WASHINGTON —聽It was a battle a young聽America was losing 聽— 聽the battle for 聽independence.聽 That was until the French stepped in, providing the edge America so desperately needed in its revolution against the British.
A young Frenchman played a pivotal role in helping secure independence from Great Britain.聽聽 His name was Marquis de Lafayette, and he was on board a French warship in 1780 that helped change the course of American history.
Now a full-scale replica of that is on a聽historic聽voyage heading聽up聽the East Coast, making聽12 stops along the way.
Beginning聽in聽Rochefort, France — 聽the same place where Lafayette left on his journey to America in 1780 — the tall ship then arrived at its first port in Yorktown, Virginia (June 5-7).聽 It stops at Mount Vernon on June 9, then on聽Wednesday it will anchor for (June 10-12) in Old Town Alexandria along the waterfront. .
Miles Young, president of the American Friends of the Hermione-Lafayette, recounted the historical significance of the ship, which took 17 years to replicate.
鈥淚n 1780, if anyone had come to America, at that point, they would think that the American insurgencies would lose their war against Great Britain,” 聽he noted.聽聽Lafayette had spent two years lobbying France鈥檚 king to come to the aid of the Americans against the Brits.聽 On March 19, 1780, Lafayette left France on board the Hermione bound for聽Boston.聽 Once there, Lafayette would travel聽to New Jersey to catch up with Gen. George Washington and deliver the great news that the French were sending a large military force to battle the British.
Young says when Lafayette told Washington the news that a tear ran down the general鈥檚 cheek.
鈥淏ecause he knew it was a guarantee of eventual victory,” he says.
Frenchman Lafayette was only 19 when he became an American general serving under Washington in the Continental Army.聽 Lafayette and Washington developed a deep bond.聽聽Young says Lafayette became the son Washington never had, and that Washington became a father figure for Lafayette since Lafayette鈥檚 own father died fighting against the British.
Lafayette’s military forces played a pivotal role in the surrender of British Gen. Charles Cornwallis and his army聽at Yorktown, where the the Hermione was part of a blockade in the `York River which聽forced their surrender.
鈥淭hat was the beginning of the end, if not the end for the British,” says Young.
The high point of the Tall Ship’s journey will take place in New York, where the Hermione will be escorted by hundreds of sail and motor boats past the Statue of Liberty during a July 4 parade to mark 聽Independence Day.
