John Laurens FanClub

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

Today, 236 year's ago, a sleep deprived, feverish, reckless South Carolinian with fucked up suicidal tendencies died besides a river at 3:00 a.m.

For the sake of tradition (?) let's do the same as last year and have a moment of silence for John Laurens,

GOD I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN'T GET SO SAD BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!?

But I'm gonna try to act composed for the sake of this chapter.

John Laurens was a brave, beautiful, reckless and imperfect man. In 1782 he was fighting in South Carolina, trying to free slaves and kicking some British ass, and even though he was present in Yorktown and negotiated the British's surrender himself the war was still not over for him.

Aside from the fact that John was sleep deprived because he was hanging out with some ladies and didn't go to bed until two hours before he had to leave for battle, he also got out of his sickbed to fight. And it's not like he was forced, he wrote to Nathaniel Greene to ask for a command, and that if he was refused one he'd just show up and volunteer either way.

On which is probably the last letter John ever wrote, he told William Jackson (y'all know the guy):

"I am writing to you from a sick bed; but I have just heard that General Greene has ordered a detachment to intercept a party of the British near to Cimbakee.  I shall ask the command, and if refused, I go as a volunteer."

So here we have a reckless, sleep deprived, sick man with suicidal tendencies going into battle, and dying basically at soon as it started.

John was remembered with love by many, Hamilton, his family and friends from the military, the people in South Carolina, but his abolitionist actions were erased by people who would rather just the see picture of the brave son of Henry Laurens.

Which is why we too gotta remember him with love for who he really was, so why don't we all say our favorite John Laurens fact because why not?

(Yes I'm aware I did this for his birthday last year, I'm unoriginal what can I say)

Personally I just love the fact that he just stormed right up to the king of France and demanded money. It's one of my favorite stories.

We could spend today moping about the fact that John died too young and couldn't achieve the great things he was supposed to be destined to do, or we can think about his many achievements, the one he didn't give himself enough credit for, about how he forever left a mark on his friends', on his lovers lives, on his siblings, And we can also think about the fact that if the multiverse theory is true there's an universe out there in which John didn't die and joined Hamilton in politics and they became a kickass duo.

I mean I'm still going to mop around today but that was a nice thought. Because John wouldn't want us to be sad for him.

Rest In Peace, John Laurens. I hope the afterlife is treating you well, whenever that is enjoying paradise or achieving your goals on another life.

Do you guys ever think about the fact that both Hamilton and John died near a river because of a bullet(s) wound?

This post isn't what I planned at all but I got emotional and my plans for it kinda went to hell. I will probably post more things today though, because I'm still sad.