1To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [1779?] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I Must Beg Your Pardon, My dear Sir, for My not Having the Honor to Waït Upon You this Morning But I Had the fever all Night and phisicians forbid My Going out Before diner. In Case I am Better, I Will do Myself the Honor to Waït Upon You to Morrow about one in the Morning, and in the Mean While I Have the Honor to Be Very Respectfully Your obt Hble Sert...
2To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, [13–14 February 1779] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I hope my Letter will Reach your excellency soon enough as to prevent your going to versailles for our propos’d meeting— I will not yet wait on the king and his Majesty’s orders are to stay in paris without seeing a great Number of Acquaintances— I confess I can’t help much approving his wisdom on this Respect that Many people have already propagated...
3To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [21 February 1779] (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society I had promis’d myself, my good friend, that I would have the pleasure of embracing You this Morning—but they Write me from Versailles that I must be at the King’s Levee Before seeing any Body of the Royal family, and that Levee I understand to be at 11: Clock—in our kingly Countries we have a foolish law Call’d Etiquette that any one tho a Sensible man, must...
4To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, [7 March 1779] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : S. Howard Goldman, Weston, Connecticut (1989) Inclos’d I have the honor to send a letter which I beg leave to Reccommend to your excellency that (if possible) Mr Blodget Might obtain the leave of Coming to Paris— I am just Going to Versailles, and if you have any Commands for me they shall ever be well Come. With the highest Regard and sincerest affection I have the honor to be Dear Sir...
5To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [8 March 1779] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Dartmouth College Library I Am very Sorry it was not in My power to wait on Your excellency this Morning but I was oblig’d to Ride with the Queen at a partie of pleasure in the Bois de Boulogne— I saw yesterday the first and other Ministers and Spoke to them about the Necessity of Giving you Monney for fulfilling the engagements taken in Bills of exchange—that they Became pretty Sensible...
6To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [20 March 1779] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I am just Coming from Versailles where I went à hunting with the king, and I Do take this first opportunity of inquiring for the state of your health— I hope you are free by this time from your troublesome Gout— I make no doubt but that you knew last Night of the Senegal being taken by our troops— that Advantage I think is interesting for the Allied powers,...
7To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [c. 31 March 1779] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I went yesterday to pay My Respects to your Excellency, and waïted as long as it was in My power— I wanted telling you that I hope the Expedition will be fix’d upon but the scale yet lessened— So that we Can’t do so much as was expected, but however some advantage May be got by this little incursion—Mr de Maurepas thinks it highly Necessary to Converse with...
8To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 19 May 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Inclos’d I have the honor to Send you a letter from Mons. de Gimat giving an account of a very dangerous division Betwen the officers of the Alliance—that I had foreSeen long ago, and I believe Some thing or other Must be done, in this affair. I also send you the ideas for prints I have Somewhat increas’d, and I Could indeed Make out an immense Book upon so...
9To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [c. 26 May 1779] (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society I have just now Receiv’d a letter from the President of Congress which I think Should be in Compagny with Many others— I therefore wish to know before My departure when did the pacquet sail from America, what kind of ship she was, what News or what people she brought with her— that I do’nt only desire as an american citizen who wants to hear from his...
10To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 12 July 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society How happy I feel, when surrounded By so many preparations Against England, My respected friend doctor franklin will easily conceive— There is nothing to be found in france which might offer to me so delightfull a prospect, as those ships, troops, warlike stores of all Kinds which are Getting Ready for to visit our good neighbours—Every thing will be soon...
11To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 28 July 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society With the Greatest pleasure I hear that By a frigatte just arriv’d at Brest you may have Got some news from America—how far my heart is Concern’d in any thing that may happen to My American fellow Citizens, I need not telling to You— I therefore entreat you, My good friend, to let me know Any public or private, important or insignificant intelligence you...
12To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 3 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I have done myself the honor of writing to you some days ago, my dear doctor, and with a friendly impatience I waït for your answer— There are arriv’d some vessels from our Country which have certainly Brought Accounts of American affairs— By the french Consul at Boston I have Got a parcel of newspapers But no letters from My friends are yet come to hand—...
13To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 17 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I wish it was in My power to Give you any intelligences, But however Great are our preparations, however superior we find our fleet Nothing is as yet in Motion, and we are impatiently waiting for orders— do you think, my dear Doctor, our British friends will let the Blow fall so heavily upon them, and don’t you Rather Believe they’ll try to set up a...
14To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette: Two Letters, 29 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
(I) ALS : American Philosophical Society; copies: Library of Congress, National Archives; transcript: National Archives; (II) ALS : American Philosophical Society Whatever Expectations Might have been Rais’d from the Sense of past favors, the Goodness of the United States for me has ever been such, that on every occasion it far surpasses any idea I could have conceiv’d— A new proof of that...
15To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 6 October 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society The happy intelligence which you had the kindness of forwarding to me, is the more pleasing to My heart, that I am Glad to have Given to our scoth friends, A little But full view of the American flag— Captain Jones has ever inspir’d me with a great Regard for his talents and patriotic Spirit, and I am Proud to find that Both these Qualities have been...
