Then a small boy, Francis became an intense admirer of Lafayette and followed his career closely as the statesman rose to lead his country during the early years of the French Revolution.

Learning that Lafayette was a prisoner of war at the fortress of Olmutz near Olomouc in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), young Huger determined to rescue the international leader in 1794.

After eight months of solitary confinement as a security threat to Austria, Huger was paroled on condition that he return to the United States.

An 1825 ivory miniature of Francis Kinloch Huger, by Charles Fraser, is part of the American collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[9] A selection of Dr. Huger's papers, including letters from Lafayette after the failed caper of 1794, survives in the custody of the South Carolina Historical Society.