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MEMOIRS 


OF 


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OF 


WASHINGTON 


MARGARET    C.    CONK  LING 


AUTHOR  OF  HARPERS'   TRANSLATION  OF  c;  FLORIAN'S  HISTORY  OF  THE   MOORS 
OF  SPAIN  ;  "   "  ISABEL,  OR  TRIALS  OF  THE  HEART  J  "   &C,  &C. 

I 


Of  differing  themes  the  veering  song  was  mix'd. 


"  To  teach  us  how  divine  a  thing 
A  woman  may  be  made." 


AUBURN 

DERBY,    MILLER,    &   CO 

1850. 


<.?1^ 


!- 


■tr 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1849,  by 

DERBY,    MILLER   &    CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Northern  District  of 

New- York. 


KNAPP   AND   PECS,  PRINTERS,  AUBDRM. 


TO 

MRS.  WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD, 

AND 

IN  TOKEN  OF  HIGH  REGARD, 

THIS  VOLUME 
IS    VERY    RESPECTFULLY     INSCRIBED. 


Thanks  for  the  picture  of  thy  daily  life— 
Thy  bright  example,  Daughter,  Mother,  Wife  ! 
The  watchful  care  that  cheers  thy  sire's  decline, 
As  a  lone  shaft's  long  shielded  by  a  vine, 
A  gentle,  holy  lesson,  graven  deep, 
Thy  daughter,  cherished  in  her  heart,  will  keep  ; 
Thy  couch  of  suffering  she'll  bend  above, 
And  sooth  thee,  ever,  with  devoted  love. 
Constant  to  thee,  thy  sons  will  crown  thy  days 
AYith  reverence,  heart-felt  blessings,  fondest  praise! 
And  he  ,  still  proving  thee  truest  of  friends, 
The  homage  of  whose  faith  on  thee  attends, 
"Wherever  tossed  'rnid  life's  tumultuouB  jar, 
E'er  turn  to  thee,  his  fixed,  his  guiding  star, 
And  in  thy  smile  benign,  confiding  seek 
The  peace,  the  happiness,  thy  prayers  bespeak!— 
When  thou  in  Heaven  dost  fold  thy  spirit.wing, 
Around  thy  name  will  sweetest  memories  cling, 


VI  DEDICATION. 

Soft  as  the  balmy  breath  of  fragrance  cast 
On  earthly  bowers,  where  Peri's  wing  has  pass'd, 
Or  radiance  ling'ring  round  the  glowing  West, 
When  day  serene  has  gently  sunk  to  rest ! 

Long  may  Columbia's  Daughters  thus  portray 
The  lofty  Yirtue  of  her  earlier  day  !  — 
And  may  the  blessings  of  thy  heart  and  hearth 
Change  but  for  those  of  bright,  empyreal  birth ! 

M. 
January  1st,  1850. 


MEMOIR 

OF 


Lifs  is  not  lost,  from  which  is  brought 
Endless  renown , 

SrsNCSK. 


Virtue,  on  no  aid  extraneous  bent. 
Is  to  hersell,  her  own  bright  ornament 


Tasso, 


INTRODUCTION. 


Here  Woman  reigns  ;  the  mother,  daughter,  wife,— 
Strews  with  fresh  flowers  the  narrow  way  of  life  ; 
In  the  clear  heaven  of  her  delightful  eye, 
An  angel  guard  of  loves  and  graces  lie  ; 
Around  her  knees  domestic  duties  meet, 
And  fireside  pleasures  gamhol  at  her  feet. 

Montgomery. 

The  artist  who  would  embody  the  sublime  ideal 
which  has  long  engrossed  his  spiritual  contemplation — 
the  idol  of  his  ceaseless  adoration,  the  imaginary  im- 
personation of  his  most  exalted  conceptions  of  the 
Beautiful — again  and  again  shrinks  dismayed,  despair- 
ing from  the  impossible  achievement  he  would  fain 
essay.  Thus  does  the  biographer, — whose  best  quali- 
fication for  the  task  too  partial  friendship  has  assigned 
her,  is  profound  reverence  for  the  theme, — approach 
the  awe-inspiring  subject  of  the  following  Memoir. 

The  life  of  woman,  almost  in  proportion  as  it  is  true 
to  the  loftiest  impulses  and  purest  principles  by  which 
she  can  be  actuated,  presents  comparatively  few  inci- 
dents claiming  circumstantial  record  or  remembrance. 

Though  the  wife,  or  the  mother  of  one  who  fills  a 
large  space  in  the  world's  eye,  it  is  still,  usually, 
hers  to  dwell  only  within  the  quiet  precincts  of  do- 
mestic retirement. 

1* 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

The  Hero,  like  a  majestic  river,  that  bears  the  wealth 
of  cities  on  its  ample  waters,  and  diffuses  benefits  to 
thousand  s,  speeds  onward  in  his  high  career,  his  steps 
resounding  in  the  ears  of  listening  nations ;  while  the 
mother,  from  whom,  perchance,  he  derived  the  intellec- 
tual power  that  impels  and  sustains  this  lofty  course, 
still,  like  a  life-giving  fountain  whose  sweet,  bright  wa- 
ters diffuse  beauty,  and  health,  and  happiness,  lingers 
ever  in  the  shade,  revered  in  the  protecting  sanctity  of 
Home. 

The  world  may  never  know,  may  never  seek,  the 
gushing  waters  of  the  secluded  fountain.  But  beside 
its  peace-breathing  murmurs,  the  worn  and  weary  wan- 
derer,— fame-pilgrim  though  he  be,  seeks  repose ; 
returning  once  more,  and  yet  once  more,  to  imbibe  its 
benign  aud  soothing  influences.  In  the  quiet  haunt  it 
loves,  dwell  gentle  spirits  who  minister  to  the  wayfarer, 
and  watch,  with  ceaseless  care,  over  the  sequestered 
purity  and  loveliness,  which  it  is  their  precious  charge 
forever  to  preserve,  in  inexhaustible  and  unsullied  per- 
fection. 

As  flow  the  crystal  waters  of  a  hallowed  well-spring, 
glided  on  the  life  of  Mary  Washington  ;  thus  serene, 
and  pure,  and  secluded,  thus  genial  and  beneficent, 
and  blessed  ! 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  LIFE 

OF 

MARY    WASHINGTON 


Introduction. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Mrs.  "Washington's Birth— Descent— Family  Name— Education— Marriage 
— The  Death  of  her  Husband — Her  Age  when  that  Event  occurred — 
State  of  Mrs.  Washington's  pecuniary  Affairs — The  Recollections  of 
her  son  George,  respecting  his  Father — His  Testimony  to  the  Influ- 
ence of  his  Mother— Mrs.  Washington's  Practical  Abilities  called  into 
requisition — Her  system  of  Domestic  Discipline — Her  good  sense  in 
conducting  the  Early  Education  of  her  children— Mrs.  Washington  a 
Christian  Matron. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  History  of  Mrs.  Washington  associated  with  that  of  her  son  George 
— His  early  efforts  at  Self-Maintenance— His  initiatory  Military  Ad- 
ventures a  source  of  Anxiety  to  his  Mother— The  Deaths  of  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's two  eldest  sons— Letter  addressed  by  Col.  Washington  to 
his  Mother,  after  the  Battle  of  the  Monongahela— His  Illness — Ap- 
pointment to  the  Chief  Command  of  the  Virginia  Troops— Letter  to 
Mrs.  Washington  upon  this  subject — Her  clear-sighted  discernment  of 
the  practical  Objections  to  this  Post— No  Minute  Details  respecting  this 
portion  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Life. 


XII  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Commencement  of  the  Revolution— Washington's  Appointment  as 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American  Army— Mrs.  Washington's  pi- 
ous Resignation— Her  Removal  from  her  country-seat  to  Frederics- 
fcurg,  in  Virginia— Bids  adieu  to  her  Son— Her  Remedy  for  Mental 
Anxiety — Her  practical  Knowledge  now  peculiarly  available  to  Herself 
and  Others— Mrs.  Washington's  active  Habits— Daily  Practice  of  Dri- 
ving out  to  her  Farm — Her  prompt  Discipline  in  respect  to  her  Subor- 
dinates— Anecdote — Constantly  receives  the  Visits  and  Attentions  of 
her  Children  and  Grand-Children— Mrs.  Washington's  Interest  in 
Public  Affairs— Her  confidence  in  the  ultimate  Triumph  of  Right— 
Her  Reception  of  the  news  of  the  successful  Passage  of  the  Delaware 
— Expression  of  her  fervent  gratitude  to  Heaven,  when  informed  of 
the  Surrender  of  the  British  Army  at  Yorktown — The  Commander  in - 
Chief  hastens  to  the  Presence  of  his  Mother— Mrs.  Washington's  Bear- 
ing and  Conversation  on  this  Occasion. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Washington's  Public  Welcome  at  Fredericsburg— Preparations  for  a 
Ball— Mrs.  Washington  specially  Invited— Accepts  the  Invitation, 
attended  by  her  Son — Her  Reception  by  the  Company — Her  Dress, 
Manners  and  Appearance  on  this  public  occasion — Astonishment  of 
the  Foreign  Officers  present — Characteristic  Remark  of  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, upon  Retiring — The  Commander  in-Chief  dances  his  last  min- 
uet. 


CHAPTER  V. 

[rs.  Washington's  Children  desire  her  to  reside  with  them — She  prefers 
a  separate  Establishment — The  affectionate  Devotion  of  her  Children 
and  Friends — Continues  her  habits  of  diligent  Exertion  and  Industry — 
Declines  the  Assistance  of  her  Son -in -Law  in  the  Management  of  her 
Affairs — Receives  a  Visit  from  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette — Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's celebrated  Remark  respecting  her  son  George — The  dignified  na- 
ture of  her  Sentiments  in  relation  to  him — The  Influence  she  always 
maintained  over  his  mind — Washington's  unalterable  Reverence  for 
his  Mother — His  implicit  Obedience  to  her — Mrs.  Washington's  De- 
votional Habits— Her  single  mental  Infirmity — Personal  Appearanc* 
of  Mrs.  Washington. 


CONTENTS.  XIII 


CHAPTER  VI. 

President  Washington  takes  a  final  Leave  of  his  Mother,  hefore  assuming 
his  new  duties — Mr?.  "Washington's  impaired  Health — Her  last  Illness 
and  Death— Letter  from  Washington  to  his  Sister  in  relation  to 
the  Death  of  his  Mother. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

General  Summary  of  the  Character  of  Mrs.  Washington. 

CHAPTER  viii. 

Place  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Interment — Monument  to  her  Memory — 
Laying  of  the  Corner-Stone  by  the  President  of  the  United  States- 
Extracts  from  his  Eulogy — Lines  written  for  this  Occasion,  by  Mrs. 
Sigourney — Description  of  the  Monument. 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER,  I. 


The  name  of  Mary — how  the  heart 
Thrills  at  the  sound  of  that  sweet  name 
The  holiest  thoughts  it  may  impart, 
Or  wake  the  soul  to  deeds  of  fame  ! 


J.  W.  M. 


Well  ordered  home,  man's  best  delight  to  make, 
And  with  submissive  wisdom,  modest  skill, 

To  raise  the  virtues 

Thompson. 

Mrs.  Mary  Washington  was  born  towards  the  con- 
clusion of  the  year  1706.  Little  is  known  of  her  an- 
cestors, except  that  she  inherited  an  unimpeachable 
name.  We  are  informed  that  she  was  descended  from 
a  highly  respectable  family  of  English  colonists,  named 
Ball,  who  originally  established  themselves  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac. 

It  is  to  be  lamented  that  no  records  of  the  youth,  or 
early  womanhood  of  this  illustrious  lady  have  been 
preserved. 


16  MEMOIR  OP 

We  are,  therefore,  in  ignorance  of  the  education  and 
domestic  influences  by  which  her  remarkable  character 
was  developed  and  matured. 

But,  judging  from  the  rare  combination  of  mental 
and  moral  qualities  which  we  find  exhibited  in  the 
brief  history  of  her  later  life,  we  may  suppose  her  home- 
education  to  have  been  particularly  practical  and  judi- 
cious ;  such,  indeed,  was  almost  the  only  instruction 
received  by  women  in  this  country,  at  a  much  later  pe- 
riod than  that  to  which  we  refer. 

To  the  abiding  effect  of  early  maternal  training,  Mrs. 
Washington  must  have  been,  at  least  in  some  degree, 
indebted,  for  her  habits  of  unusual  industry,  economy, 
and  regularity,  as  well  as  for  the  excellent  constitution, 
that  gave  vigor  and  practical  usefulness  to  the  opera- 
tions of  a  naturally  powerful  intellect.  To  the  inefface- 
able impressions  of  infant  years,  we  may  also  ascribe 
the  moral  elevation  and  the  exalted  piety  associated 
with  her  noble  mind. 

We  are  unable  to  ascertain  the  precise  time  qf  Mrs. 
Washington's  marriage  ;  but  we  are  accurately  informed 
of  the  date  of  the  melancholy  event  by  which  the  entire 
charge  of  her  young  family  devolved  upon  their  wid- 
owed mother. 

This  memorable  incident  occurred  in  the  Spring  of 
1743,*  when  Mrs.  Washington  had  scarcely  more  than 
attained  the  completion  of  her  thirty-seventh  year. 

The  premature  death  of  her  husband,  left  Mrs. 
Washington,  with  very  limited  pecuniary  resources,  to 

•April  12, 1743. 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  17 

the  sole  control  and  guidance  of  several  children.  We 
are  told  that  her  son  George  was  but  twelve  years  of 
age,  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  and  that  he  re- 
tained little  remembrance  of  his  deceased  parent.  The 
pleasing  recollection  of  his  personal  appearance,  and  of 
his  paternal  tenderness  formed  the  only  inheritance  of 
memory  in  after  years ;  while  his  emphatic  testimony 
reverted  invariably  to  his  mother  as  the  source  of  his 
usefulness  and  success. 

It  was  now  that  the  extraordinary  characteristics  of 
Mrs.  Washington  began  most  strikingly  to  be  exhibited. 

Gifted  with  great  firmness  and  constancy  of  purpose, 
as  well  as  with  a  clear  judgement,  and  remarkable  men- 
tal independence,  her  self-reliance  was  rapidly  strength- 
ened, and  soon  rendered  habitual  by  circumstances  so 
peculiarly  demanding  its  exercise,  as  those  in  which 
duty  imperatively  summoned  her  to  act. 

Her  thorough  knowledge  of  practical  life  enabled 
Mrs.  Washington  to  superintend  all  matters  relating  to 
the  affairs  of  her  household,  and,  in  a  good  degree,  to 
supply,  by  her  own  indefatigable  industry  and  ingenu- 
ity, whatever  was  necessary  to  the  welfare  and  comfort 
of  her  family.  Order,  regularity  and  occupation 
reigned  supreme  in  her  little  world  of  home. 

She  exacted  implicit  obedience  from  her  children, 
and  she  tempered  maternal  tenderness  with  strict  disci- 
pline ;  but  we  are  told  by  one*  who,  as  the  companion 

♦Laurence  Washington,  Esq.,  of  Chotank,  who  thus  described  his  dis- 
tinguished relative  :  "  I  was  often  there  with  George,  his  playmate,  school- 
mate, and  young  man's  companion.  Of  the  mother  I  was  more  afraid 
than  of  my  own  parents  ;  she  awed  me  in  the  midst  of  her  kindness,  for 


18  MEMOIR  OF 

of  her  son,  occasionally  shared  her  care  and  hospitality, 
that  she  was  "indeed  truly  kind." 

In  that  genuine  and  judicious  kindness  lies  the  se- 
cret of  the  power  always  maintained  by  this  venerated 
mother  over  the  minds  of  her  offspring.  If  she  assumed 
the  right  to  direct  the  actions  of  others,  her  daily  life 
exhibited  such  powers  of  self-control  and  self-denial  as 
convinced  her  children,  by  more  irresistable  evideuce 
than  words  could  possibly  convey,  of  the  justice  and 
disinterestedness  by  which  she  was  habitually  actuated. 

That  she  rendered  their  home,  simple,  nay  even 
humble,  though  it  might  be,  endearing  to  her  children, 
is  proved  in  some  degree,  by  the  frequency  and  pleas- 
ure with  which,  as  we  gather  from  much  incidental  testi- 
mony, the  happy  band  that  once  rejoiced  in  the  com- 
fort and  security  of  her  well-ordered  abode,  in  after 
years  revisited  the  maternal  roof.  Indeed,  we  are  ex- 
pressly informed,  upon  the  best  authority,  that  an  in- 
terdiction of  the  innocent  amusements  and  relaxations, 
a  taste  for  which  is  so  natural  to  the  young,  formed  no 
part  of  the  system  of  juvenile  training  practiced  with 
such  preeminent  success  by  Mrs.  Washington. 

She  never  rendered  necessary  restraint  and  discipline 
needlessly  distasteful  or  repulsive  by  ascetic  sternness 
or  harsh  compulsion.  The  power  that  sometimes  gently 
coerced  the  subjects  of  her  guidance  was  a  moral  sua- 
sion far  more  effective  and  beneficial  than  influences 
such  as  those  can  ever  exert. 

she  was  indeed  truly  kiud,  and  even  now,  when  time  has  whitened  my 
locks,  and  I  am  the  grandfather  of  a  second  generation,  I  could  not  be- 
hold that  majestic  woman  without  feelings  it  is  impossible  to  describe." 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  19 

Of  all  the  mental  qualities  of  this  celebrated  woman, 
perhaps  none  was  more  constantly  illustrated  in  her  life 
than  her  native  good  sense,  the  practical  effects  of  which 
were  infinitely  more  useful  and  precious  to  her  children 
than  she  could  possibly  have  rendered  volumes  of  theo- 
retical precept,  however  philosophical  and  profound. 

To  her  possession  of  this  unpretending,  but  invaluable 
characteristic,  emphatically,  her  illustrious  son  was  in- 
debted for  the  education  that  formed  the  basis  of  his 
greatness. 

This  it  was  that  taught  the  great  Washington  those 
habits  of  application,  industry,  and  regularity  that  were 
of  such  essential  service  to  him,  alike  in  the  camp  and 
in  the  cabinet,  and  which  so- materially  contributed  to 
render  his  character  a  perfect  model,  bequeathed  to  suc- 
cessive ages. 

Thia  it  was,  that,  by  inculcating  and  enforcing  ha- 
bitual temperance,  exercise,  and  activity,  strengthened 
and  developed  the  wonderful  physical  powers  that  were 
rivalled  only  by  the  indomitable  will  and  stupendous 
wisdom  of  her  son. 

To  his  mother  Washington  owed  the  high  value  he 
attached  to  "  the  only  possession  of  which  all  men  are 
prodigal,  and  of  which  all  men  should  be  covetous:" 
and  from  her  early  instructions  he  imbibed  that  love  of 
truth  for  which  he  was  remarkable,  and  which  is  so 
pleasingly  and  forcibly  illustrated  in  some  of  the  favo- 
rite anecdotes  of  our  childhood.* 

*  Our  juvenile  readers  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  faniilliar  with  the  stories  of 
"The  Little  Hat  .net,"  and  of  "The  Sorrel  Colt,"  almost  the  only  authentic 


20  MEMOIR  OF 

Trained  to  unvarying  respect  for  the  truths  of  revealed 
religion,  in  which  she  was  herself  a  firm  believer,  and 
rigidly  regardful  of  the  dictates  of  an  enlightened  con- 
science, her  gifted  son  was  indebted  to  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton for  his  quick  moral  sense,  and  the  unflinching  ad- 
hesion to  principle  that  so  strongly  marked  every  act  of 
his  public  and  private  life. 

The  noble  friend  and  pupil  of  Washington,  and  others 
among  her  numerous  panegyrists,  have  likened  the  mo- 
ther of  the  "  Hero  "  to  a  Spartan  matron.  .  With  due 
deference  to  the  high  source  whence  the  comparison 
emanated,  it  seems  scarcely  just  to  her  who  was  its  sub- 
ject. Her  life  reminds  us  rather,  of  those  celebrated 
women  whose  names  are  recorded  with  grateful  affection 
and  respect  by  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistles, — those  heroic, 
self-sacrificing  friends  and  champions  of  early  Christian- 
ity, and  its  devoted  advocates,  who  were  "  succorers  of 
many,"  who  scorned  not  to  "  bestow  much  labor  "  upon 
the  temporal  necessities  of  the  Apostle  and  his  fellow- 
martyrs,  and  who  even  "  laid  down  their  own  necks" 
for  them !  Mrs.  Washington  was  a  Christian  Matron, 
who  derived  her  ideas  of  parental  authority  and  govern- 
ment from  the  same  Book,  wherein  she  sought  her  own 
rules  of  life  j  and  she  was  as  much  superior  to  a  Spartan 
mother,  as  are  the  inspired  principles  of  our  blessed  re- 
ligion to  the  heathen  teachings  which  exalted  mere 
physical  courage  above  the  highest  virtues  of  humanity  ! 

anecdotes  of  the  childhood  of  the  great  American  hero,  and  which  also 
incidentally  illustrate  more  than  one  of  his  youthful  habits. 


CHAPTER  II. 

'T  is  the  Divinity  that  stirs  -within  us  ! 


Addison. 


Must  such  minds  be  nourish'd  in  the  wild, 

Deep  in  the  upturned  forests,  midst  the  roar 

Of  cataracts,  where  nursing  Nature  smiled   t 

On  infant  Washington  ?    Has  earth  no  more 

Such  seed  within  her  breast  and  Europe  no  such  shore  ? 

Byson. 

We  are  unable  to  present  our  readers  with  any  par- 
ticulars of  the  life  of  Mrs.  Washington,  for  several 
years  previous  to  the  American  Revolution,  except 
such  as  are  gleaned  from  the  published  accounts  of 
those  troubled  times,  as  associated  with  the  history  of 
her  son. 

The  incipient  workings  of  the  mighty  spirit  destined 
to  achievements  that  should  move  the  world,  influ- 
enced the  youthful  Washington,  when  only  fourteen 
years  of  age,  to  form  plans  for  his  independent 
maintenance. 

He  had  actually  taken  the  necessary  steps  prelimina- 
ry to  entering  the  English  Navy,  when  the  disapproval 
of  his  mother  prevented  the  accomplishment  of  his  de- 
sign.    Who  shall  say  that  the  decisive  interposition  of 


22  MEMOIR  OF 

his  only  parent  did  not  save  from  a  life  of  limited  use- 
fulness and  comparative  obscurity,  the  embryo  soldier 
and  statesman. 

A  few  years  later,  when  he  had  reached  early  man- 
hood, and  the  young  Virginian  commenced  his  initia- 
tory military  career,  in  the  service  of  his  native  State, 
we  sympathize  in  the  maternal  anxiety  awakened  at 
once  for  his  personal  safety  and  for  his  success  in  arms. 

About  this  time*  occurred,  successively,  the  deaths 
of  Mrs.  Washington's  two  eldest  sons,  the  younger  of 
whom  was  soon  followed  to  the  grave  by  his  only  child. 

We  leave  our  readers  to  imagine  the  influence  of 
this  rapid  and  mournful  diminution  of  her  family  cir- 
cle upon  the  wounded  affections  of  Mrs.  Washington, 
and  hasten  to  speak  of  other,  though  scarcely  less  pain- 
ful subjects. 

The  only  letters  addressed  to  his  mother,  included 
in  the  published  collection  of  Gen.  Washington's  Cor- 
respondence, were  written  during  the  French  War,  in 
the  earliest  stages  of  which,  as  our  readers  will  remem- 
ber, he  acted  as  Adjutant  of  the  northern  division  of 
Virginia  militia,  and  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  General  Brad- 
dock.  The  first  of  these  epistles  was  penned,  just  af- 
ter the  memorable  and  disastrous  battle  of  the  Monon- 
gahela,  at  which,  nothing  but  the  unconquerable  de- 
termination, that  not  even  severe  illness  could  subdue, 
enabled  the  author  to  be  present ;  and  where,  if  he 

*We  are  unable  to  fix  the  date  of  these  melancholy  incidents,  but  they 
occurred  before  the  commencement  of  George  Washington's  military 
■il'o,  and  of  course,  previous  to  the  year  1775. 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  23 

won  some  of  his  proudest  laurels,  he  was  perhaps  ex- 
posed to  greater  personal  danger  than  during  any 
subsequent  part  of  his  ■military  career. 

Distressing  as  are  the  details  it  contains,  we  include 
this  letter  in  our  Memoir,  entire ;  not  only  as  one  of 
the  two  communications,  to  which  we  have  alluded,  but 
to  assist  the  reader  in  forming  a  more  correct  idea  than 
words  of  ours  could  convey,  of  the  dignified,  and  con- 
fidential intercourse  that  was  uninterruptedly  main- 
tained between  these  distinguished  correspondents. 


"  To  Mrs.  Mary  Washington,  near  Fredericsburg. 

"Fort  Cumberland,  18  July,  1755. 
'*  Honored  Madam  : 

"  As  I  doubt  not  but  you  have  heard  of  our  defeat, 
and,  perhaps,  had  it  represented  in  a  worse  light,  if 
possible,  than  it  deserves,  I  have  taken  this  earliest  op- 
portunity, to  give  you  some  account  of  the  engagement 
as  it  happened,  within  ten  miles  of  the  French  Fort,  on 
Wednesday,  the  9th  instant. 

"  We  marched  to  that  place,  without  any  considerable 
loss,  having  only  now  and  then  a  straggler  picked  up 
by  the  French  and  scouting  Indians.  When  we  came 
there,  we  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  French  and  In- 
dians, whose  number,  I  am  persuaded,  did  not  exceed 
three  hundred  men ;  while  ours  consisted  of  about  one 
thousand  three  hundred  well-armed  troops,  chiefly  reg- 
ular soldiers,  who  were  struck  with  such  a  panic,  that 
they  behaved  with  more  cowardice  than  it  is  possible  to 


24  MEMOIR  OF 

conceive.  The  officers  behaved  gallantly,  in  order  to 
encourage  their  men,  for  which  they  suffered  greatly, 
there  being  near  69  killed  and  wounded — a  large  por- 
tion of  the  number  we  had. 

