Which French military officer became a major American ally during the Revolutionary War?

The Marquis de Lafayette became a major American ally during the Revolutionary War.

Born Gilbert du Motier in France in 1757, Lafayette volunteered for the American cause in 1777. Congress appointed him a major general, and he served without initially demanding pay. His enthusiasm for the revolution and close relationship with George Washington made him an important symbol of French-American cooperation.

Lafayette commanded American troops during the Virginia campaign of 1781. His forces helped contain British troops under Lord Cornwallis before the allied victory at Yorktown. France’s military and financial support was essential to the American war effort, particularly in the campaign that led to Cornwallis’s surrender.

Lafayette returned to France after the war but remained celebrated in the United States. He revisited the country during a grand tour in 1824 and 1825, visiting all 24 states then in the Union. His title is commonly translated as “the Marquis de Lafayette.”