John Armistead was La Fayette's companion at the Richmond siege in 1781. He had been collecting intelligence for the Insurgents since a long time. He ensured American victory during the Yorktown Campaign helping La Fayette with the information he had collected as a spy. The Hero of the Two Worlds, proponent of Liberty asked for John Armistead's freedom in 1784. His companion obtained it only in 1787 and thanking his benefactor, he adopted his surname.
The French General had asked George Washington to think about emancipation in 1783. And when he bought a land in Cayenne in 1785 he emancipated 70 slaves.
La Fayette who returned to the United States in 1824 met his old friend in the crowd.
This painting (1783) by Jean-Baptiste Le Paon shows the Marquis de La Fayette with John Armistead at the Battle of Yorktown.