"  The  Virginia  troops  showed  a  good  deal  of  bravery, 
and  were  nearly  all  killed  :  for  I  believe,  out  of  three 
companies  that  were  there,  scarcely  thirty  men  are 
left  alive.  Capt.  Peyrouny,  and  all  his  officers,  clown 
to  a  corporal  were  killed.  Capt.  Poison  had  nearly 
as  hard  a  fate,  for  only  one  of  his  was  left.  In  short 
the  dastardly  behavior  of  those  they  call  regulars,  ex- 
posed all  others  that  were  inclined  to  do  their  duty,  to 
almost  certain  death ;  and  at  last,  in  despite  of  all  the 
efforts  of  the  officers  to  the  contrary,  they  ran,  as  sheep 
pursued  by  dogs,  and  it  was  impossible  to  rally  them. 

u  The  General  was  wounded,  of  which  he  died  three 
days  after.  Sir  Peter  Halkes  was  killed  in  the  field, 
where  died  many  other  brave  officers.  I  luckily  es- 
caped without  a  wound,  though  I  had  four  bullets 
through  my  coat,  and  two  horses  shot  under  me.  Cap- 
tains Orme  and  Morris,  two  of  the  aids-de-camp,  were 
wounded  early  in  the  engagement,  which  rendered  the 
duty  harder  upon  me,  a3  I  was  the  only  one  then  left 
to  distribute  the  General's  orders,  which  I  was  scarcely 
able  to  do,  as  I  was  not  half  recovered  from  a  violent 
illness,  that  had  confined  me  to  my  bed,  and  a  waggon 
for  ten  days.  I  am  still  in  a  weak  and  feeble  condi- 
tion, which  induces  me  to  halt  here  two  or  three  days, 
in  the  hope  of  recovering  a   little  strength,  to  enable 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  25 

me  to  proceed  homewards* ;  from  whence  I  fear  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  stir  till  towards  September ;  so 
that  I  shall  not  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  till 
then,  unless  it  be  in  Fairfax.  Please  to  give  my  love 
to  Mr.  Lewis  and  my  sister ;  and  compliments  to  Mr. 
Jackson,  and  all  other  friends  that  inquire  after  me  ; 
I  am  most  honored  Madam, 

Your  most  dutiful  son."}*" 

We  learn  from  other  sources  of  information,  that 
the  indisposition  of  which  the  writer  so  briefly  speaks, 
in  this  epistle,  was  sufficiently  serious  to  endanger  his 
life.  Nor  can  we  believe  his  own  intimation  to  have 
conveyed  the  first  knowledge  of  this  distressing  intelli- 
gence to  his  mother.  She  had,  however,  the  consola- 
tion to  be,  at  the  same  time,  informed  of  all  that  she 
could  hope  or  even  desire,  in  relation  to  his  personal 
prowess  and  military  skill.  J 

The  remaining  letter  was  written  in  anticipation  of  an 
event  which  occurred,  soon  after  the  Battle  of  the  Mo- 
nongahela — the  appointment  of  Col.  Washington  to  the 
chief  command  of  the  Virginia  forces.  His  commis- 
sion bears  the  same  date  as  that  of  the  letter,  though 
the  author,  as  will  be  seen,  was,  as  yet,  uninformed  of 
his  promotion. 

*Col.  W.  had  already  resided  some  time  upon  his  patrimonial  estate 
of  Mount  Vernon. 

t  Sparks'  Life  of  Washington. 

Jit  need  scarcely  be  said  that  this  was  the  celebrated  engagement  in 
■which  Col.  Washington  gained  so  much  honor,  and  the  disastrous  result 
of  which  was  nearly  averted  by  his  daring  courage,  as  it  also  might  have 
been  by  his  ready  discernment  and  sagacious  tactics,  had  Gen.  Braddock 
been  guided  by  his  advice  in  the  incipient  stages  of  the  contact. 

2 


26  MEMOIR  OF 

"  To  Mrs.  Mary  Washington. 

"Mount  Vernon,  14  August,  1755. 
"Honored  Madam  : 

"  If  it  is  in  my  power  to  avoid  going  to  the  Ohio 
again  I  shall,  but  if  the  command  is  pressed  upon  me, 
by  the  general  voice  of  the  country,  and  offered  upon 
such  terms  as  cannot  he  objected  against,  it  would  re- 
flect dishonor  upon  me  to  refuse  it  And  that,  I  am 
sure,  ought  to  give  you  greater  uneasiness  than  my  go- 
ing in  an  honorable  command.  Upon  no  other  terms 
will  I  accept  of  it.  At  present,  I  have  no  proposals 
made  to  me,  nor  have  I  any  advice  of  such  an  inten- 
tion, except  from  private  hands. 

I  am,  &c"* 

Our  readers  will  not  fail  to  remark  the  almost  depre- 
catory tone  that  characterizes  this  epistle  ;  nor  the  def- 
erence it  indicates  to  the  wishes  and  opinions  of  the 
parent  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  It  was  apparently 
written  in  reply  to  a  previous  communication  from  his 
Mother  in  relation  to  the  same  subject. 

e  gather  from  incidental  evidence  that  many  prac- 
tical objections  to  the  acceptance  of  the  post  of  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  Virginian  Frontier  Army,  ex- 
isted at  this  juncture  ;  and  we  may  infer  that  the  sa> 
gacious  and  far-seeing  maternal  eye  discerned  these  dif- 
ficulties, and  that  Mrs.  Washington  counselled  her  son 
to  avoid  responsibilities,  that  existing  and  uncontrolla- 
ble circumstances  might  easily  render  not  only  devoid 

ixks'  L;fe  of  Washington. 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  27 

of  honor  or  advantage,  but  personally  unfortunate  and 
injurious. 

Thus  did  this  gifted  woman,  by  claims  the  most  ir- 
resistible, mature  and  perpetuate  an  influence  and  au- 
thority, that  remained  undiminished  and  undisputed, 
when  her  son  had  attained  the  pinnacle  of  earthly 
fame. 

Before  dismissing  this  portion  of  our  narrative,  we 
cannot  refrain  from  expressing  our  deep  regret  at  an 
almost  entire  want  of  material  for  those  minute  details, 
which,  when  they  relate  to  incidents  of  personal  his- 
tory, serve  so  much  better  than  mere  description  to  il- 
lustrate character  and  exhibit  the  peculiar  and  individ- 
ualizing traits  which  alone  can  deepen  and  fill  up,  so 
to  speak,  the  faint  outline  presented  in  the  delinea- 
tions of  the  general  historian, 


CHAPTER  III. 


He  shall  not  dread  Misfortune's  angry  mien, 

Nor  feebly  sink  beneath  her  tempest  rude, 

Whose  soul  hath  learn'd,  through  many  a  trying  scene, 

To  smile  at  fate,  and  suffer  unsubdued. 

Metastasio. 


To  solemnize  this  day, the  glorious  sun 
Stays  in  his  course,  and  plays  the  alchemist ; 
Turning,  with  splendor  of  his  precious  eye, 
The  meagre,  cloddy  earth  to  glittering  gold  : 
The  yearly  course,  that  brings  this  day  about, 
Shall  never  see  it  but  a  holy  day ! 

Shakspeare. 

The  events  of  the  disordered  times  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  Eevolution,  were  now  rapidly  developing. 
Following  each  other  in  startling  and  fateful  succes- 
sion, and  finally  resulting  in  the  ever-memorable  De- 
claration of  Independence,  Mrs.  Washington  suddenly 
beheld  her  son  elevated  to  to  a  position  surrounded  by 
dangers  the  most  imminent,  and  comprehending  re- 
sponsibilities the  most  solemn  and  portentious  that  can 
devolve  upon  human  agency. 

Resting  her  fears,  her  aspirations,  and  her  faith, 
upon  that  Support  which  could  alone  sustain  the  spirit 
of  so  affectionate  and  so  discerning  a  parent,  amid  tri- 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  29 

als  thus  peculiar  and  severe,  we  see  this  heroic  woman 
resigning  herself  with  the  same  tranquil  submission, 
and  the  same  unaffected  cheerfulness,  by  which  her 
life  had  hitherto  been  distinguished,  to  the  decrees  of 
an  over-ruling  and  inscrutable  Destiny. 

Before  his  departure  from  his  native  State,  to  as- 
sume the  command  of  the  patriots  assembled  at  Cam- 
bridge, the  Commander-in-Chief,  ever  mindful  of  his 
Mother's  comfort  and  happiness,  even  when  most  bur- 
dened by  public  cares  and  obligations,  assisted  in  ef- 
fecting her  removal  from  her  country  residence  in  its 
vicinity,  to  Fredericksburg. 

Mrs.  "Washington  was  remunerated  for  thus  renounc- 
ing a  home  hallowed  by  many  tender  and  time-honored 
associations,  the  peaceful  asylum  of  her  youthful  fam- 
ily in  the  days  of  her  early  bereavement,  the  scene  of 
their  innocent  sports,  their  juvenile  education,  and  of 
her  own  strenuous  exertions  and  self-sacrificing  devo- 
tion during  so  many  years  of  her  life,  by  being  placed 
in  much  nearer  proximity  to  her  friends  and  relatives, 
and  in  a  position  more  secure  from  danger,  than  any 
precaution  could  have  rendered  an  isolated,  rural 
abode. 

Bestowing  on  him  the  more  than  a2gis-shield  of 
her  blessing  and  her  prayers,  Mrs.  "Washington  bade 
adieu  to  her  son,  for  a  period,  the  duration  and  events 
of  which,  no  mortal  vision  could  even  faintly  discern. 

Lono-  familiar  with  the  most  effectual  means  of  es- 

o 

cape  from  the  dominion  of  too-anxious  thought,  she 
hastened,  after  this  painful  parting,  to  busy  herself  with 


30  MEMOIR  OF 

the  arrangement  and  care  of  her  new  home,  and  sought 
in  active  usefulness  and  industry,  not  only  the  solace 
of  her  own  "  private  griefs"  and  apprehensions,  but 
the  high  pleasure  that  springs  from  the  consciousness 
of  doing  good. 

Ever  possessed  of  far  too  much  genuine  self-respect 
and  enlightenment  to  regard  the  necessity  of  homely 
toil  as  degrading  or  unfortunate,  her  practical  ingenu- 
ity and  personal  efforts  now  supplied,  in  a  good  degree, 
the  many  deficiencies  and  deprivations  arising  from  the 
pressing  exigiences  of  the  times,  and  materially  assisted, 
not  only  in  providing  for  the  wants  of  her  own  house- 
hold, but  in  furnishing  the  means  of  that  liberal  char- 
ity which  she  had  always  exercised,  notwithstanding  her 
limited  resources,  and  which  was  not  remitted  when  in- 
creasing occasion  had  arisen  for  its  continuance. 

Though  long  past  the  meridian  of  life,  her  equanim- 
ity, her  healthful  habits,  and  the  sytematic  uniformity 
of  her  daily  existence,  still  gave  Mrs.  Washington  the 
physical  power  essential  for  carrying  into  effect  her  plans 
of  self-dependence  and  benevolent  usefulness. 

It  was,  at  this  time,  her  almost  daily  custom,  seated 
in  an  old-fashioned,  open  chaise,  to  visit  her  little  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  town,  and  while  there,  to  drive 
about  the  fields  giving  directions  and  personally  super- 
intending their  execution. 

Mrs.  Washington  is  said  to  have  required  from 
those  about  her  a  prompt  and  literal  obedience,  some- 
what resembling  that  demanded  by  proper  military  sub- 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  31 

ordination ;  a  habit  doubtless  arising,  in  somo  degree, 
from  a  consciousness  of  the  mental  power  that  enabled 
her  rightly  to  judge  and  wisely  to  direct. 

On  one  occasion,  as  we  are  told,  she  reproved  an 
agent,  who,  relying  upon  his  own  judgment,  had  dis- 
obeyed her  orders,  saying,  "  I  command  you, — there 
is  nothing  left  for  you  but  to  obey  !" 

Thus,  while  occupied  in  her  favorite  pursuits,  and 
preserved  from  all  sense  of  loneliness  by  the  frequent 
and  interesting  visits  of  her  children  and  grand-chil- 
dren, who  were  invariably  most  assiduous  and  affec- 
tionate in  their  endeavors  to  contribute  to  her  happi- 
ness, several  years  rolled  away. 

Nor,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  did  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, in  the  meanwhile,  look  with  an  unobservant  orun- 
sympathizing  eye,  upon  the  changing  and  momen 
aspect  or  public  affairs.  Her  residence  in  Freu 
burg  enabled  her  early  to  obtain  the  most  important  in- 
telligence of  the  day,  and  we  may  believe  the  respect- 
ful attention  of  her  son,  speedily  and  constantly  sup- 
plied her  with  information  denied  to  those  possessing  less 
claim  upon  his  confidence  and  regard. 

If  not  always  as  sanguine  of  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the 
American  arms,  as  more  youthful  and  ardent 
of  the  Revolutionary  contest,  she  watched  the  pre 
of  national  affairs,  with  patient  and  tranquil  expecta- 
tion. Frequently  raising  her  thoughtful  gaze  from  the 
painful  contemplation  of  her  country's  struggles,  to- 
wards the  Omnipotent  Friend  who  aids  the  sacred 
cause  of  Liberty  and  Right,  she  gained  a  firm  and 


32  MEMOIR  OF 

hopeful  constancy  that  shielded  her  noble  spirit,  alike 
from  unfounded  enthusiasm,  and  desponding  distrust ; 
and  that  rendered  her  an  example,  worthy  of  all  honor, 
to  those  mothers,  who,  like  herself,  had  resigned  their 
sons  to  their  country,  in  the  hour  of  her  greatest 
need. 

"When  the  glorious  and  heart-warming  intelligence 
of  the  successful  passage  of  the  Delaware,*  by 
Washington  and  his  brave  companions  in  arms,  was 
communicated  to  his  Mother,  by  the  numerous  friends 
who  hastened  to  rejoice  with,  and  to  felicitate  her  upon 
so  auspicious  and  important  an  occurrence,  she  re- 
ceived the  tidings  with  placid  self-possession,  and  ex- 
pressed her  pleasure  at  the  brightening  prospects  of 
hor  native  land. 

But  in  relation  to  such  portions  of  the  despatches  of 
her  visitors  as  contained  eulogistic  allusions  to  her 
Son,  she  simply  remarked,  that  "  George  appeared  to 
have  deserved  well  of  his  country  for  such  signal  ser- 
vices," and  added  : — ■ 

"  But,  my  good  Sirs,  here  is  too  much  flattery! 
— still,  George  will  not  forget  the  lessons  I  have  taught 
him — he  will  not  forget  himself,  though  he  is  the  sub- 
ject of  so  much  praise." 

And  when,  after  the  lapse  of  long,  dark  years  of 
national  gloom  and  suffering,  Mrs.  Washington  was,  at 
last,  informedy  of  the  crowning  event  of  the  great  con- 

*Dec.  1776. 

fTo  whose  thoughtful  care  Mrs.  W.  owed  the  Express  previously  des- 
patched to  her  with  this  grateful  news,  may  easily  be  surmised. 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  33 

flicfc — the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  she  raised 
her  hands  with  profound  reverence  and  gratitude  to- 
wards Heaven  and  fervently  exclaimed,  "  Thank 
Grod  ! — war  will  now  be  ended,  and  peace,  indepen- 
dence and  happiness  bless  our  country  !" 

An  interval  of  nearly  seven  perilous  and  adven- 
turous years  had  passed,  when  Mrs.  Washington  en- 
joyed the  happiness  again  to  behold  her  victor-crowned 
and  illustrious  son. 

Upon  the  return  of  the  combined  armies  from  York- 
town,  the  Commander-in-Chief  repaired  immediately 
to  Fredericsburg,  attended  by  a  numerous  and?  splen- 
did suite,  composed  of  the  most  distinguished  Euro- 
pean and  American  officers  who  had  shared  his  pro- 
tracted toils  and  his  final  triumph. 

No  sooner  had  Washington  dismounted  than  he 
sent  a  messenger  to  apprize  his  Mother  of  his  arri- 
val, with  a  request  to  be  informed  when  it  would  be 
her  pleasure  to  receive  him. 

Then,  dismissing  for  a  time  the  attributes  and  attend- 
ants of  greatness,  he  repaired  unaccompanied  and  on 
foot,  to  the  modest  mansion  where  his  venerable  parent 
awaited  his  coming. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  alone  and  occupied  in  some 
ordinary  domestic  avocation,  when  the  gladdening  intel- 
ligence of  her  Son's  approaching  visit  was  communica- 
ted to  her. 

She  met  him  on  the  threshhold  with  a  cordial  em- 
brace, her  face  beaming  with  unmingled  pleasure,  and 
welcomed  him  by  the  endearing  and  well-remembered 

2* 


34  MEMOIR  OP 

appellation  associated  with  the  pleasing  memories  of 
early  years. 

The  quick  eye  of  maternal  tenderness  readily  dis- 
cerned the  furrowed  traces  of  the  ceaseless  and  wearing 
responsibilities  that  had  for  years  been  the  burden  of 
his  thoughts,  and  in  the  unforgotten  tones  and  with  the 
simple  affectionateness  of  other  days,  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton immediately  and  earnestly  adverted  to  the  sub- 
ject of  her  son's  health. 

At  length,  turning  the  conversation  to  scenes  and 
themes  hallowed  to  each  by  the  most  cherished  remem- 
brances, these  deeply  attached  and  happily  re-united 
relatives  talked  long  of  mutual  friends  and  former 
times.  But  to  the  peerless  fame  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Armies  of  America,  there  was  not  the  most 
remote  allusion  ! 

Yet,  as  the  immortal  Savior  of  his  Country  gazed 
upon  the  beloved  and  expressive  countenance  turned 
approvingly  and  affectionately  upon  him,  his  happiness 
was  unalloyed  and  exalted  as  earth  can  bestow. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

And  blessed  was  her  presence  there- 
Each  heart,  expanding,  grew  more  gay  ; 
Yet  something  loftier  still  than  fear, 
Kept  men's  familiar  looks  away  '. 

Schiller. 

The  unexpected  arrival  of  Washington  and  his 
Suite,  created  the  most  enthusiastic  delight  among 
the  citizens  of  Fredericsburg. 

Not  only  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  but  numbers 
of  gentlemen  from  its  vicinity,  hastened  to  welcome  the 
deliverers  of  their  country  with  every  demonstration  of 
respect  and  hospitality  :  happiness  irradiated  every 
face,  and  all  were  soon  engrossed  by  eager  preparations 
for  festive  pleasure. 

It  was  determined  to  celebrate  the  joyful  occasion 
by  a  splendid  Ball. 

Mrs.  Washington  received  a  special  invitation.  Sho 
answered,  that  "  although  her  dancing  days  were 
pretty  well  over,  she  should  feel  happy  in  contribu- 
ting to  the  general  festivity." 

The  company  assembled  at  a  much  earlier  hour  than 
modern  fashion  would  sanction.  Gay  belles  and  dig- 
nified matrons  graced  the  occasion  arrayed  in  rich  laces 
and  bright  brocades, — the  well-preserved  relics  of 
scenes  when  neither  national  misfortune  nor  private  ca- 
lamity forbade  their  use. 


86  MEMOIR  OF 

Numerous  foreign  officers  were  present,  in  the  bril- 
liant uniforms  of  their  respective  corps,  glittering  with 
the  dazzling  insignia  of  royal  favor  and  successful  cour- 
age. 

Thither  came  veteran  heroes,  the  blessed  and  hon- 
ored of  after  times,  whose  war-scathed  visages  bespoke 
the  unflinching  bravery  and  persevering  devotion  with 
which  they  had  served  their  country  through  long  years 
of  hardship  and  danger. 

There,  too,  now  swayed  only  by  the  light  breath  of 
pleasure,  waved  in  billowy  folds,  the  dear-won  banners 
of  the  "  tented  field."  Music  poured  its  spirit-stirring 
strains  upon  the  soldier's  ear,  not  to  summon  him  to 
deeds  of  arms,  but,  by  its  gentler  influences,  to  inspire 
the  chivalrous  gallantly  that  well  became  the  hour, — 
the  gleesome  jest,  the  merry  laugh, 

"  Xods,  and  becks,  and  wreathed  smiles  !" 
But  despite  the  soul-soothing  charm  of  music,  the 
fascinations  of  female  loveliness,  and  the  flattering  de- 
votion of  the  gallant  brave,  all  was  eager  suspense  and 
expectation,  until  there  entered,  unannounced  and  un- 
attended, the  Mother  of  Washington  leaning  on  the 
arm  of  her  Son. 

Hushed  was  each  noisy  tone,  subdued  each  whis- 
pered word,  as  with  quiet  dignity  and  unaffected  grace 
they  slowly  advanced. 

Nature  had  stamped  upon  the  brow  of  both,  the  un- 
mistakable signet  of  nobility,  and 

"  The  vision  and  the  faculty  divine  " 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  37 

spoke  in  the  imposing  countenance  of  each,  and  di- 
rected every  movement  of  the  majestic  pair. 

All  hastened  to  approach  this  august  presence  ;  the 
European  officers  to  be  presented  to  the  parent  of  their 
beloved  Commander,  and  old  friends,  neighbors  and 
acquaintances  to  tender  the  compliments  and  congrat- 
ulations appropriate  to  the  occasion. 

Mrs.  Washington  received  these  peculiar  demon- 
strations of  respect  and  friendship,  with  perfect  self- 
possession  and  unassuming  courtesy.  She  wore  the 
simple,  but  becoming  and  appropriate  costume  of  the 
Virginia  ladies  of  the  olden  time,  and  even 

''  The  cynosure  of  beauty's  sheen" 

was,  for  a  time  forgotten,  while  all  eyes  and  all  hearts 
were  irresistibly  attracted  by  the  winning  address  and 
unpretending  appearance  of  the  venerable  lady. 

The  European  strangers  gazed  long  in  wondering 
amazement,  upon  this  sublime  and  touching  spectacle. 
Accustomed  to  the  meretricious  display  of  European 
courts,  they  regarded  with  astonishment  her  unadorned 
attire,  and  the  mingled  simplicity  and  majesty  for 
which  the  language  and  manners  of  the  Mother  of 
"Washington  were  so  remarkable. 

They  spoke  of  women  renowned  in  classic  lore  : — 
the  names  of  the  celebrated  Yoluminia,  and  of  the  no- 
ble mother  of  the  Gracchi,  broke  involuntarily  from 
their  lips ;  and  they  spontaneously  rendered  the  trib- 
ute of  admiration  and  reverence  at  the  shrine  of  native 
Dignity  and  real  Worth. 


38  MEMOIR  OF 

Having,  for  sometime,  regarded  with  serene  benigni- 
ty, the  brilliant  and  festive  scene,  which  she  had  so 
amiably  consented  to  honor  by  her  presence,  Mrs. 
Washington  expressed  the  cordial  hope  that  the  hap- 
piness of  all  might  continue  undiminished  until  the  hour 
of  general  separation  should  arrive,  and  quietly  ad- 
ding, that  "  it  was  time  for  old  people  to  be  at  home," 
retired  as  she  had  entered,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the 
C  ommander-in-Chief . 

Perhaps  it  will  interest  some  of  our  lady  readers  to 
know  that  the  immortal  Washington  danced  on  this  oc- 
casion for  the  last  time  j — in  the  stately  minuet,  so 
well  adapted  to  the  advantageous  display  of  his  grace- 
ful air,  and  elegant  and  imposing  form.  He  is  also  de- 
scribed as  having  been  inspired  with  great  cheerfulness 
and  animation,  while  thus  momentarily  courting  the 
serial  graces.  The  French  gentlemen  who  participa- 
ted in  the  pleasures  of  the  evening,  protested  that 
Paris  itself  could  boast  nothing  more  perfect  than  the 
dancing  of  the  fair  and  the  gallant  Americans  assem- 
bled at  this  celebrated  Ball. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Her  house 
Was  ordered  well ;  her  children  taught  the  way 
Of  life — who,  rising  up  in  honor,  called 
Her  blest. 

#  #  #  *  # 

In  virtue  fair, 
Adorned  with  modesty,  and  matron  grace 
Unspeakable,  and  love— her  face  was  like 
The  light,  most  welcome  to  the  eye  of  man. 


Polloe. 


Re-established  at  Mount  Vernon,  it  was  the  earnest 
desire  of  Washington  that  his  Mother  should  thence- 
forth reside  under  his  roof. 

He  had  frequently  before,  urged  the  same  request, 
and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Lewis,*  who  was  always  most  assid- 
uous in  fulfilling  the  duties  imposed  by  nature  and  af- 
fection, had  repeatedly  endeavored  to  persuade  her 
aged  parent  to  live  apart  from  her  no  longer. 

But  the  venerable  matron,  notwithstanding  the  affec- 
tionate entreaties  of  her  children,  continued  to  conduct 
a  separate  establishment,  with  the  same  indefatigable 
industry  and  judicious  management  which  she  had  ear- 
lier exhibited.     She  still  obeyed — 

"  The  breezy  call  of  incense-breathing  morn" 

*Mrs.  Fletcher  Lewis,  of  Fredericsburg,  the  only  sister  of  Washington , 
whom  she  so  closely  resembled,  that  when  she  was  arrayed  in  his  usual 
head-dress,  her  features  were  un distinguishable  from  his. 


40  MEMOIR  OF 

with  as  much  alacrity  as  of  yore,  and  still  gave  her  at- 
tention to  the  most  minute  details  of  domestic  affairs. 

In  this  tranquil  retreat  she  long  continued  to  receive 
the  frequent  and  fondly-respectful  visits  of  her  many 
old  and  attached  friends  as  well  as  of  her  children* 
and  her  children's  children,  blest  in  her  happy  and 
honored  age,  by  the  soothing  consciousness  of  a  vir- 
tuous and  well  spent  life. 

To  the  urgent  and  oft-repeated  requests  of  her  chil- 
dren, that  she  would  make  with  them  the  home  of  her 
age,  Mrs.  Washington  replied  : — 

"I  thank  you  for  your  dutiful  and  affectionate  of- 
fers, but  my  wants  are  few  in  this  life,  and  I  feel  per- 
fectly competent  to  take  care  of  myself." 

And  when  her  son-in-law,  Col.  Lewis,  proposed  to 
her  to  assume  the  general  superintendence  of  her  af- 
fairs, she  resolutely  answered — 

"Do  you,  Fielding,  keep  my  books  in  order,  for 
your  eye-sight  is  better  than  mine,  but  leave  the  exec- 
utive management  to  me." 

Previous  to  his  departure  for  France,  after  the 
termination   of    the     Revolutionary   War,   the    Mar- 

*  We  find  many  proofs,  in  the  published  Correspondence  of  Wash- 
ington, of  the  affectionate  devotion  with  which  he  paid  this  tribute 
of  respect  to  his  mother.  Thus,  he  assigns  his  absence  on  a  visit  to 
her,  as  a  reason  for  not  previously  replying  to  a  letter  from  the  Secretary 
of  Congress  ;  and  afterwards  again,  in  a  letter  to  Major  Gen.  Knox,  he 
offers  the  same  explanation  of  a  similar  delay.  When  his  mother  was  ill, 
we  perceive  that  he  pleads  this  honorable  errand,  without  reserve,  as, 
presenting  claims  superior  to  any  public  obligation.  In  an  epistle 
written  towards  the  close  of  the  year  17S8,wefind  allusions  to  a  pro- 
longed sojourn  under  the  maternal  roof,  &c,  &c. 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  41 

quis  de  La  Fayette  visited  Fredericsburg,  expressly 
for  the  purpose  of  making  his  personal  adieus  to 
the  Mother  of  his  beloved  hero-friend  and  that  he 
might  solemnly  invoke  her  blessing. 

This  amiable  visitor,  who  had  frequently  before  en- 
joyed the  happiness  of  conversing  with  her,  repaired 
to  the  unobtrusive  abode  of  Mrs.  Washington,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  her  grand-sons. 

As  they  approached  the  house,  they  observed  an 
aged  lady  working  in  the  adjoining  garden.  The  ma- 
terials composing  her  dress  were  of  home-manufacture, 
and  she  wore  over  her  time-silvered  hair,  a  plain  straw 
bonnet. 

