The Marquis
Tuesday, November 24, 2026 · 6:00 PM EST · Charleston Library Society · Charleston, SC
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About this event
While there is no shortage of biographies about the Marquis de Lafayette, this important confidant of the colonies remains one of the most iconic and beloved figures of the American Revolution. We look forward to hosting journalist and historian Mark Leepson on Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from the Idealist General, now launching its second printing with the University of Virginia Press. His focus goes beyond a chronology of his life and more specifically highlights the principled, persistent, and idealistic leadership qualities Lafayette demonstrated, all of which resonate greatly in today’s political landscape. Purchase Tickets HERE! If you are unable to attend the event, but would like to purchase one or more copies, please visit Buxton Books. About the Book The Marquis de Lafayette is an icon of both American and French history. Lafayette: Idealist General, a concise and engaging biography of this captivating figure, was first published in hardcover as part of Macmillan’s World Generals Series, and now available in a paperback edition for the first time from the University of Virginia Press. The book reveals how Lafayette, born in 1757 into an aristocratic French family of warriors, traveled to the colonies at the age of nineteen to fight as a volunteer in the Revolutionary War. Continental Army Major General Lafayette was soon embraced by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who became his lifelong friends. A fearless, accomplished battlefield commander, Lafayette also helped to convince the French court to provide crucial financial and military support to the Americans, which immeasurably aided the defeat of the British. On his return to France, Lafayette played a leading role in the movement to make France a constitutional monarchy. He served as commander of the National Guard during the French Revolution, and as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, opposed Napoleon’s rule. Later, in 1830, he was instrumental in ending the short-lived July…
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