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I
MOITNT VEENON
ITS ASSOCIATIONS,
HISTORICAL, BIOGRAPHICAL, AND PICTORIAL
BY BENSON J. LOSSING.
ILLUSTUATKI) BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS,
CHIKKLY FUDM ()i;ir.lNAI. UHAWINOS BY THE AUTHOIt, KXOfiAVKO I5V LOSSING & UAIIKITT.
N K \V YORK: V
^V . A . T O ^V ]S^ S TC ISr D c<sr C (> ]VI T >^ IST Y
4 6 WALKER ST \l E E T .
] 8 o 9 .
\
Enteivil. acconliiig to Act of Congress, in the yoar IS.M). by
BENSON J. LOSSING.
In the Clerk's Otflce of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.
C. A. ALVor.ll. Pl;INTKR, NTW YORK.
u
7 fi.
TO HIS
PATRIOTIC COXJNTRYWOIVIEISr,
BY WHOSE EFFORTS
(L be P 0 111 c ail b (To 111 b of ® a s b i ii ci t o u
HAVE BEEN RESCUED
FIIOM DECAY,
Tliis "Vi-liiiTie is Declicated
T II E A U T ir 0 R ,
#
PREFACE
The title of this volume is so fully indicative of its character
that scarcely a word of '' foretalk/' as tlie Saxon expresses it,
seems necessary, except a remark that the work, without pre-
tension to the character of a biography, presents, by the
consecutive arrangement of facts and illusrrations, quite a
complete picture of the Private and Domestic Life of Wash-
ington ; for that life, from his early childhood, was associated
with Mount Vernon.
The following words, explanatory of the origin of the book,
appear ])ruper.
Early in October, 1858, I visited Mount Vernon, and en-
joyed the hospitalities of the mansion for two or three days.
While there I sketched many things with wliich Washington
was associated in life, and, on my return, wrote a narrative
of the visit for Ilaqxrs Xew Mon^ldij 2£wja--'riic^ entitled
Mount Vernon as it Is, illustrating it by engravings from
those sketches.
On the appearance of that narrative, last March, the pub-
lishers of this volume conceived the plan of a more extended
S;
8 P R E F A C K .
account of Mount Yernou and its Associations, and desired
nie to prepare it. As the possession of that estate was to
pass, this year, from the Washington family forever, it ap-
peared to be an appropriate time for the preparation of siicli
a memorial, and I nndertook it. The following pages are the
result.
To make the work more com})lete, I visited Arlington
House and other })laces, where I knew there were objects that
were once at Mount Vernon, and made sketches of them.
Those, and the drawings made for llavper''s Magazine^ and a
few that are in my Field-Booh of the Revolution., are given
in this work.
To those friends who kindly afforded me facilities for form-
ing drawings, and especially to the family of C'olonel Lee, at
Arlingron House, and Mr. John A. Washington, at Mount
Yernon, I here acknowledge my obligations, and tender my
thanks.
B. J. L.
POUGIIKEEPSIE. Autjvsl, 1859.
ILLUSTRATIONS,
V 1. Portrait uf Washington (steel).
"^ 2. Rear View of Mount Vernon in 1786 (steel).
V 3. Frontispiece — View of Mount Vernon.
4. Wasliington's Eook-plaie i;!
5. Cave Castle 15
6. Washington Mortar 1 G
7. Washington's Seal 17
8. Wasliington's Seal-ring. ... 17
9. Washington's Watch-seals 17
10. Fac-simile of signatures of Jane and Mary Wasliington 18
11. Dutch Tile — half the size of the original 20
12. Residence of the Washington Family 21
1 3. Washington's Birth-place 22 -
14. Lawrence Washington 25
1 5. Admiral Vernon , 26
16. The Vernon Medal 28
17. Washington's Telescope 36
18. Pack-saddle 39
19. Leathern Cainp-chest 39
20. Washington's first Head-quarters. 41
21. The Carey lIou.se in 1850 42
22. Mary Phillipse 45
23. Morris's House 4G
24. Daniel Parke Custis 50
25. Mrs. Custis's Iron Chest. . . .... 50
26. Mrs. Washington's Children 52
27. Mrs. Washington at the time of her Marriage 53
28. Chairs once at Mount Vernon'. 55
10 ILLUSTRATIONS.
PACE
29. Custis Anns 60
30. Washington's Gold Pen with Silver Case 6G
31. Fac-simile of Page-headings in Washington's Iiiary 6(j
:V2. Fae-sirnile of ]<aUry in Washington's Diary .- . . 07
33. Mount Vernon Landing G9
34. Ground-plan and Elevation ot Pohick Ciiureii 74
35. Mason L. Weeins 7(5
36. Christ Church, Alexandria 77
37. Pohick Church in 1859 78
38. Pulpit in Pohick Church 79
39. Charles Willson Peale 81
40. Washington's Military Button 81
41. Washington as a Virginia Colonel, at tiie age of fortj- 82
42. Fac-simile of Peale's Receipt 83
43. John Parke Custis 84
44. Patrick Henry 89
45. General Charles Lee 94
46. General Horatio Gates 90
47. Gold Medal awarded to Washington for the Deliverance of Boston 102
48. Hessian Flag taken at Trenton 103
49. British Flag taken at Yorktown 104
50. Count de Rochambeau 107
51. Marquis de Chastellux 109
52. Eleanor Parke Custis 114
53. Washington's Military Clothes 119
54. The Sword and Staff 121
55. Washington's Camp-chest 122
56. Silver Canip-goblet 1 24
57. Washington's travelling Writing-case 125
58. Washington's Tents in their Portmanteaux 126
59. Order of the Cincinnati 129
60. Order presented by French Officers 130
61. Cincinnati Society — Member's Certificate 131
62. Western Front of Mount Vernon in 1858 137
63. Section of shaded Carriage-way ... 140
64. General plan of the Mansion and Grounds at Mount Vernon 141
65. Garden-house 143
66. Century-plant and Lemon-tree . 144
67. View in the Flower-garden at Mount Vernon — the Sago Palm 145
68. Ruins of the Conservatory at Mount Vernon 140
69. Ice-house at Mount Vernon 147
I L L U S T II A T I 0 N S . 11
I'AOE
70. Summer-house at Mount Vernon 148
71. Lafayette.— Painted by C. W. Peule, in 1778 152
72. Masonic Apron wrougiit by llie Marcliioness Lafayette 15H
73. Houdou's Bust of Washington 16;?
74. Iloudon's Statue of Washington 1 G4
75. EHzabeth Parke Custis 168
76. Gr. W. P. Custis when a child 1 69
77. Itnliiin Chiiniicy-pieco 172
78. Tablet on the lefi of Chimney-pieee 173
79. Centre Tablet 173
80. Tablet on tlie riglit of Chimney-piece 173
81. Porcelain Vases 1 74
82. Oolonel David Humphreys . . 181
83. Engraving of Louis XVI 183
84. Washington and Lafaj'ette 1S5
85. Washington's Destiu}^ 186
86. Charles Tliomson 193
87. Travelling Boot-jack 195
88. Ancient entrance to Mount Vernon in 1858 196
89. Bible used at tlie Inauguration of Washington 202
90. Washington's Lepine Watch, Seal and Key 207
91. Washington's last Watch-seal 207
92. Washington's Dress Sword 211
93. Secretary and Circular Ciiair . . 215
94. Destruction of the Bastile 221
95. Key of the Bastile 223
96. Washington's Spy-glass 224
97. Washington's Pistol 226
98. Bust of M. Necker 229
99. Bust of Lafayette 230
100. Washington's English Coach 232
101. Emblazon ng on Washington's Coach 233
102. Picture of a Panel on Washington's Coacii 234
103. Cincinnati China 240
104. Mrs. Washington's China 241
105. Ciiina Butter-bowl and Dish 242 '
106. Wine-coolers and Coaster 251
107. Specimens of Washington's Plate 252 .
108. The Presidential Mansion 253
109. Martha Washington. . 261
1 10. Nelly Cu.stis's Harpsichord 268
12 ILLUSTRATIONS.
TAGF
111. George Washington Lafa^yette 286
112. G. W. P. Custis at the age of seventeen years 29-1
113. Crayon Profile of Washington 29G
114. Crayon Profile of Mrs. Washington 297
115. Washington's Inkstand 300
116. Mural Candelabra 301
117. Ancient Lantern 301
118. Sideboard, Tea-table and Punch-bowl 303
119. Washington's Silver Candlestick 303
120. Morning — a Landscape by Winstanley 305
121. Evening — a Landscape by Winstanley 305
122. Dr. James Craik 318
123. Bed and Bedstead on which Washington died 323
124. Room in which Washington died 324
125. Silver Shield on Washington's Coffin 327
126. Washington's Bier 329
127. The Old Vault in 1858 330
128. General lleury Lee 332
129. McPherson's Blue 334
130. Bushrod Washington 337
131. Westtbrd 338
132. Washington's Marble Coffin 342
133. Lid of Washington's Coffin 342
134. Washington's Tomb 343
135. Washington's Liquor-chest 347
136. Washington's Mirror .347
137. Water-mark 348
138. Washington's Address Card 348
139. Pitcher Portrait 350
MOUIiT YERNON AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
V-
N many an ancient
t/lm volume in the lib-
lsL\ ^'^^^ ^^ Mount Yer-
''^(^K^ jt ^(^'^h while the man-
sion remained in the
possession of the
Washington family,
was the engraved
book-plate of the il-
lustrious j^roprietor,
which displayed, as
usual, the luxme and
armorial hearings of
the owner. The lan-
guage of heraldry
learnedly describes
the family arms of
Washington as ^'^ argent^ two bars gxdes in chief, three mullets
of the second. Crest, a raven, with wings, indorsed 2^ro])ei\
issuing out of a ducal coronet, orP All this may be in-
interpreted, a white or silver shield, with two red bars across
WASHINGTON S BOOK-PLATE.
14 MOUNT VERNON
it, aiul above tliem tJiroe spur rowels, the combination ap-
pearing very much like tlie stripes and stars on our national
ensign. The crest, a raven of natural color issuing out of a
golden ducal coronet. Tlie three niullets or star-ligurcs indi-
cated the hlial distinction of the third son.
Back into the shadowy past six hundred years and more
we may look, and find the name of Washington presented
with "honorable mention" in several counties in England, on
the records of the field, the church, and the state. They were
generally first-class agriculturists, and eminently loyal men
when their sovereigns were in trouble. In that trying time
for England's monarch, a little more than two hundred years
ago, when a republican army, under the authority of a revo-
lutionary parliament, was hunting King Charles the First, Sir
Henry Washington, a nephew of the Duke of Buckinghnn, is
observed as governor of AVorcester, and its able defender
during a siege of three months by the parliamentary troops
under General Fairfax. And earlier than this, when Charles,
as Prince Royal, was a suitor for the hand of the Infanta of
Spain, we find a Washington attached to his person. The
loyal James Howell, who sufi:ered long imprisonment in
Fleet-street Jail because of his attachment to Charles, was in
the train of the Prince while at Madrid ; and -^rom that city
he wrote to his "noble friend. Sir John Nortli," in the sum-
mer of 1623, saviuij:
J-
" Mr. Washingio7i^ the Prince his page y lately dead of a
Calenture, and I was at his buriall under a Figtree behind my
Lord of BristoVs house. A little before his death one Bed
lard, an English Priest, went to tamper with him^ and Sii
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
lo
Edmund Yarncy meeting; him coming; down the stairs ont
of Washington's chamber, tliey fell from words to blows : bnt
they were parted. The bnsiness ^•.•as like to gather very ill
blond, and com to a great hight, liad not Connt Gondamar
quasht it, which I beleeve he conld ]iot have done, nnless the
times liad bin favorable ; for snch is the reverence they bear
to the Chnrch here, and so holy a conceit they have of all
Ecclesiastics, that the greatest Don in Spain will tremble to
ofier the meanest of them any outra2:e or affront."
CAVa CASTLK.
From this loyal family came emigrants to America nine
y^'ars after King Charles lost his head. Tliese were two
1(3
M 0 u X T V ]•: 11 X 0 :m
brothers, true Cavaliers, ^vllo could not brook the rule of
Cromwell, the self-styled Lord Protector of England. They
left their beautiful residence of Cave Castle, north of the
ILuuber, in Yorkshire, and sought more freedom of life in the
virgin soil of the New AYorld. And in later years the repre-
sentatives of the AV^ashingtons and Faii'faxes, who were neigh-
bors and friends in Virginia, found themselves, in political
positions, opposed to those of their ancestors ; that of the
former l)eing the great leader of a republican army, and of
the latter a most loyal adherent of the crown.
The AVashingtons who tirst came to America seem not to
have been possessed of much wealth. They brought with
them no family plate as evidences of it ; for the heiress of the
family had given her hand and fortune to an English baronet,
the master of the fine estate of Studley Koyal, where now the
eldest son of the late Earl of Ripon
resides. It is believed that there is
only one relic of the old AVashington
family in this country, and that is
a small bronze mortar, having the
letters " C. AA^.'' (the initials of Cimon
Wasuingtox) and the date, "1664,"
cast upon it. That mortar is in In-
dependence Hall, in Philadelphia.
The Northamptonshire family, from whom George AVash-
ington was descended, wore the motto seen upon his book-
plate— ExiTus actapkobat: '"The end justifies the means;"
and it was borne and heeded by the line from generation to
generation, until the most illustrious of them all had achieved
the greatest ends by the most justifiable means.
WASHINGTON MOKTAIl.
A X D ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
WASniXGTOX S SEAL.
The annexed engraving is from an impression of General
Yrasliington's seal, bearing his family arms, attached to the
death-warrant of a soldier executed at
Morristown, in 1780. Below it is an
engraving of the face of his seal-ring,
which also bears his arms and motto ;
and also of two watch-seals which he
wore together in early life. Upon each
of the last two is engraved his mono-
gram, one of them being a fac-simile of
his written initials. One of these was lost by "Washington
himself on the bloody field of Monongahela, where Braddoclc
was defeated in 1755 ; and the other by his
nephew, in Yirginia, more than twenty-five
years ago. Both were fomid in the year 1854,
and restored to the Washington family.*
Of all the volumes in the Mount Yernon
library which contain Washington's book-
plate none appears more interesting than
Sir Matthew ■ Hale's Contem,])lations^ Moral
and Divine^ printed at the beginning of the
last century. It is well worn by frequent use ;
for it was from that volume that "Washington's
mother drew many of those great maxims
which she instilled into the mind of her
son, and which had a powerful influence in
SEAL-KI.NG
Washington's
watch-seals.
* Tliis statement is made on the authority of Charles J. Bushnell, Esq., of New
York, whose investigations in numismatic science and kindred subjects have been
careful and extensive. The ensrravings of the seals are copied, by his permission,
from a work of his now in preparation for the press.
2
18
MOUNT y p: R X 0 N
moulding his moral character. U2:»on a fly-leaf of the
volume are written, in hold characters, the names of the
two wives of Augustine Washington, the father of our be-
loved Friend. Tliese were Jane Butler and Mary Bali>.
Their names were written by themselves, the first with ink
that retains its original blackness, and the second with a
color that has faded to the tint of warm sepia.
<2^/7^^^^2^
c^ /7l(U/7y /iwAt'-i
'nd^on^
FAC-SIMILE OF SIGNATURES.
These signatures send the thoughts on busy retrospective
errands to the pleasant mansions and bi'oad and fertile plant-
ations of Virginia, M'hen the (31d Dominion was as loyal to the
second King George of England as to the second King Charles
in the days of Berkeley, almost a hundred years before ; or
when royal governors held vice-regal courts at Williamsburg,
the capital of the Commonwealth twenty years after repub-
lican Bacon's torch had laid old Jamestown in ashes. Espe-
cially do they send the thoughts to the beautiful spot near
the Potomac, half Avay between Pope's and Bridge's Creek, in
Westmoreland, wdiere stood a modest mansion, surrounded by
the liolly and more stately trees of the forest, in which lived
Mary, the mother of the great AVashington.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 19
In the possession of an old Virginian family may be seen a
picture, in which is represented a rampant lion holding a
globe in his paw, a helmet and shield, a vizor strong, and
coat of mail and other emblems of strength and courage; and
for a motto the words, from Ovid, Co'lumqtie iueri. On the
back of the picture is written :
" The coat of arms of Colonel William Ball, who came from
England with his family about the year 1650, and settled at
the mouth of Corotoman River, in Lancaster county, Vir-
ginia, and died in 1669, leaving two sons, William and
Joseph, and one daughter, Hannah, who married Daniel Fox.
William left eight sons (and one daughter), five of whom
have now (Anno Domini 1779) male issue. Joseph's male
issue is extinct. General George Washington is his grandson,
by his youngest daughter, Mary." Here we have the Amer-
ican pedigree of the mother of Washington.
In that modest mansion near the Potomac, of which we
have just spoken, a great patriot was born of a mother eight-
and-twenty years of age, when the popular William Gooch
was royal governor of Virginia ; and in an old family Bible,
in Hanover county, of quarto form, dilapidated by use and
age, and covered with striped Virginia cloth, might have been
seen, a few years ago, the following record, in the handwriting
of the father of that Patriot :
" George Washington, son to Augustine and Mary his wife,
was born y* 11th day of February, 1731-2, about ten in the
morning, and w^as baptized the 3d of April following; Mr.
Beverly Whiting and Captain Christopher Brooks, godfathers,
and Mrs. Mildred Gregory godmother."
Almost three hundred years ago Pope Gregory the Thir-
20
M 0 U N T V E R N 0 N
teenth ordained that ten days sliould be added to the tally of
all past time since the birth of Jesas, to make up some frac-
tional deficiencies in the calendar ; and twenty years after the
above record was made, the British government ordered the
Gregorian calendar, or new style, as it was called, to be
adopted. Tlie deficiency was then eleven days, and these
were added. So we date the birth of Washington, and cele-
brate its anniversary, on the twenty-second instead of the
eleventh of February.
Washington's birth-place was a " four-roomed house, with a
chimney at each end," perfectly plain outside and in. The
d •
DUTCH TILE. — UALF TUB SIZE OF THE ORIfilNAL.
only approach to ornament was a Dutch-tiled chimney-piece
in the best room, covered with rude pictures of Scriptural
scenes ; but around the mansion there were thrift and abun-
dance. George was the eldest of his mother's six children,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
21
and only his infant years were passed nnder the roof where he
first saw the hght ; for fire destroyed the house, and his father
removed to an estate in Stafford county, near Fredericksburg,
and dwelt in an equally plain mansion, pleasantly seated near
the north hank of the Rappahannock River.
■My^
RESIDENCE OP THK WASHINGTON FAMILY.
Of the birth-place of Washington nothing now remains but^
a chimney and a few scattered bricks and stones; and around
it, where the smiles of highest culture were once seen, there is
an aspect of desolation that makes the heart feel sad. Some
decayed fig-trees and tangled shrubs and vines, with here and
there a pine and cedar sapling, tell, with silent eloquence, of
neglect and ruin, and that decay has laid its blighting fingers
22
MOUNT \' I'Hl N 0 N
upon every work of man there. Tlie vault ot" the Washington
family, ^'herein many were buried, is so neglected that some
of the remains exposed to view have been carried away by
plunderers. All around it are stunted trees, shrubs, and
briers ; and near it may be seen fragments of slabs once set
up in commemoration of some of that honored family.
WASHINGTON S BIP.TII-PLACE.
On the spot where "Washiiigton was born, the late George
Washington Parke Custis, a grandson of Mrs. Washington,
placed a piece of freestone in 1S15, with the simple inscrip-
tion :
Here,
ON THE IIth of February, 17;J2,
George Washington was born
"We gathered together," says Mr. Custis, in a published
account, " the bricks of the ancient chimney that once formed
the hearth around which Washington, in his infancy, had
played, and constructed a rude kind of pedestal, on which we
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 23
reverently placed the first stone, commending it to the re-
spect and protection of the American people in general, and
the citizens of Westmoreland in particular." But such re-
spect and protection have been withheld, and that stone is
now in fragments and overgrown with brambles.
In this vicinity lived some of the Lees, always a distin-
guished family in Virginia ; and one of the most intimate of
Washington's friends, in his earliest childhood, was Kichard
Henry Lee, afterward the eminent statesman and patriot.
They were very nearly of the same age, Lee being one month
the oldest. I have before me a copy of a letter written by
each when they were nine years old, and which are supposed
to be among the earliest, perhaps the very first, epistles
penned by these illustrious men. They were sent to me a
few years ago, by a son of Richard Henry Lee (who then
possessed the originals), and are as follows :
EICHAED HENRY LEE TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.
" Pa brought me two pretty books full of pictures he got
them in Alexandria they have pictures of dogs and cats and
tigers and elefants and ever so many pretty things cousin bids
me send you one of them it has a picture of an elefant and a
little Indian boy on his back like uncle jo's sam^, pa says if I
learn my tasks good he will let uncle jo bring me to see you
will you ask your ma to let you come to see me.
" Richard henry Lee."
GEORGE Washington's reply.
" Dear Dickey I thank you very much for the pretty pic-
ture book you gave me. Sam asked me to show him the
24 MOUNTVERNON
pictures and I showed liim all the pictures in it ; and 1 read
to him how the tame Elephant took care of the master's little
boy, and put him on his back and would not let any body
touch his master's little son. I can read three or four pages
sometimes without missing a word. Ma says I may go to see
you and stay all day witli you next w^eek if it be not rainy.
She says I may ride my pony Hero if Uncle Ben will go with
me and lead Hero. I have a little piece of poetry about the
picture book you gave me, but I mustnt tell you who wrote
the poetry.*
"G. W.'s compliments to R. H. L.,
And likes his book full well,
Henceforth will count him his friend,
And hopes many happy days he may spend.
"Your good friend,
" George Washington.
" I am going to get a whip top soon, and you may see it
and whip it."
Augustine "Washington died in the spring of 1743, when
his son George was eleven years of age, and by his last will
and testament bequeathed his estate of Hunting Creek, upon
a bay and stream of that name, near Alexandria, to Lawrence
Washington, a son by his first wife, Jane Butler. It was a
* In a letter to me, accompanying the two juvenile epistles, Mr. Lee writes :
"The letter of Richard Henry Lee was written by himself, and, uncorrected, was
sent by him to his boy-friend, George Washington. The poetical effusion was, 1
have heard, written by a Mr. Howard, a gentleman who used to visit at the house
of Mr. Washington."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIOXS.
25
noble domain of many hundred acres, stretching for miles
along the Potomac, and bordering the estates of the Fairfaxes,
Masons, and other distinguished families.
LAWKliXCE WASHINGTON.
Lawrence, who seems to have inherited the military spirit
of his family, had lately been to the wars. Admiral Yernon,
commander-in-chief of England's navy in thaWest Indies, had
lately chastised the Spaniards for their depredations upon
British commerce, by capturing Porto Bello, on the isthmus
of Darien. Tlie Spaniards prepared to strike an avenging
blow, and the Prench determined to help them. England
and her colonics were aroused. Pour regiments, for service
in the West Indies, were to be raised in the American col-
26
M 0 U X T V l<; II N 0 X
oiiics ; and from Massacliusutts to the Carolinas, the life and
drum of the recruiting sergeant were heard. Lawrence, then
a spirited young man of twenty-two, was among the thou-
sands who caught tlie infection, and obtaining a captain's
ADMIRAL VEKNON.
commission, lie embarked for the West Indies in 1741, with
between tliree and four thousand men under General Went-
worth. Tliat officer and Admiral Yernon commanded a joint
expedition against Carthagena, in South America, which re-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 27
suited in disaster. According to the best authorities not less
than twenty thousand British soldiers and seamen perished,
chiefly from a fatal sickness that prevailed, especially among
the troops who were commanded by General Wentworth.
To that scourge Thompson, in his " Summer," thus touchingly
alludes :
" You, gallant Vernon, saw
, The miserable scene ; you, pitying, saw
To infant weakness sunk the warrior's arm ;
Saw the deep-racking pang, the ghastly form.
The lip pale-quivering, and the beamlcss eye
No more with ardor bright; you heard the groans
Of agonizing ships, from shore to shore ;
Heard, nightly jjlung'd amid the sullen waves,
The frequent corse — while on each other fixed.
In sad presage, the blank assistants seemed.
Silent, to ask, whom fate would next demand."
In the midst of that terrible pestilence the system of Law-
rence Washington received those seeds of fatal disease against
whose growth it struggled manfully for ten years, and then
yielded.
Lawrence returned home in the autumn of 1742, the
provincial army in which he had served having been dis-
banded, and Admiral Yemon and General "Wentworth re-
called to England. He had acquired the friendship and
confidence of both those officers. For several years he kept
up a correspondence with the former, and received from him
a copy of a medal struck in commemoration of the capture of
Porto Bello by Admiral Yernon. This was preserved at
Mount Yernon until Washington's death, and is probably in
possession of some member of the family. The only speci-
tiS
M 0 U X T V E R N 0 N
men of the medal I have ever seen is in my own possession,
from whieh the en";ravin"j was made.
THB VERN'OX MEDAL.
Lawrence intended to go to Enghind, join the regnlar army,
and seek preferment therein ; hut love changed his resolution
and the current of his life, for
"Love rules the court, the camp, the grove,
Aud man below, and saints above."
Beautiful Anne, the eldest daughter of the Honorable Wil-
liam Fairfax, of Fairfax county, became the object of his
warm attachment, and they were betrothed. Their nuptials
were al^out to be celebrated in the spring of 17-1:3, when a
sudden attack of gout in the stomach deprived Lawrence of
his father. But the marriage took place in July. All
thoughts of military life as a profession passed from the mind
of Lawrence, and, taking 230sscssion of his LI un ting Creek
estate, he erected a plain, substantial mansion upon the
highest eminence along the Potomac front of his domain, and
named the spot Mouxt Yeexon, in honor of the gallant
admiral.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 29
In that mansion Lawrence resided until his death, and but
little change was made in its appearance from the time when
it came into the possession of his brother George by inheri-
tance, until the close of the Old "War for Independence. It
has been described as a house of the first class then occupied
by thrifty Virginia planters ; two stories in height, with a
porch in front, and a chimney built inside, at each end, con-
trary to the prevailing style. It stood upon a most lovely
spot, on the brow of a gentle slope which ended at a thickly-
wooded precipitous river bank, its summit nearly one hundred
feet above the water. Before it swept the Potomac with a
magnificent curve, its broad bosom swarming with the grace-
ful swan, the gull, the wild duck, and smaller water-fowl ;
and beyond lay the green fields and shadowy forests of Mary-
land.
When Lawrence was fairly settled, with his bride, in this
new and pleasant home, little George was a frequent and
much-petted visitor at Mount Yernon. His half-brother
loved him tenderly, and after their father's death he took a
paternal interest in all his concerns. Tlie social influences to
which he was subjected were of the highest order. Tlie Fair-
faxes held the first rank in wealth and social position, both
in England and in Virginia ; and the father-in-law of Law-
rence, who occupied a beautiful country seat not far from
Mount Yernon, called Belvoir, was a man of distinction,
having served as an ofllcer of the British army in the East
and West Indies, and ofiiciated as governor of New Provi-
dence, one of the Bermudas. He now managed an immense
landed estate belonging to his cousin, Lord Fairfax, a tall,
gaunt, rawboned, near-sighted man, upon whom had fallen
30 MOUNTVERNON
the snows of sixty winters, and who, made shy and eccentric
by disappointed love in early life, was now in Virginia, and
living at Belvoir, but secretly resolving to go over the Bine
Mountains of the West, and make his home in the deep
wilderness, away from the haunts of men. Tliither he went
a few years later, and in the great valley of Virginia took up
his abode in a lodge at a spot where he resolved to build a
manor-house, in the midst of ten thousand acres of arable and
grazing land, call it Greenway Court, and live, a solitary lord
over a vast domain. But the mansion was never built, and in
that lodge (which remained until a few years ago) the lord of
the manor lived during all the stormy days of the French and
Indian war, and as a stanch loyalist throughout the struggles
of the Americans for independence, until the news came one
day that his young friend Washington had captured Corn-
wallis and all his army. Then, says tradition, he called to his
servant and said, " Come, Joe, carry me to my bed, for I'm
sure it's high time for me to die ! "
" Then up rose Joe, all at the word,
And took his master's arm,
And to his bed he softly led
The lord of Greenway farm.
Then thrice he called on Britain's name,
And thrice he wept full sore,
Then sighed — '0 Lord, thy will be done!'
And word spake never more."
It was early in 1T82, at the age of ninety-two years, that
Lord Fairfax died at Greenway Court, loved by many for his
generosity and benevolence.
Lawrence Washington was also distinguished for his wealth
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 31
and intelligence. He was adjutant-general of his district,
with the rank and pay of major, and at this time was a popu-
lar member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. At Mount
Vernon and at Belvoir the sprightly boy George, who was a
favorite everywhere, became accustomed to the refinements
and amenities of English social life, in its best phases, and this
had a marked influence upon his future character.
There were other influences there which made a deep im-
pression upon the mind of the thoughtful boy. Sometimes
the companions-in-arms of his brother, or officers from some
naval vessel that came into the Potomac, would be guests at
Mount Vernon, and perils by field and flood would be related.
In these narratives Sir William Fairfax often joined, and
related his CKperience in the far-off Indies, in marches, battles,
sieges, and retreats. These fired the soul of young Wash-
ington with longings for adventure, and accordingly, we find
him, at the age of fourteen years, preparing to enter the
Eno-lish navy as a midshipman, a warrant having been pro-
cui^ed.' His brother and Mr. Fairfax encouraged his inclina-
tion and his mother's reluctant consent was obtained. A
vess'el-of-war was lying in the Potomac, and the lad's luggage
was onboard, when his mother received the following letter
from her brother, in England, dated Stratford-by-Bow, 19th
May, 1747 :
"I understand that you are advised and have some thoughts
of putting your son George to sea. I think he had better be
put apprentice to a tinker, for a common sailor betore the
mast has by no means the common liberty of the subject ; f«r
they will press him from a ship where he has fifty shillmgs a
32 MOUNT VERNON
month and make him take twenty-three, and cut, and slash,
and use him like a negro, or rather like a dog. And, as to
any considerable preferment in the navy, it is not to be ex-
pected, as there are always so many gaping for it here who
have interest, and he has none. And if he should get to be
master of a Virginia shij) (which it is very difficult to do), a
planter that has three or four hundred acres of land and three
or four slaves, if he be industrious, may live more comfort-
ably, and leave his family in better bread, than such a master
of a ship can. * * * •» jjg must not be too
hasty to be rich, but go on gently and with patience, as things
will naturally go. Tliis method, without aiming at being a
fine gentleman before his time, will carry a man more com-
fortably and surely through the world than going to sea,
unless it be a great chance indeed, I pray God keep you and
yom-s.
" Your loving brother,
" Joseph Ball."
This letter, without doubt, made the mother decide to act
according to the desire of her heart, for already a friend had
written to Lawrence, " I am afraid Mrs. Washington will not
keep up to her first resolution. « * * * I ^^^
that one word against his going has more weight than ten for
it." She could not expose her son to the hardships and perils
of the British navy, so vividly portrayed by his uncle. Her
consent was withdrawn, and George Washington, with dis-
appointed ambition, returned to school, fell desperately in
love with a "lowland^ beauty" (who reciprocated not his pas-
sion, but became the \mother ^of General Henry Lee), indited
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
sentimental verses, as young lovers are apt to do, sighed for a
time in 1,1 eat unliappiness, and then went to live with his
brother at Mount Vernon, in partial forgetfulness that he had
once dreamed that
" She was his life,
The ocean to the river of his thouglits,
"Which terminated all."
Xow it was that young Washington's real intimacy with
the Fairfax family commenced, and an attachment was formed
between himself and George William Fairfax, his senior by
six or seven years, who had just brought his bride and her
sister to Belvoir.
Young Washington's heart was tender and susceptible, and
that bride's beautiful sister tried its constancy to his first love
very sorely. To his young friend " Eobin," he wrote : " My
residence is at present at his lordship's, where I might, was my
heart disengaged, pass my time very pleasantly, as there is a
very agreeable young lady lives in the same house (Colonel
George Fairfax's wife's sister) ; but as that is only adding fuel
to fire, it makes me the more uneasy, for by often and un-
avoidably being in company with her, revives my former
passion for your Lowland Beauty; whereas, was I to live
more retired from young women, I might in some measure
alleviate my sorrows, by burying that chaste and troublesome
passion in the grave of^blivion." Thus wrote George Wash-
ington before he was (^ixteeu>y ears of age. ^ ^^ I '\ ^'-"'
He was soon taken from these temptations. He was a tall,
finely-formed, athletic youth, and Lord Fairf\ix, who was a
passionate fox-hunter, though old in years, invited liim one day
3
34 MOUNT VERNON
to join him in tlie cliase. His lordship was so charmed with
his jonng friend's boldness in the saddle and enthusiastic
pursuit of the hounds and game, that he took him to his
bosom as a companion ; and many a hard day's ride this
young and old man had together after that, in the forests of
Virginia.
But a more noble, because a more useful pursuit than the
mere pleasures of the chase, now offered its attractions to the
lad. Master Williams had taught him the mysteries of sur-
veying, and the old Lord Fairfax, having observed his prac-
tice of the art at Mount A^ernon, and his extreme care and
accuracy, proposed to him to go to his broad possessions
beyond the Blue Ridge, where lawless intruders were seated,
and prepare his domain for settlement, by running boundary
lines between large sections. Tlie lad gladly acceded to the
proposition, and just a month from the time he was sixteen
years of age, he set off upon the arduous and responsible
enterprise. And to this day a little log-house, near Battle
Town, in Clarke county, is pointed out to the traveller, wherein
the young surveyor lodged ; and in the same county, not far
from Winchester, stood, a few years ago, the lodge of Green-
way Court.
In the wilderness, around the south branch of the Potomac,
the future Leader received those lessons in wood-craft — that
personal knowledge of the country and its dusky inhabitants,
and, above all, that spirit of self-reliance which was ever a
most marked and important trait in his character — which
fitted him for the great duties of a commander.
So satisfactory were young Washington's services on that
occasion, that he received, soon after his return, the appoint-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 35
ment of public surveyor, and upon the records of Culpepper
county may be read, under date of July 20tli, 1T49 (O. S.),
that " Geokge Washington, Gent., produced a commission from
the President and Master of William and Mary College, ap-
pointing him to be surveyor of this county, which was read, and
thereupon he took the usual oaths to his Majesty's person and
government, and took and subscribed the abjuration oath and
test, and then took the oath of a surveyor, according to law."
Part of each year he was beyond the Alleghanies, with no
other instruments than compass and chain, acquiring strength
of limb and purpose for future great achievements, and put-
ting money in his purse at the rate of a doubloon and some-
times six pistoles a day. These expeditions he always remem-
bered as the greatest pleasures of his youth.
After Washington's death, more than fifty years later, the
simple compass and chain and other mathematical instru-
ments of his earlier and later years, were distributed among
his family connections, but only one of them, a small library
instrument, was mentioned in his will, as follows :
" To David Stuart I give my large shaving and dressing
table, and my telescoped
Dr. Stuart married the widow of John Parke Custis, the
son of Mrs. Washington. The telescope is now in possession
of his granddaughter, wife of the Reverend A. B. Atkinson,
of Germantown, Pennsylvania.
And now another and more extended field of action opened
before the young resident at Mount Yernon. Beneath the
roof of that pleasant mansion, toward the spring of 1751, he
received from acting Governor Burwell the commission of
adjutant of his military district, with the rank and pay of
30
MOUNT V J'] R X 0 N
major. It was an acceptable honor. His military si)irit was
kindling; for it had been fanned by old Major Muse, a
fellow-soldier with Lawrence at Carthagena, who was a fre-
WASUINGTON S TKLESCOPE.
quent and welcome guest at Mount Yernon, and bj the stout
Dutchman, Van Braam (who afterward figured ingloriously
in history), wlio had taught him the art of fencing.
Young Washington had scarcely taken his iuitial steps in
the performance of his new duties when he was drawn from
pulilic life. Dark and ominous shadows were alternating
with tlie sweet domestic sunlight ihat smiled so pleasantly
around Mount Yernon. They were cast by the raven wing
of the angel of disease. A hectic glow was upon the cheeks
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 37
of Lawrence Washington, and liis physicians advised him to
iro to the more menial climate of Barbadoes in search of
health. George went with him. It was in bright September,
1Y51, when they sailed, and in dark and stormy January he
returned to tell the anxious wife of his brother that her lovea
one must go to Bermuda in the spring ; for the hectic glow
was growing brighter and his manly strength less. She was
preparing to join him there, when word came that hope's
promises had faded forever, and that her husband was coming
home to die. He came when the bloom of May was upon the
land, and before the close of July he was laid in the grave, at
the early age of thirty-four years, leaving a wife and infant
child.
And now George Washington, a noble youth of twenty,
his fine manly face a little scarred by the smallpox, tliat
seized him while he was in Barbadoes, was at Mount Yernon
as the faithful executor of the last will and testament of his
brother. He was also prospective heir of that whole beau-
tiful domain, Lawrence having left it to his daughter, with
the proviso that in the event of her death that and other lands
should become the property of George. Tliat contingency
soon occurred. Little Jenny died, and George Washington
became the owner of Mount Yernon. Already, by the will
of his father, he was the proprietor of the paternal estate on
the Rappahannock. Now he ranked among the wealthier of
the planters of the Old Dominion.
Tlie development of great and stirring events soon called
Washington to the forests, not with compass and chain, and
rield-book, but with sword and pistol, and diplomatic com-
mission. Then his hero-life began.
38 M 0 U N T V E R N 0 N
For a thousand years a national feud had existed between
Gauls and Britons — French and English ; and their colonists,
seated a little way apart in the Kew World, cherished this
sentiment of utter dislike. It was intensified by jealousy ; for
they were competitors for a prize no less than that of supreme
dominion in America.
The English were planters — the French were traders; and
while the stations of the latter were several hundred miles in
the interior, away from the settlements of the former, on the
seaboard, the equanimity of both parties was quite undis-
turbed. But when, after the capture of Louisburg by the
English, in 1745, the French adopted vigorous measures for
opposing the extension of British power in America ; when
they built strong vessels at the foot of Lake Ontario ; made
treaties of friendship and alliance with the Delaware and
Shawnee tribes of Indians ; strengthened their fortress at the
mouth of the Niagara River, and commenced the erection of a
cordon of fortifications, more than sixty in number, between
Montreal and ]^ew Orleans, the English were aroused to
immediate and efl:ective action, in defence of the territorial
rights conceded to them in their ancient charters. By virtue
of these, they claimed absolute dominion westward to the
Pacific Ocean, south of the latitude of the north shore of Lake
Erie; while the French claimed a title to all the territory
watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries, because they
had made the first explorations and settlements in that region.
The claims of the real owner — the Indian- — were not consid-
ered. It was a significant question, asked by a messenger
sent by sachems to Mr. Gist, agent of the English Ohio Com
pany — "Where is the Indian's land? The English claim it
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
39
all on one side of the river, the French on the other. Where
does the Indian's land lie ? "
At lenirth EnMish traders wdio went to the Ohio resfion
were driven away or imprisoned Lj the Freneh, and the latter
commenced bnilding forts south of Lake Eric. Governor
Dinwiddle, of Virginia, thought these proceedings rather in-
solent, and he sent Major "Washington, then less than twenty-
two years of age, to carry a letter of remonstrance to the
French commander in that region.
Seven persons besides Major Washington composed the
expedition, and among them was Van Braam, Washington's
Diitcli fencing-master, who could speak French fluently, and
went as interpreter. They assembled at Williamsburg, and
made every preparation for a journey of several hundred
miles on horseback, through an unbroken wilderness. They
were furnished by the governor with horses, pack-saddles,
tent, arms, ammunition, a leathern camp-chest, provisions,
PACK-SADDLK.
LEATHEKN CAMP-CHEST.
and every other necessar}^, and on the 31st of October, 1753,
departed for the head-waters of the Ohio. Tlicy made a most
40 MOUNT VERNON
perilous journey, aud, after an absence of seven weeks, Major
"Washington again stood in the presence of Governor Din-
widdie, his mission fulfilled to the satisfaction of all. T^yo
days afterward he returned, first to his niotlier's home, near
Fredericksburg, then to Belvoir, and finally to Mount Yernon,
where he spent a greater portion of the winter and spring of
1754:.
But Major Washington was not allowed to remain long in
seclusion. In the late expedition he had exhibited qualities
too great and useful to be suffered to repose. War with the
French appeared inevitable. The latter continued their hos-
tile preparations in the Ohio region, and a colonial military
force, to be sent thither, was organized in the spring of 1754.
Colonel Joshua Fry was appointed its commander, and Major
Washington his lieutenant.
For a while Mount Yernon appeared like a recruiting
station. At length all preparations were completed, and on
the 2d of April, Major Washington, with the advanced corps,
marched from Alexandria toward the Ohio. After a toilsome
journey of eighteen days, over the Blue Eidge, they reached
the mouth of Wills' Creek (now Cumberland), where Wash-
ington, for the first time, occupied a house for his head-
quarters as a military commander. It was the dwelling of a
pioneer. It has long since passed away, but the pencil has
preserved its features, and now, at the distance of tim.e of
more than a hundred years, we may look upon the portrait of
Washington's fikst Head-Quaeteks.
It is not our purpose to trace the events of AYashington's
life in their consecutive order. We propose to give delinea-
tions of only such as held intimate relations with his beautiful
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
41
WASHINGTON S FIRST HEAD-QUARTEKS.
liome on the Potomac, wliich, for more than forty years, was
to him the dearest spot on the earth.
During the war between the Freiutli and English, that com-
menced in earnest in 1755, when Braddock came to America
as commander-in-chief of the British forces, nntil the close of
the campaign of 1758, when the French and their dusky
allies were driven from the forks of the Oliio, Washington
was almost continually in the public service, and spent but
little time at Mount Yernon. He had been promoted to
Colonel in 1751, but, on account of new military arrange-
ments by the blundering, wrong-headed, narrow-minded Gov-
ernor Dinwiddle, ho had left the service with disgust, and
retired to the quiet of pi-ivate life at Mount Vernon, with a
determination to spend his life there in the pursuits of agricul-
ture— pursuits which he always passionately loved, and
longed for most earnestly when away from them.
General Braddock, an Irish officer of forty years' experience
42
M 0 U N T y E R N 0 N"
ill the army, (tame to America with two regiments early in
1758, and called a council of royal governors at Alexandria,
to arrange a regular campaign against the French. Brad-
dock soon heard, from every lip, encomiums of the character
of Colonel Washington, and he invited him to Alexandria.
Mount Yernon was only a little more than an hour's ride
distant, and Washington, whose military ardor was again
aroused by preparations for conflict, was swift to obey the
summons. From Mount Yernon he had looked upon the
ships-of-war and transports upon the bosom of the Potomac
that bore Braddock and his
troops, and the thought that only
a few miles from his dwelling,
preparations were in progress for
a brilliant campaign, under the
command of one of the most ex-
perienced generals of the British
army, stirred the very depths of
his soul, and made him yearn to
go again to the field.
At the residence of Jonathan
Carey", where Braddock made his
head-cpiarters, the young provin-
cial colonel and the 'veteran gen-
eral first met, at the close of
March. Carey's was then the
finest house in Alexandria, sur-
rounded by a noble lawn that
was shaded by lofty forest trees, and its gardens extending
down a gentle slope to the shore of the Potomac. Now it
THB CAREY HOUSE IN 1859-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 43
btands within the city, hemmed in by buildings and paved
streets, and forms a part of Newton's Hoteh The convention
of governors met in it in April, and there the ensuing cam-
l^aign was planned.
Braddock invited Washington to join his military family, as
aid, with the rank he had lately borne. The mother of the
young colonel hastened to Mount Vernon to persuade him not
to accept it. She urged the claims of his and her own affairs
upon his attention, as strong reasons for him not to enter the
army again, and for two days she held his decision in abey-
ance, for filial obedience was one of the strongest sentiments
of Washington's nature. But it was not strong enough to
restrain him on this occasion — or, rather, God's will must be
obeyed — and he left Mount Vernon for Alexandria, after her
departure for the Eappahannock, and was welcomed into
Braddock's family with joy by Captains Orme and Morris.
On the 9th of July following we behold him upon the
bloody field of the Monongahela, shielded by God's provi-
dence, untouched by ball or bayonet, arrow or javelin, while
carnage was laying its scores of victims around him, and his
commander was borne mortally wounded from the field — we
behold him riding from point to point, bringing order out of
confusion, and leading away from that aceldama the shattered
battalions of the proud army of the morning to a place of
safety and repose. Then he returned to Mount Vernon, weak
fi'om recent sickness and exposure in the field. In his little
library there he wrote to his brother, then a member of the
House of Burgesses at Williamsburg, and thus summed up
his military career :
"I was employed to go a journey in the winter, when 1
44 MOUNT VERNON
believe few or none would have undertaken it, and what did
I get by it? My expenses borne! I was then appointed,
with trifling pay, to conduct a handful of men to tiie Ohio.
What did 1 get by that? Why, after putting myself to a
considerable expense in equipping and providing necessaries
for the campaign, I went out, was soundly beaten, and lost
all ! Came in, and had my commission taken from me ; or, in
other words, my command reduced, under pretence of an
order from home. I then Avent out a volunteer with General
Braddock, and lost all my horses, and many other things.
But this being a voluntarj'^ act, I ought not to have mentioned
it ; nor should I have done it, were it not to show that I have
been on the losing order ever since I entered the service,
which is now nearly two years."
But what wonderful and necessary lessons for the future
had Washington learned during that time !
Mount Yernon saw but little of its master during the next
four years ; for the flame of war lighted up the land from
Acadia, and along the St. Lawrence, away down to the beau-
tiful Cherokee country, in Western Georgia and Carolina, and
Washington was most of the time in camp, except from
December, 1757, until March, 1758, when he was an invalid
at home.
Li February, 1756, we find him, accompanied by two aides,
journeying to Boston, to confer with General Shirley con-
cerning military rank in Virginia. Little did he then think
that twenty years later he would again be there directing a
siege against the New England capital, in command of rebels
against the crown he was then serving !
We find him lingering in New York, on his return. The
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
young soldier, apparently invincible to the mortal weapons
of war, was sorely smitten there by the " sly archer" concealed
in the bright eyes, blooming cheeks, and winning ways of
Mary Phillipse, the heiress of a broad domain, stretching
many a mile alons^ the Hudson. The vouno- soldier lins^ered
MART PHILLIPSE.
in her presence as long as duty would permit, and he would
fain have carried her with him to Virginia as a bride, but his
natural diffidence kept the momentous question unspoken in
his heart, and his fellow aide-de-camp in Braddock's family,
Roger Mon-is, bore away the prize. Mary Phillipse did not
l)ecome the mistress of Mount Vernon, but reigned, as beau-
teous queen, in a more stately mansion on the bank of the
46 MOUNT VERNON
Harlem River, where, twenty years later, Washington, as
leader of a host of Americans, in arms against tlie king, held
his head-qnarters, the master and mistress of the mansion
being proscribed as " enemies to their country ! "
MORRIS S HOUSE.
Bnt, three years later, there was a presiding angel over the
mansion on Mount Yernon. Meanwhile the tramp of steeds,
the clangor of arms, and every sound betokening warlike j)rep-
arations, were heard there, and the decisive campaign ot 1758
was opened.
Washington went to the camp as soon as his health would
permit ; and toward Fort du Quesne, at the confluence of the
forks of the Ohio, quite a large army made its way. Wasting
delays and weary marches consumed the summer time ; and
late in autumn, having traversed deep forests and rugged
mountains, the invading army found rest, beyond the Alle-
ghanies. Colonel Washington, with an advanced guard, took
possession of all that was left of Fort du Quesne, where Pitts-
burg now stands. It had been the prize for Avhich Braddock
contended — the nest from Avhich came the vultures that
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 47
preyed upon the frontier settlements. Over its smoking ruins
the red cross of St. George was unfurled, where for four years
had waved the lilies of France. Then French dominion
ceased southward of Lake Erie ; and the young hero, whose
wisdom, skill, and valor had contributed so largely toward the
accomplishment of that result, returned to Mount Yemen sick
and wearied, fully resolved to leave the army forever, and
seek repose and happiness, usefulness and fair fame, in do-
mestic and civil life.
For these Washington was now prepared. During the
previous spring, while on his way to Williamsburg, from his
camp at Winchester, he had been taught to love one of the
best of Yirginia's daughters; and in the autumn, while he
was making his toilsome march toward Fort du Quesne,
he had been elected a delegate to the Virginia House of
Burgesses.
The story of Washington's love and courtship is simj)le, yet
full of the elements of romance. No words can better tell
that story than those used for the purpose, in after years, by a
grandson of the lady.* "It was in 1758," he. says, "that
Washington, attired in military undress, and attended by a
body servant, tall and militaire as his chief, was crossing
William's Ferry over the Pamunkey Kiver, a branch of the
York Eiver. On the boat touching the southern or New
Kent side, the soldier's progress was arrested by one of those
personages who give the beau ideal of the Virginia gentleman
of the old regime — the very soul of kindliness and hospitality.
* The late George Washington Tarke Custis, the adopted son of Washington.
See Custis's Recollections of Washington. New York, 1859.
48 M 0 U X T V K R N 0 N
It was in vain the soldier urged his business at AYilliamsburg,
important communications to the governor, etc. Mr. Cham-
berlayne, on whose domain the onilitaire had just landed,
would hear of no excuse. Colonel Washington's was a name
and character so dear to all the Virginians that his passing by
one of the old. castles of the Dominion without calling and
partaking of the hospitalities of the host was entirely out of
the question.
"Tlie colonel, however, did not surrender at discretion, but
stoutly maintained his ground, till Chamberlayne bringing up
his reserve, in the intimation that he would introduce his
Mend to a young and charming widow, then beneath his roof,
the soldier capitulated, on condition that he should dine —
only dine — and then, by pressing his charger and borrowing
of the night, he would reach Williamsburg before his Excel-
lency could shake off his morning skunbers. Orders were
accordingly issued to Bishop, the Colonel's body -servant and
faithful follower, who, together with the fine English charger,
had been bequeathed by the dying Braddock to Major Wash-
ington, on the famed and fatal field of the Monongahela.
Bishop, bred in the school of European discipline, I'aised his
hand to his cap, as much as to say, ' Your honor's orders shall
be obeyed.'
" Tlie colonel now proceeded to the mansion, and was intro-
duced to various guests (for Nvhen was a Virginian domicile
of the olden time without guests?) and, above all, to the
charming widow. Tradition relates that they were mutually
pleased on this their first interview. IS^or is it remarkable.
They were of an age when impressions are strongest. Tlie
lady was fair to behold, of fascinating manners, and splen-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 49
didly endowed with worldly benefits. The hero, fresh from
his early fields, redolent of fame, and with a form on which
" ' Every god did seem to set his seal,
To give the vs^orld assurance of a man.'
" The morning passed pleasantly away ; evening came, with
Bishop, true to his orders and firm at his post, holding the
favorite charger with one hand, while the other was waiting
to offer the ready stirrup.
" The sun sank in the horizon, and yet the colonel appeared
not. And then the old soldier marvelled at his chief's delay.
"Twas strange, 'twas passing strange — surely he was not
wont to be a single moment behind his appointments, for he
was the most punctual of all punctual men.' Meantime, the
host enjoyed the scene of the veteran on duty at the gate,
while the colonel was so agreeably employed in the parlor,
and proclaiming that no guest ever left his house after sunset,
his military visitor was, wdthout much difliculty, persuaded to
order Bishop to put up the horses for the night.
" The sun rode high in the heavens the ensuing day, when
the enamored soldier pressed with his spur his charger's side,
and speeded on his way to the seat of government, where,
having dispatched his public business, he retraced his steps,
and, at the "White House, a marriage engagement took place."
That " charming widow" was Martha Custis, daughter of
John Dandridge, whose husband, Daniel Parke Custis, had
been dead between two and three years. He had left her
with two 3'onng children and a very large fortune in lands
and money, the legal evidence of which, in the form of deeds,
mortgages, bonds, and certificates of deposit iu the Bank of
4
50
MOUNT VERNON
DANIEL PAUKE CUSTIS.
England, M'ere contained in a stron<)^ iron box, which is care-
fully preserved by her de-
scendants, at their beau-
tiful seat at Arlington,
on the Potomac, opposite
Washington City.
"And much," continues
the writer we have (pioted,
" hath the biographer
heard of that marriage of
Washington, from the grayhaired domestics who waited at
the board where love made the feast and the Virginia colonel
was the guest.
MRS. CUSTIS S IRON CHEST.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 51
" ' And SO yon remember,' I said to old Cully, my grand-
mother's servant, when in his hundredth year — ' and so you
remember when Colonel Washington came a-courting yonr
young mistress ? '
'"Ay, master, that I do,' said Cully. 'Great times, sir,
great times — shall never see the like again.'
" ' And Washington looked something like a man — a proper
man, hey. Cully ? '
'"Never seed the like, sir — never the like of him, though 1
have seen many in my day — so tall, so straight, and then he
sat on a horse and rode with such an air ! Ah, sir, he was
like no one else ! Many of the grandest gentlemen, in the
gold lace, were at the wedding ; but none looked like the man
himself.' "
The marriage of Washington occurred on the 17th of
January, (6th Old Style), 1Y59, at the "White House," the
residence of his bride, in New Kent county, not far from
Williamsburg. The officiating clergyman was the Keverend
David Mossom, Mdio, for forty years was rector of the neio-h-
boring parish of St. Peter's. Washington was then an attend-
ant member of the House of Burgesses, and for three months,
while official duties detained him at Williamsburg, 'he resided
at the "White House." When the session had ended, he
returned to Mount Vernon, taking with him the future mis-
tress of the mansion, and her two children, John Parke and
Martha Parke Ciistis.
Then commenced that sweet domestic life at Mount Yernon,
which always possessed a powerful charm for its illustrious
owner. He early wrote to his friend, Kichard Washington, in
London :
52
MOUNT V K U N 0 N
MRS. WASHINGTON B CHILDREN.
" I am now, 1 T)elieve, fixed in this seat ^\-itli an agreeable
partner for life, and I hope to find more happiness in retire-
ment than I ever experienced in the wide and hnstling world."
He was then seven-and-twentv years of age, and over six feet
two inches in height, and admirably proportioned. His hair
was a rich dark-brown ; his eyes grayish-bine and expressive of
deep thought ; his complexion florid, and his features regular
and rather heavy.
Washington's wife was tliree months younger than himself.
She was a small, plump, elegantly formed woman. Her eyes
were dark and expressive of the most kindly good nature ; her
complexion fair ; her features beautiful ; and her whole face
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
53
beamed with intelligence. Her temper, tlioiig-li quick, was
sweet and placable, and lier manners were extremely winning.
She was full of life, loved the society of her friends, always
MRS. WASHINGTON AT THE TIME OF HER MARRIAGE.
dressed with a scrupulous regard to the requirements of the
best fashions of the day, and was, in every respect, a brilliant
member of the social circles which, before the revolution,
composed the vice-regal court at the old Yirginia capital.
Washington, at this time, possessed an ample fortune, in-
dependent of that of his wife. His estate of Mount Yemon
he described as most pleasantly situated in " a high, healthy
country ; in a latitude between the extremes of heat and cold,
on one of the finest rivers in the world — a river w^ell stocked
with various kinds of fish at all seasons of the year, and in
54 MOUNT VERNON
the spring with shad, herrings, Luss, carp, sturgeon, etc., in
abundance. The borders of the estate," he continued, " are
washed by more than ten miles of tide- water ; several valuable
lisheries appertain to it ; the whole shore, in fact, is one entire
fishery." Such was the delightful home to which Washington
took his bride in the spring of 1759.
At that time, almost every manufactured article for domestic
use, was imported from England. It is amusing and interest-
ing to observe the difference in the items of orders sent out to
London from Mount Vernon within the space of two years.
First, as a bachelor, Washington orders :
" Five pieces of Irish Linnen.
1 piece finest Cambric.
2 pr. fine worked ruffles, at 20s. a pr.
2 setts compleat slioe brushes.
^ doz. pr. thread hose, at 5.s'.
1 compleat Saddle an"d Bridle, and 1 sett Holster caps, and
Housing of fine Blue Cloth with a small edging of Em-
broidering round them.
As much of the best superfine blue Cotton Velvet as will
make a Coat, Waistcoat, and Breeches for a Tall Man,
with a fine silk button to suit it, and all other neces-
sary trimmings and linings, together witli garters for the
Breeches.
G prs. of the very neatest shoes, viz : 2 pr. double channelled
pumps ; two pr. turned ditto, and two pair stitched shoes,
to be made by one Didsbury over Colonel Beiler's last,
but to be a little wider over the instep.
6 prs. gloves, 3 pairs of which to be proper for riding, and
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
55
to have slit tops ; the whole larger than the middle
size."
A little later, in apparent expectation of a wife at some
future day, the careful bachelor prepares the mansion for her
reception. In September, 1757, he wrote to Richard Wash-
ington, saying:
" Be pleased, ov^er and above what I have wrote for in a
letter of the 13th of April, to send me 1 doz. Strong Chairs, of
CllAIKS ONCB AT MOUNT VERNON.
about 15 shillings a piece, the bottoms to be exactly made by
the enclosed dimensions, and of three different colors to suit the
paper of three of the bed-chambers, also wrote for in my last.
I must acquaint you, sir, with the reason of this request. 1
have one dozen chairs that were made in the country ; neat,
56 M 0 U N T V E R N 0 N
but too weak for common sitting, I therefore propose to take
the bottoms out of those and put tliem into these now ordered,
while tlie bottoms wliich yqu send will do for the former, and
furnish the chambers. For this reason the workmen must be
very exact, neither making the bottoms larger nor smaller than
the dimensions, otherwise the change can't be made. ]>e kind
enough to give directions that these chairs, equally with the
others and the tables, be carefally packed and stowed. With-
out this caution, they are liable to infinite damage."
In 1759 (the year of Washington's marriage), we have
the order of a husband instead of that of a bachelor. The
items are quite different, and were evidently dictated by the
sweet little wife, leaning lovingly, perhaps, upon the broad
shoulder of her noble lord. He directs his friend in London to
send him :
" 1 Salmon-colored Tabby [velvet] of the enclosed pattern,
with Sattin flowers ; to be made in a sack and coat.
1 Cap, Handkerchief, and Tucker [a piece of lace or linen
pinned to the top of women's stays] and Ruffles, to be
made of Brussells lace or Point, proper to be worn with
the above negligee; to cost £20.
1 piece Bag Holland, at 6s. a yard.
2 fine flowered Lawn Aprons.
2 double handkerchiefs.
2 prs. women's white silk hose.
6 pr. fine cotton do.
4 pr Tliread do. four threaded.
1 p. black and 1 p"r. white Sattin Shoes of the smallest fives.
4 pr Callimanco do.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 57
1 fashionable Hat or Bonnet.
6 p. Women's best Kid Gloves.
6 pr. ditto mitts.
^ doz. Knots and Breast Knots.
1 doz. round Silk stay laces.
1 black Mask.
1 doz most fashionable Cambrick Pocket Handkerchiefs.
2 pr. neat Small Scissors.
1 lb Sewing Silk, shaded.
Eeal Miniken pins and hair pins, and 4 pieces Binding
Tape.
Six lbs perfumed powder.
3 lbs best Scotch Snuff.
3 lbs best Violette Strasbourg Snuif.
1 pr narrow white Sattin ribbon, pearl edge.
A puckered petticoat of a fashionable color.
A silver Tabby velvet petticoat.
2 handsome breast flowers.
