| Letter of Thomas Simm Lee to Lafayette
THEME: Outreach of early administrations to foreign dignitaries
MSA SC 986 Outerbridge Horsey Collection
A Sidelight on History Being the Letters of James McHenry, Aide-de-Camp of the Marquis de Lafayette to Thomas Sim Lee Governor of Maryland Written During the Yorktown Campaign, 1781. Privately printed, 1931.
Lafayette's visit to Annapolis in November 1784
Lafayette's visit to Annapolis in December 1824
Text from If These Wall Could Speak draft re: 1784 visit:
One of the most notable visits of Paca's governorship occurred in 1784, when George Washington visited Annapolis in the company of General Lafayette prior to the General's departure for France. Over the course of their visit, Washington and Lafayette were entertained at Government House, where it is certain that Paca did not fail to dispense his well-known hospitality. One must think that Annapolis provided suitable farewell entertainment for Lafayette, for the merriment of the city was not missed by many, including legislators who traveled to the state capital. One congressman writing home in 1784 commented, "Our Adjournment to Annapolis has had a good Effect: the Object of the Inhabitants here is altogether pleasure;
Business is no part of their System." [Elbridge Gerry to Stephen Higginson, March 4, 1784, Edmund C. Burnett, Ed., 'Letters of Members of the Continental Congress Vol. VII, p.461]
Another Passage re: 1824 visit:
Illustrative of the importance of Annapolis in the post Revolutionary period was the visit of the Marquis de LaFayette. In December of 1824, Annapolis was privileged to host the Marquis, one of the most honored and revered figures of the Revolutionary War. Accompanied by his son, George Washington LaFayette, the Marquis stayed in the city for four days overflowing with elaborate celebrations and entertainments. Governor Samuel Sprigg welcomed LaFayette's party at the Anne Arundel/Prince George's County border, assisted by a welcoming committee that included former Maryland Chief Justice Jeremiah Townley Chase. The Marquis and his son were escorted to the State House and the (Old) Senate Chamber, where Annapolitans effusively expressed their gratitude to LaFayette on behalf of all Americans. [Insert portrait of W, L, & T here--he might have seen it on this occasion? In OSC?] For the duration of the four day visit, LaFayette and his party were lodged at Government House as guests of Governor Sprigg. Government House most certainly presented a suitable resting spot for the distinguished guest, and it is likely that the Marquis stayed in one of the better rooms on the second floor. [check floor plan--perhaps third??] In addition to his reception at Government House, many entertainments, including several banquets and a ball, were held for LaFayette in McDowell Hall on the campus of St. John's College. McDowell Hall (insert relation to Bladen's Folly?) was the only venue in Annapolis at the time which was large enough to accommodate the number of citizens who wished to pay tribute to such an illustrious visitor.
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