Today we tell the story of Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens—a name you won’t find carved on the National Mall, but one that should be there all the same. Laurens was born rich in Charleston, fought poor with Washington, and dreamed big enough to try freeing the enslaved in the middle of a slaveholding revolution. He was fearless to the point of foolishness, brilliant to the point of isolation, and loved his friends with a devotion that still stirs debate. He fought for liberty not just for himself, but for everyone, and he died before he could see what little of it the world would allow. This is the story of John Laurens, the soldier who tried to make freedom mean what it said.