Lafayette Tour Marker, Annapolis, Maryland (MD-156)

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. 

Lafayette arrived aboard the steamboat Eagle from Baltimore on December 19, 1824, greeted by cheering crowds and a 21-gun salute. At the historic State House—where George Washington had resigned his commission in 1783—Lafayette was honored with speeches and tributes. He reportedly stood in the very room where he had once witnessed Washington’s resignation. While in Annapolis, he visited Elizabeth Tayloe Lloyd, widow of Col. Edward Lloyd. He attended a dinner and ball at St. John’s College, which was attended by prominent Marylanders and guests.

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