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 reached Dunkirk, New York, at dawn on June 4, 1825, where he boarded the steamboat Superior after being escorted from Fredonia by an enthusiastic crowd. In Dunkirk harbor, the Great Lakes steamer Superior had been waiting offshore since the previous day. Lafayette boarded the vessel to continue his journey eastward along Lake Erie toward Buffalo. Dunkirk marked Lafayette’s first boarding of a Great Lakes steamboat during his Farewell Tour.
Learn about Revolutionary War Combat Strategy. Watch the Revolutionary War Animated Map. For a summary, read An Overview of the American Revolution.