Lafayette Tour Marker, West Point, New York (NY-73)

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. 

Thousands of spectators greeted Lafayette at West Point on September 15, 1824, when he disembarked from the steamboat James Kent. He was greeted by a salute of 21 guns from a detachment of artillery posted on the bluff. He reviewed the U.S. Military Academy cadets and joined them for a formal dinner. This was part of the opening leg of his grand tour, which had begun in August 1824. General Lafayette returned to West Point the following year of his Farewell Tour on July 2, 1825.  By then, he had already traveled through much of the country, including New England, the South, and the Midwest.

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