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MEMOIRS

CORRESPONDENCE AND MANUSCRIPTS

OF

GENERAL LAFAYETTE

By Lafayette

Published By His Family.


Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1837,

by William A. Duer,

In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New-York.



Respectfully to collect and scrupulously to arrange the manuscripts of
which an irreparable misfortune has rendered them depositaries, have
been for the Family of General Lafayette the accomplishment of a sacred
duty.

To publish those manuscripts without any commentary, and place them,
unaltered, in the hands of the friends of Liberty, is a pious and solemn
homage which his children now offer with confidence to his memory.

GEORGE WASHINGTON LAFAYETTE.




ADVERTISEMENT

OF THE AMERICAN EDITOR.


It was the desire of the late General Lafayette, that this edition of
his Memoirs and Correspondence should be considered as a legacy of the
American people. His representatives have accordingly pursued a course
which they conceived the best adapted to give effect to his wishes, by
furnishing a separate edition for this country, without any reservation
for their own advantage, beyond the transfer of the copyright as an
indemnity for the expense and risk of publication.

In this edition are inserted some letters which will not appear in the
editions published in Paris and London. They contain details relating to
the American Revolution, and render the present edition more complete,
or, at least, more interesting to Americans. Although written during
the first residence of General Lafayette in America--when he was little
accustomed to write in the English language--the letters in question are
given exactly as they came from his pen--and as well as the others in
the collection written by him in that language are distinguished from
those translated from the French by having the word "Original" prefixed
to them.

It was intended that these letters should have been arranged among those
in the body of the work; in the order of their respective dates; but as
the latter have been stereotyped before the former had been transmitted
to the American editor, this design was rendered impracticable. They
have therefore from necessity been added in a supplemental form with the
marginal notes which seemed requisite for their explanation.

Columbia College, N. Y., July, 1837.



CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.



AMERICAN REVOLUTION.


  Notice by the Editors

  FIRST VOYAGE AND FIRST CAMPAIGN IN AMERICA--1777, 1778.

    Memoirs written by myself, until the year 1780

    FRAGMENTS EXTRACTED FROM VARIOUS MANUSCRIPTS

      A.--Departure for America in 1777

      B.--First Interview between General Washington
          and General Lafayette

      C.--On the Military commands during the Winter of 1778

      D.--Retreat of Barren Hill

      E.--Arrival of the French Fleet

      F.--Dissensions between the French Fleet
          and the American Army

    CORRESPONDENCE--1777, 1778:

      To the Duke d'Ayen. London, March 9, 1777

      To Madame de Lafayette. On board the Victory, May 30

      To Madame de Lafayette. Charlestown, June 19

      To Madame de Lafayette. Petersburg, July 17

      To Madame de Lafayette.--July 23

      To Madame de Lafayette. Philadelphia, Sept. 12

      To Madame de Lafayette.--Oct. 1

      To M. de Vergennes, Minister of Foreign affairs.
          Whitemarsh Camp, Oct. 24

      To Madame de Lafayette. Whitemarsh Camp, Oct. 29, and Nov. 6

      To General Washington. Haddonfeld, Nov. 26

      To the Duke d'Ayen. Camp Gulph, Pennsylvania, Dec. 16

      To General Washington. Camp, Dec. 30

      To General Washington. Head Quarters, Dec. 31

      To General Washington. Valley Forge, Dec. 31

      To Madame de Lafayette. Camp, near Valley Forge, Jan. 6, 1778

      To General Washington

      To Madame de Lafayette. York. Feb 3

      To General Washington. Hermingtown, Feb. 9

      To General Washington. Albany, Feb. 19

      To General Washington.--Feb. 23

      From General Washington to the Marquis de Lafayette.
          Head Quarters, March