The story of a French connection and a tall ship

“Nous voila, Lafayette!” — Lafayette, we are here!”

That stirring declaration was delivered in Paris at the tomb of the Marquis de Lafayette on July 4, 1917 at a ceremony celebrating the historic service of the French “boy general” in the American Revolution. It marked the arrival of the first U.S. military forces in Europe, where they joined the French and other allies in the bloody conflict that would come to be known as World War I.

From that day to this, the phrase has endured as an expression of gratitude to Lafayette and his countrymen for all they did to help the struggling American colonies win their War of Independence from Britain. That alliance will be the subject of Friday Night Dialogues at the Library on June 26 at 7 p.m. The featured speaker will be

Roger McKeon, Shelter Island’s most distinguished Frenchman.

Gary Paul Gates will introduce the program.

Mr. McKeon will share his insights on the historic affinity between the people of the United States and France, spawned by the dashing young officer, whose actual name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier.

But in keeping with the protocol of that era, he was primarily known by his title — the Marquis de Lafayette.

The discussion previews the docking in Greenport on Monday and Tuesday, July 6 and 7, of an historically accurate reproduction of Lafayette’s ship, Hermione, following its appearance at New York Harbor’s gala 4th of July celebration.

The ship was part of the naval blockade that led to the British surrender at Yorktown and its reconstruction recreated Lafayette’s historic 27-day crossing from the mouth of the River Charente in Port des Barques where he boarded on March 20, 1780.

Inspired by reports of the colonial fight for independence, Lafayette first came to America in 1777. Although only 19 at the time, he arrived with a strong recommendation from Benjamin Franklin, who was then on a diplomatic mission in Paris. That was good enough for General George Washington, who appointed Lafayette as his aide-de-camp.

In between his tours of duty on colonial battlefields, Lafayette returned to France to drum up support for the American cause and thus played a pivotal role in attracting critically needed French resources for the fledgling colonies.

He served with Washington in the winter at Valley Forge as well as in such battles as Brandywine, Monmouth and the decisive victory over Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781 before returning home to France. In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette back to join in the celebration of the nation’s upcoming 50th anniversary.

Lafayette traveled 6,000 miles to tour every state, helping to instill the “Spirit of 1776” for generations to come.
Lafayette died in 1834 and is buried under soil from the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill. By an act of Congress, he was awarded honorary U.S. citizenship in 2002.

The words “Lafayette, we are here!” echo Lafayette’s own greeting to General George Washington when he brought news of French support for the Revolution by proclaiming “Here I am, my dear general!”

Erroneously attributed to General John J. Pershing, the famous rejoinder was actually spoken by an aide, Pershing’s “designated orator,” Colonel Charles E. Stanton, about whom the general said, “To him must go credit for coining so happy and felicitous a phrase.”

Regardless of who said it, the words were uttered at the precise time of the American entry into the First World War on the side of France; their meaning was manifestly clear. The United States was paying its debt to France for that nation’s economic and military assistance well over a century earlier. Without that French aid and armed intervention, the American colonies would not have achieved their independence from Britain.

Admission to Friday Night Dialogues at the Library is free; donations are gratefully accepted.