A collection of fun historical tidbits I’ve come across in the last few years…

Fact 1: Live in a town, city or county named Fayetteville or Lafayette? Chances are your town was named after the French Aristocrat and Revolutionary war hero Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette.  General Lafayette was a close friend of Washington and a Revolutionary War hero that in many ways embodied the ideals of The Revolution.

Fact 2: James Monroe’s wife, Elizabeth Monroe rescued Madame Lafayette from imprisonment during the French Revolution.

Fact 3: Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware and the following battle of Trenton included historical figures Captain William Washington (of Cowpens fame), James Monroe (who was wounded during the surprise attack), John Marshall (the subject of Jefferson’s “Twistification” quote that inspired the name of this blog) and finally Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.

Fact 4: The bayonet was the single most frightening and devastating weapon used against the Americans during The Revolution. American rifles and muskets were not equipped with this military accessory. The infusion of smuggled French arms (like the Charleville musket) eventually helped tilt the balance back to American troops.