On this episode of Our American Stories, for most of his life, James Armistead Lafayette was known simply as James—not Lafayette. That last name came later, and from none other than the Marquis de Lafayette of the American Revolution. But why would an enslaved man take the last name of a French military officer? Here's Kirk Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute with the story of one of America's most important, underappreciated, and little-known spies during the American Revolution.
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, the
story on an all important and underappreciated name in American history.
You might not know, but will be glad to meet.
James Armistad Lafayette. Spies were an important asset in the
American Revolution, and there were many of them, but James
(00:30):
was different. He was African American. Here's Kirk Higgins courtesy
of the Bill of Rights Institute with the story.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
It was October seventeenth, seventeen eighty one, and more than
eight thousand British soldiers under the command of General Charles
Cornwallis had been under siege for three long weeks by
American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia. The artillery fire
from the Americans and French was relentless. Cornwalls had hoped reinforcements,
(01:00):
but a French fleet had created a naval blockade in
the Lower Chesapeake Bay. Reinforcements would not be able to
reach Cornwallis, and now an escape by sea was impossible too.
Realizing that all hope was lost, Cornwallis sent out a
drummer and an officer with a white flag of surrender
for the American forces. Victory meant a new independent nation
(01:22):
was now within grasp. For Cornwallis, it meant second guessing
in criticism about how he had led the British forces
to defeat. But there was an important factor in his
defeat at Yorktown that Cornwallis did not know at the time.
One of Cornwallis's trusted servants, a man named James, posing
as a runaway slave, was a spy. James had been
(01:45):
secretly working for the Continental Army, providing them intelligence about
the British Army's strength, movement and plans. The penalty for
betraying Cornwalls and the British Army had he been caught,
likely would have been death. James risked his life for
the cause of America's freedom, but the battle for his
own freedom would be long and difficult. Not much is
(02:06):
known about James's early life. We know he was born
on a plantation in New Kent, County, Virginia. He was
an enslaved servant of William Armistead Junior, and while James
has become known to many historians as James Armistead, he
actually never took the surname of his slaveholder. Most simply
knew him at the time as James we know James
(02:26):
learned to read and write, and he likely spent time
in Williamsburg, Virginia, during the war, where William Armistead served
the Patriot cause by managing the Commissary of Military Supplies.
In fact, some researchers believe Williamsburg may have been where
James first met the Marquis de Lafayette, the legendary French
officer who had joined the American war effort under the
command of General George Washington. In seventeen eighty one, William
(02:48):
Armistead granted permission for James to enlist in the service
of Lafayette. James was one of more than five thousand
enslaved blacks who served in the war, as soldiers say,
and in a variety of support roles on both the
American and British sides. For enslaved men like James, joining
the Americans was not an easy decision and didn't come
(03:09):
with many guarantees. In seventeen seventy five, Virginia's Royal governor,
Lord Dunmore established a regiment of over eight hundred runaway
slaves who were promised freedom if they fought for the British,
serving with the British meant the possibility of liberation for
many who lived in bondage, but James embarked upon a
different and uncertain path. For James, there was no assurance
(03:29):
that joining the American cause would ever lead to his freedom.
In fact, until seventeen eighty two, slaveholders in Virginia were
not lawfully allowed to free their enslaved people. Only the
courts could do that, and only for meritorious service. But
James decided to trust Lafayette and the Americans, and his
help could not have come at a better time. By
(03:52):
the time James joined the American side, the Revolutionary War
had been dragging on for six years. For George Washington,
defeating the British and secure caring American independence was always
going to be a tall task. Washington was charged with
turning a rag tag volunteer group of citizen soldiers into
a force that could prevail against the highly trained, professional
(04:12):
British army. He recognized that putting spies behind British lines
could give him the strategic advantage he needed. Many spy
rings were active on both sides during the Revolutionary War.
