Lafayette Tour Marker at Suffolk (VA-21)

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 had convinced French King Louis XVI to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown. Lafayette dined at the Suffolk County Courthouse on February 25, 1825. The following morning, Lafayette departed for Murfreesboro, North Carolina. American troops occupied Suffolk during the Revolutionary War, and a British force burned it on 13 May 1779.

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