"There,  Sir,"  said  the  younger  gentleman,  "is 
my  grandmother." 

Mrs.  Washington  received  her  distinguished  guest, 
with  great  cordiality  and  with  her  usual  frank  simplic- 
ity of  address. 

"  Ah,  Marquis  !"  she  exclaimed,  "you  see  an  old 
woman ; — but  come,  I  can  make  you  welcome  to  my 
poor  dwelling,  without  the  parade  of  changing  my 
dress." 

The  conversation  of  this  interesting  group  soon 
turned,  as  was  most  natural,  upon  the  brightening  pros- 
pects of  the  young  Republic. 

The  Marquis  spoke  of  the  deep  interest  he  cherished 
in  all  that  related  to  the  prosperity  of  the  land  of 
his  adoption,  and  poured  forth  the  fond  and  glowing 
encomiums  of  a  full  heart  at  each  allusion  to  his  former 
Chief, — his  friend,  his  Mentor,  his  "  hero." 


42  MEMOIR  OF 

To  the  praises  thus  enthusiastically  lavished  upon 
her  son,  by  the  noble  Frenchman,  his  hostess  only  re- 
plied, "  I  am  not  surprised  at  what  George  has  done, 
for  he  ivas  always  a  good  boy." 

Thus  did  the  true  greatness  of  this  extraordinary 
woman  often  manifest  itself.  It  was  her  pleasure  fre- 
quently to  revert  to  the  early  days  of  her  august  Son,  and 
to  express  her  approbation  of  his  dutiful  and  upright 
conduct ;  but  she  never  appeared  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree elated  by  the  honors  that  were  showered  "  thick 
and  fast"  upon  his  glorious  name. 

With  unaffected  piety,  she  referred  each  and  every 
occurrence  of  life  to  the  Great  First  Cause,  and  when 
the  notes  of  jububnt  praise  swelled  high,  even  above 
the  din  of  battle  and  the  waitings  of  a  nation's  de- 
spair, it  was  her  earnest  maternal  aspiration  that  the 
"good  boy"  of  her  early  care,  might  never  "forget 
himself!" 

Mrs.  Washington  was  always  remarkable  for  that 
unequivocal  proof  of  superiority,  the  powerful  influ- 
ence she  exerted  over  the  minds  of  others. 

Her  ideas  of  the  respect  due  to  her  as  a  parent,  re- 
mained unchanged  either  by  the  lapse  of  time,  or  by 
the  development  of  mighty  events,  with  which  her  won- 
derful Son  was  so  closely  identified.  Ever  his  trusted 
counsellor  and  friend,  to  her  he  was  always  the  same 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  43 

in  relative  position.*  To  her  he  owed  his  existence  ; 
lo  her  the  early  discipline  of  his  extraordinary  intellect, 
and  of  his  high  moral  nature  ;  and  to  her  he  was  indebted 
for  the  sage  advice  and  prudent  guidance  of  maturer 
years. 

Nor  did  her  son  manifes  t  the  slightest  dissent  from 
this  sentiment.  We  are  informed  by  onef  well  entr- 
tled  to  be  regarded  as  unquestionable  authority,  that 
"  to  the  last  moments  of  his  venerable  parent  he  yielded 
to  her  will  the  most  implicit  obedience  and  felt  for  her 
person  and  character  the  highest  respect  and  the  most 
enthusiastic  attachment." 

Perhaps  the  life  of  this  celebrated  lady  afforded  no 
more  convincing  proof  of  the  genuine  nobleness  of  her 
character,  than  was  evinced  hy  the  constancy  with 
which  she  maintained  the  peculiar  sentiments  and  prin- 
ciples of  her  youth.  We  may  believe  that  a  mind  less 
perfectly  balanced,  would  have  rendered,  at  least, 
an  unconscious  homage  to  the  power  of  circumstances 

*  This  peculiarity  forcibly  reminds  us  of  an  expressive  incident  in  the  life 
of  the  mother  of  the  Buonapartes— Madame  Mere.  On  one  occasion,  when 
the  Emperor  Napoleon  gave  audience  to  the  several  members  of  his  family, 
while  walking  in  one  of  the  galleries  of  the  Tuilleries,  among  his  other 
relatives,  his  mother  advanced  towards  him.  The  Emperor  extended 
his  hand  to  her  to  kiss,  as  he  had  done  when  his  brothers  and  sisters  ap- 
proached him,  "  No  !"  said  she,  "you  are  the  King,  the  Emperor  of  all 
the  rest,  but  you  are  my  son  /"  We  leave  our  readers  to  draw  the  con- 
trast irresistibly  suggested  by  this  anecdote,  between  the  Republican 
Statesman  and  the  Emperor  of  all  the  French. 

t  G.  W.  P.  Custis,  Esq.,  the  grand-son  of  Mrs.  Martha  Washington,  to 
whose  interesting  "  Recollections''  we  are  indebted  for  most  of  the  par- 
ticulars relative  to  the  life  of  Mrs.  W.,  now  in  the  possession  of  the  liter- 
ary public. 


44  MEMOIR  OF 

so  novel  and  so  imposing  as  those  in  which  she  was 
placed. 

It  was  Mrs.  Washington's  habit,  during  the  latter 
years  of  her  life,  to  repair  daily  to  a  secluded  spot  near 
her  dwelling,  formed  by  overhanging  rocks  and  trees. 
There,  isolated  from  worldly  thoughts  and  objects,  she 
sought  in  devout  prayer  and  meditation,  most  appro- 
priate preparation  for  the  great  change  which  she  was 
admonished  by  her  advanced  age,  might  nearly  await 
her. 

But  one  of  the  many  weaknesses  that  usually  char- 
acterize humanity,  was  manifested  by  this  heroic  wo- 
man. Upon  the  approach  of  a  thunder-storm  she  in- 
variably retired  to  her  own  apartment  and  remained 
there  until  calmness  was  restored  to  the  elements. 
This  almost  constitutional  timidity,  was  occasioned  by 
a  singularly  distressing  incident  of  her  youth — the  in- 
stant death,  from  the  effects  of  lightning,  of  a  young 
friend,  who  was,  at  the  moment  when  the  accident  oc- 
curred, sitting  close  beside  her. 

The  appearance  of  Mrs.  Washington  is  said  to  have 
been  pleasing.  Her  countenance  was  agreeable  and 
highly  expressive,  and  her  person  well  proportioned 
and  of  average  height. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

She  goes  unto  the  Rock  sublime 
Where  halts  above  the  Eternal  Sea,  the  shuddering 
Child  of  time ! , 

Schiller. 

Before  Washington's  departure  for  the  seat  of 
government,  to  assume  the  duties  of  President  of 
the  United  States,  he  went  to  Fredericsburg  to  pay  his 
parting  respects  to  his  aged  Mother. 

Mrs.  Washington's  health  had  now  become  so  infirm 
as  to  impress  her  with  the  conviction  that  she  beheld 
for  the  last  time,  the  crowning  blessing  of  her  declining 
age. 

Forgetting  all  else  in  the  same  mournful  belief,  the 
calm  self-possession  that  no  calamity  had  for  years  been 
able  to  shake,  yielded  to  the  claims  of  nature,  and, 
overpowered  by  painful  emotion,  the  mighty  chieftain 
wept  long,  with  bowed  head,  over  the  wasted  form  of 
his  revered  and  much-loved  parent. 

Sustained,  even  in  this  trying  hour,  by  her  native 
strength  of  mind,  the  heroic  Mother  fervently  invoked 
the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon  her  sorrowing  Son,  and 
solemnly  bestowing  her  own,  bade  him  pursue  the  path 
in  which  public  duty  summoned  him  to  depart. 

Mrs.  Washington  retained  unimpaired  possession  of 


46  MEMOIR  OF 

her  mental  faculties  to  her  latest  moments,  but  during 
the  last  three  years  of  her  life,  her  physical  powers 
were  much  diminished  by  the  effects  of  the  distressing 
malady  with  which  she  was  long  afflicted. 

This  painful  disease*  terminated  her  earthly  exis- 
tence in  her  eighty-third  year.  Her  death  occurred  on 
the  25th  of  August,  1789.  She  had  been  forty-six 
years  a  widow. 

The  last  hours  of  this  incomparable  woman  were 
accompanied  by  a  tranquility  and  resignation  most  un- 
like the  usual  death-bed  attendants  of  the  world's 
scathed  devotees. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Washing- 
ton to  his  sister  soon  after  the  decease  of  their  moth- 
er, will  best  illustrate  the  methodical  calmness  with 
which  she  made  a  final  adjustment  of  her  temporal  af- 
fairs. Our  readers  will  also,  thus  become  possessed  of 
the  minutest  information  in  relation  to  the  concluding 
scenes  of  Mrs.  Washington's  life,  that  persevering  re- 
search has  enabled  us  to  discover. 


"  To   Mrs.   Betty   Lewis. 

"  New  York,  13th  September,  1789. 
1 '  My  Dear  Sister  : — 

****** 

"  Awful  and  affecting   as  the  death  of  a  parent  is, 
there   is  consolation   in    knowing    that    Heaven   has 

*  Cancer  in  the  breast. 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  47 

spared  ours  to  an  age  beyond  which  few  attain,  and  fa- 
vored her  with  the  full  enjoyment  of  her  faculties  and 
as  much  bodily  strength  as  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of 
fourscore.  Under  these  considerations,  and  a  hope 
that  she  is  translated  to  a  happier  place,  it  is  the  duty 
of  her  relatives  to  yield  due  submision  to  the  decrees 
of  the  Creator.  When  I  was  last  at  Fredericsburg,  I 
took  a  final  leave  of  my  mother,  never  expecting  to  see 
her  more. 

"  It  will  be  impossible  for  me  at  this  distance,  and 
circumstanced  as  I  am,  to  give  the  smallest  attention 
to  the  execution  of  her  will ;  nor  indeed  is  much  re- 
quired, if,  as  she  directs,  no  security  should  be  giv- 
en, or  appraisement  made  of  her  estate ;  but  that  the 
same  should  be  allotted  to  the  devisees  with  as  little 
trouble  and  delay  as  may  be.  How  far  this  is  legal 
I  know  not.  Mr.  Merced  can,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
would,  advise  you  if  asked,  which  I  wish  you  to  do. 
If  the  ceremony  of  inventorying,  appraising,  &c,  can 
be  dispensed  with,  all  the  rest,  as  the  will  declares  that 
few  or  no  debts  are  owing,  can  be  done  with  very  little 
trouble.  Every  person  may,  in  that  case,  immediately 
receive  what  is  specifically  devised. 

Were  it  not  that  the  specific  legacies,  which  are  giv- 
en to  me  by  the  will,  are  meant  and  ought  to  be  con- 
sidered and  received  as  mementoes  of  paternal  affec- 
tion, in  the  last  solemn  act  of  life,  I  should  not  be  de- 
sirous of  receiving  or  removing  them  ;  but  in  this  point 
of  view,  I  set  a  value  on  them  much  beyond  their  in- 
trinsic worth." 


48 


MEMOIR  OF 


We  are,  of  course,  indebted  to  Mr.  Sparks'  Life  of 
Washington  for  the  communication  from  which  this  ex- 
tract is  derived.  We  also  give  Mrs.  Washington's  age, 
at  the  time  of  her  death,  as  stated  by  Mr.  S.,  though 
it  is  sometimes  represented  to  have  been  still  more  ad- 
vanced. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


w  There  sounds  not  to  the  trump  of  Fame, 
The  echo  of  a  noble  name !" 


As  well  might  we  assimilate  the  airy  graces  of  a 
modern  belle,  arrayed  in  the  ample  costume  of  the 
present  day,  with  the  undraped  proportions  and  severe 
beauty  of  an  antique  statue,  as  to  compare  the  life  and 
character  of  the  Mother  or  Washington  with  those 
of  the  women  of  our  own  times, — or  adjudge  her  at- 
tire, character  and  manners  by  the  arbitrary  rules  of 
fashionable  conventionalism  ! 

Hers  was  a  character  that  might  stand  forth  in  its 
natural  majesty,  unrelieved  by  the  "  aids  and  applian- 
ces "of  adventitious  circumstance  ;  and  the  grateful 
reverence  which  we  instinctively  accord  her  can  only 
be  inspired  by  transcendant  worth. 

Those  who  best  know  her  inestimable  qualities,  ear- 
nestly strive  to  impress  us  with  the  conviction  that  she 
was  gifted  with  attributes  adapting  her  in  a  most  extra- 
ordinary degree  to  the  immortal  part  assigned  her  in 
the  drama  of  human  existence.  Yet  the  stern  virtues 
that  served  to  mould  a  future  Hero,  were  attempered  by 
womanly  tenderness  and  sympathy  ;  and  we  associate 
them  in  our  remembranco  with  the  practical  kindness 

3 


50  MEMOIR  OF 

and  unostentatious  habits  that  equally  marked  her  daily 
life. 

The  philosophy  so  forcibly  illustrated  in  the  history 
of  Mary  Washington  is  not  that  of  Plato,  of  Socrates, 
or  of  Zeno,  but  that  of  Christ  ! 

Her  equanimity,  was  not  the  result  of  constitutional 
insensibility,  nor  yet  of  a  debasing  stoicism,  but  of  the 
dominant  influence  of  immutable  Religious  Principle, 
forever  supreme,  alike  over  the  weaknesses  of  natuie 
and  the  promptings  of  worldly  ambition. 

The  life  and  character  of  this  illustrious  matron,  in 
some  points  of  general  resemblance,  remind  us  of  those 
of  the  self-devoted  Scottish  Covenanters  of  old :  like 
them,  she  regarded  with  indifference,  if  not  with  con- 
tempt, the  inconvenient  requisitions  of  ceremony  and 
the  unscrupulous  exactions  of  corrupting  fashion  ;  like 
them  she  sought  to  obtain  from  the  Bible  alone  her  in- 
variable rule  of  life ;  and  like  them,  she  worshipped 
God  surrounded  by  the  majestic  companionship  of  na- 
ture, 

"  Not  'neath  the  domes,  where  crumbling  arch  and 

column 
Attest  the  feebleness  of  mortal  hand ; 
But  in  that  fane,  most  catholic  and  solemn 

Which  God  has  plann'd  !" 

Her  Name  and  her  Fame  are  the  priceless  inherit- 
ance, not  of  her  native  country  alone,  but  of  every  land 
that  boasts  a  knowledge  of  the  glorious  achievements 
of  the  immortal   Champion  of  Liberty  ! 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  51 

Her  name  will  be  revered,  and  her  memory  cherished 
when  those  of  mighty  empires  and  world-renowned 
sovereigns  shall  have  sunk  forever  into  the  whirlpool 
of  Oblivion  :  unsullied,  unobscured  by  the  supremacy 
of  power  and  the  lapse  of  ages,  they  will  beam  forth 
resplendent  in  the  sanctified  lustre  of  Moral  Gran- 
deur. 

At  the  feet  of  the  proud  daughter  of  the  Ptolomies, 
the  conquerers  of  the  world  laid  down  their  crowns, 
yet  Clio,  faithful  to  the  truth,  withholds  the  meed  of 
honor  from  the  coward  soul  that  could  not  brave  adver- 
sity. The  history  of  Christina,  the  royal  Swedish  wan- 
derer, scarce  serves,  at  best,  to  "point  a  moral"  and 
awakens  no  more  exalted  sentiment  than  one  of  pity- 
ing regret.  Maria  Theresa,  despite  her  maoy  and  ex- 
alted excellencies,  sacrificed  some  of  woman's  first, 
best  duties  on  the  altar  of  ambition.  And  who  will 
demand  either  love  or  veneration  for  the  memory  of 
England's  greatest  Queen,  renowned  as  much  for  her 
most  unfeminine  faults,  as  for  her  boasted  masculine 
virtues. 

Imagination  may  pall  in  the  contemplation  of  mere 
charms  of  person, — even  though  unrivalled, — when  as- 
osciated  with  the  moral  cowardice  of  the  famous  Egyp- 
tian Queen  j  we  may  regard  profound  erudition  with- 
out respect,  when  allied  with  the  undisciplined  in- 
stincts and  uncontrolled  passions  of  the  celebrated 
daughter  of  the  Great  Gustavus ;  or  hear  with  in- 
difference, tributes  to  the  religious  enthusiasm    and 


52  MEMOIR  OF 

regal  heroism  of  the  Empress-King* ;  or  turn  with 
unsympathizing  dislike  from  the  haughty,  indomitable, 
relentless  Elizabeth ;  but  when  shall  the  daughters  of 
Columbia  be  weary  of  imbibing  the  benign  and  hal- 
lowed influences  inseparably  associated  with  the  pure 
and  sacred  name  of  Mary  Washington  ? 

The  combined  qualities  of  her  consistent,  elevated 
conscience-illuminated  character,  constitute  a  'perfect 
whole,  that  most  beautifully  and  strikingly  illustrates 
alike  the  Woman  and  the  Christian,  in  the  highest 
and  most  comprehensive  sense  of  those  expressive 
words. 

Enshrined  in  the  Sanctuary  of  Home,  her  sublime 
example  is  the  peerless  boast  of  her  country ;  and  it 
shall  but  brighten  as  it  recedes  with  revolving  years. 

Radiant  in  the  zenith  of  Columbia's  Heaven,  beams 
the  star  of  her  fame,  fixed  and  enduring  as 

"  the  cerulean  arch  we  see, 
Majestic  in  its  own  simplicity!" 


* ,:  Behold  our  King  !;'  was  the  enthusiastic  exclamation  of  the  brave 
Hungarians,  at  the  most  touching  and  sublime  moment  of  the  life  of  this 
great  sovereign. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


"  There  are  deeds  which  should  not  pass  away, 
And  names  that  must  not  wither,  though  the  earth 
Forgets  her  empires  with  a  just  decay, 
The  enslavers  and  the  enslaved,  their  death  and  hirth. 


The  remains  of  Mrs.  Washington  were  interred  at 
Fredericsburg,  in  Virginia,  where  she  so  long  resided, 
and  where  she  remained  till  the  time  of  her  death. 

For  many  years  after  her  decease,  her  place  of  sep- 
ulchre was  undistinguished  by  any  mark  of  public  re- 
spect ;  but  more  recently  a  tasteful  and  splendid  mon- 
ument has  been  erected  to  the  memory  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  under  the  direction  of  a  Committee  rep- 
resenting the  citizens  of  her  native  State.* 

The  ceremony  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  this 
highly  appropriate  mausoleum,  was  performed  by  An- 
drew Jackson,  who  was  at  the  time  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  who  was,  therefore,  very  properly 

*  In  preparing  these  pages  for  the  press,  the  author,  having  not  the 
slightest  reason  to  suspect  their  accuracy,  assumed  as  facts  the  state- 
ments in  relation  to  this  Public  Monument  contained  in  "Knapp's  Fe- 
male Biography."  Truth,  however,  compels  her,  most  reluctantly,  to 
admit  that,  after  the  M.  S.  was  delivered  to  the  Publisher,  a  newspaper 
article,  purporting  to  be  written  at  Fredericsburg,  met  her  eye,  in  which 
it  was  asserted  that  this  mausoleum  has  not  yet  been  completed,  and  that 
it,  at  present,  exhibits  painful  indications  of  neglect  and  decay. 


54  MEMOIR  OF 

invited  by  the  Monumental  Committee  to  assume  that 
honorary  task. 

This  interesting  celebration  occurred  on  the  seventh 
of  May,  1833. 

General  Jackson  went  from  the  seat  of  government 
to  Fredericsburg,  attended  by  the  several  members 
of  the  National  Cabinet  and  by  a  numerous  concourse 
of  highly  respectable  citizens  and  strangers.  The  in- 
habitants of  Fredericsburg,  also  united  in  great  num- 
bers, with  this  imposing  assemblage  ;  and  the  whole 
scene  was  characterized  by  the  most  cordial  and  respect- 
ful interest,  and  by  deep  pathos  and  solemnity. 

The  President  distinguished  the  occasion  by  an  ele- 
gant eulogistic  Address,  from  which  we  present  our 
readers  with  a  few  paragraphs. 

***** 

"  We  are  assembled,  fellow-citizens,  to  witness  and 
assist  in  an  interesting  ceremony.  More  than  a  cen- 
tury has  passed  away  since  she  to  whom  this  tribute  of 
respect  is  about  to  be  paid,  entered  upon  the  active 
scenes  of  life.  A  century  fertile  in  wonderful  events, 
and  of  distinguished  men  who  have  participated  in 
them.  Of  these  events  our  country  has  furnished  her 
full  share ;  and  of  these  distinguished  men,  she  has 
produced  a  Washington  !  If  he  was  "  first  in  war, 
first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen," 
we  may  say,  without  the  imputation  of  national  vanity, 
that  if  not  the  first,  he  was  in  the  very  first  rank  of 
those,  too  few  indeed,  upon  whose  career  mankind  can 
look  back  without  regret  and  whose  memory  and  ex- 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  55 

ample  will  furnish  themes  of  eulogy  for  the  patriot, 
wherever  free  institutions  are  honored  and  maintained. 
His  was  no  false  glory,  deriving  its  lustre  from  the 
glare  of  splendid  and  destructive  actions,  commencing 
in  professions  of  attachment  to  his  country,  and  termi- 
nating in  the  subversion  of  her  freedom.  Far  differ- 
ent is  the  radiance  which  surrounds  his  name  and 
fame.  It  shines  mildly  and  equally,  and  guides  the 
philanthropist  and  citizen  in  the  path  of  duty  ;  and  it 
will  guide  them  long  after  those  false  lights  which 
have  attracted  too  much  attention,  shall  have  been  ex- 
tinguished in  darkness. 

"  In  the  grave  before  us,  lie  the  remains  of  his  Moth- 
er. Long  has  it  been  unmarked  by  any  monumental 
tablet,  but  not  unhonored.  You  have  undertaken  the 
pious  duty  of  erecting  a  column  to  her  memory,  and 
of  inscribing  upon  it.  the  simple  but  affecting  words 
"  Mary,  the  Mother  of  AVashington."  No  eulogy 
could  be  higher  and  it  appeals  to  the  heart  of  every 
American. 

"  These  memorials  of  affection  and  gratitude,  are  con- 
secrated by  the  practice  of  all  ages  and  nations.  They 
are  tributes  of  respect  to  the  dead,  but  they  convey 
practical  lessons  of  virtue  and  wisdom  to  the  living. 
The  mother  and  son  are  beyond  the  reach  of  human 
applause  ;  but  the  bright  example  of  paternal  and  fil- 
ial excellence,  which  their  conduct  furnishes  cannot 
but  produce  the  most  salutary  effects  upon  our  country- 
men.    Let  their  example  be  before  us,  from  the  first 


56  MEMOIR  OF 

lesson  -which  is  taught  the  child,  till  the  mothers  du- 
ties yield  to  the  course  of  preparation  and  action  -which 
nature  prescribes  for  him. 

***** 

"  Tradition  says,  that  the  character  of  Washington 
was  strengthened,  if  not  formed,  by  the  care  and  pre- 
cepts of  his  mother.     She  was  remarkable  for  the  vigor 
of  her  intellect  and  the  firmness  of  her  resolution. 
***** 

"  In  tracing  the  few  recollections  which  can  be  gath- 
ered, of  her  principles  and  conduct,  it  is  impossible  to 
avoid  the  conviction,  that  these  were  closely  interwo- 
ven with  the  destiny  of  her  son.  The  great  points  of 
his  character  are  before  the  world.  He  who  runs  may 
read  them  in  his  whole  career,  as  a  citizen,  a  soldier,  a 
magistrate.  He  possessed  unerring  judgment,  if  that 
term  can  be  applied  to  human  nature  ;  great  probity  of 
purpose,  high  moral  principles,  perfect  self-possession, 
untiring  application,  an  enquiring  mind,  seeking  infor- 
mation from  every  quarter,  and  arriving  at  its  conclu- 
sions with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  subject ;  and  he  added 
to  these  an  inflexibility  of  resolution,  which  nothing 
could  change  but  a  conviction  of  error.  Look  back  at 
the  life  and  conduct  of  his  mother,  and  at  her  domes- 
tic government,  as  they  have  this  day  been  delineated 
by  the  chairman  of  the  Monumental  Committee,  and 
as  they  were  known  to  her  cotemporaries,  and  have 
been  described  by  them,  and  they  will  be  found  admi- 
rably adapted  to  form  and  develope,  the  elements  of 
such  a  character.     The  power  of  greatness  was  there  ; 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  57 

but  had  it  not  been  guided  and  directed  by  maternal 
solicitude  and  judgment,  its  possessor,  instead  of  pre- 
senting to  the  world,  examples  of  virtue,  patriotism 
and  wisdom,  which  will  be  precious  in  all  succeeding 
ages,  might  have  added  to  the  number  of  those  master- 
spirits, whose  fame  rests  upon  the  faculties  they  have 
abused,  and  the  injuries  they  have  committed. 
***** 

"  Fellow-citizens,  at  your  request,  and  in  your  name, 
I  now  deposit  this  plate  in  the  spot  destined  for  it ;  and 
when  the  American  pilgrim,  shall,  in  after  ages,  come 
up  to  this  high  and  holy  place,  and  lay  his  hand  upon 
this  sacred  column,  may  he  recall  the  virtues  of  her, 
who  sleeps  beneath,  and  depart  with  his  affections  pu- 
rified, and  his  piety  strengthened,  while  he  invokes 
blessings  upon  the  Mother  of  Washington." 

The  following  impressive  lines  were  prepared  for 
this  interesting  ceremonial,  by  our  gifted  countrywo- 
man, Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney : 

"  Long  hast  thou  slept  unnoted.    Nature  stole 
In  her  soft  ministry,  around  thy  bed, 
And  spread  her  vernal  coverings,  violet-gemnvd, 
And  pearl'd  with  dews.    She  bade  bright  Summer  bring 
Gifts  of  frankincense,  with  sweet  song  of  birds. 
And  Autumn  cast  his  yellow  coronet 
Down  at  thy  feet,  and  stormy  Winter  speak 
Hoarsely  of  man's  neglect.    But  now  we  come 
To  do  thee  homage,  Mother  of  our  Chief, 
Fit  homage,  such  as  honoreth  him  who  pays  ! 
Methinks  we  see  thee,  as  in  olden  time, 
Simple  in  garb— majestic  and  serene — 

3* 


68  MEMOIR  OF 

Unaw'd  by  "  pomp  and  circumstance" — in  truth 
Inflexible— and  with  Spartan  zeal 
Repressing  vice,  and  making  foily  grave. 
Thou  didst  not  deem  it  woman's  part  to  waste 
Life  in  inglorious  sloth,  to  sport  awhile 
Amid  the  flowers,  or  on  the  summer  wave, 
Then  fket  like  the  ephemeron  away, 
Building  no  temple  in  her  children's  hearts, 
Save  to  the  vanity  and  pride  of  life 
"Which  she  had  worshipp'd. 

"  Of  the  might  that  cloth'd 
The  {:  Pater  Patrias"— of  the  deeds  that  won 
A  nation's  liberty,  and  earth's  applause, 
Making  Mount  Vernon's  tomb  a  Mecca  haunt — 
For  patriot  and  for  sage,  while  time  shall  last, 
What  part  was  thine,  what  thanks  to  thee  are  due, 
Who  mid  his  elements  of  being  wrought 
With  no  uncertain  aim — nursing  the  germs 
Of  godlike  virtue  in  his  infant  mind, 
We  knoio  not, — heaven  can  tell .' 

