Born in 1748, Armistead was raised in slavery in New Kent, Virginia. In 1781, Armistead joined the Revolutionary War in the Continental Army under Marquis de Lafayette. Armistead posed as a runaway slave hired by the British to infiltrate British General Charles Cornwallis' headquarters. Benedict Arnold, a turncoat soldier, helped Armistead learn more about the British and helped him return to America undetected. Armistead was now free to travel back and forth between American and British soldiers and helped stopped 10,000 British reinforcements. This was a major aide in Lafayette's and Washington's in Yorktown, leading to the British defeat. However, Armistead was not eligible for emancipation under the Act of 1783 for slave-soldiers because he counted as a "slave-spy." He sent a petition to the Virginia General Assembly and Marquis de Lafayette helped by writing a recommendation for his freedom. In 1787, Armistead was freed and as a thank you to Lafayette, he adopted his surname. James Armistead Lafayette moved a few miles away, bought a few acres of land, and started a family. He farmed until his death in 1830.
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