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Lafayette Embarks on Hermione

When
1780
Where
Port of Rochefort, France; Boston, Massachusetts
Episodes
2

In March 1780, Lafayette sailed from Rochefort aboard the French frigate Hermione, reaching Boston in late April with news of promised French support for the American cause. The voyage followed his lobbying mission to France and preceded his reunion with Washington at Morristown.

Episodes

  1. March 1780 · Port of Rochefort, FranceDeparture from Rochefort aboard the Hermione

    Lafayette sailed from Rochefort in March 1780 on the frigate Hermione, carrying word of French support secured for the American war effort.

  2. April 27, 1780 · Boston, MassachusettsArrival in Boston

    The Hermione reached Boston on April 27, 1780, delivering Lafayette with news that a large French force would aid the Americans.

Background and detail

Background. In the middle of the war, Lafayette returned home to France to lobby for increased French support for the American Revolution. He had previously sailed for France in January 1779 after requesting leave, reaching Paris in February, where he was briefly placed under house arrest for disobeying the king by going to America.

Embarkation and Crossing. In March 1780, Lafayette departed from Rochefort for America aboard the frigate Hermione. The passage confirms the ship's name and the port of departure, though it does not specify the exact day of embarkation, so the commonly cited March 11 date cannot be verified from the supplied material.

Arrival and Aftermath. The Hermione reached Boston on April 27, 1780. On his return, Lafayette found the American cause at a low ebb, shaken by several military defeats, especially in the south. He journeyed southwest and reunited joyously with Washington at Morristown, New Jersey, on May 10, 1780, where officers welcomed news of the promised French force.

People involved

  • Marquis de Lafayette · Passenger and bearer of news of French support; major general returning to the Continental Army

Sources

  1. Marquis de Lafayette Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.