“As Steuben was preparing to leave York, Henry Laurens had suggested to him that he seek out his son, Lt. Col. John Laurens. Twenty-three-year-old Colonel Laurens, an aide on Washington’s staff, had much in common with the older Baron: he was an avid student of the art of war; he embraced the progressive political and social thoughts of the Enlightenment; and he spoke the Baron’s language, and not just in terms of ideals.
“The Baron has learned that you speak French,”
Henry jokingly informed John,
“& that you are not, une Mauvais Garçon.”
The president had judged right. John Laurens fell in love with the Baron on sight. So, too, did Laurens’s best friend and fellow aide, Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton.”
-Paul Lockhart, author of, “The Drillmaster of Valley Forge”
