in the cause of virtue,
liberty and independence."
Answer of General Lafayette.
"On the happy moment, long and eagerly wished for, when I once more
tread the soil of Pennsylvania, I find in her affectionate welcome, so
kindly expressed by her first magistrate, a dear recollection of past
favors and a new source of delightful gratifications. The very names of
this state and her capitol, recall to the mind those philanthropic and
liberal sentiments, which have marked every step of their progress.
"Pennsylvania has been the theatre of most important events; a partaker
in the arduous toils and meritorious sacrifices, which insured the
success of our glorious and fruitful revolution, I particularly thank
you, sir, for your gratifying mention of my personal obligations to the
Pennsylvanian line; nor will I ever forget, that on Pennsylvania ground,
not far from this spot, I enjoyed, for the first time, the delight
to find myself under American tents, and in the family of our beloved
commander in chief. Now, sir, Pennsylvania is in full possession, and
reaps all the prosperities and happy consequences of that great
national union, of those special institutions, which by offering in a
self-governed people the most perfect example of social order that
ever existed have reduced to absurdity and ridicule the anti-popular
arguments of pretended statesmen in other countries. In whatever way I
may be disposed of by the duties and feelings, in which you have
been pleased to sympathise, I shall ever rank this day among the most
fortunate of my life; and, while I beg you, sir, personally to accept
my cordial acknowledgements, I offer through you a tribute of profound
gratitude and respectful devotion to the citizens of Pennsylvania."
His entrance into the fair city, founded by the wise and benevolent
_Penn_, is described as most magnificent in all its accompaniments.
The population poured forth to meet him at an early hour. Carriages,
horsemen and pedestrians filled every avenue for a distance of five
miles; and the windows and stagings were thronged with ladies eager to
welcome him. Just at the entrance of the city, a division of militia,
composed of cavalry, artillery and infantry was drawn up in a hollow
square, on a piece of land of about forty acres, to receive the
Patriot Hero, whose approach was announced by a salute of 100 rounds
of artillery. Lafayette, uncovered and standing up in the barouche, was
seen by the whole field. The car of Saladin could not have exceeded that
of Lafayette. The troops were nearly six thousand. After the review,
which the general made on foot, he received the saluting honors in his
barouche.
The line of march into the city was then taken up. It extended nearly
three miles, and passed through numerous streets. More than six hours
were consumed in proceeding from Frankfort to the State House, a
distance of about four miles. A full description of the procession, and
the decorated arches, &c. under which it passed, would occupy too
great a portion of this volume--we can only give the outline of the
procession.
A cavalcade of 100 citizens preceded; followed by 100 general, field
and staff officers. Then came a _square_ of cavalry; a band of music,
mounted, and a corps of 160 cavalry. Next a brigade of infantry, with
flank companies.
Committee of arrangements. General Lafayette and Judge Peters, in the
splendid barouche.
Then followed four other barouches, drawn by four horses each, with
Governors Shulze and Williamson, and suites, the general's family, and
distinguished individuals.
Then three cars, of large dimensions, containing 120 revolutionary
heroes and worthies, each car characteristically decorated; bearing on
their front "WASHINGTON," on the rear "LAFAYETTE," and on the sides,
_"defenders of our country," "The survivors of 1776_."
Then advanced 400 young men. After these the procession of trades, led
by a car, containing a body of printers at work at case and press--the
latter striking off, and distributing, copies of an ode on the
occasion--followed by the typographical society, with a banner, with
the inscription: "LAFAYETTE--_the friend of universal liberty, and the
rights of the press_."
Then followed 200 cordwainers (with banners, badges, emblems, &c. The
other trades were also decorated;)--300 weavers;--150 ropemakers;--150
lads, uniformly dressed;--100 shipbuilders;--700 mechanics of different
professions, not enumerated;--150 coopers, with a car containing a
cooper's shop, the workmen fitting staves and driving hoops:--Then came
150 butchers, well mounted and neatly dressed in their frocks;--then
260 carmen, mounted, with aprons trimmed with blue; and a body of 150
riflemen, in frocks, dressed with plaids, leopard skins, &c. A company
of artillery, with two pieces; a brigade of infantry and the New Jersey
cavalry. A body of 300 farmers closed the procession.
Besides the above, there were the Red Men of the state, the Lafayette
Association, the True Republican Society, the Washington and Lafayette
Society; and the German American Society.
The appearance of the whole of this truly grand procession was august
and imposing. As it passed, Lafayette! Lafayette! sprang from the voices
of a multitude that rolled on, and on, and on, like wave after wave
of the ocean, in numbers we shall not presume to name, (but which were
estimated at 200,000.) Lafayette beat in every heart--Lafayette hung on
every tongue--Lafayette glowed on every cheek--Lafayette glistened on
every swimming eye--Lafayette swelled on every gale. The whole city
and country appeared to have arrayed themselves in all their glory, and
beauty, and strength, at once to witness and adorn the majesty of the
spectacle; and the fashionable part of the community seemed determined
to exhibit the perfection of taste in the beauty of the decoration of
their persons, and the richness of their attire. In Chestnut-street
wreathes were cast into the barouche, as it passed, and many of them
were from the fairbands of Quakeresses.