Hair pins — sugar candy.
2 pr. small silver Ear-rings for servants.
8 lbs Starch.
2 lbs Powdered Blue.
2 oz. Coventry Thread, one of which to be very fine.
1 case of Pickles to consist of Anchovies, Capers, Olives.
Salad Oil, and one bottle Ind'an Mangoes.
1 Large Cheshire Cheese.
4 lbs Green Tea.
10 ffross best Corks.
25 lbs best jar Eaisins.
25 lbs Almonds, in the Shell.
58 MOUNT VERNON
1 hhd best Porter.
10 loaves double and 10 single refined Sugar.
12 lbs best mustard.
2 doz. Jack's best playing cards.
3 gallons of Rhenish in bottles.
100 lbs white Biscuit.
1^ doz. Bell glasses for Garden.
1 more Window Curtain and Cornice.
2 more Chair bottoms, such as were written for in a former
invoice."
Such were Washington's orders for his house at that time.
Tliese items were followed by others pertaining to his farming
operations and the servants upon his estate ; and also medi-
cines for family use.
And now, the mansion at Mount Vernon having an accom-
plished mistress to preside over its hospitalities, and to receive
and entertain some of the best society of Virginia, articles
of taste were introduced to embellish it. In the handwriting
of the master we find the duplicate of an order, as follows :
" Directions fok the Busts. — One of Alexander the Great ;
another of Julius Csesar ; another of Charles XXL of Sweden ;
and a fourth of the King of Prussia.
" N. B. These are not to exceed fifteen inches in height, nor
ten in width.
" 2 other Busts of Prince Eugene and the Duke of Marl-
borough, somewhat smaller.
" 2 Wild Beasts, not to exceed twelve inches in height, nor
eighteen in length.
" Sundry ornaments for Chinmey-piece."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 59
These items indicate the military taste of Washington at that
time, and show his reverence for tlie great military leaders of
whom history had made her enduring records. Many years
later, when Washington had become as renowned as they, the
Great Frederick sent him a portrait of himself, accompanied
by the remarkable words — " From the Oldest General in En-
rope to the Greatest General in the World !"
Two years after his marriage, Washington sent the following
order to Robert Carey, Esq., in London :
" For Master Custis, 8 years old.
" 1 handsome suit of Winter Cloathes.
A suit of Summer ditto, very light.
2 pieces Nankeens with trimmings.
1 silver laced hat.
6 pair fine Cotton Stockings.
1 pr fine worsted ditto.
4 pr. Strong Shoes.
1 pr. neat Pumps.
1 p. gloves.
2 hair bags.
1 piece ribbon for ditto.
1 p, silver Shoe and Knee buckles.
1 p. Sleeve buttons.
A Small Bible neatly bound in Turkey, and John Parke
Custis wrote in gilt letters on the inside of the cover.
A neat Small Prayer Book bound as above, with John Parke
Custis, as above.
1 piece Irish linen, at Is.
3 pr shoes for a boy 14 y'rs old.
ou
MOUNT VERNON
CUSTIS S ARMS.
3 p. Coarse Stockings for do.
2 pr Women's Strong Shoes, size 8.
2 p'r Stockings for do.
50 ells Osnaburgs.
A suit of livery Cloatlies for the above
boy of 14. A hat for do.
"Note. — Let the livery be suited to the
arms of the Custis family."
" For Miss Custis, 6 years old.
" A coat made of fashionable Silk.
A fashionable Cap or Fillet with bib apron.
Ruffles and Tucker — to be laced.
4 fashionable dresses to be made of Long lawn.
2 fine Cambric frocks.
A Sattin Capuchin hat and neckatees.
A Persian quilted coat.
1 pr. pack thread Stays.
4 p. Calamanco Shoes, 6 pr leather ditto and
2 p'r Sattin do. with flat ties.
6 pr fine Cotton Stockings, 4 pr White Wors'd Do.
12 p'r Mitts. 6 p'r Gloves, white Kids.
1 p'r Silver Shoe buckles.
1 pr. neat sleeve buttons.
6 handsome Egrets* different sorts.
6 yds Ribbon Do.
* An Egrctte or Aigrette was an omanient for the head then much used by people
of fashion. They were sometimes made of tufts of feathers, diamonds, etc., but more
frequently of ribbons. In the above invoice both kinds were ordered.
A.ND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 61
1 pr. little Scissors,
3 M (thousand) large pins. 3 M short whites.
3 M Minikens.
1 Fashionable dressed Doll to cost a guinea. 1 Do. at 6s.
A box Gingerbread, Toys & Sugar Images and Comfits.
A neat Small Bible, bound in Turkey, and Martha Farke
Custis wrote on the inside in gilt letters.
A Small Prayer Book, neat and in the same manner.
12 yards coarse green Callimanco.
The above things to be put into a Strong Trunk — separate
from J. P. Custis's, whose will likewise be put into a
Trunk, each having their names.
1 very good Spinet [a small harj)sichord], to be made by
Mr. Plinius, Harpsichord Maker, in South Audley Street,
Grosvenor Square.
" It is begged as a favor that Mr. Carey would bespeak this
instrument as for himself or a friend, and not let it be known y*
is intended for exportation.
"Send a good assortment of spare strings to it.
"Books according to the enclosed List — to be charged
equally to both John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis —
likewise one Ream of Writing paper."
These specimens of orders which were sent out annually to
England, are given as glimpses of the domestic arrangements
at Mount Vernon, and the style in which the wealthier Vir-
ginia families, of cultivated tastes, lived before the Eevolution.
It is evident that Washington and his family indulged in all
the fashionable luxuries (not extravagances) of the day, per-
taining to the table and the wardrobe ; and in the absence of
positive proof, these invoices would afford the strongest infer-
62 MOUNT VERNON
eiitial evidences that tliey spent mucli of their earlier years in
the enjoyment of social pleasures.
Washington's Diaries bear still stronger, because positive
testimony to the fact. During some months, two or three
times a week he records the result of a day's sport thus:
" Went a hunting with Jacky Custis, and catched a fox, after
three hours chase. Found it in the creek :" or, " Mr. Bryan
Fairfax, Mr. Grayson and Phil. Alexander came home by sun-
rise. Hunted and catched a fox with these. Lord Fairfax, his
brother, and Colonel Fairfax — all of whom with Mr. Fairfax
and Mr. Wilson of England, dined here." Afterward, two
days in succession : " Hunted again with the same com-
pany."
Still more frequently he noted the arrivall and departure of
guests. One day the Fairfaxes, or Masons, or Thurstons, or
Lees would be there ; and the next day he and " Mrs. Wash-
ington, Mr. and Miss Custis " would " dine at Belvoir." And
so the round of visiting went on. Mount Vernon was seldom
without a guest. The hunting day, which occurred so fre-
quently, generally ended in a dinner there or at Belvoir, a
little lower on the P6tomac — more frequently at the former ;
and the hospitalities of the house were kept up in a style
which none but a wealthy planter could afford. " Would any
one believe," Washington says in his diary of 1768, "that with
a Tinndred a/nd one cows, actually reported at a late enumera-
tion of the cattle, I should still be obliged to buy butter for my
family I "
For Mrs. Washington and her lady visitors he kept a chariot
and four horses, with black postillions in livery ; and these
were frequently seen and admired upon the road between
ANI' ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 63
Mount Yernon and Alexandria, or the neighboring estates.
He took great delight in horses. Tliose of his own stable were
of the best blood, and their names, as well as those of his dogs,
were registered in his household books. When abroad, he
always appeared on horseback ; and as he was one of the most
superb men and skilful horsemen in Virginia, he must have
made an imposing appearance, especially when fully equipped
for the road, with the following articles, which were ordered
by him from London, in one of his annual invoices :
" 1 Man's Kiding-Saddle, hogskin seat, large plated stirrups,
and everything complete. Double-reined bridle and Pel-
ham Bit, plated.
A very neat and fashionable Newmarket Saddle-Cloth.
A large and best Portmanteau, Saddle, Bridle and Pillion.
Cloak-Bag Surcingle ; checked Saddle-cloth, holsters, &c.
A Kiding Frock of handsome drab-colored Broadcloth, with
plain double-gilt Buttons.
A Kiding Waistcoat of superfine scarlet cloth and gold Laxje,
with Buttons like those of the Coat.
A blue Surtout Coat.
A neat Switch Whip, silver cap.
Black Velvet Cap for Servant."
Thus attired, and accompanied by Bishop, his favorite body
servant, in scarlet livery, Washington was frequently seen
upon the road, except on Sunday morning, when he always
rode in the chaise, with his family, to the church at Pohick or
at Alexandria.
Like other gentlemen living near the Potomac, Washington
was fond of aquatic sports. He kept a handsome barge, which.
64 MOUNT VERNON
on special occasions, was manned by black oarsmen in livery.
Pleasant sailing-boats were frequently seen sweeping along the
surface of the river, freighted with ladies and gentlemen going
from mansion to mansion on its banks — Mount Vernon, Gun-
ston Hall, Belvoir, and other places— on social visits.
Washington and his wife frequently visited Annapolis and
Williamsburg, the respective capitals of Maryland and Vir-
ginia. For fifteen consecutive years he was a member of the
Virginia House of Burgesses, and Mrs. Washington spent much
of her time with him at Williamsburg during the sessions.
Both fond of amusements, they frequently attended the theat-
rical representations there and at Annapolis, that entertainment
being then a recent importation from England, the first com-
pany of actors, under the direction of Lewis Hallam, having
first performed in the Maryland capital in 1752. They also
attended balls and parties given by the fashionable people of
Williamsburg and Annapolis, and fi-equently joined in the
dance. But after the Revolution Washington was never
known to dance, his last performance being in a minuet, of
which he was very fond, on the occasion of a ball given at
Fredericksburg in honor of the French and American officers
then there, on their way north, after the capture of Cornwallis,
toward the close of 1781.
But it must not be supposed, that during these years' of his
earlier married life, Washington's time was wholly, or even
chiefly, occupied in the pleasures of the chase and of social
intercourse. Far from it. He was a man of great industry
and method, and managed his large estates with signal indus-
try and ability. He did not leave his farms to the entire care
of his overseers. He was very active, and continually, even
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 65
when absent on public business, exercised a general supervision
of his affairs, requiring a carefully prepared report of all oper-
ations to be transmitted to him weekly, for his insj)ection and
suggestions.
lie was very abstemious, and while his table always fur-
nished his guests with ample and varied supplies for theii-
appetites, he never indulged in the least excess, either in eating
or drinking. He was an early riser, and might be found in
his library from one to two hours before daylight in winter,
and at dawn in summer. His toilet, plain and simple, was
soon made. A single servant prepared his clothes, and laid
them in a proper place at night for use in the njorning. He
also combed and tied his master's hair.
Washington always dressed and shaved himself. The im-
plements he then used have been pi-eserved, as interesting-
relics, in the family of Doctor Stuart, who, as we have ob-
served, married the widow of John Parke Custis, the son of
Mrs. Washington. Though neat in his dress and appearance,
he never wasted precious moments upon his toilet, for he
always regarded time, not as a gift but as a loan, for which he
must account to the great Master.
AVashington kept his own accounts most carefully and me-
thodically, in handwriting remarkal)le for its extreme neatness
and uniformity of stroke. This was produced by the constant
use of a gold jpen. One of these, with a silver case, used by
Washington during a part of the old war for independence, lie
presented to his warm personal friend. General Anthony Wal-
ton White, of K'ew Jersey, one of the most distinguished and
patriotic of the cavalry officers of that war in the southern
campaigns. It is now in the possession of Mrs. Eliza M.
5
(>d MOUNT VKRNON
Kvans, near Brunswick, jS\'W Jersey, the only surviving child
of General White. In or.e end of the silver pen-case is a
sliding tube for a common black-lead pencil, the convenient
" ever-pointed" pencil being unknown in Washington's time.
That was invented by Isaac Hawkins, and patented by him, in
London, in 1802.
WASHINGTON S r.OLD PEN WITH SILVER CASE.
From his youth Washington kept a diary. For many years
these records of his daily experience were made on the blank
leaves of the Virginia Ahnanac, " Printed and sold by Purdie
FAC-SIMILK ()!•■ I'AGK-IIEADING-i I \ W ASIIINOTON's DIAUV.
and Dixon, AVillianisburg.'" They are headed respectively, as
seen in the engraving, M'hich is a fac-simile from one of his early
diaries after liis marriage. Under similar headings in these al-
manacs, and in small blank pocket-books, this man of miglity
labors kept such records, from day to day, for more than forty
3^ears ; and he frequently noted therein minute particulars con-
cerning his agricultural operations, in the stvlc of the sentence
on the next page, which was copied from liis diary for March,
1771.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
Thus rainutelj journalizing his agricultural proceedings,
keeping his own accounts, making all his own surveys, and,
even before the Revolution, having an extensive correspond-
A
fyh<:<,.^ o^^ c^-ytxie^ '^■2.-<S^-p^o c>'<^'^-tr<u-^< e<^
FAC-SIMILE OF ENTEY IN WASHINGTON'S DIARY.
QCr-C-Si)
ence, Washington found much daily employment for his pen.
Tlie labors in his library, and a visit to his stables, usuallv
occupied the hours before breakfast. After making a frugal
meal of Indian cakes, hone}^, and tea or coffee, he would mount
his horse and visit every part of his estate where the current
operations seemed to require his presence, leaving his guests
to enjoy themselves with books and papers, or otherwise,
according to their, choice. lie rode uj)on his farms entirely un-
attended, opening the gates, pulling dc^wn and putting up the
fences, and inspecting, with a careful eye, every agricultural
operation, and personally directing the manner in which
many should be performed. Sometimes the tour of his farms,
in the course of the morning miglit average, in distance, twelve
or fifteen miles ; and on these occasions his appearance was
exceedingly plain. The late Mr. Custis, his adopted son, has
left on record a description of him on one of these occasions, in
68 MOUNT V 1<: R N 0 N
the latter years of liis life, wliieli lie ^uve to a geiiileiuan who
was out in search of Washington :
"You will meet, sir," said young Custis to the in<|uirer,
"with an old gentleman riding alone, in ])lain drab clothes, a
broud-hrimmed white hat, a hickory switch in his haiid, and
carrying an iind)rella with a long staff which is attached to
his saddle-l)()W — that, person, sir, is General Washington.'"*
The umbrella was used to shelter him from the sun, for his
skin was tender and easily affected by its rays.
His breakfast hour was seven o'clock in summer and eight
in winter, and he dined at three. Ke ahvays ate heartily, but
iiyK no e])icnre. His usual bevei'age was small beer or cider,
and Madeira wine. Of the latter he often drank several small
glasses at a sitting. lie took tea and toast, or a little well-
baked bread, early in the evening, conversed with or read to
his family, when there were no guests, and usually, whether
there was com]>any or not, retired for the night at aljont nine
o'clock.
80 carefully did Washington manage his fai-ms, that they
became very ])roductive. Ilis chief crops were wheat and
tobacco, and these were very large — so large that vessels that
came u]) the Potomac, took the tobacco and flour directly from
his own wharf, a little below his deer-park in front of his man-
sion, and carried them to England or tluj West Indies. So
noted were these })roducts for their quality, and so faithfully
were they })ut up, that any barrel of flour bearing the brand of
" George Washington, Mount Veknon," was exempted from
the customary inspection in the Ih'itish West India ])orts.
* •'Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washiiiglon, by his Adopted Son,"
p;ige 168.
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
69
Upon the spot v.-lierc that old Avliarf
once stood, at the foot of a shaded ra-
^^Ile scooped from the high hank of tli^
Potomac, thixmgli Avliich flows a clear stream from a spring, is a
rickety modern strnctnre, placed there for the accommodation
of visitors to Mount Vernon, who are conveyed thither hy a
steamboat twice a week. There may be se^i the same ravine,
the same broad river, the same pleasant shores of Maryland
beyond ; bnt, instead of the barrels of flonr, the (piintals of
fish, and the hogsheads of tobacco which appeared there in
Washington's time, well-dressed men and women — true pil-
70 MOUNT V !<; R N 0 N
g-riiiis to a halluvved shrine, or inoru idle gazers upon the burial
])lace of a great man — throng that wharf as thej arrive and
depart on their errands of patriotism or of curiosity.
And now the dawn of great events, in wdiich Washington
was to be a conspicuous actor, glowed in tlie eastern sky.
From the Atlantic seaboard, where marts of commerce had
begun to spread their meshes (then small and feeble) for the
world's traffic, came a sound of tumult; and the red presages
of a tempest appeared in that glowing orient. At iirst, that
sound was like a low Avhisper upon the morning air, and,
iinally, it boomed like a thunder-peal over the hills and valleys
o^he interior, arousing the inhal)itants to the defence of the
immunities of freemen and the inalienalde rights of man.
Time after time, for the space of a hundred years, the decree
had gone forth from British councils, that the Anglo-American
colonists should be the commercial as well as political vassals
of the crown ; and chains of restrictions upon trade had been
forged by an unwise and unrighteous policy, and fastened
upon the lusty arms of the young giant of the West. And
from time to time the giant, not all unconscious of his strength,
yet docile because loyal, had spoken out mild remonstrances
with deferential woi'ds. These had been heard with scorn,
and answered by renewed otl'ences.
An extravagant administration had exhausted the national
exchecpier, and the desperate spendthrift, too proud to borrow
of itself by curtailing its expenditures, seemed to think nothing
more honorable than a ])lea of bankruptcy, and sought to
replenish its coifers by taking the money of the Americans
without their consent, in the form of indirect taxatir)n. This
was in violation of the great republican postulate, that
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
71
TAXATION AND KKPKKSENTATION ARE INSEPARABLE.
And when the well-known stamp act was signed by the ki)i<i;,
and its requirements and its penalties were proclaimed in
America, the tempest of which we have spoken was aroused.
It swept from the sea to the mountains, and from the moun-
tains to the sea, until those who had sown the wind, weiv
alarmed at the harvest they were reaping.
At Mount Yernon there was a spirit that looked calmly, but
not unconcernedly, upon the storm, and, with prophetic vision,
seemed to perceive upon the shadowy political sky the horo-
scope of his own destiny. Washington was a member of the
Virginia House of Burgesses, and had listened from his seat
to the burning words of Pati-ick Henry, when he enunciated
those living truths, for the maintenance of which the husband-
man of Mount Yernon drew his sword a few years later. His
soul was fired with the sense of opp)ression and the thoughts
of freedom, yet his sober judgment and calculating prudence
repressed demonstrative enthusiasm, and made him a firm, yet
conservative patriot.
Among those who came to Mount Yernon at this time, and
for years afterward, to consult with Washington respecting
public afi'airs, was his neighbor and friend of Gunston Hall,
George Mason, He was six years older than Washington, of
large, sinewy frame, an active step and gait, locks of raven
blackness, a dark complexion, and a grave countenance, which
was lighted up by a black eye, whose glance was felt with
power by those upon whom it chanced to fall. He was one of
the most methodical of men, and most extensive of the Yir-
ginia planters at that time ; and like Washington from Mount
Yernon, shipped his crops from his own wharf, near his elegant
1^2 M 0 U N T Y K R X 0 IST
inausioii of Gunstou Hall. He was proiul, yet extremely
courteous; and while no man eould be a warmer and more
faithful friend than he, his bearing was such as to excite admi-
ration rather than love. His strong mind was thoroughly cul-
tivated, and he was convei'sant with the minute particulars of
English general history, and especially witli the political his-
tory of the English empire. His mind was quick to perceive ;
his judgment equally quick to analyze and arrange; and these
([ualities made him a most skilful statesman. In council he
M'as eminently wise ; in debate he was distinguished for extra-
ordinary ability ; and as a political writer, he was without a
peer in his country, when the rising dispute with Great Britain
was occupying the thoughts of men in both hemispheres.
Such was the man with whom, at Mount Yernon and at
Gunston Hall, AVashington held close conference for many
years, while the flame of the Revolution was slowly kindling.
The storm of the stamp act season passed by, but it was
succeeded by many others. In the intervals AVashington was
engaged in agricultural })ursuits at Alount Vernon, and the
pleasures of social lite. In all the public atfairs of his neigh-
borhood, he was an active participant; and as early as 1765,
the year when the stamp act became a law, he was a vestry-
man of both Truro and Eairfax parishes, in which Pohick in
the country, and C'hrist Church in Alexandiia, were the re-
spective places of worship. In that year his name is appended
to a declaration, with others, that he w^ould "be conformable
to the Doctrines and Discipline of the Church of England, as
by hnv established.'- AVith his name appear those of George
Alason, George AVilliam Fairfax, Edward Payne, Captain
(^harles liroadwater, and more than twentv others.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 73
During the earlier years of his married life, Washiiio-tou
attended Poliick church, seven miles from Mount Vernon,
more frequently than any other. The first church of tliat
name was a frame building, and stood on the south side of
Pohick creek, about tM'o miles from the present edifice.
About the year 1764, it became so dilapidated as to be no
longer fit for use. The parisliioners were called together to con-
sult upon the erection of a new one. Among those assembled
was Washington, and the father of George Mason, then ad-
vanced in years and greatly respected. AVhen the question of
the location of the new church came up for consideration, there
M'as a difiei-ence of opinion. Mr. Mason was in favor of the
old site, and Washington was opposed to it. Mi-. Mason made
a pathetic a[)})eal in favor of the old site, pleading that
tliere was the spot where their fathers luid worshipped, and it
was consecrated by their graves which surrounded it. Wash-
ington and others took the ground that the spot was far less
convenient for the pari>li than a more central one. The sub-
ject took a shape that required more refiection, and a second
meeting was called. Meanwhile, Washing.^on made a careful
survey of the whole neighborhood, marking the place of every
liouse, and the relative distances, on a distinct map. Wlien
the second meeting was held, Mason again appealed to the
sympathies of the people, when Washington appealed to their
common sense, by pimply presenting his map and explaining it
in a few words. His almost mute ai-gument prevailed, and
the site of the present ehurcli was selected.
Preparations were now made for the erection of the new
church, but it was not completed until the year 1773. AVasli-
ington drew tlie ground-plan and elevation (jf the building for
7i
MOUNT VKUNOX
the use of tlie arcliitect, and these (the originals) are before me
while I write. They are very neatly sketched M'ith China ink,
upon good drawing ])aper, and occupy a space thirteen by
fifteen inches square. The engraving is from a carefully
r.ROUXU I'LAN ANU ELIiVATION OF POHICK CHURCH.
drawn copy on a small scale, but shows every, line as seen iu
Washington's drawing.
Of the ministers who officiated at Pohick, theic were none
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 75
more beloved than the Eeverend Lee Massey. He was the
companion of Washington from liis youth, and at his solicita-
tion, and that of Mason, Fairfax, M'Carty, Chichester, and
others of that parish, he was induced to relinquish the profes-
sion of the law, study divinity, and become their pastor. His
speech becoming impaired by the loss of his front teeth, he left
the pulpit, and studied medicine as a means of affording relief
to the poor.
Another clergyman, who officiated occasionally at Pohick
church, after the regular stated services of the Church of Eng-
land had ceased there, was the eccentric Masun L. Weems, the
earliest biographer of Washington. The style of that biogra-
phy was so attractive to the uncultivated readers of his day,
that it passed through some forty editions, and even now it
tinds a sale. His character appeal's to have been a curious
(compound of seriousness and levity, truthfulness and exaggera-
tion, reverence and profanity. He was an itinerant in every
sense of the word. He was a man of considerable attainments
as a scholar, physician, and divine ; and his benevolence was
unbounded. When a boy of fourteen years, he was found
at night teacliing half-clad, halffed children, who gathered
eagerly around him ; and all through life he was ready to
share a crust with the unfortunate. He used wit and humor
freely on all occasions. " Whether in private or public, in
prayers or preaching," says Bishop Meade, "it was impossible
that either the young or old, the grave or the gay, could keep
their risible faculties from violent agitation." He would pray
with the negro servants at night, and fiddle f )r them by the
road-side by day. For many years he was a travelling book-
seller, preaching when invited, hai'anguiug the people at
i6
MOlTNl' VKUNOX
courts, fairs, aiul other pultlic. <:;atlieriiigs, and selling tlie
Bible ont of one luind and Paine's Afjc of Rcn^on. out of the
other, alleging as an ex(uise for the latter ]>erforniance, that he
always carried tlie antidote with the poison. His fund of
MASON L. WliEMS.
anecdote was inexhaustible; and after giving a ])roiniscuous
audience the highest entertainment of fun, he found them ..i
good mood to ]>urchase liis l)ooks. At Mount Vernon he was
always a welcome guest, for Washington loved his goodness
of heart and overlooked his foibles. Mr. AVeems died at
Beaufort, South Carolina, in May, 1825, at an advanced age.
After the Revolution, for reasons not clearly seen, Washing-
ton attended Christ Church, at Alexandria (of which he was a
vestryman), instead of Pohick. Others of the latter ])arish fol-
lowed, and atter a wiiile regular services ceased in that jiai't of
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
< i
the country. Washington owned a pew in Christ Cliurch from
the estabhshment of the parish, in 1764, an<l occupied it con-
stantly after 17^3, until his death. Some of his name have
held ])(»ssession of it ever since. Judge Bushrod Wash in <>t on
OIIRISIT CHURCH, AI.KXANDRIA.
succeeded tlie General in its occupancy, then his uepliew, John
A. Washington, the father of the late proprietor of Mount
Vernon, and lastly, that ])roprietor himself. Christ Church, at
Alexandria, Mas finislied in 1773, and Washington paid the
liighest price for a pew in it.
I visited Pohick Church a few years ago, and found it falling
rapidly into decay. It stands upon an eminence north of
Pohick Creek, on the horder of a forest that extends almost
uninterruptedly to Mount Vernon. Around it are the ancient
oaks of the primeval wood, interspersed with chestnuts and
jtines. It was just at twilight when I readied the old fane, and
after making a sketch of it, I ])assed on to seek lodgings for the
78
MOUNT V 1<: K N 0 X
night. The next day was the Sabhath, and heing informed
that a Methodist meeting was to be held in the ehureh, I
repaired thither at the usual hour, and took a seat in Washing-
ton's pew, near the pulpit. There 1 awaited the slow gathering
of the little auditory. When all had assembled, men and
•«fe
POHICK CHURCH IN 1858.
women and children, white and black, the whole congre-
gation numbered only twenty-one persons. I could not
refrain from drawing a parallel with the scenes of other days
under that venerated roof, when some of the noblest of Vir-
ginia's aristocracy worship})ed there, while clergymen, in sur-
plice and gown, performed the solemn and impressive ritual
of the Clnu'ch of England. Now, a young man, with nothing
to distinguish him from other men but a white cravat, stood as
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
teacher within the old chancel by the side of the ancient coiri-
munion-table. He talked sweetly of Cliristian charity :
" Oil, the rarit}'
Of Christian charity."
and asked the little company to join with hiui in singing ihe
liymn —
"Come, Holy Spirit! Heavenly Dove ! "
When the service was over, I made note, with pen and pencil,
of all within. It was a melancholy task, for decay with its
bnsy fingers was at work all around mc, making sure j^rophe-
cies of the speeedy desolation of a building hallowed l)y associ-
ations with the beloved "Washington. Upon the wall, back of
the chancel, were still inscribed, the Law^ the C/'eed, and the
Lord's Prayer^ upon Avhich the eyes of Washington and his
friends had rested a thousand times. A large proportion of the
panes of glass Avere broken from tlie windows, admitting freely
the wind and the rain, the bats and the
birds. The elaborately wrought jiulpit,
placed by itself on one side of the church,
was sadly marred by desecrating hands.
Under its sounding-board, a swallow had
built her nest ; and upon the book lodge
the fowls of the air had evidently perched.
These things brought to memory the
words of the "sweet singer of Israel" —
" Yea, the sparrow has found a home, and
the swallow a nest for herself, where she
may lay her young, even thine altar, O
Lord of Hosts !"
PULPIT IV POniCK CnUROH.
80 M 0 U N T \ E R N 0 X
III the s])ring of l'i7'2 there was a stranger at Mount Yernon,
in errand and person. lie was one-and-thirtv years of age,
slender in form, witli a sweet and thoughtful face. He was a
native of Maryland, and had been a saddler's a[)prentiee at
Annapohs. the capital of tlie province. In hoyhood he luid
been as beauti+'ul as a girl, and at twenty he was a handsome
young man. At that age he felt spiritual aspirations for the
life of an artist ; and when, two or three years later, he said to
a retired painter who resided a few miles from Annapolis,
" Show me, Mr. Hesselins, hoM' you mix such beautiful tints
for your can\as, and I will give you the best saddle that I can
make," a new world was opening to his enraptured vision.
At that iuoment his true artist life began, for the generous
painter revealed to liim the coveted secret. Then the occupa-
tions of watchmaker, silversmith, carver, and saddler, in which
he had severally engaged, were abandoned for the pursuit
of art, except when stern necessity compelled him to employ
them in earning his daily food. Thus he worked on until a
way was opened for lum to go to England and place- himself
under the instruction of Benjamin West, the great American
painter, then the loved companion of the king. Two years he
remained with West, and in 1769, Charles Willson Peale, the
young artist referred to, returned to his native country and set
up his easel as a pc^rtrait |)ainter at Annapolis and Baltimore
with wonderful success.
The fame of the young paintei* soon reached Mount Vernon,
and he was invited there to delineate, for the first time, the
form and features of the noble "lord of the manor." lie
executed the commission admirably, and produced a tine
poitrait of Washington at the age of forty years, life size, a
AND ITS A S S 0 C I A T I O N S .
81
little more than lialf-leiii^tU, and in the costume of a colonel ot"
the twenty-second rciji^inient of the Virginia Militia. The coat
is blue, with red facings, and bright metal buttons, having the
UHARLKS WIlkLSON PEALE.
number of the regiment ("22") cast upon them. The waist-
coat and breeches are also red, and the sash, a faded purple.
When, in 1797 or '98, Field, an English miniature painter
and engraver of some eminence, visited
Mount Vernon, he slept in a room in which
hung Washington's old military coat. The
painter cut (_)fF one of the buttons, and
brought it away with him, regarding the
transaction as a pious theft, no doubt, be-
cause prompted by veneration for the owner.
That button is now in the possession of John F. Watson, Escp
6
WAMllN(iT()N S
MILITAUT BUTTON".
82
MOUNT VKRXON
tlie venerable annalist of Philadelphia and Xew York, and at
Ill's house in GermantoM'n the annexed sketch of it Avas made.
WASHISCTOX AS A VIP.GIXIA COLONKL AT THE AGE OF FORTY.
Field had a pleasant countenance and fine portly figure. lie
was, on the whole, rather fat, and loved his ease. " When at
Centreville, on the eastern shore of Maryland, in 1798," says
Rembrandt Peale, in a recent letter to a friend, " Field and I
took a walk into the country, after r ain. A wide puddle of
water covered the road beyond the feilce on both sides. 1
climbed the fence and walked round, but Field, fat and lazy,
in good humor paid an old negro to carry him on his shouldei*8
over the water. In the middle of it. Field became so convuls-
ed with laughter, that he nearly shook himself off the old
man's back."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS
88
Field went to Canada, studied theology a little, was ordain-
ed a priest of the Estab-
lished Church, and be-
came a bishop.
The portrait painted by
younu; Peale, at that time,
was the first that was
ever made of Washing-
ton. From the study he
then made, he painted the
fine picture which hung
at Mount Vernon until
the owner's death, and
since that time has graced
the walls of Arlington
House, the home of the
late George Washington
Parke Cnstis. The study
—the really first portrait,
was afterward dressed in
the continental costume.
This remained in posses-
sion of the artist and
his family until the Peah
gallery, in Philadelpnia,
was sold a few years airo,
when it was purchased by
Charles S. Ogden, Esq., in
whose possession it now
I'ests.
FAC-SIMILE OF PKAI.E S KECEIPT
H
M 0 U NT V E H N () X
While at Mount Vernon at tliat time, Peale painted a niiii-
iature of Mrs. Washington, for her son, John Parke Custis,
then a youth of eighteen, for which Washington, as liis
guardian, paid ton guineas, according to a receipt in the
hand-writing of Washington, and signed by the artist, yet
preserved in the family.
JOHN PARKK CUSTIS.
Peale's miniatures were exquisitely painted, and very much
sought after. A few years later he painted a portrait, ni
miniature, of young Ciistis, M'ho was then General Washing-
ton's aide ; also of his wife, the second daughter of Benedict
Oalvert, of Maryland, a descendant of Lord Baltimore. He
also painted a portrait of that lady, life size, before her nuir-
riage, in which she is re])resented as a beautiful yonng girl in
equestrian costume, the riding-jacket being open in front, and
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 85
on lier head a riding-hat witli a feather. The miniature of
John Parke Custis, from \vliich our engraving was copied, was
in the possession of Mrs. AYashington until her death, and is
now the property of his granddaughter, the wife of Colonel
Robert E. Lee, of Arlington House, Virginia.*
A shadow fell upon Mount Vernon in the spring of 1773.
No cliild had blessed the union of Washington and his wile,
and her two children received the most tender parental care
and solicitude from their step-father. He appeared to love
them as his own. Martha was a sweet girl, of gentle temper,
graceful form, winning ways, and so much a brunette, that she
was called '' the dark lady," Just as she w^as blooming into
womanhood, pulmonary consumption laid its withering hand
upon her. For several months her strength had been failing,
and letters filled with expressions of anxiety went frequentlv
from her mother to Washington, who was engaged in his
duties in the House of Burgesses at Williamsburg. At length
a most alarming letter reached him. He had just made
arrangements to accompany Lord Dunmore, the governor, on
a long tour of observation M-est of the mountains, but he
hastened to Mount Yernon. He found the dear child in the
last moments of earthly life. His manly spirit was bowed
with grief, and with deep feeling he knelt at the side of her
bed and prayed most earnestly for her recovery. Upon the
wings of that holy prayer her spirit ascended, and when he
arose and looked upon her pale and placid face. Death had
set its seal there. She expired on the nineteenth of June,
* Mr. Peale painted many other portraits of Washington, life size and In minia-
ture. For an account of these, see note to tlie chapter on Washington's Portraits,
in Custis's Recollections and Private Memoirs of Wa'ihington.
86 M 0 U N T V K R N 0 N
when in the seventeenth year of her age. Iler departure left
a great void in the heart of the mother, and Washington
remained for some time at Mount Yernou, in seclusion, to con-
sole his afflicted wife, instead of taking the contemplated
journey with the governor.
And now tlie flames of the Revolution were rapidly kind-
ling all over the land. The representatives of royal authority
had been buff'eted in Boston, and acts of parliament had been
set at naught, in such manner, that an indignant decree went
forth from the throne, that the port of the New England capital
should be shut, and the entire machinery of the colonial gov-
ernment be clogged, until the people there should show prac-
tical signs of penitence for their political sins. The people
defied the ministerial power, and laughed at ministerial
anathemas. Tlien a new governor, with armed soldiers, took
possession of Boston, and, with iron heel, crushed its commerce
and its prosperity.
Hot was the indignation of the colonists over the length and
breadth of the land, and to every stroke of resistance given by
the people of Massachusetts, tln)se of Virginia abetted and
gave loud acclamations of applause. For ten long years the
people, in separate communities, liad petitioned and remon-
strated in vain. Now there was a universal desire for unity of
action, and a Generajl Congress was pro})osed, in accordance
with a suggestion made by Doctor Franklin. It received a
liearty response in every colony, and the 5tli of September,
1774, was the time agreed upon for such congress to assemble,
and Philadelphia the place.
For a long time AVashington had been much engaged in the
discussion of the momentous political questions of the day. lie
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 87
was firm in his opinion, but no enthusiast ; and witli cautious
hut unwaverino; step, lie had walked in the path of opposition
to ministerial measures. He heartily approved of a General
Congress; and when, after the Virginia Assembly, of which
he was a mend)er, had been dissolved by the governor, and
met in informal convention, to consult upon the expedient of
holding another council to elect representatives to a general
congress, he was warmly in favor of the measure. And wlien
that congress met, he was among the delegates chosen for the
important business of conferring, in solemn earnestness, upon
the destinies of a nation.
Washington was now fairly embarked upon the stormy
ocean of political life in troublous times—'' times," as Paine
afterward said, '' that tried men's souls." Vast were the stakes
that he pledged. Life, fortune, honor, and every social enjoy-
ment were all imperilled ; and while his friend and neighbor
of Gunston Hall as warmly espoused the same cause, those of
Belvoir adhered to the crown.
The sports of the chase, social visiting, and almost every
amusement of life now ceased at Mount Vernon. Grave men
assembled there, and questions of mighty import were con-
sidered thoughtfully and i rayerfully, for Washington was a
man of prayer from earliest manhood.
At length the time arrived for the assembling of the national
congress, and from all the colonies, except Georgia, the dele-
gates began to make their way toward Piiiladelphia, some on
horseback, others in coaches or chaises, but none by public
conveyances, for there were few of these even in the most pop-
ulous provinces. Some travelled ^lone, others in pairs ; and
as they approached the Delaware or the Schuylkill, they found
88 MOUNT VKRNON
tliciiiselvcs ill eoiiipaiiies. What a sj:;lori(jiis spectacle ! From
twelve strong viceroyalties, containing an aggregate population
of almost three millions of people, the best and tlie wisest among
them, obedient to the public will, were on their way, through
vast forests, and over rugged mountains, across broad rivers,
and broader morasses, and through richly cultivated districts,
cheerful villages, and expanding cities, to a common goal, there
t(» meet, deliberate, and confederate, tor the welfare, not only
of a continent, but of the world ! It was a moral spectacle such
as had been hitherto unrecorded by the pen of history.
On Wednesday morning, the 31st of August, 177J:, two men
approached Mount Vernon on h(jrseback. One of them was a
slender man, very plainly dressed in a suit of ministei's' gray,
and about tbrty years of age. The other was his senior in
years, likewise of slender form, and a face remarkable for its
expression of unclouded intelligence. He was more carefully
dressed, more polished in manners, and much more fluent in
conversation than his companion. They reached Mount Ver-
non at seven o'clock, and after an exchange of salutations with
Washington and his family, and partaking of breakfast, the
three retired to the library and were soon deeply absorbed in
the discussion of the great questions then agitating the people
of the colonies. The two travellers w^ere Patrick llenry and
Edmund Pendleton. A third, the silver-tongued Cicero of
Virginia, Kicliard Henry Lee, was expected M^ith them, but he
had been detained at Chantilly, his seat in Westmoreland.
All day long these three eminent Virginians were in council ;
and early the next morning they set out on horseback for Phila-
delphia, to meet the patriots from other colonies there. Will Lee,
Washington's huntsman, and favorite bodv servant, now that
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS
80
PATRICK IIEN'RY.
Bisliop had Lecoinc too old and infirm to l)c active, was tin-
only attendant npon liis master. Tliej crossed tlic Potomac
at tlie Falls (now GeoriJ^etown), and rode far on toward Balti-
moi-e, before the twilight. On tlie 4tli of September, the day
betbre the opening of the Congress, they breakfasted at Chris-
tiana Ferry (now AVilmington), and dmed at Chester; and that
m'glit Washington, according to his diary, "lodged at Doctor
Shi])pen's, in Philadelphia, after sni)ping at the New Tavern."
At that honse of public entertaiimient he had lodged nearly
two years before, while on his way to New York to place
young Custis in King's (now Columbia) College.
At ten o'clock on Monday morning, the 5th of September,
1774. the First Continental Congress commenced its sessions
00 MOUNT VERNON
in Carpenter's Hall, in Phihulelpliia. The members lirst
assembled at theCity Tavern, and marched in procession tu the
Hall. They organized the congress by choosing Peyton Ran-
dolph— a large, fleshy, good-looking Virginian, five-and-forty
years of age — as president; and for secretary they ap])ointed
C'harles Tliomson, a lean man, Avith hollow, sparkling eyes,
hair qnite thin and gray, and a year yonnger than the president,
though bearing marks of ])rematnre old age. Tliomson was an
accomplished Pennsylvanian ; and, notwithstanding he aj)-
])eared so old at the age of forty-four, he lived fifty years
longer, while the florid, healthful-looking Ivandolph died the
very next year, within an hour after eating a hearty dinner
at Richard HilTs country seat, near Philadelphia.
The business of the congress Avas opened by Patri(;k Henry,
and the session continued until the 26th of October, when they
had laid the foundations of a new Re})ublic, deep in tlie principles
of Truth and Justice. They debated great questions with the
dignity and wisdom of sages, and, l)y a large majority adopted
the following resolution — a resolution which reafiirmed all pre-
vious resolves of the Americans to fight for freedom rather than
submit to inglorious political servitude:
" Resolved^ — That this Congkess api'kove the oitosition of
THE INHABITANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS BaY TO THE EXECUTION OF
THE LATE AcTS OF PARLIAMENT; AND IF THE SAME SHALL BE AT-
TEMPTED TO BE CARRIED INTO EXECUTION BY FORCE, IN SUCH CASE,
ALL America ougut to support tifem in their opposition.
The Congress closed their important labors by putting forth
some of the most remarkable state papers that ever appeared
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 01
in the annals of the nations. The perusal of them drew from the
Earl of Chatham the most enthusiastic encomiums, in a speech
in the House of Lords. "' When your lordships," he said,
" look at the papers transmitted to us from America ; when you
consider their decency, firmness, and wisdom, you cannot but
respect their cause, and wish to make it your own. For my-
self, I must declare and avow, that in all my readino- and study
of history (and it has been my favorite study — I have i-ead
Tliucydides, and have studied and admired the master states
of the world), that for solidity of reasoning, force of sagacity,
and wisdom of conclusions, under such a complication of cir-
cumstances, no nation or body of men can stand in preference
to the Congress at Philadelphia."
It was in a congress composed of such men that Washington
distinguished himself. Although he did not engage in the
public debates (for he had no talent for extempore speaking),
and his name does not appear in the published proceedings of
the Congress as a member of any committee during the session,
his diary shows tliat he was assiduous in his attendance at
Carpenter's Hall; and there is ample evidence that his mind
had much to do in the general conduct of the business, and
especially in the preparation of the state papers alluded to.
When Patrick Henry was asked, on his return from Phila-
delphia, whom he considered the greatest man in the congress,
he replied : " If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Kutledge of South
Carolina is by far the greatest orator ; but if you speak of
solid information and sound judgment. Colonel Washington
is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor."
When the Congress adjourned, Washington returned to
Mount Vernon, full of desires for a reconciliation with the
92 M 0 U N T V K R N 0 N
parent goveniuient, and for peaeefulness in tlie bosom of
his family ; yet Avithout any well-grounded hope. The hand
of inexorable circumstances was then making many and great
changes in and around his beautiful home. The sunshine
upon the fields, the forests and the river were as bright as ever;
and the flowers bloomed as beautifully, and the birds sang as
sweetly as ever, when another spring came, like the angel of
the resurrection, to call tbrth the sleepers in the bosom of
mother earth. But in the mansion death had left the memorial
footsteps of its reccTit visit ; and the discord of clashing opin-
ions had almost hushed into silence the sw^eet voices of the
social circle in which he had been accustomed to move. His
friend of Belvoir was a loyalist and beyond the ocean ; and
that fine mansion, wherein the Washingtons and Fairfaxes had
lield generous intercommunication for a quarter of a century,
was soon afterward consumed by fii-e. Its owner never re-
turned to America, and the social intercourse of two long-tried
friends was closed forever. George Washington and George
William Fairfax never met again on the earth.
The Congress of 1774, doubtful concerning reconciliation
with Great Britain npon terms to which the colonists could
accede, adjourned, to meet again at the same place on the
tenth of May following, unless the desired redress of grievances
should speedily take place, and render another national coun-
cil unnecessary. But the people, taught by long and bitter
experience, expected no justice from a blinded ministry, and
prepared for inevitable war. They aroused themselves, and
organized into military companies for the purpose of discipline.
Suddenly, as if by magic, a vast army was formed. It was,
as we have elsewhere observed, "strong, determined, generous.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 93
and panting for action, yet invisible to the snperlicial observer.
It was not seen in the camp, the field, nor the garrison. No
drum was heard calling it to action ; no trumpet was sounded
for battle. It was like electricitj, harmless when latent, but
terrible when aroused. It was all over the land. It was at
the plough, in the workshop, and in the counting-room.
Almost every household was its head-quarters, and every roof
its tent. It bivouacked in every chamber ; and mothers, wives,
sisters, and sweethearts made cartridges for its muskets, and
supplied its commissariat. It was the old story of Cadmus
repeated in modern history. British oppression had sown
dragon^s teeth all over the land, and a crop of armed men
were ready to spring up, but not to destroy each other." *
Washington, always covetous of rural pursuits and the quiet
of domestic life, returned from Philadelphia with the intention
of resuming them. But urgent calls to public duty drew him
from them. The volunteer companies of his state sought his
counsel, and offered him the general leadership; and he went
from place to place, reviewing the assembled troops, and
imparting wisdom which he had learned from his military
experience. Meanwhile, his old companions in arms came
frequently to Mount Yernon, for they snuiFed the smoke of
war from afar. Among these, Doctors Hugh Mercer, of Fred-
ricksburgh, and James Craik, of Alexandria, were the most
welcome, for these Washington loved much.
Other men more distinguished also made frequent visits to
Mount Yernon. Among the most famous of these were Gen-
eral Charles Lee and Major Horatio Gates, both of whom had
I
* Lossicg^ Life of Washington, i. 470.
04
il 0 IT N T V K R N 0 N
been officers of distinction in the British army, and were tnen
residents in Virginia. These frequently ac('()ni]»aiiied Wash-
ington in his military excursions ; and during the spring of
1775, they sj)ent much time under his roof.
GENERAL CHARLES LEE.
Lee was a AYelshman, and a year younger than Washington.
He possessed fine manly physical proportions, and a fiery
spirit which nothing, at times, could control. He had been
engaged in the war with the French and Indians in America,
in 1756 and a few succeeding years; and the Mohawks, who
creatt'd him a chief among themselves, gave him the signifi-
cant name of Boiling Waier. Restless and ambitious, he
engaged in the continental wars of Europe, wherever he could
find employment. At one time we find him an aide to the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 05
king of Poland, and then a companion of that king's ambas-
sador to Constantinople. Then we see him in England assail-
ing the British ministry with his sarcastic pen, and by his ill
nature and perverse judgment, shutting every door to his own
advancement. Disappointed and still restless, he came to
America in 1773, and travelled through most of the Englisli
[provinces. In Virginia he met Major Gates, and was induced
l)y that gentleman to purchase an estate near him, in Berkeley
county. There he was residing when the war for independence
was fairly kindling, and he espoused the cause of the patriots
with a zeal that commanded their greatest admiration. He
entered the army as the first major-general under Washington,
became very popular with the great body of the people, and
for awhile disputed a place in their attachment with AVashing-
ton himself. His ambition soon conquered his prudence, and
he became insolent and insubordinate toward his superiors.
With apparent collusion with the enemy, he became a prisoner;
endeavored, while a captive, to betray his adopted country ;
was I'estored to the army by exchange, but soon afterward was
suspended from command because of bad conduct on the field
of Monmouth ; and died in Philadelphia in comparative
poverty, in the autunm of 1782, at the age of fifty-one yeai-s.
He was a brilliant man in many things, but his life exhibited
few commendable traits of (-haracter. He was bad i]i morals
and manners; profane and extravagant in language, and feared
and loved neither God nor man. In his will he Ijequeathed
his soul to the Almighty and his body to the earth, saying:
"I desire most earnestly that I may not be buried in any
church or churchyard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or
Anabaptist meeting-house; for, since I have resided in this
DC)
MOUNT y K R N O K
comitry, I luxve kept so nnieli l)a(l C()in])any when livini;:, tluit
I do not clioose to coiitimio it ^v]lell dead/"
Major Gates was three years the senior of Washington, and
is snpposed to have been a natnral son ot' Horace Walpole.
He was an officer in the British army during the French and
Indian war, and was with Braddock in the hattle of the
Mononirahehi, where he was severely wounded. Tie acconi-
G-£NEEAL HORATIO CATES.
[)anied General Mockton to the West Indies as his aide-de-
camp, and expected great preferment after the campaign was
over, as he was the hearer to the king of the tidings of the
English victory at Martinico. He was disappointed, and, in
1772, he sold his commission of major, came to America, and
pnrchased an estate in Berkeley county, Yirginia, beyond tlie
Blue Ridge.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 97
Gates was the opposite of Lee in his social qualities, being a
perfect gentleman in his deportment. lie, also, espoused the
republican cause at the kindling of the war, was appointed the
iirst adjutant-general of the continental army, and arose to the
rank of major-general. He was ambitious and vain ; and,
during the first half of the war, was seeking to take the place
of Washington as supreme commander of the American armies.
His last active military command was in South Carolina,
in the summer of 1780, where he lost his whole army. He
returned to his estate in Virginia, where he lived until 1790,
and then removed to a farm on Manhattan Island, near the
city of New York. He was a member of the New York
legislature one term, and died in the spring of 1806, at the
age of seventy-eight years.
Washington was at Mount Vernon only a few weeks at a
time, from the summer of 1771 until his retirement from the
army in 178;>. He was in the first continental Congress, as
we have observed, during the autumn of 1774; was absent
upon military services much of the time during the winter of
1775, and was a member of the Virginia Assembly in the
spring, when Patrick Henry made his famous war speech,
which was closed with the burning words : " What is it that
gentlemen wish ? What would they have 'i Is life so dear or
peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and
slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course
others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give mk
DEATH !"
With these words of Henry ringing in his ears, Washington
returned to Mount Vernon, and prepared for a journey to
Philadelphia, there to take his seat as a member of the Second
98 MOUNTVKRNON
Continental Congress, Just at the close of a mild April day,
while he and his neighbor, Bryan Fairfax, with Major Gates,
were discussing the stirring events at Williamsburg, connected
with the seizure of powder belonging to the colony, by the
royal governor, and the bold stand taken by Patrick Henry —
events which were then arousing every republican heart in
Virginia to action — a messeno-er came in haste from Alex-
andria, bearing intelligence of bloodshed at Lexington and
Concord. That intelligence made a deep but widely ditierent
impression upon the minds of the three friends. The gentle
Fairfax, even then inclined to enter the gospel mhiistry, which
he afterward adorned, ^vas drawn, by the ties of consanguinity
and ancestral reverence, to the side of the parent country. He
was much distressed by the tidings from the east, for he per-
ceived the gathering of a cloud of miseries for his country, and
the peril of all pleasant social relations.
Gates, ambitious of military glory, and eagerly looking for
the honors and emoluments of office, for which he liad long
played the sycophant in London, was delighted by this opening
of an avenue to a field of action M'herein they might be won ;
while Washington, communing with the intuitions of his loftier
spirit, became thoughtful and reserved, and talked little, but
wisely, on the subject. But he resolved nobly and firmly to go
zealously into Mdiatever conflicts might ai'ise for the defence
of the liberties of his country. All regarded the event as the
casting away of the scabbard, as the severing blow to colonial
allegiance.
These friends })arted company on the following day, and to-
ward the evening of the 4th of May, Benjamin JLirrison, one
of the immortal fiftv-six who afterward si<»;ned the Declaration
ANI- ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 99
of Independence, came to Mount Vernon, supped, lodged, and
breakfasted, and departed with Washington, early in the morn-
ing of the 5th, for Phihidelphia. Tliej arrived at Chester on
the 9th, and, while riding toward Philadelpliia, with otlier
southern delegates, were met, tive or six miles from the city,
by a cav'alcade of five liundred gentlemen. Nearer the city,
they were met by military companies, and by tliese, with bands
of music, were escorted into and through the city " with great
parade." On the following day, the new England delegates
were received in a similar manner ; and thus, in the midst of
the homage and acclamations of the people, the representatives
of thirteen viceroyalties assembled to confederate in the great
work of constructing a new republic.
With the sword of defence in one hand, and the olive-branch
of reconciliation in the other, the Congress went on in their
solemn labors. The military genius and experience of Wash-
ington were continually acknowledged by his being placed as
chairman of all the committees appointed for the conduct of
military affairs ; and to him was entrusted the important task
of preparing rules and regulations for an army, and devising
measures for the general defence.
Meanwhile, a large, but crude and ill-regulated army, had
gathered around Boston, and was keeping the Britisli regulars
in close confinement upon that little peninsula. It possessed
no other cohesion than that derived from a sense of mutual
danger. The Congress perceived this, and resolved to con-
solidate and organize it by adopting it as a Continental army,
with a commander-in-chief and assistant general ofiicers. That
adoption was formally made ; and on Tiiursday, tlie loth of
■June, two days before the battle of Bunker's Hill, George
100 MOUNT VERNON
Wasliington was clioson coininandur-in-chiof of " all the con-
tinental forces raised or to be raised, for the defence of Amer-
ican liberty." The appointment was officiallj anno-unced to
him on the following day, and modestly accepted ; and on the
18th he wrote a touching letter to his wife on the subject, tell-
ing her he must depart immediately for the camp ; begging
lier to summon all her fortitude, and to pass her time as agree-
ably as possible ; and expressing a firm reliance upon thai
Providence which had ever been bountiful to him, not doubt-
ing that he should return safe to her in the fall.
But he did not so return. Darker and darker grew the
clouds of war; and, during more than seven years, Washington
visited his pleasant home uj)on the Potomac but once, and then
only for three days and nights. Mrs. Wasliington spent the
winter in camp with her husband ; and many are the traditions
concerning lie^' beauty, gentleness, simplicity, and industry,
which yet linger around the winter-quarters of the venerated
commander-in-chief of the armies of the Pevolution. For
many long years she w^as remembered wnth affection by the
dwellers at Cambridge, Morristown, Valley Forge, Newburgh,
and New Windsor. When, on each returning spring, she
departed for her home on the Potomac, the blessings of thou-
sands— soldiers and citizens — went with her, for she w^as truly
loved by all.
Pleasant would it be to read the scores of letters written by
Washington to his charming wifa during all that campaigning
period, and his subsequent services in civil life. That pleasure
can never be enjoyed. Only one letter to her — the message
informing her of his appointment to the command of the army
-—is known to be in exiiftence, and that, with one to her son on
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 101
tlie same subject, written on the following day, is carefully
preserved at Arlington House, by her great-granddaughter,
Mrs. Mary Custis Lee. Mrs. Washington destroyed all of
her husband's other letters to herself, a short time before her
death.
It is not our design to follow Washington in his career as a
soldier, or even as a statesman, for in these his field of action
was far away froni Mount Vernon — the object of our illustra-
tions. His career in each was noble ; and even in his defeats
in battle, he never lost a particle of the dignity of his char-
acter, nor the esteem of his countrymen. His caution and
prudence were sometimes misunderstood, but they were always
found to be the guaranties of success. For nearly nine months
he cautiously watched the British army in Boston, and waited
for strength sufiieient to attack it with success, while the
people, and even the Congress, became impatient and clamored
for battle. At length the proper time came, and with skill
and energy he prepared to strike an annihilating blow. The
enemy saw their peril, fled to their ships, and escaped to
Halifax, while the whole continent rang with the praises of
Washington. The Congress decreed a gold medal to the
victor. Duvivier, of Paris, cut the die ; and to Mount Yernon
the glittering testimonial of a nation's gratitude was afterward
borne, upon which was inscribed : " The American Congress
TO George Washington, commander-in-chief of its armies,
THE ASSERTORS OF FrEEDOM I TlIE ENEMY FOR THE FIRST TIMK
pct to flight — Boston recovered, 17th March, 1776."
Although excessively prudent, Washington was ever ready
to strike a blow in the presence of greatest peril, when his
judgment and inclination coalesced in rc^commending the per-
102
MOUNT VERNON
GOLD MEUAL AWAKDKU TO WASUINGTOX FOR THE DELU tUANCK ()!•' BOSTON.
formance of the act We see him with a handful of ill-dis-
ciplined, ill-fed, ill-clad soldiers, after a prudent flight of three
weeks before a strong pursuing enemy, crossing a rapid river
in the midst of floating ice, and darkness, and driving storm,
and smiting a band of mercenary Germans at Trenton, who
had been hired out by their avaricious princes to aid the
British soldiery in butchering their fellow subjects. Victory
followed the blow, and a few days afterward that victory was
repeated at Pi'inceton. Again the praises of Washington were
upon every lip. The great Frederick of Prussia declared that
the achievements of the American leader ahd his compatriots,
l>etween the twenty-fifth of December 1776, and the fourth of
January, 1777 — a space of ten days — were the most brilliant
of any recorded in the annals of military action. A splendid
flag, taken from the Hessians at Trenton, comjiosed of two
pieces of heavy white damask silk, bearing devices embroid-
ered with gold thread, and the words for ouk prince and
COUNTRY, in Latin, exquisitely wrought in needlework, was
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
108
presented to Washington. It was afterward hung up in the
great hall at Mount Vernon, but only on one occasion, for
Washington was careful
never to make even the
most trivial display of me-
mentos of his own valor.
This flag was his first
trophy of the kind in the
war for independence.
And all through the war,
prudence, sagacity, skill,
energy, and great wisdom,
marked the acts of Wash-
ington. His last battle
was at Yorktown, where
another trophy, similar to
that at Trenton, was se-
cured. It was the flag of the
seventh British regiment,
made of heavy twilled silk,
six feet in length and five
feet four inches in width. The ground was blue ; the cen-
tral stripe of the cross red; the marginal ones white. In
the centre was a crown, and beneath it a garter, with the
usual inscription in Notman French — Evil he to him who evil
thinketh — enclosing a full-blown rose, the floral emblem of
England. This flag, with another, was presented to Washing-
ton by a resolution of the Congress, passed ten days after the
victory, and was hung in the hall at Mount Vernon on the
single occasion referred to. It had been sadly tattered during
UESSIAN iXAli TAKEN AT TEENTON.
104
MOUNT V K R N 0 N
tlie conflict. Until lately it occupied a place near the Hessian
flag, in the Museum at Alexandria, Avhere they were de-
])Osited by the late George Washington Parke Ciistis, and
BRITISH FLAG TAKKN A I' VoRlCTOWN.
appropriately labeled Alpha
and OiYKfja — the first and
the last of the tr(t])hies won
l)y Washington.
Lonely was the mansion
at Mount Vernon without
the master during the seven
years and more that the war
lasted. Yet it was by no
means deserted. The onl}''
child of Mrs. Washington,
John Parke Custis, with his
wife and growing family, were there much of the time, for
Washington had written to him a few days after his appoint-
ment to the connnand of the army : "At any time, I hope it is
unnecessary for me to say, that I am always pleased with your
and Nelly's abidance at Mount Vernon, much less upon this
occasion, when I think it absolutely necessary for the peace
and satisfaction of your mother ; a consideration which I have
no doubt will have due weight with you both, and recjuire no
arguments to enforce." Neighbors and friends also came
frequently to cheer the temporary widowhood of the mistress.
Lund Washington, the master's relative and friend, was the
faithful manager of the estate, and he scrupulously obeyed the
injunction of the owner, who said : " Let the hospitality of the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 105
house, with respect to the poor, be kept up. Let no one go
away hungry. If any of tliis kind of people should be in
want of corn, supply their necessities, provided it does not
encourage them in idleness."
Nothing of Importance, aside from the routine of plantation
life, occurred at Mount Vernon after the summer of 1775,
until 1781. At the former period, Loixl Dunmore and his
marauding followers, ascended the Potomac as far as Occo-
quan Falls, with the intention of making Mrs. Washington a
prisoner, and desolating the estates of Gunston Hall and
Mount Vernon. The Prince William militia gathered in
largp numbers to oppose him, and these, aided by a heavy
storm, frustrated his lordship's designs, and he sailed down
the river, after destroying some mills and other property.
