Sometime between 1748 and 1760, James Armistead was born enslaved in New Kent County,

Sometime between 1748 and 1760, James Armistead was born enslaved in New Kent County,

Sometime between 1748 and 1760, James Armistead was born enslaved in New Kent County, Virginia. In 1775, Armistead had his first encounter with the American Revolution when his plantation owner managed the states military supplies.

In 1781, Armistead volunteered his service as a soldier for the Continental Army. First, he had to receive permission from his owner. After gaining his owner’s consent, Armistead was assigned to the forces of Marquis de Lafayette. His first assignment was to carry communications between the French units. Lafayette then realized Armistead’s potential as a spy.

He posed as a runaway slave that was loyal to the British, Armistead gained the confidence of General Benedict Arnold and Charles Cornwallis. It wasn’t long before Armistead had free access to the British headquarters. He served Cornwallis, who ordered him to spy on Lafayette. Armistead was often treated as invisible by the white officers. They openly discussed their raids in front of him, ignoring him as if he were irrelevant. He documented the information, delivered the reports to other American spies, and returned to the British headquarters. His reports led to Lafayette being able to prevent the British from sending reinforcements to the battle at Yorktown. Thereby causing the success of the American and French forces and led to the British surrender. When Cornwallis showed up at Lafayette’s headquarters to surrender, he was astonished to find Armistead already there.

After the war, Armistead returned to his owner. In 1784, Lafayette found him still enslaved and was disturbed by this. Lafayette wrote to the Virginia General Assembly on his behalf. He stated how the war would not have been won without the information that Armistead had gathered. In 1786, Armistead was freed, and he adopted the surname Lafayette. In 1819, Virginia finally granted him a military pension. In 1832, Armistead died a free man.