"Lafayette, We Are Here"

One of the best bios I've ever read was published in 2021, "Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution" by Mike Duncan.  It's an eminently readable bio about the role Lafayette played in the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and even the July Revolution of 1830 (approximately 50 years after the American Revolution!).

Growing up in small town Sparta, New Jersey, I used to ride my bike or even walk to even smaller town Lafayette, New Jersey.  I had some sense of his importance in the American Revolution, one heightened by his title as "America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman!" from my favorite musical, "Hamilton."

But reading the book (highly recommend -- my neighbor Jeff read it on my recommendation and loved it -- yes, this is a test to see if Jeff reads the blog for this trip!) really brought home to me how remarkable a life Lafayette led -- not just in helping America in the revolution, but also in his leadership and involvement in the two French revolutions.

So when FOIT (Friend of the Iron Tourists) Vicky Potter recommended we visit Picpus Cemetery to pay our respects to Lafayette, well, I jumped all over the idea.  By the way, if it ever comes up in a trivia game, Picpus is the largest private cemetery in Paris.  If it doesn't come up in a trivia, Picpus is still the largest private cemetery in Paris, so you are ready either way.

The cemetery is in the 12th Arrondissement of Paris, so it was a bit of a journey by Paris metro.  We got to the entrance at 1:55pm, which was lucky, as the cemetery didn't open till 2pm (and only on certain days -- be sure to google before you go!).  I had no idea, and the fact that we only had to wait five minutes was a stroke of luck.

When they opened the gates to the courtyard, I let a young French woman who arrived after us go ahead of us, primarily so I could figure out what to do.  It cost us two Euro each.  

The cemetery also the remains of 1,306 victims executed by guillotine during the height of the Reign of Terror, from June 14 to July 17, 1794.  So in 33 days, an average of 39.57 people had their heads separated from the bodies per day.

(Editor: I'd like to see a 0.57 of a person.  Writer: I would think, of all people, you would understand "average."  Editor: Thank you. . .wait, I think I was just insulted.)

We first went into the small chapel, where the names of the 1,306 are listed on a wall.

From there we headed back out of the chapel, to the cemetery entrance door.  It's a peaceful walk through a fenced in grassy area and into the cemetery.  Descendants of those 1,306 can also be buried in Picpus.  There are plaques of descendants who were killed in Nazi concentration camps.  (Americans need to stop complaining about our own history).

It wasn't hard to find the grave of the Marquis de Lafayette (and other family members) because of the large American flag placed (and replaced as needed) by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Living in the Mount Vernon section of Alexandria, it was neat to see a plaque on his grave placed by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, the organization which runs Mount Vernon.

According to Wikipedia: 

The flag is renewed every Fourth of July by DAR members along with the Society of the Cincinnati and U.S. Embassy officials, who gather at Lafayette's tomb for a celebration. He is buried next to his wife, Adrienne de Lafayette, whose sister, mother and grandmother were among those beheaded and thrown into the common pit. The soil that covers the grave is soil that Lafayette brought home to France from Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Boston – site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the most prominent early battles of the American Revolutionary War; in 1825, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the battle, Lafayette had laid the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument.

Wow! 

One historical fact I was mistaken on?  I always thought it was General Black Jack Pershing who said the stirring quote, "Lafayette, we are here!" when American troops arrive in France in 1917 for World War I, but it was actually Colonel Charles E. Stanton on July 4, 1917 at Lafayette's grave.

Stanton said it during a ceremony marking the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force.  I do feel better learning the remark is often attributed to Pershing, but he gave the credit to Stanton.  The Colonel earned both the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honor for his service in WWI.  Stanton also served in the Spanish-American War.

Charles Stanton was not related to Lincoln's Secretary of War Edwin Stanton nor to New York Yankees player Giancarlo Stanton.

Colonel Stanton's full quote that day:

America has joined forces with the Allied Powers, and what we have of blood and treasure are yours. Therefore it is that with loving pride we drape the colors in tribute of respect to this citizen of your great republic. And here and now, in the presence of the illustrious dead, we pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying this war to a successful issue. Lafayette, we are here!

Goose bumps. 

After paying our respects to Lafayette (there are 17 counties and 71 cities in the United States named after him, including a number named "Fayette."  Those founders were apparently too lazy to include the "La" but we'll count it), we spent some time pondering the fate of those guillotined and buried in one of several common pits.

Not many people were at Picpus, and you might not want to go unless you are a history buff like Carol and I, but going to this important cemetery meant a lot to us.