"  Rise,  noble  pile ! 
And  show  a  race  unborn,  who  rests  below— 
And  say  to  mothers,  what  a  holy  charge 
Is  theirs — with  what  a  kingly  power  their  love 
Might  rule  the  fountains  of  the  new-born  mind — 
Warn  them  to  wake  at  early  dawn,  and  sow 
Good  seed  before  the  world  doth  sow  its  tares, 
Nor  in  their  toil  decline— that  angel  bands 
May  put  the  sickle  in,  and  reap  for  God, 
And  gather  to  his  garner. 

"Ye  who  stand 
With  thrilling  breast  and  kindling  cheek  this  morn , 
Viewing  the  tribute  that  Virginia  pays 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  59 

To  the  blest  Mother  of  her  glorious  Chief; 

Ye,  whose  last  thought  upon  your  nightly  couch, 

Whose  first,  at  waking,  is,  your  cradled  son, 

What  though  no  dazzling  hope  aspires  to  rear 

A  second  Washington,  or  leave  your  name, 

Wrought  out  in  marble,  with  your  country's  tears 

Of  deathless  gratitude, — yet  may  ye  raise 

A  monument  above  the  stars,  a  soul 

Led  by  your  teachings,  and  your  prayers,  to  God." 

The  exquisite  taste  and  perfect  keeping,  exhibited 
in  this  mausoleum,  render  it  one  of  the  most  elegant 
works  of  art,  of  which  our  country  boasts.  The  form 
is  pyramidal ;  and  the  height  of  the  obelisk,  forty-five 
feet.  The  shaft  is  adorned  by  a  colossal  bust  of  the 
immortal  Washington,  and  surmounted  by  the  Ameri- 
can Eagle,  sustaining  a  civic  crown  above  the  heroic 
head. 

Language  can  scarcely  afford,  a  more  irresistibly 
touching  illustration  of  the  moral  sublime,  than  is 
contained  in  the  brief  sentence  inscribed  upon  this  hal- 
lowed tomb  : — 

MARY 


THE     MOTHER     OF 


WASHINGTON. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


Emirm  w&3M@TF©a 


A  Perfect  Woman,  nobly  planned, 
To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command; 
And  yet  a  spirit,  still    and  bright, 
With  something  of  an  Angel's  light ! 


Not  enjoyment,  and  not  sorrow, 
Is  our  destined  end  or  way  ; 
Butto  act  that  each  to-morrow ; 
Finds  us  farther  than  to-day. 


Wordsworth. 


Longfellow. 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  LIFE 


OF 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Subject  of  our  Memoir,  a  Belle,  in  her  early  years,  in  the  Capitol  of 
Virginia — Her  Disposition  and  Appearance — Maiden  Name — Place  and 
Date  of  her  Birth— Descent— Education— Mental  Endowments— Her 
early  Matrimonial  Engagement — Opposition  of  Col.  Custis'  Father — 
The  Marriage  of  Miss  Dandriclge— Removal  to  the  Plantation  of  her 
Husband — Name  and  Situation  of  the  Residence  of  Col.  Custis— Char- 
acter and  Hospitality  of  Col.  Custis— Mrs.  Custis  an  American  Matron 
— Becomes  a  Mother — Her  Domestic  Happiness — Tbo  Death  of  her 
Eldest  Son— Death  of  Col.  Custis— Anecdote— Strength  of  mind  dis- 
played by  Mrs.  Custis— Her  Two  remaining  Children— Her  Religious 
Principle— Business  Abilities  of  Mrs.  Custis— Active  Attention  to  her 
Children. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Mrs.  Custis  a  beautiful  and  fascinating  widow— The  White  House  again 
the  Seat  of  Hospitality— Mrs.  Custis,  for  some  time  not  tempted  to  Re- 
Marry— Meets  Col.  Washington — His  undisguised  Admiration  of  the 
fair  Widow— Their  Engagement — The  War-Steed  and  Servant  of  the 
Soldier  the  victims  of  Cupid's  arts— Prepara' ions  for  the  Wedding— 
The  Distinguished  Character  of  the  Assemblage— The  "  Pride,  Pomp 
and  Circumstance"  of  the  Occasion. 


64  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Date  of  the  Marriage  of  Col.  and  Mrs.  Washington — They  Remove  from 
the  White  Honse  to  Mount  Temon — Origin  of  the  Name  of  Washing- 
ton's Plantation — Washington's  desire  to  render  his  Home  worthy  of 
i'-s  Mistress—  Memoranda  of  Articles  ordered  from  London — Peculiar 
Characteristics  of  Domestic  Life  in  the  Colonies— Mrs.  Washington  as- 
sumes her  new  Duties — Washington  relieves  her  from  the  Charge  of  her 
Pecuniary  Affairs— Mrs.  Washington  conducts  the  Education  of  her 
Children — Again  the  Wife  of  a  Virginia  Planter — Mrs.  Washington  oc- 
casionally leaves  Home — Her  Charities — Her  Pleasure  as  her  Daughter 
advances  towards  Womanhood— The  Death  of  Miss  Custis— Grief  of 
the  Family — Date  of  Miss  Custis'  Death — Signs  of  approaching  War- 
Washington  leaves  Home  to  attend  the  First  Congress. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Mrs.  Washington  does  not  accompany  her  Husband  to  Philadelphia — 
Washington  is  appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American  Ar- 
my—This  Intelligence  first  Communicated  to  Mrs.  Washington  in  a 
Letter  from  her  Husband — The  Letter — Mrs.  Washington  determines 
to  Repair  to  the  Seat  of  War— She  is  invited  to  a  Public  Ball— Annoy- 
ing Proof  of  Popular  Disaffection — Mrs.  Washington's  Accomodations 
at  Cambridge — Her  Piety  and  Serenity  of  Mind — She  gains  the  Re- 
gards of  all  about  her,  and  the  Appellation  of  "  Lady  Washington" — 
She  takes  Leave  of  her  Husband  and  Returns  to  Mount  Vernon — Mrs. 
Washington  establishes  a  Domestic  System  suited  to  the  Times — 
Her  Success  in  Domestic  Manufactures — Mrs.  Washington's  Pecul- 
iar interest  in  Public  Affairs— Her  Indignation  at  the  Treachery  medi- 
tated towards  the  Commander-in-Chief,  and  her  Delight  when  in- 
formed of  the  Successful  Passage  of  the  Delaware. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Washington  goes  into  Winter  Quarters — Mrs.  Washington  Joins  him  in 
the  Camp — Her  Husband's  care  and  attention  during  her  Yearly  Jour- 
neys— Mrs.  Washington  travels  in  her  own  carriage,  attended  by  a 
Military  Escort — The  Example  of  Mrs.  Washington  generally  follow- 
ed by  the  Wives  of  the  principal  Officers  of  the  Arm}'— Mrs.  Washing- 
ton the  Favorite  of  the  Army— Anecdote— The  Cheerfulness  and  Equa- 


CONTENTS.  65 

nimityof  Mrs.  Washington,  while  residing  in  the  Camp— Her  Society 
highly  valued  by  the  Commander-in-Chief— Anecdote— Mrs.  Washing- 
ton Devotes  herself  to  the'care  of  the  Sick  and  Suffering— She  forma 
many  agreeable  Friendships— Her  Correspondence  at  this  time — 
Extract  from  a  Letter— Mrs.  Washington's  intimate  Assoc  iationwith 
the  Heroes  of  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Mrs.  Washington's  return  to  Mount  Yernon,  in  the  Spring  of  1777— Re- 
assumes  the  personal  Charge  of  Family  Affairs— Supplies  the  place  of 
her  Husband  at  Home— Ready  to  return  to  Camp  in  the  Autumn — 
The  Army  at  Valley  Forge — Passage  from  one  of  Mrs.  Washington's 
Letters — Christian  Faith  and  Fortitude  of  Mrs.  Washington — Spring 
brings  cheering  tidings  from  France— Active  Movements  in  the  Camp 
—Mrs.  Washington  again  repairs  to  her  home— Mrs.  Washington's 
Winter  at  Yalley  Forge  a  type  of  many  successive  seasons — The  Loca- 
tion of  Head-Quarters — The  Marquis  de  Chastelleus  the  Guest  of  Gen. 
and  Mrs.  Washington,  in  the  Camp — Extract — Mrs.  Washington 
neglected  by  the  Philadelphia  Ladies— She  is  Hospitably  Received  else- 
where— Mrs.  Washington  visits  Mrs.  Barry,  of  New  Jersey — A  Ball 
given  in  honor  of  her  arrival— The  Equipage,  Attendants  and  Dress  of 
Mrs.  Washington  at  this  time — The  Commander-in-Chief  Dances  at 
the  Ball — The  Anniversary  of  the  National  Alliance  with  France  cele- 
brated by  a  Ball,  at  which  Mrs.  Washington  is  present — The  Respect  en  - 
tertained  for  Mrs.  Washington  in  Europe — Reported  Present  from  the 
Queen  of  France— The  Marriage  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Son,  Col.  Cus- 
tis — Her  Daughter-in-Law  Presides  at  Mount  Yernon — Repeated  Ill- 
ness of  the  Commander-in-Chief— Mrs.  Washington's  Health  im- 
paired—She is  Inoculated  for  the  small-pox — Mrs.  Washington's  Ap- 
pearance at  this  Period  of  her  Life— Grand  Children  claim  the  care 
and  affection  of  Mrs.  Washington — Her  Occupation  and  Amusements 
— Prospect  of  Peace— Mrs.  Washington's  Anticipations  of  Domestic 
Felicity — She  is  summoned  to  the  Death-Bed  of  her  Son — Particulars 
respecting  Col.  Custis'  Public  Career,  Illness  and  Death — Washington's 
Grief  on  this  Occasion — His  Sympathy  with  Mrs.  Washington. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Date  of  Col.  Custis'  Death — Mrs.  Washington  Devotes  herself  more  en- 
tirely to  the  Charge  of  her  Grand  Children — She  Remains  at  Moun 


68  CONTENTS. 

Vernon— Her  Hospitality  and  Benevolence— Her  Husband  returns  to 
Mount  Vernon— Passage  from  one  of  Washington's  Letters,  to  the 
Marchioness  de  La  Fayette— Proposed  Enlargement  and  Improvement 
of  the  Mansion  and  Grounds  of  Mount  Vernon— The  Manifold  Occupa- 
tions of  Mrs.  Washington— Her  Industry,  Method,  Domestic  Disci- 
pline, Personal  Neatness,  Courtesy  and  Conversation  at  Table,  Reg- 
ular Devotional  Exercises— Mrs.  Washington  a  Lady  of  the  "Old 
School" — Complimentary  Testimony  of  the  Marquis  de  Chastelleux — 
The  Grand-Children  of  Mrs.  Washington  the  Favorites  of  Mount 
Vernon— Numerous  Visitors  at  Mount  Vernon— Mrs.  C.  Maccauley 
Graham— The  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  the  Guest  of  Gen.  and  Mrs. 
Washington— He  returns  to  Mount  Vernon  before  leaving  the  Coun- 
try—Proofs of  the  continued  Friendship  cherished  by  the  Distin- 
guished Military  Companions  of  the  Commander-in-Chief— Her  Hus- 
band continually  Associates  Mrs.  Washington  with  himself  in  his  Cor- 
respondence with  his  Friends — Few  present  traces  of  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton's Letters— Illustrative  Extract— Devotion  of  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington to  the  Practical  Duties  of  their  Station— Their  Self- Denial-Order 
for  Plate  countermanded — Donation  to  a  Literary  Institution — Mr2  . 
Washington's  pleasure  at  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  by 
her  Native  State — Public  Rejoicings  in  the  City  of  Alexandria — Mrs . 
Washington  Patriotism  and  Philanthropy. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Election  of  Washington  to  the  Presidency — Mrs.  Washington's  reluc- 
tance to  leave  Home — Letter  from  Mrs.  Washington  to  a  Female  Friend 
— Journey  from  Mount  Vernon  to  the  City  of  New  York — The  Bridge 
at  Trenton  and  the  Inaugeration — Mrs.  Washington  in  High  Station — 
Propriety  of  State  and  Ceremony  in  the  Presidential  Establishment — 
Mrs.  Washington's  domestic  Arrangements— Her  Levees— The  Leveed 
and  Dinners  of  the  President— State  Dress  of  the  President— Particu- 
lar Ceremonies  of  the  National  Fete  days— Distinguishing  Attention 
paid  to  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  to  Mrs.  Green— Respect  paid  to  the  Sab- 
bath by  President  and  Mrs.  Washington— The  Revolutionary  Sol- 
diers always  welcomed  to  the  Presidential  Mansion— Mr?.  Washington 
receives  the  Attention  due  to  her  exalted  Position  with  proper  Self-Re- 
spect—She never  Converses  in  Public  upon  Political  Subjects— Mrs. 
Washington  passes  a  portion  of  each  Summer  at  Mount  Vernon — Still 
Regardful  of  the  Interest  and  Improvement  of  her  Grand  Children- 
Preparations  for  the  final  Departure  of  President  and  Mrs.  Wash* 
ington  from  the  Seat  of  Government — Leave-takings,  and  Eestowment 
ot  Tokens  of  Remembrance  and  Regard. 


CONTENTS.  67 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Mrs.  Washington  returns  permanently  to  Mount  Yernon— Pleasing  Re- 
sults of  former  Improvements  there— The  Domestic  Happiness  of  Mrs. 
Washington  and  her  Family — Sudden  Illness  of  Washington — The 
overwhelming  grief  of  Mrs.  Washington — The  Death  of  the  Fath- 
er of  his  Country — Mrs.  AYashington  leaves,  never  to  Return,  the 
Apartments  she  had  occupied  with  her  Husband — The  Grief  of  a  Na- 
tion— The  Remains  of  Washington,  yielded  to  the  Government — Mrs. 
Washington's  confident  Hope  in  the  Eternal  Felicity  of  her  Husband 
— Her  deep  grief  and  Christian  Fortitude— Mrs.  Washington  continues 
her  former  attention  to  the  active  Duties  of  Life — In  her  69th  year — 
The  Health  of  Mrs.  Washington  is  undermined— She  Becomes  Seri- 
ously 111 — She  is  Conscious  of  her  approaching  Dissolution — The  Death  - 
Bed  of  Mrs.  Washington— She  calmly  Expires— Date  of  Mrs.  Wash* 
ington's  Death — Her  Place  of  Sepulture. 


THE  WIFE  OF  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Grace  was  in  all  her  steps,  heaven  in  her  eye, 
In  every  gesture,  dignity  and  love ! 


Pope. 


Our  youthful  summer  oft  we  see 
Dance  by  on  wings  of  game  and  glee, 
Whilst  the  dark  storm  resumes  its  rage. 

#  #  *  *  * 

And  such  a  lot,  my  theme,  was  thine, 
When  thou,  of  late,  wert  doom'd  to  twine, — 
Just  when  the  bridal  wreath  was  by, — 
The  cypress  with  the  myrtle  tie. 


Scott. 


The  Illustrious  Subject  of  the  following  Memoir, 
is  first  presented  to  our  attention  in  the  interesting  po- 
sition of  a  youthful  belle  at  the  Court  of  the  stately 
representative  of  British  power  and  rule,  within  the 
limits  of  the  proud,  aristocratical  and  wealthy  "  Old 
Dominion." 

The  charms  of  an  agreeable  person  and  a  lovely 
face,  enhanced  by  the  superior  fascination  of  winning 
manners  and  an  amiable  disposition,  combined  to  ren- 
der this  fair  representative  of  an  ancient  race,  one  of 


70  MEMOIR  OF 

the  most  admired  and  beloved  of  the  many  living  flow- 
ers ass3rabled  during  the  season  of  fashion,  to  grace 
the  Colonial  Court  of  Governor  Dinwiddie. 

Martha  Dandridge  was  born  in  the  County  of 
New  Kent,  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  in  May,  1732. 
The  long  line  of  ancestors  from  whom  she  was  descend- 
ed, was  originally  represented  in  the  Colony  by  the 
Rev.  Orlando  Jones,  a  Welsh  gentleman,  who  early 
established  himself  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

Miss  Dandridge  possessed  only  such  artificial  accom- 
plishments as  the  system  of  domestic  instruction,  then 
the  sole  means  of  female  education  in  her  native  land, 
enabled  her  to  acquire.  But  she  was,  happily,  endow- 
ed by  nature,  with  infinitely  more  essential  qualifica- 
tions for  usefulness  and  happiness  than  these  could 
supply — self-respect,  good  sense,  a  quick  perception  of 
propriety,  and  a  ready  power  of  self  adaptation  to  the 
exigencies  and  necessities  of  practical  life. 

Though  the  celebrity  early  acquired,  and  the  distin- 
guished associations  as  early  commenced  by  Miss  Dan- 
dridge, were  perpetuated  through  the  accumulated  years 
of  a  long  and  varied  life,  her  career  in  the  dazzling 
realms  of  fashion,  was  destined  to  be  as  evanescent 
as  it  was  brilliant  and  agreeable. 

Won  by  the  almost  resistless  power  of  a  deep  and 
discriminating  attachment, — that  most  exquisitely- 
delicate  and  expressive  of  compliments, — at  the  age 
of  seventeen,  before  adulation  and  her  unusual  success 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  71 

de  societe  had  alloyed  the  ingenuous  simplicity,  or  di- 
minished the  buoyant  enthusiasm  of  her  noble  nature, 

" in  the  lustre  of  her  youth,  she  gave 


Her  hand,  with  her  heart  in  it  to," — 

one  of  her  numerous  admirers,  Col.  Daniel  Parker 
Custis,  a  son  of  the  Hon.  John  Custis  of  Arlington. 

Throughout  her  eventful  life,  it  was  the  happy  fate 
of  this  distinguished  lady  to  be  the  object  of  warm 
and  disinterested  affection ;  and  this  characteristic 
of  her  history  was  eminently  illustrated  by  the  at- 
tachment of  Col  Custis,  who,  in  opposition  to  the  more 
ambitious  matrimonial  designs  of  his  father, — himself 
a  King's  Counsellor,  and  desirous  of  public  honors 
for  his  son,— preferred  the  young  and  lovely  Miss 
Dandridge  to  all  the  allurements  of  political  distinc- 
tion and  unbounded  wealth. 

The  consent  of  the  reluctant  and  ambitious  King's 
Counsellor  yielded,  at  last,  to  the  firmness  and  ardor  of 
manly  constancy,  Col.  Custis  triumphantly  bore  away 
his  fair  prize,  to  his  plantation  in  her  native  County  of 
Kent. 

The  residence  of  Col.  Custis  was  situated  on  the 
shore  of  the  Pamunkey  Ptiver,  and  was  known  by  the 
now  peculiarly  significant  appellation  of  the  "  Yihite 
House." 

Col.  Custis  was  a  highly  prosperous  planter  and  a 
pleasing  impersonation  of  the  Virginia  gentleman  of 
the  olden  time.  Possessed  of  sterling  integrity  and 
eminently  gifted  with  the  refined  and  elevated  senti- 
ments so  agreeably  illustrated  by  the  peculiar  incidents 


72  MEMOIR  OF 

connected  with  bis  matrimonial  engagement,  he  was, 
also,  endowed  by  nature  with  a  heart  as  generously  lib- 
eral as  his  purse  was  ample  and  overflowing.  Living 
in  times  when  hospitality  was  not  only  practised  as  a 
duty  and  a  virtue,  but  regarded  as  affording  some  of 
the  most  innocent  and  delightful  gratifications  of  do- 
mestic life,  his  bountiful  board  was  habitually  spread, 
like  those  of  the  feudal  lords  of  other  days  and  other 
lands,  not  alone  for  numerous  vassals  and  dependants 
but  in  preparation  for  the  cordial  welcome  equally  await- 
ing the  passing  stranger  and  the  expected  friend. 

The  obligations  and  responsibilities  appertaining  to 
the  mistress  of  so  extensive  an  establishment  as  that 
of  the  "  White  House,"  however  agreeable  in  their 
nature,  were  necessarily,  by  no  means  either  nominal 
or  light.  But  she  who  had  voluntarily  and  '  ■  nothing 
loth,"  so  early  exchanged  her  youthful  pleasures  and  her 
maiden  freedom  for  the  cares  and  duties  of  an  Amer- 
ican Matron,  readily  and  cheerfully  assimilated  her- 
self to  her  new  position. 

And  when  the  more  interesting  and  important  avo- 
cations of  a  mother  were  added  to  those  of  the  wife 
of  a  Virginia  country  gentleman,  the  home  in  which 
Mrs.  Custis  presided  continued  to  illustrate  the  judi- 
cious system  of  household  arrangement,  the  wise  econ- 
omy, order  and  regularity  for  which  she  was  through  life 
so  remarkable. 

To  the  friends  whom  she  had  known  and  loved  in 
her  girlhood,  and  who  still  continued  to  evince  undi- 
minished  their  former  interest  and  regard,  time  only 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  73 

added  nearer  ties  and  more  endearing  associations, 
and 

"  The  wife,  the  mother,  dearer  than  the  bride," 

the  sweet-home  virtues  long  went  hand  in  hand  with 
Health,  Peace  and  Content,  the  lovely  graces  of 
the  fireside ! 

Thus,  for  some  time,  the  halcyon  days  of  the  domes- 
tic felicity  of  Mrs.  Custis  glided  uninterruptedly  on. 

But  never  does  earthly  happiness  continue  unal- 
loyed !  Death  entered,  and  desolated  this  Eden  of 
Delight  ! 

The  first  victim  of  the  destroyer  was  the  hope  and 
joy  of  his  parents, — their  eldest  child, — whose  unusual 
mental  developments  gave  only  too  delusive  and  fleet- 
ing promise  of  the  future. 

Soon  after  this  melancholy  event,  Col.  Custus  (his 
malady  incurably  heightened  by  the  effects  of  over- 
whelming grief  for  the  loss  of  his  son,)  sunk,  prema- 
turely, into  the  grave,  when  he  had  scarcely  attained 
the  prime  of  manhood  ! 

With  the  painfully-touching  proof  of  extraordinary 
sensibility  afforded  by  the  mournful  cause  of  his  early 
death,  family  tradition  unites  an  anecdote  illustrative 
of  another  prominent  trait  in  the  interesting  character 
of  Col.  Custis: — "  It  is  related  of  this  amiable  gen- 
tleman," says  his  brief  biographer  and  immediate  de- 
scendant, "  that,  when  on  his  death-bed,  he  sent  for  a 
tenant,  to  whom,  in  settling  an  account,  he  was  due 
one   shilling.     The  tenant   begged   that  the  Colonel, 

4 


74  MEMOIR  0¥ 

who  had  ever  been  most  kind  to  his  tenantry,  would 
not  trouble  himself  at  all  about  such  a  trifle,  as  he,  the 
tenant,  had  forgotten  it  long  ago.  "  But  I  have  not," 
rejoined  the  just  and  conscientious  landlord,  and  bid- 
ding his  creditor  take  up  the  coin,  which  had  been 
purposely  placed  on  his  pillow,  exclaimed,  "  Now  my 
accounts  are  all  closed  with  this  world  !"  and  shortly 
after  expired. 

Thus  suddenly  deprived,  not  only  of  the  child  whose 
existence  had  first  awakened  in  her  bosom  the  holy 
love  and  the  lofty  aspirations  of  a  mother,  but,  of  the 
friend  and  counsellor  whose  changeless  affection  had 
made  the  sunshine  of  her  life,  and  upon  whom  she 
had  so  implicitly  relied  for  effective  aid  in  the  fulfil- 
ment of  her  solemn  and  momentous  maternal  duties, 
Mrs.  Custis  did  not  weakly  abandon  herself  to  useless 
lamentation,  or  helpless  despair.  Two  children  still 
survived  to  claim  her  care  and  affection  ;  and,  after  the 
first  burst  of  impassioned  and  overpowering  sorrow, — 
seeking  strength  for  the  effort  where  alone  it  could  be 
found,  in  the  promised  aid  of  a  chastening  but  merci- 
ful Redeemer, — she  nerved  herself  for  conscientious 
and  persevering  attention  to  duties  and  interests  so 
painfully  augmented  and  so  mournfully  and  deeply  im- 
portant. 

Col.  Custis  gave  the  highest  proof  that  the  roman- 
tic attachment  and  well-founded  respect  of  early  days 
remained  undiminished  through  the  lapse  of  years,  by 
leaving  to  his   widow   the  exclusive  .management  and 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  75 

disposition,  not  only  of  her  own  pecuniary  interests, 
but  of  those  of  his  children. 

How  triumphantly  Mrs.  Custis  proved  her  ability 
for  the  task  thus  delegated  to  her,  will  be  best  told  in 
the  words  of  the  same  authority  to  which  we  have  before 
referred. — "  Independently  of  extensive  and  valuable 
landed  estates,  the  Colonel  left  thirty  thousand  pounds 
sterling  in  money,  with  half  that  amount  to  his  only 
daughter  Martha.  *  *  *  * 

"  Mrs.  Custis,  as  sole  executrix,  managed  the  ex- 
tensive landed  and  pecuniary  concerns  of  the  estates 
with  surprising  ability,  making  loans  on  mortgage,  of 
moneys,  and,  through  her  stewards  and  agents,  con- 
ducting the  sales  or  exportation  of  the  crops  to  the  best 
possible  advantage." 

If  not  as  lightly  and  blissfully  as  of  old,  still 
peacefully  and  hopefully,  time  passed  with  the  wid- 
owed mother,  while  engaged  in  these  needful  occupa- 
tions, and  in  the  most  affectionate  devotion  to  the  edu- 
cation and  happiness  of  her  children,  whom  it  was 
her  sedulous  endeavor  to  inspire  with  a  wish  to  emu- 
late the  virtues  of  their  father  ;-r- thus  rendering  just 
homage  to  his  memory,  and  worthily  entitling  them 
to  the  splendid  worldly  endowments  and  to  the  honor- 
able name  which  were  alike  their  proud  inheritance. 


CHAPTER  II. 

0,  young  Lochinvar  is  come  out  of  the  West, 
Through  all  the  wide  Border  his  steed  was  the  best ; 
And  save  his  good  broadsword,  he  weapons  had  none. 
He  rode  all  unarm'd  and  he  rode  all  alone. 
So  faithful  in  love,  and  so  dauntless  in  war, 
There  never  was  knight  like  the  young  Lochinvar  ! 

Scott. 

Beautiful,  gifted  with  great  fascination  of  manner, 
extremely  wealthy,  youthful  and 

"  Without  any  control,  but  the  sweet  one  of  grace- 
fulness," 
it  is   not  surprising, — the  usual   period  of  mourning 
and  seclusion  passed, — that  the  hand  of  Mrs.  Custis 
was  sought  by  many  and  ardent  suitors. 

The  "  White  House"  became  again  the  chosen 
abode  of  refined  and  graceful  hospitality,  and  its  fair 
and  gentle  mistress  once  more  assumed  her  place  in 
the  elegant  and  distinguished  circle,  to  the  attractions 
of  which  her  presence  had  formerly  made  so  agreeably 
an  addition. 