Early in September, 1781, there was great commotion at
Mount Vernon, greater than when, a few months before, small
British armed vessels had come up tlie Potomac, plundering
and destroying on every hand. One of these, on that occasion,
had approached Mount Vernon witli fire and sword, and Lund
VV^ashington had purchased the safety of the estate by giving
the commander refreshments and supplies. For this the mas-
ter of Mount Vernon rebuked him, saying, "It would have
been a less painful circumstance to me to have heard that, in
consequence of your non-compliance with their request, they
had burned my house and laid my plantation in ruins."
On the 9th of September, 1781, there was an arrival more
startling to the dwellers upon the Mount Vernon estate than
that of an armed enemy upon the neighboring waters. It was
the unexpected arrival of the master himself. The allied
French and American armies were then on their march toward
106 MOUNT VERNON
Virginia, to assist Lafayette and his coiiipatiiots in driving the
invading Cornwall is from that state. Washington came from
Baltimore late at night, attended only by Colonel Ilnmphreys
(one of his aides) and faithful Billy. They had left the Connt
dc Koehamheau and tlie Marquis de Chastellux — one at Alex-
andria, and the other at Georgetown — to follow them in the
moi'ning. Very soon the whole household was astir, and the
news flew quickly over the estate that the master had arrived.
At early dawn the servants came from every c.abin to greet
him, and many looked sorrowfully npon a face so changed by
the storms of successive campaigns, during more than six years
that he had been absent.
None came earlier than Bishop, the venerable body-servant
of the master in the old French war, who was now too old to
go to the camp. lie lived near the mansion, the Nestor of the
plantations, and was overseer of (nie of the farms. No doubt
he came, as was his cnstom on great occasions, fully equipped
in his regimentals, made after the fashion of George the
Second's time, to greet the man he so nmch loved. Bisho])
was then almost eighty years of age, with deep furrows upon
his cheeks, a few gray locks upon his temples, and his once
manly Ibrm bent gently by the wx'ight of years, and shrunken
by the suns of nearly fourscore summers.
On the morrow, the French noblemen, with their suites, ai'-
I'ived — Rochambeau first, and De Chastellux afterward — and
all but the chief made it a day of rest. For him there was no
repose. He was not permitted to pass even an hour alone with
his wife. Public and private cares were pressing heavily npon
him. He was on his way to measure strength Avith a powerful
enemy, and his Words of affection were few and hurried. AU
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
107
LUL'iNT 1)K ROCHAMBEAf,
tlie morning of tlie lOtli lie was closeted with liis nuinager, and
before dinner lie wrote to Lafayette the first letter that he had
dated at Monnt Vernon since early in May, 1775, saying, '-We
are thus far on onr way to you. The Count de Rochanibeau has
just arrived. General Chastellux will be here, and we }»ro-
pose, after resting to-morrow, to be at Fredericksburg on the
night of the 12th. The 13th we shall reach New Castle ; and,
the next day, we expect to have the pleasure of seeing you
at your encampment." These calculations were correct ; they
arrived at the camp of Lafayette, at Williamsburg, on the
evening of the 14th.
Rochanibeau and Chastellux were guests worthy of such a
host. The former was of a noble Vendome family. He was
108 MOUNT VERNON
of medium height, slender in form, and then fifty-six years of
age. lie had been aide-de-camp to the Duke of Orleans, five-
andthirty years belbre, and had gained many laurels on the
fields of battle, especially on that of Minden, wdiich occurred a
few mouths after Washington liad taken his biide to Mount
Vernon. A fine picture of that battle hung u})on the walls at
Mount Vernon for many years, and is now at Arlington House.
Whether it was there to delight the eyes of Rochambeau on
this occasion is a question that may not now be solved.
Rochambeau had come to America at the head of a large
army, to assist the struggling colonists to cast off the Britisli
yoke. He came wuth the title of lieutenant-general, but,
according to previous arrangement by the French court, he
was to be second to Washington in command. He assisted
nobly at the siege of Yorktown, where, little more than a
month after tins visit at Mount Vernon, Coi-nwallis and a
large arriiy surrendered to the allied forces. He returned to
France, was made a field-marshal by the king, but was called
to much suft'ering during the French Revolution. Bonaparte
granted him a pension and the cross of grand ofiicer of the
legion of honor, in 1803. Four years afterward he died at the
age of eighty-two.
De Chastellux was a much younger man than Rochambeau,
heavier in person, very vivacious, fond of company, and exhib-
ited all the elegances of manner of the older French nobility,
to which class he belonged. He came to America with Roch-
ambeau, but seems not to have been confined to the army,
though bearing the title of major-general ; for during the two
years he was here, he travelled very extensively, and made
notes and observations. These he printed on board the French
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
109
fleet — only twentv-fonr copies — for distrilmtion amoni^ liis
friends; but a few years afterward they were traiislnted and
published in two volumes, by an Ena^lish traveller.
.^\
MARQUIS I)K CIlASTlil.LUX.
De Chastellux was the life of every company into which he
was introduced, while in tliis country, and he left a very
pleasant impression at Mount Vernon. In the library there,
where he was entertained in the autumn of 1781, Washini^ton
Avrote to him a playful letter in the spring of 1787, after
receiving from the marquis an account of his marriage to an
accomplished lady, a relative of the lL)uke of Orleans. " I
saw," wrote Washington, "by the eulogium you often made
110 MOUNT VKRNON
Oil tlie lia])})iiiess of domestic life in America, tliat you had
swallowed the l)ait, and that you would as surely be taken,
one day or anotlier, as that you were a philosopher and soldier.
So your day has at length come. 1 am glad of it, with all my
heart and soul. It is quite good enough for you. Now j^ou
are well served for coming to light in favor of the American
rebels, all the way across the iVtlanlic ocean, by catching that
terrible contagion — domestic felicity — which, like the smallpox
or plague, a man can have only once in his life."
]Je ('hastellux died in 1793, in the midst of the terrible
storm of the French Revolution, and by it the fortunes of
himself and wife seem to have been swe})t away, for his widow
a])plied to Washington, two years afterwai'd, for an allowance
from our govei'nment, on account of the services of her
husband, who M'as in active military duty near ISIew York,
and was in the siege at Yorktown. Her application was
unsuccessful.
On the second day after Washington's arrival at Mount
Vernon — the ele^■enth of September — the fourth anniversary
of the battle of Brandy wine — the mansion, then not nearly so
large as now, was crowded with guests; and at dinner were
met gentlemen and ladies from the country for miles around,
who had not been at the festive board with the master of the
feast since the Avar broke out. And there Avere children, too —
tiny children, whom the master loved as his own, for they
were the grandchildren of his wife. There were four of these.
The eldest was a beautiful girl, five years old, who afterward
married a nephew of Lord Ellenborough ; and the youngest
was a boy-baby, only six months old, who was afterward
adopted as the child of Washington, became one of the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. HI
executors of his will, and lived until 1857. These were the
children of Jolm Parke Oustis and his ttiir young wife, Eleanor
Calvert, and had all been born during the absence of the
master from his home at Mount Yernon.
Here let us pause a moment and look with the eye of fiiith
in the words of a fellow man, npon the person of the great
patriot who sat at the head of the feast on that day. The year
before, a writer in the London Chronicle (an anti-ministerial
paper), who had seen Washington, thus vividly described him:
" General Washington is now in the forty-seventh year of
his age. He is a tall, well-made man, rather large-boned, and
has a genteel address. His features are manly and bold ; his
eyes of a bluish cast and very lively ; his hair a deep brown ;
his face rather long, and marked with the smallpox ; his com-
plexion sunburnt, and without much color. Plis countenance
sensible, composed, and thoughtful. There is a remarkable air
of dignity about him, with a striking degree of gracefulness.
He has. an excellent understanding, without much quickness;
is strictly just,, vigilant, and generous; an affectionate husband,
a faithful friend, a father to the deserving soldier; gentle in
his manners, in temper reserved ; a total stranger to relig-
ious prejudices ; in morals irreproachable ; and never known
to exceed the bounds of the most rigid temperance. In a
word, all his friends and acquaintances allow that no man ever
united in his own person a more perfect alliance of the virtues
of a philosopher with the talents of a general. Candor, sin-
cerity, affability, and simplicity seem to be the striking features
of his character; and, when occasion offers, the power of display-
ing the most determined bravery and independence of spirit.''
Domestic felicity and social enjoyment were, at that time,
112 MOUNT TKRNON
secondary coiisidei'atioiis with Washington, and, on the morn-
ing; of the 12t]i of September, lie dej^arted, witii all his mili-
tary guests, from his delightful dwelling-phice, journeyed to
Fredericksl)urg to embrace his aged mother and receive her
l)lessing, and then hastened on toward Yorktown, where Corn-
wallis had intrenched himself with a view of overrunning
Virginia.
There was great sorrow at Mount Vernon on the morning of
the departure of the master. It was a grief to the devoted wife
to part so soon from her husband, who was on his way to battle,
perhaps to death ; but more poignant washer grief as a mother,
for John Pai'ke Custis, her only surviving child, in whom her
fondest earthly affections were centred, followed Washington
to the field as his aide-de-camp. He was then in the flush of
manhood, eight-and-twenty years of age, and full of promise,
lie was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and very
popular wherever known. He now went out to battle, for the
first time, leaving his wife and children and his fond mother
in the pleasant home at Mount Vernon, with every material
comfort around them, but with hearts filled with sadness, and
spirits agitated with anxiety and apprehension.
Oh, how eagerly did those wives and mothers at Mount Ver-
non watch for the courier who daily brought intelligence from
the camp ! At length there came a messenger ^vith tidings
which produced mingled joy and alarm. He came to tell of
a triumph at Yorktown, and of mortal sickness at Eltham,
thirty miles from the field where victory had been won. At
Yorktown, the allied armies, after a siege of twelve days, liad
compelled Cornwall is to surrender, with all his army, seven
thousand strong.
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 113
Joy was awakened all over the laud as intelligence of this
glorious e-\'eut was spread, by swift couriers, truin hamlet to
hamlet, from village to village, from city to city. The name
of Washington was upon every lip, as the Benefactor, the Lib-
erator, the Saviour of his country. And there was peculiar joy
and pride at Mount Vernon, when, at early dawn on a frosty
morning, a messenger brought the intelligence that prophesied
of peace and the speedy return of the loved ones to the safety
and repose of domestic life.
But, as w^e have said, the same messenger brought intelligence
that produced serious alarm, and preparations were immediately
made at Mount Vernon, for a journey. Young Custis was very
sick with camp fever at the house of Colonel Bassett, the husband
of his mother's sister, at Eltham. His mother and wife were
soon upon the road ; and, in an agony of suspense, they urged
the postillion to increase the sjjeed of his horses. When they
arrived at Eltham, all hope for the loved one's recovery had
vanished.
Washington had sent his old and faithful friend, Doctor
Craik, to attend the sufferer, and as soon as his arrangements
at Yorktown could be completed, the chief followed. He
arrived at Eltham " time enough" he wTote to Lafayette, " to
see poor Mr. Custis breathe his last." Li that hour the young
wife was made a widow, and the mistress of Mount Vernon a
childless woman. The great man bowed his head in deep sor-
row, while his tears flowed freely. Then he spoke soothing
words to the widowed mother, and said, " Your two younger
children I adopt as my own." These were Eleanor Parke
Custis and George Washington Parke Custis, the former two
years and six months of age, and the latter only six months.
lU
MOUNT VERNON
They both lived bevoiid the age of threescore and ten, and
Eleanor was considered one of the most beautiful and brilliant
women of her day. She married Lawrence Lewis, the fsivorite
ne})hew of Washington. The nuptials were celebrated on the
4i-i''*
' > — \ t\^
EI.tANOI'. I'AUKt; CUSI'I
chiefs birthday, 1799. Three days before, Washington, as her
foster-father, wrote from Mount Vernon to the clerk of Fairfax
county court, saying:
" Sir : You will ])lease to grant a license for the marriage of
Eleanor Parke Custis with Lawrence Lewis, and this shall be
yonr authority for so doing."
Tlie portrait of this beautiful lady, from which our engraving
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 116
is copied, was painted at Philadelphia bj Gilbert Stuart. It
adorned the mansion at Mount Vernon for several years, and
is preserved with care among tlie AVashington treasures of
Arlington House.
Late in the autumn of 1781, Washington again visited Mount
Vernon for a brief season. It was when he was on his journey
to Philadelphia, in November, bearing the laurels of a victor.
He was accompanied as far as Fredericksburg by a large
retinue of American and French officers ; and there, after an
interview with his mother, he attended a ball given in honor
of the occasion. The aged matron went with him to the
assembly, and astonished the French officers by the plainness
of her apparel and the quiet simplicity of her manners, for tliey
expected to see the mother of the great chief distinguished by
a personal disj^lay such as they had been accustomed to be-
liold among the families of the great in their own country.
They thought of the Dowager Queen of France, of the brilliant
Mane Antoinette, and the high-born dames of the court of
Louis the Sixteenth, and could not comprehend the vision.
Washington retired with his mother from the gay scene at
an early hour, for there was grief in his heart because of the
death of his beloved Custis ; and, the next morning, attended
by two aides and Billy, he rode to Mount Vernon. His stay
there was brief. Public duties beckoned him forward. " I
shall remain but a few days here," he wrote to General Greene,
"and shall proceed to Philadelphia, when I shall attempt to
stimulate Congress to the best improvement of our late success,
by taking the most vigorous and eifectual measnres to be ready
for an early and decisive campaign tlie next year."
Happily for the country, no other campaign of active mill-
1 1 G M 0 U N T V E R N 0 N
tary operations was needed ; and, in tlie course of a few months,
the war was virtually at an end. The desire for peace, whicli
had long burned in the bosom of the Jintish people, now found
such potential expression, as to be heeded by the British
ministry. The intelligence of the fate of Cornwallis and his
army had fallen with all the destructive energy of a bomb-
shell in the midst of the war party in parliament. When Lord
North, the ])remier, heard of it, he paced the room violently,
and, throwing his arms wildly about, exclaimed, " O God ! it
is all over ! it is all over !" The stoutest declaimer in favor of
bayonets and gunpowder, Indian and German mercenaries, as
lit instruments for enslaving a free people, began to talk of the
expediency of peace ; and at length, by mutual consent, com-
missioners were appointed by the contending parties to treat for
peace on the basis of the independence of the United States.
■'lliey were successful; and, early in the spring of 1783, the
joyful news, that a treaty had been signed at Paris, reached
America, by the French ship Trioinphe, sent for the purpose,
by Count d'Estaing, at the request of Lafayette.
Washington was then, with his wife, at ISTewburgh, the head-
(puirters of the continental army, liappy in having just frus-
trated a scheme of some officers to produce a general mutiny
among the discontented soldiers. The intelligence came to
him in dispatches from Robert R. Livingston, the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, and also in a letter from Alexander Hamilton,
and other New York delegates in Congress. It was hailed
by the chief with joy, and he immediately wrote the fol-
lowing letter to Governor Clinton, wliicli is copied from the
original manuscript, now in the archives cf the state of New
York:
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. IIY
"Head-Quarters, March 27, 1783.
"Dear Sir : — I take the first moment of forwarding to your
Excellency the dispatches from the Secretary of Foreio-n
AflTairs, which accompany this. They contain, I presume, all
the intelligence respecting Peace, on which great and glorious
event permit me to congratulate you with the greatest
sincerity."
Upon the envelope bearing the superscription, Washing
ton wrote in large letters, wdth a broad dash under it —
Peace.
What a glorious w^ord ! What joy must have filled the
lieart of the commander-in-chief when he wrote that woi'd I
What dreams of repose upon the Potomac, in the quiet shades
of his beautiful home must have been presented to his vision
at that time ! But many weary months were yet to intervene
before he could see his beloved Mount Yernon.
It was not until the 1st of ISTovember following that all ar-
rangements for the departure of the British army from our
shores were completed.
The American army, by a general order of Congress, on
the 3d of November, was disbanded, except a small force
retained under a definite enlistment, until a peace establish-
ment should be organized ; and, on the 25th of that month,
the British evacuated the city of JSTew York — their last
resting-place upon the soil of the United States— went on
board their ships, and sailed for Nova Scotia and Europe,
with a large number of loyalists.
On the 4th of December Washington parted with his
oflicers at Fraunces' tavern in New York, and then proceeded
118 MOUNT VERNON
toward Annapolis, where Congress was sitting, to resign into
their hands his commission as commander-in-chief of the
armies of the United States, wliich had been given him eiglit
years and six months Lefore. He stopped at Phihidelphia.
and presented his accounts to the proper fiscal officers, and
arrived at Annapolis on Friday, the 19th, where lie was
;joined by Mrs. AVashington and many warm personal friends.
On Monday he was present at a dinner ordered by the Con-
gress, at which more than two hundred persons were seated ;
and tliat evening he opened a gi'and ball given in his honor,
with Mrs. James Macubb'.n, one of the most beautiful women
of her time.
At twelve o'clock on the 23d Washington entered the
hall of Congress in the old State House at Annapolis, ac-
cording to previous arrangement, and, in the presence of a
great concourse of people, presented his resignation to General
Thomas Mifflin, the president of that body, accompanying the
act by a brief speech. This M'as responded to by Mifflin. The
great Leader of the Continental Armies, now a private citizen,
retired, followed by the audience ; and the curtain fell upon
the last solemn act in the great drama of the war for independ-
ence.
Washington now hastened to Mount Yernon, accompanied
by many friends, as an escort of honor, among whom was
Colonel Walker, one of the aides of the Baron Steuben, by
whose hand he sent a letter to Governor Clinton, the first
which he wrote at his home after his retirement. In it he
said : " The scene is at last closed. I am now a private citizen
on the banks of the Potomac. I feel myself eased of a load of
public cai'e. I hope to spend the remainder of my days in
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
119
cultivating the afFections of good men, and in the practice of
tlie domestic virtues."
It was on Christmas eve, 1783, that Washington, a private
citizen, arrived at Mount Vei'non, and laid aside forever the
WASHINGTON S MILITARY CLOTHES.
military clothes which he had worn perhaps through more than
half the campaigns of the war just ended. Around them chis-
tered many interesting associations, and they were preserved
with care during the remaining sixteen years of his life. And
they are still preserved, in a condition almost as perfect as
when the illustrious owner hung them in his wardrobe for the
120 M 0 U N T V K U N 0 N
last time. They are in a glass case, with otlier ineineTitos of
the Father of his Country, in the great model hall of the
Patent Office at Washington city. The coat is made of deep
blue cloth, faced with bufi, with large plain gilt buttons. The
waistcoat and breeches a.e made of the same kind of buff
cloth as the facings of the coat.
On the same occasion, Washington laid aside his battle-
sword which he had worn throughout all the later years of
the war. It, too, hung at Mount Vernon for almost twenty
years, and is carefully preserved in the same glass case in the
Patent Office. It is a kind of hanger, incased in a black
leather scabbard, with silver mountings. The handle is ivory,
colored a pale green, and wound in spiral grooves with thin
silver wire. It was manufactured by J. Bailey, in Fishkill,
Dutchess county. New York, and has the maker's name
engraved upon the blade. The belt is of white leather,
mounted with silver, and was doubtless used by Washington
in the old French w^ar, for upon a silver plate attached to it
is engraved " 1757."
With this sword, is a long, knotty, black cane, with a golden
head, which was bequeathed to Washington by Doctor Frank-
lin, in the following clause in the codicil to his will :
."My fine crab-tree walking-stick, with a gold head curiously
wrought in the form of a cap of liberty, I give to my friend,
and the friend of mankind, General Washington. If it were
a sceptre, he has merited it, and would become it. It was a
present to me from that excellent woman, Madame de For-
bach, the dowager Duchess of Deuxponts, connected with some
verses which should go with it."
These "verses" have been lost, and for them we will substi-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
121
tute the beautiful ode, by Moriis, alluding to these j^reeious
relics, entitled
"THE SWORD AND THE STAFF.
THE SWORD AND
THE STAFF.
"The sword of the Hero!
The staff of the Sage !
Whose valor and wisdom
Are stamp'd on ths age !
Time-hallowed mementos
Of those who have riven
The sceptre from tyrants,
' The lightning from heaven.'
n.
"This weapon, 0 Freedom!
Was drawn by thy son,
And it never was sheath'd
Till the battle was won!
No stain of dishonor
Upon it we see !
'Twas never surrender'd —
Except to the free 1
HL
" While Fame claims the liero
And patriot sage,
Their names to emblazon
On History's page,
No holier relics
Will Liberty hoard.
Than Franklin's staff, guarded
By Washington's sword."
In the same glass case are other interesting relics of "Wasli-
ington, the most conspicuous of which is his camp-chest, an
old-fashioned hair trunk, twenty-one inches in length, fifteen
in width, and ten in depth, filled with the table furniture used
by the commander-in-chief during the war. The compart-
12'2 MOUNT VEKXOX
uients are so ingeniously arranged, that they contain a great
number of articles in a small space. These consist of a
gridiron ; a tea and coffee pot ; three tin saucepans (one
WASHINUroN'S CAMP-CUEST.
movable handle being used for all) ; five small glaSs flasks,
used for honey, salt, coffee, port-wine, and vinegar; three large
tin meat dishes ; sixteen plates ; two knives and live forks; a
(candlestick and tinder-box ; tin boxes for tea and sugar, and
five small bottles for pepper and other materials for making
soup.
Washington alluded to the tin plates in this camp-chest, in
the followinii: letter to Doctor John Cochran, suri^-eon-s-eneral
of the northern dei>artnient of the continental army, written at
West Point on the 16th of August, 1779 :
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 123
"Dear Doctor:—! have asked Mrs. Cochran and Mrs.
Livingston to dine with me to-morrow ; but am I not in lionor
bonnd to apprise them of their tare? As I liate deception,
even where the imagination only is concerned, I will. It is
needless to premise that my table is large enough to hold the
ladies. Of this they had ocular proof yesterday. To say how
it is usually covered is rather more essential ; and this shall he
the purport of my letter.
''Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham,
sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace the head of the table ;
a piece of roast beef adorns the foot ; and a dish of beans, or
greens, almost imperceptible, decorates the centre. When the
cook has a mind to cut a figure, which I ])resume will be the
case to-morrow, we have two beef-steak pies, or dishes of
crabs, in addition, one on each side of the centre dish, dividing
the space and reducing the distance between dish and dish to
about six feet, which, without them, would be nearly twelve
teet apart. Of late he has had the surprising sagacity to dis-
cover that apples will make pies ; and it is a question if, in the
violence of his efforts, we do not get one of apples, instead of
having both of beef-steaks. If the ladies can put up with sucli
entertainment, and will submit to partake of it on plates once
tin hut now iron (not become so by the labor of scourint>-), I
shall be happy to see them ; and am, dear doctor, vours, &c.,
" Geo. Washington."
Later in the war, Washington had a pair of plain silver
goblets, with his crest engraven upon them, which he used in
his tent. These were the only examples of a departure from
that rigid economy which he exhibited in all his personal
124
MOUNT V K R N 0 N
SILVEIi CA.M1>-(;()1JI.1,T.
arrangements while in the army, not because lie was parsimo-
iiions, but because he wished to set an example of plainness
and self-denial to all around him. These goblets are now used
in the family of Colonel Lee at
Arlington House.
What a contrast do these
simple table arrangements, and,
indeed, all the movements and
;^^ appointments of the great Re-
^s^ publican Leader, present t(j
those of the generals of the old
world, and of those of antiquity
in pai'ticular, whose achieve-
ments for the benefit of mankind, placed in the scale of just
appreciation, are small compared with his.
After the victory at Yorktown, the manpiee and tent used
by Washington were folded np and placed in the leathern
portmanteau in which they were carried, and were never again
spread upon the field in camp, siege, or battle. They were
made by Captain Moulder, of Philadelphia, who commanded a
corps of artillery in the battle at Princeton. The marquee
was used for general purposes — for the reception of visitors,
consultations of officers, dining, et cetera — and the smaller
tent was for more private uses. Li the latter Washington
retired for meditation, and wrote his letters and dispatches for
his secretaries to copy ; and in one part of it M-as a dormitory,
wherein he sle])t. It composed the private apartment of his
canvas dwelling upon the field, and few were allowed to
enter it.
What a history is involved in the ex]K'rience of that tent I
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 125
lluw many important dispatches were written within it,
upon the little writing-case, or portfolio, that was presented to
President Taylor by Washington's adopted son, and by him
deposited, with other mementos of the great Leader, in the
WASUINUI'ON S TKAVKLLING WRITING-CASE
Patent Office, where it is well preserved ! How many anxious
hours did that great Leader pass beneath the narrow canopy
of that tent? How often, during that long war, did the forms
of Reed, and Hai'rison, and Hamilton, and Tilghman, and
Meade, and LIumphreys darken the door of that tent as they
passed in and out with messages and dispatches to and from
the illustrious chief!
And in the large marquee, what a noble band of mighty
men — mighty in moral force — among the noblest the world
ever saw — were gathered in council from time to time, and
determined those movements which achieved the independence
of these states ! Li it, too, many distinguished men sat at the
tal)le of the chief — members of the old congresses ; foreigners
of note in diplomacy and war ; and last, Cornwallis as captive
and guest, after his humiliation at Yorktown. It was quite
spacious, and, when fully spread, one hundred guests might
conveniently dine beneath its ample roof.
That marquee and tent, wrapped in the old portmanteau,
with the poles and cords as they were taken from the battle-
1-20)
M 0 U N T V E R N 0 N
field, are at Arlington House. Tlic former has been spread
occasionally for peaceful purposes. For several years Mr.
CXistis, who was much interested in the improvement of the
breeds of shee|), liad annual gatherings of the friends of
agriculture and manufactures at a fine spring on his estate,
near the banks of the Potomac, in the early days of May. On
■Washington's tents in their poutmanteaux.
these occasions the old marquee would be erected, and some-
times nearly two hundred guests would assemble under it to
partake of refreshments. These " sheep-shearings at Arlington
Spring " are remembered with pleasure by the surviving parti-
cipants.
When Lafayette was in this country, in 1824 and '25, as
the guest of the natiou, that marquee was used at Baltimore by
the Socu'fy of the Chicinnati^ for the purpose of receiving the
Illustrious Friend as the guest of that fraternity — a fraternity
of which he had been a member ever since its formation on
the banks of the Hudson, more than forty years before. On
that occasion Colonel John Eager Howard, one of the heroes
of the Cowpens, presided ; and Charles Carroll, who soon after-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 127
Maid had the proud distinction of being the last survivor of
the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a guest,
xlud twice since that memorable reception, that war-tent, so
often spread upon the line of march and on the battle-field,
has been used in the service of the Prince of Peace. On these
occasions it was pitched in green fields in the midst of beauty
and repose, and thousands came and willingly paid liberal
tribute for tlie privilege of sitting under tlie Tent of Washin(;-
TON. Two churches were erected with the proceeds.
We have just alluded to the Society of the Cincinnati. It
is a fraternity originally composed of officers of the Revolution,
and was formed a little while before the disbanding and dis-
persion of the Continental Army. Its chief object was the
perpetuation and occasional renewal of the long-cherished
friendship and social intercourse which had existed between
the officers of the army. Tlie idea originated with General
Knox. He communicated it to Washington, who not only
approved of it, but gave the eff'orts to form a society upon
such a basis of i'ee^.ing, his cordial co-operation.
It was in the spring of 1783 that the Society of the Cincin-
nati was formed. The head-quarters of the army were then at
ISTewburgh. A committee, composed of Generals Knox, Hand,
and Huntington, and the accomplished Captain Shaw, was
appointed to arrange a plan ; and, on the 13th of May, at the
quarters of the Baron Steuben, in Fishkill, nearly opposite
Newburgh, they reported a form which was adopted as the
constitutional organization of the society. After referring to
the war for independence, and the separation of the colonies
from Great Britain, the objects of the society were stated in
the fol'owinof words :
128 MOUNT VERNON
" To perpetuate, therefore, as well the remeinbrance of this
vast event, as the mutual friendships which have been formed
under the pressure of common danger, and in many instances
cemented by the blood of the parties, the officers of the Amer-
ican army do hereby, in the most solemn manner, associate,
constitute, and combine themselves into one society of friends,
to endure so long as they shall endure, or any of their eldest
male posterity, and in failure thereof, the collateral branches,
who may be judged worthy of becoming its supporters and
members."
As the officers of the army were chiefly Americans, and were
about to return to their citizenship, they appropriately named
the society, in honor of the illustrious Koman, Lucius Quintius
Cincinnatus, whose example they were about to imitate. They
resolved that the following principles should form the basis of
the society :
1. " An incessant attention to preserve inviolate those ex-
alted rights and liberties of human nature for which they
have fought and bled, and without which the high rank of a
rational being is a curse instead of a blessing.
2. " An unalterable determination to promote and cherish,
between the respective states, that unison and national honor
so essentially necessary to their happiness and the future dig-
nit}^ of the American empire.
?>. " To render permanent the cordial affection subsisting
among the officers, tliis spirit will dictate brotherly kindness in
all tilings, and particularly extend to the most substantial acts
of beneficence, according to the ability of the society, toward
those officers and their families who unfortunately may be
under the necessity of receiving it."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
129
For the sake of frequent communication, the association was
divided into state societies, to meet annually on the 4th of
Julj, or oftener if they should find it expedient. The society
also adopted an Order l)y which
its members should be known and
distinguished. It is composed of
a medal of gold with proper em-
blems, " suspended by a deep-blue
ribbon two inches wide, edged
with white, descriptive of the
union of America with France."
A representation of the Order,
full size, is seen in the engraving.
The leaves of the olive branches
are of gold and green enamel ; the
head and tail of the eagle gold
and white enamel ; and the sky in
tlie centre device (which is a fac-
simile of one of the medallions on
the certificate of membership), is
blue enamel.
The French officers who served
in the continental army presented
to "Washington an elegant Order,
studded with precious stones, about
two hundred in number. The
leaves of the olive branches and
wreath are composed of emeralds, the berries of ruby, and the
beak of the eagle amethyst. Above the eagle is a group of
military emblems — flags, drums, and cannon — surrounding a
9
ORDER OP THE CINCINNATI.
130
MOUNT VERNON
ribbon, upon which are inscribed the words: " Pkesented, in
THE NAME OF THE FrENCII SOLDIERS, TO HIS EXCELLENCY THIO
General Washington." Tliis also is studded Avith precious
stones. Above it is a bow of moire antique rihhow, of light-bhie
color, with white edges. This jewel is at present [18r>!}J in the
possession of the Honorable Hamilton Fish, of j^ew York,
president of the Society of the
Cincinnati.
The Society had a certifi-
cate of nierubersliip engraved
in France, l)y J. J. Le Veaii,
from a drawing l)y Aug. Le
Belle. It occupies a space
thirteen and a half inches in
width and twenty inches in
length, and was printed on
fine vellum. The engraving
upon the next page is a fac-
simile on a I'educed scale.
The design represents Amer-
ican liberty as a strong man
armed, bearing in one hand
the Union flag, and in the
other a naked sword. Beneath
his feet are British flags, and
a broken spear, shield, and chain. Hovering by his side is the
eagle, our national cnd)leni, from whose talons the lightning
of destruction is flashing upon the British lion. Britannia,
with the crown falling from her head, is hastening toward a
boat to escape to a fleet, which denotes the departure of British
ORDER PRESENTtD BY FKKNCU OFFICERS.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
131
'^1^ r r
'k 5 r
132 MOUNT VERNON
power from our shores. Upon a cloud, on tlie right, is an
angel blowing a trumpet, from which fluttgrs a loose scroll.
Upon the scroll are the sentences : Palam nuntiata lihertas,
A. D. 1776. Fijedus sociale Gum Gallia^ A. D. 1778. Pax:
libertas pai'ta^ A.I). 1783 — "Independence declared, A. T>.
1776. Treaty of alliance with France declared, A. D. 1778.
Peace! independence obtained, A. D. 1783."
Upon the medallion on the right is a device representing
Cincinnatus at his plow, a ship on the sea, and a walled town
in the distance. Over his head is a flying angel, holding a
ribbon inscribed : Virtutis jpratniuTn y " Reward of virtue."
Below is a heart, with the words: Edo perj^etua j "Be thou
l^erpetual." Upon the rim is the legend : Societas Cinoinna-
iorum InHtiiuta A. D. MBCCLXXXIII. ; "Society of. the
Cincinnati, instituted 1783." The device upon the medallion
on the left is Cincinnatus, with his family, near his house. He
is receiving a sword and shield from three senators : an army
is seen in the distance. Upon the rim are the words : Omnia
relinqui tservare rempxihlica'm ; " He abandons every thing to
serve his country " (referring to Cincinnatus).
Washington was chosen the first president-general of the
Society of the Cincinnati, and General Henrj- Knox the secre-
tary. The former remained in office until his death, a period
of sixteen years, and was succeeded by General Alexander
Hamilton. All of the certificates given to the original mem-
bers, like the one delineated in the engraving, were filled up
and signed by Washington, at Mount Yernon.
We have observed that it was Clmstmas eve when Wash-
ington arrived at Mount Yernon from Annapolis, once more a
private citizen. What a glad Christmas was that for all in
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 133
that pleasant home on the banks of the Potomac-'! It was a
Christmas to be specially remembered by the retired soldier.
It was a day long hoped for by him when engaged in the
mighty labors of his official station. Rest, rest he often sighed
for, and now the elements seemed to sympathize in his great
desire. An intensely severe winter closed almost every avenue
to Mount Vernon, and even neighborly intercourse was sus-
pended. Washington had rest in abundance. To Lafayette
he wrote on the lirst of February following his retirement:
"On the eve of Christmas I entered these doors an older man
by near nine yeai'S, than when 1 left them. Since that period,
we have been fast locked up in frost and snow, and excluded
in a manner from all kinds of intercourse."
" I have not only retired from all public employments," he
added, " but I am retiring within myself, and shall be able to
view the solitary walks, and tread the paths of private life
with heartfelt satisfaction. Envious of none, I am determined
to be pleased with all ; and this, my dear friend, being the
order of my march, I will move gently down the stream of
life, until I sleep with my fathers."
And yet, even in that perfect retirement, it was several
weeks before "Washington could entirely divest his mind of the
burden of solicitude for public affairs. To General Knox he
wrote on the 20th of February: "I am just beginning to
experience that ease and freedom from public cares, which,
however desirable, takes some time to realize ; for strange as it
may seem, it is nevertheless true, that it was not till lately I
could get the better of my usual custom of ruminating, as soon
as I waked in the morning, on the business of the ensuing day ;
and of my surprise at finding, after revolving man}' things in
134 MOUNT V E II N 0 N
my mind, that I was no longer a pul>lie man, nor had any
thing to do with public transactions.
" I feel now, however, as I conceive a wearied traveller
must do, who, after treading manv a painful step with a heavy
burden on his shoulders, is eased of the latter, having I'eached
the haven to which all the former were directed ; and from his
house-top is looking back, and tracing with an eager eye the
meanders by which he escaped the quicksands and mires
which lay in his way ; and into which none but the all-power-
ful Guide and Dispenser of human events could have prevent-
ed his falling."
Never had a traveller more cause for serenity of mind and
perfect gratitude, in the hour of calm retrospection, than
George Washington at that time ; and also twelve years later,
when he resigned the helm of the vessel of state into other
hands, and sought repose for the last time in the shades of
Mount Vernon. And when he fully realized his relief, his
social desires, so long repressed, came into full play, and
renewals of old acquaintance and friendly correspondence took
place. "Freed from the clangor of arms and the bustle of a
camp," he wrote to the wife of Lafayette, in April, after
receiving information that the marquis intended to visit
America soon — "Freed from the cares of public employment
and the responsibility of office, I am now enjoying domestic
ease under the shadow of my own vine and my own fig-tree ;
and in a small villa, with the implements of husbandry and
lambkins around me, I expect to glide gently down the stream
of life, till I am entombed in the mansion of my fathers. * * *
Come, then, let me entreat you, and call my cottage your
home ; for your own doors do not open to yon with more
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 135
readiness than mine would. You will see the plain manner in
which we live, and meet with rustic eivalitj ; and you shall
taste the simplicit}' of rui-al life. It will diversify the scene,
and may give you a higher relish for the gaieties of the court,
when you return to Versailles."
"My manner of living is plain," he wrote to a friend, "and
I do not mean to be put out by it. A glass of wine and a bit
of mutton are always ready, and such as will be content to
partake of them are always welcome. Those who expect more
will be disappointed."
But this modest dream of quietude and simplicity of life was
not realized. Washington was the central figure of the group
of great men who had laid the foundations of the republic. To
him the eyes of the nation were speedily turned for counsel and
action, for that republic and all its dependent interests were
soon in peril. He was too great to remain an isolated citizen,
and men of every degree, his own countrymen and strangers,
were soon seen upon pilgrimages to Mount Vernon ; and the
little " villa" was too small to shelter in comfort the many
guests that often assembled under its roof.
Washington now took a general survey of all his affairs, and
turned his thoughts to the improvement of his farms, the en-
largement of his mansion, and the adornment of the grounds
around it. These improvements were commenced in tlie spring
of 1784, and then the construction of the house, in its present
form was resolved upon. The mansion built by Lawrence
Washington, and called a "villa" by the general, was of the
old gable-roofed style, with oidy four rooms upon each floor, as
M-e have observed. It was about one-third the size of the pres-
ent building, and in the alteration, it was made to occupy the
130 MOUNT VERNON
central portion, the two ends having been built at the same
time. The mansion, when completed by General Wasliington,
(and as it now appears) was of the most substantial frame-
work, two stories in height, ninety-six feet in length, thirty
feet in depth, with a piazza fifteen feet in width, extending
along the entire eastern or river front, supported by sixteen
square columns, twenty-five feet in height. Over this piazza
is a balustrade of a light and pleasing design ; and in tlie
centre of the roof is an observatory with a small spire. There
are seven dormer windows in the roof, three on the eastern
side, one on each end, and two on the western or lawn side.
The ground floor of the house contains six rooms, with a
spacious passage in the centre of the building, extending
through it from east to west. From it a massive staircase
ascends to the chambers. The rooms and the passage are
all wainscoted, and have large worked cornices; and they
present to the eye the appearance of great solidity. On the
south side of the passage is a parlor, and the library and break-
fast-room of Washington, from which a narrow staircase
ascends to his private study on the second floor. On the north
side of the passage are a reception-room and parlor, and a large
drawing-room, in which, when there was much company, the
guests were sometimes entertained at table. These apartments
and their present appearance and uses we will consider else-
where.
Near the mansion, a substantial kitchen on one side, and
store-room and laundry on the other, were built, and these
were connected with the dwelling by very neat open colon-
nades, each with roof and pavement ; and, at a little distance
from them, two other strong buildings were erected for house-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
137
WBSTEKN FKO.NT OF MOUNI' VKRXON, AS IT APHEAKliD IN 1858.
servants' quarters. The mansion, tlie kitchen and store-house,
with tlie connecting colonnades, and tlie servants' quarters, all
remain, and exhibit the same external appearance which they
bore when Washing-ton left them. Tiiese may be best seen
from the lawn that spreads out before the western front of the
mansion, which is first approached by visitors in carriages,
there being no road for horses upon the grounds before the
i-iver-front.
In the prosecution of these inqjrovements Washington was
his own architect, and drew every plan and specification
for the workmen with his own hand. Every measurement
138 MOUNT VERNON
was calculated and indicated with exactness ; and in even-
ai-rangenientfor his home, he appears to have mad^i convenicrwe
and durability the prime objects of his care. Tlie following
letter to Mj". William Riimnej, of Alexandria (who had been
an aide to General Charles Lee at one time during the lievolu-
tion), will give an idea of the carefulness and forethought of
Washington in the management of his affairs. Mr. Rumney
was then about to leave for England :
"General Washington presents his compliments to Mr. Rum-
ney— would esteem it as a particular favor if Mr. Rumney
would make the following enquiries as soon as convenient aftei'
his arrival in England, and communicate the result of them by
the Packet, or any other safe and expeditious conveyance to
this country.
" 1st. The terms upon which the best kind of Whitehaven
flag-stone — black and white in equal quantities — could
be delivered at the Port of Alexandria, by the superficial
foot, — workmanship, freight, and every other incidental
charge included. The stone to be 2|- Inches, or there-
abouts, thick ; and exactly a foot square — each kind. To
have a rich polished face, and good joints so as that a neat
floor may be made therewith.
" 2nd. Upon what terms the common Irish Marble (black
and white if to be had) — same dimensions, could be
delivered as above.
" 3rd. As the General has been informed of a verj^ cheap
kind of Marble, good in quality, at or in the neighborhood
of Ostend, he would thank Mr. Rumney, if it should fall
in his way, to institute an enquiry into this also.
" On the Report of Mr. Rumney, the Genei-al Avill take his
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 139
ultimate determination ; for which reason he prays hiin to be
precise and exact. The Piazza or Colonnade, for which this is
wanted as a floor, is ninety-two feet eight inches, by twelve
feet eight inches within the margin, or border that surrounds
it. Over and above the quantity here mentioned, if the above
Flags are clieap — or a cheaper kind of hard Stone could be
had, he would get as much as would lay floors in the Circular
Colonnades, or covered ways at the wings of the House — each
of which at the outer curve, is 38 feet in length by 7 feet 2
Inches in breadth, witliin the margin or border as aforesaid.
"The General being in want of a House Joiner & Bricklayer
who understand their respective trades perfectly, w^ould thank
Mr. Eumney for enquiring into the terms upon which such
workmen might be engaged for two or three years (the time
of service to commence upon the ship's arrival at Alexandria) ;
a shorter term than two years would not answer, because
foreigners generally have a seasoning, wliich with other inter-
ruptions too frequently waste the greater part of the first year
— more to the disadvantage of the employer than the Em-
ployed.— Bed, board & Tools to be found by the former, cloth-
ing by the latter.
" If two men of the above Trades and of orderly and quiet
deportment could be obtained for twenty-five or even tliirty
pounds sterling per annum each (estimating the dollar at
4s. 6d.), the General, rather than sustain the loss of Time neces-
sary for communication would be obliged to Mr, Rumney for
entering into proper obligatory articles of agreement on his
behalf with them and sending tliem by the first vessel bound
to this Port. "Geo, WAsmNoxoN.
"Mount Yernon, July 5, 1784,"
140
MOUNT V l'] R N 0 N
The pavcmcnt-stone procured
SECTION OF SnADED CARni AGE-WAY.
tlirougli Mr. Rumney, in ac-
cordance with the foregoing
order, still exists beneath the
grand piazza and the colon-
nades, hut in a dilapidated
state. Many of the blocks
are gone, others are broken,
and all show abrasion by
footsteps and the elements.
Many of the carpenter's
tools, imported from Eng-
land at that time by Wash-
ington, for the use of his
workmen, are preserved.
Washington was very fond
of planting trees and shrub-
bery ; and his diaries show
that he was much engaged
in that business in ITS-i and
1785. lie went to the woods
almost every day to select
and mark young trees for
transplanting to the grounds
around the mansion, and
he generally superintended
their removal.
In the rear of the man-
sion, Washington laid out a
fine lawn, upon a level sur-
face, which comprises about
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
141
GENERAL PLAN OF THE MANSION AND GROUNDS AT MOUNT VERNON.
A The Mansion.
B Oval Grass-plot.
C The Lawn
D D Flowcr-gavden.
EE Vegetable Garden.
F F Kitchen and Laundry
G G House-servants" Quarters.
II H Circular Colonnades.
1 I Water closets.
J J Seed-houses.
K Carriapp-way as finally laid out.
L Outsifle Road.
142 MOUNT VERNON
twenty acres. Around it he made a sei'])entine carriage-way ;
and he planted a great variety of shade trees ii})on each side of
it. Upon one side of tlie lawn he formed a spacious flower-
garden, and npon the other an ecpTally spacious vegetable gar-
den, and these were })Ianted with tlie greatest care, according
to the minute directions of the master. I have befoi-c me the
original plan of these grounds, made by Washington's own
hands. It is very carefully drawn. The exact position and
the name of every tree to be planted, are laid down. With it is
a section-drawing, on a larger scale, showing the ])r()posed car-
riage-way around the lawn, the names of a large number of
trees that were to adorn it, and the places of others indicated by
letters and numerals, which are explained by a memorandum.
Directly before the western front an oval grass-plot w^as designed,
with a dial-post in the centre, and a carriage-way around it.
The lawn, the oval grass-plot, and the gardens were laid out
according to the plan drawn by Washington, and remain
unchanged in form. Quite a large number of trees, planted
along the margins of the carriage-%vay, at that time, are yet
there, and are noble specimens of their kind. Many others
have decayed and passed away ; and, in some instances, quite
large trees now stand where others were planted by the hand
of Washington three-quarters of a century ago.
In each garden Washington erected small houses, of octag-
onal form, for the storage of seeds and implements of hor-
ticulture. These are yet standing. The lower portion of each
is of brick, and the remainder of plank, wrought so as to
resemble blocks of stone. These garden-houses, and water-
closets of similar form and dimensions, standing on the borders
of the garden near the mansion, are now [1859] fallen into
AND ITS ASSOCIATIOJNB.
148
U Ai^DliiS -IIU L'SK .
almost hopeless decay. The massive brick walls around both
gardens remain in perfect preservation.
On the north side of the flower-garden Washington erected
quite an extensive conservatory for plants, into which he col-
lected many rare exotics. Some of them were presented to
liim as testimonials of esteem, and others were purchased at
the garden of John Bartram, near Philadelphia. Bartram
was a member of the Society of Friends, and an eminent
l)otanist. He had died during the Revolution, leaving his
business in the able hands of his son William, who, in 1791,
published a most interesting account of his botanical explora-
tions through the Southern states of our Union.
144
MOUNT VERNON
A few tropical plants found their way to the Potomac oc-
(^asionally, upon vessels from the West Indies. Among the
latter, on one occasion, were some fine lemon-trees of large
CENTURY PLANT AND LEMON-TKtK.
growth, and from them "Washington selected two or three.
Others were propagated from these by cuttings, until, at the
time of his death, they had become quite a grove in one end
of the conservatory. Only one of these now remains. It was
standing in the flower-garden when I was there in 1858, by
the side of a fine century-plant, which was sent to Washington
by a gentleman at Porto Rico, in 1798. The tree is about
fifteen feet in height ; and, though bearing fruit in abundance,
shows signs of decay.
At the junction of two of the principal avenues in the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
145
VIEW IN THE S'LOWliii-GAKDEN AT MOUNT VBRNON— THE SAGO PALM.
flower-garden, I saw one other plant— and only one— that had
experienced the fostering care of Washington. It was a Sago
Palm, an East India production, from which is obtained the
article of domestic use known as pearl sago, a species of fecula
or starch. It stands in a large tnh in which flowers w«re
hlooniing; and its tufted leaves, like immense feathers, erowino-
from the heavy stem seven feet from tlie ground, were fresh
and beautiful.
The Lemon Tree, the Century Plant, and the Sago Palm,
are all that remain of the movable plants which belonged to
Washington, and were taken from the green-house wlien it
10
146
MOUNT VERNON
was destroyed by fire in December, 1835, the same night
when the destructive element consumed more than five hun-
dred buildings and other property valued at more than twenty
millions of dollars, in the city of New York. Tlie fire origi-
nated in a defective flue connected with the conservatory, and
KUIiNS OF THE CONSERVATORY AT MOUNT VEKNON.
that building, with the servants' quarters adjoining it, was laid
in ashes in the course of a few hours. What plants were
saved from the flames were mostly destroyed by the frost, for
it was one of tlie coldest nights on record.
The conservatory was never rebuilt nor the ruins removed.
These, now overgrown with vines and shrubs, form a pict-
uresque garden wall, but lose some of tlieir attractiveness to
the eye of taste, by the presence of two tall, perpendicular
chimneys, which are seen above the shrubbery from every
point of view in the garden. These broken walls, too, strike
the visitor unpleasantly. Tliey are at the modern carriage
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
147
entrance to Mount Yernon, and are tlie first olijects associated
with Wasiiington that meet the eye on apj^roachuig the man-
sion from t]ie public road
.*^*''
ICE-HOUSE AT MODNT VEEN0J4.
Eastward of the flower-garden, and on the opposite side
of tlie present entrance to Mount Vernon, Washington con-
structed an ice-house, after his retirement from public life, at
the close of his presidency. It was sometliing new in Vir-
ginia ; indeed, ice-houses were not in very common use else-
where at that time. It is well preserved, and is finely shaded
by tall trees, which form a beautiful grove on the north side
of the mansion.
Previous to the erection of this ice-house, Washington had
used, for the purpose of keeping meat, butter, and vegetables
cool in summer, a large dry-well at the south-east corner of
the lawn in front of the mansion, just on the brink of the high
precipitous bank of the river. Into this a descent was made
148
MOUNT VERNON
by a flight of steps, and over it he erected an elegant summer-
house, with a spire and iron vane in the form of a crescent. The
well and the snnnner-house are there, but a part of the walls of
the former liave fallen in. From the summer-house fine views
.'-t'
SUMMER-IIOUSK AT MOIWT VEItNON.
of the Potomac may be obtained, but as the staircase leading
to it has nearly rotted away, there is difficulty and some danger
in climbing up into it over the chasm formed by the caving in
of the side of the well. It was from that suminer-house that
the sketch was made of the mansion, out-buildings, and lawn,
with the visitors, as they appear in the frontispiece to this
volume.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 149
I have before me a manuscript memorandum from the hand
of Washington, in which he notes, in minute detail, the dis-
tances and directions in feet and inches, and by points of
compass, of various objects, such as the garden-houses, the
dial-post, and the dry-well, from the " front door of the man-
sion," It is interesting, as showing the extreme minuteness
and accuracy with w^hich Washington kept a record of all his
operations, and might serve those who are about to restore
Mount Yernon to its original form and perfection, as an indi-
cator of points now lost through neglect and decay.
During the spring and sunnner of 1784, visitors flocked to
Mount Yernon in great numbers. Many of the companions
in arms of the beloved chief, of all grades, from general
officers to private soldiers, went there to pay their respects, and
enjoy once again sweet intercourse with him under whom they
had always delighted to serve.
At length one came who was specially a man after Wash-
ington's own heart — a young man whom he loved as a son or
a younger brother. He had been a friend to the Americans
in their struggle for freedom, and was a friend of mankind.
That visitor was the Marquis de Lafayette, a distinguished
scion of an ancient noble family, who, in the summer of
1776, Mdiile at the table of the commandant of Mentz, in Ger-
many, with other French officers, heard the Duke of Glouces-
ter, brother to the King of England, speak of the Declaration
of Independence just put forth by the Anglo-American colo-
nies, and of the strong measures adopted by the British
ministry to crush the rising rebellion. The marquis was then
just past eighteen years of age, slender in form, and a boy in
personal appearance. But the heart of a patriot and hero beat
150 MOUNT VERNON
beneath his coat of green, and his imagination and zeal were
■fired by the recital of the story of a people fighting for liberty.
He returned to Paris full of high resolves, and leaving there
an equally enthusiastic and a cheerfully consenting young wife
— the rich and beautiful daughter of the Duke de Xoailles —
he came to America, volunteered to light in the cause of colo-
nial emancipation, and, throughout the war, performed services
in the field here, and at the court of France, of inestimable
benefit to the country. Life, youth, fortune, the endearments
of home, were all freely devoted to the cause, and he nuide the
aspirations of the Americans emphatically his own, with an en-
thusiasm that scorned all obstacles. " It is fortunate for the
king," said the old Count Maurepas, "• that Lafayette does not
take it into his head to strip Versailles of its furniture to send to
his dear Americans, as his majesty would be unable to refuse it."
Washington, governed by his intuitive perception of cliar-
acter, which never deceived him, took Lafayette to his bosom
on his first arrival at Philadelphia, in 1777; and from that
hour until death severed the bond, they were friends of
truest character. And now, the intelligence that this dear
friend was about to visit him in his quiet home at Mount Ver-
non gave Washington a most exquisite pleasure. The portrait
of the marquis, painted by Charles Willson Peale, in 1778, was
then hanging upon the wall of his parlor : it now occupies a
prominent place among the works of art at Arlington LTouse.
Lafayette arrived at New York on the 4th of August, 1784,
after a passage of thirtj^-four days from France. There he
received the congratulations of the citizens for a few days,
and then hastened toward Mount Vernon. He was detained
in Philadelphia two or three days, and there wrote as follows:
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 151
"Philadelphia, Tuesday Evening.
"My Dear General:—! liave already' had the pleasure to
acquaint jou with mj arrival in America, and am endeavor-
ing to reach Mount Yernon as soon as possible. My first plan
was only to stay here two days, but the affectionate reception
I have met with in this city, and the returning some compli-
ments to the Assembly, render it necessary for me to stay one
day longer. On Friday I will be at the head of Elk, the next
day at Baltimore, and by Sunday or Monday I hope at last to
be blessed with a sight of my dear General. Tliere is no rest
for me until I go to Mount Yernon. I long for the pleasure
to embrace you, my dear General, and the happiness of being
once more with you will be so great that no words can ever
express it. In a few days I will be at Mount Yernon, and I
do already feel delighted with so charming a prospect. My
best respects wait upon Mrs. Washington, and not long after
you receive this I shall tell you myself how respectfully and
affectionately I have the honor to be, my dear General,
" Your most obedient, humble servant,
" LAFAYETTE.
" In case your affairs call you to the Springs, I beg leave
either to go there after you, or to accompany you in your jour-
ney."
Lafayette arrived at Mount Yernon on the 17th, and re-
mained twelve days in the enjoyment of the most sincere
friendship and genuine hospitality. During that time Mount
Yernon was crowded with other guests, who came to meet the
great benefactor of America ; and when he departed for Balti-
152
MOUNT VERNOX
LAFAVKTTE PAINTKD BY C. \V . PEALE, IX 1778.
more, quite a cavalcade of gentlemen accompanied him far on
liis way.
There was a bond of union, of peculiar strengtJi, between
Washington and Lafayette other than that of mere personal
friendship. They were members of the fraternity of Free and
Accepted Masons, and both loved the mystic brotherhood sin-
cerely. Madame Lafayette was deeply interested in every
thing that engaged the attention of her husband ; and she had
learned to reverence Washington with a feeling closely allied
to that of devotion. She had corresponded with him, and
received from him cordial invitations to the simple delights
of rural life at Mount Vernon. She had, no doubt, earnestly
desired to present some visible testimonial of her regard to the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
153
great patriot of the New World; and when her husband
resolved to visit him in his retirement at Momit Yernon, she
prepared, with her own hands, an apron of white satin, upon
MASONIC APRON, WROUGHT BY MADAME THE MARCHIONESS LAFAYETTE.
which she wrought, in needlework, the various emblems of the
Masonic order. Tliis apron Lafayette brought with him, and
presented to his distinguished brother at Mount Vernon. It
was kept by Washington as a cherished memorial of a noble
woman ; and, after his death, his legatees formally presented
154 MOUNT VERNON
it to the Washington Benevolent Society of Philadelphia, in
the following words :
"To THE Washington Benevolent Society.
" The legatees of General Washington, impressed with the
most profound sentiments of respect for the noble institution
which they have the honor to address, beg leave to present to
them the enclosed relic of the revered and lamented Father
of his Country. They are persuaded that the apron, which
was once possessed by the man whom Philadelphians always
delighted to honor, will be considered most precious to the
society distinguished by his name, and by the benevolent and
grateful feelings to which it owes its foundation. That this
perishable memento of a hero, whose fame is more durable
than brass, may confer as much pleasure upon those to whom
it is presented as is experienced by the donors, is the sincere
wish of the legatees.
"October 2Qth, 1816."
When the society to which this apron was presented was
dissolved, the precious memento of Washington and his fair
friend was presented to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and
now occu^^ies a conspicuous place upon the walls of the Grand
Master's room in Masonic Hall, Philadelphia, carefully pre-
served under glass, in a frame.
More than two years previous to the visit of Lafayette,
Washington received from the late Elkanah Watson, and his
business partner, M. Cossoul, several Masonic ornaments, ac-
companied by the following letter :
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 155
"To HIS Excellency, General Washington, America.
'•''Most Illustrious and Resjpected Brother :
" In the moment when all Euroj^e admire and feel the
effects of your glorious efforts in support of American liberty,
we hasten to offer for your acceptance a small pledge of our
homage. Zealous lovers of liberty and its institutions, we
have experienced the most refined joy in seeing our chief and
brother stand forth in defence of a new-born nation of repub-
licans.
" Your glorious career will not be confined to the protection
of American liberty, but its ultimate effect will extend to the
whole human family, since Providence has evidently selected
you as an instrument in His hands to full 11 His eternal decrees.
"It is to you, therefore, the glorious orb of America, we
presume to offer Masonic ornaments, as an emblem of your
virtues. May the Grand Architect of the universe be the
guardian of your precious days, for the glory of the western
hemisphere and the entire universe. Such are the vows of
those who have the favor to be by all the known numbers,
" Your affectionate brothers,
" Watson & Cossoul.
"East of Nantes, 23c? \st Month, 5782."
Washington replied as follows, from his head-quarters at
Newburgh :
"State of New York, August lOth, 1*782.
" Gentlemen : — The Masonic ornaments which accompanied
your brotherly address of the 23d of January last, though
156 MOUNT VERNON
elegant in themselves, were rendered more valuable by tlie
Hattering sentiments and atfectionate manner in which they
were presented.
" If my endeavors to avert the evil with which the coimtry
was threatened, by a deliberate plan of tyranny, should be
crowned with the success that is wished, the praise is due to
the Grand Architect of the universe, who did not see fit to
sutler His superstructure of justice to be subjected to the
ambition of the princes of this world, or to the rod of oppres-
sion in the hands of any power upon earth.
" For your affectionate vows permit me to be grateful, and
oiFer mine for true brothers in all parts of the world, and to
assure you of the sincerity with which I am,
" Yours,
" Geo. Wasuington.
" Messrs. Watson & Cossoul, East of Nantes."
Watson says, in relation to this gift : " Wishing to pay some
mark of respect to our beloved Washington, I employed, in
conjunction with my friend M. Cossoul, nuns in one of the
convents at Nantes, to prepare some elegant Masonic orna-
ments, and gave them a plan for combining the American and
French flags on tlie apron designed for his use." They were
executed in a superior and expensive style, being wrought in
gold and silver tissue.
This regalia was sent by Washington to Mount Yernon,
and was afterward worn by him when he met his brethren in
the lodge at Alexandria. The apron and collar are now in
possession of Washington Lodge, Alexandria, to which they
were presented by the late Geoi'ge Washington Parke Custis.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 157
The reverence which was felt for the person of Washington
by individuals was expressed by public bodies, even, as in
the example just given, before the close of the struggle which
he conducted so nobly. The Federal Congress took the initiative
in voting him honors, such as the senate of old Rome was
wont to decree for their lieroes and sages. That body was in
session at Princeton, in the summer of 1783, when arrange-
ments for the consummation of the declared peace with
Great Britain was in progress, and Washington, having been
requested to make his head-quarters near, took post at Rocky
Hill, a few miles off. Before his arrival, the Congress, on the
7tli of August,
'•'•Resolved (unanimously, ten states being present). That
an equestrian statue of General Washington be erected at the
place where the residence of Congress shall be established ;"
and appointed Arthur Lee, Oliver Ellsworth, and Thomas
Mifflin, a committee to propose a plan for the same.
