La Fayette in Franklin, Episode 3
This episode finally brings us the battle of Brandywine – and although there were some details in La Fayette’s storyline that I found … questionable, I really like the depiction of the battle itself. Wars and battles are not pretty, they are gruesome, dirty, bloody events that produce no shortage of human suffering. In Franklin, we see all thi; people being afraid and alone, horribly injured and in pain.
La Fayette transport and experience in the hospital are a bit overromanticized here. Accounts vary somewhat but we know that La Fayette remained with his troops for a long time, his wound was first dressed with a sash, and later Dr. Cochrane on behest of George Washington looked after La Fayette’s injury. He was with his aide-de-camp, Gimat, and at one point future-president James Monroe also made an appearance. While it certainly was a scary and painful experience for La Fayette, it nonetheless was much more “pleasant” than depicted here. It is true however, that Washington made sure, La Fayette was properly treated.
The remark about being “honored” with a bullet by the “English gentleman” is taken directly from a letter to his wife from September 12, 1777 that we will later have a look at. The “I hope you don’t eat me”-remark on the other hand was a missed opportunity that could have been fixed with half a sentence more text. As the story goes, La Fayette was placed upon what was formerly a dining table to be treated. When the officers entered, he remarked that they looked hungry and jokingly asked not be eaten, because he was the only edible dish upon the table.
The episode builds up suspense by suggesting to the viewer that La Fayette died in battle. Here is an account of the same time periode by La Fayette’s wife Adrienne:
But shortly afterwards we heard that M. de Lafayette had been wounded at the battle of Brandywine. I need not say what were my mother’s feelings on hearing such intelligence. She succeeded in keeping from me the report of his death which was spread about at that time (…).
Mme de Lasteyrie, Life of Madame de Lafayette, L. Techener, London, 1872, p. 50.
The battle of Brandywine and La Fayette’s involvement were a matter of great interest and as Adrienne describes, there were reports of his death – but I still think that the show overdramatized the situation by presenting it as if each and every single person - the court, his family and friends, the Americans - believed without a doubt that La Fayette had died. There were conflicting reports but La Fayette himself wrote his own account in the letter to his wife as quickly as possible. The battle of Brandywine as was also by far not the only time accounts of La Fayette’s death were making the rounds.
La Fayette friends (Noailles, Ségur and Temple) mourn La Fayette’s passing at their club. The scene admits that La Fayette could be a bit awkward and too serious at times. At first, I really liked this inclusion because it painted a truer picture – however, the longer I thought about it, the more I dislike it; or, better put, thought it needed just one or two sentences more as explanation. I believe the scene was written with a passage from the Memoirs of the Count de Ségur in mind:
At every period of life, and, above all, in his youth, La Fayette displayed a cold and grave exterior, which sometimes gave to his demeanor an air of timidity and embarrassment, which did not really belong to him. His reserved manners, his silent disposition, presented a singular contrast to the petulance, the levity, and the ostentatious loquacity of persons of his own age; but, under this exterior, to all appearances so phlegmatic, he concealed the most active mind, the most determined character, and the most enthusiastic spirit.
Count de Ségur, Memoirs and Recollections, Boston, 1825, p. 85-86.
Ségur, La Fayette’s long and dear friend (and uncle by marriage) describes here the duality of La Fayette’s character. In the previous paragraph he even somewhat mocks La Fayette’s family and in-laws for not knowing him as well as he does. Still, show-Ségur fails to look “under the exterior” as his real-life counterpart put it. Anyway, what depiction of La Fayette would be complete without the infamous dance between La Fayette and French Queen Marie Antoinette?
The solemn scene is soon resolved, and the viewer learns that La Fayette is indeed fine. While the scene between Noailles, Ségur and Temple is incredibly touching, there is one inaccuracy. Temple mentioned that La Fayette had been made a General. La Fayette had been promised the rank of Major General by Silas Dean in late 1776/early 1777 before setting sail. Now, you could argue that prior to Brandywine this rank was purely symbolic and that after Brandywine La Fayette received more and more of the actual powers and responsibilities of a Major General – but at least on paper he had always been a General.
The show cuts to La Fayette in Philadelphia. Now, I have no idea why he is alone in a tent and does not know where he is – this very much did not happen to the real La Fayette. I am, however, more than willing to forgive the show this, because it presented us with this character.
At first glance this is just some girl/young women, right? In my head (and the show does not contradict me here) this lady is Elisabeth ‘Liesel’ Boeckel. She was one of La Fayette’s nurses, when La Fayette stayed for 29 days in her father house in Bethlehem, Philadelphia to recover from his injury. Her nephew later wrote in his diary that Lisel’s father feared she would “form an intimacy” with La Fayette. La Fayette’s stay in Bethlehem and the towns past and present reception of him is very interesting and worth a post on its own.
The letter Temple reads to Franklin is inspired by a letter La Fayette wrote to his wife on September 12, 1777, the day after the battle. I highlighted the parts that were adapted for this episode.
I send you a few lines, dear heart, by some French officers, my friends, who came here with me but have not obtained positions and are returning to France. I shall begin by telling you that I am well, because I must end by telling you that we fought in earnest yesterday, and we were not the victors. Our Americans, after holding firm for a considerable time, were finally routed. While I was trying to rally them, the English honored me with a musket shot, which wounded me slightly in the leg. But the wound is nothing, dear heart; the ball hit neither bone nor nerve, and all I have to do for it to heal is to lie dear heart, that you will not worry; on the contrary, you should be even less worried than before, because I shall now be out of action for some time. I intend to take good care of myself; you may be sure of that, dear heart. This battle will, I fear, have unpleasant consequences for America; we must try to repair the damage, if we can. You must have received many letters from me, unless the English are as hostile to my letters as to my legs. I have received only one from you so far, and I long for news. Farewell. They won't let me write longer than this. For several days I have not had time to sleep. Last night was spent in our retreat and in my journey here, where I am very well cared for. Let all my friends know that I am in good health; give a thousand tender respects to Mme d'Ayen, and a thousand compliments to my vicomtesse and my sisters. These officers will leave soon; they will see you-how fortunate they are! Good night, dear heart, I love you more than ever.
Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 108-110.
It should be said, that in likelihood neither Temple nor Franklin saw this letter and Franklin did not use the letter for a publication. Nonetheless, after the battle of Brandywine La Fayette was heralded a hero and it was the first step in crafting the image we still associate with him today.
