Lafayette Tour Marker, Gulf Shores, Alabama (AL-16)

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 sparked a renewal of patriotism. During the American Revolution, Lafayette’s intense advocacy of the American cause had convinced French King Louis XVI to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown. 

On April 8, 1825, General Marquis de Lafayette concluded his historic tour of Alabama with a poignant farewell at Mobile Point, near present-day Gulf Shores. This marked the final stop of his 10-day journey through the state during his grand tour of the United States, commemorating the 50th anniversary of American independence. Lafayette bid farewell to Alabama Governor Israel Pickens and other dignitaries, then boarded the steamboat Natchez, for New Orleans.

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