 It is said that the British general, who paused here on his way to Yorktown, where he would be defeated and surrender, remarked that this spot with its magnificent vista of the James River Valley would make an ideal site for a house.General Lafayette, a French hero of the Revolution, returned to the United States for a grand tour in 1824 and 1825.On November 2, 1824, General Lafayette "left Richmond on his way to Monticello to visit Mr.