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By Root 1411 0

the young man had ever heard. The French army from which he had come would never be so outspoken against the authority of their king. America was a different land after all, and a land in the midst of a revolution with a spirit and substance that had appealed to him from his first readings of the words of Sam Adams and Tom Paine. He was not a soldier of fortune, had come from a family of some means in his own country. He was not a mere adventurer, though he would not avoid adventure. He did not come with the pretense of experience, though experience was his goal. Above all, he did not come to America to lord his supposed wisdom over Washington, the one man whose wisdom would determine so much.

During his time in Philadelphia, the young Frenchman had attended meetings and hearings in the congress, was flattered to be received as an honored guest, granted the opportunity to speak, to offer his services. He had hoped to ride northward, to find the camps of Washington’s army, but then came word from his hosts that Washington would soon be in the city, a pleasant surprise. He was flattered to receive an invitation to a dinner, and the promise of an introduction to Washington. Though he held a title in the French court, though he had dined in the very presence of his king, the opportunity actually to address the commanding general threw him into knots of nervousness. His lack of experience, his very youth was betraying him. He was, after all, not yet twenty years old.

The young man could not keep the nervousness away, dressed for the dinner with clumsy fingers fumbling with the fineries of French silk and lace. Throughout the long journey, he had worked on his English, and he continued to practice, stood in front of a narrow mirror rehearsing his introduction, a formal sweeping bow, then again, with no bow at all. The nervousness grew worse, and he tried to calm himself by speaking to the mirror, imagining the introduction to the great Washington, very soon now, and he made the bow again, one last time, said, “With your pleasure, General, I am Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette.”

WASHINGTON HAD TRIED TO BE DISCREET, RODE THROUGH THE city streets with no fanfare, but the word of his visit had preceded him, and by the time he reached the City Tavern, there was already a crowd.

He was not sure who would attend the dinner beyond his friend Robert Morris, and of course, a variety of congressmen. He had received word of a foreign guest, and the news had smothered whatever enthusiasm he felt for this social occasion. He had learned to dread any meeting with yet another in the unending line of foreign dignitaries, men who flowed over with self-importance, with their boisterous demands for authority. He thought of Greene’s word, peacock, so aptly describing the spectacle of the grand uniforms, filled by so many men of loud ambition and no ability. His dread had only increased when he learned that this particular guest was hardly a man at all, but a boy who brought a man’s title, and who no doubt had expectations of receiving a man’s respect. Still, the young man was French, was said to have some close acquaintance with King Louis. The French had continued to plague Washington’s headquarters with their insistence on assuming immediate command, none more so than the ever-vocal du Coudray, who had assaulted both congress and Washington himself with his demands for a senior command in the next confrontation with the British.

As Washington climbed down from the horse, he acknowledged the polite cheers of the small crowd, thought of Greene, relieved that his subordinate was not accompanying him. No, Mr. Greene, this would not be your sort of affair. This might be an evening of careful diplomacy. Your impatience would not do. Our cause is not aided by insulting the very people whose assistance we require so desperately. If this young marquis is truly close to King Louis, we should, at the very least, be polite to him.

THE DINNER HAD BEEN A MIX OF BOISTEROUS GOOD CHEER AND SUBDUED advice, and Washington