Product Description

They were unlikely comrades-in-arms. One was a self-taught, middle-aged Virginia planter in charge of a ragtag army of revolutionaries, the other a rich, glory-seeking teenage French aristocrat. But the childless Washington and the orphaned Lafayette forged a bond between them as strong as any between father and son. It was an unbreakable trust that saw them through betrayals, shifting political alliances, and the trials of war.

Lafayette came to America a rebellious youth whose defiance of his king made him a celebrity in France. His money and connections attracted the favor of the Continental Congress, which advised Washington to keep the exuberant Marquis from getting himself killed. But when the boy-general was wounded in his first battle, he became a hero of two countries. As the war ground on, Washington found in his young charge the makings of a courageous and talented commander whose loyalty, generosity, and eagerness to please his Commander in Chief made him one of the war’s most effective and inspired generals. Lafayette’s hounding of Cornwallis’s army was the perfect demonstration of Washington’s unconventional “bush-fighting” tactics, and led to the British surrender at Yorktown.

Their friendship continued throughout their lives. Lafayette inspired widespread French support for a struggling young America and personally influenced Washington’s antislavery views. Washington’s enduring example as general and statesman guided Lafayette during France’s own revolution years later.

Using personal letters and other key historical documents, Adopted Son offers a rare glimpse of the American Revolution through the friendship between Washington and Lafayette. It offers dramatic accounts of battles and intimate portraits of such major figures as Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, and Benjamin Franklin. The result is a remarkable, little-known epic of friendship, revolution, and the birth of a nation.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #168331 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-29
• Released on: 2008-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Personal friends and political allies, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette had one of the most important friendships of the 18th century. In this enjoyable study, Clary (The Place Where Hell Bubbled Up: A History of the First National Park) argues that although each man was a hero of the American Revolution, it was their partnership that secured American victory. Both men were orphans, and their devotion to each other was motivated by a deep psychological bond. As the title suggests, Washington was something of a father figure to the younger Frenchman, and Lafayette gave the general "unwavering loyalty, truly filial devotion." But the mentoring was not wholly one-sided: Lafayette was committed to the abolition of slavery, and Clary suggests that it was because of Lafayette's influence that Washington chose to free his slaves on his wife's death. The chapters on Lafayette's role in the French Revolution and Washington's anguish over Lafayette's imprisonment make this book far broader than the usual 1776 account. Occasionally, Clary gives over to cutesy Frenchisms (about Lafayette being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, he writes, "If this was martial glory, très bien"). Still, on the whole, Clary has satisfyingly woven together grand military history with an intimate portrait of deep affection. Illus. (Feb. 6)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In 1777 a wealthy 19-year-old nobleman from France presented his untested military services to the Continental army. Prudent as always, Washington tried the kid out as an aide before consenting to a command for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette. After proving his courage with a severe wounding at that year's Battle of Brandywine Creek, Lafayette was on his way to the military glory he sought, and the Americans had in him an advocate for French intervention against the British, which they sought. As Clary shows from the extensive correspondence that Washington and Lafayette conducted, their relationship deepened into an unabashedly paternal-filial one. His work's tone captures the sincere mutual solicitude that arose between the two, characterized by gratitude from Washington for Lafayette's personal loyalty, and by near idolization of Washington by Lafayette. Clary acquits himself well in narrating the military action of the major battles in which Lafayette commanded: Monmouth in 1778 and Yorktown in 1781. Portraying youth learning from experience, Clary's history will deservedly tap the readership for the War of Independence. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“Few stories in American history are more intriguing, or touching, than that of the bond that developed between General Washington and the Marquis d’Lafayette. With verve and charm, David Clary shows how the childless Washington, who felt betrayed by many of the men who surrounded him, and Lafayette, who never knew his father and lusted for glory and the chance to help the American cause, drew close in a loving and trusting relationship. With his engaging style, Clary succeeds in bringing to life Lafayette and Washington, and also in acquainting readers with America’s great and, at times seemingly forlorn, struggle for independence.”
—John Ferling, author of A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic

“As Clary shows from the extensive correspondence that Washington and Lafayette conducted, their relationship deepened into an unabashedly paternal-filial one.... Portraying youth learning from experience, Clary’s history will deservedly tap the readership of the War of Independence.” ––Booklist

"A beautifully crafted, insightful study of the deeply intertwined lives of Washington and Lafayette, two key figures in the transforming age of revolution." —Susan Dunn, author of Sister Revolutions: French Lightning, American Light 

“A finely researched work on the sometimes awkward, often endearing, and ultimately historic relation between two great leaders.” —James MacGregor Burns, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roosevelt: Soldier of Freedom, and George Washington

"David Clary's Adopted Son is a fascinating account of the relationship between Washington who lacked a son and young Lafayette, who lacked a father. It was a warm, affectionate connection that was greatly satisfying to both men, one that significantly strengthened France's commitment to America during our War...