Lafayette departs Le Havre and arrives in New York

Background. Lafayette, the last surviving major general of the American Revolutionary War, left the French legislature in 1824. President James Monroe invited him to tour the United States, partly to instill the "spirit of 1776" in the next generation and partly to celebrate the nation's 50th anniversary. The Bourbon constitutional monarchy had been restored in France, but King Louis XVIII suffered severe health issues in 1824.

Departure from France. Lafayette departed France on the American merchant vessel Cadmus on July 13, 1824. The supplied passage does not name the departure port; the legacy row's Le Havre attribution and its July 10 date are not corroborated by any supplied passage, so the port remains unconfirmed and the discrepancy is preserved in the episode uncertainty. The ship was an American merchant vessel, distinct from the later USS Cadmus repair ship.

Arrival in New York. Lafayette's tour officially began on August 15, 1824, when he arrived at Staten Island, New York. He was accompanied by his son Georges Washington de La Fayette and his secretary Auguste Levasseur. The next day, August 16, he arrived in New York City, landing at Castle Garden.