Despite the perils of the job, James joined the forces
of the infamous trader, General bennerdict Darnold in seventeen eighty one,
after Arnold had defected to the British side. James helped
(04:32):
Arnold and his troops traverse the Virginia Wilderness and soon
earned the trust of the British high Command an insight
into British movements. By July seventeen eighty one, James had
infiltrated Cornwallis's camp, posing as a runaway slave and working
as a waiter for officers meals. James had now gained
access to the British commander's inner circle and listened to
their conversations about military strategy. Officers assumed he was a
(04:56):
simple servant and spoke freely in front of him. During
the summer of seventeen eighty one, James passed along intelligence
that would help turn the tide of the Battle of
Yorktown and the Revolutionary War for the American side. James
informed Lafayette of Cornwallis's move from Portsmouth, Virginia to Yorktown,
(05:16):
and of the general's plan to remain in Yorktown to
refit his army. Lafayette wrote to Washington in August seventeen
eighty one, quote I have got some intelligences by the
way of this servant I have once mentioned. I hear
that they begin fortifying at York. They are now working
by a windmill, at which place I understand they will
make a fort in a battery for the defense of
the river. Cornwallis had been depending on the New York
(05:40):
British fleet to bring fresh troops and supplies up the
York River from the Chesapeake Bay, but utilizing the information
James had relayed, Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau, commander
of the French forces in America, deployed a French fleet
under Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grass to cut off
the British navy. Now the British could not supply or
rescue cornwall Walls's army, Washington and his French allies laid
(06:03):
siege to Yorktown and forced Cornwalls to surrender on October seventeenth,
seventeen eighty one. For Cornwallis, it was a bitter pill.
After his surrender, Cornwallis reportedly saw James standing on Washington's
and Lafayette's side and realized he had been had ah
you rogue. He was reported to exclaim, then you have
been playing me a trick all this time. James had
(06:25):
done his part to secure American independence at great personal danger,
but the fight to secure his own freedom independence was
just beginning. James recounted his pivotal role in helping the
Continental Army in a petition to the Virginia legislature after
the war. The petition read quote, during the time of
his serving the Marquis, he often, at the peril of
his life, found means to frequent the British camp, by
(06:47):
which means he kept open a channel of the most
useful communications to the army of the state. Despite his
courage and contributions, James remained enslaved after the war. In
seventeen eighty two, the Virginia Legislature passed a law that
allowed enslaved men who had fought as soldiers during the
war to be freed, but it did not apply to spies. Lafayette,
(07:09):
who personally detested slavery, did not forget the service James
had rendered. In seventeen eighty four, James encountered Lafayette and Richmond,
and Lafayette found a way to show gratitude for his
friend by providing a written testimonial in support of james freedom,
Lafayette wrote, this is to certify that the bearer by
the name of James has done essential services to me
(07:30):
while I had the honor to command in this state.
His intelligence from the enemy's camp were industriously collected and
faithfully delivered. He perfectly acquitted himself with some important commissions
I gave him. It appears to me entitled to every
reward his situation can admit of. James petitioned the legislature
for his freedom in seventeen eighty six, using Lafayette's letter.
(07:50):
In invoking America's founding principles, James wrote that he had
been persuaded to quote of the right in which all
mankind have to freedom. The Virgin dan Nei Assembly finally
granted James his freedom in seventeen eighty seven. William Armistead
was compensated two hundred and fifty pounds for the loss
of james labor. James adopted the surname Lafayette to honor
(08:13):
the Marquis de Lafayette, and is commonly referred to as
James Armistead Lafayette, but we know he often went simply
by James Fayette. He eventually owned forty acres of land
in New Kent County, Virginia. This was a controversial and
much debated period in James's life. Property tax records show
both free and enslaved people living on James's property. It
(08:33):
would not have been uncommon at the time for a
freed black man to own slaves in the South, but
some historians point to another possibility. Many of these individuals
may have been James's family, who he may have acquired
with the intention of allowing them to live as free individuals.
That also would have been common at the time. We
may never know the full story. There are aspects of
(08:57):
James's final years that we do know more about. In
eighteen eighteen, James appealed to the Virginia legislature again, this
time to request a pension based on his military service.
In age. He stated that he was quote three score
years and ten, making him seventy years old. The Assembly
granted him an annual pension, and he traveled to Richmond
(09:17):
once or twice a year to collect his payments. In
eighteen twenty four, the Marquis de Lafayette toured the United States.
According to a Richmond newspaper at the time. Lafayette recognized
James in a crowd, called out to him by name,
and embraced his old friend. It was the last time
the two men would see each other. While James died
in the early eighteen thirties, his legacy certainly lives on today.
(09:40):
He is remembered for being an integral part of the
network of Patriot spies that played an important role in
securing the Patriot's victory in the Revolutionary War. After the
war ended, a British intelligence officer in America was quoted
as saying Washington did not really outfight the British, He
simply outspied us.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
And a terrific job on the production and editing by
our own Monty Montgomery and a special thanks to Kirk
Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute. They do terrific
work bringing American history to life in their storytelling with
school kids with educators and go to mybri dot org
to learn more. That's my bri dot org. What a
(10:21):
story we just heard the story of one of America's
great spies who just happened to be an African American.