The committee recommended a statue of bronze, the general
to be represented in a Roman dress, holding a truncheon in his
right hand, and his head encircled with a laurel wreath. The
statue was to be supported by a marble pedestal, on which
were to be represented — the evacuation of Boston, the cap-
ture of the Hessians at Trenton, the battle of Princeton, the
action of Monmouth, and the surrender of York. On the
upper part of the pedestal was to be the following inscrip-
tion :
"The United States, in Congress assembled, ordered this
statue to be erected in the year of our Lord, 1783, in honor of
George Washington, the illustrious commander-in-chief of the
armies of the United States of America, during the war which
158 MOUNT VERNON
vindicated and secured their liberty, sovereignty, and inde-
pendence."
It was resolved that this statue should be executed by the
best artist in Europe, under the superintendence of the min-
ister of the United States at Versailles (Doctor Franklin), at
the expense of the government, and that Congress should
transmit to the minister the best likeness of Washington that
could be procured.
A few months after the passage of these resolutions, two
young artists arrived at Rocky Hill. These were Joseph
Wright and William Dunlap. The former bore a letter from
Dr. Franklin to Washington, and he was permitted to paint
the portraits of the general and his wife. Dunlap, then a mere
lad, also painted a portrait of the chief.
Young Wright was a son of Mrs. Patience Wright, who had
then acquired much eminence in Europe and America for her
models in wax of living men, and he inherited some of his
mother's peculiar faculty. Some members of the Congress,
aware of this, conceived the idea of having him make a plaster
cast from the face of Washington, to be sent to Europe for the
use of the sculptor who should execute the bronze statue. It
was proposed, and Washington consented to submit to the
unpleasant operation of lying upon his back and having the
wet plaster laid upon his face. What a spectacle did the great
Republican leader present at that moment !
The operation was a most disagreeable one, for the manipu-
lator was inexperienced and unskilful. lie was very anxious,
too, to relieve Washington from his position, and, in his haste
and trepidation, an accident occurred which made his labor
fruitless. After the plaster had sufficiently hardened, the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 159
artist proceeded, as quickly as possible, to remove it, when he
let it fall upon the floor, and it was dashed in pieces. The
desires of Congress, strongly expressed, to have another trial,
were of no avail. Washington would not consent, and tlie
statue voted by that body was never made.
Young Wright appears to have been unfortunate in his
efl"orts to acquire fame and fortune in connection with the
likeness of Washington. He afterward cut a die for a medal-
lion profile of the chief, which was declared by all to be an
exceedingly faithful picture. After striking a few impressions
the die was broken, and the artist's labor was lost. An
engraving on copper, of larger size, was afterward made from
one of these impressions. A broadside edition of Washing-
ton's Farewell Address, printed in 1796, in possession of the
w^riter, is embellished with an impression from that engraving.
When Washington had become a private citizen — a plain
farmer on the banks of the Potomac — neither desiring nor
expecting furtlier public employment, the hearts of his coun-
trymen, beating warmly with gratitude for his services, yearn-
ed to honor him with some testimonial of their profound
regard. Virginia, his native state, proud to own him as her
son, took the lead in the manifestation of this sentiment. On
the 22d of June, 1784, the legislature of Virginia —
'•'•Rewlved^ That the Executive be requested to take meas-
ures for procuring a statue of General Washington, to be of
the finest marble and best workmanship, with the following
inscription on its pedestal :
" 'The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia
have caused this Statue to be erected as a Monument of Affec-
tion and Gratitude to George Washington, who, uniting to
160 MOUNT VERNON
the Endowments of the Hero the Virtues of the Patriot, and
exerting both in establishing the Liberties of his Country, has
rendered his Name dear to his Fellow Citizens, and given the
World an immortal Example of true Glory.' "
This inscription was written by James Madison. On the
day when this resolution was adopted, the General Assembly
also voted an address to General Washington, and a joint com-
mittee of the two houses was appointed to prepare one and
present it. The committee, with Mr. Madison at the head,
waited upon Washington, at Mount Vernon, a few days after-
ward, presented the address, and received the following reply :
"Gentlemen: — With feelings ^ which are more easy to be
conceived than expressed, I meet and reciprocate the congrat-
ulations of the representatives of this commonwealth on the
tinal establishment of peace.
" Nothing can add more to the pleasure which arises from a
conscious discharge of public trust, than the approbation of
one's country. To have been so happy, under a vicissitude of
fortune, amidst the difficult and ti-ying scenes of an arduous
conflict, as to meet this, is, in my mind, to have attained the
highest honor; and the consideration of it, in my present
peaceful retirement, will heighten all my domestic joys, and
constitute my greatest felicity.
" I should have been truly wanting in duty, and must have
frustrated the great and important object for which we re-
sorted to arms, if, seduced by a temporary regard for fame, I
had suffered the paltry love of it to interfere with my country's
welfare ; the interest of wliich was the only inducement which
carried me into the field, or permitted the sacred rights of civil
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 161
authority, though but for a moment, to be violated and i„.
them "^ ^°™' """"" ""^"'"^ '° "'"""' •™'' """«""
"For those rewards and blessings which yon bare invoked
for me m this world, and for the fruition of that happiness
wh.ch you pray for in that which is to come, you have, gen-
tlemen, all my thanks and all n,y gratitude. I wish I could
msure them to yon, and the state you represent, a hundred.
Senjamm Harrison was governor of Virginia when the
t^eneral Assembly requested the executive to take measures
for procuring a statue of Washington ; and a little more than a
month after the date of that resolution, he wrote to Doctor
Frankhn and Mr. Jeffei^on, then in Paris, on the subject
requesting then, to attend to the matter, and acquainting them
that he had ordered Mr. Peale to send them a fnll-len^th
portrait of the general, to be used as a model for the sculptor
The only method by which a perfect likeness of the great
patriot might be secured, was to have the artist make a model
from the living face; and Messrs. Franklin and Jeflei-son ac-
cordingly engaged Hondon, a portrait sculptor, then without a
nval in the world, to go to America for the purpose. Hondon
was a small, active, and exceedingly industrious Frenchman-
eareful and prudent, and disposed to make an excellent bar-
gain for himself "The terms," Mr. Jefferson wrote "are
twenty-five thousand livres [about $4,620], one thousand Eng-
Mi guineas (the English gninea being worth twenty-five
hvres), for the statue and pedestal. Besides this, we pay his
expenses going and returning, which we expect will be
162 MOUNT VERNON
between four and five tliousand livres ; and if lie dies on the
voyage, we pay his family ten thousand livres. This latter
proposition was disagreeable to us ; but he has a father,
mother, and sisters, who have no resource but in his labor ;
and he is himself one of the best men in the world." To
insure the state against loss in case of his death, Mr. Jeiferson,
through Mr. Adams, procured an insurance upon Houdon's
life, in London, at an additional expense of five hundred livres,
or about ninety-two dollars.
It was more than a year after the order for the statue was
given before Houdou arrived. He came over in the same
vessel that brought Doctor Franklin home. On the 20tli of
September, 1785, the Doctor gave Houdon a letter of intro-
duction to Washington, and, at the same time, he wrote to the
general to apprise him of the sculptor's arrival. Washington
immediately wrote to Houdon, saying, " It will give me pleas-
ure, sir, to welcome you to this seat of my retirement ; and
whatever I have or can procure that is necessary to your pur-
poses, or convenient and agreeable to your wishes, you must
freely command, as inclination to oblige you will be among
the last things in wliich I shall be deficient, either on your
arrival or during your stay."
Houdon arrived at Mount Yernon on the 3d of October,
furnished with all necessary materials for making a bust of
Washington. He remained there a fortnight, and made, on
the living face of our illustrious Friend, a plaster mould, pre-
paratory for the clay impression, which was then modelled into
the form of a bust, and immediately, before it could shrink
from drying, moulded and cast in plaster, to be afterward
copied in marble, in Paris. That clay model was left at
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
163
HOUDOn's bust of WASHINGTON.
Mount Vernon, wliere it may be seen upon a bracket in tlie
library, white- washed, so as to resemble marble or plaster of
Paris.
In the presence of Mr. Madison, Houdon made exact meas-
urements of the person of Washington, and with ample mem-
oranda concerning costume, et cetera, he returned to France.
The statue was not completed until 1789, when to the inscrip-
tion upon the pedestal were added the words: "Done in the
year of Christ one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight,
and in the year of the connnonwealth, twelve."
Houdon's statue stands iu the rotunda of the capitol at
Kichmond. It is of fine Italian marble, size of life. The
costume is the military dress of the Eevolution. The right
164
MOUNT VERNON
HOUDOX'S STATIH OF W.\.SnlNGTO.\.
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 165
hand of the general rests upon a staif ; the left is upon the
folds of a military cloak thrown over the end of a bnndle of
fasces, with which are connected a sword and plough. Gouver-
iieur Morris, who was in Paris when the statue was executed,
stood as a model for the person of Washington. " Of what
use," says Dunlap, " his person could be to the artist I cannot
conceive, as there was no likeness, in form or manner, between
him and the hero, except that they w^ere both tall men." Yet
such was the fact. Morris, in his diary, under date of " June
5, 1789," says : " Go to M. Houdon's. He's been waiting for
me a long time. I stand for his statue of General Washington,
being the humble employment of a manikin. Tliis is literally
taking the advice of St. Paul, to be all things to all men."
The foregoing facts are presented in contrast with the
creations of fancy which an orator recently put forth as
the forms of real history, in the following words : " Houdon,
after taking a mould of Washington's face, persisted to make a
cast of his entire person. * * * * The hero and the sage —
the man of supreme dignity, of spotless purity and the most
veiled modesty, laid his sacred person bare and prone before
the eyes of art and affection ! * ^ * * The cast of the body
was left to the care of his workmen, but that of the head was
reserved in his own hands." All this is utterly untrue. The
workmen of Houdon, it is known, never joined him, and no
such scene as above described ever occurred at Mount Vernon.
Six months before Houdon's arrival at Mount Yernon,
another artist was domiciled there. It was Eobert Edge
Pine, a very small, morbidly irritable Englishman, who came
to America in 1784, with the rare reputation of "king's
painter," and with the lofty design of procuring portraits of
166 MOUNT VERNON •
tlie most distinguished men of the Kevohition, as materials for
a series of historical paintings of the war then just ended.
His wife and daughters, who came with him, were as diminu-
tive as himself, and the family appeared almost like pigmies.
Pine had been a student of art under Sir Joshua Reynolds.
He was highly esteemed by that artist, and was popular with
a large number of influential men in England. He brought
letters of introduction to Francis Hopkinson, of Philadelphia ;
and the first portrait that he painted after his arrival in this
country, was of that gentleman. It was finished early in
1785, and was first well engraved by Longaere, and published
in the American Portrait Gallery. Robert Morris also pat-
ronized him, and built a studio for him in Eighth street, in
Philadelphia.
Pine's republican proclivities made him unpopular with the
ministerial party at home, and gave him corresponding sym-
pathy in America. He foundi constant employment for his
pencil in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Annapolis, and in several
places in Virginia. He went to Mount Yernon in May, 1785,
with a letter of introduction to Washington from Francis Hop-
kinson, in which the chief was requested to give the painter
sittings, in furtherance of his grand design of composing
scenes of the War for Independence. He was cordially re-
ceived, and remained there three weeks. During that time
Washington wrote as follows to Mr. Hopkinson, dated at
Mount Yernon, May 16, 1785 :
" Deak Sir : ' In for a jienny in for a pound,' is an old
adage. I am so hackneyed to the touches of the painter's
pencil, that I am now altogether at their beck, and sit, like
AND ITS ASSOCIATION-S. 16'7
Patience on a monument, wliilst tliej are delineating tlie lines
of my face.
" It is a proof among many others of wliat habit and custom
can effect. At first I was as impatient at the request, and as
restive under trie operation, as a colt is of the saddle. The
next time I submitted very reluctantly, but with less flouncing.
Now no dray moves more readily to the thill than I do to
the painter's chair. It may easily be conceived, therefore, that
I yielded a ready obedience to your request, and to the views
of Mr. Pine.
" Letters from England, recommendatory of this gentleman,
came to my hand previous to his arrival in America, not only
as an artist of acknowledged eminence, but as one who had
discovered a friendly disposition toward this country, for
which it seems he had been marked."
While at Mount Vernon Pine painted the portraits of two
of Mrs. Washington's grandchildren. These were Elizabeth
Parke Custis, then about nine years of age, who afterward
married Mr. Law, a M'ealthy English gentleman ; and George
Washington Parke Custis, the last survivor of his family, who
died at Arlington House, on the Potomac, in the autumn of
1857. The pictures are exquisitely painted, and, like all of
Pine's productions, the colors retain their original vividness.
Elizabeth is represented as a beautiful girl, with rich brown
hair lying in careless curls, and in great profusion, upon her
head and neck, her bosom covered with very light drapery,
and having lying upon it the miniature of her father, John
Parke Custis (printed on page 84 of this volume), suspended
by a ribbon around her neck.
168
xMOUNT VliRNON"
ELIZABETH PARKE CUSTIS.
The brother was then between four and fiv^e years of age.
He is represented as a fair-haired child, with loose summer
garments, and carrying in his hand a branch with two or
three leaves upon it. These pictures now occupy a con-
spicuous place upon the walls of the drawing-room at Arling-
ton House.
Pine's grand design was never carried out. He died four
or five years after his visit to Mount Vernon, and his family
returned to England. The portraits which he had painted
were &old and scattered. That of Washington was afterward
found in Montreal, and jiurchased by the late Henry Brevoort,
of Bedford, Long Island, and is now in possession of his son,
J. Carson Brevoort.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
169
G. W. P. CUSTIS WHEN A CHILTl.
A few weeks after Pine left Mount Vernon, and while the
plasterers were at work ornamenting the ceiling of the great
drawing-room of the mansion, then jnst completed, there was
an arrival at the home of Washington of an extraordinary
character. It was a pack of French hounds, sent to him by
Lafayette. On the 1st of September Washington wrote to the
marquis, saying : " The hounds which you were so oblimn^ as
to send, arrived safe, and are of promising appearance. To
Monsieur le Comte Doilliamson (if I miscall him, your hand-
writing is to blame, and in honor you are bound to rectify the
error), and in an especial manner to his fair Comtesse, my
thanks are due for this favor. Tlie enclosed letter, which I
170 MOUNT VERNON ,
give you the trouble of forwarding, contains my acknowledg-
ment of their obliging attention to me on this occasion."
While Washington thanked Lafayette and his friends for
their kindly offices, he certainly did not feel sjDecially thankful
for the hounds. Daring the war, his hunting establishment,
which had been perfect, had been almost broken up, and he
felt no disposition to renew it. His kennel, which was situated
very near the site of the present tomb of Washington, was
quite dilapidated ; and the paling which enclosed it and a fine
spring of water, had almost disappeared. Vulcan and True-
love, Ringwood and Sweetlips, Singer and Forester, Music
and Rockwood — hounds of note on the master's register when
he left Mount Yernon for the senate — were missing or were
too old for service when he returned, and for only about three,
years afterward did he keep an}' hounds at all. Those sent by
Lafayette were of great size and strength. Because of their
fierce disposition they were kept closely confined ; and, a few
months after their arrival, Washington broke up his kennel,
gave awa}' his hounds, bade adieu to the chase forever, and,
for his amusement, formed a fine deer-park below the mansion,
upon a beautiful slope extending to the river.
The late Mr. Custis has left on record the following anec-
dote: "Of the French hounds, there was one named Vulcan,
and we bear him the better in reminiscence, from having often
bestrid his ample back in the days of our juvenility. It hap-
pened that upon a large company sitting down to dinner at
Mount Yernon one day, the lady of the mansion (my grand-
mother) discovered that tlie ham, the pride of every Yii'ginia
housewife's table, was missing from its accustomed post of
honor. Upon questioning Frank, the butler, this portly, and
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. lYl
at tlic same time the most polite and accomplislied of all
butlers, observed that a ham, yes, a very fine ham, had been
prepared, agreeably to the Madam's orders, but lo and behold !
who should come into the kitchen, while the savory ham was
smoking in its dish, but old Vulcan the hound, and without
more ado fastened his fangs into it ; and although they of the
kitchen had stood to such arms as they could get, and had
fought the old spoiler desperately, yet Vulcan had finally
triumphed, and bore off the ]3i"ize, aye, ' cleanly, under the
keeper's nose.' The lady by no means relished the loss of a
dish which formed the pride of her table, and uttered some
remarks by no means favorable to old Vulcan, or indeed to
dogs in general ; while the Chief, having heard the story, com-
municated it to his guests, and, with them, laughed heartily at
the exploit of the stag-lioundP
Almost simultaneously with the arrival of the French
hounds, came a magnificent present from Samuel Yaughan, a
wealthy resident of London, who had conceived a passionate
admiration for the character of "Washington. Tlie object pre-
sented was a very beautiful chimney-piece, wrought in Italy,
from the finest white and Sienite marbles, for Mr. Vaughan's
own use. At the time of its arrival in England that gentleman
was informed of the improvements in the mansion then in
progress at Mount Yernon, and, without unpacking it, he sent
it directly to Washington. It is exquisitely wrought in every
part. Upon three tablets of tiie frieze, under the highly orna-
mented mantel, are sculptured, in very high relief, in white
marble, pleasant domestic scenes in agricultural life. Upon
the centre tablet, which is the largest, is an evening scene. A
husbandman, with his wife and little child, is returning from the
172
MOUNT VERNON
ITALIAN CHIMNEY-PIECE.
fields, driving a cow and a flock of sheep. Many of the latter
are seen going into a fold for the night, and beyond the en-
closure is seen the setting sun. On the left of the central
tablet is represented a boy, harnessing a span of horses, to be
attached to a plough. On the right is a cottage. The house-
wife, having just drawn a bucket of water from the well, is
pouring it into a tub for the cleansing of vegetables, which are
seen lying by the side of it. Her little girl has her apron full.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
173
TABLET ON THE LEFT.
CDXTRE TABLET.
TABLET ON THE RIGHT.
174
MOUNT VERNON
and is eating a turnip, while a pig is coming out of a rickety
sty near by.
The fire])lace is an enonnoiis iron grate, capal)le of contain-
ing several bushels of coal ; and the hearth is of white marble,
inlaid with ornaments of ])olished maroon-colored marble, or
encanstic tile. Upon the shelf are two small dark-blue vases,
covered with flowers, delicately painted ; and between these
are two bronze candelabra. The whole present a most pleas-
ing picture to the eye ; and the interest is increased by the
associations which cluster around these objects, for they were
there sixtv years ao:o, when WashinG;ton received his o-nests in
the spacious drawing-room, of which that chimney-piece is the
greatest ornament.
PoliCIiLAIN VASES.
With the elegant chimney-piece Mr. Yaughan sent three larger
and more beautiful porcelain vases, than those which now stand
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 175
upon the slielf. They were made in India, and ornamented in
London. Tlie ground is a dark bhie, with delicate gilt scroll
and leaf ornaments, with landscapes painted upon one side and
animals upon the other. These are now at Arlington House.
Washington appears to have received other presents from
Mr. Yaughan. On the 30th of November, 1785, he wrote to
his London friend, saying: "I have lately received a letter
from Mr. Vaughan (your son), of Jamaica, accompanied by a
puncheon of rum, which he informs me was sent by your order
as a present for me. Indeed, my dear sir, you overwhelm
me with your favors, and lay me under too many obligations
to leave a hope remaining of discharging them." He had
attempted to do so in a degree, for in the same letter, he says :
" Hearing of the distress in which that island, with others in
the West Indies, is involved by the late hurricane, I have
taken the liberty of requesting Mr. Vaughan's acceptance, for
his own use, of a few barrels of superfine flour of my own
manufacturing."
Two or three months later than the date of this letter, an-
other present for Washington reached Mount Yernon, of more
intrinsic value than all that he had received since his retire-
ment from the army. It consisted of three asses, a jack and
two jennies, selected from the royal stud at Madrid, and sent
to him as a compliment from the king of Spain. His " Catholic
Majesty" having been informed that Washington Avas endeav-
oring to procure these animals of the best breed in Europe, for
the purpose of rearing mules on his estates, made him this
present, and sent over Avith them a person acquainted with
the mode of treating them, who arrived at Portsmoutli, in
New Hampshire, and journeyed to Mount Yernon by land.
176 MOUNT VERNON
According to a statement of the late Mr. Custis, the jack,
called the Royal Gift, was sixteen hands high, of a gray color,
heavily made, and of a sluggish disposition. " At the same
time," says Mr. Custis, "the Marquis de Lafayette sent out a
jack and jennies from the island of Malta. This jack, called
the Knight of Malta, was a suberb animal, black color, with
the form of a stag and the ferocity of a tiger. Washington
availed himself of the best qualities of the two jacks by cross-
ing the breeds, and hence obtained a favorite jack, called
Com'pound, which animal united the size and strength of the
Gift with the high courage and activity of the Knight. The
General bred some very superior mules from his coach mares.
In a few years the estate of Mount Yernon became stocked
with mules of a superior order, some of them rising to the
height of sixteen hands, and of great power and usefulness.
One wao;on team of four mules sold at the sale of the Gen-
eral's effects for eight hundred dollars."
Washington, through Florida Bianca, the prime minister of
Spain, most sincerely thanked his majesty for a present so
truly valuable, in connection with his country's industrial
operations ; and in answer, that functionary replied, " It will
give pleasure to his majesty, that opportunities of a higher
nature may offer, to prove the great esteem he entertains for
your Excellency's personal merit, singular virtues, and char-
acter."
At the close of 1785, Washington had completed the enlarge-
ment of his house, and was prepared for the accommodation of
the increasing number of his visitors. He found his time so
much occupied with these, and his equally increasing corre-
spondence, that he resolved to employ a secretary, who should,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 177
at the same time, perform the duties of instructor of his adopted
children. He addressed General Lincoln on the subject, who
warmly recommended Tobias Lear, a young gentleman of
Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, who had recently graduated
at Harvard University. In reply, Washington said :
" Mr. Lear, or any other who may come into my family in
the blended character of preceptor to the children and clerk or
private secretary to me, will sit at my table, will live as I live,
will mix with the company who resort to the house, and will
be treated in every respect with civility and proper attention."
A satisfactory arrangement was made, which proved a hap-
py one. Mr. Lear went to Mount Vernon, and resided there
much of the time afterward, until death removed the master.
Washington became very fond of him. He married, and
lost his wife there; and in his will, Washington wrote: "To
Tobias Lear 1 give the use of the farm which he now holds, in
virtue of a lease from me to him and his deceased wife (for
and during their natural lives), free from rent during his life."
We shall meet Mr. Lear again under solemn circumstances
beneath the roof of Mount Vernon mansion.
Li his letter to General Lincoln respecting Mr. Lear, Wash-
ington expressed his expectation that his correspondence would
decline, for he had resolved to remain strictly a private citizen.
On the contrary, circumstances which speedily arose, caused
his correspondence to greatly increase, and the retired soldier
soon found himself borne out upon the turbulent waves of
political life. He was too patriotic to shrink from duty when
his country demanded his services, and therefore events soon
drew him from the coveted pleasures of his quiet home.
Washington, with other sagacious men, had watched the
12
178 MOUNT VERNON
course of public affairs since the close of the war with the
deepest solicitude, for he perceived imminent dangers on every
side. The country had become impoverished by the struggle,
and was burdened with an enormous debt, domestic and foreign ;
and the Congress possessed no executive powers adequate to a
provision of means for the liquidation of those debts by direct
taxation.
For a long time it had been clearly perceived that, while
the Articles of Confederation entered into by the respective
states, formed a sufficient constitution of government during
the progress of the war, they were not adapted to the public
wants in the new condition of an independent sovereignty in
which the people found themselves. There appeared abund-
ant necessity for a greater centralization of power, by which
the general government could act more efficiently for the pub-
lic good.
As early as the summer of 1782, the legislature of New
York, on the suggestion of Alexander Hamilton, had recom-
mended to each state " to adopt the measure of assembling a
GENEKAL CONVENTION OF THE STATES, Specially authorized to
revise and amend the Confederation j''^ and in the spring of
1786 a strong desire was felt in many parts of the country to
have such convention.
To a great extent the people had lost all regard for the
authority of Congress, and the commercial affairs of the
country had become wretchedly deranged. Every thing
seemed to be tending toward utter chaos ; and many were
the anxious councils held by Washington and others under the
roof of Mount Yernon, when the buds and the birds iirst
appeared in Yirginia in the spring of 1786. His correspond-
A.ND ITS ASSOCIATIOXS. 179
ence with his compatriots in other states on the subject became
quite extended ; and his letters at this time, full of the impor-
tant topic, are remarkable for their words of wisdom and tone
of caution.
" I often think of our situation, and view it with concern,"
he wrote to John Jay in May. " From the high ground we
stood upon, from the plain path which invited our footsteps, to
be so fallen, so lost, is really mortifying." He saw the ten-
dency toward ruin of the fair fabric which his wisdom and
prowess had helped to raise, and his faith in public men had
become weakened. " My fear is," he said, " that the people
are not sufficiently misled to retract from error. To be plainer,
I think there is more wickedness than ignorance mixed in our
councils. Under this impression I scarcely know what opinion
to entertain of a general convention."
Time and circumstances work out many changes in human
opinions. Washington's were modified by the logic of events,
and he soon favored a convention of the states. He received
letters from all parts of the country upon the subject of public
affairs, and his answers, widely circulated, had a commanding
influence. In his quiet home at Mount Vernon he was silently
wielding the powers of a statesman, and his opinions were
eagerly sought.
In 1785, commissioners appointed by Virginia and Mary-
land, to form a compact relative to the navigation of the
waters belonging to them in common, had visited Mount
Vernon to consult with the retired soldier ; and suggestions
were then made and discussed concerning a stronger federal
government, which led to important results. It led, primarily,
to a general discussion by the people of the subject of the inef-
180 MOUNT VKRN ON
ticiency of the federal government ; then to a convention of
delegates from a few states at Annapolis, in Maryland, in
September, 1786 ; and, finally, to a more important conven-
tion the following year, on the recommendation of the Con-
gress. The latter convention, composed of delegates from
every state in the union except New Hampshire and Rhode
Island, commenced its session in Philadelphia toward the
close of May, 1787.
Washington was put at the head of the Virginia delegation,
hut for some time he refused to accept the position, having
solemnly declared that he would never appear in public life
again. But on all occasions that great man yielded private
considerations to the public good. After consultations with
friends he consented to serve, and on the 9th of May he set
out in his carriage from Mount Vernon on a journey to Phila-
delphia. He was chosen president of the convention by
unanimous vote, and for nearly four months he presided over
the deliberations of that august assembly with great dignity.
The convention adjourned on the 12th of September. On that
day the present Constitution of the United States was
adopted, as a substitute for the Articles of Confederation.
That constitution was submitted to the people for ratification.
Toward the close of 1788 the majority of the states having
signified their approval of it, the people proceeded to choose
a chief magistrate of the republic.
For more than two years Washington kept a vigilant and
anxious eye upon the movements of the public mind in rela-
tion to the federal constitution. Day by day his correspond-
ence increased, and he found himself again upon the sea of
political life. Meanwhile the hospitable mansion at Mount
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 181
Yernon was frequently filled mth visitors ; and one Mdioui
Washington loved, as a soldier and as a friend, was invited
there as a guest, with a request that he should remain as long
COLONKL DAVID H rMPHKHTS.
as the house should be agreeable to him. That guest was
David Humphreys, a native of Derby, Connecticut, and then
about thirty five years of age. He had received the diploma
of Bachelor of Arts at Yale College in 1771, when the eminent
Doctor Daggett was president. His cotemporaries there were
Dwight, Trumbull, and Barlow, a triad of poets, with whom
he was associated in paying court to the muse of song. Hum-
phreys was a tutor in the family of the lord of Fhillipse's
manor, on the Hudson, for awhile, and then entered the con-
tinental army as a captain. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-
colonel during the war, and toward the close became one of
Washington's favorite aides. He went abroad in 1784, as
182 MOUNT VERNON
secretary to the commission for negotiating treaties of com-
merce with foreign powers. He was abroad two years, and
on his return made qnite a protracted visit at Mount Vernon.
That was in 1786 ; and one evening in August, while reclining
on the bank of the river, in the shadow^s of its wooded slopes,
he began the composition of an ode entitled ''■Mount Vernon,''''
commencing with the following stanza :
"By broad Potowmack's azure tide,
Where Vernon's Mount, in sylvan pride.
Displays its beauties far,
Great Washington, to peaceful shades,
Where no unhallow'd wish invades,
Retir'd from fields of v^-ar."
Humphreys brought with him from France, at the special
request of the king, a token of his "most Christian majesty's"
regard for Washington. It was an engraving of a full-length
portrait of the king, Louis XVI., in his state robes, enclosed in
a superb gilt frame, made expressly for the occasion. At the
top, surrounded by appropriate emblems, are the royal arms
of France, and, at the bottom, the arms of the Washington
family. In the corners are the monograms of the king and
Washington—" L. L. XVI." and " G. W." These— the arms
and the emblematic ornaments — are in relief. The picture, in
its original frame, is at Mount Vernon, dimmed and darkened
by age and neglect.
In 1788, Humphreys, as we have just observed, became a
resident at Mount Vernon ; and there he wrote a Life of
General Israel Putnam. Humphreys had been a member of
that officer's military family in the war for independence ; and
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
183
ENGRAVING OF LOUIS XVI.
just before his departure for Mount Vernon, he visited the
veteran at Ids home in Connecticut, and received from his own
lips many of the stirring narratives recorded in that biograph3\
At Mount Vernon Humplirejs translated, from the French
of M. Le Mierre, the tragedy of The Widow of Malahar^
which was first brought out at the theatre in Philadelphia, by
Hallam and Wignel (heads of the old American company of
players), in May, 1790. The prologue, written by John Trum-
184 MOUNT VERNON
bull, author of M'-Fingall^ was spoken on tliat occasion by
Mr, Ilallam, and the epilogue, written by Humphreys, was
spoken by Mrs. Henry.
While Colonel Humphreys was at Mount Vernon in the
autumn of 1788, distinguished visitors were entertained there
for a few days. These were the Count de Moustier, the French
minister, a handsome and polite man ; his sister, the Mar-
chioness de Brienne — wdio was illnaturedly described by Gen-
eral Armstrong as a " little, singular, whimsical, hysterical old
woman, whose delight is in playing with a negro child and
caressing a monkey" — and her son, M. Dupont. They had
made a long journey from New Hampshire, by way of Fort
Schuyler (now Utica) on the Mohawk River, where they en-
joyed the spectacle of an Indian treaty.
The Marchioness de Brienne was quite an accomplished
writer and skilful amateur artist; and in the evening of the
day when Washington was inaugurated the first President of
the United States, the following year, the front of her brotlier's
house was beautifully decorated with paintings by her own
hand, suggestive of the past, the present, and the future in
American history. Tliese were illuminated by borderings of
lamps upon the doors and vdndows.
In the autumn of that year the marchioness persuaded
President Washington to sit to her for his portrait in minia-
ture. In his diary, on Saturday, the 3d of October, he re-
corded :
" Walked in the afternoon, and sat about two o'clock for
Madam de Brehan [Brienne] to complete a miniature profile
of me, which she had begun from memory, and which she
had made exceedingly like the original."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
185
The marchioness made several copies ot this picture, one of
which Washington presented to Mrs. Bingham, of Philadel-
phia. From another, an engraving was afterward made in
Paris, and several impressions were sent to Washington. She
WASHINGTON AND LAFAYliTTK.
also painted on copper, in medallion form, the profiles of Wash-
ington and Lafayette, in miniature, within the same circumfer-
ence, and j^resented the picture to Washington. It is now at
Arlington House.
Another foreign lady, the wife of Peter J. Yon Berckel, of
Rotterdam, the first embassador from Holland to the United
States, was a great admirer of the character of Washington, and
painted an allegorical picture in testimony of her reverence for
the Liberator of his country. It was executed upon copper,
eighteen by twenty inches in size. The design, intending to be
complimentary to Washington, was well conceived. Upon the
top of a short, fluted column, was a bust of Washington, crowned
186
MOUNT VERNON
/^>---
WASHINGTON S DESTINY.
with a niilitaiy and civic wreatli. This stood near the entrance
to a cave where the Parcse or Fates — Clotho the Spinster, Lach-
esis the Allotter, and Atropos the UnGJiangeable — were seen,
busy with tlie destinies of the patriot, Clotho was sitting with
her distaff, spinning the thread of Ids life, and Lachesis was
receiving it. Atropos was just stepping forw^ard with open
shears to cut it, when Innnortality, represented as a beautiful
youth, seized the precious thread, and gave it to Fame, a
winged female, with a trumpet, in the skies, who bore it on
to future ages. The latter thouglit was beautifully expressed
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 187
bj Thomas Moore, many years later, when he thus sang of a
poet's immortality :
" Even so, though thy memory should now die away,
'Twill be caught up again in some happier day,
And the hearts and the voices of Erin prolong.
Through the answering Future, thy name and thy song."'
This picture was presented to "Washington by Mr. Yon Berck-
el, with the following lines, composed by the fair artist :
"In vain the sisters ply their busy care,
To reel off years from Glory's deathless heir:
Frail things shall pass, his fame shall never die,
Rescued from Fate by Immortality."
After the death of Mrs. Washington, the painting became the
property of the late G. W. P. Custis, who presented it to the
venerable General C. C. Pinckney, of South Carolina, to whose
military family he had belonged. While on a visit at Arling-
ton House, a few years ago, Mr. Custis described the picture to
the writer, at the same time illustrating his description by a
rude pencil sketch, of which the accompanying engraving is
a fac-simile on a smaller scale. Such was the impression of
the picture upon the memory of that venerable man, after a
lapse of fifty years.
Soon after the departure of the French minister and his party
from Mount Vernon, two other French gentlemen, with letters
of introduction, visited Washington, These were M. de War-
ville, and M. St. Frie, who, Washington said, were " intelligent,
discreet, and disposed to receive favorable impressions of Amer-
ica." Brissot de Warville was young, handsome, and full of
enthusiasm. In his letter of introduction, Lafayette said, " He
188 MOUNT VERNON
is very clever, and wishes much to be presented to you. He
intends to write a history of America, and is, of course, desir-
ous to have a peep into your papers, which appears to me
a deserved condescension, as he is fond of America, writes
pretty well, and will set matters in a proper light."
Brissot de Warville did not write a history of America, but
during the French revolution that soon followed this visit, he
became quite a conspicuous object in the history of his own
country. He was intensely democratic, and when he returned
to France, he appeared in the streets of Paris in the garb of a
Philadelphia Quaker, with which he was enamored. In the
French revolution he became a Girondist leader. He finally
made himself obnoxious to Robespierre and his party by refus
ing to vote for the execution of the king, and was doomed to
suffer death on the guillotine. He fell on the 30th of October,
1793, and the surviving Girondists were called Brissotins.
In his letters, Brissot de Warville spoke with enthusiasm of
America, and after his visit at Mount Yernon, he wrote of Mrs.
Washington, saying, " Every thing about the house has an air
of simplicity ; the table is good, but not ostentatious, and no
deviation is seen from regularity and domestic economy. She
superintends the whole, and joins to the qualities of an excel-
lent housewife, the simple dignity which ought to characterize
a woman whose husband has acted the greatest part on the
theatre of human affairs, while possessing that amiability and
manifesting that attention to strangers which makes hospitality
so charming."
As the year 1788 drew to a close, Washington felt well as-
sured that he would be called by the voice of the nation to
the important position of Chief Magistrate of the Republic.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 189
Early in September it had been ascertained that a sufficient
number of states had ratified the Federal Constitution, to make
it the organic law of the land, and on the 13th, Congress passed
an act, appointing the first Wednesday in January, 1T89, foi-
the people to choose electors of a President, according to the
provisions of that constitution; the first Wednesday in Feb-
ruary following for the electors to meet and make a choice ;
and the first Wednesday in March for the new government to
be organized in the city of ]S"ew York,
The hearts of all were now turned toward Washington as
the man to whom the helm of state should be given, and his
friends, well knowing his reluctance to re-enter public life,
commenced writing persuasive letters to him. To all of them
he expressed sentiments such as he wrote to Lafayette, when
he said of the proff*ered oflice — " It has no fascinating allure-
ment for me. At my time of life and under my circumstances,
the increasing infirmities of nature and the growing love of
retirement do not permit me to entertain a wish beyond that
of living and dying an honest man on my own farm. Let
those follow the pursuits of ambition and fame who have a
keener relish for them, or who may have more years in store
for the enjoyment of them,"
The election was held at the appointed time, and Washington
was chosen President of the United States for four years from
the 4th of March ensuing. He now again yielded his own
wishes to the claims of his country, and prepared to leave his
beloved home. Meanwhile, office-seekers were sending him
letters by scores, and sometimes they came in person to solicit
favor for themselves or friends. He had already expressed his
fixed determination to enter upon the duties of his office " not
100 MOUNT VERNON
only unfettered by promises, but even uncbargeable witb cre-
ating or feeding the exi3ectation of any man living" for his
"assistance to office." By this declaration applicants soon
learned tlie wisdom of silence.
But there were men who sought the influence of his position,
upon whom he not only looked with favor but with delight.
These were they who had schemes which, though cherished by
themselves for selfish purposes, would be of great advantage
to the industrial interests of the country. One of these visited
Mount Yernon at the close of March, 1789, to lay before the
President elect some facts concerning the introduction of the
manufacture of glass into America. A gentleman of Alex-
andria, in a letter to a friend, thus describes the event :
" I am just returned from Mount Yernon, where I was
present at a scene which made every patriotic pulse vibrate
with the most pleasurable sensations,
" This, sir, was a tribute of a new citizen of the United
States to their illustrious President. Mi*. John F. Ameburg,
a native of Germany, and an artist of considerable eminence,
emigrated to tins country with a large family and extensive
fortune, and having contemplated the said commerce, etc., he
selected, with great prudence, a central situation for the
establishment of a manufactory of the first magnitude and
importance, in which he has succeeded beyond all hope and
expectation. Through his vast exertions he is now enabled to
supply the United States with every species of glass, the
quality of which is equal, if not superior, to that imported,
while he actually undersells all foreign traders in that article
in our own markets. To the testimony of the ablest connois-
seurs and characters of taste and respectability, it only remain-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 191
ed for Mr. Ameburg to court the patronage of the great
patriot; and I had the good fortune to be present at an
offering to his excellency of two capacious goblets of flint
glass, exhibiting the general's coat-of-arras, etc.
"The conversation naturally embraced and discussed our
manufacturing interests, and was managed with such delicate
address, as to pay a compliment to the ingenuity and labors
of this celebrated artist, who has supported, without intermis-
sion, three hundred hands these three years past, with the
utmost order and character. Kew Bremen, which gives ap-
pellation to this manufactory, is situated on Monococy, con-
tiguous to the waters of the Potomac, by which he may in
time supply the seaport towns of the eastern and southern
states, and thus give domestic circulation to an immense quan-
tity of specie remitted annually for this article alone to the
foreign merchants."
"Washington had already been apprised of the existence of
this establishment, for in a letter to Jefferson, in February
preceding, he said : "A factory of glass is established upon a
large scale on Monococy river, near Fredericktown, in Mary-
land. I am informed it will this year produce glass of various
kinds, nearly to the amount of ten thousand pounds value."
So tardily did the members of the Federal Congress assem-
ble, that a quorum was not present at the capital in New
York until the beginning of April, when the votes of the
electoral college were counted, and "Washington was declared
to be elected President of the United States by the unanimous
voice of the people. That delay was a source of pleasure to
him. In a letter to General Knox, he compared it to a
reprieve ; " for," he said, " in confidence I tell you (with the
192 MOUNT VERNON
world it would obtain little credit), that my movements to tlie
chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not
unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his
execution." "I am sensible," he continued, "that I am em-
barking the voice of the people, and a good name of my own
on this voj'age, but what returns will be made for them
heaven alone can foretell. Integrity and firmness are all I
can promise. These, be the voyage long or short, shall never
forsake me, although I may be deserted by all men ; for of the
consolations which are to be derived from these, under any
circumstances, the world cannot deprive me."
The Senate of the United States was organized on the 6tli of
April, and John Langdon, a representative therein from New
Hampshire, was chosen its president jwo temjpore. As soon as
the votes of the electoral college were opened and counted, he
wrote a letter to the illustrious farmer at Mount Vernon,
notifying him of the fact of his election. Tliis letter, with an
official certificate, was conveyed to the chief magistrate elect
by the venerable Secretary Thomson, who arrived at Mount
Vernon on Tuesday, the 14th, between ten and eleven o'clock
in the morning. Washington was making the usual tour of
his farms, and the secretary was cordially received by Mrs.
Washington, who had enjoyed his friendship and the hospitali-
ties of his house at Philadelphia.
On his return from the fields at a quarter before one, Wash-
ington greeted Mr. Thomson with much warmth, for their
friendship was most sincere. They had gone through a long
struggle for their country's liberation hand in hand, one in the
field, the other in the senate; and the bond of sympathy,
strengthened by retrospection, was powerful. Thomson was
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
193
soon invited to the library, where he revealed the object of his
visit, and delivered the letter of President Langdon. Public
affairs at once became the topic of conversation, and long did
CHARLES THOMSON.
the two patriots linger at the table that day, after Mrs. Wash-
ington, Colonel Humphreys, Mr. Lear, and two or three guests
had withdrawn. Only for a few minutes were they separated,
when Washington, in his private study in an npper room,
wrote the following letter to Mr. Langdon, and placed it in
the hands of a servant to be conveyed to the post-office at
Alexandria :
"Mount Vernon, lAth April, 1789.
" Sir : I had the honor to receive your official communica-
tion, by the hand of Mr. Secretary Thomson, about one o'clock
this day. Having concluded to obey the important and flat-
1.3
194 MOUNT VERNON
tering call of my country, and having been impressed with the
idea of the expediency of my being with Congress at as early
a period as possible, I propose to commence my journey on
Thursday morning, which will be the day after to-morrow."
Toward evening Washington left Mount Vernon on horse-
back, accompanied by Billy, and rode rapidly toward Fred-
ericksburg, where his aged and invalid mother resided. He
went to embrace her and bid her farewell before leaving for
the distant seat of government. She was suffering from an
^acute disease, and the weight of more than fourscore years
was upon her. The interview between the matron and her
illustrious son was full of the most touching sublimity. " The
people, madam," said Washington, " have been pleased, with
the most flattering unanimity, to elect me to the chief magis-
tracy of the United States; but before I can assume the func-
tions of that office, I have come to bid you an aftectionate
farewell. So soon as the public business which must neces-
sarily be encountered in arranging a new government can be
disposed of, I shall hasten to Virginia, and — " Here she
interrupted him, saying, " You will see me no more. My
great age, and the disease that is rapidly approaching my
vitals, warn me that I shall not be long in this world. I trust
in God I am somewhat prepared for a better. But go, George,
fulfil the high destinies which Heaven appears to assign yoa ;
go, my son, and may that Heaven's and your mother's blessing
be with you always."
The mother and son embraced for the last time, for before
he could return to Virginia, she was laid in the grave.
Washington returned to Mount Vernon on the evening of
the 15th, and found every thing in preparation for the journey
TRAVFLLINr. BOOT-JACK
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 195
toward New York the following morning. Nothing essential
to the master's comfort and convenience was omitted by the
faithful Billy.
There was a great stir at Mount Yernon on the morning of
the 16th. Before sunrise a messenger had
come fi'om Alexandria, and departed ;
and that evening Washington wrote in
his diary : " About ten o'clock I bade
adieu to Mount Yernon, to private life,
and to domestic felicity, and with a mind
oppressed with more anxious and painful
sensations than I have words to express,
set out for New York, in company witli Mr. Thomson and
Colonel Humphreys, with the best disposition to render service
to my country in obedience to its call, but with less hope of
answering its expectations."
Washington's neighbors and friends at Alexandria, had in-
vited him to halt and partake of a public dinner on the way.
This manifestation of friendship touched his heart ; but still
deeper were his tenderest emotions awakened, when, as he and
his travelling companions ascended a little hill about a mile
from his home, and came in view of the lodges at his gate, he
saw a cavalcade of those friends, waiting to escort him to the
town. The scene was one of marvellous interest. It was the
first of a series of ovations that awaited him on his journey.
The sun was shining with all the warmth and brightness of
mid- April in Yirginia, the smiles of cultivation were on every
hand, and the song of birds and the perfume of early flowers
fell gratefully up'on the senses.
Alas ! how changed is now the aspect of that ancient entrance
196
MOUNT VERNON
^V")/
ANCIKNT ENTRANCE TO MOUNT VKRNON, IN 1858.
to Mount Yernon ! Stately trees are near as in tlie clays of old,
but the voices of labor are no more heard. All is silence and
desolation, except when the bird sings, the squirrel chirps, or
the echo of the huntsman's gun startles tlie solitary pedestrian,
for the road, tilled or gullied by the winds and rains, is scarcely
passable for beast or vehicle. The old lodges, wherein once
rang the merry laugh of children, are utterly deserted, and
fast falling into hopeless decay ; and all around them a thick
forest stands, where the wheat, the corn, and the tobacco once
bloomed.
Washington was anxious to proceed to New York with as
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 197
•
little parade as possible, but the enthusiasm of the people could
not be repressed. His journey was like a triumphal march.
At Alexandria he partook of a public dinner, when the mayor
said, " The first and best of our citizens must leave us ; our
aged must lose their ornament, our youth their model, our agri-
culture its improver, our commerce its friend, our infant acad-
emy its protector,* our poor their benefactor." *****
" Farewell !" he said, turning to Washington, " Go, and make
a grateful people happy ; a people who will be doubly grate-
ful when they contemplate this new sacrifice for their in-
terests."
Washington's feelings were deeply touched. He could say
but little. " Words fail me," he said, " unutterable sensations
must, then, be left to more expressive silence, while from an
aching heart I bid all my affectionate friends and kind neigh-
bors— farewell."
The president was greeted by the Marylanders at George-
town ; and at Baltimore he was entertained by a large number
of citizens at a public supper. When leaving the city the next
morning, at half-past five, he was saluted by discharges of
cannon, and attended by a cavalcade of gentlemen who rode
seven miles with him. At the frontier of Pennsylvania, he
was met early on the morning of the 19th, by two troops of
cavalry, and a cavalcade of citizens, at the head of whom
were Governor Mifflin and Judge Peters; and by them he was
escorted to Philadelphia. Upon that frontier, Washington left
his carriage, and mounting a superb white charger, he took
* Washington had given funds for the establishment of an academy at Alexan-
dria, and was its patron.
198 MOUNT VERNON
position in the line of procession, with Secretary Thomson on
one side, and Colonel Humphreys on the other.
At Gray's Ferry, on the Schuylkill, they were joined by
an immense number of citizens, led in order by General St,
Clair. A triumphal arch was erected on both sides of the
river covered with laurel branches, and approached through
avenues of evergreens. As Washington passed under the last
arch, Angelica Peale, daughter of the eminent artist, and a
child of rare beauty, who was concealed in the foliage, let
down a handsomely ornamented civic crown of laurel, which
rested upon the head of the patriot. The incident caused a
tumultuous shout. The procession moved on into the city, its
volume increasing every moment. At least twenty thousand
people lined its passage-way from the Schuylkill to the city ;
and at every step the President was greeted with shouts of
" Long live George Washington !" " Long live the Father of
his country !"
The President was entertained at a sumptuous banquet, given
by the authorities, at the City Tavern, and the next morning the
military were paraded, to form an escort for him to Trenton.
But heavy rain frustrated their designs, Washington was com-
pelled to ride in his carriage, and he would not allow an escort
of friends to travel in the rain.
When the President and suite approached Trenton in the
afternoon, the clouds had disappeared, and in the warm sun-
light, he crossed the Delaware amid the greetings of shouts,
and cannon-peals, and they<??<^ de joie of musketry. His route
lay across the same bridge over the little stream which flows
through the town, where, twelve years before, he had been
driven across by Cornwallis, on the evening previous to the
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 199
battle at Princeton. Upon that bridge, where he was thus
humiliated, was now a triumphal arch, twenty feet in height,
supported by thirteen pillars twined with evergreens. It was
the conception and work of the women of New Jersey, under
the general direction of Annis Stockton ; and upon the side
of his approach, over the arch, were emblazoned the words :
"the defkndee of the mothers will be the protectok of
the daughters."
Tlie arch was otherwise beautifully decorated, and as Wash-
ington approached, many mothers with their daughters appeared'
on each side of it, all dressed in white. As he passed, thirteen
young girls, their heads wreathed with flowers, and holding
baskets of flowers in their hands, while they scattered some in
his way, sang the following ode, written for the occasion by
G-overnor Howell :
"Welcome, mighty chief, once more
"Welcome to this grateful shore;
Now no mercenary foe.
Aims again tl\e fatal blow.
Aims at thee the fatal blow.
" Virgins fair, and mothers grave.
Those thy conquering arm did save,
Build for thee triumphal bowers.
Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers I
Strew your hero's way with flowers."
With joyous greetings at every step, Washington proceeded
through New Jersey, over which he had once fled with a half
;
200 MOUNT VERNON
starved, half-naked army, before a closely pursuing foe ; and
at Elizabetlitown Point, he was met, on the morning of the 23d,
by a committee of both houses of Congress, and several civil
and military officers. They had prepared a magnificent barge
for his reception, which was manned by thirteen pilots, in white
uniforms, commanded by Commodore Nicholson. In ISTew
York harbor, the vessels were all decked with flags, in honor
of the President, and gayly dressed small boats swarmed upon
the waters, filled with gentlemen and ladies. The Spanish
ship-of-war Galveston, Iji^^g ii^ the harbor, was the only vessel
of all nations, that did not show signs of respect. The neglect
was so marked, that many words of censure were heard, when,
at a given signal, just as the barge containing Washington was
abreast of her, she displayed, on every part of her rigging,
every flag and signal known among the nations. At the same
moment she discharged thirteen heavy guns, and these were
answered by the grand battery on shore. In the midst of this
cannonade, and the shouts of the multitude on land and water,
the President debarked, and was conducted by a military and
civic procession to the residence prepared for his use, at No.
10 Cherry-street, near Franklin Square.
Such was the reception of the first President at the capital
of the Union. The demonstrations of joy and loyalty were
most sincere and universal, and yet the pen of wit and the
pencil of caricature had been busy. As early as the Yth of
April, John Armstrong wrote to General Gates, from New
York, saying:
" All the world here are busy in collecting flowers and sweets
of every kind to amuse and delight the President in his ap-
proach and on his arrival. Even Roger Sherman has set his
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 201
head at work to devise some style of address more novel and
dignified than ' Excellency.' Yet in the midst of this admira-
tion, there are skeptics who doubt its propriety, and wits who
amuse themselves at its extravagance. The first will grumble,
and the last will langh, and the President should be prepared
to meet the attacks of both with firmness and good nature. A
caricature has already appeared called ' The Entry,' full of
very disloyal and profane allusions. It represents the general
mounted on an ass, and in the arms of his man Billy — Hum-
phreys leading the Jack, and chanting hosannahs and birth-day
odes. The following couplet proceeds from the mouth of the
devil :
' The glorious time has come to pass,
"When David shall conduct an ass.' "
On Tliursday, the 30tli of April, 1789, Washington was in-
augurated the First President of the United States. The cere-
monies were preceded by a national salute at Bowling Green,
the assembling of the people in the churches to implore the
blessings of Heaven on the nation and the President, and a
grand procession. The august sjDectacle was exhibited upon the
open gallery at the front of the old Federal Hall at the head of
Broad-street, in the presence of a vast assemblage of people.
"Washington was dressed in a suit of dark-brown cloth, and
white silk stockings, all of American manufacture, with silver
buckles upon his shoes, and his hair powdered and dressed in
the fashion of the time. Before him, when he arose to take the
oath of ofiice, stood Chancellor Livingston, in a suit of black
broadcloth ; and near them were Vice-President Adams, Mr.
Otis, the Secretary of the Senate, who held an open Bible upon
202 MOUNT VERNON
a ricli crimson cushion, Generals Knox, St. Clair, Steuben, and
other officers of the army, and George Clinton, the Governor
of the state of New York.
BIBLE USED AT THE INAUi; I KATION OF WASHINGTON.
Washington laid his hand upon the page containing the fif-
tieth chapter of Genesis, opposite to wliich were two engrav-
ings, one representing The Blessing of Zehulon, the other The
Prophecy of Issachar. Chancellor Livingston then waved his
hand for the multitude to be silent, and in a clear voice, read
the prescribed oath. The President said "I swear," then bowed
his head and kissed the sacred volume, and with closed eyes as
he resumed his erect position, he continued with solemn voice
and devotional attitude, " So help me God !"
" It is done ! " exclaimed the Chancellor, and, with a loud
voice, shouted, " Long live George Washington, President of
the United States ! " The people echoed the shout again and
again ; and as the President moved toward the door, the first
congratulatory hand that grasped his was that of his early and
life-long friend, Richard Henry Lee, to whom in childhood,
^Imost fifty years before, he had written :
" I am going to get a whip-top soon, and you may see it and
whip it."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 203
How many human whip-tops had these stanch patriots
managed since they wrote those chiklish epistles !
Tliat Bible is now in the pc session of St. John's Lodge, in
New York. Upon each cover is a record, in gilt letters, con-
cerning the Lodge; and on the inside, beautifully written upon
parchment, in ornamental style, by G. Thresher, surmounted
by a portrait of Washington, engraved by Leney, of New
York, is the following statement :
" On this Sacred Volume, on the 30th day of April, 5789,
in the city of New York, w^as administered to George Wash-
ington, the first President of the United States of America,
the oath to support the Constitution of the United States.
This important ceremony was perfoi-med by the Most Wor-
shipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of the
state of New York, tlie Honorable Robert R. Livingston,
Chancellor of the state.
" Fame stretched her wings and with her trumpet blew,
' Great Washington is near, what praise is due ?
What title shall he have ?' She paused, and said,
'Not one — his name aloue strikes every title dead.' ''
Mrs. Washington did not journey to New York with her
husband. Her reluctance to leave Mount Yernon and the quiet
of domestic pursuits was quite equal to his. She loved her
home, her family, and friends, and had no taste for the excite-
ments of fashionable society and public life. She was, in
every respect, a model Virginia housekeeper. She was a very
early riser, leaving her pillow at dawn at every season of the
year, and engaging at once in the active duties of her house-
hold. Yet these duties never kept her from daily communion
204 MOUNT vp:rnon
with God, in the sohtude of her closet. After breakfast she
invariably retired to her chamber, where she remained an
hour reading the Scriptures and engaged in thanksgiving and
prayer. For more than half a century she practised such
devotions in secret ; and visitors often remarked that when she
appeared after the hour of spiritual exercises, her countenance
beamed with ineffable sweetness.
All day long that careful, bustling, industrious little house-
wife kept her hands in motion. "Let us repair to the old
lady's room," wrote the wife of Colonel Edward Carrington to
her sister, a short time before Washington's death, while on a
visit to Mount Yernon — "Let us repair to the old lady's
room, which is precisely in the style of our good old aiunt's —
that is to say, nicely fixed for all sorts of work. On one side
sits the chambermaid, with her knitting ; on the other a little
colored pet, learning to sew. An old decent woman is there,
with her table and shears, cutting out the negroes' winter
clothes, while the good old lady directs them all, incessantly
knitting herself. She points out to me several pair of nice
colored stockings and gloves she had just finished, and
presents me with a pair, half done, which slie begs I will finish
and wear for her sake. It is wonderful, after a life spent as
these good people have necessarily spent theirs, to see them,
in retirement, assume those domestic habits that prevail in our
country."
Mrs. Washington always sjjoke of the time when she was in
public life, as wiftj of the President of the United States, as
her " lost days." She was compelled to be governed by the
etiquette prescribed for her, and she was very restive under it.
To the wife of George A. Washington, the General's nephew,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 205
who had married her niece, and who was left in charge of
domestic affairs at Mount Vernon when her husband assumed
the presidency, she wrote from New York, saying :
" Mrs. Sims will give you a better account of the fashions
than I can. I live a very dull life here, and know nothing
that passes in the town. I never go to any public place —
■indeed I think I am more like a state prisoner than any thing
else. There are certain bounds set for me which I must not
depart from ; and, as I cannot do as I like, I am obstinate and
stay at home a great deal."
At that time the etiquette of the President's household was
not fully determined on. In his diary, on the 15th of Novem-
ber, Washington wrote : " Received an invitation to attend
the funeral of Mrs. Roosevelt (the wife of a senator of this
state [New York], but declined complying with it — first,
because the propriety of accepting any invitation of this sort
appeared very questionable — and secondly (though to do it in
this instance might not be improper), because it might be
difficult to discriminate in cases which might tliereafter
happen."
The establishment of precedents and the arrangements of
etiquette were of more importance than might at first thought
appear. The plan of having certain days and hours when the
President would receive calls, was a measure of absolute
necessity, in order that the chief magistrate might have the
control of his time ; and yet it ofiended many who were of the
extremely democratic school.
The precedents of monarchy might not be followed in a
simple republic, and yet a certain dignity was to be preserved.
The arrangement of official ceremonies, connected with the
20G MOUNT VERNON
President personally, was finally left chiefly to Colonel Hiim-
plireys, who had been abroad, and was a judicious observer of
the phases of society under every aspect. The customs which
were established during Washington's administration concern-
ing the levees — the President not returning private visits, et
cetera — have ever since prevailed ; and the chief magistrate of
the republic is never seen in the position of a private citizen.
In the letter just quoted, Mrs. Washington wrote: "Dear
Fanny, I have, by Mrs. Sims, sent you a watch. It is one of
the cargo that I have so long mentioned to you that was
expected. I hope it is such a one as will please you. It is of
the newest fashion, if that has any influence on your taste.
The chain is Mr. Lear's choosing, and such as Mrs. Adams,
the Vice-President's lady, and those in polite circles use. It
will last as long as the fashion, and by that time you can get
another of a fashionable kind."
The watch mentioned in this letter was a flat gold one,
manufactured by Lepine, "watchmaker to the king." Wash-
ington purchased one for his own use at the same time, it
being much more agreeable in the pocket than the old-fash-
ioned bulky English watch. That watcli, with the key and
seals, became the pro23erty of Bushrod Washington, the Gen-
eral's nephew, who inherited Mount Yernon, and was by him,
in the following clause in his will, given to a friend :
" My gold watch I give to my friend Robert Adams, of
Philadelphia, knowing that he will appreciate the gift, not for
the intrinsic value of the article, but because it was worn by
the Father of our Country, and afterward by his friend. After
the death of the said Robert Adams, I give the said watch to
his son Bushrod."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
20 (
On tlie 23d of March, 1830, the watch was forwarded to Mr.
Adams by Jolm A. "Washington, who inherited Mount Yernon
from his nncle Bnshrod. It is now in the possession of Bush-
rod "Washington Adams, of Phila-
delphia, and is preserved with the
greatest care as a precious memento
of the beloved patriot. Our en-
graving shows the watch, ribbon,
seal, and key, on a scale one-third less
than the objects themselves. Tlie
picture of the impression of the seal,
exhibiting the "Washington arms and
motto, is the size of the original.
The stones of the seal and key are
cornelian ; the former white and the
latter red, and polygonal in form.
The dial is of white enamel; the
seconds figures carmine red. The
case is standard gold, the alloy cop-
per, giving it the red appearance of
jeweller's gold.
In the letter from which we have
just quoted, Mrs. "Washington exhibits the care and frugality
which she always practised at home. To
Fanny she wrote :
" I send to dear Maria a piece of cTiene to
make her a frock, and a piece of muslin which
I hope is long enough for an apron for you.
In exchange for it, I beg you will give me a
ITT 1 1.1 Washington's last
workea muslm apron you have, like my gown watch-seal.
WASHINGTON S LEPINE WATCH, SKAL,
AND KEY.
