Lafayette’s Tour of Connecticut
August 20th thru 23rd and September 3rd and 4th, 1824
After a welcome parade and four days of dinners, receptions, and tours in New York City when arriving from France on August 15, 1824, Lafayette and his entourage set out on the first overland journey of the United States tour. The departure date was planned around Lafayette’s acceptance of an invitation to attend the commencement at Harvard on August 25th. The route to Boston was along the Boston Post Road across Westchester County, New York, and through Connecticut and Rhode Island where citizens had the opportunity to greet the great man. After visiting Boston, Lafayette traveled briefly through parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire before circling back through the state of Connecticut and returning to New York City for an engagement on September 5th.
The itinerary of the August 20th through Sept 4th tour was managed by men who had organized Lafayette’s schedule in New York. The Committee of Arrangements, as they were called, traveled with Lafayette on the New England trip, often changing plans on the fly. The committee included four New York Councilmen, as well as former New York City Mayor, Col. Cadwallader David Colden. Newspapers described Col. Colden’s position as manager of the party and “liaison officer” for local municipal officials and town organizers. Colden’s son, David C. Colden, joined the group, possibly as his father’s secretary.
Wikipedia
In addition to scheduling functions with local officials, the Committee of Arrangements was responsible for finding appropriate dining and overnight accommodations for Lafayette and his entourage. The committee was also in constant contact with town organizers along the route informing them of the ever-changing arrival time of the General. During the three and a half days while in Connecticut, Lafayette stopped or passed through more than twenty-five towns where he was greeted by public crowds and military displays. In each town where he stopped, elderly veterans of the Revolutionary War were brought forward to shake his hand. While in Connecticut, according to newspaper reports, in addition to being presented to the public, he was the guest of at least ten large receptions, three dinner parties, and three formal breakfasts held in taverns or private homes. Three of the larger cities conducted him on grand tours of their municipality. Keeping track of this whirl-wind schedule would have been a monumental task for the Committee of Arrangements.
Wikipedia.org
The carriage in which Lafayette traveled to Boston was provided by the Corporation of New York City and accommodated Lafayette with his son, Georges Washington de La Fayette, his valet, Sebastien Wagner, and his personal secretary, Auguste Levasseur. ( National Tour 1824-1825) In addition to the Committee of Arrangements, Lafayette’s party was accompanied by a parade of military escorts, city officials, newspaper reporters, and well-wishers from local communities.
The crowds were not disappointed when they saw Lafayette. Although he was no longer the nineteen-year-old Revolutionary War soldier of fifty years earlier, he still presented an impressionable appearance. One newspaper described Lafayette as “67 years old, but looked younger. About 6 feet tall, vigorous frame, lame in the left knee, which he cannont bend, eyes are lively and penetrating, with a rare simplicity of manners he puts everyone at ease around him. He wears “a scratch” [toupee]. His dress is plain, a blue coat and nankeen pantaloons”.
Wikipedia.org
Newspaper reporters from New York City and the larger Connecticut towns covered the progress of Lafayette’s tour through Connecticut, but many of the smaller towns on the route were only slightly mentioned. In one instance, a reporter from a large New York newspaper admitted that the source of information between New Haven and New London was from “a gentleman” who was following Lafayette. Each town in Connecticut where Lafayette stopped has a story of his visit. Some of the stories can be verified by newspaper reports or documents, but others could possibly be myths or embellishments of true events.
Timeline for Lafayette in Connecticut 1824
August 20, Friday (Times are approximate)
Greenwich 4:00 PM – about 5:00 PM
Stamford 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Norwalk 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Westport 9:30 – passed through town
Fairfield 10:30 PM — 11:30 PM
Bridgeport 11:30 PM – Spent night
August 21, Saturday
Bridgeport Morning – 7:00 AM
Stratford 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Milford 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
New Haven 10:00 AM — 3:00 PM
East Haven 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Branford 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Guilford 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Madison 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Clinton 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Westbrook 9:30 – passed through town
Saybrook 10:00 PM – stayed night
August 22, Sunday
Saybrook Morning – 6:00 AM
Old Lyme 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
East Lyme 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
New London 10:00 AM — 3:30 PM
Norwich 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Jewett City 9:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Plainfield 10:30 PM – Stayed Overnight
August 23, Monday
Plainfield Morning – left for Providence
August 23rd through September 3rd Lafayette toured Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire
Friday, Sept. 3
Stafford Springs Late evening – spent night
Saturday, Sept 4
Stafford Springs Morning – 6:00 AM
Tolland 7:00 AM — 7:30 AM
Vernon 8:30 AM — 9:00 AM
Hartford – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cromwell/Middletown 6:00 – dark when departed for New York City
Connecticut Lafayette Trail 