John Laurens, (born October 28, 1754, Charleston, South Carolina [U.S.]—died August 27, 1782, Combahee River, south of Charleston), American Revolutionary War officer who served as aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington. He was the son of Henry Laurens, an American statesman who aligned himself with the patriot cause at an early date. John was educated in England, and when he returned to America in 1777 he joined Washington’s “military family” alongside Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette.