This is an essay assignment that I did in 8th grade on November 10th, 2007. This was my final draft.
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James Armistead Lafayette – Final
As a slave, I didn’t get much freedom and was very bored a lot of the time. I had a lust for adventure. Therefore I offered myself to the American Rebels as a spy. I knew T’was a very difficult and high-risk job, but I felt up to it. When thee is a slave and discriminated against, there isn’t much to lose. I was not guaranteed/offered freedom in return for my services. I volunteered completely.
Oh, I forgot to tell a bit about myself. I am a slave, and a spy for General Lafayette. I had, excuse me please, a somewhat great memory as well as a superb intelligence level. I was, and am, a Patriot and I believe in freedom very strongly. I was twenty-one when I joined the Rebels, and I think I played quite my own part in the American Revolution.
Well enough about why I chose to become a spy. Shall we get into the meat of the story? To begin with, I was a double crosser. I know it sounds like I was bad and that it is a negative word, but I truly was I cannot deny it. I pretended to be a spy for the British while actually spying for the Rebels. I even fed the British fake information on the Rebels strategies and plans of attack. One reason I was picked to do the job, was because I had a very good memory and an “unnatural” intelligence, if I do say so myself. I also had a knack of getting trust easily and fluidly. Nobody ever even suspected me of being a spy on either side. Their trust was of the utmost. Anyways, I was stationed in Lord Cornwallis’s camp, also near Benedict Arnold’s camp, and was regularly in “contact” with the Lord Cornwallis himself who was the General in charge of the camp. This meant I could over-hear conversations and listen to slips dropped by the guards who were not supposed to have said anything at all. Because of this dangerous job I had, I did not record any of what I did, said or anything else that was of importance. If any of the British figured out my secret by reading records they might have discovered, I would have been done for, and quite dead. Obviously that would not have done me or the Rebels any good. Eventually after quite some time, I got the major slip-up I needed and my information led to the defeat of Lord Cornwallis. This was playing a part in the victory of the Rebels on the whole. By finding out when the British were going to move, I was able to alert General Lafayette. His army stationed themselves to hold off Lord Cornwallis. Lafayette captured Lord Cornwallis’s ships in a trap, and defeated them.
After this busy work, I was given a Certificate praising my work (This was given to me by Lafayette himself). I then sent the Certificate to Virginia asking to be set free. However I did not demand to be set free, unless my owner, William Armistead, was paid for his loss (of me). The Virginian Government (delightfully) agreed, and I was set free as well as William Armistead was paid for the loss. It was then that I changed my name to James Armistead Lafayette in honor of these two men that had given me my freedom. I received one more annual pension for my service during the revolution that was usually given to whites. Later on before I became an old and rusty man, I worked to abolish slavery, and opened an estate for Blacks to go to. Overall I affected the defeat of Lord Cornwallis, and helped the Rebels win that one key battle. It helped us win the Revolution.
“So young-lings, how did you like my story?”
“Mr. Lafayette, why were there slaves, that is so mean.”
“Ah child, ask your parents when you are older.”
“My. Lafayette, you are so nice I wish my teacher was like you.”
“Oh remember you can learn a lot from your teacher. Don’t think they aren’t nice. If you look into it you will see your teacher is a nice person.”
“My Lafayette, how did you get so tall?”
“I ate my vegetables.”
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