In 1824, an aging Marquis de Lafayette made a triumphant return to the young nation he fought for as a teenager, touring the growing United States from New England to New Orleans. Lafayette's travels included an emotional reunion at Monticello with fellow revolutionary Thomas Jefferson. His twelve-day visit, which was marked by dinners and celebrations, struck many as memorable at the time, including two men enslaved at Monticello for whom, even decades later, Lafayette's visit held special meaning.