But  though  participating  with  subdued  cheerfulness 
in  the  rational  enjoyments  of  social  life,  and  extend- 
ing equal  courtesy  to  all  who  came  within  the  sphere 
of  her  magic  influence  ;  yet  a  taste,  refined  it  might 
be,  even  to  fastidiousness,  by  prolonged  and  intimate 
association  with  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  honora- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  77 

ble  of  men,  was  not  easily  satisfied.  Nor  would  the 
heart  that  had  been  so  entirely  his,  through  many 
happy  years  of  wedded  love,  readily  yielded  itself  to 
the  keeping  of  another. 

"  Oft  she  rejects,  but  never  once  offends  !" 

Content  in  her  singular  freedom  from  authoritative 
restraint,  conscious  of  her  ability  to  conduct,  unaided, 
her  own  business  affairs  and  those  of  her  children, — 
young,  lovely,  admired,  respected, — why  should  she 
exchange  her  felicitous  independence  for  a  protection,  in 
her  peculiar  circumstances  little  better  than  nominal 
perchance,  or,  at  least,  for  many  reasons,  undesirable 
and  unnecessary?  The  well-remembered  virtues  of 
his  father  would  be  the  best  guide  of  her  son,  and  her 
ceaseless  assiduity  would  obtain  both  for  him  and  for 
his  sister,  every  advantage  that  unlimited  pecuniary 
resources  and  the  most  affectionate  interest  could  uni- 
tedly secure.  Why,  then,  either  for  their  benefit,  or 
for  her  own  happiness,  should  their  mother  renounce 
her  present  name  ? 

Governed  by  these  numerous,  weighty,  and  seem- 
ingly-conclusive reasons,  the  beautiful  widow  remained 
immovably  relentless,  while  each  enamored  lover 
pressed,  in  turn,  his  glowing  and  disinterested  suit ! 
Eloquence  did  not  shake  her  resolution,  manly  beauty 
and  intelligence,  polished  manners,  high  honor, — all 
were  vain  to  ruffle  the  "  waveless  calm"  of  the  unre- 
sponding  heart,  in  whose  peaceful  depths  lay  enshrined 
— the  treasures  of  memory  ! 

At  length,  by  accident,  there  crossed  her  path,  one, 


78  MEMOIR  OF 

whose  Star  of  Fame  was  already  far  in  the  ascendant 
in  his  native  State  ;  a  patriotic  and  distinguished  citi- 
zen-soldier, who  could  tell 

"  of  most  disastrous  chances 
Of  moving  accidents  by  flood  and  field, 
Of  hair-breadth  'scapes  i'  the  imminent  deadly 

breach, 
Of  being  taken  by  the  insolent  foe  !"* 

His  conversation,  his  manners,  his  appearance,  com- 
bined to  prove  this  interesting  stranger  no  common 
mortal,  no  ordinary  wooer  !  Nature  had  stamped  up- 
on his  powerful  frame  and  majestic  countenance  an 
unmistakeable  impress  of  the  mental  power  that  dwelt 
within,  and  sealed  his  august  brow,  with 

"  The  stamp  of  Fate  and  fiat  of  a  God !" 

Again  and  again  the  fascinated  soldier  sought  the 
presence  of  the  enchanting  widow.  Again  and  again 
he  spontaneously  acknowledged  the  winning  power  of 
her  lithe  and  graceful  form,  her  bright,  expressive  face 
and  the  far  more  potent  magic  of  her  suave  and  be 
nignant  manners,  her  noble  and  disciplined  intellect 
And  he,  the  victor-crowned, — now  himself  subdued 
— awaited  his  fate  at  the  hand  of  the  resistless  charmer 


*  Our  readers  will  consider  the  application  ot  this  last  line  as  scarce 
ly  involving  a  poetic  license,  when  they  recollect  the  fact  recorded  in  the 
annexed  passage  : — 

Lieutenant  Col.  Washington,  "  being  joined  soon  after  by  the  residue 
of  the  regiment,  and  a  few  other  troops,  making  an  aggregate  of  some- 
what less  than  four  hundred  men,  they  erected  a  small  stockade  fort  ; 
here  he  was  attacked  "by  twelve  hundred  French  and  Indians,  and  after 
a  biave  resistance  from  ten  in  the  morning  until  night,  he  capitulated." 

National  Portrait  Gallery. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  79 

What  wonder,  then,  that  the  lofty  resolve  to  pre- 
serve unchanged  her  womanly  liberty,  which  was  erst 
the  high  prerogative  of  Mrs.  Custis,  should,  gradu- 
ally, "melt  into  thin  air,"  like  the  scrolled  snow- 
wreath,  beneath  the  ardent  gaze  of  advancing  Phoe- 
bus ! 

The  favorite  charger  of  the  Hero  of  the  Mononga- 
hela,  and  his  faithful  Bishop*  in  obedience  to  the  high 
behest  of  their  noble  master,  now  often  traced  with 
him,  the  familiar  way  that  conducted  to  the  hospitable 
"  White  House."  Long  and  often  did  the  impatient 
war-steed  await  his  time -unheeding  rider;  long  and 
often  did  the  assiduous  attendant  marvel  at  a  fbrget- 
fulness  of  commands  that  on  other  occasions,  some- 
times anticipated  even  his  prompt  and  exact  punctu- 
ality. 

And  now,  all  was  in  elegant  and  tasteful  prepa- 
ration in  the  "  White  House,"  for  the  elaborate  and 
splendid  celebration  of  the  approaching  bridal. 

Aristocratic  magnates  of  the  "  Old  Dominion" 
stately  matrons  and  dignified  statesmen,  the  young, 
the  beautiful,  the  brave,  were  assembled  in  honor  of 
nuptials  so  signally  auspicious,  so  brilliant  and  so  felic* 
itous. 

"Much  hath  the  biographerf  heard  of  that  mar- 
riage, from  gray-haired  domestics,  who  waited  at  the 
board  where  love  made  the  feast  and  Washington  was 

*  Each  bequeathed  hiin  by  the  dying  Braddock  on  the  ill-starred  field 
of  his  last  battle. 

t  We  borrow  the  expressive  language  of  the  interesting  annalist  to 
whose  authority  we  before  referred. 


SO  MEMOIR  OF 

the  guest.  And  rare  and  high  was  the  revelry,  at  that 
palmy  period  of  Virginia's  festal  age  ;  for  many  were 
gathered  at  that  marriage,  of  the  good,  the  great,  the 
gifted  and  the  gay,  while  Virginia,  with  joyous  accla- 
mation, hailed  in  her  youthful  hero  a  prosperous  and 
happy  bridegroom." 

Imagination  will  Letter  picture  the  pomp  and  splen- 
dor of  this  interesting  scene  than  any  description  of 
ours.  Thus  will  our  readers  satisfactorily  behold  the 
fairest  of  Virginia's  fair  daughters,  arrayed  in  the  su- 
perb brocades,  the  costly  laces,  and  sparkling  jewels 
that  the  old  World  alone  could  then  supply  ;  gallant 
cavaliers,  in  the  elaborate  and  elegant  costume  of  the 
time ;  the  brilliant  apartments ;  the  bountiful  board, 
glittering  with  massive  plate,  and  loaded  with  sub- 
stantial viands,  rich  wines  and  delicate  conserves. 
Thus  aided  they  may  listen  to  the  gay  conversation, 
the  merry  song,  the  whispered  words,  the  blithesome 
laugh,  the  flashing  wit,  the  inspiring  music,  each  well 
befitting  the  occasion  ;  and  watch 

"  the  docile  footstep  to  the  heave  of  that 

[sweet  measure, 
As  music  wafts  the  form  aloft  at  its  melodious 

[pleasure, 

Now  breaking  through  the  woven  chain  of  the 

[entangled  dance !" 

The  same  magic  power  will  most  successfully  por- 
tray the  grace,  the  loveliness,  the  tearful  smiles,  the 
glowing  cheek  of  the  Bride,  when  warm  words  and 
softened  looks  bespoke  the  cordial  aspirations  for  her 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  81 

future  happiness  that  swelled  the  hearts  of  her  friends  ; 
and  the  animated  countenance,  the  majestic  mein,  the 
undisguised  rapture  of  the  triumphant  and  love- 
crowned  Soldier. 


4* 


CHAPTER  III. 


For  still  where  the  firm  *  *  *  * 

And  the  stern, in  sweet  marriage  is  blent  with  the  meek, 
Rings  the  concord  harmonious,  both  tender  and  strong  ; 

******* 
The  heart  to  the  heart  flows  in  one,  love  delighted  ! 

Schiller. 


*  *  Woe  to  thy  dream  of  delight ; 

In  darkness  dissolves  the  gay  frost-work  of  bliss  ; 

Where  now  is  the  picture  that  Fancy  touch'd  bright  ? 

W.  W.  DlMOND. 


Butlo  !  a  Congress !     What,  that  hallow'd  name 
Which  freed  the  Atlantic  ? 

BrRON. 

Soon  after  their  union,  which  occurred,  it  is  be- 
lieved, about  the  year  1759,  Col.  and  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington removed  from  the  "  White  House"  to  Mount 
Vernon,  which  continued,  thenceforth,  to  be  the  per- 
manent family  residence.* 

*Mount  Vernon  is  in  Fairfax  Co.,  Virginia.  It  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac,  nine  miles  below  Alexandria  and  fif- 
teen miles  from  Washington.  It  may  interest  some  of  our  readers  to 
ham  the  origin  of  the  name  of  a  spot  now  possessing  so  much  celebri- 
cy.  George  Washington  inherited  this  residence  from  his  eldest  brother, 
Lawrence,  who  'held  a  Captain's  commission  in  the  Provincial  troops, 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  83 

The  mansion  then  bearing  this  name,  was  much 
smaller  than  it  afterwards  became.  It  consisted  only 
of  the  centre  of  the  present  building,  with  but  four 
rooms  on  the  first  floor.  Its  owner  had  resided  there 
for  some  years  previous  to  his  marriage,  but  Mount 
Yernon  was  now,  for  the  first  time  graced  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  mistress. 

We  find  many  proofs,  in  his  published  papers  and 
Correspondence,  of  the  efforts  made  by  Col.  Wash- 
ington to  augment  the  comforts  and  multiply  the  em- 
bellishments of  his  home,  after  it  received  the  fair  and 
gentle  inmate,  whose  happiness  was,  thenceforth,  to  be 
his  peculiar  care. 

Nor  was  his  attention  confined  to  matters  appertain- 
ing merely  to  daily  convenience,  or  general  improve- 
ment,— it  extended  to  all  that  could  lend  attractive- 
ness to  home-life,  for  the  enjoyments  of  which  the  in- 
habitants of  Mount  Vernon,  mutually  posssessed  an 
ardent  love. 

The  following  Memoranda  of  articles  to  be  or- 
dered from  Europe,  the  originals  of  which  were 
found  by  Mr.  Sparks  among  Washington's  papers, 
in  his  own  hand-writing,  will  serve  as  passing  in- 
dications of  the  refined  and  elegant  taste  that  di- 
rected everything  within  the  precincts  of  the  new  abode 
of  Mrs.  Washington  : — 

employed  in  the  celebrated  attack  against  Carthagena,  under  Admiral 
Vernon*  On  his  return .  he  settled  on  his  patrimonial  estate;  which 
through  respect  to  his  Admiral,  he  called  Mount  Vernon."  This  gen- 
tleman died  not  long  afterwards,  leaving  one  daughter,  who  did  not 
reach  mature  years.  The  brother  next  in  succession  also  dying  young, 
Col,  (then  Major)  Washington  succeeded  to  the  inheritance. 


84  MEMOIR  OF 

*'  Directions  for  the  Busts. — One  of  Alexander 
the  Great;  another  of  Julius  Cassar;  another  of 
Charles  XII  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 
Marlborough,  somewhat  smaller." 

"  2  Wild  Beasts,  not  to  exceed  twelve  inches  in 
height,  nor  eighteen  in  length." 

"  Sundry  small  ornaments  for  chimney-piece." 

We  also  find  Col.  Washington  seeking,  by  importa- 
tions from  France  and  England,  to  adorn  his  planta- 
tion with  the  graceful  drapery  of  the  blue  hills  of  the 
"  sunny  South"  and  with  the  far-famed  verdure  of  ru- 
ral Albion. 

Our  readers  must  bear  in  mind  that,  at  the  period 
to  which  our  narrative  refers,  the  various  domestic 
arrangements,  of  which  we  have,  very  briefly,  endeav- 
ored to  convey  an  idea,  were  comparatively  unusual  in 
the  American  Colonies ;  and  that  not  only  all  articles 
of  luxury,  but  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  essen- 
tials of  household  convenience  and  daily  comfort,  were 
imported  from  Europe.  It  will  thus  be  perceived, 
that  what  would  now  scarcely  be  regarded  in  the  light 

*  How  little  did  the  writer  imagine,  when  penning  this  order,  that  not 
many  years  later,  his  walls  would  be  adorned  by  a  portrait  ot  the  Great 
Frederick,  sent  him  by  that  Monarch  and  accompanied  by  the  memorable 
words  -"  From  the  oldest  General  in  Europe,  to  the  greatest  General  in 
the  world!" 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  85 

m 

of  luxurious  indulgences  were  then  within  the  reach 
only  of  the  most  wealthy.  Even  the  clothing  of  his 
servants,  and  the  ordinary  implements  of  agriculture, 
as  well  as  most  articles  of  food,  not  the  produce  of 
his  own  plantation,  were  ordered  by  Col.  Washington 
from  his  English  agents.* 

"We  may  believe  that  the  efficient  aid  of  Miis  Wash- 
ington was  not  wanting  in  the  regulation  and  adorn- 
ment of  the  new  home  to  which  she  found  herself 
transferred. 

We  perceive,  from  the  details  of  his  "Life"  that 
Col.  Washington  almost  immediately  assumed  the  pe- 
cuniary responsibilities  and  duties  devolving  upon  him 
in  consequence  of  his  marriage.  We  find  in  his  let- 
ters to  his  agents  abroad,  frequent  references  to  the 
business  affairs  of  Mrs.  Washington  and  her  children, 
each  characterized  by  his  usual  precision,  regularity 
and  conscientiousness. 

But  though  thus  relieved  from  the  irksome  and 
uncongenial  employments  incident  to  her  previous 
mode  of  life,  Mrs.  Washington,  doubtless,  found  suffi- 
cient occupation  in  the  agreeable  avocations  involving 
the  health  happiness  and  education  of  her  children  ; 

*  We  append  a  somewhat  amusing  List  of  articles  imported  from 
England  about  this  time  by  Col.  W.,  which  was  gleaned,  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  the  curious  in  such  matters,  from  the  voluminous  "  Memo- 
randa" published  by  the  indisputable  authority  to  which  we  have 
before  referred.  By  its  perusal  the  reader  may,  perhaps,  gain  some  inci. 
dental  information  respecting  the  dress  and  domestic  habits  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  at  this  period  of  her  history,  together  with  various  indica- 
tions of  the  degree  of  luxury  and  refinement  characteristic  of  the  system 
of  life  then  prevalent  among  the  more  wealthy  of  the  Virginia  Planters. 

See  Note  A. 


86  MEMOIR  OP 

and  in  a  general  superintenclance  of  the  affairs  of  her 
household,  together  with  the  many  social  obligations 
appertaining  to  her  position. 

The  present  situation  of  Mrs.  Washington  closely 
resembled  that  to  which  she  was  accustomed  during 
her  former  marriage.  She  was  now,  as  she  had  previ- 
ously been,  the  wife  of  a  prosperous,  enterprising 
Virginia  Planter.  For  though  still, 
^  "Bearing  his  blushing  honors  thick  upon  him," 
Col.  Washington  for  many  successive  years,  took  no 
other  part  in  public  affairs  than  occasionally  to  act  as 
a  local  magistrate,  or  as  a  Representative  in  the  Pro- 
vincial Legislature. 

Honored  and  beloved  at  home,  Mrs.  Washington 
continued  still,  as  ever  before,  to  receive  the  affec- 
tionate and  respectful  regards  of  a  large  circle  of 
attached  and  admiring  friends. 

She  occasionally  accompanied  her  husband  in  his 
various  journeys,  and  in  his  visits  to  Williamsburg — 
the  scene  of  her  early  entrance  into  society  and  of  some 
of  the  pleasing  associations  of  later  years,  But  most 
of  her  time,  as  well  as  that  of  Col  Washington,  was 
passed  at  their  beloved  Mount  Vernon,  in  the  midst 
of  congenial  pleasures,  occupations  and  duties. 

While  alluding  to  the  different  sources  of  happiness 
enjoyed  at  this  time  by  the  estimable  Subject  of  our 
Memoir,  we  should  not  omit  particularly  to  mention 
the  pure  and  exalted  gratification  springing  from  her 
enlightened  and  systematic  charity  and  from  her  con- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  87 

scientious  attention  to  those  dependents  immediately 
relying  upon  her  care  for  health  and  comfort. 

Thus  did  this  illustrious  lady  long  glide  serenely 
and  happily  down  the  stream  of  time. 

As  Miss  Custis,  the  only  daughter  of  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, advanced  towards  womanhood,  the  tender 
maternal  assiduity  that  so  earnestly  sought  her  improve- 
ment in  all  that  could  tend  to  promote  her  happiness 
and  usefulness  in  after  life,  was,  if  possible,  still  more 
devoted  in  its  manifestations. 

And  when,  at  last,  the  child  of  so  many  hopes,  the 
favored  recipient  of  such  accumulated  care  and  ten- 
derness, became  the  intelligent  companion  of  the 
mother  to  whose  guidance  she  owed  so  much,  words 
are  inadequate  to  express  that  mother's  pride  and  joy. 

But  Mrs.  Washington  was  destined  again  to  behold 
the  cup  of  happiness  pass,  scarce  tasted,  from  her 
lips. 

Miss  Custis  had  no  sooner  attained  maturity  than 
she  was  snatched  forever  from  the  presence  of  her 
earthly  friends. 

Who  shall  tell  the  sorrow  of  the  bereaved  and  grief- 
stricken  mother;  the  passionate  lamentation  of  the 
young  brother  who,  hand  in  hand  with  this  one  gentle 
sister,  had  grown  in  health  and  beauty  through  so 
many  happy  years  of  genial  and  loving  companion- 
ship ;  or  the  deep  sadness  of  the  almost  paternal  guar- 
dian beneath  whose  fostering  care  her  youthful  mind 
had  so  pleasingly  developed  ? 


88  MEMOIR  OF 

The  melancholy  event  that  thus,  suddenly,  robbed 
Mount  Vernon  of  one  of  its  brightest  and  most  cher- 
ished ornaments,  occurred  in  the  year  1770. 

Subsequent  to  this  sad  incident,  for  several  succes- 
sive years,  nothing  demanding  particular  notice  arose 
to  vary  the  usual  routine  of  Mrs.  Washington's  exis- 
tence. 

The  tender  sympathy  that  calms  and  soothes  the 
wounded  heart,  beyond  all  else  that  earth  can  give, 
united  with  the  dictates  of  religion  to  soften  regrets 
which  they  could  not   remove,  and 

"  Time,  that  wears  out  the  trace  of  deepest  sorrow," 

witnessed  a  gradual  diminution  of  the  pervading  and 
poignant  grief  that  long  shadowed  the  spirit  of  this 
mourning  mother. 

At  length,  the  distant  murmurs  of  the  approaching 
storm  that  served  to  render  more  dear  the  sanctity 
and  the  delights  of  home,  reached  ears  all  unwilling 
to  receive  the  dreadful  tidings  they  conveyed.  Near, 
and  yet  more  near,  advanced  the  threatening  clouds  till 
even  the  most  incredulous  were  compelled  to  fear  its 
fast-coming  fury. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  first  fully  awakened  to  a  fore- 
boding sense  of  the  changes  that  awaited  her,  when 
her  husband,  obeying  the  summons  of  patriotism,  has- 
tened from  home  to  join  in  the  momentous  public  delib- 
erations, upon  the  results  of  which  hung  consequences 
of  so  much  present  and  prospective  importance. 
Then,  indeed,  she   became  only  too  surely  convinced 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  89 

that  the  master-spirit  had  departed  from  the  home-par- 
adise, within  which,  for  seventeen  successive  years, 
there  had  so  seldom  entered  the  sin  and  suffering  that 
make  the  alloy  of  all  human  happiness  ! 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Hark !  forth  from  the  abyss,  a  voice  proceeds , 
A  long,  low,  distant  murmur  of  dread  sound, 
Such  as  arises  when  a  Nation  bleeds 
With  some  deep  and  immedicable  wound. 

Byf.ox 


Employ'd  she  employs ; 


Locks  the  chest  and  the  wardrobe,  with  lavender  smelling, 

And  the  hum  of  the  spindle  goes  quick  through  the  dwelling  ; 

And  she  hoards  in  the  presses,  well  polished  and  full, 

The  snow  of  the  linen,  the  shine  of  the  wool  ; 

Blends  the  sweet  with  the  good,  an  from  care  and  endeavor 

Rests  never ! 

Schiller, 


While  duty  measures  the  regard  it  owes 
With  scrupulous  precision  and  nice  justice, 
Love  never  reasons,  but  profusely  gives, 
GiTes,  like  a  a  thoughtless  prodigal,  its  all, 
And  trembles  then,  lest  it  has  done  too  little. 


More. 


When  Col.  Washington  left  Mount  Vernon  to  at- 
tend the  meet  in  o-  of  the  first  Congress  at  Philadel- 
phia,  Mrs.  Washington  remained  at  home,  partici- 
pating, though  at  a  distance,  the  interest  and  anxiety 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  91 

with  which  he  discharged  the  various  and  pecul- 
iarly responsible  duties  which  the  Soldier  of 
America  was  directly  summoned  to  assume ;  and 
watching  with  engrossing  eagerness,  for  his  reports 
of  the  highly  interesting  proceedings  and  delibera- 
tions of  the  solemn  assemblage  with  which  he  was 
associated. 

When,  after  more  than  nine  months  of  separation 
and  solicitude,  she  was  informed  of  her  husband's  ap- 
pointment as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American 
Army,  and  that  "  the  war  had  actually  begun"  which 
must  summon  him  to  immediate  action,  the  mingled 
nature  of  her  emotions  may  be  easily  conceived. 

The  first  intelligence  of  this  event  was  communica- 
ted to  Mrs.  Washington  in  the  following  Letter,  which 
possesses  the  more  interest  as  it  is  the  only  one  of  th« 
many  addressed  to  her  from  the  same  source,  that  has 
descended  to  us.* 


"  Philadelphia,  18  June,  1775. 
11  My  Dearest  : 

"  I  am  now  set  down  to  write  to  you  on  a  subject, 
which  fills  me  with  inexpressible  concern,  and  this 
concern  is  greatly  aggravated  and  increased,  when  I 
reflect  upon  the  uneasiness  I  know  it  will  give  you. 

*  It  is  known  that  Mrs.  Washington,  previously  to  her  death,  destroyed 
these  precious  testimonials  of  affection  and  confidence — unwilling  it  may 
be  supposed,  to  allow  other  eyes  than  her  own  to  trace  the  cherished 
records. 


92  MEMOIR  OF 

It  has  been  determined  in  Congress,  that  the  whole 
army  raised  for  the  defence  of  the  American  cause 
shall  be  put  under  my  care,  and  that  it  is  necessary 
for  me  to  proceed  immediately  to  Boston  to  take  upon 
me  the  command  of  it. 

"  You  may  believe  me,  my  dear  Patsy,  when  I  as- 
sure you,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that,  so  far 
from  seeking  this  appointment,  I  have  used  every  en- 
deavor in  my  power  to  avoid  it,  not  only  from  my  un- 
willingness to  part  with  you  and  the  family,  but  from 
a  consciousness  of  its  being  a  trust  too  great  for  my 
capacity,  and  that  I  should  enjoy  more  real  happiness 
in  one  month  with  you  at  home,  than  I  have  the  most 
distant  prospect  of  find  in  g  abroad,  if  my  stay  were  to 
be  seven  times  seven  years.  But  as  it  has  been  a 
kind  of  destiny,  that  has  thrown  me  upon  this  service, 
I  shall  hope  that  my  undertaking  it  is  designed  to  an- 
swer some  good  purpose.  You  might,  and  I  suppose 
did  perceive,  from  the  tenor  of  my  letters,  that  I  was 
apprehensive  I  could  not  avoid  this  appointment,  as  I 
did  not  pretend  to  intimate  when  I  should  return. 
That  was  the  case.  It  was  utterly  out  of  my  power 
to  refuse  this  appointment,  without  exposing  my  char- 
acter to  such  censures,  as  would  have  reflected  dis- 
honor upon  myself,  and  given  pain  to  my  friends. 
This,  I  am  sure  could  not,  and  ought  not  to  be  pleas- 
ing to  you,  and  must  have  lessened  me  considerably 
in  my  own  esteem.  I  shall  rely,  therefore,  confi- 
dently on  that  Providence,  which  has  heretofore  pre- 
served and  been  bountiful  to  me,  not  doubting  but 


MARTHA.  WASHINGTON.  93 

that  I  shall  return  safe  to  you  in  the  fall.  I  shall  feel 
no  pain  from  the  toil  or  the  danger  of  the  campaign  ; 
my  unhappiness  will  flow  from  the  uneasines  I  know 
you  will  feel  from  being  left  alone.  I  therefore  beg 
that  you  will  summon  your  whole  fortitude,  and  pass 
your  time  as  agreeably  as  possible.  Nothing  will 
give  me  so  much  sincere  satisfaction  as  to  hear  this, 
and  to  hear  it  from  your  own  pen.  My  earnest  and 
ardent  desire  is,  that  you  would  pursue  any  plan  that 
is  most  likely  to  produce  content,  and  a  tolerable  de- 
gree of  tranquility  ;  as  it  must  add  greatly  to  my  un- 
easy feelings  to  hear  that  you  are  dissatisfied  or  com- 
plaining at  what  I  really  could  not  avoid. 

"  As  life  is  always  uncertain,  and  common  prudence 
dictates  to  every  man  the  necessity  of  settling  his  tem- 
poral concerns,  while  it  is  in  his  power,  and  while  the 
mind  is  calm  and  undisturbed,  I  have,  since  I  came  to 
this  place,  (for  I  had  no  time  to  do  it  before  I  left 
home)  got  Colonel  Pendleton  to  draft  a  will  for  me, 
by  the  directions  I  gave  him,  which  will  I  now  en- 
close. The  provision  made  for  you  in  case  of  my 
death  will,  I  hope,  be  agreeable. 

"  I  shall  add  nothing  more,  as  I  have  several  letters 
to  write,  but  to  desire  that  you  will  remember  me  to 
your  friends,  and   to  assure  you  that  I  am,  with  the 
most  unfeigned  regard,  my  dear  Patsy, 
Your  affectionate 

Geokge  Washington."* 

*  Sparks*  Weitusgs  of  Washington. 


94  MEMOIR  OF 

The  contents  of  this  letter,  -will,  far  more  effectually 
than  any  comments  of  ours,  convey  to  our  readers  a 
just  conception  of  the  considerate  and  affectionate  re- 
spect always  paid  by  the  illustrious  pater  -patri.^  te 
the  wishes,  feelings  and  comfort  of  the  celebrated  Sub- 
ject  of  our  Memoir. 

