Next morning we continued our journey, and arrived at an early hour at the borders of the state of Delaware, the point of which we were to cross where it lies between the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. There we took leave of our Philadelphia friends, who only left us after consigning us to the care of the Delaware committee, at the head of which general Lafayette recognized with pleasure, captain M’Lane, who commanded with great intrepidity under his orders, a company of partizans during the campaign of Virginia, and who at this time in spite of his 80 years of age, came to receive him on horseback, wearing the revolutionary hat and feather.
We arrived, to dinner, at Wilmington; this handsome town, regularly built between the Christiana and Brandywine, is the largest in the state of Delaware; although its population does not exceed six thousand souls, it is nevertheless the centre of a considerable commerce, which is facilitated by its means of navigation. The vicinity of Philadelphia and Baltimore imparts a great activity to its manufactures. Notwithstanding the entreaties of the inhabitants, general Lafayette was obliged to continue his route to Frenchtown, in order to arrive the same day, where we were to find a steam-boat to convey us to Baltimore. We delayed for some hours at New Castle, to be present at the nuptials of the son of Mr. Victor Dupont, with Miss Vandyke. The marriage ceremony, which was conducted according to the rites of the reformed church, interested us extremely by its touching simplicity of character. It was performed in a hall in presence of the collected members of both families, and of some invited friends. The minister of the gospel before uniting the young couple, made them a short address, in which he explained clearly and without mysteriousness, the duties which their new situation would impose on them in the social order, and spoke of the virtues which could alone contribute to their happiness, like a husband and parent to whom the practice of these virtues had long been familiar. After having united them he terminated by a touching prayer, in English, in which every one could heartily unite, as it was perfectly intelligible to all. Notwithstanding the absence of robes and decorations, this service appeared to me as worthy and imposing as that of the Roman Catholic church.
The night was far advanced when we arrived at Frenchtown, where the steam-boat United States had waited for us a long time. At a short distance from Frenchtown, general Lafayette was met by a numerous deputation, and the aids of the governor of Maryland, who informed him that they were charged to convey him to Fort M’Henry, where the governor had established his head quarters to receive him. Among this deputation Lafayette recognized with pleasure many of his old friends, especially two Frenchmen, colonel Bentalou, ancient officer of Pulaski’s legion, and Mr. Dubois Martin, an old man of 83 years, who commanded the vessel in which Lafayette escaped from Bordeaux to come to the United States. At the moment of our embarkation we learned that Mr. John Adams, secretary of state, had arrived at Frenchtown, on his way to Washington, and that he had accepted with pleasure the invitation given him to join the company of general Lafayette, to whom this was an especial satisfaction, as Mr. Adams was also an old and kind acquaintance.
Many travellers who have visited the United States, and who pretend to be well acquainted with the manners of the country, have stated that the Americans, in spite of their republican institutions, are essentially aristocratic in their habits, the following fact, will, I think, victoriously refute the accusation; and this fact is not an insulated one, nor an exception, as I shall have many others to relate.
On board the steam-boat which conveyed us across the Chesapeake, a chamber was prepared for general Lafayette, and as the committee of arrangement had the kindness to think that those who had participated in his fatigues ought to share in his repose, they had caused two other beds to be placed in the same chamber, one for his son, and the other for me. We were ignorant how our numerous travelling companions were arranged to pass the night; when George Lafayette going on deck for the sake of air, observed that the great cabin in which we had supped was converted into a vast dormitory, the floor of which was covered with beds, which the crowd occupied without ceremony. Among those who were preparing to lie down on the humble mattresses, he remarked with astonishment the secretary of state, John Adams. He immediately addressed him, and besought him to change beds with him; which he refused, declaring that he was very well accommodated, and should be grieved to separate him from his father. I arrived at the same moment and joined my intreaties to those of George Lafayette, remarking to Mr. Adams that the same objection would not apply to my proposition, and added I hoped he would not condemn me to lie in a good bed, when a man of his character was stretched upon a hard mattress: he replied very obligingly, but gave a formal refusal. In short, pressed by our united requests, and the name of general Lafayette which we made use of, he stated that if he even felt disposed to accept our offer, he should still be obliged to refuse it, because before every thing else he must respect the dispositions of the committee of arrangement, and the committee had determined that no one should be admitted into general Lafayette’s chamber but his travelling companions. Mr. George Lafayette now sought a member of the committee of arrangement, and requested in the name of his father, that Mr. Adams should be admitted into the chamber instead of one of us. This latter clause was considered inadmissible by the committee, which, after a short deliberation, determined that a fourth bed should be prepared in general Lafayette’s chamber for Mr. Adams, not because he was secretary of state, but because general Lafayette desired to have one of his old friends near him. Mr. Adams did not consent to relinquish his mattress in the common room, until formally invited by the committee.
