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Author: lukeh77
You Know Them
Women
5 REASONS TO KNOW MORE
Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette
Born: Auvergne (southern France)
Age in 1775: 18
Profession: Nobleman, one of the richest men in France
Principal Contribution: Fought in the Philadelphia campaign, 1777; led troops at the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, 1778; advisor to Washington; pursued British General Cornwallis in Virginia, 1781.
Personal characteristics: Charming, enthusiastic, thoughtful, inspired military leader.
Quote: 1781 (after the American victory at Yorktown) “The play is over . . . the fifty act has just ended.”
Later life: Supported the French Revolution in 1789, led the National Guard, opposed the radicalism of the Jacobins, captured by the Austrians and imprisoned for five years.
Died: 1834
Benedict Arnold
Born: Norwich, Connecticut
Age in 1775: 34
Profession: Merchant, horse trader, fleet owner
Principal Contribution: Led the 1775 march to Quebec; stopped the British invasion at the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island; played an important role in the American victory at Saratoga in 1777.
Personal characteristics: Energetic, prickly, willful, traitorous.
Quote: 1780 (on his betrayal) “Love to my country actuates my present conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man’s actions.”
Later life: Led British troops in raids on Virginia and Groton, Connecticut. Exile in Britain and Canada.
Died: 1801
Nathanael Greene
Born: Rhode Island
Age in 1775: 32
Profession: Businessman, forge owner
Principal Contribution: Major General, Quartermaster General, commander who bested British General Cornwallis in the South, 1781.
Personal characteristics: Lame, asthmatic, analytical, brilliant strategist.
Quote: 1781 “We fight get beat rise and fight again.”
Later life: Struggled against debt, suffered a stroke.
Died: 1786
