#pg. 487

Upon arriving at Mount Vernon in August 1784, Lafayette was delighted to find a group portrait of himself and his family in an honored place in the parlor. He bore a cherished gift from Paris, a Masonic apron that Adrienne had embroidered for the general. Lafayette was instantly entranced by Nelly and Washy. 'The general has adopted them and loves them deeply,' he told his wife. 'It was quite funny when I arrived to see the curious looks on those two small faces who had heard nothing but talk of me the entire day and wanted to see if I looked like my portrait.'

While in Richmond, Lafayette had a consequential encounter with James Armistead, the handsome, round-faced slave who had gallantly assisted him during the war. To help him sue for his freedom, Lafayette furnished him with an affidavit that testified to his valor: 'His intelligence from the enemy's camp were industriously collected and most faithfully delivered.' Not only did Armistead win his freedom and a pension from the legislature (which also compensated his master), but he changed his name in gratitude to James Armistead Lafayette.

When Lafayette encountered James Madison, the former said he was now gripped by three obsessions: the French-American alliance, the unity of the thirteen states, and 'the manumission of the slaves.' Madison, a large slave owner, wrote to Jefferson, another large slave owner, that Lafayette's position on slavery 'does him real honor, as it is a proof of his humanity.' After the Revolution it was unquestionably fashionable to utter such high-minded sentiments, but talk was cheap and direct action was quite another matter.

Finding Washington busy but relaxed, Lafayette delighted in his company and treasured their dinner conversations, when they swapped wartime anecdotes. Washington guided him around the grounds and quizzed him about European flowers that might flourish there. All the while the vexed question of slavery hung heavily in the air. Earlier in the summer, during William Gordon's two-week stay, Washington had admitted to a desire to be rid of his slaves and mentioned Lafayette's abolitionist plans. 'I should rejoice beyond measure could your joint counsels and influence produce it,' Gordon responded, 'and thereby give the finishing stroke and the last polish to your political characters.' Unfortunately, we don't know the specifics of the conversation between Washington and Lafayette about slavery.

We are creatures of loss; we have left everything behind.