If there be any aristocracy in American manners, it must at least be confessed, that the great officers of the government partake of no such privileges.
During the night we advanced in exceeding bad weather, but in the morning when we entered the beautiful river Patapsco, on the banks of which the rich city of Baltimore stands, the sun dispersed the clouds, and his first rays gilding the vast horizon unveiled before us, permitted us already to see the spires of the city and the grove of masts of vessels which habitually fill the port, and the bastions of Fort M’Henry, which defends the entrance of the harbour.—At nine o’clock four steam-boats, the Maryland, Virginia, Philadelphia and Eagle, covered with flags and streamers, and crowded with a multitude of citizens, who came to receive their guest by saluting him with a triple welcome, with which their grateful voices made the air ring, came out of port and formed a line behind the United States, which majestically continued her course towards the shore. When we came within a short distance a number of boats came off to land the company. The first which landed conveyed general Lafayette, the secretary of state Mr. Adams, general Smith, Mr. Dubois Martin, and Mr. Morris, president of the committee. Captain Gardener acted as cockswain, and it was rowed by twelve ship masters of Baltimore. We went on shore in the other boats, and were landed at the wharf of fort M’Henry. The National flag which had floated over it during the last war was hoisted: its ample field pierced by a bomb-shell, attests the vain efforts of the British engineers. At the gate of the fort general Lafayette was surrounded by a number of persons in citizen’s dress, for the most part mutilated. These were some of the individuals who in the year 1814, proved so energetically to the English, how much superior are men who combat for their liberty, country and families, to vile mercenaries hired by kings to gratify their passions. Fort M’Henry defended by a few citizen soldiers, saw before its feeble walls the pride and rage of an English fleet rendered vain, and the enemy obliged to retire disgracefully after a bombardment of 48 hours.
As general Lafayette entered the fort, the salute of cannon announced it to the citizens of Baltimore, who at this time crowded forth to meet him, and covered the long peninsula which extends from the city down to fort M’Henry, between the two bays formed by the river Patapsco. On the parade of the fort were collected a great number of old revolutionary officers, the magistrates, &c. and a detachment of infantry, which, by opening their ranks, allowed to be seen behind them the tent of Washington. If at this sight general Lafayette was affected by various emotions, his son was not less moved in beholding once more the person who had formed the happy and noble idea of bringing it to aid in the solemnities of the day. Mr. Custis, the author of this delicate attention, is the nephew of general Washington; with him George Lafayette passed two years of his youth under the hospitable roof of Mount Vernon, during the imprisonment of his father in the dungeons of Olmutz. The remembrance of their former fraternity, and of the cruel loss of him who had been their common father, caused them an emotion of mingled pleasure and pain, which could only be expressed by their silent tears and embraces.
General Lafayette having endeavoured to calm his first emotion, advanced towards the tent of Washington, where he was received by governor Stevens with an appropriate address.
After this discourse, to which general Lafayette replied with the sincere expression of a grateful and profoundly touched heart, we went into the tent, under which was old colonel Howard, who signalized his youth by the war of independence, and crowned his old age by the laurels gathered in 1814, in defence of Baltimore, and who filled the interval of these two great epochs of his life by the devotion of all his time to the cause of liberty. This venerable patriot, at the head of the society of Cincinnati, also addressed the general, and expressed the sentiments of all his old companions in arms, who could not longer contain the impulse of their joy, and hastened to throw themselves into the arms of their ancient leader, who, as they presented themselves, recognized nearly every one, and reminded them, with vivacity, of the times and places in which they had shared the same dangers and fatigues.