Lafayette Tour Marker, Germantown, New York (NY-211)

President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the United States, his adopted country. Lafayette’s tour of all 24 states in 1824 and 1825 drew large crowds and renewed patriotism. During the American Revolution, Lafayette’s intense advocacy of the American cause convinced King Louis XVI of France to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown.

Lafayette left Hudson, New York, after a public reception and arrived in Germantown around midday on September 16, 1824. Upon arrival, a group of riflemen escorted Lafayette and his party up the hill to Clermont. At the summit, a regiment of well-disciplined soldiers in uniform greeted them, arranged in formation. Meanwhile, spectators lined the grounds, eager to see the general. A sloop on the river fired a cannon salute, quickly returned by a shot from a nearby cannon hidden among the trees. Lafayette then reviewed the troops, who saluted by firing their guns in succession in his honor. Afterward, the local Masons addressed him.

Learn about Revolutionary War Combat Strategy. Watch the Revolutionary War Animated Map. For a summary, read An Overview of the American Revolution.