The French volunteer who became a major general in the Continental Army at age 19 was the Marquis de Lafayette.
Born Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier in 1757, Lafayette came from a wealthy French military family. He traveled to North America in 1777, offering to serve the American cause without pay. Congress commissioned him a major general on July 31, 1777, despite his youth and limited battlefield experience.
Lafayette quickly formed a close relationship with George Washington. He was wounded while serving at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, then helped organize an orderly American retreat. He later spent part of the winter at Valley Forge and commanded troops during the 1778 Battle of Monmouth.
Lafayette returned to France to seek additional aid and came back to America in 1780. In Virginia, his forces helped contain Lord Cornwallis before the decisive Siege of Yorktown in 1781. His service made him a celebrated link between the American and French struggles for liberty, a legacy remembered during America250.