WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: James Armistead Lafayette

Episode Date: April 4, 2024

This week, Megan and Alessia travel back to the 18th century to relive the story of James Armistead Lafayette and his vital contribution to the American Revolution.

Welcome to Undetected on Radio Free Hillsdale. Go undercover with your hosts, Alessia Sandala and Megan Lee, as they uncover the stories of spies from every country and time. The most thrilling, yet the most secret of lives in history. Welcome back, everyone. Our spy this week will be taking us to a century whose espionage we haven't explored yet, the 18th century and the era of the American Revolution. Alessia, who is James Armistead Lafayette?

Hey, Megan. It's good to be back this week. James Armistead Lafayette was born into slavery around the year 1748. James spent most of his life on a plantation in New Kent, Virginia. Not much else is known about his life until the American Revolution. There are many gaps in the story of James, but the story becomes much more clear in 1781. James was permitted by his owner to enlist in the army of the Marquis de Lafayette, who was a French aristocrat and a general in the Continental Army.

We don't know whether James was pressed into service or wanted to be. to enlist. Earlier in the war, the British began to offer slaves' freedom if they fought for the British. However, America refused to do the same. James knew he was not gaining freedom and would have to return to his owner, William Armistead, once the war was over. Lafayette decided to use James' status as a slave to create the perfect spy, one that would seem invisible. Lafayette concocted a plan for James to enlist with the British as a runaway slave looking for freedom. James eventually made his way to the headquarters of Lord Cornwallis, the British commanding general in Virginia, where James offered his services.

While acting as a servant for the British, Lord Cornwallis himself asked James a shocking question. Cornwallis actually asked James to be a spy for the British. This was a fantastic opportunity for a spy. James would then have the trust of the British and never be suspected regarding why he was crossing between the American and British lines so much. James would have even greater luck in the British camp. He eventually was assigned to work for a man the Americans wanted to capture more than anything. Benedict Arnold. No way. Wait, Alessia, who was Benedict Arnold asking for our fellow non-history buffs here? Well, Megan, I'm glad you ask. Benedict Arnold was an American war hero. He eventually betrayed his country in an attempt to hand West Point

over to the British. He greatly hurt American morale with his defection to the British and later led British troops in the Southern campaign against the Americans. Well then, we are all rooting for James here. We need this man to be captured. James' greatest achievement was tipping off the Americans that Cornwallis and his army were headed toward Yorktown, Virginia. This seemingly small piece of information, along with the false reports he carried to the British from Lafayette, led to Washington and French General Rochambeau, traveling to Yorktown. Upon their arrival in Yorktown, the Americans and French surrounded the British on land and sea, eventually forcing Cornwallis to surrender on October 19, 1781.

The Battle of Yorktown was the final major battle of the American Revolution. After the war, James returned to slavery and was not freed, even when a Virginia law was passed in 1783, giving freedom to slaves who fought for America, because James had served as a spy. Despite being largely responsible for the victory at Yorktown, James could not partake in the liberty that Americans fought to achieve. The fact that James didn't come out and proclaim his role in the American victory

in hopes to gain freedom goes to show his devotion to his duty as a spy. In 1784, Lafayette wrote to the Virginia legislature and provided the details of James's service. James finally received his freedom in 1788. and he changed his last name to include Lafayette. Once a free man, James purchased a farm that neighbored his former masters in New Kent, Virginia. In 1824, James and Lafayette were reunited in Yorktown, while Lafayette toured the United States for its 50th anniversary.

James Armistead Lafayette died as a free man on his farm on August 6, 1830. What an incredible story. James essentially led one of the most important victories of the first. American Revolution, yet we know so little about him. He served his country with distinction, and the fact that he was recruited to be a double agent reflects James' skill as a spy and the invisibility of slaves at the time. The British never suspected him of being a spy for a second. I'm Megan.

And I'm Alessia. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Undetect. Tune in next week to dive into the story of Pauline Cushman, one of the Civil War's most impressive spies on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7, F. them.