this man is believed to be james armistead. james armistead was an enslaved man who worked as a courier for lafayette during the revolution, was a double agent spy feeding false information to the british and relaying that information back to lafayette. it is because of his work that lafayette knew that the british were going to be coming in near yorktown, that lafayette sent the french navy to help secure that blockade. after the war, there was an act called the act of 1783, and that guaranteed that any enslaved man who served combat would be eligible for their freedom. unfortunately, james's work was through espionage irish, not through combat. it meant that he was ineligible. lafayette hears about this when he comes back in 1784. he goes to the state in virginia and he petitions for james's freedom. he writes this it's testimonial. it's copied right here saying that this man named james had essential services to me while i had been ordered to work in the state that he is entitled to every reward situation kind of met up lafa

gratitude to the man who helped fight for his freedom, james chose a new surname, and he went by james armistead lafayette. james attempted to see lafayette in yorktown during his tour, but he was unable to raise enough funds to make the journey so it was in richmond, as lafayette's carriage entered the city a few weeks later, the reunion took place. lafayette saw james in the crowd and he immediately ordered his carriage to stop. he called out james's name and reached out to him, and the two men embraced in the midst of the crowd around the same time, james sat for the only known portrait of his likeness with the artist john bleerssett. and that is a copy of the portrait here on the left hand side, even for free black men the early 19th century. this type portrait wa unusual. it's unclear to how james crosses with artiif lafayette had a hand in their meeting, or perhaps even commissioned the portrait the portrait was widely distributed. it was used on broadsides with four similes of lafayette's declaration of war service, which once again spurred james's story into the collective memory during