Though  there  is  no  allusion  in  this  Epistle  to  the 
possibility  of  Mrs.  Washington's  accompanying  the 
Commander-in-Chief  in  his  journey  to  Cambridge, 
nor  to  the  prospect  of  even  a  brief  re-union  after  this 
their  first  protracted  separation,  yet  it  was  subse- 
quently determined  that  they  should,  temporarily  at 
least,  be  relieved  from  the  mutual  pain  of  absence,  as 
will  be  explained  by  the  following  passage  from  a  let- 
ter addressed  by  Washington  to  his  brother. 


"  Camp  at  Cambridge,  \ 
13  October,  1775.     ]" 

Dear  Brother  : 


"I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  advice  to  my  wife, 
and  for  your  intention  of  visiting  her.  Seeing  no 
great  prospect  of  returning  to  my  family  and  friends 
this  winter,  I  have  sent  an  invitation  to  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington to  come  to  me,  although  I  fear  the  season  is  too 
far  advanced  to  admit  this  with  any  tolerable  degree  of 
convenience,  especially  if  she  should,  when  my  letters 
get  home,  be  in  New  Kent,  as  I  believe  the  case  will 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  95 

be.  I  have  laid  before  her  a  statement  of  the  difficul- 
ties, however,  which  must  attend  the  journey,  and  left 
it  to  her  own  choice."* 

There  is  no  reference  in  this  Letter  to  any  appre- 
hension, on  the  part  of  her  husband,  of  clanger  to 
Mrs.  Washington,  should  she  remain  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, but  fears  for  her  safety  were  entertained  by 
many  of  her  friends,  as  we  learn  from  the  subjoined 
extract  from  Sparks'  "  Writings  of  Washington  :" — 

"As  the  General  could  not  leave  the  army,  he  had  re- 
quested Mrs.  Washington  to  pass  the  winter  with  him 
at  Cambridge.  It  seems,  that  some  persons  thought  her 
in  danger  at  Mount  Vernon,  which  stands  on  the  bank 
of  the  Potomac  IUver,  and  is  accessible  to  armed  ships 
of  the  largest  size.  Lund  Washington  had  written  to 
to  the  General; — "Many  people  have  made  a  stir 
about  Mrs.  Washington's  continuing  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, but  I  cannot  think  there  is  any  danger.  The 
thought,  I  believe,  originated  in  Alexandria ;  from 
thence  it  got  to  Londoun,  and  I  am  told  the  peo- 
ple of  Londoun  talk  of  sending  a  guard  to  con- 
duct her  up  to  Berkeley,  with  some  of  their  princi- 
pal men  to  persuade  her  to  leave  this  place  and  aecept 
their  offer.  Mr.  John  Augustine  Washington  wrote, 
pressing  her  to  leave  Mount  Vernon.  She  does  not 
believe  herself  in  danger.  Lord  Dunmore  will  hardly 
himself  venture  up  this  river ;  nor  do  I  believe  he 
will  send  on  that  errand.     Surely,  her  old  acquaint- 

*  Sparks'  "  Writings  of  Washington." 


98  MEMOIR  OP 

ance,  the  attorney,  who,  with  his  family,  is  on  board 
his  ship,  would  prevent  his  doing  an  act  of  that 
kind.  You  may  depend  I  will  be  watchful,  and  upon 
the  least  alarm  persuade  her  to  remove.'  " 

In  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  her  husband,  Mrs. 
Washington  hastened  to  make  preparations  for  joining 
him  at  Cambridge  for  the  winter. 

Upon  her  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  on  her  way 
to  the  scene  of  her  new  duties,  she  was  met  and 
escorted  into  the  city  by  Col-  Hancock  and  other  offi- 
cers and  the  "  Light  Infantry  of  the  Second  Battalion, 
and  the  company  of  Light  Horse,  &c." 

In  addition  to  these  public  demonstrations  of 
respect,  Mrs.  Washington  was  welcomed  by  every 
proof  of  individual  regard  and  personal  affection  on 
the  part  of  her  numerous  friends.  She  immediately 
received  an  invitation  to  attend  a  public  Ball  which 
was  in  contemplation,  and  which  it  was  hoped  the 
Ladies  of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  and  of  Col  Han- 
cock would  honor  with  their  presence. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  fated  thus  early  in  her 
new  career,  to  realize  that  Persecution,  like  his 
twin-compeer,  "loves  a  shining  mark,"  and  that, 
during  the  commotion  of  public  feeling  which  was 
already  beginning  to  surge  and  swell,  she  must  pre- 
pare to  meet  the  popular  tumult,  manifestations  of 
which  would,  thenceforth,  occasionally  reach  even  to 
her. 

Before  the  evening  appointed  for  the  intended  fete 
arrived,   fears  were  entertained  that  the  anticipated 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  97 

festivities  would  be  disagreeably  interrupted  and  tliat 
the  tranquility  of  the  city  might  be  seriously  disturbed 
by  an  occurrence,  under  ordinary  circumstances  so 
unimportant  to  the  populace. 

Accordingly,  there  was  a  numerous  meeting  of  the 
most  respectable  citizens,  at  Philosophic  Hall,  "  for 
the  purpose  of  considering  the  propriety  of  allowing 
the  ball  to  be  given." — After  much  serious  delibera- 
tion it  was  finally  concluded  that  no  such  entertain- 
ment should  take  place,  either  then,  or  "  in  future, 
while  these  troublesome  times  continued." 

This  meeting  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee whose  duty  it  should  be  to  desire  the  managers 
of  the  intended  Ball  to  relinquish  their  design,  and, 
also,  to  wait  upon  Mrs.  Washington  with  the  request 
that  she  would  decline  any  participation  in  the  affair. 

It  was  understood  that  Mrs.  Washington  readily  as- 
sented to  the  wishes  of  the  gentlemen  who  called  on 
her  on  this  occasion,  assured  them  of  the  entire 
accordance  of  her  feelings  with  their  own  in  relation  to 
the  matter,  and  politely  expressed  her  acknowledge- 
ments for  the  kind  attention  that  had  secured  her 
against  embarrassment  and  annoyance.* 

After  enjoying  the  society  of  her  friends  for  a  few  days 
and,  at  the  same  time  refreshing  herself  with  needful 
rest  from  the  fatigue  of  her  already  long  and  labori- 
ous journey,  Mrs.  Washington  left  Philadelphia, f  on 

"  For  the  quaint  version  of  this  singular  illustration  of  popular  feel- 
ing given  in  "Christopher  Marshall's  Diary  of  1775,"  see  Note  B.,  of 
the  Appendix. 

|27  November,  1773. 

5 


9<5  MEMOIR  OF 

her  way  to  New  England,  "  attended  by  the  Troop  of 
Horse,  two  companies  of  Light  Infantry,  &c,  &c." 

The  anxious  and  affectionate  care  with  which, 
despite  his  engrossing  public  duties,  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  endeavored  to  secure  the  safety  and  comfort  of 
Mrs.  Washington  during  her  journey  to  the  Ameri- 
can Camp  is  proved  by  the  frequent  references  to  the 
subject  contained  in  his  letters.  Thus,  in  a  letter  to 
his  Military  Secretary,  Joseph  Reed,  Esq.,  we  find 
the  following  passage,  under  date  of  the  20th  of  No- 
vember : — 

"I  thank  you  for  your  frequent  allusions  to  Mrs. 
Washington.  I  expect  that  she  will  be  in  Philadelphia 
about  the  time  this  letter  may  reach  you,  on  her  way 
hither.  As  she  and  her  conductor,  who  I  suppose 
will  be  Mr.  Custis,  her  son,  are  perfect  strangers  to 
the  road,  the  stages,  and  the  proper  place  to  cross 
Hudson's  River,  by  all  means  avoiding  New-York,  I 
shall  be  much  obliged  by  your  particular  instructions 
and  advice  to  her.  I  imagine,  as  the  roads  are  bad, 
and  the  weather  cold,  her  stages  must  be  short, 
especially  as  I  presume  her  horses  will  be  fatigued  ;  as 
when  they  get  to  Philadelphia,  they  will  have  per- 
formed a  journey  of  at  least  four  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  my  express  having  found  her  among  her  friends, 
near  Williamsburgh,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  be* 
low  our  house/' 

Mrs.  Washington  reached  Cambridge  in  safety  on 
the  11th  of  December,  having  accomplished  the  jour- 
ney from  Philadelphia   in  about   fifteen   days.     She 


31  UlTIIA  WASHINGTON.  99 

was  soon  comfortably  established  in  the  elegant  man- 
sion of  one  of  the  wealthy  Tory  families  who  deserted 
their  residences  upon  the  approach  of  the  Continental 
Army.  The  American  officers,  generally,  took  pos- 
session of  these  luxurious  abodes,  thus — and  then  only 
during  the  continuance  of  the  War, — ' '  faring  sumptu- 
ously every  day." 

After  Mrs.  Washington's  arrival  in  the  American 
Camp,  the  punctilious  courtesy  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  dictated  the  following  expression  of  his  sense  cf 
grateful  obligation  to  the  many  friends  whose  kind  at- 
tentions she  had  elicited  during  her  journey. 


To  Joseph  Reed,  Esq., 

Camp,  December  25th,  1775. 


Dear  Sir  : 


I  am  so  much  indebted  for  the  civilities  shown  Mrs. 
Washington  on  her  journey  hither,  that  I  hardly 
know  how  to  go  about  to  acknowledge  them.  Some 
of  the  enclosed  (all  of  which  I  beg  the  favor  of  you 
to  put  into  the  post-office,)  are  directed  to  that  end. 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  you  for  presenting  my  thanks  to 
the  commanding  officers  of  the  two  battalions  of  Phil- 
adelphia, for  the  honors  done  her  and  me,  as  also 
to  any  others  equally  entitled.     I  very  sincerely  offer 


100  MEMOIR  OP 

you  the  compliments  of  the  season,  and   wish   you, 
Mrs.  Reed,  and  your  fireside,  the  happy  return  of  a 
great  many  of  them;  being,  dear  Sir, 
Your  most  obedient  and 

Affectionate  humble  servant, 

GrEORGE  WASHINGTON."* 

It  would  of  course,  be  irrelevant  to  our  subject,  as 
well  as  a  work  of  supererrogation  to  attempt  a  detailed 
account  of  the  memorable  siege  and  eventual  evacua- 
tion of  Boston. 

Mrs.  Washington,  while  participating  in  the  harras- 
sing  embarrassments  that,  almost  directly  upon  the  as- 
sumption of  his  new  position,  began  to  demand  the  sym- 
pathy she  always  exhibited  in  whatever  affected  either 
the  interest  or  happiness  of  her  husband,  was  now 
called  upon  to  illustrate  in  relation  to  him,  as  she  had 
ever  done  in  every  personal  trial  and  affliction,  her. 
firm  reliance  upon  the  beneficent  superintendent  of 
overruling  Wisdom  and  Goodness.  Even  in  this  early 
stage  of  his  eventful  military  career,  her  habitual 
cheerfulness  and  practical  abilities,  served  in  many  in- 
stances, essentially  to  aid  and  encourage  the  Comman- 
der-in-Chief. 

The  agreeable  and  estimable  qualities  of  the  wife  of 
the  American  Hero  soon  won  for  her  the  love  and  vene- 
ration of  her  husband's  companions  in  arms,  and  her 
universal  popularity  among  them,  occasioned  her  re- 
ceiving the  appellation  of  "  Lady  Wasltington"  the 

*"Life  and  Correspondence  of  President  Reed." 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  101 

well-known  title  by  which  she  was  always  afterwards 
distinguished  in  the  American  Army. 

With  the  departure  of  the  British  Fleet  from  the 
Harbor  of  Boston,*  Mrs  Washington  prepared  to  re- 
turn to  her  long-deserted  home, — the  portentious  as- 
pect of  military  affairs  warning  her  of  the  impractica- 
bility of  remaining  with  the  Commander-in-Chief 
during  the  season  of  actual  hostilities. 

In  addition  to  her  parting  from  her  husband,  this  af- 
fectionate mother  was,  also,  necessitated  to  nerve  herself 
for  a  separation  from  her  son,  who  was  already  pledged 
to  share  the  military  fortunes  of  his  beloved  step-father. 
For  usefulness  and  honor  she  had  reared  him  to  man- 
hood, and  to  her  country  she  now  resigned  this  last  lin- 
gering scion  of  maternal  hope  and  joy.f 

Mrs.  Washington  sought  the  security  and  seclusion 
of  Mount  Vernon,  not  to  indulge  in  vain  repinings  at 
her  separation  from  its  master  and  from  her  only  child, 
nor  to  yield  herself  up  to  the  unworthy  dominion  of 
useless  fears  for  their  personal  safety  and  well-being  ; 
but  to  find  in  active  and  needful  occupation,  and  in 
care  for  the  happiness  of  others,  the  best  guarantee  af- 
forded by  circumstances,  for  the  preservation  of  her 
mental  serenity. 

■«  17  March,  1775. 

t  Whether  or  not  Mr.  Custis  was  already  one  of  the  military  family, 
stricfefy  speaking,  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  we  have  not  the  means  of 
determining  ;  hut  we  know  him  together  with  Mrs.  Custis,  to  have  accom- 
panied his  mother  to  Cambridge,  to  have  been  at  the  siege  of  Boston,  and 
to  have  continued  with  Washington  throughout  the  War,  though  he 
probably  did  not,  in  consequence  ot  his  youth,  thus  early  receive  the  ap- 
pointment of  Aid-de-Oamp  to  the  General-in-Chief. 


102  MEMOIR  OF 

That  knowledge  of  practical  life,  and  that  singular 
facility  for  adapting  herself  to  avocations  unusual  to 
her  sex,  which  she  had  exhibited  during  her  widow- 
hood were  now  again  called  into  exercise  by  the  pecul- 
iar situation  in  which  Mrs.  Washington  found  herself 
placed.  She  immediately  established  a  domestic  sys- 
tem thoroughly  adapted  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times, 
and  eminently  calculated  as  an  example  most  benefi- 
cially to  influence  others.  Her  dress, — always  remark- 
able for  its  simplicity, — was  soon  composed  almost  en- 
tirely of  home-made  materials,  as  was  the  clothing  of 
her  numerous  domestics. 

We  have  her  own  authority  for  the  fact  that 
1 '  she  had  a  great  deal  of  domestic  cloth  made  in 
her  house,"  and  that  "  sixteen  spinning-wheels  were 
kept  in  constant  operation"  at  Mount  Vernon. 
On  one  occasion,  when  conversing  with  some  friends 
upon  this  and  similar  topics,  she  gave  the  best  proof 
of  her  success  in  domestic  manufactures  by  the  ex- 
hibition of  two  of  her  own  dresses,  which  were  com- 
posed of  cotton  striped  with  silk,  and  entirely  home- 
made. The  silk  stripes  in  the  fabric  were  woven  from 
"  the  ravellincrs  of  brown  silk  stockings  and  old  crim- 
son  damask  chair-covers !" 

Momentarily  to  anticipate  in  our  narrative  ; — when 
Washington  arrived  at  New- York  to  assume  his  duties 
as  first  President  of  the  United  States,  he  was  attired 
in  a  complete  suit  of  home-spun  cloth. 

By  the  judicious  and  admirable  simplicity  and  econ- 
omy she  systematically  practiced,  this  exemplary  Rev- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  103 

olulionary  matron  secured  the  means,  not  only  of  per- 
sonal and  domestic  comfort,  convenience,  and  indepen- 
dence, but  of  the  benevolent  diffusion  of  more  generally 
extended  benefit. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  these  house- 
hold avocations  and  duties  were  sufficient  to  engross  or 
content  one  whose  interest  in  the  progress  of  pub- 
lic events  was  so  painfully  augmented  by  her  in- 
timate connection  with  the  master-spirit  upon  whose 
wisdom  and  guidance  hung  the  destiny  of  his  country. 

Mrs.  Washington  was,  doubtless,  kept  well  and 
promptly  advised  not  only  of  the  momentous  events 
that  followed  each  other  in  such  rapid  and  startling 
succession  during  the  ever-memorable  year  succeeding 
the  siege  of  Boston,  but  of  the  individual  adventures 
and  personal  feelings  and  apprehensions  of  her  hus- 
band. The  asseverations  and  fears  expressed  in  the 
following  sentences  were,  probably,  often  repeated  in 
"Washington's  frequent  letters  to  this  sympathizing  re- 
cipient of  his  confidence  : — "  I  am  wearied  to  death 
with  the  retrogacle  motion  of  things,  and  I  solemnly 
protest  that  a  pecuniary  reward  of  twenty  thousand 
pounds  would  not  induce  me  to  undergo  what  I  do."* 
"  In  a  word,  if  every  nerve  is  not  strained  to  recruit 
the  new  army  with  all  possible  expedition,  the  game 
is  nearly  itp."1[ 

*  Washington  to  his  Brother,  19th  Nov.  1776— Sparks' "  Writings  op 
Washington." 

t  Washington  to  Brother,  18  Dec.  1776—"  Life  and  Correspondence 
op  President  Reed." 


104  MEMOIR  OF 

Only  a  wife  as  devoted  as  Mrs.  Washington,  can  ful- 
ly appreciate  her  emotions  of  indignation  and  abhor- 
rence when  made  acquainted  with  the  happily-discov- 
ered treachery  that  aimed  at  the  personal  safety  of 
the  American  Commander-in-Chief  and  the  success  of 
which  would  have  dealt  a  death-blow  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  American  Cause.  Only  such  an  one  can  real- 
ize the  pride  and  pleasure  that  swelled  in  her  heart 
when  informed  of  the  glorious  Passage  of  the  Dela- 
ware, and  of  the  encouraging  success  of  which  that 
skillful  manoeuvre  was  the  immediate  precursor ;  or 
paint  the  harrowing  anxiety  with  which  she  awaited 
further  intelligence  respecting  the  movements  of  the 
little  Continental  Army  ;  and  her  delight  when  certain 
of  the  temporary  cessation  of  active  hostilities  and  of 
the  consequent  safety  of  those  most  dear  to  her.  But 
why  attempt  to  particularize  among  incidents,  each  of 
which  was  necessarily  invested  with  such  vital  impor- 
tance for  this  tender  Mother,  this  sympathizing  Wife, 
this  patriotic  American  Matron  ! 


CHAPTER  V. 

To  paint  that  being  to  a  grovelling  mind 
Were  like  portraying  pictures  to  the  blind. 
'Twas  needful  e'en  infectiously  to  feel 
Her  temper's  fond  and  firm  and  gladsome  zeal, 
To  share  existence  with  her,  and  to  gain 
Sparks  from  her  love's  electrifying  chain, 
Of  that  pure  pride,  which  lessening  to  her  breast 
Life's  ills,  gave  all  its  joys  a  treble  zest, 
Before  the  mind  completely  understood 
That  mighty  truth— how  happy  are  the  good  ! 

Campbell. 

When  the  American  Commander-in-Chief,  after  the 
ten  months  of  incessant  exertion,  fatigue  and  respon- 
sibility that  succeeded  their  parting,  immediately  sub- 
sequent to  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  had  finally  con- 
ducted his  worn  and  weary  Army  into  Winter  Quar- 
ters, at  Morristown,  in  New  Jersey,*  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton, anxious  for  his  health  and  comfort,  as  well  as  for 
those  of  her  son,  lost  no  time  in  repairing  thither  to 
join  him  in  the  Camp  for  the  remainder  of  the  season. 

It  became,  thenceforth,  during  the  continuance  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  Mrs.  Washington's  habitual 
practice  to  pass  her  winters  at  the  Head-Quarters  of  the 
American  Army.  It  was,  consequently,  her  wont  to 
say,  in  after  life,  that  "  she  had  heard  the  first  cannon 

*Jan.  1777. 

5* 


106  MEMOIR  OF 

at  the  opening  and  the  last  at  the  closing  of  all  the 
campaigns  of  the  Revolution  !" 

Many  passages  in  the  private  Letters  of  Washing- 
ton express  his  affectionate  interest  on  the  subject  of 
Mrs.  Washington's  long  and  hazardous  journeys  at 
the  inclement  season  of  the  year  when  they  were,  ne- 
cessarily, undertaken.  We  find  him  writing  to  ask  ad- 
vice as  to  the  best  means  of  promoting  her  safety  and 
comfort,  or  requesting  assistance  in  effecting  her  transit 
from  Mount  Vernon  to  him,  and  again,  expressing  his 
thanks  for  the  many  civilities  extended  to  her  on  such 
occasions  by  friends  whose  personal  and  patriotic  de- 
votion, no  considerations  of  policy  or  prudence  could 
vary  or  diminish. 

Mrs.  Washington's  journeys  to  the  American  Camp 
were  always  performed  in  her  own  carriage  and  at- 
tended by  her  own  servants.  It  was,  also,  the  inva- 
riable practice  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  to  dispatch 
one  of  his  Aids-de-Camp  to  escort  her  from  Mount 
Vernon  to  his  Winter  quarters.*  We  infer,  that  on 
some  of  these  occasions,  at  least,  he  adopted  the  addi- 
tional precaution  to  dispatch  a  band  of  soldiers,  the 
more  effectually  to  insure  her  protection,  as  we  are  told 
that  in  one  instance,  when  travelling,  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton's chariot  was  attended  by  ten  dragoons,  and  that, 
at  another  time,  her  departure  from  Philadelphia  was 
accompanied  by  two  military  companies. 

*  As  one  of  the  Military  Family  of  Washington,  we  may  suppose  that 
a  duty,  for  many  reasons  so  peculiarly  agreeable  to  him,  was,  at  least  oc- 
casionally, delegated  to  Col.  Custis. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  107 

The  example  of  the  wife  of  the  ximerican  General- 
in-Chief,  in  passing  the  winters  with  her  husband  in 
his  Camp  quarters,  was  generally  imitated  by  the  wives 
of  the  principal  Officers  of  the  Continental  Army; 
and  her  arrival  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  signal 
for  the  assemblage  of  the  fair  ministering  spirits  whose 
presence  lent  a  charm  even  to  hardship  and  danger. 

The  following  anecdote,  for  which,  as  well  as  for 
some  other  details,  we  are  indebted  to  the  elegant  and 
highly  entertaining  volumes  of  Mrs.  Ellet,  will  serve 
to  illustrate  the  unwearying  and  affectionate  zeal  with 
which  Mrs.  Washington  was  herself  befriended  by 
those  towards  whom  she  was  so  ready  to  exhibit  the 
most  substantial  proofs  of  regard  and  interest : — 

"  There  were  but  two  frame-houses  in  the  settle- 
ment" (where  Washington  had  established  his  Winter 
quarters)  "and  neither  had  a  finished  upper  story. 
The  General  was  contented  with  his  rough  dwelling, 
but  wished  to  prepare  for  his  wife  a  more  retired  and 
comfortable  apartment.  He  sent  for  the  young  me- 
chanic, who  was  himself  many  years  afterwards  the 
narrator  of  the  incident,  and  desired  him  and  one  of 
his  fellow-apprentices  to  fit  up  a  room  in  the  upper 
story  for  the  accommodation  of  Lady  Washington 
through  the  winter.  She  herself  arrived  before  the 
work  was  commenced.  "  She  came,"  says  the  mili- 
tary carpenter,  "into  the  place — a  portly-looking, 
agreeable  woman  of  forty-five,  and  said  to  us  :  '  Now, 
young  men,  I  care  for  nothing  but  comfort  here ;  and 
should  like  you  to  fit  me  up  a  beaufet  on  one  side  of  the 


108  MEMOIR  OP 

room,  and  some  shelves  and  places  for  hanging  clothes 
on  the  other.'  We  went  to  work  with  all  our  might. 
Every  morning  about  eleven,  Mrs.  Washington  came 
up  stairs  with  a  glass  of  spirits  for  each  of  us ;  and 
after  she  and  the  General  had  dined,  we  were  called 
down  to  eat  at  their  table.  We  worked  very  hard, 
nailing  smooth  boards  over  the  rough  and  worm  eaten 
planks,  and  stopping  the  crevices  in  the  walls  made 
by  time  and  hard  usage.  We  then  consulted  together 
how  we  could  smoothe  the  uneven  floor  and  take  out, 
or  cover  over  some  of  the  huge  black  knots.  We 
studied  to  do  every  thing  to  please  so  pleasant  a  lady, 
and  to  make  some  return  in  our  humble  way,  for  the 
kindness  of  the  General.  On  the  fourth  day,  when 
Mrs.  Washington  came  up  to  see  how  we  were  getting 
along,  we  had  finished  the  work,  made  the  shelves,  put 
up  the  pegs  in  the  wall,  built  the  beaufet  and  converted 
the  rough  garret  into  a  comfortable  apartment.  As 
she  stood  looking  round,  I  said,  '  Madam,  we  have 
endeavored  to  do  the  best  we  could ;  I  hope  we  have 
suited  you.'  She  replied,  smiling,  '  I  am  astonished  ! 
your  work  would  do  honor  to  an  old  master,  and  you 
are  mere  lads.  I  am  not  only  satisfied,  but  highly 
gratified  by  what  you  have  done  for  my  comfort.'  " 

Those  who  had  the  happiness  to  be  able  to  speak 
and  write  from  personal  knowledge,  bore  the  most 
unequivocal  and  emphatic  testimony  to  the  benign 
influence  diffused  through  the  Camp  by  the  welcome 
presence  of  "  Lady  Washington."  Her  cheerfulness 
and  equanimity  were  happily  and  habitually  displayed, 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  109 

even  in  the  most  trying  circumstances,  and  exerted 
over  the  minds  of  all  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  share 
her  friendship,  or  participate  in  her  benevolent  cares, 
the  most  beneficial  effect. 

11 And  to  know  her  well 


Prolona'd,  exalted,  bound,  enchantment's  spell ; 

For  with  affections  warm,  intense,  refined, 

She  mix'd  such  calm  and  holy  strength  of  mind, 

That,  like  heaven's  image  in  the  smiling  brook, 

Celestial  peace  was  pictured  in  her  look. 

Her's  was  the  brow,  in  trials  unperplex'd, 

That  cheered  the  sad,  and  tranquilized  the  vex'd  ; 

She  studied  not  the  meanest  to  eclipse, 

And  yet  the  wisest  listened  to  her  lips." — 

She  submitted  with  the  utmost  patience  to  personal 
privation  and  hardship,  and  did  the  honors  of  her 
homely  camp  abode  with  all  the  grace  and  urbanity 
that  had  formerly  distinguished  the  mistress  of  the 
White  House  and  of  Mount  Vernon.  Her  unwa- 
vering religious  faith  and  her  perpetual  serenity  and 
good-humor  not  only  contributed  materially  to  the 
general  good,  but  were  of  great  service  to  her  hus- 
band individually.  The  Commander-in-Chief,  both  by 
word  and  action  gave  ample  proof  that  the  habits  of 
military  life  were  far  from  diminishing  his  affection  for 
the  companion  of  more  genial  hours,  or  his  just  appre- 
ciation of  the  advantages  arising  to  himself  from  her 
society.  As  an  illustration  in  point,  some  of  our  rea- 
ders will  recollect,  that,  when  on  one  occasion  while 
this  courageous  woman  and  her  fair  companions  still  re- 


110  MEMOIR  OP 

mained  in  their  martial  homes,  and  there  was  a  sudden 
apprehension  that  "  the  enemy"  were  rapidly  approach- 
ing, Washington  resisted  the  proposition  made  by  his 
military  friends,  to  send  the  ladies  away,  under  an 
escort ; — saying,  "  The  presence  of  our  wives  will  the 
better  encourage  us  to  a  brave  defence  !" 