After the procession had passed through the principal streets, the front
halted at the old State-House, which contains the hall in which the
_Declaration of Independence_ was signed in 1776.
Here the general alighted, passed under a most magnificent triumphal
arch, and was conducted to the hall, which is 40 feet square and was
decorated in the most splendid manner. Among the decorations was a
statue of Washington, and portraits of William Penn, Franklin, Robert
Morris, Francis Hopkinson, Greene, Wayne, Montgomery, Hamilton, Gates,
Rochambeau, Charles Carrot, M'Kean, Jefferson, Hancock, Adams, Madison,
Monroe, and Charles Thompson.--The portrait of Washington, by Peale,
occupied the first place, and was the most splendidly decorated. Here
were assembled the city authorities, the society of Cincinnati,
the judges, officers of the army and navy, and the committee of
arrangements, all seated on superb sofas.
The Governor of the State having been presented, General Lafayette,
Judge Peters, and George Washington Lafayette were introduced, the
company all standing. The Mayor of the city then welcomed the guest, in
the following address:--
"GENERAL,
"The citizens of Philadelphia welcome to their homes, the Patriot who
has long been dear to their hearts.
"Grateful at all times for the enjoyment of a free government, they are,
on this occasion, peculiarly anxious but unable to express a deep felt
sentiment of pure affection toward those venerated men whose martial
and civil virtues, under Providence, have conferred upon themselves and
their descendents, this mighty blessing.
"Forty-eight years ago, in this city, and in this hallowed hall,
which may emphatically be called the _birth place of independence_, a
convention of men, such as the world has rarely seen, pre-eminent for
talents and patriotism, solemnly declared their determination to assume
for themselves the right of self-government; and that they and their
posterity should thence forth assert their just rank among the nations
of the earth. A small, but cherished band of those who breasted the
storm and sustained the principles thus promulgated to the world, still
remains--In the front rank of these worthies, history will find, and
we now delight to honor, General Lafayette, whose whole life has been
devoted to the cause of freedom and to the support of the inalienable
rights of man.
"General--Many of your co patriots have passed away, but the remembrance
of their virtues and their services, shall never pass from the minds of
this people; their's is an imperishable fame, the property of ages yet
to come. But we turn from the fond recollection of the illustrious
dead to hail with heart-felt joy the illustrious living, and again bid
welcome, most kindly and affectionately welcome, to the guest of the
nation, the patriot Lafayette."
The general made the following answer:
"My entrance through this fair and great city, amidst the most solemn
and affecting recollections, and under all the circumstances of a
welcome which no expression could adequately acknowledge, has excited
emotions in my heart, in which are mingled the feelings of nearly fifty
years.
"Here, sir, within these sacred walls, by a council of wise and devoted
patriots, and in a style worthy of the deed itself, was boldly
declared the independence of these vast United States, which, while it
anticipated the independence, and I hope, the _republican_ independence,
of the whole American hemisphere, has begun, for the civilized world,
the era of a new and of the only true social order founded on the
unalienable rights of man, the practicability and advantages of which
are every day admirably demonstrated by the happiness and prosperity of
your populous city.
"Here, sir, was planned the formation of our virtuous, brave,
revolutionary army, and the providential inspiration received, that gave
the command of it to our beloved, matchless Washington. But these and
many other remembrances, are mingled with a deep regret for the numerous
cotemporaries, for the great and good men whose loss we have remained to
mourn.--It is to their services, sir, to your regard for their memory
to your knowledge of the friendships I have enjoyed, that I refer the
greater part of honors here and elsewhere received, much superior to my
individual merit.
"It is also under the auspices of their venerated names, as well as
under the impulse of my own sentiments, that I beg you Mr. Mayor, you
gentlemen of both councils, and all the citizens of Philadelphia, to
accept the tribute of my affectionate respect and profound gratitude."
General Lafayette remained in Philadelphia a week; and the repeated and
constant attentions shown him by public societies and by distinguished
individuals, were such as might have been expected from the celebrated
hospitality and civism of that city, and such as was not unworthy
of their eminent guest. The governor of the state was attentive and
courteous to him during his whole visit; and other public functionaries,
both civil and military, were eager of the honor of manifesting their
great respect for his character. That portion of the citizens, who
belong to the religious society of Friends, appeared equally cordial
and happy in an opportunity to assure him of their esteem. It is not
consistent with their principles to make a great parade, or to prepare
expensive and useless ceremonies. They did not all approve of the plan
of illumination. In the wish to have it general, some ardent citizens
censured the _friends_ for declining to do it--But this was a mistaken
zeal. The religious opinions and conscientious scruples of all classes
of people are entitled to respect. It would have been altogether
unjustifiable, had there been an attempt to force the _friends_ into the
measure. They are a very respectable class of citizens; and we trust,
that for no purposes of parade or ceremony, they will ever be required
to violate their consciences, or be subjected to insult for any
non-compliance. The following lines were written by one of that
religious society, on the occasion, and cannot fail to be acceptable to
every liberal mind.
TO LAFAYETTE.