A Buss from Lafayette

An Amazing Twist of Fate!

First of all, Joss exaggerates here as far as Lafayette hating the British. It is true, however, that in 1759, when Gilbert Lafayette was only 2, his soldier father was killed by a cannon ball during the French and Indian War (called the Seven Years War in Europe) at the battle of Minden. In that battle one of the English officers commanding the artillery was William Phillips. Fast forward to near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1781. Phillips, after having been captured with Burgoyne's army at Saratoga in 1777, had been recently exchanged for the American officer, General Benjamin Lincoln. Thus, Phillips was free to go back to the fight. He was sent to join Benedict Arnold (fighting on the British side) in Virginia. As mentioned later in this novel, Lafayette was trying to capture and hang Arnold in Virginia, but was unable to do so. Meanwhile, Phillips developed typhoid fever. As Phillips lay dying, guess whose artillery was shooting cannon balls over the house where he was? (One even hit the house, killing a maidservant.) I don't know if Lafayette realized that Phillips was there, but it seems that Phillips knew it was Lafayette in command of the cannon. He was reputed to have said, ""Won't that boy let me die in peace?" Quite a twist of fate!