"  Lady  Washington's"  time  and  attention  during 
each  of  the  many  seasons  of  her  residence  with  the 
Army — apart  from  the  dearer  duties  and  obligations 
arising  out  of  her  re-unions  with  her  husband  and  son — 
were  chiefly  devoted  to  the  humane  purpose  of  bene- 
fiting and  relieving  the  suffering  soldiers.  She  visited 
the  sick,  ministered  to  their  wants,  and  poured  that 
sympathy  which  is  the  "  oil  of  joy"  into  their  despon- 
ding hearts.  She  is  described  by  those  who  witnessed 
and  partook  her  efforts,  as  having  been  unwavering  in 
her  zeal  and  earnestness  in  this,  her  noble  and  womanly 
purpose.  No  danger  delayed,  no  difficulty  or  hard- 
ship prevented  the  fulfilment  of  these  benevolent 
duties. — Blessings  and  prayers  followed  the  departure 
of  this  beneficent  spirit  from  among  the  recipients  of 
her  kindness  and  bounty,  and  the  most  heartfelt  joy 
hailed  her  return  ! 

Nor  were  the  winters  thus  passed  by  this  estimable 
wife  and  mother  wholly  wanting  in  other  sources  of 
merely  personal  enjoyment  than  those  arising  from 
her  constant  association  with  the  objects  of  her  deep- 
est affections.  She  became  closely  and  confiden- 
tially connected  with  the  noble  and  heroic  women,  who, 
like   herself,    were  pledged  to  the   service  of   their 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  Ill 

country — those  private  defenders  of  the  Cause  of 
Liberty,  whose  dearest  interests,  whose  highest  hopes, 
whose  all,  in  short,  of  earthly  happiness  was  involved 
in  the  issue  of  passing  events. 

The  friendships  thus  fostered  by  propinquity  and  ce- 
mented by  strong  congeniality  of  sentiment  and  inter- 
est, as  well  as  by  the  bond  of  common  danger  and 
suffering,  in  addition  to  the  present  sympathy  and  en- 
joyment to  which  they  gave  rise,  were  among  the  most 
cherished  pleasures  of  Mrs.  Washington's  subsequent 
life. 

When  separated  from  these  valued  friends  by  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  active  campaigns,  in  which,  during 
each  season  the  nearest  relatives  of  all  were  equally 
engaged  and  endangered,  it  was  the  solace  and  gratifi- 
cation of  each,  by  a  constant  correspondence,  not  only 
to  maintain  their  mutual  remembrance  and  affection, 
but  to  uphold  and  encourage  each  other  in  the  Good 
Cause,  by  a  more  zealous  esprit  du  corps  than  ever 
cemented  the  secret  compact  of 

il a  band  of  brothers  joined  !"* 

It  is  to  be  much  regretted  that  only  detached  frag- 
ments of  Mrs.  Washington's  correspondence  have  been 
preserved  to  the  present  day.  The  following  extract 
from  an  epistle  addressed  by  her  to  a  female  friend, 

*  Our  fair  readers  must  not  suppose  that  "  Lady  Washington,"  or  any 
other  lady  of  her  day,  enjoyed  during  the  Eevolution,  the  adyantages  of 
a  regular,  safe,  systematic  Post-Office  arrangement.  This  was  far  enough 
from  being  the  case.    Not  unfrequently  the  Commander-in-Chief,  in  ad- 


112  MEMOIR  OP 

will  serve  to  indicate  the  spirit  by  which  she  was  habit- 
ually actuated  in  similar  circumstances  : — 

"  It  gives  me  unspeakable  pleasure  to  hear  that 
General  Burgoyne  and  his  army  are  in  safe  quarters  in 
your  State.  Would  bountiful  Providence  aim  a  like 
blow  at  General  Howe,  the  measure  of  my  happiness 
would  be  complete  I" 

In  addition  to  much  pleasing  intercourse  with  her 
own  sex,  it  was  the  good-fortune  of  this  patriot  wife  to 
enjoy  the  friendship  and  society  of  her  husband's  most 
distinguished  military  companions.  It  was  her  high 
privilege  to  share  in  their  councils,  and  imbibe 
their  exalted  sentiments,  to  participate  in  their  self- 
denial,  their  zeal,  their  enthusiasm  and  their  courage  ! 
There  were  Steuben,  Rochanibeau,  La  Fayette,  Kos- 
ciusko, and  a  host  of  heroes  "to  the  manor  born," — 
Knox,  and  Green,  and  Putnam,  and  Moultrie,  and 
Hamilton,  and  many  others,  of  less  note,  perchance, 
but  lofty  and  glorious  spirits  all,  amidst  whom,  as  one 
enshrined  by  yet  higher  purpose  and  yet  more  august 
intellect, 

"  in  shape  and  gesture  proudly  eminent, 
Stood  like  a  tower" 


dition  to  his  other  multitudinous  avocations,  acted  as  Post  Master  Gen- 
eral for  his  female  friends  and  their  lords  or  lovers.— But,  in  spite  of 
chance  accidents,  difficulties  and  delays,  the  active  minds  that  were 
roused  to  such  high  tension  by  the  powerful  stimulus  of  the  times, 
found  passing  relief  and  amusement  in  this  agreeable  mode  of  inter- 
changing sentiment,  feelings,  and  more  particular  intelligence  in  relation 
to  matters  and  occurrences  generally  and  individually  interesting. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  113 

the  beloved  and  illustrious  pater  patri^  with  whom 
it  was  her  pride  and  happiness  to  be  united  by  ties  so 
tender,  so  endearing  and  so  blessed  ! 

Thus,  then,  though  surrrounded  by  discomfort, 
subjected  to  trials,  sorrows  and  sufferings,  called  to 
witness  and  to  partake  apprehensions,  cares  and  re- 
sponsibilities, in  their  results  at  once  the  most  engros- 
sing and  the  most  important,  it  was  to  those  portions  of 
her  existence  which  were  passed  in  the  Camp  of  the 
heroic  Army  of  the  Bevolution,  to  which  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton could,  in  after  years,  revert ;  as  having  afforded 
some  of  the  happiest  hours  of  herKfe  ! — hours  of  enjoy- 
ment so  pure,  so  exalted,  so  spiritual,  that  there  was 
" less  of  earth  in  them  than  Heaven  !" 


CHAPTER  VI 


The  field  of  freedom,  faction,  fame  and  blood : 
Here  a  proud  people's  passions  were  exhaled, 
From  the  first  hour  of  empire  in  the  bud. 

Byrox. 


If  the  consciousness  of  perpetual  endeavor   to   advance  our 

race  be  not  alone  happier  than  the  life  of  ease,  let  us  see  what  this  vaun- 
ted ease  really  is.  Tell  me,  is  it  not  another  name  for  ennui?  This 
state  of  quiescence,  this  objectless,  dreamless  torpor,  this  transition  du 
lit  a  la  table,  de  la  table  au  lit;  what  more  dreary  and  monotonous  exis- 
tence can  you  devise  ?  Is  it  pleasure  in  this  inglorious  existence  to  think 
that  you  are  serving  pleasure?    Is  it  freedom  to  be  the  slave  ot  self? 

Pilgrims  of  theRuine. 

We  resume  our  somewhat  interrupted  narrative  of 
the  events  of  Mrs.  Washington's  life,  with  that  of 
her  return  to  Mount  Vernon,  in  the  Spring  of  1777, 
after  her  first  thorough  initiation  into  the  hardships, 
privations  and  sufferings  of  the  American  Camp, 
during  the  winter  passed  by  her  in  the  log  hut  that 
constituted  her  abode  at  Morristown. 

This  interval  of  leisure  for  home  duties  and  avoca- 
tions, was,  much  of  it,  passed,  like  that  of  the  previ- 
ous season,  in  arrangements  for  the  well-being  of  the 
relatives  and  domestics  dependent  upon  her  care  and 
guidance. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  115 

We  gather  from  the  private  Correspondence  of 
AVashington,  that  he  maintained,  throughout  his  pro- 
tracted absence  from  home,  the  general  supervision  and 
direction  of  affairs  relative  to  his  plantation  ;  but  it 
will  readily  be  supposed  that  the  still  and  judgment 
displayed  by  this  eminently-practical  woman,  when  she 
was  but  little  more  than  twenty  years  of  age,  in  the 
exclusive  management  of  a  large  landed  estate,  were 
now  of  most  essential  service  in  promoting  the  proper 
management  of  all  out-of-door  matters,  as  well  as  of 
those  of  a  merely  household  character.  The  gloomy 
aspect  of  public  affairs  rendered  the  prospect  of  her 
husband's  ability  to  resume  the  personal  care  of  his 
private  affairs  more  and  more  remote  and  uncertain,  and 
Mrs.  Washington  was,  consequently,  impressed  with 
the  necessity  of  so  regulating  her  family  arrangements 
as  to  supply,  in  a  degree,  at  least,  the  place  of  their 
absent  master  to  those  employed  in  his  service,  or  de- 
pendent upon  his  bounty. 

When  winter  approached,  this  heroic  and  de- 
voted wife  was  prepared  again  to  return  to  the  com- 
panionship of  her  husband,  and  to  re-assume  the  in- 
teresting and  benevolent  offices  she  had  previously  ap- 
propriated to  herself. 

This  was,  as  our  readers  will  remember,  the  terrible 
winter  of  1777-78,  which  witnessed  the  frightful  suf- 
ferings of  our  Army  at  Valley  Forge,  where,  "  while 
the  foe  were  luxuriating  in  the  comfortable  quarters  of 
a   populous   and   luxurious  city,  the  Americans   were 


116  MEMOIR  OF 

sheltered  in  huts  of  their  own  fabrication  and  fre- 
quently suffering  the  extremity  of  want."* 

The  following  brief  passage  from  one  of  Mrs. 
Washington's  letters,  written  at  this  time,  contains  a 
passing  description  of  her  camp  accommodations  : — 
"  The  General's  apartment  is  very  small;  he  has  had 
a  log  cabin  built  to  dine  in,  which  has  made  our  quar- 
ters more  tolerable  than  they  were  at  first." 

Thus,  then,  did  this  high-souled  and  self-sacrificing 
woman  voluntarily  exchange  the  ease,  the  comfort  and 
the  security  of  her  home,  for  inconvenience,  privation 
and  danger,  that  she  might  the  better  sympathize  with, 
and  minister  to  her  husband ;  who,  oppressed  by  con- 
flicting duties,  difficulties  and  trials,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  a  mark  for  the  shafts  of  public  animadversion  and 
private  intrigue,  could  turn  trustingly  to  the  faithful 
and  tender  friend  who  was  ever  ready  to  share  his 
cares,  his  anxieties  and  his  toils. 

True  to  the  faith  and  fortitude  of  a  Christian,  side 
by  side  with  her  heroic  husband  did  she  stem  alike  the 
tide  of  popular  ^discontent  and  the  tumultuous  commo- 
tion more  immediately  surrounding  her  in  the  Camp. 
Unappalled  by  the  disaffection,  persecution,  mortality 
and  despair  by  which  she  was  environed,  she  was  con- 
tent to  endure  all, — brave  all,  save  separation  from 
the  cherished  objects  of  her  warmest  affections. 

*  Valley  Forge  is  six  miles  above  Norristown,  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Schuylkill  river.  It  is  a  deep,  rugged  hollow,  at  the 
mouth  of  Valley  Creek,  from  which,  and  from  an  ancient  forge  once  es- 
tablished there,  it  takes  its  name.  On  the  mountain  sides  of  this  wild 
spot,  Washington  fixed  the  Camp  of  the  Americau  Army  during  the 
Winter  of  1777-78. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  117 

Calm,  cheerful,  hopeful,  her  presence  and  her  exam- 
ple shed  light  and  blessing  even  upon  the  deepest 
gloom  and  the  most  fearful  horrors  ! 

The  last  ensanguined  record  of  this  ever-memorable 
winter  was  at  length  traced  upon  the  Page  of  Time  ! 

Well  has  it  been  said,  that,  in  the  moral,  as  in  the 
physical  world,  the  darkest'  hour  precedes  that  of 
dawning  light.  The  calumnies  by  which  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief had  been  so  ruthlessly  assailed,  only 
served  to  elicit  the  strongest  proofs  of  public  confi- 
dence and  individual  attachment.  The  cruel  depriva- 
tions and  sufferings  of  the  Patriot  Soldiers  were  now 
materially  relieved.  Eager  preparation  and  active 
discipline  took  the  place  of  discontent  and  despond- 
ency. And  bright-eyed  May,  the  fairy-footed  daugh- 
ter of  the  year,  was  a  welcome  harbinger  of  the  inspi- 
ring intelligence  that  France  had  publicly  recognized 
the  Independence  of  the  American  Republic,  and  that 
her  efficient  aid  would  now  assist  the  struggling  cause 
of  Liberty  ! 

The  following  paragraph  from  the  pen  of  an  enthu- 
siastic letter-writer*  graphically  portrays  the  encour- 
aging aspect  of  affairs  in  the  Republican  Camp 
after  the  reception  of  the  soul-cheering  news  of 
our  National  Alliance  with  the  Land  of  La  Fayette  : — 
"We  have  nothing  here  but  rejoicing;  every  one 
looks  happy  and  seems  proud  of  the  share  he  has  had 
in  humbling  the  pride  of  Britain,  and  of  establishing 
the  name  of  America  as  a  nation." 

*Lady  Catherine  Alexander,  writing  from  Valley  Forge  to  a  friend. 


118  MEMOIR  OF 

Sir  Henry  Clinton's  evacuation  of  Philadelphia  was 
the  signal  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  American  Camp 
at  Valley  Forge. 

Mrs.  Washington  once  more  returned  to  the  scene 
of  her  long-interrupted  domestic  felicity,  again  to 
encounter  the  suspense,  the  forebodings,  the  alterna- 
ting hopes  and  fears,  that  must,  inevitably,  fall  to  the 
lot  of  one  watching  at  a  distance  from  the  scene  of 
action,  the  changeful  indications  of  the  political  hori- 
zon, and  far  separated  from  those  who  rendered  both 
her  home  and  her  country  doubly  dear  to  her  heart. 

Our  brief  and  imperfect  description  of  the  most 
prominent  characteristics  of  the  Winter  passed  at  Val- 
ley Forge  by  the  illustrious  Subject  of  our  narrative, 
will  serve,  in  its  general  features,  as  a  type  of  those  of 
many  succeding  years. 

The  Head-Quarters  of  the  Commander-in-Chief 
were  for  several  seasons  established  on  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson,  or  in  its  vicinity,  more  or  less  near  to 
New  York,  as  circumstances  permitted.  And  Mrs. 
Washington  continued,  throughout  the  war,  to  make 
each  year  a  long  and  hazardous  journey  ere  she  could 
rejoin  her  husband  and  son,  and,  as  often,  voluntarily 
to  encounter  many  consecutive  months  of  fatigue, 
exposure  and  deprivation. 

The  sprightly  sketch*  that  follows,  not  only  posses- 
ses much  interest  from  its  furnishing  the  outline  of  a 
day  passed  by  the  writer,  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux, 

*  AVe  are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Ellet  for  this  extract,— she  herself  quotes  it 
from  a  M.  S.  Letter. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  119 

as  the  guest  of  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Washington,  in  their 
military  home ;  hut  also,  serves,  incidentally,  to  illus- 
trate the  ingenious  results  to  which  hospitality  and 
necessity  unitedly  brought  the  domestic  resources  of 
camp-life,  under  the  practical  superintendence  of 
"Lady  Washington."  It  is  possible  that  the  dwel- 
ling here  described  is  the  same  referred  to  in  a  previ- 
ous chapter,  as  having  undergone  some  improvements 
and  repairs,  for  the  better  accommodation  of  its  fair 
and  gentle  mistress  : — 

11  The  Head-Quarters  at  Newburh  consist  of  a  sin- 
gle house,  built  in  the  Dutch  fashion,  and  neither 
large  nor  commodious.  The  largest  room  in  it,  which 
General  Washington  has  converted  into  his  dining- 
room,  is  tolerably  spacious,  but  it  has  seven  doors  and 
only  one  window.  The  chimney  is  against  the  wall ; 
so  that  there  is,  in  fact,  but  one  vent  for  the  smoke, 
and  the  fire  is  in  the  room  itself.  I  found  the  com- 
pany assembled  in  a  small  room,  which  served  as  a 
parlor.  At  nine,  supper  was  served,  and  when  bed-time 
came  I  found  that  the  chamber  to  which  the  General 
conducted  me  was  the  very  parlor  spoken  of,  wherein 
he  had  made  them  place  a  camp-bed.  We  assembled 
at  breakfast  the  next  morning  at  ten,  during  which 
interval  my  bed  was  folded  up ;  and  my  chamber 
became  the  sitting  room  for  the  whole  afternoon ;  for 
American  manners  do  not  admit  of  a  bed  in  the  room 
in  which  company  is  received,  especially  where  there 
are  women.  The  smallness  of  the  house,  and  the 
inconvenience  to  which  I  saw  that  General  and  Mrs. 


120  MEMOIR  OF 

Washington  had  put  themselves  to  receive  me,  made 
me  apprehensive  lest  M.  Rochambeau  might  arrive  on 
the  same  day.  The  day  I  remained  at  head  quarters 
was  passed  either  at  table  or  in  conversation."* 

As  we  have  before  intimated,  the  wife  of  the  Amer- 
ican General  in  Chief,  though  individually  so  unoffen- 
ding, was  occasionally  the  subject  of  manifestations  of 
the  height  to  which  party  animosity  rose  in  those 
troubled  times. 

In  one  of  her  annual  removals  from  Mount  Vernon, 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  active  campaign,  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's usual  visit  at  Philadelphia  was  marked  by 
great  coldness  on  the  part  of  the  ladies  resident  there, 
many  of  whom  forebore  to  call  upon  her  during  her 
stay  in  the  city.f 

But  in  agreeable  contrast  to  treatment  like  this, 
was  the  cordial  hospitality  with  which  this  patriotic 
wife  was  very  frequently  greeted  in  the  course  of  her 
yearly  pilgrimages,  by  those  devoted  friends  of  the 
Revolutionary  cause  at  whose  several  residences  she 
was  temporarily  entertained. 

We  are  told  by  a  graceful  annalist,  that,  on  one 
occasion  when  the  Head  Quarters  of  the  Republican 
Commander  in  Chief  were,  for  a  short  time  established 

*  It  may  be  new  to  some  of  our  readers  that  the  house  designated  in 
this  description  is  still  standing  entire  at  Newburgh.  It  is  plainly  dis- 
cernable  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer  upon  the  Hudson  and  may  be  thus 
seen  by  the  passing  traveller.  Long  may  this  classic  spot  be  sacred  from 
the  approach  of  the  Destroyer  ! 

t  This  indication  of  popular  feeling  probably  grew  out  of  the  opposi- 
tion made  by  the  Philadelphians  to  Washington's  going  into  winter 
quarters  during  the  inclement  winter  of  '?7-'?8. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  121 

at  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Mrs.  Barry,  in  New  Jer* 
sey,  a  Ball  was  given  by  the  hostess  to  signalize  the 
arrival  of  the  wife  of  her  illustrious  guest.  When 
the  well  known  chariot  of  "  Lady  Washington,"  with 
her  coachman  and  postillion  in  their  neat  white  and 
scarlet  liveries  arrived  at  her  door,  and  Mrs.  Barry 
saw  a  female  alight,  dressed  in  a  simple  u  russet 
gown"  with  a  "  white  handkerchief  neatly  folded  over 
her  neck,"  she  was  surprised  to  perceive  the  Hero- 
Chief  advance  to  receive  her,  and  to  learn  that  this 
unostentatious  stranger  was  none  other  than  "  Lady 
Washington  !"  The  first  salutations  over  (so  runs 
the  history)  the  General  proceeded  to  make  enqui- 
ries respecting  the  well-being  of  his  favorite  carriage- 
horses,  and  concluded  the  pleasures  of  the  day,  by 
treading — for  the  first  time  in  a  very  long  while — a 
minuet  at  the  Ball! 

This,  at  that  time,  a  very  frequent  and  favorite 
mode  of  celebrating  a  joyful  occasion  was  also  adopted 
on  the  Anniversary  of  the  National  Alliance  with 
France. 

"  The  entertainment  was  given  in  the  Camp  near 
Middlebrook.  On  this  festive  occasion  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, Mrs.  Greene  and  Mrs.  Knox,  and  the  wives  of 
several  officers  were  present ;  and  a  circle  of  brilliants, 
the  least  of  which,  was  more  valuable  than  the  stone 
which  the  King  of  Portugal  received  from  his  Bra- 
zilian possessions.  The  ladies  and  gentleman  from 
a  large  circle  around  the  camp,  attended  the  celebra- 
tion. It  was  opened  by  a  discharge  of  cannon  :  and 
6 


122  MEMOIR  OF 

dinner  was  served  in  a  building  used  for  an  academy. 
There  was  dancing  in  the  evening,  and  a  grand  dis- 
play of  fire-works.  The  Ball  was  opened  by  General 
Washington.  As  this  was  a  festival  given  by  men 
who  had  not  enriched  themselves  by  the  war,  the  illu- 
minations were  on  a  cheap  scale,  being  entirely  of  their 
own  manufacture  ;  the  seats  were  adorned  with  no  ar- 
morial blazonry,  but  were  the  work  of  native  and 
rather  unskillful  artizans.  Instead  of  knights  of  dif- 
ferent orders,  such  as  pageants  like  the  Mischianza 
could  boast,  there  were  but  hardy  soldiers ;  happy, 
however,  in  the  consciousness  that  they  had  contribu- 
ted to  bring  about  the  auspicious  event  they  had  met 
to  celebrate."* 

If  sometimes  subjected  to  unmerited  neglect  in  her 
own  country,  indications  were  not  wanting  of  the 
respect  and  regard  entertained  for  Mrs.  Washington 
abroad.  Some  ladies  who  came  from  New  York  to 
the  American  Camp,  at  one  time,  when  it  was  fixed 
near  that  city,  reported  that  a  vessel  which  had  been 
captured  and  brought  into  port,  had  on  board  a  pres- 
ent from  the  Queen  of  France  to  Mrs.  Washington, 
which  was  designed  to  manifest  her  interest  in  that  la- 
dy, and  to  serve  as  "  an  elegant  testimonial  of  her  ap- 
probation of  the  General's  conduct."  The  Marquis 
de  La  Fayette  was  requested  by  Washington  to  make 
enquiries,  through  the  Marchioness,  at  Versailles,  re- 
specting this  somewhat  interesting  matter,  but  we  are 

•Remembrancer,  Vol.  VI. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  123 

unable  to  gratify  our  readers  by  relating  the  result  of 
the  investigation. 

Scenes  and  incidents  like  these,  occasionally  re- 
lieved, for  a  brief  space,  the  weight  of  care  and  solici- 
tude that,  despite  her  apparent  cheerfulness  and  tran- 
quility, long  rested  upon  the  mind  of  this  magnanimous 
and  patriotic  American  Matron. 

Mrs.  Washington's  mental  firmness  and  constancy 
of  purpose,  were,  more  than  once  during  the  struggle 
of  the  Revolution,  severely  tested  by  the  illness  of  her 
husband,  who,  taxed  both  in  body  and  mind  beyond 
the  power  of  human  endurance,  was  on  several  occa- 
sions constrained  to  resign  himself  wholly  to  her  gen- 
tle and  efficacious  ministrations. 

Occurrences  and  alarms  similar  to  those  which  form 
the  subject  of  the  following  Letter,  not  unfre- 
quently  united  with  her  apprehensions  respecting  the 
health  of  her  husband  to  disturb  the  mental  quietude 
of  this  exemplary  wife  : — 


"  Trenton,  April  11th,  1781. 
"  Dear  Sir  :— 

"  I  was  told  a  few  days  ago  by  a  man  who  had 
made  his  escape  from  New  York,  after  having  been 
thirteen  months  a  prisoner  with  the  enemy,  that  I  might 
depend  upon  it  there  were  four  parties  out  to  take  or 
assassinate  General  Washington,  your  Excellency,  me, 
and  a  fourth  person,  whose  name  he  did  not  hear,  or 


124  MEMOIR  OP 

had  forgot.  As  I  frequently  receive  accounts  of  this 
kind  of  expedition  against  myself,  which  sometimes 
prove  true  and  sometimes  otherwise,  I  paid  no  great 
attention  to  the  man's  report.  I  yesterday  received  a 
letter  from  General  Washington,  dated  the  8th  instant, 
in  which  there  is  this  paragraph  : — '  Intelligence  has 
been  sent  me  by  a  gentleman  living  near  the  enemy's 
lines,  and  who  has  an  opportunity  of  knowing  what 
passes  among  them,  that  four  parties  had  been  sent  out 
with  orders  to  take  or  assassinate  your  Excellency, 
Governor  Clinton,  me,  and  a  fourth  person,  name  not 
known.' 

"  It  seems  therefore,  highly  probable  that  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  my  informant  did  not  remember, 
was  Governor  Clinton,  and  the  gentleman  whose  name 
was  not  transmitted  to  General  Washington,  is  your 
Excellency. 

"  This  confirmation  of  my  intelligence  gives  the  mat- 
ter so  serious  an  aspect  that  I  think  it  my  duty  to  ad- 
vise your  Excellency  of  what  has  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge, that  you  may  take  such  precautions  on  the  occa- 
sion as  appear  to  you  necessary.  I  have  the  honor  to 
be,  with  the  greatest  esteem, 

Dear  Sir,  your  Excellency's 

Most  humble,  &c, 
W.  Livingston."* 

In  addition  to  trials  thus  peculiarly  severe,  Mrs. 
Washington's  own  health  was,  not  unfrequently,  seri- 

*From  Gov.  Livingston  to  President  Reed.— "Life  and  Correspon- 
dence of  President  Reed,''  Vol.  2,  337. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  125 

ously  impaired  by  the  hardships  of  her  mode  of  life  in 
the  camp.  She  had,  during  one  winter,  the  fortitude 
to  submit  to  the  imperative  ordeal  of  being  inocula- 
ted for  the  small  pox, — the  popular  course  in  the  then 
imperfect  state  of  medical  science — rathar  than  to  se- 
cure safety  in  distance  from  the  immediate  scene  of  the 
ravages  of  that  appalling  malady. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Mrs.  Washington,  at 
this  meridian  period  of  her  life,  is  thus  described  by 
one  of  her  friends  : — "  She  is  about  forty,  or  five  and 
forty,  rather  plump,  but  fresh  and  of  an  agreeable 
countenance." 

