Which French officer became a major general in the Continental Army at age 19?

The Marquis de Lafayette became a major general in the Continental Army at age 19.

Born Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Lafayette was a young French aristocrat who volunteered for the American cause. Congress commissioned him a major general on July 31, 1777, after he offered to serve without pay. He quickly formed a close relationship with George Washington and became one of the revolution’s best-known foreign supporters.

Lafayette fought at Brandywine, where he was wounded while helping organize an American retreat. He later served at Valley Forge, Rhode Island, and other campaigns. In 1781, his forces helped contain Lord Cornwallis in Virginia before the larger American and French operation at Yorktown.

Lafayette is often confused with French naval commander the Count de Rochambeau, who led a major French expeditionary force, or with the Marquis de La Rouerie, another French volunteer. Lafayette’s distinctive legacy spans both the American and French Revolutions, earning him the nickname “Hero of the Two Worlds.”