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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 convinced King Louis XVI of France to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown. 

On the afternoon of September 2, 1824, General Lafayette was welcomed to the community of Lexington, Massachusetts by Chief Marshal Major Chandler and greeted with a national salute fired from a nearby hill. The September 8, 1824, edition of the Middlesex Gazette reported the following about the visit: He was escorted thence to the center of town by a cavalcade of citizens and officers in uniform. At Lock’s Tavern, an arch, handsomely decorated, was thrown across the road, bearing the inscription: “Welcome friend of America to the birthplace of American Liberty.”  Crowds filled the Battle Green, the same ground where the militia had stood their ground on April 19, 1775. Bells rang, cannons fired, and the community—only about 900 residents at the time—gave him a hero’s welcome. The Battle Monument, erected in 1799 to honor the fallen of the first battle of the Revolution. Standing before that monument, Lafayette was visibly moved; he had fought alongside many of the men who had survived that day.

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