208 MOUNT VERNON
that I made just before I left home, of worked muslin, as 1
wish to make a petticoat to my gown of the two aprons."
It should be remembered that the writer was in the midst
of the gay life of New York, then the federal metropolis ; the
wife of the presiding chief magistrate of the republic, receiving
visits from the great of many lands and the most notable of
her own, and having her own and her husband's large fortune
at command. Some may call her practice the development of
a parsimonious spirit. It was not so. Hers was the " liberal
hand " that devised " liberal things " for the poor and unfor-
tunate. It was only an exhibition of economy in the use of
articles and the management of affairs, whicli American house-
wives would do well to imitate.
Mrs. Wasliington left Mount Yernon for N^ew York on the
19th of May, in her chaise, accompanied by her grandchildren,
Eleanor Parke and George Washington Parke Custis, and a
small escort on horseback. She was clothed tidily in manufac-
tures of our own country entirely. She lodged at Baltimore
the first night of her journey. When she approached that city
she was- met by a cavalcade of gentlemen and escorted into the
town. In the evening fireworks were displayed in her honor ;
and after supper she was serenaded by a band of musicians,
composed of some gentlemen of the city.
When she approached Philadelphia she was met, ten miles
from the town, by the president of the state and the speaker
of the assembly, accompanied by two troops of dragoons and a
large cavalcade of citizens. Some miles from the city she was
met by a brilliant company of women, in carriages. They
attended her to Gray's Ferry, on the Schuylkill, where they all
partook of a collation ; and from that place to the city, Mrs.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 209
Robert Morris occupied a seat bj the side of tiie President's
wife, resigning lier own carriage to Master Custis, then a boy
a little more than eight years of age. The procession entered
the city at two o'clock, when the beloved lady was greeted by
thirteen discharges of cannon, and the shouts and cheers of a
great multitude. While in the city she was the guest of Mrs.
Morris.
On Monday morning, the 26th of May, Mrs. Washington
left Philadelphia for ;N'ew York, accompanied by her hostess.
The military paraded for the purpose of forming an escort as
far as Trenton, but, as on the morning when her husband left
the same city a month before, rain prevented the performance.
After proceeding a short distance they took a respectful leave
of lier, and returned. She slept at Trenton that night, and on
Tuesday night she and her family were guests of Governor
Livingston, at Elizabethtown.
On Wednesday morning Washington proceeded, in his
splendid reception-barge, to Elizabethtown Point to meet his
family, accompanied by Eobert Morris and several other dis-
tinguished men. The barge was manned as on the occasion of
the reception of the President. When it approached White-
hall, on its return, crowds of citizens thronged the wharves;
and from the grand battery the voices of thirteen cannon, in
quick succession, uttered a greeting.
On the day after Mrs. Washington's arrival, the President
entertained a few guests at a family dinner. These consisted of
Yice-President Adams, Governor Clinton, the Count du Mous-
tier (French minister), Don Diego Gardoqui (Spanish minister),
Mr. Jay, General St. Clair, Senators Langrlon, Wingate, Izard,
and Few, and Mr. Muhlenburg, Speaker of the House of Eep-
14
210 MOUNT VERNON
/ s .
' rosentatives. The dinner was plain ; and Washington, standing
at the head of the tahle, aslced a blessing. After the dessert,
a sino;le cjlass of wine was offered to each of the 2:uests. The
President then arose, and led tlie way to tlie drawing-room,
and the company departed without ceremony.
On the following day, Mrs. Washington held her first draw-
ing-room. It was attended by a very numerous company, of
the highest respectabilit}'. Unlike the levees at the Presiden-
tial mansion in our time, they were attended only by persons
connected with the government and their families, the foreign
ministers and their families, and others who held good positions
in fashionable and refined society, either on account of their own
merits or their social relations. All were expected to be in full
dress, on these occasions. Mrs. Washington, though averse
to all ostentatious show and parade, fully appreciated the dig-
nity of her station, and was careful to exact those courtesies to
which she was entitled.
She was also careful not to allow public ceremonies to inter-
fere with some of the life-long habits of herself and husband.
ITe usually stood by her side, for awhile, on these occasions,
and received the visitors as they were presented. But he did
ni)t consider /if/rtw//" visited. He was a private gentleman;
and when the visitors were assembled, he moved among the
company, conversing with one and another, with the fa-
miliarity that marked his manner in his own drawing-room
at Mount Vernon. On these occasions he usually wore a
l)rown cloth coat, with bright buttons, and had neither hat nor
sword.
The reception was never allowed to last beyond the ap-
pointed hour, which was from eight to nine. When the clock
AND ITS A S S O C I A T I O X S .
211
in the liall was striking the latter liour, Mrs. Washington would
say to those present, with a most complacent smile, " The Gen-
eral always retires at nine, and I usually precede
him.'' In a few minutes the drawling-room would
be closed, the lights extinguished, and the presi-
dential mansion would he as dark and quiet
before ten o'clock, as tlie house of any private
citizen.
The President held his levees or receptions, on
Tuesdays, I'rom three to four o'clock in the after-
noon, and these were very numerously attended,
but by gentlemen only. On these occasions,
alter the seat of government was removed to
Philadelphia, he was always dressed in a suit of
black velvet, black silk stockings, silver knee and
shoe buckles, and having his hair powdered, and
tied in a black silk bag or queue behind. lie
wore yellow gloves, and held a cocked hat with
a cockade upon it, the edges adorned with a black
feather about an inch deep. lie also wore an
elegant dress-sword which he bore with the utmost
grace. This sword had a finely-wrought and
polished steel hilt, which appeared at the lett hij).
The scabl)ard was white polished leather. The
coat was worn over the sword, the point of the
scabbard only appearing below the skirt.
At his levees in New York the President also
wore a dress-sword, but less elegant than the one Washington's
worn in Philadelphia, wliich an eye-witness has ^"^^^^-s^'^^i*-
described to me. The sword used in New York is i)reserved
212 MOUNT VKRNOX
at Mount Vernon, it having fallen to the lot of Bushrod Wash-
ington, in the distribntion of several similar weapons, disposed
of by the following clause in Washingtoirs u'ill :
'"To eaeli of ni_v ne})he\vs, AVilHani Augustine Washington,
Greorge Lewis, George Ste|>toe Washington, Bushrod Wash-
ington, and Samuel Washington, 1 give one of the swords or
couteaux, of which I may die possessed ; and they are to choose
in the order they are named. Tliese swords are accompanied
with an injunction not to unsheatli them for tlie purpose of
shedding blood, except it be for self-defence, or in defence of
their country and its i-ights ; and in the lattei- case to keep
them unsheathed, and prefer falling with them in tlieir hands,
to the relinquishment thereotV
This sword appears in Stuart's full-length jiortrait of Wash-
ington, p»ainted for the Martpiis of Landsdowne. It has a tine
silver-gilt hilt, and black leather scabbard, silver-gilt mounted.
On one side of the blade are the words kkctk face ice — "Do
what is right;" on the othei", nkmink timkas — "Fear no
man."
At his receptions in PhiladeljJiia the President always
stood, says an eye-witness, "in front of the fireplace, with liis
l^ice toward the door of entrance. The visitor was conducted
to hiui, and he I'equired to have the name so distinctly pro-
nounced that he could hear it. lie had the very uncommon
faculty of associating a man's name and pei'sonal appearance
so durably in his memory as to be able to call any one l)y
name who made him a second visit. lie received his visitor
with a dignified bow, while his hands wei-e so disposed as to
indicate that the salutation was not to be accompanied with
shaking hands. This ceremou}- never occurred in these visits.
A X D ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 213
even with the most intimate friends, that no distinction mig]it
Le made.
"As visitors came in, they formed a circle around the room.
At a quarter past three the door was closed, and the circle
was formed for that day. He then began on the right, and
spoke to each visitor, calling him by name, and exchanging a
few woi'ds witli him. When he had completed his circuit, he
resumed liis first position, and the visitors approached him in
succession, bowed, and retired. By four o'clock this ceremony
was over."'
In New York the President occupied the mansion at No. 10
Cherrv- street, for about nine months, and then moved to a more
spacious house on the west side of Broadway, between Trinity
Church and the Bowling Green, where the French minister, M.
de Moustier, had resided. It was a very pleasant house, with
a warden extendinij:; to the shore of the Hudson. An Eno;lish
gentlenum, who visited the President at that time, described
the drawing-room as "lofty and spacious, but," he added, "the
furniture was not beyond that found in the dwellings of
opulent Americans in general, and might be called plain for
its situation. The upper end of the room had glass doors,
which opened upon a balcony, commanding an extensive view
of the Hudson River, and the Jersey shore opposite."
Some of the furniture here alluded to, was purchased of the
French minister. Under date of February 1, 1790, Washing-
ton recorded in his Diary—" Agreed, on Saturday last to take
Mr. McComb's house, lately occupied by the Minister of France,
for one year froiu and after the 1st day of May next ; and
would go into it immediately, if Mr. Otto, the present posses-
sor, could be accommodated. This day I sent my Secretary to
^14 MOUNT VERNON
examine the rooms to see how my fui-niture would be adapt-
ed to the respective apartments."
Two days afterv'ard he recorded :
''Visited the apartments in the house of Mr. McCombs —
made a disposition of the rooms — tixod on furniture of the
Minister's (which was to be sold, and was well adapted to par-
ticular public I'ooms) — and directed additional stables to be
built."
"^One piece of the French minister's furniture "fixed upon"
and purchased at that time, was a writing-desk, or secretary,
and also an easy chair that was used with it. These Washing-
ton took with liim to Philadelphia, and afterward to Mount
Vernon ; and in his will they were disposed of as follows :
"To niy companion in arms and old and intimate friend,
Dr. Craik, I give my bureau (or as cabinet-n)akers call it
tand)Our secretary), and the circular chair, an appendage of
my study."
That secretary is now in the possession of a grandson of
Dr. Craik, the Reverend James Craik, of Louisville, in Ken-
tucky. Tlie engraving is from a pencil-sketch by Mr. Alex-
bander Casseday.
; The seat of the federal government was removed from New
York to Philadelphia in 1790, by act of Congress. That body
\ adjourned on the 12th of August, and Washington imme-
diately thereafter made a voyage to Newport, Rhode Island,
for the lieneiit of his health. Close application to public
business had caused a nervous prostration, that threatened con-
sequences almost as serious as those with which he had been
menaced by a malignant carbuncle the year before. He had
also suffered severely from a violent inflammation of the lungs.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
215
WASIIIXU.O.N !5 SKCUKTAlir A.VI)' 01 HCIfLAR CHAIK.
nie sea voyage was beneficial, and on the 30tli of August
the President and liis family set out for Mount Yernon, there
to spend, the few months before the next meeting of Con-
gress at Philadelphia. They left New York for Elizabethtown
in the splendid barge in which they had arrived, amid the
thunders of cannon and the huzzas of a great multitude of
l>eople. Washington never saw New York again. Having
no fin-ther use for his barge, lie wrote to Mr. Pandall, the
216 MOUNT VERNON
(^liairmaii of tliu cumuiittee tlirougli whom lie had received it,
, saying:
"As I aiu at this moment about commeneing my journey to
Virginia, and consequently will have no farther occasion for
the use of the Large, I must now desire that you will return it,
in my name, and with my best thanks, to the original proprie-
tors ; at the same time I shall be much obliged if you will
have the goodness to add, on my part, that in accepting their
beautiful present, I considered it as a pledge of that real
ui'banity which, I am happy in declaring, I have experienced
on every occasion during my residence among them ; that I
ardently wish every species of prosperity may be the constant
portion of the respectable citizens of New York ; and that 1
shall always retain a grateful reuRMubrance of the polite atten-
tions of the citizens in general, and of those in ])articular to
whom the contents of this note are addressed."
A few days after this, Washington was again beneath the
roof he loved so well, at Mount Vernon, but the coveted
enjoyment of his home was lessened by the weight of ])ublic
cares that pressed upon him. The old feeling of deep resi)on-
sibility, which it was so difhcult for him to lay aside at the
(dose of his military career, returned; and in his library, where
he loved to devote his morning hours to reading and the
labors of the pen in recording facts connected with his pursuits
as a farmer, he might be seen with state pa})ers, maps, plans,
and every thing that iiulicated the vreighty cares of a public
man.
The Congress then just closed had been a most im])oi"tant
one, and the labors of every conscientious officer and employee
of the government had been \ery severe. Upon them had
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 217
been laid the responsible and inonientous task of putting in
motion the machinery of a new government, and hijing the
foundations of the then present and future policy of that gov-
ernment, domestic and foreign. As the chief magistrate of the
republic, the chief officer of the government, tlie chief archi-
tect of the new superstructure in progress, Washington felt the
solemnity of his position, and the inqwrtance of the great
trusts which the people had placed in his hands ; and the
sense of all this denied him needful repose, even while sitting
within the quietude of his home on the banks of the Potomac.
Just before Congress adjom-ned, Washington received a
curious present, which he carried with hiin to Mount Vernon.
It was the key of the Bastile, that old state prison in Paris,
which had become a strong arm of despotism. It was first a
]"oyal castle, completed by Charles V. of France, in 1383, for
the defence of Paris against the English, but in the lapse of
time it had become a fortress, devoted to the seltish purposes
of tyranny. It was hated by the people.
During the preceding year, the slumbering volcano of revo-
lution burning in the hearts of the people, upon which for a long
time, royalty and the privileged classes in France had been
reposing, showed frequent signs of inquietude, which ])roph-
esied of violent eruption. The abuses of the government, under
the administration of the ministers of a well-meaning but weak
monarch, had become unendurable, and the best friends of
France had spoken out boldly against them.
Among these the boldest was Lafayette. He had made a
formal demand for a National Assembly. " What !" said the
Count d' Artois to him on one occasion, " Do you make a mo-
tion for the States General?" "Yes, and even niorethati that,"
218 MOUNT VKllNON
Lafayette replied ; and tliat more was nothing less than a char-
ter from the king, by which the pnblic and individual liberty
should be acknowledged and guarantied by the future States
General.
That body opened their session at Vei'sailles in May, and
soon constituted themselves a National Assenil)ly. Their hall
was closed by order of the king, on the 20tli, and from that
time until early in July, Paris was dreadfully agitated. Every
one felt that a terrible stoi'm was ready to burst. The king,
surrounded by bad advisers, attempted to avert it l)y means
which precipitated it. lie placed a cordon of troops around
Paris, to overawe the opposers of government. The Assembly,
supported by tlie people, organized a militia within the city.
The number required was forty-eight thousand. In two days,
two hundred and seventy thousand citizens enrolled them-
selves. A state mayor was appointed by the toAvn assem-
bly, and tlie Marquis La Salle w^as named commander-in-chief.
The armed people intercepted the court dispatches by arrest-
ing the royal couriers ; and an immense assemblage went to
the Hospital of the Invalids, on the lOth of July, and demand-
ed of the governor to deliver up to them all the amns depos-
ited there. He refused, and they seized thirty thousand mus-
kets and twenty pieces of cannon. They also seized all the
arms in the shops of the armorers, and those of the Garde-
Meuble. Tlie tumult throughout the city became terrible in
strength and intensity, and the National Assembly sent a dep-
utation to the king to inform him of the disturbances, and to
point to the cause — the surrounding troops. The king, under
advice, refused to make a change, haughtily declaring that he
alone had the right to judge of the necessity of public measures.
•AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 219
On the iiiglit of the 13th, Paris was comparatively quiet.
It was the hill before the bursting of the storm. The dismissal
of M. Necker from the post of minister of finance, had greatly
exasperated the inhabitants. The streets were ban-icaded.
The people formed themselves into a National Guard, and
chose Lafayette as their commander. Each assumed some
sort of military dress, and laid liold of gun, sabre, scythe, or
whatever weapon lirst fell in their way. Multitudes of men
of the same opinion, embraced each other in the streets as
brothers ; and in an instant, almost-, a National Guard was
formed, consisting of a hundred thousand determined men.
It was believed that the Bastile contained a large quantity
of arms and ammunition, and thither the people repaired on
the morning of the l-ith. A parley ensued, the gates were
opened, an(,l about forty citizens, leaders of the people, were
permitted to go in. The bridges were then drawn, and a
firing was heard within !
That moment marks the opening of the terrible drama of
the French revolution. The fury of the jjopnlace was excited
beyond all control. That firing fell upon their ears as the
death-knell of their friends who had gone within the walls of
the hated prison. With demoniac yells they dragged heavy
cannon before the gates, in the face of a storm of grape shot
from the fortress. They quailed not before the stoiiu, l>ut
attacked the stronghold of Des])otism with tiger-like ferocity.
The alarmed governor, Delaunay, soon displayed a M'hite flag,
and the firing ceased.
A second deputation was now sent to the governor. The^'
shared the fate of the former. With redoubled fury the
people again assailed the walls, made a breach, rushed in.
220 M 0 U X T V E 1! X 0 X
sci/ed tlie governor and other officers, and conducting them in
triunipli to the Place de Grrace, lirst cut oft' their hands, and
then their heads. The latter were then paraded upon pikes
through the streets, and the great iron key of the Bastile was
carried to the /lotel de VUle, or town hall. The Kational
Assend)l_v decreed its demolition. Seven prisoners who had
been confined in its dungeons since the reign of Louis the
Fifteenth (three of whom had lost their reason) were set at
liberty, and the old fortress was demolished soon afterward.
Upon its. site is now the Place de Bastile, within which
stands the Coluinv of July, erected by order of Louis Philippe,
in commemoration of the events of the menioral)le Three Days
t)f July, 1S3U, which placed him upon the throne of France.
The National Assembly, by unanimous vote, now elected
Lafayette commander-in chief of the National Guard of all
France, a corps of more than four millions of armed citizens.
lie accepted the appointment, but, imitating the example of
AVashington, he refused all remunei'ation ft)r his services, not-
withstanding a salary of ftfty thousand dollars a year was
voted. The king approved of his appointment, and the mon-
arch, being deserted by his had advisers, threw himself upon
the National Assembly. " He has hitherto been deceived,"
Lafayette proclaimed to the people, '' but he now sees the
merit and justice of the popular cause." The people shouted
" Vive le roi ! " and for a moment the revolution seemed to l)e
at an end.
The key of the Bastile was placed in the hands of Lafayette,
and in March following he sent it to Thomas Paine, then in
London, to be forwarded as a present to Washington, together
with a neat drawing, in pencil, representing the destruction of
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
221
iiiliiiiiiiiliilllllllilllll
222 M 0 U N T V E K N 0 N
the prison. A copy of that isketeli is given on page 221.
With these Lafayette enclosed a letter to Washington, dated
the ITtli of March, in wliich he gave hini a general picture of
nffairs in France, and added :
"After I have confessed all this, I will tell yon, with the same
candor, that we have made an admirable and almost inci'edible
destrnction of all abuses and prejudices; that every thing not
directly useful to or coming from the people has been levelled ;
that in the topographical, moral, and political situation of
France, we have made more changes in ten months than the
most sanguine patriots could have imagined ; that our internal
troubles and anarchy are much exaggerated ; and tliat, upon
the wliole, this revolution, in which nothing will be wanting
l)ut energy of government, as it was in America, will im-
plant liberty and make it flourish throughout the world ;
while we must wait for a convention, in a few years, to mend
some defects, which are not now perceived by men just es-
caped from aristocracy and despotism."
lie then added ;
"Give me leave, my dear general, to present you with a
picture of the Bastile, just as it looked a few days after I
ordered its demolition, with the main l^ey of the fortress of
despotism. It is a tribute which I owe as a son to my adopted
father— as an aide-de-camp to my general — as a missionary of
liberty to its patriarch."
After considerable delay, Paine forwarded the key and
drawing to Washington, with a letter, in which he said :
" I feel myself happy in being the person through whom the
Marquis has conveyed this early trophy of the sj)oils of despot-
ism, and the first ripe fruits of American principles trans-
.V XI) ITS ASSOCIATIONS,
223
planted into Enropc, to ]iis great master and patron. When lie
mentioned to me the present he intended for you, my lieart
leaped Avith joy. It is something so truly in character, that
no remarks can iilusti-ate it, and is more
happily expressive of his remembrance
of ]iis American friends than any letters
can convey. That the i)rinciples of
America opened the Bastile is not to be
doubted, and therefore tlic key conies to
the right place. * -jf * *
"I should rejoice to be tlie direct
l)earer of the marquis's present to your
excellency, but I doul)t I shall not be
able to see my much-loved America till
next spring. I shall therefore send it
by some American vessel to Xew York.
I have permitted no drawing to be taken here, though it has
l)een often requested, as I think there is a propriety that it
should first be preseiited. But Mr. West wishes Mr. Ti-umbull
to make a painting of the j^resentation of the key to you."
On the 11th of August Washington wrote to Lafayette :
"I have received your affectionate letter of tlie 17th of
March by one conveyance, and the token of the victorv
gained by liberty over despotism by another, for both which
testimonials of your friendship and regard I pray you to
accept my sincerest thanks. In this great subject of triumph
for the New World, and for humanity in general, it will never
be forgotten how conspicuous a part you bore, and how mucli
lustre you reflected on a country in which you made the first
displays of your cliaracter.''
KET or THE BASTILK.
224 M 0 U N T V K R N 0 N
The key of the JJastile, and the drawing representing tlie
demolition of the fortress, are at Mount Vernon. The former
is preserved in a glass case, and the latter hangs near it, in the
same relative position in which they were originally placed by
Washington, in the great passage of the mansion.
Directly opposite the key, in the great passage, hangs the
spy-glass used by Washington in the Revolution, and after-
%VASHINGTON S SPY-GLASS.
ward at Mount Vernon. This was always carried by Billy,
his favorite body-servant, to be used in reconnoitring at a
distance. Mr. C^ustis, in his J?eeoUections of Washington,
gives the following anecdote in connection with this spj^-glass,
or telescope, on the field of Monmouth :
"A ludicrous occurrence varied the incidents of the 28th of
June. The servants of the general officers were usually well
armed and mounted. Will Lee, or Billy, the former hunts-
man, and favorite body-servant of the Chief, a square, mus-
cular figure, and capital horseman, paraded a corps of valets,
and, riding pompously at their head, proceeded to an eminence
crowned by a large sycamore-tree, from whence could be seen
an extensive portion of the field of battle. Here Billy halted,
and, having unslung the large telescope that he always carried
in a leathern case, with a martial air applied it to his eye, and
reconnoitred the enemy. Washington having observed these
manoeuvres of the corps of valets, pointed them out to his
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 225
officers, observing, 'See those fellows collecting on yonder
height; the enemy will tire on theui to a certainty.' Mean-
while the British were not nnmindful of the assemblage on the
height, and perceiving a burly ligure well mounted, and with
a telescope in hand, they determined to pay their respects to
the group. A shot from a six-pounder passed through the
tree, cutting away the limbs, and producing a scampering
among the corps of valets, that caused even the grave coun-
tenance of the general-in-chief to relax into a smile."
The pocket telescope used by Washington throughout tlie
war was presented to President Jackson, by the late George
Washington Parke Custis, en the 1st of January, 1830. To
this interesting memorial Mr. Custis had affixed a silver })late,
with the following inscription :
'"'•Erat Aucforis, ed conservatoris, Lihertatis. 1775 — 1783."
On presenting the gift, Mr. Custis observed that, "Although
it was in itself of but little value, there was attached unto it
recollections of the most interesting character. It had been
raised to the eye of the departed Chief, in the most awful and
momentous periods of our mighty conflict ; it had been his
companion from '75 to '83, amid the toils, i)rivations, the
hopes, the fears, and the final success of our glorious struggle
for inde})endence ; and, as the memorial of the hero wdio
triumphed to obtain liberty, it is now^ appropriately bestow^ed
upon the hero who triumphed to preserve it. Mr. C. recpiest-
ed that, as he (the General) was childless, he w^ould be pleased,
at his decease, to leave the telesco])e as Alexander left his
kingdom — ' to the most worthy.' "
15
226
MOUNT VERNON
President Jackson accepted the present and tlie compliment,
and made a brief response, ^\^letller lie left it " to the most
w<n*thy," at his decease, or
where it is now, we have no
infornuition.
Washington carried with
him to Mount Yernon, with
the key of the Bastile, a
pair of elegant pistols, which, with
equally elegant holsters, had been
presented to him by the Count de
Moustier, the French minister, as a
token of his personal regard. These
weapons, it is believed, are the ones pre-
sented by Washington to Col. Samuel Hay,
of the tenth Pennsylvanian regiment, wdio
stood high in the esteem of his general.
They bear the well-known cipher of Wash-
ington, and were purchased at the sale of
Colonel Hays' effects, after his death, toward
the close of 1803, by John Y. Baldwin, of
Newark, in New Jersey. Mr. Baldwin ])re-
sented them to Isaac I. Greenwood, of
Brooklyn, New York, in 1825, in whose
possession one of them remains, the other
having been lost on the occasion of a fire
which destroyed the residence of Mr. Green-
wood's mother. Our engraving represents the preserved one.
A son of Mr. Baldwin relates an anecdote in connection
with these pistols : — "-When I was a boy," he says, "my father
vvasiii,n(;ton's pistol.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 227
would frequently take up the Aurora, a magazine then pub-
lished in Philadelphia, and marking off about twenty lines,
would say, 'Now, Josepli, if you read those correctly, and
without a single mistake, you shall fire off one of Washing-
ton's pistols.' Such a promise was a high incentive, and if the
task was fairly accomplished, my mother would take off her
thimble to measure the charge, and my father, having loaded
the pistol, I Avould go to the backdoor with an exulting
heart, and lifting the weapon on high, tightly grasped with
both hands, j)ull the trigger."
While at Mount Vernon in the autumn of 1790, Washino-ton
received from the Count D'Estaing a small bust of M. Xecker,
the French minister of finance, or comptroller-general, when
the French Revolution broke out in 1789. James Necker
was a native of Geneva, in Switzerland. He went to France
as ambassador for the republic, where, in 1765, he obtained the
office of syndic to the East India Company, and in 1775 was
made director of the royal treasury. He exhibited such
virtue of character, and such eminent abilities, that twice,
though a foreigner, he was made prime minister of France.
He was popular with the people at the breaking out of the
French Revolution, but that storm was so variable and fickle,
that he returned to Switzerland, where he remained until his
death, which occurred in 180-1, at the age of seventy -two years.
His daughter married Baron de Stael Holstein, a Swedish
ambassador at the court of France. She was the Madame de
Stael so well known in the world of letters.
The little bust of ISTecker sent by D'Estaing to Washing-
ton, is upon a bi'acket over the fireplace in the library at
Mount Vernon, M'here the President placed it himself. Upon
228 MOUNT V^ERNON
the tall pedestal are two brass plates, bearing inscriptions, and
also a small plate upon the lower part of the bust itself. On
the latter is only the name of
NECKER.
Upon the upper plate on the pedestal are the words :
QUI NOBIS RESTITUIT REM.
Upon the second or lower plate is inscribed :
PRESENTED TO
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
BY HIS MOST DUTIFUL, MOST OBEDIENT, AND MOST HUMBLE
SERVANT, ESTAING, A CITIZEN OF THE STATE OF
GEORGIA, BY AN ACT OF 22d FEB., 1785,
AND A CITIZEN OF FRANCE IN 1786,
Count D'Estaing, who had twice commanded a French fleet
on our coast, in co-operation with American land forces, be-
came a member of the Assembly of Notables in the early part
of tlie French Revolution, and being suspected of an unfriendly
feeling toward the Terrorists, he was destroyed by the guillo-
tine, on the 29th of April, 1793.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
229
In a letter to Tobias Lear, (then in New York,) dated at
Mount Vernon on the 3d of August, 1790, Washington requests
him, when able to get at Count D'Estaing's letters (which,
with others, had been packed for removal from New York
to Philadelphia), to send him a transcript of what the Count
says of a bust of M. Necker he had sent to him, together
with a number of prints of
Necker and Lafayette.
Upon another bracket in the
library at Mount Vernon, not
far from the little head of
Necker, is a full-size bust of
Lafayette, a copy ot the one in
the capitol at Richmond made
by Houdon, by order of the
legislature of the state of Vir-
ginia, in 1786, which was exe-
cuted under the direction of
Mr. Jeiferson, then American
minister in Paris. The legisla-
ture of Virginia also ordered a copy to be made and pre-
sented to the city of Paris. This fact was made known to
the authorities there, by Mr. Jeiferson, in the following
words :
BUST OF M. NECKKR.
" Tlie legislature of the state of Virginia, in consideration of
the services of Major-General the Marquis de Lafayette, has
resolved to place his bust in their capitol. This intention of
erecting a monument to his virtues, and to the sentiments with
which he has inspired them, in the country to which they are
230
MOUNT VEilNON
indebted for his birtli, lias induced a hope that the city of
Paris ^vonld consent to become the depository of a second
proof of their gratitude. Charged by the state with the
EUST OF LAFAYETTE.
execution of this resohition, I have the honor to solicit the
Prevot des Marchands and municipality of Paris to accept the
bust of this brave officer, and give it a situation where it may
continually awaken the admiration and witness the respect of
the allies of France.
^'Thos. Jefferson.
'Dated [at Paris] Vlth September. 1786."
The Prevot soon received a letter from the Baron de Bre-
teuil, minister and secretary of state for the department of
Paris, informing him that the king, to whom the proposition
had been submitted, approved of the bust being erected in the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 231
city. The council accordingly assembled on the 28th of Sep-
tember, and Mr. Short, of Yirgiiiia, representing Mr. Jefferson,
(who was confined to his room by illness), went to the Hotel
de Ville to present the bust, which Houdon had satisfactorily
executed. The proceedings of the meeting were opened by M.
Pelletier de Morfontaine, counsellor of state and Prevot des
Marchands, by stating its object. M. Veytard, the chief
clerk, read all the documents connected with the matter, after
which M. Ethit de Corny, attorney-general and knight of
the order of Cincinnatus, delivered an address, in which he
recounted the services of Lafayette in America, the confidence
of the army in him, and the attachment of the people to him.
In his official capacity he then gave the requisite instructions
for the reception of the bust, agreeably to the wishes of the
king. It was accordingly placed in one of the galleries of the
Hotel de Ville, wdiere it remains to this day.
Tliis was a most rare honor to be paid to a young man, only
twenty-nine years of age. It M-as as unexpected to Lafayette
as it was grateful to his feelings ; and it was an additional link
in the bright chain of memories and sympathies which bound
him to this country.
Soon after his arrival in New York to assume the duties of
the presidency, "Washington imported a fine coach from Eng-
land, in which, toward the close of the time of his residence
there, and while in Philadelphia, he often rode with his
family, attended by outriders. On these occasions it was gen-
erally drawn by four, and sometimes by six fine bay horses.
The first mention of a coach, in his diary, in which he evident-
ly refers to this imported one, is under the date of December
12, 1789, where he records as follows:
;232
II 0 U X T y K R N 0 X
" Exercised in the coach with Mrs. Wasliington and the two
children (Master and Miss Custis) between breakfast and din-
ner— went the fourteen miles round." Previous to this he
W \Mll\(.lt)N o IN(.llslI CO^CH
mentions exercising in "a coach" (probably a hired one), and
in "the post-chaise" — the vehicle in which he travelled from
Mount Vernon to New York.
This coach was one of the best of its kind, heavy and sub-
stantial. The body and wheels were a 'cream color, with gilt
mouldings ; and the former was suspended upon heavy
leathern straps which rested upon iron springs. Portions of
the sides of the upper ])art, as Avell as the front and rear, were
furnished with neat green Yenotiun blinds, and the remainder
was enclosed with black leather curtains. The latter might be
raised so as to make the coach quite open in fine weather.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS
233
The blinds afforded shelter from the storm while allowing
ventilation. The coach was lined with bright black leather;
and the driver's seat was trimmed with the same. The axles
were wood, and the curved
reaches iron.
Upon the door Washing-
ton's arms M^ere handsomely
emblazoned, having scroll
ornaments issuing from the
space beUveen the shield and
the crest ; and below was a
ribbon with his motto upon
it.
Upon each of the four
panels of the coach was an
allegorical picture, emblem-
atic of one of the seasons. These were beautifnllj painted
upon copper bv Cipriani, an Italian artist. The ground was
a very dai'k green— so dark that it appeared nearly black;
and the allegorical figures were executed in bronze, in size
nine and a half by ten inches. One of them, emblematical of
spring, is I'epresented in the engraving.
Washington and his family travelled from Elizabethtown to
Philadelphia in this coach when on their way from New York
to Mount Vernon, in the early autumn of 1789. Dunn, his
driver, ajjpears to have been quite incompetent to manage the
six horses with which the coach was then drawn ; and almost
immediately after leaving Elizabethtown Point, he allowed
the coach to run into a gully, by which it was injured. At
Governor Livingston's, where they dined, another coachman
EMBLAZONING ON WASHINGTON'S COACH.
234
MOUNT VERNON
PICTURK ON A PANKL OF WASHINGTON S COACH.
was emplojed. In a letter to Mr. Lear, written at a tavern in
Maryland, wliile on liis way to Mount Vernon, Washington
said :
" Dunn has given such proof of his want of skill in driving,
that I find myself under the necessity of looking out for some
one to take his place. Before we reached Elizabethtown we
were obliged to take him from the coach and put him on the
wagon. This he turned over twice, and this morning he was
found much intoxicated. He has also got the horses into the
habit of stopping."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 235
In a letter to Mr. Leur soon after arriving at Mount Vernon,
Washington mentions the fact that he had left his coach
and harness with Mr. Clarke, a coach-maker in Philadelphia,
for repairs, and requests him to see that they are well done,
when he shall reach that city, Mr. Lear being then in 'New
York. Clarke built the coach in England, came over with
it and another precisely like it (which was imported by
Mrs. Powell, of Philadelphia), and settled in business in that
city.
On the 31st of October, Washington again writes about his
coach, in a letter to Mr. Lear. He appears to have had the
emblazoning changed at that time, and instead of his entire
coat-of-arms upon the doors, he had the crest only retained.
He tells Mr. Lear that he thinks a wreath around the crests
would better correspond with the seasons which were to re-
main on the panels, than the motto ; and suggests tliat the
motto might be put upon the plates of the harness. He leaves
the whole matter, however, to the taste and judgment of Mr.
Lear and the coach-maker.
This English coach was purchased by the late Mr. Custis,
of Arlington, when the effects of the general were sold, after
Mrs. Washington's death ; and it finally became the property
of the Eight Eeverend William Meade, now Bishop of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia. Of this vehicle, the
bishop thus writes :
" His old English coach, in which himself and Mrs. Wash-
ington not only rode in Fairfax county, but travelled through
the entire length and breadth of the land, was so faithfully
executed, that at the conclusion of that long journey, its build-
er, who came over with it, and settled in Alexandria, was
236 MOUNT YERNON
proud to be told hj the general, that not a nail or screw had
failed. It so happened, in a way I need not state, that this
coach came into my hands ahont fifteen years after the death
of General Washington. In the course of time, from disuse,
it being too heavy for these latter days, it began to decay and
give away. Becoming an object of desire to those who delight
in relics, I caused it to be taken to pieces and distributed
among the admiring friends of Washington who visited my
house, and also among a number of female associations for
benevolent and religious objects, which associations, at their
fairs and other occasions, made a large profit by converting
the fragments into walking-sticks, picture-frames, and snufi-
boxes. About two-thirds of one of the wheels thus pro-
duced one hundred and forty dollars. There can be no
doubt that at its dissolution it yielded more to the cause of
charity than it cost its builder at its first erection. Besides
other mementos of it, I have in my study, in the form of a
sofa, the hind seat, on which the general and his lady were
wont to sit."*
From Mount Yernon, during the recess, Wasliington wrote
several letters to Mr. Lear, who was charged with the removal
of the cff'ects of the President from New York, hiring a house
for his residence in Philadelphia, and arranging the furniture
of it. Previous to Washington's arrival in Philadelphia from
New York, the corporation of the latter city had hired for his
use the house of Robert Morris, in Market street, on the south
side of Sixth street — the best that could be procured at that
time. Washington had examined it and found it quite too
* Meade's Old GhurcJies, Ministers^ and Families in Virginia, II, 237.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 237
8111 all to accommodate his liousehold as he could wish, even
with an addition that was to be made. " There are good sta-
bles," he said, "but for twelve horses only, and a coach-
liouse which will hold all my carriages." There was a fine
garden, well enclosed by a brick wall, attached to the man-
sion.
The state legislature, had, at about the same time, appropri-
ated a fine building for his use on South Ninth street, on the
grounds now covered by the University. But he declined ac-
cepting it, because he would not live in a house hired and fur-
nished at the public expense.
There were other considerations, without doubt, that caused
"Washington to decline the liberal offers of the state and city
authorities, to relieve him of any private expense for the sup-
port of his personal establishment. The question of tlie per-
manent locality of the seat of the federal government was not
then fairly settled, and the Philadelphians were using every
means in their power to have it fixed in their city. Wash-
ington was aware of this, and as he was more favorable to a
site farther south, he was unwilling to afford a plea in favor
of Philadelphia, such as the providing of a presidential man-
sion would afford.
This matter appears to have given Washington considerable
anxiety. He was willing to rent Mr. Morris's house on his
own account, and, with his accustomed prudence, he directed
Mr. Lear to ascertain the price ; but up to the middle of JSTo-
vember his secretary was unsuccessful in his inquiries, though
they were repeatedly made. Washington was unwilling to
go into it, without first knowing what rent he had to j^ay.
" Mr. Morris, has most assuredly," he said, " formed an idea
238 MOUNT VERNON
of what ought to be the rent of the tenement in the condition
he left it ; and with this aid, the committee [of the Philadel-
phia city council] ought, I conceive, to be as little at a loss
in determining what it should rent for, with the additions
and alterations which are about to be made, and which ought
to be done in a plain and neat and not by any means in an
extravagant style ; because the latter is not only contrary to
my wish, but would really be detrimental to my interest
and convenience, principally because it would be the means
of keeping me out of the use and comforts of a home to a late
period, and because the furniture and every thing else would
require to be accordant therewith."
Washington was convinced that the committee was delaying
with the intention of having the rent paid liy the public, to
which he would not consent ; and he Avas not Milling to have
the place fixed and furnished in an extravagant manner, and
thus be subjected to pay extortionate prices for the same.
"I do not know," he said, "nor do I believe that any thing
unfair is intended by either Mr. Morris or the committee ; but
let us for a moment suppose that the rooms (the new ones I
mean) were to be hung with tapestry, or a very rich and costly
paper, neither of which would suit my present furniture ; that
costly ornaments for the bow windows, extravagant chimney-
pieces and the like were to be provided ; that workmen, from
extravagance of the times, for every twenty shillings' worth of
work would charge forty shillings; and that advantage would
be taken of the occasion to newly paint every part of the
house and buildings ; would tliero be any propriety in adding
ten or twelve-and-a-half per cent, for all this to the rent of the
house in its original state, for the two years that I am to hold
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 239
it? If the solution of tliese questions is in the negative,
wherein lies the difficulty of determining that the houses and
lots, when finished according to the proposed plan, ouglit to
rent for so much.
" When all is done that can be done, the residence will not
be so commodious as that I left in ^ew York, for there (and
the want of it will be found a real inconvenience at Mr.
Morris's) mj^ office was in the front room, below, where
persons on business immediately entered; whereas, in the
present case, they will have to ascend tAvo pairs of stairs, and
to pass by the public rooms as well as the private chambers to
get to it."
In making suggestions to Mr. Lear about the proper ar-
rangement of the furniture, even in minute detail, Washington
said: "There is a small room adjoining the kitchen that might,
if it is not essential for other purposes, be appropriated to the
Sevres china, and other tilings of that sort, which are not in
common use." He undoubtedly referred to the sets of china
which had been presented, one to himself, and the other to
Mrs. Washington, by the officers of the French army. The
former was a dull white in color, with heavy and confused
scroll and leaf ornaments in bandeaux of deep blue, and hav-
ing upon the sides of the cups and tureens, and in the bottoms
of the plates, saucers, and meat dishes, the Order of the Cin-
cinnati, held by Fame, personated by a winged woman with
a trumpet. These designs were skilfully painted in delicate
colors.
These sets of china were presented to Washington and his
wife, at the time when the elegant and costly Order of the
Cincinnati (delineated on page 130) M'as sent to him. That
340
MOUNT VERNON
Order, I omitted to mention in the proper place, cost three
tliousaud dollarti. The whole of the eagle, except the beak and
eye, is composed of diamonds. So, also, is the group of mili-
tary emblems above it, in which each dnim-head is composed
of one laro-e diamond.
WjiSHINGTON S CINCIXXATI CHINA.
Several pieces of the Cincinnati china, as it is called, are
preserved at Arlington Ilonse. In the engraving is shown a
group composed of a large plate, a sonp tureen, custard cup,
and teapot.
The set of china presented at the same time by the French
officers to Mrs. Washington, was of similar material, but more
delicate in color than the general's. Tlie ornamentation was
also far more delicate, excepting the delineation of the figure
and Cincinnati Order on the former. Around the outside of
each cup and tureen, and the inside of each plate and saucer.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
241
MRS. WASHINGTON S CHINA.
is painted, in delicate color, a chain of thirteen large and
thirteen small elliptical links. Within each large link is the
name of one of the original thirteen states. On the sides ot
the cups and tureens, and in the bottom of each plate and
saucer, is the interlaced monogram of Martha Washington —
M- W. — enclosed in a beautiful green wreath, composed of the
leaves of the laurel and olive. Beneath this is a ribbon, upon
which is inscribed, in delicatelj-traced letters, Decus et tutam
ENABiLLO. From the wreath are rays of gold, which give a
brilliant appearance to the pieces. There is also a delicate-
colored stripe around the edges of the cups, saucers, and
plates. A few pieces of this set of china are preserved at
xirlington House. The engraving represents a cup and saucer,
and plate.
Mrs. Atkinson, of Gennantown, granddaughter of Dr. David
Stuart, who owns Washington's telescope, already mentioned.
16
242
MOUNT VERNON
CHINA BUTTER-BOWL AND DISH.
has a single piece of porcelain ware that belonged to the
household goods of Mount Yernon. It is a white china butter-
bowl and dish, with a cover. It is entirely white, with the
exception of a gold stripe along the edges of the bowl and
dish, and the knob of the
lid. Tlie bowl and dish are
united.
At that time the china
like that presented by the
French officers was only
made at the Sevres manufactory, the art of decorating porce-
lain or china-ware with enamel colors and gold being then
not generally known. The colors used are all prepared from
metallic oxides, which are ground with fluxes, or fusible glasses
of various degrees of softness, suited to the peculiar colors with
which they are used. When painted, the goods are placed in
the enamel kiln, when the fluxed colors melt and fasten to
the glazed surface, forming colored glasses. The gold, which
is applied in the form of an amalgam, ground in turpentine,
is afterward polished with steel burnishers.
The first Monday in December was the day fixed upon for
the assembling of Congress. The seat of government, as we
have observed, had been transferred to Philadelphia, not per-
manently, but temporarily. As early as December, 1788, the
legislature of Virginia had offered to present to the United
States a tract of land ten miles square, anywhere within the
bounds of that commonwealth, for the permanent seat of gov-
ernment. Maryland made a similar offer. The citizens ot
New Jersey and Pennsylvania asked to have it upon the
Delaware, within a tract of land ten miles scpiare, to be ceded
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 2i'S
to the United States. The people of Trenton, in New Jersey,
petitioned to have it there ; those of Lancaster, in Pennsyl-
vania, wished to have it there, while, as we have observed,
the Philadelphians were extremely anxious to have their city
remain the federal capital, as it had been most of the time
since the commencement of the Revolution.
States and towns perceived great local advantages to be
derived from a political metropolis in their midst, and were
ready to make heavy sacrifices to obtain the boon. It is
amusing to observe, in the correspondence and public proceed-
ings of the times, how strongly local prejudices were engaged
in the consideration of the matter. Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia,
eager to have the Congress fix on that city as its future home,
wrote to one of the Pennsylvania representatives, saying : "1
rejoice in the prospect of Congress leaving New York ; it is a
sink of political vice ;" and advised tearing it away from that
city " in any wayP A Yirginian declared that, in his opinion,
New York was the best situation in the Union for the federal
capital, it being superior to any place within his knowledge,
" for the orderly and decent behavior of its inhabitants ;" while
the South Carolinians objected to Philadelphia, on account of
the Quakers, who, they declared, were " eternally dogging
Southern members with their schemes of slave emancipation."
It was finally agreed by both Houses of Congress, that the
federal capital should be upon the " Potomac River, between
the eastern branch and Conogocheague," and that Philadelphia
should be the federal city for ten years, until the one upon
the Potomac should be laid out, and proper public buildings
erected. The selection of the exact site was left to the Presi-
dent.
244 MOUNT VERNON
This action dissatisfied the New Yorkers, and ehited the
Philadelpliians, for they considered a " half loaf better than no
bread." Kobert Morris had been chiefly instrnmental in secur-
ing the residence of the government at Philadelphia for the
ten years, and wit and satire pointed their keenest arrows at
him. A caricatm-e was issued " in which," says Griswold,
" the stout senator from Pennsylvania was seen marching oiF
with the federal hall upon his shoulders, its windows crowded
with members of both houses, encouraging or anathematizing
this novel mode of deportation, while the devil, from the roof
of the Paulus' Hook ferry -liouse, beckoned to him in a patron-
izing manner, crying, ' This way, Bobby.' "
Freneau, who had written many pungent poems during the
Revolution, used his pen upon the topic of the removal with
considerable vigor, in prose and verse. In a political epistle,
he makes a New York housemaid say to her friend in Phila-
delphia :
"As for us, my dear Nauny, we're much iu a pet,
And hundreds of houses will be to be let ;
Our streets, that were just iu a way to look clever,
Will now be neglected and nasty as ever ;
Again we must fret at the Dutchifled gutters
And pebble-stone pavements, that wear out our trotters.
This Congress unsettled is, suie, a sad thing —
Seven years, my dear Nanny, they've been on tlie wing ;
My master would rather saw timber, or dig
Than see them removing to Conogocheague —
Where the houses and kitchens are yet to be framed,
The trees to be felled and the streets to be named."
There were some Philadelpliians who were as afflicted
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 245
because Congress was coining there, as New Yorkers were
in having the government leave their city. As soon as it was
ascertained that the government would reside there ten years,
rents, and the prices of every kind of provisions and other
necessaries of life, greatly advanced. "Some of the blessings,"
said a letter-writer at Philadelphia, quoted by Griswold, " an-
ticipated from the removal of Congress to this city, are already
beginning to be apparent. Rents of houses have risen, and I
fear will continue to rise shamefully ; even in the outskirts
they have lately been increased from fourteen, sixteen, and
eighteen pounds to twenty -five, twenty-eight, and thirty. Tliis
is oppression. Our markets, it is expected, will also be dearer
than heretofore."
It was a view of these changes, and anticipated extortion,
that made Washington so anxious to know beforehand how
much rent he must pay for his house in Philadelphia, and to
avoid furnishing it in an extravagant manner, as he did not
expect to remain there more than two years. He was resolved
to continue the unostentatious way of living he had com-
menced in l^ew York, not only on his own account, but for
the benefit of those connected with the government who could
not afford to spend more than their salaries. And that resolu-
tion, well carried out, was most salutary in its effects. When
Oliver Wolcott, of Connecticut, was appointed first auditor
of the treasury, he, like a prudent man, before he would
accept the office, went to ISTew York to ascertain whether he
could live upon the salary of fifteen hundred dollars a year.
He came to the conclusion that he could live upon one thou-
sand dollars a year, and he wrote to his wife, saying : " The
example of the President and his family will render j^ai'ade
246 MOUNT VERNON
and expense improper and disreputable." This sentence speaks
powerfully in illustration of the republican simplicity of Wash-
ington's household in those days.
The rent of Morris's house was fixed at three thousand dollars
a year, and on the 22d of November, Washington left Mount
Vernon for Philadelphia, accompanied by Mrs. Washington
and Master and Miss Custis, in a chariot drawn by four horses.
They were allowed to travel quietly, without any public pa-
rade, but receiving at every sropping-place the warm welcome
of many private citizens and personal friends. None gave
the President a heartier shake of the hand on this occasion,
and none was more welcome to grasp it, tlian Tommy Giles, a
short, thickset man, of English birth, who kept a little tavern a
short distance from the Head of Elk (now Elkton), on the road
from Baltimore. His tavern-sign displayed a rude portrait of
Washington ; and the President on his way to and from Mount
Vernon, never passed by until he had greeted the worthy man.
Tommy had been a fife-major in the Continental army, and
had been employed a long time by Washington as his confi-
dential express in the transmission of money from one point to
another. In this business he was most trustworthy. Mrs.
Giles was a stout Englishwoman, but republican to the core.
Washington always shook hands with her as heartily as with
her husband, and frequently left a guinea in her palm.
On these occasions, when the President had passed. Tommy
would array himself in his Continental uniform, and hasten to
Holliugsworth's tavern, in Elkton (where Washington slept,
or took a meal and fed his horses), to pay his respects in a
formal manner to his beloved General. Washington always
treated him with the greatest consideration, and for several
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 247
days after such interviews, Toinniy would be the greatest man
in the village.
Tommy was appointed postmaster at Elkton, by Washing-
ton, and was for several years crier of the Cecil county court.
He always deported himself with dignity ; and, regarding his
acquaintance with Washington and his ojficial position as suf-
ficient claim to profound personal respect, he sometimes as-
sumed an authoritative manner quite amusing. In a recent
letter to me, an old resident of Philadelphia, speaking of Tom-
my, remarks ; " I was once obliged to attend court as a witness,
and one day went home, a distance of twenty-two miles. 1
returned the following morning in a snow-storm^ in the month
of April, and reached the court-house a few minutes after nine
o'clock, when Mr. Giles was making his proclamation for me
to appear. As I dismounted from my horse, my nose com-
menced bleeding, and I called across the street to say I would
be in court as soon as it stopped. Tommy rejoined shortly
and authoritatively, • You have no business to let your nose
bleed when the court wants you !' The court was more in-
dulgent, and readily excused me."
The President and his family reached Philadelphia on Sat-
urday, the 28th of ]^ovember, and found their house in read-
iness for them. Mr. Lear had brought on the furniture from
New York, purchased some in Philadelphia, and ai-ranged the
house much to the satisfaction of the President and his wife.
Yet it was some time before they were ready to see company,
and the first of Mrs. Washington's public receptions was on
Friday evening, the 25th of December — Christmas-day. It
is said that the most brilliant assemblage of beautiful, well-
dressed, and well-educated women that had ever been seen in
248 MOUNT VERNON
America, appeared at that levee. The Vice-President's wife
mentioned in a letter that " the dazzlino- Mrs. Binp;hani and
her beautiful sisters [Misses Willing], the Misses Aliens, the
Misses Chew, and in short, a constellation of beauties," were
present.
The season opened very gajly, and balls, routs and dinners
of the most sumptuous kind, succeeded each other in rapid
succession. " I should spend a very dissipated winter," wrote
Mrs. Adams, " if I were to accept one-half the invitations I
receive, particularly to the routs, or tea-and-cards." Phila-
delphia had never seen or felt any thing like it, and the wdiole
town w'as in a state of virtual intoxication for several weeks.
But Washington and his wife could not be seduced from their
temperate habits, by the scenes of immoderate pleasure around
them. Tliey held their respective levees on Tuesdays and
Fridays, as they did in New York, without the least ostenta-
tion ; and Congressional and official dinners were also given
in a plain way, without any extravagant displays of plate, or-
nament, or variety of dishes.
Having furnished his house as a permanent residence while
be should remain President, Washington had indulged in
some things which would insure congruity, that were not seen
in New York. He had ordered through Gouvernenr Morris,
then in Paris, some articles for his sideboard and table.
Among them were some silver-plated wine-coolers, the cost
of wdiich rather startled him. He had received an invoice
of them, before he left Mount Vernon, and in a letter to Mr.
Lear, he wrote :
" Enclosed I send you a letter from Mr. Gouvernenr Morris,
with a bill of the cost of the articles he was to send me. The
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 249
prices of the plated ware exceed — far exceed — the utmost
bounds of my calculation ; but as I am persuaded he has
done what he conceives right, I am satisfied, and request you
to make immediate payment to Mr. Constable, if you can
raise the means."
He then spoke of wine-coolers, that had been sent, an article
that he had never used, and says : " As these coolers are
designed for warm weather, and will be, I presume, useless in
cold, or in that in which the liquors do not require cooling,
quere^ would not a stand like that for casters, with four aper-
tures for so many different kinds of liquors, each aperture just
sufiicient to hold one of the cut decanters sent by Mr. Morris,
be more convenient for passing the bottles from one to another,
than the handing each bottle separately, by which it often
happens that one bottle moves, another stops, and all are in
confusion? Two of them — one for each end of the table, with
a flat bottom, with or without feet, open at the sides, but with
a raised rim, as caster-stands have, and an upright, by way of
handle, in the middle — could not cost a great deal, even if
made wholly of silver. Talk to a silversmith, and ascertain
the cost, and whether they could be immediately made, if re-
quired, in a handsome fashion.
" Perhaps the coolers sent by Mr. Morris may afford ideas
of taste ; perhaps, too (if they prove not too heavy, when
examined), they may supersede the necessity of such as I have
described, by answering the purpose themselves. Four double
flint bottles (such as I suspect Mr. Morris has sent), will weigh,
I conjecture, four pounds ; the wine in them when they are
filled will be eight pounds more, which, added to the weight
of the coolers, will, I fear, make these latter too unwieldv to
250 MOUNT VERNON
pass, especially by ladies, which induces me to think of the
frame in the form of casters."
Mr. Lear was pleased with Washington's suggestions, and
ordered a silversmith to make two of the caster-like frames,
of solid silver, and these were used upon the President's table
on the occasion of the first dinner which he gave to the offi-
cers of government and their families, foreign ministers and
their families, and other distinguished guests. Their lightness
and convenience commended them, and from that time they
became fashionable, under the appropriate title of coasters.
Thenceforth the wme-cooler was left upon the sideboard, and
the coaster alone was used for sending the wine around the
table. For more than a quarter of a century afterward, the
coaster might be seen upon the table of every fashionable
family in Philadelphia. Few persons, however, are aware
that Washington was the inventor c>f it.
The coolers sent over by Mr. Morris, were eight in number,
four large and four smaller ones, the former holding four
bottles, and the latter two. Two of the larger ones were
presented by Washington to General Hamilton, and are now
in possession of Mrs. Holley, of Washington city, a daughter of
the latter. Tlie others were taken from Philadelphia to Mount
V^ernon, and after the death of Mrs. Washington, passed into
the possession of her grandson, George Washington Parke
Custis. They now belong to Mr. Custis's daughter, at Arling-
ton House. Tliey are both elliptical in form at top, the larger
one nine inches in height, and the smaller one eight inches.
The silver coasters are also at Arlington House. They are four-
teen inches in height, and each is composed of four baskets
united to a handle in the centre, made of strong wire. There
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
251
WINE-COOLERS AND COASTKR.
is a roller under the centre of each basket, bj which the coast-
er is more easily sent around the table. A specimen of each
of these articles is seen in the engraving upon the next page.
Washington took his family plate with him when he went
to New York in 1789, and there had it made over into more
elegant and massive forms. Several pieces were also added
to it, and this service graced his table and sideboard in Phil-
adelphia. Several pieces of this plate are now in use at
Arlington House. The engraving shows five of them, namely,
a round salver, an elliptical tray, a coffee-pot, teapot, and
sugar-bowl. All of these have Washington's crest neatly en-
graven upon them. The tray with handles, all of massive
silver, is plain, except a beaded rim. It is twenty-two inches
in length, and seventeen and a half inches in breadth. This,
252
MOUNT VERNON
with tlie waiter, was used at all tlie levees and drawing-rooms
of the President and Mrs. Washington, during the eight years
of their public life in New York and Philadelphia, and served
SPECIMENS OF WASHINGTON'S PLATE.
the purposes of hospitality afterward, at Mount Yernon. How
many eyes, beaming with the light of noble souls, have looked
upon the glittering planes of that tray and salver ! How many
hands that once wielded mighty swords, and mightier pens,
in the holy cause of universal freedom, long since mouldereO
into native earth, have taken from them the sparkling glass,
while health and long life were invoked for "Washington !
Mr. Custis once related to me a pleasing circumstance con-
nected Avith the use of that tray. Gushing from a rocky bank
beneath the trunk of a huge oak-tree — a genuine Anak of the
primeval forest — near the bank of the Potomac, on his estate,
is a cojiious spring, and around it stands a beautiful grove,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
253
wherein parties from Alexandria, Washington city and George-
town, have picnics in the summer months. For the accommo-
dation of these, Mr. Custis generously erected, near the spring,
a kitchen and dancing-hall ; and he frequently attended the
joyous gatherings, and lent servants to wait upon the ladies.
On one occasion, a party of military, accompanied by ladies,
went over to Arlington spring, from Washington city, for a
day's recreation. Mr. Custis sent his favorite servant, Charles,
to wait upon the company at table. He also sent down the
precious silver tray for their use. Placing a dozen glasses of
ice cream upon it, Charles carried it to the visitors, and said,
" Ladies, this waiter once belonged to Greneral Washington,
and from it all the great ladies of the Revolution took wine."
The young ladies, as if actuated by one impulse, immediately
arose, crowded around Charles, and each in turn, kissed the
cold rim of the salver, before touching the cream.
The session of 1790-91, was the third of the first Congress,
and ended by limitation on
the 3d of March ; but Wash-
ington did not depart from
Philadelphia for Mount Yer-
non, until Monday the 21st.
On that day, at twelve
o'clock, he and his family
left his residence on Market-
street, in his English coach,
drawn by six horses, accompanied by Mr. Jefferson and Gen-
eral Knox (two of the heads of departments), who escorted
them as far as Delaware. Major Jackson was also of the
party. He accompanied Washington to Mount Yernon, and
TOE PRESIDENTIAL MANSION.
254 ■ MOUNT VERNON
tliroughout an extensive tour through the Southern states,
which the President commenced a few days afterward.
That tour had occupied Washington's thoughts from time to
time, for several months. Many leading men of the South
invited him to visit their respective states. He had made a
tour eastward, and it was deemed expedient that the Southern
states should be honored by his presence. Their invitations
generally expressed a desire, that the President, in the event
of his making such tour, should honor the writers by a resi-
dence with them, while he remained in their respective neigh-
borhoods. Among others who proffered the hospitalities of
his house was Colonel William Washington, the heroic cavalry
officer in the southern campaigns under Greene, who was then
residing in Charleston. But his invitation, like all others of
the same kind, was declined for reasons which Washington
frankly stated :
" I cannot," he said, " comply with your invitation, without
involving myself in inconsistency ; as I have determined to
pursue the same plan in my Southern as I did in my Eastern
visit, which was, not to incommode any private family by
taking up my quarters with them during my journey. If
leaves me unincumbered by engagements, and by a uniform
adherence to it, I shall avoid giving umbrage to any, by de-
clining all such invitations."
Washington remained at Mount Yernon only a week, mak-
ing preparations for his Southern tour. On the 4th of April
he wrote to the several heads of departments — Jefferson, Ham-
ilton and Knox — giving them information concerning the time
when he expected to be at certain places on his route. This
information was given because the public service might re-
quire communication to be made to him.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 255
"Mj journey to Savannah," he said, "unless retarded by
unforeseen interruptions, will be regulated, including days of
halt, in the following manner : I shall be, on the 8th of April
at Fredericksburg, the llth at Eichmond, the 14th at Peters-
burg, the 16th at Halifax, the 18th at Tarborough, the 20th at
Newborn, the 25th at Wilmington, the 29th at Georgetown,
South Carolina ; on the 2d of May at Charleston, halting there
five days ; on the llth at Savannah, halting there two days.