16To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 8 October 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society The fear of detaining your dispatches has induc’d me not to send my express of yesterday, so that the paquets which my last promises for sunday, will together with yesterday’s letter, Be delivered into your hand By to morrow’s evening. Inclos’d you will find 1st a letter to Congress whom for any Minuted intelligence I Refer to your dispatches, But whom I...
17To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 11 October 1779 (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society The Matter I am going to write upon is of A delicate Nature, and Nothing But My Love for America, the sense I have of theyr interests, and the entire, unbounded Confidence, I trust on your friendship and secrecy could engage me to use with you on this subject all possible freedom. From private intelligences, I am to suppose that a Negotiation has been...
18To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 14 October 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society From the Sight of this hand writing, you will, I dare say, expect some dissertation on Military, Political, and in a word on Public Affairs— how far you are from guessing the object of My letter will clearly Appear in a little time. I am not a scavant , My Good friend, I am nothing But a Rough soldier, and would hardly do for a Committee-Man, tho you know...
19To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 2 November 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society With a trüe satisfaction I have seen that the Royal influence in the irish parliament, fell very short of Ministerial expectations, and that some patriots Begin to speack a Bold language, and mention the Blessed words of independency and the Rights of Mankind— In the eyes of people that would be strangers to parliamentary Barking, such Speeches would be...
20To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 9 November 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society We were thinking But of winter quarters for the troops, and preparing every thing for our Return to paris, when an extraordinary Courier Brought us the order of Being Ready to March at a Moment’s Warning— I Need not telling you how surpris’d I was of this Unexpected Resolution that I know to have been taken on a sudden By the Ministry, and I seize the...
21To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 10 November 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society This letter will be delivered to Your Excellency By Mr. Smith who in compagny with Mr. Watts came from Virginia on commercial Business in which they have for a partner a good friend of Mine Bre [Brigadier] General Scott— Those two Gentlemen I Beg leave to present and most particularly to Reccommend to Yr Excellency that they Might apply themselves to You on...
22To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [6 December 1779] (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I told what you know as Coming from Myself, and the Answer has been that some thing would be done that way—being ask’d what You had Said to me on that affair, I Answerd that we had spoken on it in General terms, But in the same time thought proper most strongly to urge on a speedy supply. They are Before all waiting for intelligences from Count Destaing and...
23To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 24 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I don’t loose Any time in informing You that mde de Lafayette is happily deliver’d of a son, and too much depend on your friendship not to be Certain that You will be pleas’d with the intelligence— The Boy shall be Call’d George , and you will easily Gess that he bears that Name as a tribute of Respect and love for my dear friend Gnl Washington. I Beg you...
24To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 9 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society According to an appointement I had Requested from Mr. De Montbarrey, I had last Morning a Conversation With that Minister, wherein I did Earnestly urge the Necessity of sending from the Royal Magazines to America, fifteen thousands Stands of Arms and a large Quantity of powder— I Can’t say My Endeavours, tho’ Exerted to the Best of My Power, have met with...
25To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 10 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society From a Ministerial letter I just Receive from Versaïlles I Begin to hope that My little Negotiation will take a Good turn, and as I Made it my point to succeed in this affair, No exertions will be untried for the purpose— I should, My Good friend, have done Myself the honor of Waïting on You this Morning, was I Not seiz’d By A Violent Cold, Which I the more...
26To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 24 February 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society According to the letter your Grand son wrote me last Morning I have obtain’d from the Ministry that the four thousand Compleat Cloathes would be Carried on Board of the frigatte that is ordered to Carry me to America— so that if they are at Rochefort, la Rochelle, l’isle d aix or l’isle de Rhé By the Second of the next month they will be taken on Board— I...
27To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, 29 February 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society In Consequence of the Assent that Your excellency was pleas’d to honor My Request with, I’ll Beg your obliging help positively to fix My ideas on some Affairs Relating to our Army, in which I had the happiness of Acting as one of Your Agents at the Court of Versailles. From Both Ministers of the War and of foreign Affairs I Got the Most positive Assurance...
28To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, [4 March 1780] (Franklin Papers)
AL : American Philosophical Society I am for the last time Going to Versaïlles, My Good friend, and Any Command from You on this occasion will be very well Come— As I am in a great hurry for My departure, Be so kind as to let me know if You want me to Come to Your lodgings to Morrow at ten o’clock or if you choose Better to Call here. If it is equal to you, I’d thank you for your dispatches...
29To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 20 March 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society We are Again Going to Sail, But no News about our cloathing— What is Become of it, I Cannot Guess, and am extremely sorry that they are not Arriv’d— I hope the Whole will be soon Sent to America, and this intelligence will I dare Say Be very Agreable to the Army. In Wishing You A Good health, and the accomplishment of any thing You May desire, in Wishing...
30To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis de Lafayette, 9 October 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I Wish it was in My power to Give you some Grand intelligence from this part of the world—But Considering the Naval Superiority which the Ennemy have hitherto kept on our Coasts, You will not wonder at our finding it Rather difficult to Cooperate against Maritime points, or such points as are at an immence distance from us. The Arrival of the french Succour...