June 13: The Marquis de Lafayette Arrives in America

On June 13, 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette landed near Georgetown, South Carolina, after crossing the Atlantic aboard a ship he had purchased himself, the Victoire. He was only 19 years old, but he came determined to join the American Revolution and support the Continental Army. The Marquis de Lafayette was born Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette on September 6, 1757, into a noble family in France. Although he was young and wealthy, Lafayette became deeply interested in the American struggle for independence.