Which Maryland County Has this Special Connection to France?

Marquis_de_Lafayette_2
Marquis de Lafayette was instrumental in the American Revolution. Painting by Charles Wilson Peale of Lafayette in his Continental Army Uniform.

MACo County Trivia

This week’s question:

Which Maryland County did Marquis de Lafayette visit in 1781 to meet with French troops supporting a Revolutionary War campaign into Virginia?

According to multiple sources, Lafayette was born in south central France to a wealthy family. As a young adult, he became convinced that the American cause in its revolutionary war was noble, and traveled to the New World seeking glory in it. In 1781, troops in Virginia under his command blocked forces led by Cornwallis until other American and French forces could position themselves for the decisive Siege of Yorktown.

As described by one Maryland resident, Lafayette made a splash upon his arrival to this Maryland county seat in 1781,

The divine Marquis de la Fayette is in town, and is quite the thing.

A correct answer will be chosen at random and the winner and answer will be published in next week’s This Week on Conduit Street. Congratulations to Paul Goldsworthy, the winner of last week’s trivia. Goldsworthy is the Superintendent of the Allegany County Roads Division. Kearby answered our county trivia question correctly: Kent County has the smallest population of any Maryland County. In the 2010 census, Kent County had 20,197 residents.