HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 797

Offered February 10, 2015
Designating March 14, in 2015 and in each succeeding year, as a Day of Honor for the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia.
 

Patrons: William J. Howell, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, and David E. Yancey, Delegate from Newport News

WHEREAS, on March 14, 1781, 23-year-old Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arrived in Yorktown to start a military campaign against the British that would culminate in their defeat on October 19, 1781; and

WHEREAS, outnumbered and poorly supplied, Lafayette strove to improve the circumstances and numbers of his troops, often pledging his own funds to secure shoes and clothing for his soldiers, not only in this Virginia campaign, but also during the entire American Revolution, including outfitting the French frigate Hermione to bring him to America; and

WHEREAS, in Lafayette's pursuit of British forces during the spring, summer, and autumn of 1781, he adopted a strategy of limited engagement to better preserve his forces, similar to the strategy used by General George Washington up to that point; and

WHEREAS, it was this strategy that led to the success at Yorktown, where and when French ships under Admiral de Grasse, French forces under General Rochambeau, and American forces under General Washington and Lafayette united and defeated British forces under General Cornwallis; and

WHEREAS, Lafayette had been instrumental in convincing Louis XVI, King of France, to support the American colonies, directly contributing to the victory at Yorktown; and

WHEREAS, in anticipation of the arrival of the French frigate Hermione at Yorktown on June 5 -7, 2015, all Virginians, especially its students, are encouraged to reflect on and learn from Lafayette's example of heroism, courage, and commitment to freedom and democracy; and

WHEREAS, Lafayette loved America so much that he was buried in Paris under soil from Boston's Bunker Hill, and for his accomplishments in the service to both France and the United States, he is known as The Hero of Two Worlds; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate March 14, in 2015 and in each succeeding year, as a Day of Honor for the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this day on the General Assembly's website.

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