November 22nd
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“With What Eagerness and pleasure I Would Hasten to fly to Mount Vernon, there to pour out all the Sentiments of Affection, Respect, and Gratitude Which Ever Bound me, and More than ever Bind me to You—Your paternal goodness to My, to Our Son Was not Unexpected But Has Been Most Heartily felt—Your Constant Sollicitude in My Behalf I Have Enjoyed as a welcome Consolation in Captivity.”
Marquis de Lafayette
National Park Service
From Marquis de Lafayette
Hambourg, 6 October 1797
My dear General,
I am the Happier to Be able to inform You, as I am Sure You Shall Be Happy to Hear that on the 19th September My two friends, family, and Myself Left the olmutz Bastille*, and that to Morrow Morning We Shall Be on danish Territory out of the Reach of the Coalitionary Powers—in Vain Would I Attempt, My Beloved General, to Express to You the feelings of My filial Heart, when, at the Moment of this Unexpected Restoration to Liberty and Life, I find Myself Blessed With the opportunity to let you Hear from me. This Heart Has for twenty Years Been known to you—Words, that, Whatever they be, fall So Short of My Sentiments Would Not do justice to What I feel—But You Will Be Sensible of the Affectionate and delightful Emotions With Which I am Now Writing—to You, and I know also it is Not Without Some Emotion that after five Years of a death like Silence from me, You Will Read the first Lines I am at Last Enabled to write—With What Eagerness and pleasure I Would Hasten to fly to Mount Vernon, there to pour out all the Sentiments of Affection, Respect, and Gratitude Which Ever Bound me, and More than ever Bind me to You—Your paternal goodness to My, to Our Son Was not Unexpected But Has Been Most Heartily felt—Your Constant Sollicitude in My Behalf I Have Enjoyed as a welcome Consolation in Captivity, and dont Wonder, My Respected General, that those friendly Exertions Have Not Been able to Operate the difficult Work, Which in Spite of [illegible] and threatening Armies, and Repeated demands from the french Government, it Has Been an affair of five Months to Effect, after the Hostilities Had Ceased—But at Last We are out, and I Had the Satisfaction to See the United States take a Part in this Last transaction Where By I am Released With My two friends, and that part of My family Which Was not Under Your immediate protection in the Happy Country where Georges and His excellent friend Have experienced So much kindness—Would to God this family Might for the first time Meet Again at Mount Vernon, and Be Reunited in Your friendly and Paternal Arms—My own Health, altho it is Impaird, Could, I think, tolerably Support a Voyage—My daughters are not ill—But Mrs Lafayette’s Sufferings in this Cruel UnHealthy Captivity Have Had Such a deplorable effect Upon Her, that in the opinion of Every phisician, and Every Man of Sense, it Would Be an Act of Madness to Let Her embark at this Advanced Season of the Year—We shall Retire Somewhere on the danish territory, about Sixty or Seventy English Miles from Hambourg, and there in a Remote Country House Quietly Wait for the Spring—in the Mean While we all Are Burning With impatience to See Georges—it is a Comfort of Which His Mother after So Many afflictions, and in Such a State of Health, is in Great Need—And altho’ I depend the More Upon My Return to America in the Spring as the New Measures taken in france Seem to Remove the probility, and of Course to dispense with the duty which in Some letters to Mde L.f. You Have Pointed out for me, We all wish that Georges Might Return to Europe So as to Be With us as Soon as possible and Before We our Selves Can Begin a Voyage for Which His Company, in Going Back With us, Would at Any Rate Be an Agreable Addition—Such are, My Beloved General, the ideas of people who in their emersion from the tomb, want to gather as Soon as possible all the Happiness that is Within their Reach, which However Cannot be Completed Untill they Enjoy the Blessing to Be With You—I Have flattered Myself that in the present Situation of politics, So painful to me, also particulars are yet Unknown, it Might Be Not Quite Unserviceable to offer You A Safe express to Carry Whatever instructions You, or Some Members of Government Could perhaps think of Sending Over—What Has Been, Can Be, or is wished to Be done I do not know—I am perfectly ignorant of every public, Even of My personal Concerns—I know only that My Heart is just the Same as it Has Ever Been—this letter Will Set out immediately I Hope, My dear General, that in a few days I Can Write More fully—In the Mean While I Beg & Hope You Will Read in My Heart those Sentiments So Warmly Grateful, So affectionately devoted which I want Adequate Words to Express But which Have So long Animated this Heart, and Shall Animate it as long as it Can Vibrate—My Best and Most tender Respects to Mrs Washington—My Wife and daughters join in the Same Sentiments of Veneration, love and Gratitude to Her and to You—Adieu, My Beloved and Respected General
]Your filial and Grateful
affectionate friend
Lafayette
“I shall hasten therefore to congratulate you, and be assured no one can do it with more cordiality, with more sincerity, or with greater affection, on the restoration of that liberty which every act of your life entitles you to the enjoyment of.”
