Louis Littlepage
Louis Littlepage or Lewis Littlepage (1762–1802) was an American
Biography
The life and career of Lewis Littlepage are remarkable for their reach into so many of the centers of power during the late eighteenth century. Biographies by Curtis Carroll Davis and Nell Holladay Boand follow the trail with many references and excerpts from the original correspondence.
Youth
Littlepage was born on December 19, 1762, in Hanover County, Virginia or New Kent County, Virginia (accounts vary), the son of a prominent citizen, Colonel James Littlepage.[1]
Lewis Littlepage's father, James Littlepage, was the first Clerk of Louisa County, and was elected to the House of Burgesses of Hanover in 1764. Lewis was the elder of two children from his father's second marriage, in 1761, to Elizabeth (Betty) Lewis. After the Colonel's death in 1764, Betty married Lewis Holladay, (who rose to the rank of major during the American Revolution) of Spotsylvania County.[2] This resulted in Littlepage having a half-brother, Waller Holladay (1776–1860), the father of U. S. Representative Alexander Holladay (1811–1877).[3]
Early years
After distinction in studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Littlepage first went to Europe in 1780 [1] under the head of the American delegation to Spain, John Jay.[1] He fought and was wounded in the invasion of Minorca in 1781, while acting as a volunteer aide de camp to the Duc de Crillon. During the sea battle of the Great Siege of Gibraltar, Littlepage was an observer aboard the Spanish fleet; he made extensive notes and sketches that were well received at the Spanish court. The assault that took place however was a huge defeat for the Bourbon allies; Littlepage was on board a floating battery that was sunk, but he was saved.[4] Subsequently in Cadiz, he met the Marquis de Lafayette with whom he journeyed to Paris in 1783. After a bitter dispute with John Jay over a perceived insult, Littlepage left Paris, on an expedition with the Prince of Nassau. He traveled to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, where he observed the Sejm session that took place in Grodno in 1784.[1]
Service to the Polish king
At that meeting he was offered and accepted a post in the
On his return to Europe, Littlepage first met Thomas Jefferson in Paris and subsequently continued on to Poland, where he advanced quickly. He was sworn in as First Confidential Secretary to the King, with the rank of
After successful diplomacy but a blocked mission, Littlepage left France, and joined in the
At the time of the
In 1794 Kosciuszko led a bloody insurrection that surprisingly expelled the Russians from Poland for many months. Littlepage joined in the battle to defend Vilna from the Russians. For his service to the Russians in the Black Sea campaign, the
Final years
In 1795, the year of the
The Emperor Paul I reversed many of Catherine's decisions, probably resulting in Littlepage being promised his backpay in about 1800. Finally, in 1801, he was able to return to America. Since 1786 Littlepage had often corresponded with Thomas Jefferson concerning occurrences and perceptions in Europe. On his return, he went directly to the Federal City to meet with President Jefferson. Thereafter he took up residence back in Virginia.[10][11] Before a year had passed Lewis Littlepage died in Fredericksburg, Virginia on 19 July 1802.[8]
Legacy
Littlepage Collection
Twenty items of clothing owned by Littlepage survived in the collection of The Valentine Museum in Richmond, Virginia, who were gifted the clothes in 1952 by dependents of Littlepage's stepbrother, Waller Holladay. The Littlepage Collection was part of over 300 historic clothing and textile items donated to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation by The Valentine in 2023. The collection is believed to include garments that were created or purchased in Poland during Littlepage's political appointments there. It is now the largest collection of clothing owned by a single known person to exist in The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and includes several richly embroidered suits, waistcoats, sashes, and medals.[12]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 194
- ^ Dora C. Jett, Minor Sketches of Major Folk and Where They Sleep, p. 75 online
- ^ Sarah Travers Lewis, Scott Anderson, Lewises, Meriwethers, and their krhhbin (Genealogical Pub. Co., 1984)
- ^ Henry Howe, Adventures and Achievements of Americans, Geo. F. Tuttle, 1861, Google Print, p.632
- ^ a b c d e Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 195
- ^ Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 196
- ^ a b c d e Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 197
- ^ a b c Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 198
- ^ Longin Pastusiak, Polacy w zaraniu Stanów Zjednoczonych, Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa, 1977, p. 199
- ^ Elkanah Watson, Winslow Cossoul Watson, Men and times of the revolution, Dana and Company, 1856, Google Print, p.112
- ^ Raleigh Travers Green, Philip Slaughter, Genealogical and historical notes on Culpeper county, Virginia, R.T. Green, 1900, Google Print, p.48-50 (public domain)
- ^ "Colonial Williamsburg clothing collection offers glimpse of long-ago fashion — and one man who embodied it". 15 November 2023.
For extensive biographies see the books below and the references therein.
- Nell Holladay Boand, Lewis Littlepage, Whittet & Shepperson, 1970
- Curtis Carroll Davis, The king's chevalier: a biography of Lewis Littlepage, Bobbs-Merrill, 1961
Further reading
- Mieczyslaw Haiman, Polacy wsrod pionierow Ameryki...
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