Letters
The Library's manuscript collection of the Marquis de Lafayette houses select correspondence and documents between the years of 1781 and 1834. Some of the documents relate to Lafayette's appointment to the Continental Army, while the correspondents include William S. Hart (the French minister of justice), Edward Livingston (Princeton Class of 1781), Benjamin Silliman, and Bushrod Washington. A highlight of the collection is a letter from Lafayette to Thomas Jefferson, dated 27 March 1781, regarding the American navy and the arrival of the French fleet and troops in Virginia.
The Library is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of an 1803 Lafayette letter signed to Louis-Andre Pichon, the French Ambassador to the United States, concerning the abolition of slavery in French territories. In the letter, Lafayette wishes for the abolition of slavery in Haiti to fulfill the principles of the French Revolution, inquires on the state of affairs in Saint Domingue, expresses gratitude for the Louisiana Purchase and his gift of lands by the United States, and details his attempt to take a loan against the land to pay off his debts. Lafayette closes the letter by sharing his hopes for a return to full emancipation in Haiti.
Letters Archive