The story of James Armistead Lafayette. Here on our American stories.
And we continue with our American stories. Up next, the
story on an all important and underappreciated name in American history.
You might not know, but will be glad to meet.
James Armistad Lafayette. Spies were an important asset in the
American Revolution, and there were many of them, but James
(00:30):
was different. He was African American. Here's Kirk Higgins courtesy
of the Bill of Rights Institute with the story.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
It was October seventeenth, seventeen eighty one, and more than
eight thousand British soldiers under the command of General Charles
Cornwallis had been under siege for three long weeks by
American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia. The artillery fire
from the Americans and French was relentless. Cornwalls had hoped reinforcements,
(01:00):
but a French fleet had created a naval blockade in
the Lower Chesapeake Bay. Reinforcements would not be able to
reach Cornwallis, and now an escape by sea was impossible too.
Realizing that all hope was lost, Cornwallis sent out a
drummer and an officer with a white flag of surrender
for the American forces. Victory meant a new independent nation
(01:22):
was now within grasp. For Cornwallis, it meant second guessing
in criticism about how he had led the British forces
to defeat. But there was an important factor in his
defeat at Yorktown that Cornwallis did not know at the time.
One of Cornwallis's trusted servants, a man named James, posing
as a runaway slave, was a spy. James had been
(01:45):
secretly working for the Continental Army, providing them intelligence about
the British Army's strength, movement and plans. The penalty for
betraying Cornwalls and the British Army had he been caught,
likely would have been death. James risked his life for
the cause of America's freedom, but the battle for his
own freedom would be long and difficult. Not much is
(02:06):
known about James's early life. We know he was born
on a plantation in New Kent, County, Virginia. He was
an enslaved servant of William Armistead Junior, and while James
has become known to many historians as James Armistead, he
actually never took the surname of his slaveholder. Most simply
knew him at the time as James we know James
(02:26):
learned to read and write, and he likely spent time
in Williamsburg, Virginia, during the war, where William Armistead served
the Patriot cause by managing the Commissary of Military Supplies.
In fact, some researchers believe Williamsburg may have been where
James first met the Marquis de Lafayette, the legendary French
officer who had joined the American war effort under the
command of General George Washington. In seventeen eighty one, William
(02:48):
Armistead granted permission for James to enlist in the service
of Lafayette. James was one of more than five thousand
enslaved blacks who served in the war, as soldiers say,
and in a variety of support roles on both the
American and British sides. For enslaved men like James, joining
the Americans was not an easy decision and didn't come
(03:09):
with many guarantees. In seventeen seventy five, Virginia's Royal governor,
Lord Dunmore established a regiment of over eight hundred runaway
slaves who were promised freedom if they fought for the British,
serving with the British meant the possibility of liberation for
many who lived in bondage, but James embarked upon a
different and uncertain path. For James, there was no assurance
(03:29):
that joining the American cause would ever lead to his freedom.
In fact, until seventeen eighty two, slaveholders in Virginia were
not lawfully allowed to free their enslaved people. Only the
courts could do that, and only for meritorious service. But
James decided to trust Lafayette and the Americans, and his
help could not have come at a better time. By
(03:52):
the time James joined the American side, the Revolutionary War
had been dragging on for six years. For George Washington,
defeating the British and secure caring American independence was always
going to be a tall task. Washington was charged with
turning a rag tag volunteer group of citizen soldiers into
a force that could prevail against the highly trained, professional
(04:12):
British army. He recognized that putting spies behind British lines
could give him the strategic advantage he needed. Many spy
rings were active on both sides during the Revolutionary War.
Despite the perils of the job, James joined the forces
of the infamous trader, General bennerdict Darnold in seventeen eighty one,
after Arnold had defected to the British side. James helped
(04:32):
Arnold and his troops traverse the Virginia Wilderness and soon
earned the trust of the British high Command an insight
into British movements. By July seventeen eighty one, James had
infiltrated Cornwallis's camp, posing as a runaway slave and working
as a waiter for officers meals. James had now gained
access to the British commander's inner circle and listened to
their conversations about military strategy. Officers assumed he was a
(04:56):
simple servant and spoke freely in front of him. During
the summer of seventeen eighty one, James passed along intelligence
that would help turn the tide of the Battle of
Yorktown and the Revolutionary War for the American side. James
informed Lafayette of Cornwallis's move from Portsmouth, Virginia to Yorktown,
(05:16):
and of the general's plan to remain in Yorktown to
refit his army. Lafayette wrote to Washington in August seventeen
eighty one, quote I have got some intelligences by the
way of this servant I have once mentioned. I hear
that they begin fortifying at York. They are now working
by a windmill, at which place I understand they will
make a fort in a battery for the defense of
the river. Cornwallis had been depending on the New York
(05:40):
British fleet to bring fresh troops and supplies up the
York River from the Chesapeake Bay, but utilizing the information
James had relayed, Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau, commander
of the French forces in America, deployed a French fleet
under Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grass to cut off
the British navy. Now the British could not supply or
rescue cornwall Walls's army, Washington and his French allies laid
(06:03):
siege to Yorktown and forced Cornwalls to surrender on October seventeenth,
seventeen eighty one. For Cornwallis, it was a bitter pill.