Thence leaving the line of mail, I shall proceed to Augusta ;
and according to the information which I may receive there,
my return by an upper road will be regulated."
It is a singular fact that Washington was at these various
places on the very days contemplated. He wrote to Jetfer-
son from Eichmond on the 13th of April, to Hamilton from
Chariestou on the 7th of May, and to Mr. Seagrove, collector
of the port of St. Mary, Georgia, from Savannah on the 20th.
He was everywhere received with demonstrations of the highest
respect and veneration. At Wilmington he was met by a mili-
tary and civic escort, entertained at a public dinner, and in the
evening attended a ball given in his honor. At Newbern he
received like homage ; and when, on Monday, the 2d day of
May, he arrived at Haddrell's Point, a short distance from
Charleston, beyond the mouth of the Cooper Eiver, a twelve-
oared barge, manned by thirteen captains of American ships,
was in readiness to receive him, and convey him to the city.
The barge contained a band of vocal and instrumental perform-
ers, and was followed by a flotilla of richly decked boats, of
every kind, filled with gentlemen and ladies. At the wharf
he was received by Governor Charles Cotesworth Pinckney,
and conducted to his lodgings by a military and civic escort.
256 MOUNT VERNON
On Monday, the 9tli of May, be left Charleston for Savan-
nah; and on his way from that city a week afterward, he
stopped and dined with the widow of General Greene. lie
reached Angusta on the 18th, and on Satnitlay, the 21st, he
started for home, travelling by way of Columbia, Camden,
Charlotte, Salisbury, Salem, Guilford, Hillsborough, Harris-
burg, Williamsburg, and Fredeiicksburg, to Mount Yernon.
He arrived home on the 12th of June, having made a most
satisfactory journey of more than seventeen hundred miles, in
sixty-six days, with the same team of horses. " My return to
this place is sooner than I expected," he wrote to Hamilton,
" owing to the uninterruptedness of my journey by sickness,
from bad weather, or accidents of any kind whatsoever," for
which he had allowed eight days.
Washington remained at Mount Yernon between three and
four weeks. Meanwhile, he met commissioners at Georgetown,
who had been appointed to lay out the federal city, Washing-
ton having selected as the site the point of land on the eastern
side of the Potomac, between that river and the Anacostia, or
eastern branch, which flows eastward of the capitol. It is
related as an historical fact, that in the year 1663, almost two
hundred years ago, the proprietor of that land, named Pope,
marked out a city upon it, called it Pome, named the eleva-
tion on which the capitol now stands (and where the Lidian
tribes held their conncils) the Capitoline Hill, and the east
branch of the Potomac -the Tiber !
Major L'Enfant, a Frenchman, who had served as engineer
in the continental army, was employed to furnish a plan and
make a survey of the federal city, and he spent a week at
Mount Yernon, after Washington's return from his southern
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 257
tour, in consultation with the President. His plans were laid
before Congress at the next session, and were approved. The
federal citj was laid out on a magnificent scale, on a plot con-
taining eight square miles. The states of Virginia and Mary-
land had already ceded to the United States a territory ten
miles square, for the purpose of erecting the federal city within
it, and this was named the District of Columbia.
L'Enfant and the commissioners disagreed, and he was suc-
ceeded by Andrew Ellicott, in 1792. On the 2d of April that
year, President Washington approved of a plan for the capitol,
submitted by Dr. Thornton, and in September, 1793, he laid
the corner-stone of the north wing, with Masonic honors. The
commissioners, without the President's knowledge or consent,
named the federal metropolis the City of Washirigton, which
honored name it bears.
Washington was again at the presidential mansion, in Phila-
delphia, on the 6th of July, where he remained until Septem-
bei", when he returned to Mount Vernon, to spend a few weeks
previous to the assembling of the new Congress. During that
recess from official labors he was part of the time employed in
the instruction of a new agent, Robert Lewis, in the manage-
ment of his estate, his nephew, George A. Washington, having
been compelled to leave for the mountains on account of ill
health. At the same time he carried on quite an extensive
correspondence with officers of the government and private
citizens. Every post brought him numerous letters. An
Indian war, in the North-western territory, was in progress ;
the French Revolution was assuming an alarming shape, for
the obligations of an ally still appeared to rest upon the
United States, especially so long as Louis remained king ; and
17
258 MOUNT YERNON
domestic affairs, pertaining to finance and commerce, were
largely occupying the public mind. These topics engaged
Washington's pen very frequently during his weeks of rest at
Mount Vernon.
The first session of the second Congress opened on the 24th
of October, and on the 25th Washington delivered his annual
message in person, in the Congress Hall, corner of Sixth and
Chestnut streets. About two months later he was waited
upon by Archibald Robertson, a Scotch artist of considerable
merit, who had been induced to come to the United States to
practice his profession, by Doctor Kemp, of Columbia College,
New York.
Robertson came charged with an interesting commission
from the Earl of Buchan. He arrived in New York in Octo-
ber, and in December went to Philadelphia to fulfil his special
engagement. He had been charged by the Earl to deliver to
Washington a box made of the celebrated oak-tree that shel-
tered Sir William Wallace after the battle at Falkirk. Ac-
companying the box was a letter from the Earl, dated at Dry-
burgh Abbey, Jan. 28, 1791, in which, after speaking of the
box, and his having entrusted it to the " care of Mr. Robert-
son, of Aberdeen, a painter," he said :
" This box was presented to me by the goldsmiths' company
at Edinburgh, of whom — feeling my own unworthiness to re-
ceive this magnificent and significant present — I requested, and
obtained leave to make it over to the man in the world to
whom I thought it most justly due ; into your hands 1 commit
it, requesting you to pass it, in the event of your decease, to
the man in your own country, who shall appear to your judg-
ment to merit it best, upon the same considerations that have
induced me to send it to your Excellency."
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 259
He added —
" I beg your Excellency will have the goodness to send me
your portrait, that I may place it among those I most honor,
and I would w^ish it from the pencil of Mr. Robertson."
Robertson presented the box to the President on Friday,
the 13th of December. He was much embarrassed, he said,
on being introduced to " the American hero," but was soon
relieved by Washington, wlio entered into familiar conversa-
tion with him, and introduced him to Mrs. Washington. The
President also made the painter happy, by consenting to sit
for his portrait, in compliance with the wishes of the Earl of
Buchan. He also invited Robertson to dine with him ; and
the painter felt quite at ease before he left the august presence.
Of that dinner (a family one) Robertson thus writes :
'"It was ready at three o'clock — plain, but suitable for a
family in genteel circumstances. There was nothing specially
remarkable at the table, but that the general and Mrs. Wash-
ington sat side by side, he on the right of his lady ; the gentle-
men on his right hand, and the ladies on his left. It being on
Saturday, the first course was mostly of eastern cod and fresh
fish. A few glasses of wine were drank during the dinner,
with other beverages. The whole closed witli a few glasses
of sparkling champagne, in about three-quarters of an hour,
when the general and Colonel Lear retired, leaving the ladies
in high glee about Lord Buchan and the Wallace box."
After dinner, the President sat to Mr. Robertson, for a min-
iature portrait, and from it, when finished, the artist painted a
larger picture, in oil, for Lord Buchan, " of a size," he said,
" corresponding to the collection of portraits of the most cele-
brated worthies of liberal principles and of useful literature,
260 MOUNT VERNON
in the possession of his lordship." This picture was painted
at the close of May, 1792, when Washington wrote to Lord
Buchan, thanking him for the present of the box, and saying
of the portrait : " The manner of the execution of it, does
no discredit, I am told, to the artist." The picture was sent to
Europe by Colonel Lear, and Robertson received the thanks
of the Earl of Buchan.
Mrs, Washington also sat to Robertson for her miniature.
She M^as then sixty years of age, and still beautiful. Her
complexion was fair, and her dark eye was as brilliant as ever.
Li person she was heavier than in her younger days, and was,
in a very slight degree, inclined to corpulency. That miniature
is now at Arlington House. It was first engraved for the
ATnerican Portrait Gallery^ about the year 1 833. In a letter
to his wife, in July of that year, Mr. Custis wrote :
" I have been requested to wi'ite a short biography of my
grandmother, to be accompanied by a splendid engraving from
one of my originals, for Longman's work, called the National
Gallery of Portraits^ and have consented to do it." The biog-
raphy was written, and the " original" chosen was Robertson's
miniature, from which our engraving was copied.
In his letter of thanks to Buchan, Washington said :
" I will, however, ask, that you will exempt me from com-
pliance with the request relating to its eventual destination.
In an attempt to execute your wish in this particular, I should
feel embarrassment from a just comparison of relative preten-
sions, and fear to risk injustice by so marked a preference."
The box was taken to Mount Yernon at the close of the
session, where it remained until Washington's death, when
^ N D ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
261
MARTDA WASHINGTON'.
lie recoininitted it to the Earl by the following clause in his
will :
"To the Eai-1 of Buchan I recommit the box made of the
oak that sheltered the great Sir William Wallace, after the
battle of Falkirk, presented to me by his lordship, in terms too
flattering for me to repeat, with a request ' to pass it, on the
event of my decease, to the man in my country who should
appear to merit it best, upon the same conditions that have
induced him to send it to me.' Whether easy or not to select
the man who might comport with his lordship's opinion, in
this respect, is not for me to say ; but, conceiving that no dis-
position of this valuable curiosity can be more eligible than
the recommitment of it to his own cabinet, agreeably to the
original design of the Goldsmith's Company of Edinburgh,
who presented it to him, and, at his request, consented that it
262 MOUNT VERNON
should be transferred to me, I do give and bequeath the same
to his lordship ; and, in case of his decease, to his heir, Avith
my grateful thanks for the distinguished honor of presenting it
to me, and more especially for the favorable sentiments with
which he accompanied it."
The first session of the second Congress terminated on Tues-
day, the 8th of May, and on the lOtli Washington set out for
Mount Vernon, leaving his family in Philadelj^hia. He re-
mained there about four wrecks, directing the affairs of his
estate, insjDCcting the progress of the surveys and plans for the
federal city, and in correspondence witli friends at home and
abroad. He carried home Avitli him on that occasion several
copies oii\\Q Rights of Man, a work from the pen of Thomas
Paine, published the year before, fifty copies of which, sent by
the author to the President, reached him a day or two before
he left Philadelphia. One of these he gave to Richard Henry
Lee, who, after thanking him for it, i-emarked :
" It is a performance of which any man might be proud ;
and I most sincerely regret that our country could not have
offered sufficient inducements to have retained as a permanent
citizen, a man so thoroughly republican in sentiment, and
fearless in the expression of his opinions."
In his letter accompanying the books, Paine remarked :
" The work has had a run beyond any thing that has been
published in this country on the subject of government, and
the demand continues. In Ireland it has had a much greater.
A letter I received from Dublin, 10th of May, mentioned that
the fourth edition was then on sale. I know not what number
of copies were printed at each edition, except the second,
which was ten thousand. The same fate follows me here as I
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 263
at first experienced iu America — strong friends and violent
enemies ; but as I have got the ear of the country, I shall go
on, and at least show them, what is a novelty here, that there
can be a person beyond the reach of corruption."
This work was written in answer to Edmund Burke's famous
letter to a French gentleman, in 1790, entitled Reflections on
the Revolution in France. The government, incensed at
Paine's language in the Rights of 3fan, instituted a prosecu-
tion against him for libel. He went to France, became a
member of the l^ational Assembly, fell into prison during the
reign of the Terrorists, and becoming oifended at Washington
because he properly refused his official aid in procuring
Paine's liberation, on the ground of his being an American
citizen, he abused him most shamefully in a published letter,
more remarkable for its scurrility than talent.
Washington returned to Philadelphia early in June, and
toward the close of Jul}^ journeyed with his family to Mount
Vernon. He remained there until early in October, when he
returned to Philadelphia, with his family, to prepare for the
assembling of the Congress, which took place on the 5tli of
Novendier. During that time he was in frequent correspond-
ence with the heads of departments, for matters of great public
interest required frequent communications between them and
the chief magistrate. An Indian war in the west was then in
progress, and symptoms of insurrectionary movements in West-
ern Pennsylvania, on account of an excise law which the people
deemed oppressive, began to appear.
Washington was also much engaged, during that time, with
his agricultural operations ; and he and Mrs. Washington
were much distressed on account of the mortal sickness of his
264 MOUNT VERNON
nephew George, who had resided at Mount Vernon much of
the time since his marriage several years before. Washing-
ton's anxiety concerning him is evinced by the frequent men-
tion of his illness to his correspondents. In a letter to Lafay-
ette, in June, he said :
" I am afraid my nephew George, your old aide, will never
have his health perfectly re-established. He has lately been
attacked with the alarming symptoms of spitting large quan-
tities of blood ; and the physicians give no hopes of resto-
ration, unless it can be effected by a change of air, and a
total dereliction from business, to which he is too anxiously
attentive. He will, if he should be taken from his family and
friends, leave three fine children, two sons and a daughter. To
the eldest of the boj^s he has given the name of Fayette, and
a fine looking child he is.
To General Roux, he wrote : " I thank you most sincere-
ly for the medicine you were so obliging as to send for my
nephew, and for the sympathetic feeling you express for his
situation. Poor fellow ! neither, 1 believe, will be of an}^ avail.
Present appearances indicate a speedy dissolution. He has not
been able to leave his bed, except for a few moments to sit in
an arm-chair, since the 14tli or 15th of last month. The par-
oxysm of the disorder seems to be upon him, and death, or
a favorable turn to it, must speedily follow."
The sufferer was then residing upon a small estate in Han-
over. He lingered for several weeks, and expired ; and on the
24th of February, Washington wrote to his widow :
"MyDeae Fanny: To yon, who so well know the affec-
tionate regard I had for our departed friend, it is unnecessary
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 265
to describe the sorrow with which I was afflicted, at the news
of his death, altliough it was an event I had expected many
weeks before it happened. To express this sorrow with the
force I feel it, would answer no other purpose than to revive
in your breast that poignancy of anguish, which by this time,
I hope, is abated. The object of this letter is to convey to
your mind the warmest assurance of my love, friendship, and
disposition to serve you. These I also profess to bear, in an
eminent degree, for your children."
He then invites her to make Mount Vernon the home of
herself and children. "You can go to no place," he said,
" where you will be more welcome, nor to any where you can
live at less expense or trouble." He then invites her to bring
liis niece, Harriet "Washington, M'ith her, to Mount Yernon,
of whose conduct he had heard pleasant words. Miss Harriet
remained at Moimt Yernon a long time, the grateful recipient
of her uncle's bounty.
The young widow appears to have declined the offer of a
home at Mount Yernon, preferring to keep house in Alexan-
dria, but offering to resign the charge of her eldest son, Fay-
ette, into Washington's keeping. In March, the President
wrote to her, saying :
"The carriage which I sent to Mount Yernon, for your use,
I never intended to reclaim, and now, making you a forma]
present of it, it may be sent for whenever it suits your conve-
nience, and be considered as your own. I shall, when I see you,
request that Fayette may be given up to me, either at that
time, or as soon after as he is old enough to go to school. This
will relieve you of that portion of attention, which his educa-
tion would otherwise call for."
266 MOUNT VERNON
Washington's affection for children was very great, and he
was ever anxious to have young people in the mansion at
Mount Yernon. He enjoyed tlieir amusements with a keen
relish, and yet the mysterious awe felt in his presence, by all
who had the good fortune to know him personally, was expe-
rienced by children. His adopted daughter (Mrs, Lewis)
used to say that she had seen him laugh heartily at her merry
pranks, or when, a gay, joyous girl, she would give him a
description of some scene in which she had taken a part ;
and yet she had as often seen him retire from the room in
which her young companions were amusing themselves, be-
cause he perceived that his jDresence created a reserve which
they could not overcome.
His love for his two adopted children was very strong, and
he watched over their mental and moral development with
great solicitude. In several of his letters to Mr. Lear, from
Mount Yernon, in the autumn of 1790, when preparing for his
residence in Philadelj)hia, he mentioned the subject of schools,
expressing a great desire to have young Custis placed in one
of the best character.
Mrs. "Washington was always over-indulgent to her two
grandchildren. The boy (George Washington Parke Custis)
was always familiarly called Washington, and by that name
he was always distinguished in the general's private corre-
spondence. His beautiful sister, Nelly, used to speak of the
affection which Mrs. Washington lavished upon him, and the
many excuses which she offered in liis defence, when the father,
true to his nature and education, exacted submission to the
most thorough discipline on all occasions, much as he loved
the boy.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 267
" Grandmamma always spoiled Washington," his sister
would say ; and his daughter, in a late memoir of him, has
said — " He was the pride of her heart, while the public duties
of the veteran prevented the exercise of his influence in form-
ing the character of the boy, too softly nurtured under his
roof, and gifted with talents, which, under a sterner discipline,
might have been more available for his own and his coun-
try's good."
Notwithstanding her indulgent disposition, Mrs. Washing-
ton was a thorough disciplinarian in her household, and Nelly
Custis experienced many a tearful hour when compelled by
her grandmother to attend assiduously to her studies in letters
and music. Washington made her a present of a fine harpsi-
chord, at the cost of one thousand dollars — Schroeder's beau-
tiful invention, the piano-forte, not being then much used
in America. In England, even, where Zumpe had introduced
it, with many improvements, between twenty and thirty years
before, the piano had by no means supplanted its parent the
harpsichord, and the latter instrument, or the spinet, might
be found in almost every family of wealth in the kingdom.
The best teachers were employed to instruct Nelly in the use
of the harpsichord, and her grandmother made her practise
upon it four or five hours every day. " The poor girl," says
her brother, the late Mr. Custis, " would play and cry, and cry
and play, for long hours, under the immediate eye of her
grandmother, a rigid disciplinarian in all things."
That harpsichord, according to the inscription upon a plate
above the keys, was manufactured by " Longman and Brode-
rip, musical instrument makers. No. 26 Cheapside, and No.
13 Haymarket, London." It was carefully packed and taken
268
OUNT VERNON
to Mount Yernon when Wasliington retired from office the
last time. It was nsed there until his death, for Nelly
and her husband resided at Mount Vernon for more than
NELLY CnmiSS HARPSICHORD.
'^f
a year after their marriage in February, 1779. It is now
(1859) in the possession of Mrs. Lee, of Arlington IIousg,^ who
intends to present it to the Mount Yernon Ladies' Associa-
tion, when the home of Washington shall have passed into
their absolute possession, that it may take its ancient place in
the parlor of the hallowed mansion.
The instnnnent was one of the most elegant of its kind. It
is about eight feet long, three and a half feet wide, and three
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 269
feet in length, with two banks, containing one hundred and
twenty keys in all. The case is mahogany.
On the 4th of March, 1793, Judge Gushing, of Massachu-
setts, administered to Washington, in the senate chamber, in
Philadelphia, the oath of office as President of the United
States, he having been, by unanimous vote of the electoral
college, speaking the will of the people, re-elected to the
exalted station of chief magistrate. It was with great reluc-
tance that he consented to serve another prescribed term of
four years. He had looked forward to retirement from office
with real pleasure, and when he agreed to serve his country
still longer, he endured a sacrifice which none bat a disinterested
patriot could have made. For himself he preferred the quiet
of domestic life at his pleasant home on the Potomac, to all
the honors and emoluments that the world could offer. But
in this instance, as in all others, he yielded his own wishes to
the more important demands of his country. He knew, as
well as any man living, the dangers to which the coun-
try was then exposed from the influence of French politics and
of domestic factions; and the representations of the true friends
of government convinced him that his further service in public
life was demanded by every consideration of patriotism.
Hamilton, in whose judgment and purity of motives Wash-
ington had the most entire confidence, had urged him, in a
touching letter, to accept the high office a second term ; and
while his cabinet was agitated by discordant opinions upon
other subjects, they all agreed that Washington's retirement
from office at that time would be a serious calamity to the
country. Every one felt that the affairs of the national gov-
ernment were not yet firmly established; that its enemies
2Y0 MOUNT VERNON
were many and inveterate, and that Washington could not
retire without damaging his reputation as a patriot. " I trust,
sir, and I praj' God, that jou will determine to make a further
sacrifice of your tranquillity and happiness to the public good,"
said Hamilton, at the close of his letter just alluded to.
Such sacrifice was made, and for four years longer Mount
Yernon was without its master, except at long intervals.
Although Washington's second inauguration was in public,
there was far less parade than at the first. It had been deter-
mined by those with whom he had consulted respecting the
matter, as the democratic feeling was very strong, that the
President should go to the senate-chamber "' without form,
attended by such gentlemen as he may choose, and return
without form, except that he be preceded by the marshal."
Thus he went and thus he returned, conveyed in his own
beautiful cream-colored coach, drawn by six splendid bay
horses. And thus he went to that senate-chamber a few
months later, when he presented his annual message to the
Congress, for in those days the President read the address
before the assembled wisdom of the nation, and did not, as
now, send it in manuscript by his private secretary.
An eye-witness on one of these occasions has left a pleasant
picture of it on record. "As the President alighted," he says,
" and, ascending the steps, paused upon the platform, looking
over his shoulder, in an attitude that would have furnished an
admirable subject for the pencil, he was preceded by two gen-
tlemen bearing long white wands, who kept back the eager
crowd that pressed on every side to get a nearer view. At
that moment I stood so near that I might have touched his
clothes ; but I should as soon have thought of touching an
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 271
electric battery. I was penetrated with a veneration amount-
ing to the deepest awe. Nor was this the feeling of a school-
boy only ; it pervaded, I believe, every human being that
approached Washington ; and I have been told that, even in
his social and convivial hours, this feeling in those who were
honored to share them never suffered intermission. I saw him
a hundred times afterward, but never with any other than that
same feeling. The Almighty, who raised up for our hour of
need a man so peculiarly prepared for its whole dread respon-
sibility, seems to have put an impress of sacredness upon His
own instrument. The first sight of the man struck the heart
with involuntary homage, and prepared every thing around
him to obey. When he ' addressed himself to speak,' there
was an unconscious suspension of the breath, while every eye
was raised in expectation.
" The President, having seated himself, remained in silence,
serenely contemplating the legislature before him, whose mem-
bers now resumed their seats, waiting for the speech. No
house of worship, in the most solemn pauses of devotion, was
ever more profoundly still than that large and crowded
chamber.
"Washington was dressed precisely as Stuart has painted
liim in Lord Lansdowne's full-length portrait — in a full suit
of the richest black velvet, with diamond knee-buckles, and
square silver buckles set upon shoes japanned with the most
scrupulous neatness, black silk stockings, his shirt ruffled at
the breast and wrists, a light dress-sword, his hair profusely
powdered, fully dressed, so as to project at the sides, and
gathered behind in a silk bag, ornamented with a large rose of
black riband. He held his cocked hat, which had a large
272 MOUNT VERNON
black cockade on one side of it, in his hand, as he advanced
toward the chair, and, when seated, laid it on the table.
'"At length, thrusting his hand within the side of his coat,
he drew forth a roll of manuscript, which he opened, and
rising, held it in his hand, while in a rich, deep, full, sonorous
voice, he read his opening address to Congress. His enun-
ciation was deliberate, justly emphasized, very distinct, and
accompanied with an air of deep solemnity, as being the
utterance of a mind profoundly impressed with the dignity of
the act in which it was occu^Died, conscious of the whole re-
sponsibility of its position and action, but not oppressed by it."
Washington made a hurried visit to Mount Vernon in April,
on account of the death of his nephew, already mentioned,
some matter connected with that young man's affairs requiring
his personal attention. He was again called to Mount Vernon
at the close of June, on account of the sudden death of Mr.
Whiting, his manager, who had taken the place of Robert
Lewis. " It was a critical season," says Washington, in a
letter to General Henry Lee, " for the business with which he
was interested. How to supply his place I know not; of
course my concerns at Mount Vernon are left as a body
without a head."
Notwithstanding Congress was not in session, the pressure
of public business was such that Washington remained at the
seat of government all through the summer, and it was not
until the yellow fever, which broke out in Philadelphia in
August, had raged for two or thi-ee weeks, and the officers of
government had fled, that he left his post and retired to Mount
Vernon, He left Philadelphia on the 10th of September. He
would have remained longer, but Mrs. Washington, alarmed
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 273
for the safety of the whole famih', the house in which they
lived being in a manner blockaded by the disorder, prevailed
on him to leave.
The fever raged with great violence until late in October,
when frosts checked its progress, and in November the inhab-
itants who had fled from the pestilence generally returned to
the city. On the 2d day of December Congress was convened
there.
The progress of the disease at Philadelphia was watched by
Washington, at Mount Yernon, with great solicitude, espec-
ially Avhen September had passed away, and much of October
had gone by, before it abated. It was near the time set for
the assembling of a new Congress, and the public welfare
demanded legislative action, upon important points, as early
as possible. He therefore proposed to call the Congress
together at Germantown, or some other place near Philadel-
phia, but at a safe distance from the pestilence ; and yet he
doubted his power to do so. This topic employed his pen as
well as his thoughts, and of many letters from Mount Yernon
it was the burden.
His agricultural aflFairs occupied much of his time while
at home. He appears to have found a manager not much to
his liking, for he needed instruction. At the middle of
October we find him writing to his friend. General Henry
Lee, concerning a threshing-machine that that gentleman had
recommended. He seemed anxious to use all really useful
improvements, but the difficulty in making his overseers
understand them was a bar.
" The model [of a threshing machine] brought over by the
English farmers," he said, " may also be a good one, but the
18
274 MOUNT VERNON
utility of it among- careless negroes and ignorant overseers will
depend absolutely upon the simplicity of the construction ; for
if there is any thing complex in the machinery, it will be no
longer in use than a mushroon is in existence. I have seen so
much of the beginnino; and endino; of new inventions, that I
have almost resolved to go on in tlie old way of treading
until I get settled again at home, and can attend, myself, to the
management of one. As a proof in point of the almost impos-
sibility of putting the overseers of this country out of the track
they have been accustomed to walk in, I have one of the most
convenient barns in this or perhaps any other country, where
thirty hands may with great ease be employed in threshing.
Half of the wheat of the farm was actually stowed in this barn
in the straw by my order, for threshing; notwithstanding,
when I came home about the middle of September, I found a
treading-yard not thirty feet from the barn-door, the wheat
again brought out of the barn, and horses treading it out in an
open exposure, liable to the vicissitudes of weather."
Washington and his family set out for the seat of govern-
ment toward the close of October. Mr. Dandridge, a relation
of his wife, who had been appointed the President's private
secretary, accompanied them. Philadelphia presented a most
gloomy aspect. Between three and four thousand of the in-
habitants had fallen before the scythe of the pestilence, and
there was mourning in almost every family. There was very
little gayety in the capital during the session of Congress that
followed. Tliere was also a general expectation that the
scourge would reappear the ensuing summer of 1794: ; and
when, at the middle of June, Washington made a flying visit
to Mount Yernon, he removed his family to a pleasant resi-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 275
denee at Germantowii, about six miles from the city. To that
place he returned at the close of July, and he seems not to
have visited Mount Vernon again until April the following
year, when he was there for only a short time, to give his per-
sonal attention to home duties that required them. He again
visited his home early in July, 1795, but, as his correspond-
ence on the way and at Mount Vernon shows, he carried a
vast weight of public business upon his mind ; for, besides
the routine of official duties, he was greatly burdened
with anxiety respecting a treaty lately made with England,
by John Jay, which he approved, and which for a time was
so unpopular as to cause great excitement throughout the
country.
AVashington left Mount Vernon again toward the middle of
August for the seat of government, and returned early in Sep-
tember. He remained until the 12tli of October, when he set
out for Philadelphia, stopping at Georgetown for a day to
attend to business with the commissioners of the federal city.
It was not until June, 1706, that the master of Mount Ver-
non was again under his own roof. His family accompanied
him ; and there, at the beginning of July, they received as a
guest, Don Carlos Martinez, Marquis d'Yrugo, the newly-
arrived Spanish ambassador. On the 4th of July Washington
w^rote to Timothy Pickering, the secretary of state, saying :
" The Spanish Minister, M. d'Yrugo, spent two days with
me, and is just gone. I caused it to be intimated to him that,
as I should be absent from the seat of the government until
the middle or latter end of August, I was ready to receive his
letter of credence at this place. He answered, as I understood
it, that his credentials were with his baggage on its passage to
276 MOUNT VERNON
Philadelphia, and that his reception at that place, at the time
mentioned, would be perfectly convenient and agreeable to
himself. He is a young man, very free and easy in his man-
ners, professes to be well disposed toward the United States,
and, as far as a judgment can be formed on so short an ac-
quaintance, appears to be well informed."
The Spanish minister had not been long in Philadelphia
when he became enamored of Sally, the beautiful daughter of
Thomas M'Kean, the chief-justice of Pennsylvania, and they
were married. Tlieir son, the Duke of Sotomayer, who was
born in Philadelphia, became prime minister of Spain.
"Philadelphia," says Griswold, "fnrnished wives for the
envoys of France, England, and Spain during Washington's
administration, and a large number of foreign ministers have
since been married to American women." Genet, the French
minister during Washington's first term, married a daughter
of Governor Clinton, of New York.
Washington remained at Monnt Yernon until the middle of
August. During the time of this visit to his dearly-loved
home, he completed the final draft of his Farewell Address to
the people of the United States, prepared in contemplation of
his retiring from public life forever, at the close of his term of
ofiice the ensuing spring. That address had been the subject
of deep and anxious thought for many months, and at the
special request of the President, Hamilton, Jay, and Madison,
and perhaps others, had given him suggestions in writing,
topical and verbal. These he took with him to Mount Yer-
non, and in the quiet of his library he arranged his address in
the form and expression in which it was published in Septem-
ber following. It was the noblest production of Washington's
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 277
mind and heart, and lias been pronounced by Alison, the
eminent British historian, unequalled by any composition of
uninspired wisdom. It is a political legacy which not only
the countrymen of Washington, but the world ought to value,
as one of the most precious gifts ever bestowed by man upon
his race. It is permeated with the immortal spirit of a true
MAN, a true patriot, and a true Christian.
The Farewell Address was published in the Philadelphia
Advertiser, in September, 1796, and produced a most profound
sensation. The ribald voice of party spirit, which had been
for a long time uttering the most scandalous abuse concerning
the President, was at once subdued in tone, if not silenced, for
it was deprived of the theme of AYashington's renomination,
which had been a convenient excuse for partisan attacks. The
address was entered at length upon the journals of several of
the state legislatures ; was published in every newspaper in
the land, and in many of those in foreign countries ; and in
legislative bodies and social and diplomatic circles abroad, it
was a fruitful topic of remark for some time. Of all the asso-
ciations which cluster around Mount Vernon, none should be
dearer to the heart of every American — to every friend of
freedom and good order — than that connected with Washing-
ton's Farewell Address.
And now Washington calmly looked forward to his retire-
ment from public life with a heart full of joy and gratitude.
The eight years of his administration of public aftairs had been
years of immense toil, anxiety, and vexation. They had been
stormy years, for blasts of disturbing and dangerous sentiments
came frequently from the borders of the hurricane that swept
so terribly over France, the old ally of the United States ; and
278 MOUNT V E R N 0 N
the electric forces of party spirit, subtle and implacable, had
cast down, from the black clonds of selfish hate, a copious
hail of abuse. But amid all that storm — in the face of those
fierce blasts and that pelting hail, Washington stood calm,
dignified, and unharmed ; and he approached the hour when
he should be no longer a public servant, to be applauded or
reviled, with that serenity of mind which nothing but a con-
science void of ofience toward God and man can impart. And
yet he was not always unmoVed by the ungenerous attacks of
his enemies. To his long-tried and dearly-loved friend. Gen-
eral Knox, then in the far east, he wrote, two days before his
retirement :
"To the wearied traveller who sees a resting-place, and is
bending his body to lean thereon, I now compare myself ; but
to be suffered to do this in peace is too much to be endured by
some. To misrepresent my motives, to reprobate my politics,
and to weaken the confidence wliich has been reposed in my
administration, are objects wdiich cannot be relinquished by
those who will be satisfied with nothing short of a change in
our political system. The consolation, however, which results
from conscious rectitude, and the approving voice of my coun-
try, unequivocally expressed by its representatives, deprive
their sting of its poison, and place in the same point of view
the weakness and malignity of their efforts."
Never since has the unscrupulous virulence of party spirit
been so manifest as at the time in question. No one dared
openly to charge Washington with a dishonest or dishonorable
act, dnring his long public life; and yet, by inuendos and false-
hoods of the darkest aspect, disguised as insinuations, his po-
litical enemies attempted to destroy his popularity, and to
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 279
send him into private life without the sweet consolations of
the approval of his conntrvmen.
One specimen of the venom of party hate will be sufficient
to illustrate the remarks just made. I quote from a corre-
spondent of the Aurora^ a Philadelphia paper in opj)Osition to
Washington's administration. The number containing the fol-
lowing article was printed three days after the President's
retirement from office :
" ' Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for
mine eyes have seen thy salvation,' was the pious ejaculation
of a man who beheld a flood of happiness rushing upon man-
kind. If ever there was a time that would license the reitera-
tion of the exclamation, that time is now arrived ; for the man
who is the source of all the misfortunes of our country, is this
day reduced to a level with his fellow-citizens, and is no longer
possessed of power to multiply evils upon the United States.
If ever there was a period for rejoicing, this is the moment;
every heart in unison with the freedom and happiness of the
people, ought to beat high with exultation that the name of
Washington, from this day, ceases to give a currency to polit-
ical iniquity, and to legalize corruption. A new" era is now
opening upon us, an era which promises much to the people :
for public measures must now stand upon their own merits,
and nefarious projects can no longer be supported by a name.
When a retrospect is taken of the Washingtonian administra-
tion for eight years, it is a subject of the greatest astonishment
that a single individual should have cankered the principles of
republicanism in an enlightened people, just emerged from
the gulf of despotism, and should have carried his designs
against the public liberty so far, as to have put in jeopardy its
280 MOUNT VERNON
very existence. Such liowever are the facts, and with these
staring ns in the face, this day ought to be a jubilee in the
United States."
How utterly impotent were such attempts to injure the
character of Washington, let history testify.
On the 3d of March, 1797, Washington gave a farewell
dinner, to which many of the leading persons at the seat of
government were invited. These were chiefly the officers of
government and members of the diplomatic corps, with their
wives. Bishop White, whose sister was the wife of Kobert Morris,
was present, and described some of the events of the banquet.
" During the dinner," wrote the bishop, " much hilarity pre-
vailed ; but on the removal of the cloth, it was put an end to
by the President — certainly without design. Having filled his
glass, be addressed the company, with a smile on his coun-
tenance, saying, ' Ladies and gentlemen, this is the last time I
shall drink your health as a public man. I do it with sin-
cerity, and w^ishing you all possible happiness.' There w\as an
end to all hilarity ; and the cheeks of Mrs. Liston, wife of the
British n)inister, wer.e wet with tears."
On the following day John Adams, who had been elected
Washington's successor, was inaugurated the second President
of the United States. The event took place in the Hall of the
Kepresentatives, which was densely crowded with spectators.
At the appointed hour Washington rode to Congress Hall in
his coach, drawn by six horses, and, amidst the most enthusi-
astic cheers, entered the room prepared for the ceremonies which
were to release him from public life. He was followed by Mr.
Adams, and when they were seated, perfect silence prevailed.
Washington then arose, and with the most commanding dig-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 281
iiity and self-control, introduced Mr. Adams to the assembly,
and proceeded to read, in a firm, clear voice, a brief valedictory.
"The most profound silence greeted him," says a still living
eye and ear witness of the august event, " as if the great
assembly desired to hear him breathe, and catch his breath in
homage of their hearts. Mr. Adams covered his face with
both his hands ; the sleeves of his coat and his hands were
covered with tears." As he pronounced his parting words, a
sob was heard here and there in the assembly ; and when he
sat down, the whole audience were in tears. " Then," says the
eye-witness just quoted, " when strong nervous sobs broke
loose, when tears covered the faces, then the great man was
shaken. I never took my eyes from his face. Large drops
fell from his cheeks."
The late President Dner, of Columbia College, who was
present on that occasion, says that when "Washington left the
hall, there was " a rush from the gallery that threatened the
lives of those who were most eager to catch a last look of him
who, among mortals, was the first object of their veneration."
" Some of us," he said, " efi'ected an escape by slipping down
the pillars."
When Washington had entered nis carriage, the multitude
in the streets uttered long and loud huzzas, and he waved his
hand in return.
"I followed him," says Duer, "in the crowd to his own
door, where, as he turned to address the multitude, his coun-
tenance assumed a serious and almost melancholy expression,
his voice failed him, his eyes were suffused with tears, and
only by his gestures could he indicate his thanks, and convey
a farewell blessing to the people."
282 MOUNT VERNON
In the evening a splendid entertainment was given to the
retiring President, by the inhabitants of Philadelpliia, in the
Amphitheatre, which w'as beautifully decorated with a}»pro-
priate paintings. One of tlie newspapers of the day thus
describes a compliment that was paid to Washington on that
occasion :
" Upon entering the area the General was conducted to his
seat. On a signal given, the band played Washington i<
March^ and a scene, which represented simple objects in the
rear of the pi'incipal seat, was drawn up and discovered emble-
matical paintings. The principal was a female figure as large
as life, representing America^ seated on an elevation composed
of sixteen marble steps. At her left side stood the federal
shield and eagle, and at her feet lay the cornucopia ^ in her
right hand she held the Indian calumet of j)eace stipporting
the cap of liberty ; in the perspective appeared the temple of
fame ; and, on her left hand, an altar dedicated to public grat.
itude, upon which incense was l)urning. In her left hand she
held a scroll inscribed Valedictory ^ and at the foot of the
altar lay a plumed helmet and sword, from which a figure of
General Washington, as large as life, appeared retiring down the
steps, pointing with his right hand to the emblems of power
which he had resigned, and with his left to a beautiful land-
scape representing Mount Yernon, in front of which oxen were
seen harnessed to the plough. Over the General appeared a
genius, placing a wreath of laurels on his head."
These pictures were from the pencil of Charles Willson
Peale, who, twenty-five years before, as we have observed,
had painted the portrait of Washington at Mount Yernon, in
the costume of a Yircjinia colonel.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 283
The liuads of departments, foreign ministers, and distin-
guished strangers m Pliiladelphia, were present on this gala
occasion ; and with that elegant display of taste, fashion, and
gayetj, ended the public life of Washington. To General
Knox he had written two days before :
"The remainder of my life, which in the course of nature
cannot be long, will be occupied in rural amusements; and,
though I shall seclude myself as mnch as possible from the
noisy and bustling crowd, none would more than myself be
regaled by the company of those I esteem, at Mount Vernon ;
more than twenty miles from which, after I arrive there, it is
not likely that I shall ever be."
Before following Washington to his home, from which he
never did go more than twenty miles afterward, let us listen
to the voice of another eye-witness of events during Washing-
ton's administration (the late Eev. Aslibel Greene), as he dis-
courses of the table of the President. He says :
"The President ate Indian cakes for breakfast, after the
Virginia fashion, althongh buckwheat cakes were generally on
the table. Washington's dining parties were entertained in a
very handsome style. His weekly dining day, for company,
was Thursdav, and his dining hour was always four o'clock in
the afternoon. His rule was to allow five minutes for the
variation of clocks and watches, and then go to the table, be
present or absent whoever might. He kept his own clock in
the hall, just within the outward door, and always exactly
regulated. When lagging members of Congress came in, as
they often did, after the guests had sat down to dinner, the
President's only apology was, ' Gentlemen (or sir), we are too
punctual for you. I have a cook who never asks whether the
284 MOUNT VERNON
company, but wlietlier tlie hour lias come.' The company
usually assembled in the drawing-room, about fifteen or
twenty minutes before dinner, and the President spoke to
every guest personall}^ on entering the room. Mrs. Washing-
ton often, but not always, dined with the company, sat at the
head of the table, and if, as was occasionally the case, there
were other ladies present, they sat each side of her. The
pi'ivate secretary sat at the foot of the table, and was expected
to be quietly attentive to all the guests. The President him-
self sat half-way from the head to the foot of the table, and on
that side he would place Mrs. Washington, though distant
from him, on his right hand. He always, unless a clergyman
was present, at his own table asked a blessing, in a standing
posture. If a clergyman were present, he was ]-equested both
to ask a blessmg and to return thanks after dinner. The
centre of the table contained five or six large silver or plated
waiters, those of the ends, circular, or rather oval on one side,
so as to make the arrangement correspond with the oval shape
of the table. The waiters between the end pieces were in the
form of parallelograms, the ends about one-third part of the
length of the sides ; and the whole of these waiters were filled
with alabaster figures, taken from the ancient mythology, but
none of them such as to ofiend in the smallest degree against
delicacy. On the outside of the oval, formed by the w'aiters,
were placed the various dishes, always without covers ; and
outside the dishes were the plates. A small roll of bread,
enclosed in a napkin, was laid by the side of each plate. The
President, it is believed, generally dined on one dish, and that
of a very simple kind. If oftered something, either in the first
or second course, which was very rich, his usual reply was :
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 285
' That is too good for me.' He liad a silver pint cup or mug
of beer placed by his plate, which he drank while dining. He
took one glass of wine during dinner, and commonly one after.
He then retired (the ladies having gone a little before him),
and left his secretary to superintend the table, till the wine-
bibbers of Congress had satisfied themselves with drinking.
His wines were always the best that conld be obtained.
Nothing could exceed the order with which his table was
served. Every servant knew what he was to do, and did it in
the most quiet and yet rapid manner. The dishes and plates
were removed and changed, with a silence and speed that
seemed like enchantment."
On tlie 9th of March Washington set out for Mount Yernon,
a private citizen, accompanied by Mrs. Washington, her two
grandchildren (Master and Miss Custis), and Geoi'ge Washing-
ton Lafayette, son of the marquis, who was then an exile from
France, and in prison. Young Lafayette was then between
seventeen and eighteen years of age, and was accompanied by
his preceptor, M. Frestel, who composed a part of the family
then on its way to Mount Yernon.
The misfortunes of Lafayette, whom Washington loved so
devotedly, and the condition of his interesting family, had
given him more painful anxiety, during the latter part of his
administration, than any other circumstance.
Lafayette, as we have seen, was one of the prime leaders in
the revolution in France during its first stages. He was an
active advocate of civil liberty, but conservative in a country
where and when re^jresentatives and constituents were alike
radical. When the revolution was at its height, he was at
the head of the Constitutionalists, who advised moderation.
286
MOUNT VERNOX
GKORGli WASIIINCTON LAFArtTTll.
Eecaiise of this, he, of all the leaders, M'as left almost alone,
lie was forsaken by timid friends, who trembled at the frowns
of the Terrorists, and was menaced by his violent political
enemies. lie dared to oppose the factions, of whatever creed,
and for this he drew npon his head the anathemas of the
Jacobins, the emigrants, and the royalists. Even his army,
hitherto faithful, had become disaffected toward him, throngh
the machinations of his enemies, and nothing remained for him
but to flee. He left his army encamped at Sedan, and, in
company with a few faithful friends, set oflf for Holland, to
seek an asylum there or in the United States.
At the first Austrian post he and his friends were at first
detained, and then made ])risoners. Soon afterward they
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 287
M-ere sent to the dnngeoiis of Wesel and Magdeburg, and
ultimately to those of Olniutz, by order of the allied monarchs
of Austria and Prussia.
When information of this condition of his dear friend
reached Washington at Philadeli)hia, he was deeply moved.
The late venerable Eichard Rush— intelligence of whose death
is spreading upon electric pinions over the land while I write
(August 1, 1859)— relates an interesting incident illustrative of
the feelings of Washington on that occasion. Mr. Bradford,
the attorney-general, was living directly opposite the Presi-
dent's house, and was spending an evening with Washington's
tamily, when the conversation reverted to Lafayette. Wash-
ington spoke with great seriousness, contrasted the marquis's
hitherto splendid career with his present forlorn and suffering
condition, and at length became so deeply affected, that his
eyes filled with tears, and his whole great soul was stirred to
its very depths. "Magnanimous tears they were," says Mr.
Eush, "fit for the first of heroes to shed— virtuous, honorable,
sanctified !"
Mr. Bradford, who deeply sympathized with the feelings of
W^ashington, was much affected at the spectacle, and returning
to his own house, he "sat down," says Griswold, from whose
RejpuUican Court I quote, "and wrote the following simple,
but toucliing verses, an impromptu effusion from the heart of
a man of sensibility and genius :
"THE LAMENT OF WASHINGTON.
"As beside bis cheerful fire,
'Midst bis bappy family,
Sat a venerable sire.
Tears were starting in bis eve
288 MOUNT V E R X O N
Selfish blessings were forgot,
"Whilst he thought on Fayette's lot,
Once so happy on our plains —
Now in poverty and chains.
" ' Fayette,' cried he — ' honored name !
Dear to these far distant shores —
Fayette, fired by freedom's flame.
Bled to make that freedom ours.
What, alas I for this remains —
What, but poverty and chains !
" ' Soldiers in our fields of death —
Was not Fayette foremost there?
Cold and shivering on the heath,
Did you not his bounty share ?
What reward for tiiis remains.
What, but poverty and chains !
'' ' Hapless Fayette ! 'midst thine error,
How my soul thy worth reveres!
Sou of freedom, tyrant's terror,
Hero of both hemispheres !
What reward for all remains.
What, but poverty and chains !
" ' Born to honors, ease, and wealth,
See him sacrifice them all;
Sacrificing also health.
At his country's glorious call,
What for thee, my friend, remains,
What, but poverty and chains !
" ' Thus with laurels on his brow
Belisarius begged for bread ;
Thus, from Carthage forced to go,
Hannibal an e.xile fled.
Alas I Fayette at once sustains
Exile, poverty, and chains!'
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 289
''Couroge, child of "^^'ashiiigtou!
Though thy fate disastrous seems,
We have seen the setting sun
Rise and Ijurn with brighter beams,
Thy country soon shall break thy chain.
And take tliee to her arms again.
Thy country soon shall hreak thy chain,.
And take thee to her arms again I"
In tlie liorrid dungeon at Olmiitz, in a cell three paces
broad and five and a half long, containing no other ornament
than two French verses which rhyme with the words to snffer
and to die, the generous Lafayette was confined almost three
years, and yet his great soul was not bound by suffering, nor
his zeal for liberty one whit abated. Deprived of pen, ink,
and paper, except a sheet that ''by a miracle" he possessed,
he wrote a letter with a toothpick to a princess who sympa-
thized with him, and said, in a postscript :
" I know not what disposition has been made of my planta-
tion at Cayenne, but I hope Madame Lafayette will take care
that the negroes who cultivate it shall jpi'esei've their liberty y
Lafayette's noble wife, as soon as she could get permission
to leave France, hastened to Olmutz, with her daughters, to
share the j)risoii with the husband and father, while their son,
George Washington, came to the United States, with his tutor,
consigned to the fatherly care and protection of the great
patriot whose name he bore. They arrived at Boston at the
close of the summer of 1795, and immediately informed Wash-
ington of the fact. The President's first impulse was to take
the young man to his bosom and cherish him as a son, but
grave reasons of state denied him that pleasure. " To express
all the sensibility," he said, in a letter to Senator Cabot, of
19
290 M 0 U N T V E R N 0 N
Boston, "wliicli lias been excited in my l)reast by the receipt of
young Lafayette's letter, from the recollections of his father's
merits, services, and sufferings, from my friendship for him,
and from my wishes to become a friend and father to his son,
is unnecessary." He then declared himself the young man's
friend, but intimated that great caution in the manifestation of
that friendship would be necessary, considering the light in
which his father was then viewed by the French government,
and "Washington's own situation as the executive of the United
States. He desired Mr. Cabot to make young Lafayette and
M. Frestel, his tutor, understand why he could not receive them
as he desired, but that his support and protection, until a more
auspicious moment, might be relied on. He ordered them to
be provided with every thing necessary, at his expense, and
advised their entrance at Harvard University.
Young Lafayette assumed the name of Motier (a family
name of his father) ; and in November Washington wrote to
him with caution, telling him that the causes which rendered
it necessary for them both to be circumspect were not yet
removed, and desiring him to repair to Colonel Hamilton, in
New York, who would see that he was well provided for.
"How long the causes which have withheld you from me
may continue," Washington said, " I am not able at this
moment to decide ; but be assured of my wishes to embrace
you so soon as they shall have ceased, and that, whenever the
period arrives, I shall do it with fervency." He then, with
fatherly solicitude, advised him to attend well to his studies,
that he might "be tbund to be a deserving son of a meritorious
father."
After leaving Boston, vounaj Lafavette lived with his tutor
AND ITS ASSOCIATIOXS. 291
for awhile in the vicinitj of New York, in comparative sechi-
sion. At length the Congress took cognizance of the presence
of the young man, and on the 18th of March the House of
Representatives passed the following resolution and order:
'* Information having been given to this House that a son of
General Lafayette is now within the United States ;
'•'' liesolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into
the truth of the said information, and report thereon ; and
what measures it would be proper to take if the same be true,
to evince the grateful sense entertained l)y the country for the
services of his father.
" Ordered that Mr. Livingston, Mi". Sherburne, and Mr.
Murray be appointed a committee pursuant to the said resolu-
tion.''
As chairman of the coinmittec, Mr. Livingston wrote to
young Lafayette as follows :
"Sir: Actuated by motives of gratitude to your father, and
eager to seize every opportunity of showing their sense of his
important services, the House of Representatives have passed
the resolution wliich I have the pleasure to communicate.
The committee being directed to inquire into the fact of your
arrival within the United States, permit me to advise your
immediate appearance at this place, that the legislature of
America may no longer be in doubt, whether the son of Lafay-
ette is under their protection, and within the reach of their
gratitude.
"I presume to give this advice as an individual personally
attached to your father, and very solicitous to be useful to any
person in whose happiness he is interested. If I should have
292 MOUNT VERNON
that good fortune on this occasion, it will afford mo the great-
est satisfaction.
"I am, etc.,
" Edward Livingston."
This letter and the resohitions of the House of Representatives
young Lafayette forwarded to President Washington, and asked
his advice as to the course he should pursue. Washington
advised him to come to Philadelphia at the opening of the
next session of Congress, but to avoid society as much as pos-
sible. He complied, and remained in Philadelphia until the
following spring, when Washington, on becoming a private
citizen, embraced the son of his friend as if he had been his
own child, and bore him to his home on the Potomac. There
he remained until eai'ly in October, when the joyful news
having reached him of the release of his father from confine-
ment, and his restoration to his country and friends, caused
him to leave for the seaboard to depart for France. He
and M. Frestel sailed from New York on the 2Gtli of Octol)er,
1797.
As young Lafayette was about to leave Mount Vernon,
Washington placed a letter in his hands for his father, in
which he said :
"From the delicate and responsible situation in which I
stood as a public officer, but more especially from a miscon-
ception of the manner in which your son had left France, till
explained to me in a personal interview with himself, he did
not come immediately into my family on his arrival in Amer-
ica, though he was assured in the first moments of it of my
protection and support. His conduct, since he first set his feet on
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 293
American ground, lias been exemplary in every point of view,
such as has gained him the esteem, affection, and confidence
of all who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance. His
filial aifection and duty, and his ardent desire to embrace his
parents and sisters in the first moments of their release, would
not allow him to wait the authentic account of this much-
desired event ; but, at tlie same time that I suggested the pro-
priety of this, I could not withhold my assent to the gratifica-
tion of his wishes to fly to the arms of those whom he holds
most dear, persuaded as he is from the information he has
received, that he shall find you all in Paris.
" M. Frestel has been a true Mentor to George. 'No parent
could have been more attentive to a favorite son; and he
richly merits all that can be said of his virtues, of liis <--ood
sense, and of his prudence. Both your son and he carry with
them the vows and regrets of this family, and all who know
them. And you may be assured that yourself never stood
higher in the aflections of tlie people of this country than at
the present moment."
The profile of George Washington Lafayette, given on a
preceding page, was painted in crayon, by James Sharpless,
an English artist, who came to this country in 1Y96, and
visited all the principal cities and towns in the United States,
carrying letters of introduction to various distinguished per-
sons, and requesting them to sit for their portraits. These
were generally painted in crayon, upon a small scale, and
finished in less than three hours from the commencement of
the sitting. Sharpless usually drew them in profile, and the
likenesses were generally so much admired for their faithful-
ness, that orders would sometimes be dven for whole families.
29i
MOUNT VERNON
In tills way he painted immense numbers of portraits, and
received lifteen dollars for each commission.
Sliarpless brought with him liis wife and three children.
lie made New York his head-cpiarters, and generally travelled
in a fonr-wheeled carriage, so contrived by himself as to con-
G. \V. P. CUSTIS Af TUB AUU OF SEVtNTtEX YEARS.
vey his whole family and all of his painting apparatus, and
drawn by one stout horse. He was a plain and frugal man,
and amassed a competence by his profession. He was a man
of science and a mechanician, and nnmufactured the crayons
which he used in his profession. He died suddenly in New
Tork, at the age of about sixty years, and M^as burled in the
cemetery attached to the lioman Catholic chapel in Barclay
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 295
street. His widow and family returned to England, where
they sold the jwrtraits of the distinguished Americans whom
Sharjjless had painted, and settled in Bath.
While in Philadeli^hia Sharpless painted the profile portraits
of President and Mrs. Washington ; and also those of George
Washington Lafayette (just mentioned) and George Washino--
ton Parke Custis. The latter was then a lad between sixteen
and seventeen years of age, and he and young Lafayette
became warmly attached friends. When, in 1824 and 1825,
General Lafayette visited this country, as the guest of the
nation, his son George accompanied him, and he and Mr.
Custis w^ere much togeiher when opportunity allowed the
privilege. The following note from George W. Lafayette to
the friend of his youth, is an exhibition of tlie warmth of his
attachment :
" Wasiiixgton City, Jamuiry the third, 1825.
" My dp:ar Custis : My father being able to dispose of him-
self on Wednesday, w^ill do himself the pleasure of going that
day to dine at Arlington. It is so long since I wished for that
satisfaction myself, that I most sincerely rejoice at the antici-
pation of it. You know, my friend, how happy I was when
we met at Baltimore. Since that day I felt every day more
and more how much our two hearts were calculated to under-
stand each other. Be pleased, my dear Custis, to present my
respectful homage to the ladies, and receive for yourself the
expression of my most affectionate and brotherly sentiments."
The profiles of General and Mrs. Washington, by Sharpless,
have been pronounced by members of the Washington family
who remembered the originals, as the best likenesses extant.
21)0 MOUXT VKRNON
both ill form and color. Sharpless made many copies from it.
So also did Mrs. Sliarpless, who painted miniatures in water
colors most exquisitely. One of these is in the possession of
r^^% %■
'^-^^\\
CIAYO.V PUOFll.li Of WASHINGTON.
Mrs. Eliza M. Evans, a daughter of General Anthony Walton
White, of New Jersey. It is somewhat smaller than the nsual
size of miniatures, and on the back is written, by the hand of
the fair artist : " General Washington, Philadelphia, 1796. E.
Sliarpless."
These four originals, by Sharpless, are preserved at Arling-
ton House. Those of Mrs. A\^ashiiigton, and Lafayette and
Custis, when lads, have never been engraved before. They
hung npon the walls at Mount Yernon from the time when
Washington retired from the presidency until the death of
Mrs. Washington, in 1802, when they passed into the j^osses-
sion of her grandson, G. W. P. Custis.
When fairly seated again in ])rivate life at Mount Yernon,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
297
Wasliington appeared to revel in tlie luxuiy of quiet. He was
never idle, never indiiierent to the progress of current events,
but he loved the peacefulness of nature awav from the haunts
CRAYON PKOFII.K OP MRS. WASHINGTON.
of men, and was delighted when working like the bee among
the fruits and flowers. He was not unsocial, and yet he loved
to be away from the great gathering-places of men and the
tumults of public life. He was not unambitious, but he was
not only indiiferent but averse to the plaudits of the multitude
when given in the accents of flattery. He wished to be loved
as a righteous man, and he relied upon his conscience more
than upon the voices of men for a knowledge of the accept-
ableness of his endeavors. It was his guide in all things, for
he regarded it in one sense as Emanuel — God Avith us — the
righteous judge of the thoughts and actions of men.
Washington now felt that his country had received all that
298 MOUNT VERNON
could reasonably be asked of liiiu as a public servant, and he
returned to liis old pursuits with a sincere desire to mingle no
more in the stirring arena of busy life. " To make and sell a
little tiour annually," he wrote to Oliver Wolcott, " to repair
houses (going fast to ruin), to build one for the security of my
papers of a public natui'e, and to amuse myself in agricultural
and rural pursuits, will constitute employment for the few
years I have to remain on this terrestrial globe. If, also, I
could now and then meet the friends I esteem, it would fill the
measure and add zest to my enjoyments ; but, if ever this hap-
pens, it must be under my own vine and fig-tree, as I do not
think it pi'obable that I shall go twenty miles from them."
Washington enjoyed the visits of friends, but those of mere
ceremony he disliked, and was sometimes annoyed by those
prompted by idle curiosity.
" I might tell my friend," he said, in a letter at the close of
May to Mr. Mc Henry, the secretary of war, " that I begin my
diurnal course with the sun ; that if my hirelings are not in
their places at that time, I send them messages of soi-row for
their indisposition ; that, having put these Mdieels in motion,
I examine the state c»f things further; that the more they are
probed, the deeper I find the wounds which my buildings have
sustained hj an absence and neglect of eight years ; that by
the time I have accomplished these matters, breakfast (a little
after seven o'clock, about the time I presume you are taking
leave of Mrs. McHenry) is ready ; that this being over, I
mount my horse and ride round my farms, which employs me
until it is time to dress for dinner, at which I rarely miss seeing
strange faces, come, as they say, out of respect for me. Pray,
would not the word curiosity answer as well? And how dif-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 299
ferent this from having a few social friends at a cheerful
board! The usual time of sitting at table, a walk, and tea,
bring me within the dawn of candlelight ; previous to which,
if not prevented by company, I resolve that, as soon as the
glimmering taper supplies tlie place of the great luminary, I
will retire to my writing-table and acknowledge the letters I
have received ; but when the liglits are brought, I feel tired
and disinclined to engage in tliis work, conceiving that the
next night will do as well. The next night comes, and with it
the same causes for postponement, and so on.
"This will account for your letter remaining so long unac-
knowledged ; and, having given you the history of a day, it
will serve for a year, and I am persuaded you will not require
a second edition of it. But it may strike you that, in this
detail, no mention is made of any portion of time allotted for
reading. The remark would be just, for I have not looked
into a book since I came home ; nor shall I be able to do it
until I have discharged my workmen, probably not before the
nights grow longer, when possibly I nuiy be looking in Dooms-
day Book."
"Washington's allusion in the foregoing letter to his writing-
table, reminds me of his inkstand, which is preserved at Arling-
ton House. It is composed wholly of silver, except three cut-
glass bottles, two of them used for ink, and one (in the centre)
for sand. The tray is seven and a half inches in length.
It was used by Washington during the last two years of his
administration, and ever afterward at Mount Vernon.
Washington found his mansion and all of the surrounding
buildings much in want of repair when he returned home.
" I find myself," he said, " in the situation nearly of a new
3( )0 MOUNT VERNON
-fgr
|9J11IL~*
Jifc .^ >.ii«^ iW
WASHINGTON S IMi-
beginnei-; for although I liave not liouses to hnild (except one,
which I must erect for the accomniodatioii and security of my
military, civil, and j)rivate papers, whicli are vohiminous and
may be interesting), yet I have scarcely any thing else about
me that does not require considerable repairs. In a Avord, I
am already surrounded by joiners, masons, and painters; and
such is my anxiety to get out of their hands, that I have
scarcely a room to ])ut a friend into or to sit in myself, Avithout
the music of hammers or the odoriferous scent of paint."
