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Orange marker pays tribute to Lafayette
Sign dedicated in honor of French general from Revolutionary War
Date published: 10/26/2009
By CLINT SCHEMMER A little more than two centuries after the fact, the Marquis de Lafayette is finally getting an official nod in Orange County.
He helped keep the British from sawing America in half, a military feat that at least one historian says began in Orange. This weekend at Wilderness Corner, local residents and Virginia heritage groups paid homage to the French general's deeds, dedicating a state historical marker that tells part of the Revolutionary War tale.
"Without the French, we could not have won the war. It's that simple," Bill Simpson, the man behind the new marker, said in an interview yesterday.
Simpson, a Prince William County resident whose great-great-grandfather fought for the South in the Battle of Fredericksburg, said he hopes the roadside sign will help people understand that the region has a deeper history that encompasses two epochal conflicts. "It's not just about the Civil War," he said.
Lee Frame Jr., chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said he appreciates the effort. "It was some history I didn't know. And I'm pleased that we have this marker," Frame said. "It adds to the whole historical nature of this part of the county."
Frame was among the 30-plus people who attended Saturday's dedication of the new marker, which stands beside State Route 20 about a quarter mile south of State Route 3. In addition to Orange, participants came from Fredericksburg, Manassas, Richmond and Whitehall on the Middle Peninsula, among other localities.
The group prayed, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and stood at attention as the color guard of the Virginia chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution carried the U.S. and Virginia flags into place beside the marker as traffic flew past on the highway a few feet away.
It was all to recognize the contributions of Lafayette and his army, which camped nearby on bottomland along Wilderness Run on June 3, 1781. A couple of local citizens, who provisioned the Continental Army troops and fed Lafayette and his fellow officers, received mentions.
Date published: 10/26/2009
Lafayette camping in the Walmart parking lot?
(posted by
mz
, Oct. 26, 2009 9:32 am)
Hey Lee do you think Generals Lafayette and Wayne would mind camping in the Walmart parking lot?
Lafayette camping in the Walmart parking lot?
(posted by
mz
, Oct. 26, 2009 9:31 am)
Hey Lee do you think Generals Lafayette and Wayne would mind camping in the Walmart parking lot?
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