To Marquis de Lafayette
Mount Vernon, 8 October 1797*
My dear Sir,
This letter will, I hope and expect, be presented to you by your Son, who is highly deserving of such Parents as you and your amiable Lady.
He can relate, much better than I can describe, my participation in your sufferings, my solicitude for your relief, the measures I adopted (though ineffectually) to facilitate your liberation from an unjust and cruel imprisonment, and the joy I experienced at the news of its accomplishment. I shall hasten therefore to congratulate you, and be assured no one can do it with more cordiality, with more sincerity, or with greater affection, on the restoration of that liberty which every act of your life entitles you to the enjoyment of; and I hope I may add, to the uninterrupted possession of your Estates, and the confidence of your Country. The re-possession of these things, though they cannot compensate for the hardships you have endured, may, nevertheless soften the painful remembrance of them.
From the delicate and responsible situation in which I stood as a public officer, but more especially from a misconception of the manner in which your son had left France (till explained in a personal interview with himself) he did not come immediately into my family on his arrival in America, tho’ he was assured in the first moments of it, of my protection and support. His conduct, since he first set his feet on American ground, has been exemplary in every point of view, such as has gained him the esteem, affection and confidence of all who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance. His filial affection and duty, and his ardent desire to embrace his parents and Sisters in the first moments of their releasement, would not allow him to await the authentic account of this much desired event; but at the sametime that I suggested the propriety of this, I could not withhold my assent to the gratification of his wishes, to fly to the Arms of those whom he holds most dear; persuaded as he is, from the information he has received, that he shall find you all in Paris.
Georges Washington Lafayette, 1790
Paris Musées
M. Frestal** has been a true Mentor to George. No Parent could have been more attentive to a favourite Son; and he richly merits all that can be said of his virtues, of his good sense, and of his prudence. Both your son and him carry with them the vows, and regrets of this family, and of all who know them. And you may be assured that you yourself never stood higher in the affections of the People of this country than at the present moment.
With what concerns myself, personally, I shall not take up your time; further than to add, that I have once more retreated to the shades of my own Vine and Fig tree, where I shall remain with best vows for the prosperity of that country for whose happiness I have toiled many years, to establish its Independence, Constitution, and Laws, and for the good of mankind in general, until the days of my sojournment, whh. cannot be many, are accomplished.
Having bid a final adieu to the walks of public life, and meaning to withdraw myself from the Politics thereof, I shall refer you to Mr. Frestal and George, who (at the sametime that they have, from prudential considerations, avoided all interference in the Politics of the Country) cannot have been inattentive observers of what was passing among us, to give you a general view of our situation, and of the party, which in my opinion, has disturbed the Peace and tranquillity of it. And with sentiments of the highest regard for you, your lady and daughters, and with assurances that, if inclination or events should induce you, or any of them, to visit America, no person in it would receive you with more cordiality and affection, than Mrs. Washington and myself would do, both of us being most sincerely and affectionately attached to you and admirers of them, yours, ever, &c.
G:o Washington
* not a direct response to the 6 October letter from Lafayette (the letters would be long in transiting the Atlantic ocean)
** He was tutor to the young Georges Washington Lafayette (son of the Marquise de Lafayette). G.W. Lafayette and Frestel resided with George Washington and family while the elder Lafayette was imprisoned in Austria.
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