The mansion at Mount Vernon was soon thoroughly repair-
ed, and many ornaments and pieces of furniture, not known to
it before, were ])laced in it. Whatever liad been used in the
presidential mansion at Philadelphia, and could be appro-
priately transferred to Mount Yernon, were reserved, when
Washington broke up his establishment in the federal capital,
and disposed of all superfluities.
Among other things brought on from Philadelphia, was a
])air of mural candelabra, of elegant form and workmanship.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
301
These were upon the walls of the dining-room at Philadelphia,
which was also nsed for pnhlic receptions hy the President
and his wife. Th.ej were now placed in the large drawino--
MIRAL CANDELABRA.
AXCIRXT LANTERN.
room at Monnt Vernon. Tliej are each constructed of a mir-
ror enclosed in a neat metal frame, resting upon an ehihoratelj
wrought hracket, and surmounted by flowers and festoons of
leaves, all of the same material, and heavily gilt. In front
of the mirror is a crystal candlestick and branches, so placed
as to have a brilliant reflection produced.
302 MOUNT V E R N 0 N
These "lustres," as they were sometmies called, ^vere iin-
jDorted from France, and formed a strong contrast to the
ancient dingy iron lantern which hung in the great passage.
That lantern, first hung np in the original cottage npon Mount
Yernon l)y Lawrence Washington, continued its ser\'ices there
nntil the death of the general. It had then cast its dim light
upon the entrance door full eighty years. It is still in service,
having for more than fifty years lighted the great passage at
Arlington Honse, illuminating pictures by Vandyke and Sir
Godfrey Kneller.
In the dining-room at Mount Yernon was another relic of
the household of Lawrence Washington. It was a sideboard,
handsomely wrought of black walnut, and is an excellent
specimen of the quality of furniture in Yirginia a hundred
years ago. Its edges and legs are ornamented with delicate
leaf-carving, and the wood is as perfect as when it was first
used. It is about five feet in length, two and a half feet in
width, and three feet in height, and quite heavy. It is used by
the family at Arlington Honse, and is prized as one of the most
precious mementos of Mount Yernon, because of its antiquity.
There are also a tea-table and punch-bowl at Arlington House
that belonged to Washington. The former is quite small,
elliptical in shape, about three feet in length, and made of
mahogany. It was manufactured in New York for use in the
executive mansion there, as a ^c^ci^-table onl}', for the little
private family of Washington, which consisted of only four
j)ersons. Food was not often set upon it. Washington seldom
ate any thing after dinner until eight o'clock in the evening,
when, with his family, he partook of a cup of tea served from
this tal)le, and a small slice of buttered bread.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
303
SIDEBOARD, TEA-TABLE, AND PUNCH-BOWL.
Tlie great porcelain pinieli-l)OAvl delineated in the engravino-,
has a deep blue border at the rim, spangled with gilt staj-s
and dots. It was made expressly for Washington, but when,
where, and l)j whom is not known. In the bottom is a picture
of a frigate, and on the side are the initials Ct. W., in gold,
upon a shield with ornamental sur-
roundings. It is supposed to have
been presented to Washington by
the French naval officers. If so, it
was doubtless manufactured and
sent over at the time when the Cin-
cinnati china was forwarded.
There are two massive silver can-
dlesticks, with extinguishei's and
snuffers of the same metal, at Ar-
lington House, that once belonged
to Washington. These formed a
part of his furniture after his retiremeiit from the army, in
WASHINGTON S SILVhR CANDLESTICK.
304 U 0 U X T VERNON
1783, and arc a portion of liis j^late not remodelled afterward
in New York.
How many interesting associations are made to cluster
around these simple ntensils of domestic use, at the sugges-
tions of fancy and conjectnre! Perhaps almost every distin-
gnished Enropean — Lafayette, Rochambeau, Chastelhix, Hou-
don, Pine, Monstier, Brissot, D'Yruzo, Graham— as well as
equally distinguished Americans who have spent a night at
Mount Yernon — bore one of them to the bedchamber.
Perhaps they were used by Washington himself at his
writing-table or by the fireside, or to liglit the conjugal
chamber. And it is quite possible that the master bore one
of them on the occasion mentioned in the following paragraph
from the pen of Elkanah Watson, when describing his visit at
Mount Yernon :
"The first evening 1 spent under the wing of Washington's
hospitality, we sat a full hour at taljle by ourselves, without
the least interruption. After the family had retired, I was
extremely oppressed by a severe cold and excessive coughing,
contracted by the exposure of a harsh winter journey. He
pressed me to use some remedies, but I declined doing so. As
usual after retiring, my coughing increased. When some time
had elapsed, the door of my room was gently opened, and on
drawing my bed-curtains, to my utter astonishment I beheld
Washington himself standing at my bedside, with a bowl of
hot tea in his hand. I was mortified and distressed beyond
expression. This little incident occurring in common life M'ith
an ordinary man, would not have been noticed ; but as a trait
of the benevolence and private virtue of Washington, deserves
to be recorded."'
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
305
MOliNING A LANDSCAPE lii' W INS 1 A.NLE i .
While residing in Pliiladelpliia, Washington became ac-
quainted with the merits of WiUiam Winstanley, an English-
EVENING A LANDSCAPE BY WIXSTANLEY.
man, and landscape painter, who came to America in 1796.
20
306 MOUNT VERNON
He was spoken of as '^ an artist of genius and reputation,
w'liose landscapes in oil are greatly admired by the connois-
seurs." Washington, pleased with some specimens of his skill
which were brouglit to his notice, gave him a commission to
paint six medium-sized pictures, representing scenery on the
Hudson Tiiver. These were afterward taken to Mount Yeriion,
and adorned the walls of the drawing-room tliere. Two of
these, called respectively Morning and Evening, are now at
Arlington House. Two others are in the family of the late
Mrs. Lewis (Nelly Custis) ; of the remaining two we have no
intelligence.
Washington was again awakened from his sweet dream of
peace and quietness in his home on the Potomac, by the call
of his country to lend to it once more his voice and his arm.
There were signs of war in the political firmament. France,
once the ally of the United States, assumed the attitude of an
enemy. The king and queen of that uidm])py country had
been murdered at the command of a popular tribunal. Out
of the anarchy tliat ensued, had been evolved a government,
in wliicli supreme power was vested in live men called a
Directory, who ruled in connection with two chambers, the
Council of Ancients and the Council of Five Flundred. It
was installed at the Little Luxembourg, at Paris, on the
1st of Novendjer, 1795, and held the executive power four
years.
That Directory was a most^ despotic tyrant, and ruled with
an iron hand. Its pride disgusted the nations, and every true
friend of man rejoiced when it quailed before the genius and
the bayonets of Napoleon.
Before Washington luid left the chair of state, the friendly
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 307
feeling between the United States and France had become
greatly weakened. The French Directory assumed a tone of
incomparable insolence, and the American representatives in
Paris were insulted. Three judicious men liad been sent to
adjust all difficulties with the French government. They were
refused an audience with the Directory unless they would
agree to pay a large sum into the French treasury. " Millions
for defence, but not one cent for tribute !" said Charles Cotes-
worth Pinckney, one of the American envoys ; and he and
John Marshall, another of the envovs, were ordered out of the
country. This insult the United States did not choose to allow
to pass nnheeded, and all dif)lomatic intercourse between the
two governments was suspended. Preparations were nuide
for war ; and in May, 1798, Congress authorized the formation
of a large military force, to be called a Provisional Army. The
movement was popular with the peoj)le, and with anxious
hearts their thoughts turned instinctively to Washington as
the man for the commander-iu chief.
There appeared to be a universal opinion that the weight of
Washington's name and character would be necessary in order
to produce unanimity among the military leaders that would
be brought npon the stage, and to secure the confidence and
support of the people.
Washington, though in absolute retirement, had watched
the })rogress of aftairs in France with sorrow and indignation,
and liad expressed his mind freely to his friends upon the
subject. President Adams, in the perplexities which the prog-
ress of events produced, turned to him for advice, and looked
to him for aid. "I must tax you," he said, "sometimes for
advice. We must have your name, if you will in any case
308 MOUNT VERNON
permit us to use it. There will be more efficaej in it tlian in
many an army." iind before Washington could reply, Adams
nominated to the Senate : " George Washington, of Mount
Vernon, to be lieutenant-general and commander-in-chief of all
the armies raised and to be raised in the United States."
Already Mi*. McIIenry, the secretary of war, had written :
" You see how the storm thickens, and that our vessel will
soon require our ancient pilot. Will you — may we flatter
ourselves that, in a crisis so awful and important, you will
accept the command of all our armies? I hope you will,
because you alone can unite all hearts and all hands, if it is
possible that they can be united."
The Senate confirmed the nomination of the president, and
Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Provi-
sional Army. True to the prophecies and promises of his
antecedents, he accepted the trust, for his country demanded
his services, but with the provision that he should not be re-
quired to take the held until circumstances should make it
absolutely necessary.
" I see, as you do," he said to McHenry, " that clouds are
gathering and that a storm may ensue ; and I And, too, from a
variety of hints, that my quiet, under these circumstances, does
not promise to be of long continuance. * * " " As my
whole life has been dedicated to my country in one shape or
another, for the poor remains of it it is not an object to con-
tend for ease and quiet, when all that is valuable is at stake,
further than to be satisfied that the sacrifice I should make of
these is acceptable and desired by my country."
And now there were stirring times again at Mount Yernon.
Washington's post-bag came filled with a score of letters some-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 309
times, for to him had been entrusted the selection of officers
for the army, and there were thousands of aspirants for places
of almost every grade. He nominated Colonel Alexander
Hamilton as first major-general, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney,
then on his way from France, the second, and General Knox
the third. The subordinate offices were frequently filled by
the sons of his old companions in arms, and several of his
own family received commissions. Young Custis, his adopted
son, was appointed aide-de-camp to General Pinckney, and
his favorite nephew, Lawrence Lewis, also received a com-
mission.
Many were the visitors who fiocked to Mount Vernon dur-
ing the autumn of 1798. A large number of these were army
officers, who went to head-quarters to consult with the chief
about military afl;airs ; and General Pinckney having returned,
was there at Christmas time. At the same time Judo;e Cushino-,
of the Supreme Court of the United States, who administered
the oath of office to Washington at his second inauguration,
was also there.
" "We reached Mount Yernon," wrote the wife of Judge
Gushing, in February, 1799, "the evening before Christmas,
and if any thing could have added to our enjoyment, it was
the arrival of General and Mrs. Pinckney the next day [Tues-
day], while we were dining. You may be sure it was a joyful
meeting, and at the very place my wishes had pointed out.
To be in the company of so many esteemed friends, to hear
our good General Washington converse wpon political subjects
without reserve, and to hear General and Mrs. Pinckney re-
late what they saw and heard in France, was truly a feast to
me. Thus the moments glided away for two days, when our
310 MOUNT VERNON
reason pointed out the propriety of our clepartin<^ and inq^rov-
ing the good roads, as the snow and frost had made them
better than they are in summer."
The attitude assumed by tlie United States, and tlie appear-
ance of Washington at tlie head of the army, humbled the
French Directory, and President Adams was encouraged to
send representatives to France again. When they arrived,
toward the close of 1799, the weak Directory were no more.
N^apoleon Bonaparte was at the head of the government as
first consul, and soon the cloud of war that hung between
France and the United States was dissipated.
We now come to consider the associations of Mount Vernon
during the last year of the century. It opened with joy, it
closed witli sorrow.
Lawrence Lewis, son of Washington's sister Elizabeth, liad
been a resident at Mount Vernon for some time. AVe have
alread}^ observed, by an expression in a letter of AVashington
to Mr. McHenry, that tlie visits of strangers to Mount Vernon
had become somewhat burdensome to the master. With this
feeling he wrote to Lawrence, giving him a formal invitation
to reside at Mount Vernon, and saying :
"As both your aunt and I are in the decline of life, and
regular in our habits, especially in our hours of rising and
going to bed, I require some person (fit and proper) to ease me
of the trouble of entertaining company, particularly of nights,
as it is my inclination to retire (and unless prevented by very
particular company, I always do retire) either to bed or to my
study soon after candlelight. In taking those duties (which
hospitality obliges one to bestow on company) off my hands, it
would render me a very acceptable service." Lawrence com-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIOXS. 311
plied with the request of his uncle, and became an inmate of
the family at Mount Yernon at the beginning- of 1798.
Nelly Cnstis was at this time blooming into w^omanhood,
and w^as exceedingly attractive in person and manners. She
\\-as a great favorite with her foster-father, and as she ap-
proached marriageable age, he had indulged many anxious
thoughts respecting her. The occasional visits of Lawrence
Lewis to Mount Vernon had been productive of the most
intimate friendly relations between them, and when he became
a resident there, his respect for Nelly grew into warm and
tender attachment. Washington was pleased ; but there came
a rival, whose suit Mrs. Washington decidedly encouraged.
That rival was a son of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, who had
just returned from Europe, and displayed all the accomplish-
ments of a good education, adorned with the social graces
derived from foreign travel.
"I find that young Mr. C has been at Mount Vernon,
and, report says, to address my sister," wrote her brother to
Washington, in April, 1798, from Annapolis, where he was at
school. "It may be well to subjoin an opinion," he said,
" which I believe is general in this place, viz., that he is a
young man of the strictest probity and morals, discreet with-
out closeness, temperate without excess, and modest without
vanity ; possessed of those amiable qualities and friendship
which are so commendable, and with few of the vices of the
age. In short, I think it a most desirable match, and wish
that it may take place with all my heart,"
Washington, who favored the suit of his nephew, closed
abruptly the correspondence with young Custis on that sub-
ject, by saying, in a letter to him a fortnight afterward :
312 MOUNT VERNON
" Young Mr. C came here about a fortnight ago, to
dinner, and left us next morning after breakfast. If his object
was such as jou say has been reported, it was not declaimed
liere ; and therefore the less is said upon the subject, particu-
larly hy your sister's friends, the more prudent it will be until
the subject develops itself more."
In his next letter, in re})ly to this, young Custis ventured
only to say : " With respect to what I mentioned of Mr. C
in my last, I had no other foundation but report, wdiich has
since been contradicted."*
Lawrence Lewis triumphed, yet the foster-father had some
time doubted respecting the i-esult, for other suitors came to
Mount Yernon, and made their homage at the shrine of
lS"elly's wit and beauty.
" I was young and romantic then," she said to a lady, from
whose lips Mr. Irving has quoted — -" I was young and roman-
tic then, and fond of wandering alone hy moonlight in the
woods of Mount Yernon. Grandmamma thought it wrong
and unsafe, and scolded and coaxed me into a promise that I
would not wander in tlie woods again unaccompanied. But I
was missing one evening, and was brought home from the
interdicted woods to the di-awing-room, where the General was
walking up and doMm with his hands behind him, as was his
wont. Grandmamma, seated in her great arm-chair, opened a
severe reproof."
* For very interesting correspondence between General Wasliin.ii'ton and liis
adopted son, dr. W. P. Custis, while the latter was in college at Princeton and
Annapolis, from November, 179G, to January. 1799, see BecuUeciluns a>>d Private
Memoirs of Washingion, by his adopted son, (Jeorge Washington Parke Custis,
edited bv the author of this worl-:.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 313
" Poor Miss IS'elly," says Mr. Irving, " was reminded of her
promise, and taxed with her dehnquencj. She knew that she
had done wrong — admitted her fault, and essayed no excuse ;
hut, when there was a slight pause, moved to retire from the
roonj. She was just shutting the door when she overheard the
General attempting, in a low voice, to intercede in her behalf.
' My dear,' observed he, ' I would say no more — perhaps she
was not alone.'
"His intercession stopped Miss Nelly in her retreat. She
reopened the door and advanced up to the General with a firm
step. ' Sir,' said she, ' you brought me up to speak the truth,
and when I told Grandmamma I was alone, I hope you
believed / was alone.''
"Tlie General made one of his most magnanimous bows.
' My child,' replied he, ' I beg your pardon.' "
Lawrence and Nelly were married at Mount Vernon on
"Washington's birthday, 1799. It was Friday, and a bright
and beautiful day. The early spring flowers were budding in
the hedges, and the bluebird, making its way cautiously north-
ward, gave a few joyous notes in the garden that morning.
Tlie occasion Avas one of great hilarity at Mount Yernon, for
the bride was beloved by all, and Major Lewis, the bride-
groom, had ever been near to the heart of his uncle, since the
death of his mother, who so much resembled her illustrious
l)rother, that when, in sport, she would place a chapeau on her
head and' throw a military cloak over her shoulders, she might
easily have been mistaken foi* the Chief.
It was the wash of the young bride, said her brother, that
the general of the armies of the United States should wear, on
that occasion, the splendidly-embroidered uniform whicb the
314: MOUNT VERNON
board of general officers had adopted, but Washington coukl
not be persuaded to appear in a costume bedizened with
tinseh He preferred the pUiin old continental blue and buff,
and the modest black ribbon cockade. Magnificent white
plumes, which General Pinckney had presented to him, he
gave to the bride ; and to the Reverend Thomas Davis, rector
of Christ Church, Alexandria, who performed the marriage
ceremony, he presented an elegant copy of Mrs. Macaulay's
History of England^ in eight octa^'o volumes, saying, when he
handed them to him :
" These, sir, were written by a remarkable lady, who visited
America many years ago ; and here is also her treatise on the
Immutobility of Moral Truth., which she sent me just before
her death — read it and return it to me."
With characteristic modesty, Washington made no allusion
to the fact that Mrs. Macaulay (Catharine Macaulay Graham)
crossed the Atlantic in the spring of 1785, for no other pur-
pose, as she avowed, than to see the great leader of the Amer-
ican armies, whom she revered as a second Moses. Washing-
ton thus alluded to her, in a letter to General Knox, written
on the 18th of June, 1785 :
" Mrs. Macaulay Graham, Mr. Graham, and others, have
just left us, after a stay of about ten days. A visit from a
lady so celebrated in the literary world could not but be very
flattering to me."
The year 1799 — the last year of the century, the last year
of Washington's life — was now drawing to a close, and he
appears to have made preparations for his departure, as if the
fact that the summons from earth would soon be presented
had been revealed to him. In March he said, in a letter to
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 315
Mr. McIIeniy, after alluding to business affairs: "Mj greatest
anxiety is to liave all these concerns in such a clear and dis-
tinct form, that no reproach may attach itself to me when I
have taken my departure for the land of spirits."
In July he executed his last will and testament. It was
written entirely by himself, and at the bottom of each page
of manuscript he signed his name. During the autumn he
digested a complete system of management for his estate for
several succeeding years, in which were tables designating the
rotation of crops. This document occupied thirty folio pages,
all written in his peculiar and clear style. It M'as completed
oidy four days before his death, and was accompanied by a
letter, dated December 10th, 1790, to his manager or steward,
giving him special directions, as if the master was about to
depart on a journey.
At this time Washington was in full health and vigor, and
the beautiful days of a serene old age were promised him. He
had once said: "I am of a short-lived family, and cannot
expect to remain very long upon the earth ;" yet now, at the
age of almost sixty-eight, he appeared to have full expectations
of octogenarian honors.
Only a few days before his death, he had walked out, on
a cold, frosty morning, with his nephew, Major Lewis, and
pointed out his anticipated improvements, especially showing
him the spot where he intended to build a new family vault.
"This change," he said, "I shall make the first of all, for I
may require it before the rest."
" When I parted from him," said Major Lewis, to James K.
Paulding, " he stood on the steps of the front door, where he
took leave of myself and another. He had taken his usual
316 MOUNT VERXON
ride, and the clear healthy flush on his cheek and his sj)rightl}'
manner, brought the remark from both of ns that we had
never seen the general look so well. I have sometimes thought
him decidedly the handsomest man I ever saw ; and when
in a lively mood, so full of pleasantry, so agreeable to all
with whom he associated, I could hardly realize that he was
the same Washington whose dignity awed all who appi'oached
him."
On the 11th of December Washington noted in his diary
that there was wind and rain, and " at night a large circle
round the moon.'" This portent of snow was truthful, for at
one o'clock the next day it began to fall. It soon changed to
hail, and then to rain.
Washington had been out on horseback, as usual, since ten
o'clock in the morning, and returned only in time for late
dinner. Mr. Lear, who was again residing at Mount Yernon,
as Washington's secretary and business manager, carried some
letters to him to frank, when he observed snow hanging to the
general's hair about his neck, and expressed a fear that he was
wet. " No," Washington replied, " my great coat has kept me
dry ;" and after franking the letters, and observing that the
storm was too heavy to send a servant to the post-ofiice that
evening, he sat down to dinner without changing his damp
clothes.
On the following day (Friday, the 13th) the snow was three
inches deep upon the ground, and still falling. Washington
complained of a sore throat, and the storm continuing, he
omitted his usual ride. At noon the clouds broke, the sun
came out clear and warm, and he occupied himself before
dinner in marking some trees, between the mansion and the
AND ITS ASSOCIATIOiSrS. 31'i
river, tliat were to be cut down, and with compass and chain
defining lines for improvements.
After dinner his hoarseness grew worse, yet he regarded it
as nothing serious. He w^as very cheerful during the evening,
and sat in the parlor with Mrs. Washington and Mr. Lear,
amusing himself wuth the newspapers, which were brought in
at seven o'clock, occasionally reading aloud something that
pleased him, or asking Mr. Lear to do so, his hoarseness some-
times depriving him of his voice. Among other things, Mr.
Lear read to him the report of debates in the Virginia Assem-
bly, and Washington made comments, as well as his hoarseness
would permit.
About nine o'clock Mrs. Washington left the parlor, and
went to the chamber of Mrs. Lewis, who was confined, and the
general and Mr. Lear continued the perusal of the papers some
time afterward. When he retired, Mr. Lear suggested that he
had better take something for his cold, his hoarseness appear-
ing to increase. " No," he answered, " you know I never take
any thing for a cold. Let it go as it came."
Between two and three o'clock the next morning he awoke
Mrs. Washington, told her that he was very ill, and had had
an ague. He was so hoarse that he could scarcely speak. He
breathed with great difiicult}'^, and Mrs. Washington proposed
to get up and call a servant, but the tender husband would
not permit her to do so, lest she should take cold. At day-
light their chambermaid, Caroline, went into the room to
make a fire, as usual, when Mrs. Washington sent her for Mr.
Lear. That gentleman dressed himself quickly, and, on going
to the general's room, found him breathing with great diflfi-
culty, and hardly able to utter a word intelligibly.
318
MOUNT Y 1-: n X 0 N
AVat-hiiigtoii desired Mr. Lear to send iininediatelj for Mr.
Ilawliiis, one of the overseers, to come and bleed liini, while
another servant M'as dispatched to Alexandria for Dr. Craik,
the sufferer's life-long friend and
his faniil}' physician. Some mix-
tures Avere ])repared to give im-
mediate relief, hut he could not
swallow a drop.
Tvawlins came sooi\ at>er sun-
rise. He was much agitated.
AYashington perceived it, and
said, "Don't be afraid."' A slight
incision was made in tlie arm,
for Mrs. Washington, doubtful
whether bleeding was proper in
the case, begged that not much
blood might be taken. Tlie blood
ran jiretty freely, but the general
whispered, "The orifice is not
large enough ;" and when Mi". Lear was about to loosen the
bandage to stop the bleeding, at the request of Mrs. Washing-
ton, he put his hand up to prevent it, and said, " More, more."
Al»out half a |)int of blood was taken from him, and. external
applications were made, but nothing seemed to relieve the
sufferer.
At eight o'clock Washington expressed a desire to get up.
His clothes were put on, and he was led to a chair by the fire.
But he found no relief in that position, and at ten o'clock he
lay down again.
Mrs. Washington had become much alarmed, and before Dr.
DR. JAMES CRAIK.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 319
Craik arrived, she desired Mr. Lear to send for Dr. Brown, of
Port Tobacco, whom Craik had recommended to be called if
any alarming sickness should occur during his absence. At
about nine o'clock Dr. Craik arrived. He at once took more
blood from the general, put a blister on his throat, prepared a
gargle of vinegar and sage tea, and ordered some vinegar and
hot water for him to inhale the steam of. The gargle almost
suffocated him. A little phlegm was brought up with it, and
he attempted to cough, but was unable to do so.
At eleven o'clock Dr. Craik requested Dr. Dick, with whom
he often consulted, to be sent for, as Dr. Brown might not
come in time. He then bled the general again, but no effect
was produced by it. His inability to swallow any thing con-
tinued. At three o'clock Dr. Dick arrived, and after consulta-
tion with him. Dr. Craik again bled the sufferer. The blood
was thick, and flowed very sluggishlj'. Dr. Brown arrived
soon afterward, and after the three physicians had held a brief
consultation, Dr. Craik administered calomel and tartar emetic,
which the general managed to swallow. But this too was
without effect.
"About half-past four o'clock," says Mr. Lear, in a narra-
tive which he wrote at the time, "he desired me to call Mrs.
Washington to his bedside, when he requested her to go down
into his room, and take from his desk two wills which she
would find there, and bring them to him, which she did.
Upon looking at them he gave her one, which he observed was
useless, as being superseded by the other, and desired her to
burn it, which she did, and took the other and put it into her
closet.
"After this was done, I returned to his bedside and took his
320 MOUNT VERNON
hand. He said to me : ' I find I am going. My breath canr
not last long, I believed from the first that the disorder
would prove fatal. Do you arrange and record all my late
military letters and papers. Arrange my accounts and settle
my books, as yon know more about them than any one else,
and let Mr. Rawlins finish recording my other letters which he
has beeun.' I told him this should be done. He then asked
if I recollected any thing which it was essential for him to do,
as he had but a very short time to continue with us. I told
him that I could recollect nothing, but that I hoped he was
not so near his end. He observed, smiling, that he certainly
was, and that, as it was a debt we must all pay, he looked to
the event with perfect resignation.
" In the course of the afternoon he appeared to be in great
})ain and distress from the difficulty of breathing, and fre-
quently changed his posture in the bed. On these occasions I
lay upon the bed and endeavored to raise him, and turn him
with as much ease as possible. He appeared penetrated with
gratitude for my attentions, and often said, 'I am afraid I
shall fatigue you too much ;' and upon my assuring him that
I could feel nothing but a wish to give him ease, he replied,
' Well, it is a debt we must pay to eacli other, and I hope
when you want aid of this kind you will find it.' "
Washington then inquired when Mr. Lewis and Wasliington
Custis, who were in New Kent, would return; and being told,
he remained silent awhile, and then desired his servant, Chris-
topher, Avho had been in the room all day, to sit down, for he
had been standing most of the time. He did so. A few
minutes afterward Dr. Craik came into the room, and as he
approached the bedside, Washington said to him : " Doctor, I
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 321
die liard, but I am not afraid to j2;o. I believed, from my first
attack, that I should not survive it. My breath cannot last
long." The doctor, overcome with emotion, pressed his hand,
but could not utter a word. He left the bedside, and, in deep
grief, sat by the fire for some time, while all -svas silent in the
room, except the heavy breathing of the sufferer.
Doctors Dick and Brown came into the room between five
and six o'clock, when they and Dr. Craik went to the bedside
and asked Washington if he could sit up in bed. He held out
his hand and Mr. Lear raised him up. " I feel myself going,"
he said ; " I thank you for your attentions ; but I pray you
take no more trouble about me. Let me go off quickly. I
cannot last long." Then casting a look of gratitude toward Mr.
Lear, he lay down, and all left the bedside except Dr. Craik.
Mr, Lear now wrote to Mr. Law and Mr. Peter, gentlemen
who had married two granddaugl iters of Mrs. Washington
(sisters of Nelly Custis), requesting them to come immediately,
with their wives, to Mount Yernon. At about eight o'clock
the physicians tried other outward applications to relieve the
sufi'erer, but in vain, and they left the room without any hope.
At about ten o'clock Washington attempted to speak to Mr.
Lear, but failed several times. At length he murmured: "I
am just going. Have me decently buried ; and do not let my
body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am
dead." Mr. Lear could not speak, but bowed his assent.
Washington whispered, " Do you understand ?" Lear replied,
" Yes." " 'Tis well," he said ; and these were the last words
he ever spoke — " ^Tis ivell ,'"
"About ten minutes before he expired," says Mr. Lear
(" which was between ten and eleven o'clock), his breathing
21
322 MOUNT VERNON
became easier. He lay quietly ; lie withdrew his hand from
mine and felt his owii [)ulse. 1 saw his countenance change.
I spoke to Dr. Craik, who sat by the fire. He came to the
bedside. The general's hand fell from his wrist. I took it in
mine and pressed it to my bosom. Dr. Craik put his hands
over his eyes, and he expired without a struggle or a sigh.
" While we were fixed in silent grief, Mrs. Washington, who
was sitting at the foot of the bed, asked, with a firm and col-
lected voice, ' Is he gone?' I could not speak, but held up my
hand as a signal that he was no more. ' 'Tis well,' said she, in
the same voice, ' all is now over ; I shall soon follow him ; I
have no more trials to pass through.' "
" It may be asked," says Mr. Custis, " why was the ministry
of religion wanting to shed its peaceful and benign lustre upon
the last hours of Washington? Why was he, to whom the
observances of sacred things were ever primary duties tlu-ough
life, without their consolations in his last moments? We an-
swer, circumstances did not permit. It was but for a little
while that the disease assumed so threatening a character as to
forbid the encouragement of hope; yet, to stay that summons
which none may refuse, to give still farther length of days to
him whose time-honored life was so dear to nmnkind, prayers
were not wanting to the throne of grace. Close to the couch of
the sufierer, resting her head upon that ancient book, with
which she had been wont to hold pious communion a
portion of every day for more than half a century, was the
venerable consort, absorbed in silent prayer, and from which
she only arose when the mourning group prepared to lead her
from the chamber of the dead."
That chamber, ever held sacred by the Washington family.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
32^
and concealed from the eyes of the curious visitor, appears
now, in form and feature, precisely as when the spirit of the
Father of his Country took its departure from it. Not a
vestige of the furniture that was there at the time of Washing-
ton's death, remains. Tlie bed and bedstead on which he died
are at Arlington House, where they, too, are kept as not <»nly
precious but sacred mementos of the great and good Wasli-
ington.
BED AND BEDSTEAD ON WHICH WASHINOTON DIED.
The bedstead is made of mahogany, and was manufactured
in New York in 1780. It is remarkable for its size, being six
feet square. It M'as in constant use in the bed-chamber of
General and Mrs. "Washington, from the time of its manufac-
ture until his death. The bed and bedding remain in precisely
324
MOUNT VERNON
the same condition as wlien Was]iin<j^ton was borne from his
chamber to his toml).
The room in wliich AVasliington died has seldom been seen
by visitors at Mount Yernon. AVliile enjoying tlie hospitali-
ties of the late ]>roprietor for two or three days, I was permit-
ted to enter and sketch it. It was used as a ])rivate cliamber
by the heads of the family. Empty, it ])resents the same
appearance it did at Washington's death, and so I delineated
it. Two doors open from it into other chambers, and one to
stairs that lead to the a'ai'i'ct.
UOU.M IN' WHICH WaSIIINOTON MED.
As I stood alone in that death-chamber of the illnstrious
Washington, fancy seemed to fill it with those who occupied it
on Saturday night, the lith of Decendier, 1700, mentioned in
a memorandum by Mr. Lear. On the l)ed lay the great man
at the sublime moment of his death, Kear the bed stood Mr
Lear and Dr. Craik. "Mrs. Washington was sitting near the
foot of the bed. Christopher was standing near the bedside_
Caroline, Molly, and Charlotte (house-servants) were in the
room, standing near the door. Mrs. Forbes, the housekeeper,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 325
was in the room likewise." And as I stood there, delineating
the simple ontlines of that chamber, the words of Wallace
came vividly to my memoiy :
"There is an awful stillness iu the sky
When, after wondrous deeds and ligiit supreme,
A star goes out in golden prophecy.
There is an awful stillness in the world.
When, after wondrous deeds and light supreme,
A hero dies with all the future clear
Before him, and his voice made jubilant
By coming glories, and his nation hush'd
As though they heard the farewell of a god —
A great man is to earth as God to heaven."
No one, except Mrs. Washington, mourned more sincerely
at the deathbed of the great patriot than Dr. Craik, a gen-
erous, warm-hearted Scotchman, and excellent physician, who
settled in Virginia in early life, was with Washington in the
campaigns of the French and Indian war, and of the Revolu-
tion, and was his friend and medical adviser for more than
forty years. Twice he accompanied Washington to the Ohio
country, the first time in 1770, and the second time in 1785.
He continued to reside in Alexandria until old age caused him
to relinquish his profession, when he retired with a competent
fortune to Vaucluse, a part of the Ravens worths' estate, where
he died in 1814, at the age of eighty-four years. He was
exceedingly vigorous, in mind and body, until the last. His
grandson, the Reverend James Craik, of Louisville, Kentucky,
to whom I am indebted for the silhouette likeness of Dr. Craik,
printed on page 318, says, in a recent letter to me:
" He was a stout, thickset man, perfectly erect, no stoop of
the shoulders, and no appearance of debility in his carriage.
4^\r
326 MOUNT VERNON
Not long before liis death he ran a race with me (^then about
eiglit years old) in the frunt yard of the house at Yaucluse,
before the assembled family."
At midnight the body of General Washington was brought
down from the chamber of death, and laid out in tlie larije
drawing-room, in front of the superb Italian chimney-piece,
delineated on page 172 — a work of art which the master had
feared, "by the number of cases" which contained it, would
be "too elegant and costly" for his " room, and republican
style of living;" and on the following day (Sunday) a plain
mahogany coffin was procured from Alexandria, and mourning
ordered for the family, the overseers, and tlie domestics. On
the same day several of the relatives who had been sent for
arrived, among whom was Mrs. Stuart, tlie mother of Mrs.
Washington's grandchildren.
At the head of the coffin was placed an ornament inscribed
Suegp: au judicum. At about the middle were the words
Glorfa Deo ; and upon a silver plate was the record :
GENKRAL
GEORGE WASHINGTON
DEPARTED THIS LIFP] ON THE IItH DECEMBER,
1799, .ET. 68.
The coffin was lined with lead, and upon a cover of the
same material, to be put on after the coffin was laid in the
vault, was a silver shield, nearly three inches in length, in-
scribed :
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
BORN fe:b. 22, 1732,
DIED DECEMBER 14, 1799.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 327
The tinio fur tlie funeral was fixed at twelve o'clock on
Wednesday, the 18th, and the Keverend Air. Davis, of Alex-
andria, was invited to perform the burial
service, according to the beautiful ritual ^ ^.s?--
of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Having received information from Alex- 1
1 BORN
andria that the military and Freemasons %3-)ied
were desirous of showing their respect for
their chief and brother, by following liis
body to the grave, Mr. Lear ordered pro- ,,,^,^ .^^^^^ ^^ washing-
... 1 1 j:> 1 1 ton's coffin.
visions to be prepared lor a large number
of people, as some refreshment would be expected by them.
And Mr. Robert Hamilton, of Alexandria, wrote to Mr. Lear,
that a schooner of his would anchor off Mount Vernon to lire
minute guns, while the body was passing from the mansion to
the tomb.
The arrangements for the procession at the funeral were
made by Colonels Little, Simms, and Deneale,^ and Dr. Dick.
The old family vault was opened and cleaned, and Mr. Lear
ordered an entrance door to be made for it, that it might not
be again closed with brick. Mr. Sicwart, adjutant of the
Alexandria regiment, of wliich Washington had once been
colonel, went down to Mount Yernon to view the ground for
the procession.
The people began to collect at Mount Vernon on Wednes-
day, at eleven o'clock, but owing to a delay of the military,
the time for the procession was postponed until three o'clock.
The coffined body of the illustrious patriot lay, meanwhile,
beneath the grand piazza of the mansion, where he had so
often walked and mused.
328 MOUNT VERNON
Between three and four o'clock the procession moved, and,
at the same time, minute guns were fired from the schooner
anchored in the Potomac. The pall-hearers were Colonels
Little, Simms, Payne, Gilpin, Ramsay, and Marsteler. Colonel
Blackburn preceded the corpse. Colonel Deneale mai-ched
with the military. The procession moved out through the
gate at the left wing of the house, and proceeded round in
front of the hiwn, and down to the vault on the right wing of
the house. The following was the comj)0sition and order of
the procession :
The troops, horse and foot, with arms reversed.
Music.
The clergy, namely, the Rev. Messrs. Davis,
Muir, Moffat, and Addison.
The general's horse, with his saddle, holsters, and pistols,
led by two grooms (Cyrus, and Wilson), in black.
The body, borne by the Masons and officers.
Principal mourners, namely,
Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Law,
Misses JSTancy and Sally Stuart,
Miss Fairfax and Miss Dennison,
Mr. Law and Mr. Peter,
Mr. Lear and Dr. Craik,
Lord Fairfax and Ferdinando Fairfax.
Lodge No. 23.
Corporation of Alexandria.
All other persons, preceded by Mr. Anderson
and the overseers.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 329
When tlie body arrived near the vault, at the bottom of the
lawn, on the high bank of the Potomac, the cavahy halted ;
the infantry moved forward and formed the in-lining; the
Masonic brethren and citizens descended to the vanlt, and the
funeral services of the church were read by the Keverend Mr.
Davis. He also j^ronounced a short discourse. The Masons
then performed their peculiar ceremonies, and the body was
deposited in the vault. Three general discharges of arms were
then given by the infantry and the cavaliy ; and eleven pieces
of artillery, which were ranged back of the vault and simulta-
neously discharged, " paid the last tribute to the entombed
commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States." The
sun was now setting, and mournfully that funeral assembly
departed for their respective
homes.
The bier upon which Wash
ington was conveyed from the
mansion to the tomb, is pre- Washington's bier.
served in the museum at Alexandria. It is oak, six feet in
length, and painted a lead color. The handles, which are
hinged to the bier, have leather pads on the under side, fast-
ened with brass nails.
The vault in which the remains of Washington were laid,
had already become dilapidated by the action of the growing
roots of the trees around it, and, as we have seen, Washington,
in contemplation of the immediate construction of a new one,
had chosen a place for it. In his will he left the following
directions :
" The family vault at Mount Yemon requiring repairs, and
being improperly situated besides, I desire that a new one, of
830
MOUNT Y E R N 0 N
brick, and upon a larger scale, may be Luilt at the foot of
what is called the Vineyard Enclosure, on the ground which is
marked out, in which my remains, and those of my deceased
relatives (n(»w in the old vault), and such others of my fannly
as may choose to he entombed there, may be deposited.'"
THE OLD VAl'l.T IN ItiOt),
For thirty years the remains of Washington lay undisturbed
in the old vault, when the tomb was entered and an atteni})t
Avas made to carry aAvay the l)()nes of the illustrious dead.
Others were taken l)y mistake, and the robber being detected,
they were recovered. A new vaidt was soon afterward erected 7
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 331
upon the spot desigiiated bj Wasliingtoii, and the old one is
now a gaping ruin.
Congress was in session at Philadelpliia, when information
of the death of Washington reached tlieni on the day of liis
funeral. On the following day the announcement of it was
formally made on the floor of the House of Representatives,
by the Honoi-ahle John Marshall, of Virginia (afterward chief-
justice of the United States), and after some ap])ropriate
action, the House adjourned.
On Monda3% the 23d of Decend)er, the Congress adopted
joint resolutions— ;^V^/, that a marble monument should be
erected at the cnpitol ; second^ that there should be " a funeral
procession from (;!ongress Hall to the German Lutheran Church,
in memory of General George Washington, on Thursday, the
26th instant," and that an oration ])e prepared at the request
of Congress, to be delivered before both Houses that day ; and
that the president of the Senate, and the speaker of the House
of Representatives, be desired to request one of the members
of Congi-ess to prepare and deliver the same ; thirds that the
people of the United Srates should be recommended to wear
crape on their left arm as mourning for thirty days : fourth^
that the president of the United States should direct a copy
of the resolutions to be transmitted to Mrs. Washington, with
words of condolence, and a request that her husband's remains
might be interred at the ca])itol of the republic.
On the 30th of Dccend)er Congress further resolved, that it
should be recommended to the people of the Union to assem-
ble on the succeeding 22d of February, " to testify their grief
by suitable eulogies, orations, and discourses, or by jDublic
prayers."
332
MOUNT V E R N O X
GENhlKAL HKNUY LEK.
In accordance witli one of the foregoing resolutions, General
Henry Lee, of Virginia, then a member of Congress, was in-
vited to prononnce an oration on the 26th. He consented, and
the Lutheran Church in Fourth street, above Arch, in Phila-
delphia, the largest in the city, was crowded on that occasion.
No man in the Congress could have been chosen better fitted
for tlie service than General Lee. lie liad served his country
nobly as an officer of cavalry during the war for independence,
and from boyhood had been a special favorite of Washington.
He was a son of that " Lowland Beauty" who won the heart of
3'oung Washington, and drew sentimental verses from his pen.
Tliroughout the war he was beloved by his chief for his manly
and soldierly qualities, and he was an ever welcome guest at
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 333
Mount Vernon, Mlicre lie was oil terms of the greatest intimacy
with Washington and his family. Mr. Irving gives the follow-
ing example of Lee's perfect familiaiity with his chief, when
on a visit at Mount Vernon after the war :
"Washington one day at table mentioned his being in want
of carriage-horses, and asked Lee if he knew where he could
get a pair.
" ' I have a fine pair, General,' replied Lee, ' but you cannot
get them."
'"Why not?'
'"Because you will never pay more than half price for
any thing ; and T must have full price for my horses.'
"The bantering reply set Mrs. Washington laughing, and
her parrot, perched beside her, joined in the laugh. The
general took this familiar assault upon his dignity, in o-ood
part. 'Ah, Lee, you are a funny fellow,' he said— 'see, that
bird is laughing at you.' "
Lee's oration on the death of Washington, though hastily
prei)ared, was an admirable production : and in it he pro-
nounced those renuirkable woi'ds of eulogy, so often quoted :
a Ti-
FIEST ]K WAK, riEST IN PFACE, FIRST IN THE HEARTS OF
HIS COUNTRYMEN. "
On that occasion, the McPherson's Blues, a military corps
of Philadelphia, composed of three hundred young men, the
elite of the city, performed the duties of a guard of honor.
Only six of them, who were present on that occasion, now
(August, 1859) survive, namely : Samuel Breck, aged eighty-
eight ; S. Palmer, aged seventy-nine ; S. F. Smith, aged seventy-
834
M O U X T V K R N 0 N
nine ; Charles N. Baneker, aged eighty-three ; Quintin Camp-
bell, aged eighty-three, and John F. Wat-
son, the annalist of Philadelphia and
New York, aged eighty.
President Adams transmitted the reso-
lutions of Congress to Mrs. Washington,
and in reply to their request eoncerning
the remains of her husband, slie said :
"Taught by the great example which
I have so long had before me, never to
oppose my private wishes to the public
will, I must consent to the request made
bv Congress, which you have the good-
ness to transmit to me ; and m doing
this, I need not, I cannot say, what a
sacrifice of individual feeling I make to
a sense of public duty."
The remains of Washington have never
been removed from his beloved Mount
Yernon. It is well. They never should
be. The Home and the Toivib of our
illustrious Friend, should be inseparable; and the glowing words
of LuNT should express the sentiment of every American :—
M'PHERSON S BLUE.
" Ay, leave him alone to sleep forever,
Till tbe strong archangel calls for the dead,
By the verdant bank of that rushing river.
Where first they pillowed his mighty head.
" Lowly may be the turf that covers
The gaered grave of his last repose;
But, oh 1 there's a glory round it liovers,
Broad as the daybreak, and briglit as its close.
AND IT 8 ASSOCIATIONS. 335
" Though marble pillars were reared above him,
Temples aud obelisks, rich and rare —
Better he dwells in the hearts that love him,
Cold and lone as he slumbers there.
"Why should j'e gather with choral numbers?
Why should your thronging thousands come ?
Who will dare to invade his slumbers,
Or take him away from his narrow home?
'' Well he sleeps in the majesty.
Silent and stern, of awful death I
And he who visits him there, should be
Alone with God, and his own hushed breath.
'• Revel and pomp would profane his ashes:
And may never a sound be murmured there
But the glorious river that by him dashes,
And the pilgrim's voice in his heartfelt prayer."
The death of her husband, so sudden and unexpected,
weighed lieavily upon the mind and heart of Mrs. Washing-
ton for a time, but her natural cheerfuhiess of disposition and
habitual obedience to the will of God manifested in his dispen-
sations, healed the wound and supported her burdened spirit.
She received many letters and visits of condolence. The pres-
ident of the United States and his wife (Mr. and Mrs. Adams)
visited Mount Vernon for the purpose, and so also did many
distinguished citizens. From every part of the land came
testimonials of respect and veneration for the dead ; and from
beyond ihe Atlantic she received gratify iug evidences of the
profound esteem in which her beloved husband was held. On
hearing of his death. Lord Bridport, who was in command of
a British fleet of almost sixty sail, at Torbay, ordered every
ship to lower her flag to half-mast ; and Bonaparte, then First
336 MOUNT VKRNON
Consul of France, announced his death to his army, and or-
dered black crape to be suspended from all the flags and
standards in the French service for ten days.
The domestic establishment at Mount Yernon was kept up
after the death of the General, upon the same liberal scale of
hospitality that marked it during his lifetime ; and scores of
pilgrims to the tomb of the Hero, Patriot and Sage, were
entertained by the widow. But lier prediction at the death-bed
of her husband — "1 shall soon follow him" — did not remain
long unfultiUed. Two years and a half afterward, her body
was laid in a leaden coffin by his side, in the vault. She died
of a bilious fever, on the 22d of May, 1802 ; and tlie estate
of Mount Vernon passed into the possession of the General's
nephew, pursuant to the following clause in his will :
" To my nephew, Bushrod Washington, and his heirs (partly
in consideration of an iniimation made to his deceased father,
while we were bachelors, and he had kindly undertaken to super-
intend my estate during my military service in the former war
between Great Britahi and France, that if I should fall therein.
Mount Vernon, then less extensive in domain than at present,
should become his property), I give and bequeatli all that part
thereof which is comprehended within the following limits:
[here the boundaries are specified] containing upward of four
thousand acres, bo the same more or less, together with the
mansion house, and all other buildings and improvements
thereon." lie also bequeathed to Bushrod his " library of
books and pamphlets," and all of his papers.
This principal lieir of Washington (who had no children)
was a son of the Generars brother, George Augustine, and
was at that time about f »rty years of age. Two years before
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
337
BI'SHROD WASHINGTON.
Washington's decath, President Adams had appointed Bushrod
to the office of Judge of the Supreme Court of tlie United
States, and lie performed the duties of his exalted station with
eminent ahility until his death, thirty-two years afterward.
Judge Washington took possession of the Mount Vernon es-
tate, immediately after the death of Mrs. Washington. Among
the slaves that belonged to him, and who were taken to Mount
Vernon at that time, only one is living. Although set free by
the will of his master in 1829, he has never left the estate,
but remains a resident there, where he is regarded as a patri-
arch. I saw him when I last visited Mount Vernon, in the
autumn of 1858, and received from his lips many interesting
reminiscences of the place and its surroundings.
22
S38
MOUNT VERNON
^/'^^/r-^J^
Just at evening, when returning from a stroll to tlic ancient
entrance to Mount Yernon, 1 found Westford (the name of the
patriarch) engaged at the shop, near the conservatory, making
a plough. He is a mulatto, verv intelligent and communica-
tive ; and I enjoyed a pleasant and profitable half-hour's con-
versation with him. He came to Mount Vernon in August,
1802, and when I saw him he was in the seventy-second year
of his age.
Westford well knew Billy, Washington's favorite servant
during the war for independence. Billy, with all of his fellow
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 339
Slavics, was tnade free by his master's will ; and lie received a
liberal pension and a residence for life at Mount Vernon. His
means for luxurious living had a bad effect upon him, and
Billy became a hoii-vivant. Delirium trentetu finally seized
Lim, with its terrors. Occasionally Westford sometimes relieved
. Lim of the paroxysms by bleeding. One morning, a little more
than thirty years ago, he was sent for to bleed Billy. The
blood would not flow. Billy was dead, and the last but one
of Washington's favorite servants passed from earth forever.
The other (a woman) died at Arlington House a few years
ago, wliere I saw her one evening at family worship.
I left Westford at his plough-making, with an engage-
' ment to meet him the next morning before breakfast, for the
])Urpose of delineating a pencil sketch of his features. I found
^ liiin prepared, having on a black satin vest, a silk cravat, and
his curly gray hair arranged in the best manner, " For," he
said, " the artists make colored folks look bad enough any-
how." When my sketch was finished, he wrote his name
? under it with my pencil.
While Judge Washington was living, Lafayette came to
America as the guest of the nation, and after a lapse of fifty
years, he again visited Mount Yernon, the home of his dear
fi-iend. For more than twenty-five years the mortal remains
of that friend had been lying in the tomb, yet the memory of
h.is love was as fresh in the heart of the marquis, as when, in
jS^ovember, 1784, they parted, to see each other on earth no
more.
On that occasion Lafayette was presented with a most
touching memorial of the man whom he delighted to call
" father." The adopted son of that father, the late Mr. Custis.
340 MOUNTVERNON
with many others, accompanied tlie marquis to the tomb of
Washington, where the tears of the venerable Frenchman
flowed freelj. While standing there, Mr. Custis, after a few
appropriate remarks, presented to Lafayette a massive gold
ring, containing a lock of Washington's hair. It was a most
grateful gift ; and those who were present have spoken of the
occurrence as one of the most interesting and touching they
had ever experienced.
Again there was a gathering before the tomb of Washington
on an interesting occasion. Judge Washington was then no
more. He died at Philadelphia in the autumn of 1829, at the
age of seventy years, bequeathing his estate of Mount Yernon
to his nephew, John Augustine Washington, a son of his
brother Corbin. The latter was also lying in the family vault,
having died in 1832 at the age of forty-three years, and his
widow, Mrs. Jane Washington, was then mistress of the man-
sion and estate.
The occasion referred to, was the re-entombing of General
Washington and his wife. This event occurred in Octobei*
1837. Mr. John Struthers, of Philadelphia, generously oifered
to present two marble coflins in which the remains of the patriot
and his consort might be placed for preservation forever, for
already the wooden coflins, which covered the leaden ones
containing their ashes, had been three times renewed. Major
Lewis, the last surviving executor of Washington's will, accepted
the proposed donation, and the sarcophagi were wrought from
solid blocks of Pennsylvania marble. The vestibule of the
new vault was enlarged so as to permit the coflins to stand in
dry air, instead of being placed in the damp vault ; and on
Saturday the 7th of October 1837, Mr. William Strickland, of
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 341
Philadelphia, acccompaiiied by a number of the Washington
family, assisted in placing the remains of the illustrious dead
in the receptacles where they have ever since lain undisturbed.
The vault was first entered by Mr. Strickland, accompanied
by Major Lewis, of whom he said : "Imagine a figure stately
and erect, upward of six feet in height, with a keen, penetrat-
ing eye, a high forehead partially covered with the silvery
locks of seventy winters, intelligent and bland in expression,
in movement graceful and dignified, and you will have the
portraiture of the companion and friend of the immortal
Washington." This was the favorite nephew who married
Nelly Custis on the 22d of February, 1799.
When the decayed wooden case was removed froin the lead-
en coffin of Washington, the lid was perceived to be sunken
and fractured. In the bottom of this case was found the silver
shield which was placed upon that leaden lid when Washing-
ton was first entombed.
" At the request of Major Lewis," says Mr. Strickland, in
his published account, "the fractured part of the lid was turned
over on the lower part, exposing to view a head and breast
of large dimensions, wliich appeared, by the dim light of the
candles, to have suffered but little fi'om the eftects of time.
The eye-sockets were large and dee]), and the breadth across
the temples, together with the forehead, appeared, of unusual
size. There was no appearance of grave-clothes ; the chest
was broad, the color was dark, and had the appearance of
dried flesh and skin adhering closely to the bones. We saw
no hair, nor was there any offensive odor from the 'body ; but
we observed, when the coffin had been i-emoved to the outside
of the vault, the dripping down of a yellow liquid, which
342
M U II N T V E U i\ O N
stained the marble of the sarcophagus. A hand was laid
upon the head and instantly removed ; the leaden lid was
restored to its place ; the hody, raised by six men, was carried
and laid in the marble coffin, and the ponderous cover being
]uit on and set in cement, it M^as sealed from our sight. The
relatives who were present, consisting of Major Lewis, Lorenzo
Lewis, John Augustine Washington, George Washington, the
Rev. Mr. Johnson and lady, and Mrs. Jane Washington, then
retired to the mansion."
The remains of Mrs. Washington being })laced in the other
marble sarcophagus, they were both boxed, so as to prevent
their being injured during the finishing of the vestibule in its
present form.
WASHINGTON'S MARBLE COFFIN.
Mrs. Washington's coffin is perfectly plain. That of her
husband has a sculptured lid, on which is
represented the American shield suspended
over the flag of the LTni(Mi. The latter is hung
in festoons, and the whole group is surmount-
ed with a spread-eagle as a crest.
The new tomb, in design and structure, is
offensive to good taste, and its appearance
justifies the description of it l)y an English
nobleman who said, " It is a glaring red
building somewhat between a coach-house and
a cage." It stands at the bottom of a steep
LI n OF
Washington's coffin
AXD ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
US
Washington's tomb.
hill, oil the ecl<j;e of a deep wooded glen that extends to the
river, and throngli which flows a ehoked hrook.
The spacions vault is built of l)rick, with an arclied roof.
It is entirely overgrown with shrubbery, brauibles and vines,
which gives it an antiquated appearance. Its iron door is
entered from the spacious vestibule ; and over it, upon a stone
panel, are the words :
•• I AM THE RKSURRECTION AND THK LIFE ; HE THAT BELIEVETH
IN ME, TilOUGU HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE !"
The vestibule is also built of brick, and is twelve feet in
height. Tlie iron picketed gatcM'ay, through which the mar-
ble sarcophagi may be seen, is flanked by two brick pilas-
344 MOUNT VERNON
ters, surmounted by a stone coping, which covers a gothic
arch. Over this arch is a white marble tablet inscribed —
" WITHIN THIS ENCLOSURE REST THE REMAINS OF
GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON.-''
On the east side of the tomb, beneath marble monuments,
lie the remains of Eleanor Farke Lewis and her daugliter, Mrs.
M. E. Conrad. In front of the tomb are two stately obelisks
of marble. One of them was erected in memory of Judge Bush-
rod Washington, and the other of John Augustine Washing-
ton, father of the last proprietor of Mount Yernon of the Wash-
ington name.
Very few articles of the pereonal property of General Wash-
ington, except the library of books, remain at Mount Vernon.
After Mrs. Washington's death, the devised personal property
was distributed according to the directions of his will, and the
remainder was sold. The purchasers consisted chiefly of mem-
bers of the family, the grandchildren of Mrs. Washington
taking nearly all of the family plate, and furniture. Many of
these things have been described and delineated in these pages ;
and many others have been scattered over the country, and
since lost.
While this very page was in preparation, I received from
Mr. George Livermore, of Cambridge, an account of a most
precious relic jf Washington's earlier life, which is now in
possession of the venerable Josiah Quincy, of Boston. It is
the silver gorget of General Washington, wdiich composed a
part of his uniform while in the colonial service, and is seen
suspended from his neck in Peale's portrait of him, painted in
1772, and printed on page 82 of this book.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 345
" This precious relic," says Mr. Quincy in a letter to Mr.
Livermore, " came to my possession under the following cir-
cumstances : from 1805 to 1813, I was one of the representa-
tives of the state of Massachusetts, in the Congress of the
United States, from Suffolk District. During these years I
had the happiness, with my wife, to form an acquaintance
with Mrs. Martha Peter (formerly Custis), the wife of Thomas
Peter, Esq., of Tudor Place, in the District of Columbia.
There sprang up between both families — particularly between
Mrs. Peter and my wife — a great intimacy, the result of mu-
tual respect and also coincidence in political feeling and opin-
ion, which, at that period, constituted a bond of great strength-
She was a woman of great personal beauty, highly accom-
plished, intellectual, elevated in spirit and sentiment, and
worthy of the relation which she held of granddaughter tO'
George Washington.
" "When, in 1813, on resigning my seat in Congress, I called
at Tudor Place to take leave, Mrs. Peter, after stating the inter-
est she felt in me and Mrs. Quincy, asked my acceptance of
the ' gorget of Washington, with the ribbon attached to it,
which' she said ' she had received at the division of her
grandfather's estate.' About that time, there had been form-
ed in Boston a political association bearing the name of the
Washington Benevolent Society, having for its object the sup-
port of the views and principles of Washington, of which I
was one of the vice-presidents ; and I immediately suggested
the propriety, and asked her leave, to present in her name
that precious relic to that society. She expressed her gratifi-
cation at the suggestion, saying ' that she knew of no place
where the principles of Washington had been more uniformly
316 MOUNT VERNON
elierislied, or were likely to be more liiglily prized or pre-
served longer, 'than in the town of Boston.'
'• Accordingly, on ray return in April, 1813, I made* a for-
mal statement of the above circumstances to the Washington
Benevolent Society, and presented the gorget, in her name, to
that society. The gift was gratefully and cordially received
and acknowledged by a vote of the society, signed by Arnold
Welles, president ; and William Sullivan, Josiali Quincy,
Samuel Messinger, John C. Warren, and Benjamin Russell,
vice-presidents. A record of the gift, of the vote of thanks,
and of all the proceedings, was written upon parchment, and
deposited in a box especially adapted for its preservation ; and
an account of the doings of the society was officially trans-
mitted to Mrs. Peter.
" The irorget remained in that situation, under the care of
the society, for five or six years, until its final dissolution,
when, by a vote of the society, it w^as formally placed in my
custody ; and I immediately wrote to Mrs. Peter a statement
of the circumstances, offering to return the gorget to her. She
was pleased to reply, that it was her wish that I should retain
it in my possession, and make such disposition of it as I saw"
fit."
When I last visited Mount Vernon, in the autumn of 1857,
I saw" there a few articles, not already mentioned, that belonged
to Washington. These were a liquor-chest, two mirrors, some
tissue paper, one of his ordinary address cards, several dia-
grams and memoranda from liis pen, and a number of en-
gravings.
The liquor-chest w^as in a closet adjoining the dining-room,
and was used by the family when I was there. It is made of
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS.
34"
Washington's LiQron-CHKsr.
mahogany ; and traditiou avers that it composed a part of
WASHINGTON S MIRROR.
Washington's l)aggage during the Revolution. It contains
twelve larj^^e white glass flasks, thirteen inches in height.
348
MOUNT V J*; R N 0 N
One of tlie mirrors, highly ornamented with ehiborate
carvings, and bearing the arms of
the Wasliington family, was in a
small parlor adjoining the great
drawing-room ; and the other, a
plain one, also bearing the family
arms, in gilt upon a deep blue
ground, at the top, was in another
parlor, adjoining the library.
The tissue paper was made
expressly for Washington's use.
Each sheet bears his name and
crest, and a rude figure of Liberty
with the pileus and cap, forming
the water-mark. The paper is quite coarse in texture com-
pared with that manufactured at the present time. The
engraving of the water-mark is half the size of the original.
WATER-MARK.
WASHINGTON S ADDRESS CARD.
