Lafayette

Harlow Giles Unger's biography follows the French nobleman who, while still a teenager, gave up the privileges of court life in Paris and Versailles to take up the cause of American independence. The book traces his service in the Continental Army at Brandywine, Valley Forge, and Yorktown, battles where he faced danger alongside the American forces.

Within the army he rose to major general and won the trust of the soldiers, the officers who served beside him, and George Washington, who regarded him almost as a son by adoption. Men in the ranks came to see him as their advocate, and the American public came to know him simply as the Marquis, a name that carried affection as well as rank.

Written for general readers interested in the Revolutionary War and its foreign allies, the book examines Lafayette's character, his bond with Washington, and his place in the struggle for American liberty.