After his surrender, Cornwallis reportedly saw James standing on Washington's
and Lafayette's side and realized he had been had ah
you rogue. He was reported to exclaim, then you have
been playing me a trick all this time. James had
(06:25):
done his part to secure American independence at great personal danger,
but the fight to secure his own freedom independence was
just beginning. James recounted his pivotal role in helping the
Continental Army in a petition to the Virginia legislature after
the war. The petition read quote, during the time of
his serving the Marquis, he often, at the peril of
his life, found means to frequent the British camp, by
(06:47):
which means he kept open a channel of the most
useful communications to the army of the state. Despite his
courage and contributions, James remained enslaved after the war. In
seventeen eighty two, the Virginia Legislature passed a law that
allowed enslaved men who had fought as soldiers during the
war to be freed, but it did not apply to spies. Lafayette,
(07:09):
who personally detested slavery, did not forget the service James
had rendered. In seventeen eighty four, James encountered Lafayette and Richmond,
and Lafayette found a way to show gratitude for his
friend by providing a written testimonial in support of james freedom,
Lafayette wrote, this is to certify that the bearer by
the name of James has done essential services to me
(07:30):
while I had the honor to command in this state.
His intelligence from the enemy's camp were industriously collected and
faithfully delivered. He perfectly acquitted himself with some important commissions
I gave him. It appears to me entitled to every
reward his situation can admit of. James petitioned the legislature
for his freedom in seventeen eighty six, using Lafayette's letter.
(07:50):
In invoking America's founding principles, James wrote that he had
been persuaded to quote of the right in which all
mankind have to freedom. The Virgin dan Nei Assembly finally
granted James his freedom in seventeen eighty seven. William Armistead
was compensated two hundred and fifty pounds for the loss
of james labor. James adopted the surname Lafayette to honor
(08:13):
the Marquis de Lafayette, and is commonly referred to as
James Armistead Lafayette, but we know he often went simply
by James Fayette. He eventually owned forty acres of land
in New Kent County, Virginia. This was a controversial and
much debated period in James's life. Property tax records show
both free and enslaved people living on James's property. It
(08:33):
would not have been uncommon at the time for a
freed black man to own slaves in the South, but
some historians point to another possibility. Many of these individuals
may have been James's family, who he may have acquired
with the intention of allowing them to live as free individuals.
That also would have been common at the time. We
may never know the full story. There are aspects of
(08:57):
James's final years that we do know more about. In
eighteen eighteen, James appealed to the Virginia legislature again, this
time to request a pension based on his military service.
In age. He stated that he was quote three score
years and ten, making him seventy years old. The Assembly
granted him an annual pension, and he traveled to Richmond
(09:17):
once or twice a year to collect his payments. In
eighteen twenty four, the Marquis de Lafayette toured the United States.
According to a Richmond newspaper at the time. Lafayette recognized
James in a crowd, called out to him by name,
and embraced his old friend. It was the last time
the two men would see each other. While James died
in the early eighteen thirties, his legacy certainly lives on today.
(09:40):
He is remembered for being an integral part of the
network of Patriot spies that played an important role in
securing the Patriot's victory in the Revolutionary War. After the
war ended, a British intelligence officer in America was quoted
as saying Washington did not really outfight the British, He
simply outspied us.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
And a terrific job on the production and editing by
our own Monty Montgomery and a special thanks to Kirk
Higgins of the Bill of Rights Institute. They do terrific
work bringing American history to life in their storytelling with
school kids with educators and go to mybri dot org
to learn more. That's my bri dot org. What a
(10:21):
story we just heard the story of one of America's
great spies who just happened to be an African American.
The story of James Armistead Lafayette. Here on our American stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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