BIDDEFORD — One of the greatest heroes of the American Revolution wasn’t American, rather he was French and an upcoming presentation will focus on General Marquis de Lafayette’s legendary visit to Biddeford on June 25, 1825.

Hosted by the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center, the free presentation by French historian Julien Icher will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 at the First Parish Meeting House on Meetinghouse Road in Biddeford.

“The talk will focus on the Marquis de Lafayette’s connection to Maine and the Lafayette Trail,” said Diane Cyr of the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center. “The Lafayette Trail, Inc is a nonprofit organization whose missions are to raise awareness about General Lafayette’s critical role in the founding in the U.S., to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of France and of the US, and to document, map and mark Lafayette’s footsteps during his fourth and last visit to his adopted land in 1824.”

Born in France in 1757 as Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, traveled to the American colonies at the age of 19 in 1777. He was commissioned as a Major General and was introduced to his commander-in-chief, General George Washington, who would become his lifelong friend and mentor. Wounded during the Sept. 11, 1777, Battle of the Brandywine, he later joined Washington and the Continental Army to camp for the winter at Valley Forge.

Lafayette returned to France in February 1779, and he worked with American emissaries Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to help persuade the government of Louis XVI to send additional troops and supplies to aid the colonists. He arrived back in America in April 1780, with the news that 6,000 infantry under the command of the comte de Rochambeau, as well as six ships of the line, would soon arrive from France.

Washington gave Lafayette command of an army in Virginia, and in 1781 he conducted hit-and-run operations against forces under the command of Benedict Arnold. He later chased British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis and his English troops across Virginia, trapping him at Yorktown in late July 1781. A French fleet and several additional American armies joined the siege, and on Oct. 19 Cornwallis surrendered ending the Revolutionary War and ensuring independence for America.

In 1784, Maryland conferred honorary citizenship upon Lafayette, and other American colonies followed suit. The U.S. State Department, however, determined in 1935 that the measures did not result in the marquis becoming a United States citizen following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and that was rectified in 2002, when Lafayette became the sixth foreign national to be given honorary American citizenship by Congress.

Icher, 26, is the president of the Lafayette Trail Inc. A French citizen, he earned a bachelor’s degree with double majors in history and geography, and two master’s degrees in geography and geographic information systems from the French grande ecole ENS de Lyon.

In April 2018, Icher was the youngest member of the French Presidential Delegation accompanying President Emmanuel Macron of France to Washington D.C. for his state visit to the United States. Since July 2018, Icher has traveled more than 22,000 miles following in Lafayette’s footsteps across 25 states and Washington, D.C.

He has developed an online platform, available by visiting www.thelafayettetrail.com, which includes an interactive mapping program representing Lafayette’s journey. In the past year, Icher has delivered more than 30 talks and has made several televised appearances speaking on the subject of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour and his efforts to build upon Lafayette’s legacy.

According to Icher, he’s also worked with many state legislatures across the United States to secure official recognition from the states of the significance of Lafayette’s 1824 visit, and to obtain from state legislatures authorization to work with their transportation departments to erect and maintain Lafayette Trail historical markers.

At the time of his visit to Biddeford and Saco in 1825, Lafayette was considered a hero for his work with General George Washington during the Revolutionary War and the two towns welcomed him with open arms.

He had arrived in Maine. staying first in South Berwick before a cavalcade escorted him to the Cleaves Hotel in Saco. From there he was escorted to the house of Captain Seth Spring in Biddeford, who was a soldier of the revolution, and also fought in the battle of Bunker Hill.

Lafayette dined at Captain Spring’s home on Spring’s Island and attended church in Biddeford on Crescent Street as well.

After partaking of refreshments and visiting with friends in Biddeford, Lafayette was then escorted to the house of Mrs. Thornton of Biddeford, widow of the late Marshal Thornton, who had opened her home to receive him and a large number of men and women from Saco and Biddeford and neighboring towns.  At that gathering he was introduced to Mrs. Thacher of Thomaston, the daughter of General Knox who served with Lafayette in the war, and Mrs. Savage, widow of a revolutionary captain who was personally rewarded for his bravery by Lafayette.

“The public is invited to learn more about Lafayette’s visit to Maine in June of 1825, The Lafayette Trail, and Icher’s efforts to promote the trail in Maine in preparation for the bicentennial celebrations of Lafayette’s Tour in 2024,” Cyr said.

The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization where the community can explore, learn and share information on Biddeford culture, heritage and history.

For more information, visit www.biddefordculturalandheritagecenter.org.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com

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