The address card was coarsely engraved on copper, and was
used by Washington during the war. While he was Presi-
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 349
dent, he had a neat invitation-to-dinner card engraved in writ-
ino-. The original plate of the latter is in the possession of a
gentleman in Philadelphia.
Some of the diagrams from Washington's pen, alluded to,
have been delineated upon other pages of this work. The en-
gravings that belonged to him hang in the great passage and
two adjoining parlors. These are, Andromache bewailing
the Death of Hector ; The Death of Montgomery ; The Death
of Warren ; two Hunting Scenes ; four Landscapes ; The De-
fence of Gibraltar, four Views ; Descent from the Cross ; and a
St. Agnes. These are all more or less injured by some tiny de-
stroyers, that are daily making the high lights still stronger, so
that all the pictures now appear snowy. If their destructive
progress shall not be speedily arrested, those relics of the great
Patriot's household ornaments will be lost forever. With
characteristic modesty, Washington allowed no picture of
scenes in which he was a participant to adorn the walls of
Mount Yernon. Some line oil paintings and family portraits
that were there have been distributed among relatives ; that
of Lawrence Washington alone remains.
Only one more object of interest at Mount Vernon remains
to be noticed. It is a portrait of Washington taken from a
common English earthenware pitcher, and is known as The
Pitcher Portrait. It is in a deep gilt frame, and upon the
back is an admirable eulogy of the great Patriot, in monumen-
tal form. The history of this portrait and the eulogy was com-
municated to me recently by the venerable artist, Rembrandt
Peale, of Philadelphia, and is both curious and interesting.
About the year 1804, the late John R, Smith, of Phila-
delphia, son of the eminent Jonathan Bayard Smith, showed
350
MOUNT V E R N 0 X
Mr. Peale a copy by Sharpless liimself, of that artist's crayon
profile of Washington, made in 179G. On the back of it was a
eulogy of Washington, written in monumental form in two
colunms, by an English gentleman, Mr. Smith said, whose
name he had forgotten, or never knew. He told Mr. Peale
that the gentleman pasted it on the back of the portrait.
PITCHER POKTUAIT.
It was at about that time that a crockery dealer in Pliila-
delphia imported a number of earthenware pitchers from
Liverpool, each bearing a portrait of AYashington from an
engraving of Stuart's picture painted for the Marquis of Lans-
downe, which Heath had badly engraved, and Xutter had
better executed for Hunter's quarto edition of Lavater. Nut-
ter's engraving was coarsely imitated in the one upon the
pitcher.
Tiie i)itchers attracted the attention of Mr. Dorsey, a sugar
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 351
refiner of Pliiladelphia, who had a taste lor art, and he pur-
chased several of tlieni, as he considered the likeness of
Washington a good one. Mr. Dorsej, after several unsuc-
cessful attempts to separate the part bearing the portrait, from
the rest of the pitcher, succeeded, by using the broad-faced
hammer of a shoemaker, in breaking them cleanly out by a
single blow, given directly upon the picture.
One of these pictures broken out by Mr. Dorsey, was hand-
somely framed by Mr. Smith, and sent to Judj^e Washington
at Mount Veraon, with the eulogy on the back of the Sharp-
less profile belonging to his father, copied by his own hand.
That copy varies materially from the original, in some of its
phraseology and in large omissions. This difference may be
accounted for by the supposition that Mr. Smith had not room
in the space on the back of the pictui-e to transcribe the whole
of the original, and some parts were omitted and others
changed. The Sharpless picture was much larger than the
pitcher portrait, and there was more room on the back for the
eulogy.
In the year 1819 or 1820, Mr. Smith gave Mr. Harrison
Hall, the publisher of the Port Folio, a perfect transcript of
what was, probably, the original eulogy, and to the courtesy
of that gentleman I am indebted for the subjoined cojDy,
which contains all the omissions in the one upon the back of
the picture at Mount Vernon. Mr. Hall, and others of Mr.
Smith's friends, have been under the impression that that ac-
complished gentleman w^as tlie author of the eulogy, but the
explicit statement of Mr. Peale and concurring circumstances
appear to remove all doubt of the truth of the common tradi-
tion in the Washington family, that it was written l)y an
352 MOUNT VERNON
unknown English gentleman. The mutilated inscription, as it
appears upon the back of the portrait at Mount Vernon, was
published in Alden's Collection of Amepioan Epitaphs and
Inscriptions^ as early as the year 1814.
The following is a copy of the original on tlie back of the
Sharpless profile given by Mr. Smith to Mr. Hall :
WASHINGTON,
The Defexder of his Country,
The Founder of Liberty,
The Friend of Man.
History and Tradition are explored in vain
For a Parallel to his Character.
In the Annals of Modern Greatness,
He stands alone.
And the noblest Names of Antiquity
Lose their Lustre in his Presence.
Born the Benefactor of Mankind,
He was signally endowed with all the Qualities
Appropriate to his Illustrious Career.
Nature made him Great,
And, Heaven directed,
He made himself Virtuous.
Called by his Country to the Defence of her Soil
And tlie vindication of her Liberties,
He led to the Field
Her Patriot Armies;
And displaying in rapid and brilliant succession,
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 353
The united Powers
Of Consmmnate Frudenct
Aud Heroic Valour,
He triumphed in Arms
Over the most powerful Nation
Of Modern Europe ;
His Sword giving Freedom to America,
His Counsels breathing Peace to the world.
After a short repose
From the tumultuous Vicissitudrs
Of a Sanguinary War,
The astounding Energies of
Washington
Were again destined to a New Course
Of Glory and Uaefulness.
Tlie Civic Wreath
Was spontaneously placed
By the Gratitude of the Nation,
On the Brow of the Delivebek of his CouxriiY.
He was twice solemnly invested
With the Powers of Supreme Magistracy,
By the Unanimous Voice of
A Free People ;
And in his Exalted and Arduous station,
His Wisdom in the Cabinet
Transcended the Glories of the Field.
The Destinies of Washington
Were now complete.
Having passed the Meridian of a Devokd Life,
Having founded on the Pillars
23
354 MOUNT V E R X O N
Of National Independence
The Splendid Fabric
Of a Great Republic,
And having firmly estabUshed
The Empire of the West,
He solenmly deposited on tlie Altar of his Cuurdnj,
His Laurels and liis Sword,
And retired to the Shades
Of Private Life.
A Spectacle so New and so Sublime,
"Was contemplated by Mankind
With the Profuundest admiration;
And the name of Washington,
Adding new Lustre to Humanity,
Resounded
To the remotest regions of the Earth.
Magnanimous in Youtfu,
Glorious through Life,
Great in Death,
His highest Ambition
The Happiness of Mankind,
His noblest victory
The Conquest oi Himself .
Bequeathing to America
The Inheritance of his Fame,
And building his Monument
In the Hearts of his Countrymen,
He Lived,
The Ornament of the 1 8th Centur}' ;
He Died,
Lamented by a Mourning World.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 355
One hundred and sixteen years ago, Mount Vernon received
its name, and from tliat time until the present year (1859)
it has been owned and occupied by a Washington.
Lawrence Washington, as we have seen, named it in honor
of his gallant friend, and from him it descended to his half-
brother, George, who occupied it more than forty years. By
him it was bequeathed to his nephew, Bushrod, who lived
there twenty-seven years. It then passed into the possession
of John Augustine Washington, a son of Bushrod's brother
Corbin. He died three years afterward, leaving it to his
widow. At her death, in 1855, it became the property of her
son, John Augustine Washington, who resides there.
For many years the Mount Vernon estate had been decay-
ing. The ravages of time and the rust of neglect were rapidly
destroying all that had received the care and culture of Gen-
eral Washington's mind and hand ; and thoughtful and pa-
triotic visitors often felt saddened when they saw the man-
sion and its dependent buildings, and other visible memorials
of the great and good Father of his Country, evidently per-
ishing.
Tlie sad thoughts of these visitors led to patriotic action, and
for a long time there was a growing desire felt throughout the
Union, to have Mount Vernon become the property of the
nation. The young owner, unable to keep the estate in proper
order, and greatly annoyed by thousands of visitors every year,
many of whom took liberties about the house and grounds, in
apparently utter forgetfulness that they were private property,
expressed a willingness to sell it for such a purpose. Congress
was asked to buy it. The application was unsuccessful.
At length an American matron conceived the idea of ap-
356 MOUNT VERNON
])ealing to her couiitrywomeii in behalf of Mount Vernon.
She asked them to put forth their hands to the work of obtain-
ing sufficient money to purchase it, that the Home and Tomb
OF Washington might be a national possession forever. The
idea was electric, and it was felt and responded to all over the
laud. Her invalid daughter, strengthened by the thought of
being instrumental in accomplishing the great work, took the
direction of the enterprise. She printed a strong appeal to her
countrywomen ; organized an association, and procured a char-
ter of incorporation for it ; bargained for the purchase of the
mansion and appendages, and two hundred surrounding acres
of the Mount Vernon estate, for two hundred thousand dollars,
and began in great earnestness the work of obtaining that
amount of money, and as much more for the restoration and
support of the estate. By common consent she was constitu-
ted regent or chief manager, and she appointed vice-regents
in every state in the Union as assistants.
Meanwhile the cupidity of speculators was awakened.
They perceived that great profits might be made by trans-
forming the Home and Tomb of Washington into a public
show. The proprietor had offered the property to the federal
government, or the state of Virginia, for two hundred thou-
sand dollars. Before American women proposed to purchase
it, and while awaiting the action of Congress, these speculators
offered him two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for it. He
refused to sell it for such an unhallowed purpose at any pr-ice^
preferring to take much less from the United States or Vir-
ginia ; or to keep it, and continue to suffer the inevitable an-
noyances arising from the conduct of thoughtless or vicious
visitors.
AND ITS ASSOCIATIOXS. 357
The efforts of American women liave been successful.
They have been cheered and aided by the best and wisest men
of their country. Edward Everktt, one of our most saga-
cixjus statesmen and accomplished scholars, devoted his tongue
and pen to the work. He went from city to city like Peter
the Hermit pleading for the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre, de-
livering an oration upon the character of Washington for the
benefit of the fund ; and delighted crowds who listened to his
eloquent words, contributed so freely, that in less than two
years he paid into the treasury of the Ladies' Mount Vernon
Association^ one quarter of the purchase money. The whole
amount has been obtained, and now Mount Yernon is no long-
er a private possession, but the property of the multitudes of
men, women and children of the land, who have contributed
in ever so slight a degree to its purchase. It is to be theirs
and their posterity's forever. In a word, it belongs to the na-
tion ; and wdiile these pages were in preparation, the work of
renovation and restoration was commenced at Mount Yernon.
Nothing now remains for the association to do, but to obtain a
sum fully equal to that of the purchase money, for the com-
plete restoration and future support of the estate, and a general
supervision of its management. This, American women will
speedily accomplish, for the heart of the nation beats in
unison with their own.
And wdien in a few years the mansion and its surrounding
buildings shall be restored to the form and strength they bore
when Washington left them — when the lawns, the gardens, the
conservatory, shall all be revealed in their original beauty and
perfection — when the same kinds of trees, planted with so
much taste and care by Washington, shall again adorn the
358 MOUNT VERNON
grounds, and his tomb shall be beautified by the hand of art,
the visitor from whithersoever, will bless the noble and patri-
otic American women by whose efforts all this transformation
lias been accomplished ; especially will they remember with
reverential affection. Miss Anna Pamela Cunningham, the
regent, the invalid daughter of a " Southern matron," whose
feeble hand but energetic spirit directed all.
We have now considered some of the most interesting of the
past associations of Mount Yernon, connected with the illus-
trious man whose character has in a degree sanctified them all.
But there are other associations that cluster around Washing-
ton and his home, in the presence of which these material
things sink into utter insignificance. They are of a moral
nature, and belong not only to the Past but to all the Future.
It is delightful to contemplate the character of Washington
in its relation to the events in which he was immediately
engaged, for it presents a most noble example ; but far more
delightful and. profitable is it, to contemplate him with that
broader vision which discerns his relation to all people and to
all time — to regard him as the fulfilment of the heart-prophe-
cies of earnest lovers of freedom in the past ; born, nurtured,
developed, disciplined, and inspired, to lead a great people out
of bondage, and to be forever a sublime model of a Patriot
for the contemplation of generations yet to appear. We
should become habituated thus to think of him, and learn
to love the spirit whicli led him to the performance of great
deeds, rather than the deeds themselves.
Such contemplations of Washington are not incompatible
with a sober reverence for material things with whicli he was
intimately associated ; and especially should we cherish as
AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 350
precious memorial treasures, the Home that he k)vecl, and the
Tomb wherein his remains repose. These may excite the
mind to loftier views of the Pater Patriae, and inspire senti-
ments such as filled the soul of the Rev. AVilliam Jay, of Eng-
land, who, on seeing a picture of Mount Yernon, wrote im-
promptu—
"There dwelt the MAN the flower of human kind.
Whose visage mild bespoke his noble mind.
There dwelt the SOLDIER who his sword ne'er drew
But in a righteous cause to freedom true.
There dwelt the Htro, who ne'er fought for fame,
Yet gained more glory than a Caesar's name.
There dwelt the STATESMAN, who, devoid of art,
Gave soundest counsels from an upright heart.
And oh ! Columbia, by thy sons caressed,
There dwelt THE FATHER of the realms lie blessed.
Who no wish felt to make his mighty praise.
Like other chiefs, the means himself to raise,
But there, retiring, breathed in pure renown,
And felt a grandeur that disdained a crov/u,''
INDEX.
A.
PAGE
Adams, John, description of tlie inaugnration of 280
Adams, Mr. and Mrs., visit Mrs. Washington after tlie death of her husband 335
Adams, President, nominates Washington to the Senate, as commander-in-chief 308
Adams, Robert, watch that belonged to Wasliington willed to 206
Adams, Vice-President, at Washington's table 209
Address card of Washington •''''
Alexandria, Washington invited to partake of a public dinner at li'S
Alison, remarks of, respecting Washington's Farewell Address '^T7
Ameburg, J. F., glass manufacturer, visits Mount Vernon in 1 TS9 190
" presents some specimens of his art to Washington 190
Ancient entrance to Mount Vernon, picture of 196
" present condition of '^
Appearance, personal, of Washington, when on horseback 6'5
Arch, triumphal, at Trenton, in honor of Washington 199
Arlington Spring, kitchen and dancing hall erected at, by Mr Oust is S.'iS
Washington's tent at ^^^
Arms of the Washington fiiinily, picture of ^'^
Armstron" .lohn, letter of, to General Gates respecting Washington's reception in New York
inl7b9 200
Army, American, disbanded
officers of part with Washington 1'^
117
99
Army, British, evacuates New York
Army, Continental, adopted by Congr
Washington made commander-in-chief of ^^^
no
Army, popular one formed
•' its character _
Asses presented to Washington by the King of Spa n ^'^
" Mr. Custis's account of '"
Akinson. Rev. A. B., wife of, has Washington's telescope ^^
"• Washington's butter-bowl in possession of 241
Aurora, letter hostile to Washington published in, soon after his retirement from office 279
Autographs of Jane and Mary Washington '"
B.
Bachelor, London orders of Washington when a ^'^
Baldwin. John Y., owner of Washington's pistols 22fi
Ball at Annapolis, attended by Washington . ll'^
" Fredericksburg, attended by Washington ^'"^
362 INDEX.
PACK
Ball, Colonel William, ancestor of Washington's iiiothoi- 19
" arms of his family 19
" Josoi)h, letter of to Washington's mother 81
Baptism of Washington 19
Barge, Washington's, returned to the giver 216
Bartram, John, garden of, near Philadelpha 143
'■ William, explorations of 143
Bassett, Colonel, J. P. Custis dies at the house of 11-3
Bastile, key of, presented to Washington 217
Bastilc, sketch of 217
" destruction of 220
" site of 220
" picture of destruction of 221
" picture of key of 223
Battle-sword of Wash'ngton preserved 120
" where manufactured .... 120
" with Franklin's staff .120
Bed and bedstead on which Washington died kept as sacred mementos at ArlingUm House, 323
" description of 323
" picture of 323
Belvoir, the seat of the Fairfaxes 29
" mansion of the Fairfaxes consumed by fire 92
" owner of never returned from England 92
Bianca, Florida, the Spanish premier, letter of, to Washington 17(!
Bible on which Washington took the oath of office in 1789 202
" inscription on 202
" picture of 202
'■ in possession of St. John's Lodge, in New York 203
Bier upon which the body of Washington was conveyed to the tomb 329
Billy, one of Washington's favorite servants, known to Westford 338
" death of, hastened by intemperate habits 339
Birth of Washington 19
Birth-place of Washington 20
" present desolation of 21
" picture of the inscribed stone that marks it 22
Bishop, Washington's body-servant 63, 106
Bishop White, at the farewell dinner given by Washington in Philadelphia n 1797 280
Blues, McPherson's, picture of uniform of 334
" six survivors of, in 1859 333
Bonaparte, respect paid to the memory of Washington by 836
Book-plate, Washington's, picture of. 13
Boot-jack, Washington's travelling, picture of 195
Boundary disjiutes between the French and English 38
Box made of the wood of the oak tree that sheltered Wallace after the battle at Falkirk, sent
to Washington by the Earl of Buchan 258
Box sent to Washington by the Earl of Buchan recommitted to his care by the Will of the
Genend 261
Braddock, General 41
" calls a council at Alexandria 42
" invites Colonel Washington to his quarters 42
" invites Washington to become his aide 43
Bradford, Mr., impromptu effusion of, on learning the misfortunes of Lafayette 287
Brevoort, J. Carson, owner of Pine's portrait of Washington 168
Bridport, Lord, respect paid to the memory of Washington by 835
Brienne, Marchioness de, sister of Count de Moustier, at Mount Vernon 184
" painted a miniature of Washington 184
" her picture of Washington and Lafayette 185
Brown, Dr., called to attenil Washington in his last illness 319
Burgesses, Virginia, Washington a member of, the House of 71
INDEX. 363
PAGE
Buslirod Washington, nephew of the General, comes into possession of iMount Vernon, on
the death of Mrs. Washington 386
" appointed by President Adauis to be Judge of the Supreme Court of the United
States 3 ;7
" portrait of 337
Butter-bowl, china, that belonfred to Washingtnn 212
Button, military, belonging to Washington's coat SI
Buttons stolen from military coat of Washington 81
C.
Calvert, Benedict, miniature &f daughter of, painted by Peale 84
" daughter of, wife of John Parke Custis 84 -
Camp-chest, leal hern, used by Washington in 1753, picture of 39
Candelabra, mural, used in Washington's dining-room at Philadelphia, described 801
'• picture of 301
Candlesticks, Washington's, massive silver 308
" picture of 303
Capitol, singular historical foct respecting the site of the 256
" corner-stonw of the north wing of, laid in September, 1793 257
" plan for the, submitted by Dr. Thornton, approved by Washington 251
Carey's House, at Alexandria, place where Braddock had his quarters 42
" picture of 42
Carpenter's Hall, place of meeting of the first Congress 90
Carrington, Mrs., her description of Mrs. Washington at home 204
Carroll, Charles, of Carrolltou 126
'• son of, a suitor for the han<l of Nelly Custis 811
'• letter of G. W. P. Custis to Washington, respecting sun of, as a suitor for the hand of
Nelly Custis 311
Carthagena, British soldiers perish at 27
Casseday, Alexander, drawing by, of Washington's secretary 214
Cave Castle, the seat of Washington's ancestors in England 15
" picture of 15
Century plant at Mount Vernon 144
Chairs at Mount Vernon, pictures of 55
" described by Washington 55
Chamberlayne, Mr., the host of Washington when he first saw Mrs. Custis 48
'• Colonel Washington lingers at the house of 4&
Chastellu,x, Marquis de, at Mount Vernon in 1781 106
" sketch of 108
" portrait of 109
" Washington's letter to 109
Chatham, Earl of, his opinion of the Continental Congress 91
Children, great fondness of Washington for 2t)0
Chimney-piece presented to Washington by Samuel Vaughan, of London 171
" picture of 172
China, Sdvres, belonging to Wash mgton 2:i9
China, Cincinnati, presented to Washington 2-39
" picture of . . 240
" M rs. Washington's 240
" picture of Mrs. Washington's 241
Christ Church, Alexandria, Washington a vestryman of 76
" Washington's pew in 7(i
" picture of 77
Christmas at Mount Vernon in 1783 132
Cmci?Mia/i china, picture of 241)
Cincinnati. Society of the, account of the formation of 127
" object of 128
" constitution of 12S
36-i INDEX.
PACE
Cincinnati, Society, order of I'-'J
" splendid order of, presented to Washingtou by Fri'Dcli soldiers . V.W
" iiieiiilier"s certificate of l-^l
" Washington president-general of the Society of the 132
Knox secretary of the Society of the 132
City Tavern, Pliiladelphia, Washington entertained at a suiiiptuous banquet at l'.)s
Clarke, maker of Washington's coach '2.(5
Clint(jn, George, Washington's letter to, on Peace 117
" at Washington's inauguration in 17S9 20'2
at the President's table 209
Clothes, military, Washington lays aside his ... 119
Coach, Washington's English 2:M
" picture and description of 232
" emblazoning upon 233
" picture on panel of 284
" Washington's letters about 235
fate of 285
" used by him on his journey from Phila<lelphia to Mount Vernon in 179! y.o3
Coasters, wine, invented bj' Washington 2 9
" their popularity 25(1
" picture of 251
Cochran, Dr. John, Washington's letter to 122
Cofiee pot, Washington's silver ... 251
Coffins, marble, remains of Washington a d his wife re-entombed in, in 1&37 340
Coffin of Washington 32fi
" inscription on plates on 826
•Coffin, marble, of Washington, picture of - 34.?
" sculptured lid of Wash ngton's, picture of 342
Co]umn o{ July ia the Place de Bastile 2-20
Commission as commander-in-chief resigned by Washington in 17S3 llS
Commissioners of Maryland and Virginia, consult Washington in 1785 179
Con/ederation, Articles q/, inefficiency of 178
" movement toward the amendment of 178
Congress, general, proposed by Dr. Franklin, meets at Philadelphia 86
" assembling of delegates to 88
•' opening of the session of 89
" officers of 90
" resolution adopted by 90
" adjourned to meet in May, 1775. if necessary 92
Congi'ess, Continental, action of 99
" adopt an army 99
" choose Washington commander-in-chief 99
Congress, Federal, vote a bronze equestrian statue to Washington in 1783 157
Congress, meeting of, .at Philadelphia 242
" action of concerning seat of government 243
" verses, respecting the removal of 244
" effects of removal of 245
" joint resolutions adopted by, on the occasion of the death of Washington 331
Conogocheague 243, 244
Conservatory at Mount Vernon destroyed by fire 14ti
" ruins of 146
Continental Congress, Washington a member of the 87
Convention, federal, adopt a constitution for the United States 180
" Washington a member of 180
Correspondence of Washington, extensive, in 1792 257
Cornwallis, Earl, joy caused by surrender of 113
Costume and manners of Washington while president 211
Craik, Dr. .laine.s, attends John P.arke Custis 113
" at Mount Vernon 93
INDEX. 365
PAOK
Cniik. Dr. James, mentioned in Washinston's will.. . . •^\i
called to attend Washington in his last illness 319
" portrait of 31b
'• short biographical sketch of 3i3
Craik, Eev. James, owns the secretary that belonged to Washington 214
Crayon profile of Washington . •■■ 29fi
" of Mrs. Washington 297
Crest of Washington engraved upon his fanuly plate 251
Cunningham, Miss Anna Pamela, regent of Mount Vernon 35S
Cushing, wife of Judge, extract from a letter of describing her visit at Mount Vernon in
February, 1799 309
Custis, Daniel Parke, Mrs. Washington's first husband . . . 49
portrait of 50
Custis, Eleanor Parke,, marriage of with Lawrence Lewis 114
" portrait of 1 H
Custis, Elizabeth Parke, description of the portrait of 107
portrait of Ifi8
Custis, G. W. P, places an inscribed stone on Wa^hmgton's brth-place 22
" his RecuUei-iioim of WattliingUin 4T.
" description by, of Washington on his farm 6&
portrait of, when a child IfiS
" portrait of, at the age of seventeen years 294
" and G W. Lafayette, perso; al friendship between, in youth 295
letter of, to Washington, respecting the son of Lharles Carroll of tamdlton, as a
suitor for the hand of Nelly Custis 311
" massive gold ring presented to Lafayette by, at the tomb of Washington 340
Cnsti.s, John Parke, articles ordered from London for 59
" arms of family of 60
" portrait of, painted by Peale b4
" portrait of wife of, painted by Peale SI
at Mount Vernon 104
Washington's letter to, during his stay at Mount Vernon 104
children of, at Mount Vernon Ill
aide-de-camp of Washington 112
doathof 1)3
two children of. adopted by Washington 113
Ciisti.s Mrs. Martha, .aflianced to Colonel Washington 49
her fortune 49
her iron chest 50
articles for, ordered from London by Washington 56
Ctisti.s, Martha, daughter of Mrs. Washington, her sickness and death 83
grief of Washington at the death of 86
Custis, Master and Miss, London orders of Washington for . . 60
" acooinpany'Mrs. Washington to New York 208
Custis, Nelly, a son of Charles Carroll of Carrollton a suitor for the hand of 31 1
Lawrence Lewis a suitor for the hand of ..311
" interesting anecdote of, told by Mr. Irving. 312
and Lawr. nee Lewis married on Washington's birthday. 1799 .... 313
D.
Daggett, Dr., president of Yale College 181
Dandridge, Mr., private secretary of Washington in 1793 274'
Davis, Rev. Thomas, books presented to him by Washington un the occas on of his officiat-
ing at the marsiage of Nelly Cu.stis .314'
Death-bed of Washington, resignation of Mrs. Wash ngton exhibited at 322
\\\\y no clergyman was present at - 322
Death-chamber of Washington, thoughts suggested to the author by a visit to 32S-
Dfath of George A. Washington, nephew of the General '.14
366 INDEX.
PAGK
Death of Washington, system of management, written by the General, conijileted only four
days before 315
" health and vigor of Wa^h ngton only a few days before 315
" detaded aeeount of the illness preceding ;316-8'il
" announced to ongress by Hon. John Marshall of Virginia 331
Dolauiiay, governor of the Bastile 219
D'Kstaing presents a bust of Ai. Keeker to Washington 227
fiite of 22S
'• kttersof - 2i9
" Destiny of Washington," an allegorical painting IbS
" picture of 186
" description of l&'j
" history of l'^*^
Diary, Wash ngton's, kejit in the blank leaves of the Virginia Ahmmnc GG
" headings of pages in fi*>
" fac-siiinle of entry in G>
" extract from, concerning furniture 213. 214
" note made in it on the 11th of December, 1 799 Slfi
Dick, Dr., consulted by Dr. Cra k on the occasion of Washington's last illness 319
Dinner, at the table of Washington the artist Kobertson's description of 259
Dinner, farewell, of Washington, at Philadelphia, m 1797 280
Dinner, Washington sits down to, without changing his damn clothes, December 1-.', 1799. 316
Dinwiddle, Governor, sends Washington to Ohio 39
Dress of Washington at his second inauguration minutely described 271
Dress-sword of Washington, picture of 2 1 1
Dry-well at Mount Vernon 147
Duer, President, on the an.xiety of citizens to see Washington on his retirement from uttice, 281
Dnnlap, William, paints Washington's portrait 158
Dunmore, unsuccessful attempt of, to desolate .Mount Vernon 105
Dunn, Washington's coachman 234
Dutch tile in Washington's birth-place, picture of 20
Earl of Buchan, letter of, accompanying the oaken box sent by him to Washington 258
Elizabethtown Point, Washington met at, by a committee of Congress 20i)
Elkanah Watson, anecdote of his, respecting his vis t at Mount Vernon 304
Ellenborough, Lord, nephew of, marries the granddaughter of Mrs. Washington 110
Emblazoning on Washington's coach, 283
English traders driven away from the Ohio by the French 39
Etiquette, doubts of Washington in relation lo 2i 5
Eulogy of Washington written on the back of the Pitcher J'oi trait 350
Eulogy of Washington, written on the back of the Shaipless i)n)flle o52-3o4
Evans, Mrs. Eliza, daughter of General Anthony Walton White f'6
Evening — a landscape, by Winstanley 305
Everett, Edward, large sum paid by, into the treasury of the LtuUes Mount Vernan Asko-
ciatioii 35(
F.
Fairfax, Ann6, wife of Lawrence Washington 28
Fairfax, Bryan, at Mount Vernon with Major Gates ! 8
Fairfax, General, leader of the Parliamentary forces 14
Fairfax, Lord "^
" large d(>main of, in Virginia . 30
" death of, at Greenway I'ourt, in nt2 30
Fairfax, Sir William 29
" a soldierin the Indies ■■ 31
" narratives of, influence young Washington 31
INDEX 367
PAGE
Fairfax, Washington a vestryman of the parish of 72
Family dinner at W;i*liington"s house in New Yorlc ' • 209
Family plate of Washington made over again in New York, and additions made to, in 1TS9 . 251
" several pieces of, now in nse at Arlington House 251
Farowell Address of Washington, prepared by Washington at Mount Vernon 276
" profound sensation caused by its publication 27T
" said by Alison to be unequalled as an uninspired compos tion 277
Farewell dinner of Washington at Philadelphia, in 1797 280
Federal city, Major L'Enfant employed to make a plan and survey of 256
" named by the commissioners without Washington's knowledge 257
" point of land selected by Washington for the 256
" singular historical fact respecting the site of the 236
" Washington meets commissioners to lay out 256
Federal Convention, Washington president of 180
Fenci ng, Washington takes lessons in, from Van Braam 36
Field, an English painter, takes a button from Washington's coat 81
" anecdote of °2
" becomes a bishop in Canada •• 83
First President of the United States, Washington elected 189
Flag, British, captured at Yorktown, presented to Washington, picture of 104
Flag Hessian, presented to Washington 102
" picture and description of 103
Flower-garden at Mount Vernon, plants in H3
Fort du Quesne taken possession of by Colonel Washington 46
France, hostile attitude of, in 1793 306
" preparations made for war with, in 1798 307
•' pacific relations with, on the overthrow of the Directory by Napoleon Bonaparte. . 310
" unanimity of nulitary leaders in looking to Washington in the impending war with, 307
Franklin, Dr., to superintend making of statue of Washington 158
Franklin's staff willed to Washington 120
Fraunces' Tavern, at New York. Washington parted with his officers at 117
Frederick the Great, his praise of Washington 102
Fredericksburg, Washington visits his mother at in 1781 115
Freemasons at the funeral of Washington 327, 329
French Directory, insolent attitude of, toward the United States 307
French dominion ceases south of Lake Erie, on Washington's taking Fort du Quesne 47
French minister, furniture of, purchased by Washington 214
French officers' admiration of Washington's mother 115
Frestel, M.. tutor of young Lafayette, favorable mention of, by Washington. ..• 293
Funeral of Washington, detailed account of 326-329
" minute guns fired from schooner of Mr. Kobert Hamilton, during 827
Funeral procession of Washington, gentlemen who made the arrangements for 327
" composition and order of 328
G.
Galveston. Spanish ship-of-war, salutes Washington 200
Garden-house at Mount Vernon, picture of 143
Gardens at Mount Vernon 142
Gardoqui, Don Diego, at Washington's table 208
Gates, Major Iloratu), at Mount Vernon 93
'• sketch of portrait of 9"
" Avith Bryan Fairfax, at Mount Vernon 98
Germantown, Washington proposes to call I'ongress together at, in consequence of the pres-
ence of yellow fever in Philadelphia 273
family of Washington at, in the summer of 1794 274
Giles, Tommy, notice of 246,247
Gist, agent of English Ohio <"ompany, questioned by an Indian 38
Glass-ware, first manufactured in the United States •• 190
" Washington's letter to Jetferson respecting 191
3t)8 INDEX.
I"A<.K
Gloucester, Duke of, speaks of the Americans in presence of Lafayette 149
Goblets, silver, belonging to Washington V^S
'" picture of one 124
Gold medal decreed to Washington by Congress for the recovery of Boston 101
picture of 10'2
Gorget, silver, worn by Washington, while in the colonial service, history of, by Mr. Quincy 84.^
(Jrahani. Mrs. Macaulay, modest allusion of Washington to the visit of, in 1785 314
(iray's Ferry, Washington's reception at 198
Greene, General, Washington dines with the widow of, in 1791 256
Greene, Rev. Ashbel, particular description by, of W.ashington's hab ts at table 28-3
Greenway Court 80
Greenwood, Isaac I., owner of Washington's pistols 226
Gunston Ilall, the seat of George Mason 71
H.
Hale, Sir Matthew, his "Contemplations Moral and r)i\ine," read by Washington's mother, 17
Hallam, Lewis, at the head of a company of players 01
Hannlton, Alexander, letter of, to Washington, on peace 116
" proposes a convention of states to amend the Ariieles of CorifeOerulioii 17g
" urges Washington to accept office a second term 269
" appointed first major-^ieneral of the Provisional Army S09
Hamilton, Mr. Kobert, tires minute guns from his schooner during the fum -ral of Wushington 327
Harpsichord presented to Nelly Custis by Washington 267
" now at Arlington House 268
Harrison, Benjamin, goes with Washington to the Congress in IT"."' 99
" governor of Virginia, letter of, respecting the statue of Washington 161
Hay, Colonel Samuel, pistols presented to, by Washington 2i(i
Hen ry Lee, General, i)ortrait of 332
Henry, Patrick, speech of, in Virgin a Assembly 71
" at Mount Vernon, on his way to the first Congress 88
'■ portrait of 89
" business of Congress opened by 90
Head-quarters. Washington's first 40
" picture of 41
Home of Washington, as it was in 1759 ..• 53
Home and tomb of Washington to be ever cherished as memorial trc;isures 3.59
Hopkinson, Francis, portrait of, painted by Pine 1(,C
" letter of Washington to, in relation to his sitting to Pine for his portrait 166
Hospitalities, Washington's, reasons for declining, on his Southern tour in ITiH 254
Houdon, the sculptor, engaged to make a statue of Washington 161
" his bust of Washington 162
" letter of Washington to 162
Houdon's bust of W.ashington, pieture of -16;}
Hounds, French, presented to Washington by Lafayette 169
'• anecdote of one of them 170
Humphreys, Colonel, accompanies Washington to Mount Vernon in ITbl 106
" resident guest at Mount Vtrnon 181
" portrait of 1S|
" brings pictures from K'ng Louis to Washington 182
" writes his Life of Putnam at Mount Vernon 182
Hunting establishment at Mount Vernon broken up 170
I.
Ice-house at Mount Vernon, picture of 147
Inauguration of John Adams 281
Inauguration of Washington, as first president of the United States . 201
" less parade at the second than at the first 270
" pleasant picture of the second 270
Inkstand of Washington, description of 299
'• picture of 300
INDEX. 369
J, PAGE
laokson. Major, accompanies Washington to Mount Vernon and on his Suutliern tour, in 1791. 253
Jane and Mary Washington, autographs of 18
Jay, John, letter of Washington to, m 17S6 179
'• anxiety of Washington respecting the treaty made by 275
Jay, Ke V. William, impromptu lines of, on seeing a picture of Mount Vernon 359
Jefferson, Thomas, letter of, respecting Iloudon 161
" letter of, respecting bust of Lafayette 229
K.
Key of the Bastile, letter of Washington to Lafayette respecting the 223
Ki Ichen and danciitg-hall erected by Mr. Custis at Arlington Spring 253
Knox, General, Washington's letter to, respecting his going into office 191
" at Washington's inauguration 202
" letter of Washington to, two days before his retirement to private life 27S, 283
" appointed third major-general of the Provisional Army 309
L.
jAidies' Mount Vernon Association ithe present owners of Mount Vernon 357
Lafayette, Marquis de, visit of, at Mount Vernon in 1784 149
arrival of at JSfew York, in 1784 l^O
" Washington's intuitive perception of his character on his first arrival 150
letter of, to Washington at New York 151 .
portrait of 152
" commander of National Guard in France 219
" sends key of Bastile to Thomas Paine, to be sent by him to Washington 220
•' letter of, to Washington, presenting key of the Baslile . 222
bust of, at Mount Vernon 229
picture of bust of 23"
•■ ceremony at the presentation of the bust of, to the e ty of Paris 231
anxiety of Washington respecting the misfortunes of 285
a prisoner in a dungeon at Olmutz for three years 289
wife and daughters of, share his prison at Olmutz 289
letter of Washington to, respecting his son 292
" nuissive gold ring presented to, by Mr. Custis, at the tomb of Wash ngton 340
Lafayette, George Washington, accompanies Washington to ..oiuit N'crnon. on his retire-
ment from office in 1797 285
portrait of 286
arrives at Boston from France in 1795 289
'• parental feelings of Washington toward 289
" reasonsofstategovern Washington's mannorof receiving, on his arrival from France, 289
•' letter of Edward Livingston to 291
" resolution of Congress respecting 291
" return of to Prance, in 1797 292
letter of to G. W. P. Custis, in 1825 295
Lafayette, Madame, letter of Washington to 134
" her admiration of Washington 152
" sends Masonic apron to Washington • 153
" picture of Masonic apron sent by, to Washington 153
"Lament of Washington," pnem from the pen of Attorney-General Bradford, respecting the
misfortunes of Lafayette 287'
Langdon, John, president of the United States senate pro tempore 192
informs Washington by letter of his elevation to the presidency • 192
Lantern, ancient iron, eighty years at Mount Vernon, now at Arlington House 302
" ' picture of 301
La Salle, commander-in-chief of the militia of Paris 218-
I,ast illness of Washington, detailed account of 816-321
Last words of Washington 321
Lawrence Washington, goes to Barbadoes for his health 37
•24
870 INDEX.
PAOB
Lawrence Washington, accompanied to Barbailoes by bis brother George 37
" his return home from IJarbadocs, and death 37
Lear, Tobias, becomes a resident at Mount Vernon 177
" his stay there remembered in Washington's will 177
" letters of Washington to, relating to his coach 285
" lettei's of Washinston to, relating to his house and furniture in Philadelphia. . .236- 239
" residing in the family of Washington at the time of his last illness . . 316
Lee, General Charles, at Mount Vernon . 98
" portrait of 94
Lee, Kichurd Henry, letter of, to Washington, when a child 23
" the first to congratulate Washington after his taking the oath of office 202
" his opinion of The Jiiyhts of Man by Thomas Paine 262
" letter of Washington to, respecting a newly-invented threshing-machine 273
" invited to pronounce an oration on the occasion of Washington's funi-ral 832
"• anecdote of, showing his familiarity Avith Washington 333
Lee, Mrs. Kobert E., the great-granddaughter of Mrs. Washington 85
Lemon-tree at Mount Vernon 144
L'Enfant Major, employed to furnish a plan and survey of the federal city 256
" his plans of the federal city approved of by Congress . 257
Lepine, watches made by, purchased by Washington 2(l6
Levees, Washington's 211
Lewis, George, inherits a sword from Washington ... 219
Lewis, Lawrence, a suitor for the hand of Nelly Custis 311
" invited to take up his residence at Mount Vernon in 1798 ?I0
" and Nelly Custis married on Washington's birthday, 1799 313
Lewis, Major, re-entombs remains of Washington and his wife in marble sarcopliag , 'n 1S.37. 840
Lewis, liobert, instructed by Washington in the management of his estate 257
Lexington, effects of the news of the battle of, at Mount Vernon 9S
Liquor-chest that belonged to Washington, remaining at Mount Vernon in 1 ^57 SIC
" picture of .■?47
Livormore, Mr. George, h s account of asilver gorget, a rel e of AVash ngton's earlier life. . . . 844
Livingston, Chancellor, administers the oath of office to AVashington in 1789 201
Livingston Edward, letter of, to George Washington Lafayette 291
Livingston, Governor, entertains Mrs. Washington -.09
Livingston, Itobert E., secretary for foreign affairs I Ifi
" letterof, to Washington, communicating the news of tlie conclusion of peace, in 1783. 1 16
London C'troiiicie, sketch of Washington in Ill
Louis XVI. sends an engraving of himself to Washington 1^2
Lunt, his lines on the burial-place of Washington ,, 334
M.
McCombs. house of, occup ed by Washington 214
Macubbin, Mrs , opens a ball at Annapolis with Washington 1.18
McHenrj-, Mr. letter of Washington to, from Mount Vernon, after his retirement 298
" letter of Washington to, respecting the antic pated troubles with France 308
" an.xiety of Washington expressed to, that his affairs might be found in order after
hsdeath 315
"McKean, Sally, becomes the wife of the Marquis d'Trugo 276
Mcl'hrrson's Blues, six survvors of. in 1859 383
" [licture of uniform of 334
Madison, James, wr tes an inscription for the statue of Washington . .. ICO
" at Mount Vernon with Houdon, the French sculptor 163
Mansion near the Potomac, the home of the Washington family 18
Mansion, the presidential, at Philadelphia, jiicture of 253
Manuscrii)t iiiemorandum of Washington 149
Marble coffin of Washington, picture of . . . . 842
Marquee and Tent of Washinsrlon 124, 125
" p cture of portmanteaux contain ng 126
Marr ages of foreign envoys with American women, numerous 2T6
Marshall, lion John, announces the death of Washington to Congress 331
INDEX. S'^1
PAGE
Mason, George, Washington's neighbor and friend ^J
Masonic apron presented to Washington by Madame Lafayette | w
'' picture of. • • _
Massey, Bev. Lee, minister of Pohick Church
Maiirepas, Count, remarli of, in relation to Lafayette
Meade, Bishop, notice of MASon L. Weems, by
letter of, in relation to Washington's English coach ^^^
Mercer, Dr. Hugh, at Mount Vernon
Mifflin, Governor, meets Washington on the frontiers of Pennsylvania «»^
Military clothes of Washington, picture of ^^^
Miniature of Washington, by Mrs. Sharpless ■■■
Miniature portrait of Mrs. Washington, painted by R.)bertson in 1 .92 ^ou
Mirror of Washington still at Mount Vernon
jj • .t • f
Monuments'' ."i^'te^verai ■members of the' Washington family on the east side of the tomb of __^
the General • ' ' ' ■^; ' ' ' ' ", '.
"Morning" and '• Evening"-landscapes painted for Washington, by W.nstanley, now at ^^^
Arlington House
Morris, George P., h:s ode on Washington's sword and Franklin's staft i^'
Morris, Gouverneur, stands to Houdon for the figure of Washingt.m ibo
" sends wine-coolers to Washington
Morris, Mrs., accompanies Mrs. Washington to New York
Morris, Robert, builds a studio for Pine the portr.ait painter »»
" house of, in Philadelphia, rented for Washington's residence -s^"
Mon-is, Roger, marries Mary Phillipse
" picture of his residence.
" proscribed, as an "enemy to his country"
Mortar, bronze, that belonged to Cimon Washington in 1664, picture of ih
Mossom, Rev. David, unites Washington and Mrs. Custis in marriage &l
Mother of Wa.shington, visited by him for the last time .
" "■ in HMD
28
MotieT, a family name of Lafayette .assumed by liis son in 1795 290
Motto of the Washington family ....
Mount Vernon, the mansion at, built by Lawrence Washington
style of living at, before the Revolution °
" picture of present landing at
" changes in and around
little children at
" sorrow at, in 1781 ^.g
" mansion at, and its surroundings described ■ ■ •
- mansion and other buildings at, found by the Gener.al much in want of repair, after ^^
his eight years' absenee
hospitalities at, continued after the death of the General • • <5*5o
" passes into the possession of Bushrod W.ashington, nephew of the General, on the ^^^
death of Mrs. Washington '
" becomes the property of John Augustine Washington in lS-9 ^4'
Mrs. Jane Washinjiton mistress of, in 1832 _
few art.cles of the personal property of Washington remaining at ^
articles that belonged to Washington, remaining at, in 1837 346
" engravings that belonged to Washington still remaining at
" successive owners of, for one hundred and sixteen years
" inconsiderate conduct of visitors at
" for many years falling into decay
proposition to make it a national possession ^^"
high price otfcred by speculators for, rejected ^^
" t\Zi>rui)evty of the Ladies' Mount Venu>nA'\si>ciation 3o7
" the work of renovation and restorati<m commenced at 857
" moral associ.ations connected with the name
Moustier, Count de, French minister, at Mount Vernon
Mural candelabrti, used in Washington's dining-room at Philadelphia, picture of oUl
S55
355
355
356
858
184
372 INDEX.
X. PAGE
Nocker, M., dismissed from his post as minister of finance, in France 219
" bust of, presented to Washington 227
" inscriptions on bust of, presented to Washington 228
" picture of bust of Necker, presented to Washington 229
Newport, Rhode Island, Washington makes a voyage to, for the beneflt of his health 214
North, Lord, emotions of, on hearing of the defeat of Cornwallis 1 1 •">
O.
Oath of office administered to Washington in 1793, by Judge Gushing 269
Occoquan Falls, mills at, destroyed by Lord Dunmore 105
Ode to Washingtou sung at Trenton 199
Ogden, Charles S., original study of Peale's first portrait of Washington, in possession of 68
Olmutz, dungeon at, the prison of Lafayette for three years . 289
Oraion pronounced by General Henry Lee, on the occasion of the funeral of Washington . 332
Otis, Mr., holds the Bible at Washington's inauguration .201
P.
Packsaddle used by Washington on his expedition to the Ohio country in 1753, picture of . . 39
I'aine, Thomas, letter of to Washington respecting the key of the Basiile 222
" letter of to Washington respecting the success of " 77(« i2«(;/t^<( (7/"J/«w," 262
" Washington shamefully abused by, in a published letter 2fi3
Patrick Henry's opinion of Washington 91
Patrick Henry, Washington heai-d the burning words of, in the Virginia Assembly 97
Peace, desire for in England 110
" Washington's letter to Clinton on the subject of 1 1(1
Peale, Angelica, crowns Washington at Gray's Ferry in 1789 19.S
Peale, Charles Willson, beginning of artist life of 80
paints Washington at Mount Vernon in 1772 80
" portrait of 81
fac-simile of his receipt for ten guineas for painting miniature of Mrs. Washington, 83
" ordered by Gov Harrison to paint a portrait of Washington to make a statue from, 161
" emblematic paintings by, on the occasion of Washington's retirement from office. . 2S2
Peale, Rembrandt, his history of the Pitcher Portrait and the euh>gy on the back of it .... 319
Pendleton, Edmund, at Mount Vernon on his way to the first Congress 88
Peters, Judge, meets Washington on the frontiers of Pennsylvania 197
Philadelphia the federal city for ten years 244
Phillipse, Mary, Washington in love with 45
" marries Roger Morris 45
" portrait of 5
Pinckney, Gov. Charles Cotesworth, receives Washington at the wharf in Charleston, in 1791, 255
" reply of, to the insulting proposition of the French Directory 307
appointed second major-general of the Provisional Army 309
Pine, Robert Edge, an English painter, at Mount Vernon 165
" his portrait of Washington in Montreal. .. . 168
Pistols, Washington's, desci-iption and picture of . 226
Pitcher Portrait, and eulogy of Washington on the back of it 349-354
Plan of the grounds at Mount Vernon 141, 142
Plaster cast taken of the face of Washington . 15S
Plate, Washington's, picture of pieces of, at Arlington House 252
Pohick Church, Washington attends 73
" rebuilding of, 7.3
•' Washington's drawing of 73
" author's visit to 77
picture of 78
" present condition of 79
" picture of pulpit "9
Precedents established for the President of the United Slates 205
Presence of Washington, remarkable sense of awe caused bv 2T1
/
INDEX. '373
PAGE
I'resideHtial mansion at I'hiladeli)hia, picture of 253
Profile portrait of Washington 29.i
Profile portrait of Mrs. Washington 297
Protestant Episcopal Church, burial service of Washington according to the r.tual of 327
Provisional Army, Washington ai>pointed commander-in-chief of, in view of the impending
war with France 308
" major-generals and other officers appointed by Washington 309
Punch-bowl, tea-table, and sideboard, picture of 303
Putnam, Life of, written at Mount Vernon by Humphreys 182
R.
Handolph, Peyton, chosen president of first Congress 00
Kanney, letter of Washington to, in relation to his sending flag-stones, &e., from Kngland. . . 139
Rawlins, Mr., one of Washington's overseers, sent for to bleed Washington in his last llness, 31S
Heading of Washington at his second inauguration 272
Iteceptions of Mrs. Washington 210
Receptions of Washington at New York and at Philadelphia 211, 212
Recollections and Private Memoirs <f Washington, interesting corres|iondence of Wash-
ington to be found in 312
Remains of Washington, account of the re-entorabment of, in 1S37 340-313
Resolution, i mportant, passed by the first Congress 90
Retirement from office of Washington, extract from a newspaper of the day, describing a
public entertainment on the occasion of 2S2
Revolution, flames of, kindling, in 1778 86
Revolution, involuntary tribute by ladies to the memory of •J>2
Revolution, French, breaking out of .. . 218
Ripon, Earl of, present owner of the English seat of the Washington family Iti
Rochambeau, Count de, at Mount Vernon in HSl 106
portrait of 107
l^oom in which Washington died, i)icture of. 324
Roosevelt, Mr., funeral of the wife of 205
Rush, Dr., remarks of, in relation to the seat of government 243
Rush, the late venerable Richard, incident related by, illustrating the feelings of Washington
toward Lafayette in misfortune 267
S.
Sago palm at Mount Vernon 145
St. John's Lodge, in New York, in possession of the Bible used at Washington's inauguration, 203
Sarcophagi of Washington and his wife, description of 342
Seal, impression of Washington's, attached to a death-warrant 17
Seal, impression of Washington's last watch, picture of 207
Seal-ring, picture of Washington's IT
Seal.s, Washington's watch, lost on Braddock's field and in Virginia, and afterward found... . 17
•' pictures of 17
Secretary, Washington's, willed to Dr. Craik 214
picture of 215
Sharpless, James, his profile portraits of Washington and Jlrs. Washington said to be the bp'rt
likenesses extant 295
Sharpless, Mrs., beautiful miniature of Washington by 290
Shield, silver, on Washington's coffin, picture of 327
Sideboard, black walnut, that belonged to Lawrence Washington, now at Arlington House. 302
Silver candlestick, Washington's, picture of 303
Silver inkstand of Washington, description of 299
Sotoniayer, Duke of, a native of Philadelphia 276
Southern States, tour of Washington through, in 1791 254
Spaniards, depredations of, on British commerce in the West Indies 25
Spy glass, Washington's anecdote in connection with 224
picture of 224
374 INDEX.
I a<;e
statuary, orders of Washington for, from London 58
Statue, bronze, of Washington, ordered hy Congress 157
'■ to be made by the best sculptor in Europe 158
Statue of Washington, ordered by the legislature of Virginia 159
Steuben, Baron, at Washington's inauguration 202
Stockton, Annis, assistance of, in honoring Washington at Trenton 199
Strickland, Mr., his description of the personal apjiearance of Major Lewis In 1837 S41
Struthers, Mr. John, marble sarcophagi presented by, fur the re-entombing of the remains
of Washington and his wife, in lb37 ... 340
Stuart, Da\ id, Washington wills his telescope and shaving apparatus to .35, 63
" marries the wi<low of John Parke Custis 35
Stuart, Gilbert, painter of Eleanor Parke Custis 1 15
Style, ohl and new, how it originated 20
Summer-house at Mount Vernoji, picture of 143
Sword and staff, Washington's and Franklin's, picture of, and ode by George P. Morris 121
Sword, Washiugton's, picture of . 211
" will concerning 212
T.
Table, particular description by Rev. Ashbel Greene of Washington's habits at 283
Tea-table, Washington's, now at Arlington house, description of. 302
Telescope, Washington's, in the possession of the wife of Itev. A. B. Atkinson 85
" picture of 36
Telescope, Washington's pocket, presented to General Jackson 225
The Entry^ a satire, published in I7b9 201
Thomson, Ciiarles, secretary of Congress, carries to Washington at Mount Vejnon, a not.ce
of his election to the presidency 192
" portrait of 198
Thornton, Dr., his plan for the capitol approved of by Washington 257
Threshing-machine, letter of Washington to General Henry Lee respecting one 278
Tomb of Washington broken into thirty years after his death 330
" description of 342-344
" p cture of 343
Travelling writing-case, Washington's, picture of 126
Tray, Washington's silver, anecdote respecting 252
Trenton, triumphal arch at, in honor of Washington 199
Trunk, Washington's travelling, described 121
" picture of . 122
Truro Point, Washington a vestryman at 72
V.
Van Bra.am, teaches Washington the art of fencing 36
Vases, porcelain, that belonged to Washington, picture of 174
Vanghan Samuel, presents a marble chimney-piece to Washington 171
Vault, the Washington family, site of a proposed new one indicated to Major Lewis by
Washington, a few days before his death 315
Vault, the Washington family, directions left in the General's will concerning 3119
Vault, old, uf the Washington family, i)icture of 330
Vernon, Admiral, commander-in-chief of the English navy in the West Indies 25
" portrait of 26
" medal in commemoration of h s capture of Porto Bello, preserved at Mount Vernon 27
Virginia, address of legislature of, to Washington 160
" legislature of, vote a statue of Washington 169
Von Berckel, copy of an allegorical picture painted by the wife of 186
Vulcan, a French hound, anecdote of 171
W.
Walker, Colonel, aide to Baron Steuben, takes a letter to Gov. Clinton from Mount Vernon, 118
Wallace, words of, brought to memory of the author, while occupied in sketching the death-
chamber of Washington 825
INDEX.
375
PAGE
.. 1S7
.. 16
. . u
IS"!
y06
attends the theatre at Williamsburg,
end (if his dancing days.
in CO
nfercnce wiih Bryan Fairfax and Majur Gates.
37
37
Warville, Brissotde. at Mount Vernon
Washin-lon and the Fairfaxes in Vir-inia in political opposition
Washin^'ton, a page of Charles I., dies at Madrid
Washinilton, Augustine, father of George, death of
" ~ bequeaths Hunting Creek estate to Lawrence
Washington Benevolent Society, recipient of Wasliington's masonic apron
Washington, Bushrod, wills his watch to Mr. Adams ■ ^^^
'• " receives a sword from General Washington ■
" becomes master of M..unt Vernon on the death of Mrs. Washing .m 336
Washington Colonel William, hospitalities of proffered to Washington on his Southern toui, 254
Washington family emigrate to America nine years after the death of LharU-s 1 10
Washington, George, a boy at Mount Vernon ^^
'• about to enter the navy / ' '
" a letter from his uncle lo his mother decides her against Ins going to s.a 3-
returns to school, and loves a " lowland beauty" '
goestolive with his brother at Mount Vernon ^
the friend of George William Fairfax ^^
" admires Fairfax's wife's sister ^^
" hunts with old Lord Fairfax ^^
goes beyond the Blue Ridge as a surveyor ^^
" appointed public surveyor ^
" record of his commission
commissioned adjutant of his military district
" heir to the Mount Vernon estate
" his property on the Rappahannock ^^
" sent by Diuwiddie to the Ohio ^'^
again in the field in 1754 ^^
" made c<donel in 1754 .
leaves the service and retires to Mount Vernon
" his mother endeavors to dissuade him from go ng t.. i he field again 4-i
enters Braddoek's family ^.^
preserved on the field of blood • ■ '
" most of the tim« in camp for Ibur years afterward, except w hen sick 44
" his journey to Boston in 1736
" sick at Mount Vernon ■
a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia ^^
" story df his love and courtship ^^
takes his bride to Mount Vernon
" personal appearance of, at the time of his marriage •^-
" present from Frederick the Great to ■• ^^
with his wife at the Virginia capital ^^
64
,. f 68
ap|ie;iranee ot, on his lai m»
chief crops of his farms „l
views calmly the approaching political storm ^^
activity of, in public affairs '
a vestryman of Truro and Fairfax parishes
first portrait of, by Peale, at the age of forty ^
■ iournev of, to Philalelphia as delegate in the first Congress ^»
100
•• appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army
" gold medal declared by Congress in his hon:n- , , ' V ' ' ;. i<?^
" letters of, allu.ling to his retirement after the war, to Knox ami Lafayette. ^^ irf^
Washington, George A., ill health of, in i;il2 • • ""^ " ofis
distress of W.oshington on account of the mortal sickness ot ^"»
Washington, George Steptoe, receives a sword from the General ^^^
Washington, Harriet, a resident of M.uint Vernon .•■/„•.•, ^4
Washington. Henry, defender of the English city of Worcester .ag.iinst Fairfax 14
37(5 INDEX.
1*AG E
Wusliington, John A., sends a watch to Mr. Adams 207
Mount Vernon bequeathed to, by Judge Washington .340
Washington, Liiwrence, portrait of -25
" his military sp rit 25
" present at the attack of Admiral Vernon and General Wentworth on Carthagena . 20
'" friendship of Wentworth and Vernon for 27
" his marriage 2)S
" takes possessi(m of the estate upon the death of his fatlier, and names it Mount Vernon, 23
" adjutant-general of his district 81
" portrait of, still at Mount Vernon 349
Washington Lodge, Ale.xandria, Washington's masonic ai>i<jn in 156
Wiishington, Lund, the General's overseer 104
" reproved by the General for saving Mount Vernon from destruction by giving aid
to the enemies of his country 105
Washington, Mrs., portraits of children of 52
portraits of 53, 261, 297
•' in camp and at head-quarters 100
" letters to, from her husband, destroyed by her 100
" grandchildren of, [tainted by Pine 167
" letter of, a.sking Fanny for an apron 207
" honors paid to, on her way to New York 208
" first drawing-room of, at New York 210
" first public reception of, in Philadelphia 247
" company at public receptions of 24S
" excessive fondness of, for her grandchildren 266
resignation of, exhibited at the death-bed of her husband b22
" reply of, to Congress, respecting the disposition of the rejiiains of her husband 334
" letters and visits of condolence to, after the deatli of her husbaii<l 335
death of, in 1S02 336
Washington, Mrs. Jane, mistress of Mount Vernon in 1832 340
Washington, Samuel, receives a sword from the General 212
Washingtons an ancient English family 14
Watch, owned by Washington, picture of. 207
Water-mark, on paper made for Washington, picture of 343
Watson and Cossoul, correspondence of, with Washington respecting his masonic ajirou . . . 1.15
Watson, Elkanah, anecdote of his, resiiecting his visit at Mount Vernon 304
" remarks of, in relation to Washington's masonic ajtron 156
Watson, John F., owns Washington's military button 81
Weems, llev. Mason L., officiates at Pohick Church 75
" portrait of . 75
Westford, sole survivor of Judge Washington's slaves, portrait of 33S
White. General Anthony Walton, picture of gold pen presented to, by Washington 66
•' Widow of Malabar,'' translated by Humphreys at Mt. Vernon, performed at Philadel|)hia.. 183
Will of Washington, executed in July, 1799, written out entirely by himself 315
Wine-cooiers, disposition of, that belonged to Washington . . 250
" picture of, 251
Winstanley, Wdliam, landscapes ".Morning" and "Evening" painted for Washington by 806
Wolcott, Oliver, of Connecticut, prudence of 245
'• letter of, respecting the president's habits of economy 242
Worcester, English city of, defended by Henry Washington against Fairfax 14
Wright, Joseph, paints portraits of Washington and his wife 168
" attempts to take a plaster mould from Washington's fa(H' 158
" makes a medal die of Washington 159
Wright, Mrs. Patience, wax figures of 158
Y.
Yellow fever in Philadelphia in 1794. Washington retires to Mount Vernon to avoid 272
Yrugo, .Marquis d', the Spanish min ster, the guest of Washington ii 1796 at Mount Vernon . . 275
" becomes the husband of Sallv McKean 276
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