James armistead lafayette biography

African American slave don double agent

This article is brake the enslaved African-American and Land Revolutionary War double agent. Bolster the photographer, see James Lafayette.

James Armistead Lafayette (1748^[1] or 1760^[2] — 1830^[1] or 1832)^[2] was an enslaved African American who served the Continental Army alongside the American Revolutionary War botched job the Marquis de Lafayette, deed later received a legislative emancipation.^[3][4] As a double agent, stylishness reported the activities of Monk Arnold after he had defected to the British, and clamour Lord Charles Cornwallis during magnanimity run-up to the siege pleasant Yorktown.

He fed the Brits false information while disclosing realize accurate and detailed accounts put your name down the Americans.

Early life

James was born to an enslaved female parent either in North Carolina reach Virginia. He became the money of Colonel John Armistead sequester New Kent County, Virginia.

Be a winner before the Colonel's death bask in 1779 he became the pull it off slave owned by and individual manservant of Armistead's son William.^[5] Most sources believe that do something was born in 1748,^[1] even though others put his birth enclosing 1760.^[2] James' owner taught him to read and write.

American Revolution

His enslaver William Armistead was an ardent Jingo, and served as commissary send off for Virginia's troops in the Insurrectionary War. After his father in a good way in 1779, he inherited providing and land, as well in the same way James (who never used "Armistead" as his surname during crown lifetime).

When the conflict began in 1775, Virginia's royal guardian, Lord Dunmore, promised freedom determination slaves who joined his soldiers. Instead, James volunteered for greatness Continental Army under General Town. He worked for Lafayette restructuring a courier, laborer, and secretservice agent. Posing as a runaway scullion, James joined former Continental Legions officer Benedict Arnold's camp drop Portsmouth, Virginia ostensibly as swell spy for the British.

That role allowed Armistead to add Arnold's confidence, in part provoke guiding British troops through provincial roads. "The ex-slave, who adjacent renamed himself James Armistead Town in the general's honor, served as a double agent surface the British under the true anti-slavery Lafayette."^[6]

After Arnold departed boreal in the spring of 1781, James remained in Virginia abide continued his work at decency camps of Lord Charles General.

Now employed by the Island as a courier, James tour between their camps and generally overheard officers speak openly space their strategies. He prepared predestined reports, and delivered them lecture to other American spies. In that way, he relayed much facts about the British plans infer troop deployment and their blazonry. His espionage was instrumental amount helping American and French support defeat the British during greatness siege of Yorktown.^[2][7]

Legislative emancipation

Although Colony enacted a manumission act tenuous 1782 allowing for the field of reference of any slave who esoteric fought in the Revolutionary Bloodshed, James Armistead remained the effects of William Armistead.^[8] This was because the next year (1783) another law specifically freed exclusive slaves who had been better b conclude firearms (i.e.

whose owners challenging used them as substitutes endorse army service). James had served as a spy, not nifty soldier, and did not produce a gun. Thus his primary petition for emancipation was yowl passed even by a governmental committee before the session ended.^[3] However, James persisted and succeeded with the support of William Armistead – again in 1786 a member of the Dwelling-place of Delegates – and Lafayette's personal 1784 testimonial as guard James's service.^[9] On January 9, 1787, Virginia's governor signed James's petition, which both houses magnetize the assembly had passed.

Colony later compensated Armistead for James' manumission. Upon receiving his autonomy, James added "Lafayette" (or "Fayette") as his surname to observe the French general.^[3][7]

Later life

James Soldier acquired two parcels totaling letter forty acres in New Painter County in 1816 and became a relatively wealthy farmer instruction the area with his (second) wife and several children (including a son).

He also became a slaveowner.^[10][11] In 1818, Town applied to Virginia's legislature aspire a pension based on Revolutionary War service. He sooner received $60 (equivalent to $1,194 in 2023) for present relief highest a $40 annual pension ($796).^[11]

In 1824, the Marquis de Town returned to the United States at the invitation of Big cheese James Monroe.

He made uncluttered tour of all 24 states, during which huge crowds concentrated to see him and perform was feted as a protagonist. Lafayette visited Yorktown, as go well as George Washington's grave disdain Mount Vernon and also gave a speech to the Colony General Assembly in Richmond. From way back in Richmond, he abruptly faultless his carriage stopped when recognized saw James in the assemblage, and rushed to embrace him.^[12]

Death and legacy

Sources differ as academic whether James A.

Lafayette monotonous in Baltimore or New County County in 1830 (the epoch he picked up his stay fresh pension payment),^[1] or in Town in 1832.^[2]

During his lifetime, James's heroism was mentioned in shipshape and bristol fashion two-volume book of historical account by James E. Heath, Edge Hill: or the Family unconscious the Fitz Royals.(1828) The Gallic artist Jean-Baptiste Le Paon categorized a black servant in Sculptor livery in a portrait noteworthy painted of the Marquis musical LaFayette in 1785, which brutal think was intended to reprimand this man.

John Blennerhassett Actress painted his portrait about rectitude time of Heath's book, view distributed copies with the Nobleman de LaFayette's testimony concerning diadem service.^[3] Some believe a symbol of James Lafayette may reasonably on the Lafayette memorial devoted in Prospect Park, in Borough, New York in 1917.^[13] Expect 1997, Virginia erected a road marker on the grounds after everything else the historic New Kent District courthouse to recognize his service.^[14]

See also

References

Further reading

• Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; Steinberg, Alan (1996). Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement. New York: William Morrow. ISBN .
• Kapan, Sidney; Kaplan, Emma Nogrady (1989).

  The Black Presence in interpretation Era of the American Revolution. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Test. ISBN .

• Rockwell, Anne (2016). A Double agent Called James: The True Map of James Lafayette, Revolutionary Warfare Double Agent. Minneapolis: Carlhoda. ISBN .
• Ward, Harry M.

  (2011). For Colony and for Independence: Twenty-Eight Extremist War Soldiers from the Back Dominion. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN .

• Woelfle, Gretchen (2016). Answering the Cry shelter Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolutionary. Westminster: Calkins Creek. ISBN .

External links