Time  rolled  on.  The  diligent  industry  of  the  mis- 
tress of  Mount  Vernon,  the  society  of  her  daughter- 
in-law*  and  of  the  little  prattlers  who  now  began  to 
claim  her  care  and  affection,  together  with  her  exten- 
sive correspondence  and  the  never-ceasing  duties  of 
hospitality,  combined  to  beguile  the  tedium  of  her  an- 
nual separations  from  her  almost  idolized  "  chief;" 
and  her  winters  continued  to  pass  as  they  had  invaria- 
bly done  since  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution. 

Faint  streakings  of  the  morning  light  destined 
to  break  into  the  effulgence  of  an  all-glorious  day,  be- 
gan at  length  to  cheer  the  friends  and  defenders  of  Lib- 
erty,  and  the    self-sacrificing   Wife  of  the    immortal 

*The  marriage  of  Colonel  Custis  occurred  previous  to,  or  about  the 
time  of  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  as  we  learn  from  Mr. 
Sparks,  that  her  daughter-in-law  accompanied  Mrs.  Washington  to  Cam- 
bridge in  1775.  Though  we  may  not  enter  the  sacred  precincts  of  pri- 
vate life  in  search  of  details  respecting  this  event,  none  will  question  th« 
interest  with  which  it  was  invested  for  so  affectionate  a  mother  as  Mrs. 
Washington. 


126  MEMOIR  OF 

Soldier  of  America  rejoiced,  with  noble  exultation, 
in  the  anticipated  consummation  of  a  Nation's  free- 
dom, achieved  by  him  !  Visions  of  domestic  felicity 
once  more  delighted  her  mental  gaze — visions  of  a 
blissful  re-union  with  each  member  of  her  now  scat- 
tered family,  at  home,  in  their  beloved  Mount  Vernon, 
not  one  link  wanting  in  the  golden  circlet  of  love,  each 
face  radiant  with  happiness,  each  heart  overflowing  with 
gratitude  and  affection  ! 

"  Joy  quickens  her  pulse,  all  her  hardships  seem  o'er* 
And  the  voices  of  lov'd  ones  reply  to  her  call !" 

Alas,  for  the  vanity  of  all  human  expectations  ! 
An  impenetrable  pall  was  fated  suddenly  to  shroud 
from  her  eagerly-expectant  eyes  alike  the  triumphant 
success  of  her  husband,  and  the  dawning  glory  of  her 
country. 

What  were  all  earthly  honors  and  triumphs  to  a 
mother  abruptly  summoned  to  attend  the  last  hours  of 
her  only  remaining  child  ! — the  pride  and  joy  of  her 
tender  and  loving  heart,  stricken  down, — not  victor- 
crowned  and  dying  for  his  country  on  the  field  of  fame, 
— but  the  victim  of  insidious  disease  ! 

Colonel  Custis  had,  from  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolutionary  struggle,  attached  himself  to  the  for- 
tunes of  his  country  and  participated,  as  one  of  the 
Aids-de-Camp  of  his  step-father,  in  the  dangers,  efforts 
and  trials  of  that  eventful  contest.  While  engaged 
in  his  military  duties  during  the  siege  of  Yorktown, 
he  was  attacked  by  the  malignant  fever  then  raging  in 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  127 

the  British  camp,  and,  after  enjoying  the  high  satisfac- 
tion of  beholding  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis, 
was  immediately  removed,  under  the  superintending 
care  of  a  kind  and  valued  family  friend,  Dr.  Craik, 
the  Chief  of  the  American  Medical  staff,  to  Eltham, 
in  New  Kent. 

Thither,  when  informed  of  his  alarming  condition, 
Mrs.  Washington  flew  on  the  wings  of  tortured  affec- 
tion. 

For  the  victorious  American  Chief,  too,  the  cup 
of  joyful  thanksgiving  was  deeply  tinctured  with 
bitterness. — "  Providence  left  him  childless  that  he 
might  be  the  father  of  his  country ,"*  but  he  was 
strongly  attached  to  this  his  almostrson,  so  long  and  so 
affectionately  associated  with  him  in  the  closest  per- 
sonal and  official  relations.  He  was  no  sooner  aware 
of  the  increasing  illness  of  Colonel  Custis,  than  he 
"privately  left  the  camp  before  Yorktown,  while  it 
yet  rang  with  the  shouts  of  victory,  and,  attended  by  a 
single  officer,  rode  with  all  speed  to  Eltham." 

Day  was  dawning  upon  the  dimmed  eyes  of  the  ag- 
onized watchers  by  the  bedside  of  the  expiring  sufferer, 
when  Dr.  Craik  was  requested  to  attend  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, who  had  just  arrived. 

Washington  inquired  whether  there  was  any  reason 
to  hope  for  Colonel  Custis'  recovery.  When  the  phy- 
sician sadly  intimated  that  all  was  nearly  over,  the 
sorrowing  pater  patrice,  retiring  to  a  solitary  apart- 

*  This  exquisite  atticism  appeared  originally  in  the  form  of  a  toast  giv- 
en at  a  public  dinner,  but  the  writer  is  not  so  fortunate  as  to  know  tho 
name  of  its  felicitous  author. 


128  MEMOIR  OF 

ment  threw   himself  upon  a  couch,  overpowered   by 
the  most  painful  emotion. 

When  death  had  concluded  the  vigil  of  the  anguish- 
stricken  parent,  her  sympathizing  husband  sought  her 
presence  ;  and  these  tender  friends  long  mingled  their 
grief  together,  ere  the  General-in-Chief, — nerving  him- 
self to  imperative  effort  and  calmness, — returned  to  the 
world  that  claimed  him,  leaving  the  childless  mother 
alone  with  her  God  ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 


In  Duty's  active  round  each  day  is  past, 

As  if  she  thought  each  day  might  prove  her  last : 

Her  labors  for  devotion  best  prepare, 

And  meek  Devotion  smooths  the  brow  of  care. 

Morb. 


Where  is  the  smile  unfeign'd,  the  jovial  welcome, 

Which  cheer'd  the  sad,  beguil'd  the  pilgrim's  pain, 

And  made  Dependency  forget  its  bonds  ? 

Where  is  the  ancient,  hospitable  hall, 

Whose  vaulted  roof  once  rung  with  harmless  mirth, 

Where  every  passing  stranger  was  a  guest, 

And  every  guest  a  friend  ? 

More. 

After  the  death  of  her  son,  which  was,  as  we  have 
seen,  co-eval  with  the  virtual  termination  of  the  War 
of  the  Revolution,*  the  cares  and  affections  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  were  centered  more  continuously  than 
they  had  been  for  many  previous  years  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, which  was  now  the  home  of  her  widowed  daugh- 
ter-in-law and  her  four  little  grand-children,  who  be- 
came, thenceforth,  the  objects  of  her  especial  attention 
and  solicitude. 

♦Oct.,  1781. 


130  MEMOIR  OF 

It  was  now  the  chief  delight  and  blessing  of  her 
bereaved  and  affectionate  heart  to 

" hear  the  gladsome  sound 


Of  infant  voices  sweet, 
The  gush  of  fairy  laughter, 
Or  the  tread  of  tiny  feet." 

In  addition  to  the  dear  and  interesting  companions 
who  were  added  permanently  to  the  members  of  her 
household,  Mrs.  Washington  continued,  as  she  had 
hitherto  done,  when  at  Mount  Vernon  during  the 
warmer  months  of  the  year,  to  gather  around  her  those 
other  family  friends  and  connections  who  had  long 
partaken  her  hospitality.  Sorrow  had  never  the  effect 
to  render  her  selfish ;  nor  did  she  now  forget  what  was 
due  in  this  respect  to  her  husband,  as  well  as  to  her 
own  personal  obligations  and  attachments.  But  she 
was,  of  course,  altogether  disinclined  to  participate  in 
the  public  rejoicings  and  festivities  in  which  the  Ee- 
publican  Commander-in-Chief,  was  compelled  by  his 
public  station  to  take  part. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  formal  conclusion  of  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  in  1783,  that  the  multiplied  domes- 
tic occupations  and  responsibilities  so  long  resting 
upon  Mrs.  Washington,  were  again  shared  by  her 
husband. 

His  public  duties  resigned  at  last,  and  the  pain  of 
the  pathetic  and  sublime  scene  of  his  final  parting  with 
his  beloved  companions  in  arms  encountered  and 
passed,  Mrs.  Washington  proceeded  as  far  as  Anapo- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  131 

lis'  to  meet  the  retiring  Cincinnatus,  and  they  returned 
together  to  the  peaceful  retreat  from  which  so  many 
revolving  years,  and  so  many  momentous  occurrences 
had  separated  its  illustrious  master. 

It  was  on  the  eve  of  the  great  Jubilee  of  Christen- 
dom, that  Washington,  "  an  older  man," — to  use 
his  own  expressive  words, — "by  nine  years  than 
when  he  left  them,"  once  more  crossed  his  ownthresh- 
hold,  and,  beside  his  own  hearth-stone,  hailed  the  wel- 
come joys  of  Home  !  "  The  scene  is  at  length  closed," 
said  the  august  Father  of  his  Country,  "  I  feel  my- 
self eased  of  a  load  of  public  care,  and  hope  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  my  days  in  cultivating  the  affections 
of  good  men  and  in  the  practice  of  domestic  vir- 
tues!" 

We  leave  our  readers  to  imagine  the  glad  enthusi- 
asm that  expressed  the  general  delight  of  relatives, 
friends  and  dependents,  at  the  long-looked-for  arrival 
of  this  grand  epoch  in  the  family  history  of  the  in- 
mates of  Mount  Vernon ;  and  the  more  quiet,  but 
not  therefore,  less  heartfelt  enjoyment  and  gratitude  of 
Mrs.  Washington,  on  that  happy  Christmas  Day,  when 
a  double  zest  was  lent,  each  to  the  other,  by  the  com- 
bined pleasures  of  gratified  affection  and  fervent  de- 
votion.— The  soul  of  a  religious  being,  when  thus 
blessed,  must  ever 

" take  Devotion's  wing  ; 

And,  like  the  bird  that  hails  the  sun, 
Far  soar  towards  Heaven  I" 


132  MEMOIR  OF 

This  sincere  and  devout  Christian  had  too  long  and 
too  unceasingly  been  accustomed  to  bear  both  her  joys 
and  griefs  to  the  Cross  of  the  Redeemer,  not  now  to 
unite 

" the  cup  of  thanksgiving  with  her  sorrowful 

[tears !" 

The  following  pleasing  sketch*  of  the  mode  of  life 
contemplated  with  cordial  anticipations  of  gratification 
by  the  Hero  of  America,  upon  his  return  to  Mount 
Vernon,  will  also,  serve  as  a  correct  portraiture  of  the 
tastes  and  wishes  of  his  amiable  home-companion  : — 

"  At  length,  my  dear  Marquis,  I  am  become  a  pri- 
vate citizen  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  ;  and  under 
the  shadow  of  my  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  free  from  the 
bustle  of  a  camp,  and  the  busy  scenes  of  public  life, 
I  am  solacing  myself  with  those  tranquil  enjoyments, 
of  which  the  soldier,  who  is  ever  in  pursuit  of  fame', 
the    statesman,    whose    watchful   days  and    sleepless 
nights  are  spent  in  devising  schemes  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  his  own,  perhaps  the  ruin  of  other  coun- 
tries, as  if  this  globe  was  insufficient  for  us  all,  and 
the  courtier,  who  is  always  watching  the  countenance 
of  his  prince,  in  hopes  of  catching  a  gracious  smile, 
can   have   very   little   conception.     I   have  not  only 
retired  from  all  public  employments,  but  I  am  retiring 
within  myself,  and  shall  be  able  to  view  the  solitary 
walk,  and  tread  the  paths  of  private  life  with  a  heart- 

*  Extracted  from  a  Letter  -written  by  Washington  to  La  Fayette,  Feb 
1, 1784.— Sparks'  •'•  Writings  of  Washington,"  Vol.  IX,  17. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  133 

felt  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." 

Once  thoroughly  re-established  in  the  beloved  home 
of  their  earlier,  and  happy  years,  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington assiduously  turned  their  attention  to  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  family  mansion,  which  still  retained  its 
original  size,  and  to  the  further  improvement  and 
adornment  of  the  adjoining  grounds  and  gardens,  all 
of  which  soon  gave  token  of  the  taste,  skill  and  indus- 
try of  both.* 

Apart  from  these  agreeable  incidental  employments 
Mrs.  Washington  found  ample  occupation  in  the 
charge  of  a  large  household,  which  was  constantly 
augmented  by  the  addition  of  numerous  guests. 

The  following  Letter  furnishes  pleasing  proof  of 
the  thoughtful  and  sympathizing  kindness  with  which 
her  ever-considerate  husband  sought  to  relieve  the  mis- 
tress of  Mount  Yernon,  at  least  in  part,  from  the 
onerous  labors  of  housekeeping : — 


"  Mount  Vernon,  7th  Sept.,  1785. 
"  Sir  :— 

As  no  person  can  judge  better  of  the  qualifications 
necessary  to  constitute  a  good  housekeeper,  or  house- 

*  At  this  time  the  approach  to  this  celebrated  residence  was  through 
three  successive  miles  of  uninterupted  forest. 


134  MEMOIR  OF 

hold  steward,  than  yourself,  for  a  family  which  has  a 
good  deal  of  company,  and  wishes  to  entertain  them 
in  a  plain,  but  genteel  style,  I  take  the  liberty  of  ask- 
ing you,  if  there  is  any  such  one  within  your  reach, 
whom  you  think  could  be  induced  to  come  to  me  on 
reasonable  wases.  I  would  rather  have  a  man  than  a 
woman,  but  either  will  do,  if  they  can  be  recommended 
for  their  honesty,  sobriety,  and  knowledge  of  their 
profession  ;  which,  in  one  word,  is  to  relieve  Mrs. 
Washington  from  the  drudgery  of  ordering,  and  seeing 
the  table  properly  covered,  and  things  economically 
used,  &c,  &c." 

Despite  the  assistance  she  received  from  others, 
however,  Mrs.  Washington's  employments  and  duties 
were  many  and  important ;  and  it  was  only  by  habit- 
ually systematising  all  her  arrangements  and  occupa- 
tions that  she  was  enabled  to  accomplish  a  personal 
superintendence  of  the  various  engagements  of  each 
successive  day. 

Continuing  to  rise,  invariably,  with  the  sun,  as  had 
always  been  her  habit,  she  industriously  devoted 
several  hours  to  her  domestic  affairs,  thus  securing  lei- 
sure for  social  enjoyments  and  for  attention  to  other 
avocations  without  the  neglect  of  household  duties. 

In  the  well-regulated  mind  of  this  disciplined  and 
exemplary  woman,  each  detail  of  daily  life  and  habit 
found  suitable  attention.  This  was  true  even  with 
reference  to  the  exquisite  neatness  of  her  dress,  which 
though  always  entirely  simple,  was  regarded  as  a  model 
of  refinement  and  propriety  by  her  female  friends. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  135 

Carrying  her  keys  at  her  side  and  making  frequent 
visits  to  the  various  apartments  connected  with  the 
elaborate  arrangements  of  the  table  and  its  "  aids  and 
appliances,"  the  spotless  purity  of  her  attire  always 
remained  unsullied  by  her  active  participation  in  the 
mysteries  of  each  and  all. 

The  direction  and  government  of  her  servants,  too, 
illustrated  both  the  judgment  and  kindness  of  this 
admirable  mistress.  Prompt,  regular  and  industrious 
herself,  she  required  like  characteristics  in  those  about 
her ;  but  she  tempered  wholesome  restraint  by  benev- 
olent and  sympathizing  interest  in  whatever  related  to 
their  collective  or  individual  good ;  and,  in  addition  to 
its  many  other  attractions,  the  home  of  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington was  celebrated  for  the  superior  excellence  of 
its  domestics. 

It  is  recorded  of  this  devout  Christian,  that  never 
during  her  life,  whether  in  prosperity  or  in  adversity, 
did  she  omit  that  daily  self-communion  and  self-exam- 
ination and  those  private  devotional  exercises,  which 
would  best  prepare  her  for  the  self-control  and  self- 
denial  by  which  she  was,  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, so  eminently  distinguished.  It  was  her  habit  to 
retire  to  her  own  apartment  every  morning  after  break- 
fast, there  to  devote  an  hour  to  solitary  prayer  and 
meditation. 

Prominent  among  the  multitudinous  occupations  of 
Mrs.  Washington,  were  those  connected  with  the 
varying  but  incessant  requisitions  of  hospitality.  She 
had  always  been  remarked  for  the  ease  and  elegance 


136  MEMOIR  OF 

of  her  manners,  and  long  practice  in  the  graceful 
courtesies  of  the  table  had  served  to  perfect  her 
conversational  powers ;  so  that  when  again  resuming 
these  agreeable  duties  with  her  present  advantages  of 
place  and  position,  she  conducted  the  ceremonies  of 
her  ample  and  bountiful  board  with  peculiar  affability 
and  self-possession,  and  led  the  conversation  with  sin- 
gular felicity  to  subjects  most  congenial  to  the  tastes 
and  familiar  to  the  minds  of  all.  Each  varying  theme 
was  invested  with  attractiveness  by  her  amiability  and 
good-sense ;  each  guest  seemed  the  object  of  her 
especial  care  and  attention.  And  as  her  husband  was 
habitually  taciturn  and  abstracted,  this  happy  tact  and 
this  gentle  womanly  politeness  were  particularly 
appropriate  and  necessary  on  the  part  of  the  hostess 
of  Mount  Vernon. 

It  will  readily  be  supposed  that  retirement  and  soli- 
tude were  unknown  to  the  inmates  of  the  Home  of 
Washington. 

It  was  the  pleasure  of  the  now  rusticated  American 
Commander-in-Chief  and  of  "Lady  Washington"  to 
repay  with  grateful  interest,  those  tokens  of  friendship 
and  politeness  which  had  been  exhibited  towards  them 
when  both  were,  in  some  degree,  the  tests  of  unaf- 
fected and  disinterested  respect  and  regard. 

Her  valued  female  friends, — the  heroic  compeers  of 
"  Lady  Washington"  through  long,  dark  years  of 
struggle  and  suffering, — renewed  their  intercourse  with 
her  under  auspices  most  pleasing  to  all  parties.  The 
venerated  members  of  the  first  Congress ;    the  illus- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  137 

trious  and  time-honored  Cincinnati;  Washington's 
beloved  companions  in  arms, — the  faithful,  though 
humble  veterans  of  the  well-fought  fields  of  the  Revo- 
lution ;  old  friends  and  new ;  relations,  connections 
and  acquaintances,  all  "  came  trooping"  to  this  shrine 
of  Patriotism  and  Worth. 

No  distinguished  foreigner  who  visited  the  new 
Land  of  Freedom,  thought  his  tour  complete  without 
its  including  a  pilgrimage  to  the  home  of  the  illustri- 
ous modern  Cincinnatus.  Many  sought  counsel  and 
aid  at  his  hands  in  the  prosecution  of  objects  of  busi- 
ness, pleasure  or  philanthropy.  Illustrative  of  this 
fact,  there  may  be  found  among  Washington's  pub- 
lished Letters  together  with  many  others  of  a  similar 
nature,  several  addressed  about  this  time  to  the  cele- 
brated Catharine  Maccauley  Graham ;  who,  during  a 
prolonged  visit  at  Mount  Vernon,  endeavored  to  secure 
the  interest  of  her  host  in  her  benevolent,  though 
somewhat  Utopian  schemes  of  usefulness,  and  with 
whom  he  politely  continned,  subsequently,  for  some 
time  to  correspond. 

But  among  the  numerous  guests  who,  during  this 
period  of  Mrs.  Washington's  life,  claimed  the  hospi- 
talities of  Mount  Vernon,  there  were  few  whose  arri- 
val was  anticipated  with  more  pleasure,  or  whose  wel- 
come was  more  heart-felt,  than  that  of  the  Marquis  de 
La  Fayette.  There  was,  at  one  time,  a  hope  enter- 
tained by  his  American  friends  that  this  celebrated 
Champion  of  Liberty  would  be  accompanied  by  the 
Marchioness  in  his  visit  to  this  country  soon  after  the 


138  MEMOIR  OF 

termination  of  the  War  in  which  he  had  borne  so  con- 
spicuous a  part.  With  this  distinguished  lady,  Wash- 
ington long  maintained  the  most  cordial  and  pleasing 
correspondence,  upon  that,  and  kindred  topics.  Noth- 
ing could  surpass  the  affectionate  veneration  with 
which  both  these  amiable  foreigners  regarded  their 
beloved  "  Hero."  Their  eldest  son  and  daughter 
bore,  severally,  the  names  of  Washington  and  of  his 
native  State  ;  and  they  long  cherished  the  hope  that 
he  would,  eventually,  he  enabled  to  fulfil  a  half-prom- 
ise to  visit  France  with  Mrs.  Washington.  The  suc- 
ceeding passage  from  one  of  Washington's  Letters  to 
Madame  de  La  Fayette  will  furnish  the  reasons  that 
were  deemed  sufficient  to  prevent  the  gratification  of 
this  hospitable  wish,  and  exemplify  the  cordiality  with 
which  the  Marchioness  was  invited  to  Mount  Vernon. 
1 '  Mrs.  Washington  is  highly  honored  by  your  par- 
ticipations, and  feels  very  sensibly  the  force  of  your 
polite  invitation  to  Paris  ;  but  she  is  too  far  advanced 
in  life,  and  too  much  interested  in  the  care  of  her  lit- 
tle progeny  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  This,  my  dear 
Marchioness,  (indulge  the  freedom,)  is  not  the  case 
with  you.  You  have  youth  (and  if  you  should  not 
incline  to  bring  your  children,  can  leave  them  with  all 
the  advantages  of  education,)  and  must  have  a  curi- 
osity to  see  the  country,  young,  rude  and  uncultivated 
as  it  is,  for  the  liberties  of  which  your  husband  has 
fought,  bled  and  acquired  much  glory,  where  every 
body  admires,  every  body  loves  him.  Come,  then, 
let    me    entreat    you,    and    call    my    cottage    your 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  139 

home  j  for  your  own  doors  do  not  open  to  you  with 
more  readiness  than  mine  would.  You  will  see 
the  plain  manner  in  which  we  live,  and  meet  with 
rustic  civility,  and  you  shall  taste  the  simplicity  of 
rural  life.  It  will  diversify  the  scene,  and  may  give 
a  higher  relish  for  the  gayeties  of  the  court,  when  you 
return  to  Versailles.  In  these  wishes,  and  in  most 
respectful  compliments,  Mrs.  Washington  joins  me. 
With  sentiments  of  strong  attachment,  and  very  great 
regard,  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  madam,  &c."* 

In  the  mean  while  La  Fayette  returned,  tempora- 
rily to  the  country  of  his  adoption,  though  without  the 
Marchioness ;  and  upon  his  arrival  hastened  directly 
to  the  presence  of  his  dearest  American  friends.  He 
passed  a  long-remembered  fortnight  of  such  happiness 
as  rarely  falls  to  the  lot  of  mortals  with  his  almost 
parental  host  and  hostess  at  Mount  Yernon,  before 
commencing  his  general  tour  to  the  North,  and 
returned  again  for  another  week  of  delightful  inter- 
course with  them,  before  his  departure  for  his  native 
land. 

Nor  was  it  by  those  alone  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to 
be  able  personally  to  pay  their  respects  to  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, that  she  was  gratefully  and  affectionately  remem- 
bered long  after  she  ceased  to  spend  a  portion  of  each 
year  in  intimate  association  with  the  martial  compan- 

*  For  some  highly  interesting  Letters  in  which  this  subject  is  alluded  to 
as  well  as  for  a  strongly  characteristic  and  most  pleasing  Epistle  ad- 
dressed by  Washington  to  the  little  Virginia  de  La  Fayette,  our  readers 
are  referred  to  Mr.  Sparks' invaluable  collection  of  the  "  Private  Letters" 
of  that  great  man. 


140  MEMOIR  OF 

ions  of  the  Republican  Commander-in-Chief.  Thus, 
we  find  proofs  of  the  kindly  recollections  ever  cher- 
ished for  her  by  the  Count  cle  Eochambeau;  and 
records  of  the  complimentary  and  oft-recurring  mes- 
sages of  regard  exchanged  with  him  through  her  hus- 
band. So  too,  with  Gen.  Knox  and  innumerable  oth- 
ers of  their  mutual  friends. 

"We  frequently  discover  traces  of  the  prolonged  con- 
tinuance of  much  pleasing  and  friendly  epistolary 
intercourse  not  only  with  these  gentlemen  but  with  the 
ladies  of  their  several  families — of  an  interchange  of 
the  most  cordial  invitations,  messages,  &c,  &c.  In- 
deed the  "  Miscellaneous  Correspondence"  of  Wash- 
ington abounds  with  these  incidental  testimonials  to 
the  high  appreciation  entertained  by  her  friends  of  the 
many  and  exalted  excellencies  of  this  celebrated  lady, 
as  well  as  with  unequivocal  manifestations  of  the 
unchanging  interest  and  affection  with  which  her  hus- 
band constantly  associated  her  with  himself  in  all  the 
various  enjoyments  and  courtesies  of  social  and  domes- 
tic life.* 

But  agreeable  and  engrossing;  as  were  the  engage- 
ments  and  enjoyments  we  have  attempted  faintly  to 
delineate,  they  were  far  from  occupying  the  attention 
of  either  Mrs.  Washington  or  her  husband  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  more  important  moral  obligations. 

*  We  are  constrained  to  refer  to  the  Letters  of  Washington  for  proofs 
and  illustrations  of  our  statements  in.relation  to  this  interesting  subject, 
because  little  of  the  correspondence  of  Mrs.  Washington  is  extant,  or  at 
least,  attainable  for  publication. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  141 

After  the  nine  years  of  Washington's  unbroken 
absence  and  of  the  very  frequent  and  protracted  de- 
partures of  Mrs.  Washington  from  home,  and  in  the  un- 
settled state  of  all  private  as  well  as  public  affairs,  it 
is  not  remarkable  that  both  should  deem  it  important, 
for  the  sake  of  those  dependent  upon  them,  if  not  for 
their  own  personal  advantage,  that  strict  order  and 
method  should  be  instituted  in  all  matters  appertaining 
to  individual  and  household  expenditure.  But  what- 
ever necessity  arose  for  curtailment  in  the  pecuniary 
arrangements  of  this  truly  conscientious  and  estimable 
pair,  was  made  to  fall,  not  upon  their  benevolent  and 
charitable  resources,  but  upon  their  powers  of  self-de- 
nial in  matters  of  luxurious  indulgence  or  personal 
convenience.  Thus,  though  Washington  at  one  time 
uncompromisingly  countermanded  an  order  for  sil- 
ver plate  previously  given,  through  the  Marquis  de 
La  Fayette  to  his  Parisian  agents,  when  he  thought, 
upon  a  farther  investigation  of  his  affairs,  that  he  could 
not  conveniently  meet  the  necessary  expense  and  con- 
tinue his  other  outlays,  he,  about  the  same  time,  gave 
the  sum  of  £1000  to  the  Academy  at  Alexandria,  and 
made  the  most  kind  and  generous  provision  for  an  un- 
fortunate connection  who  sought  his  aid  ! 

To  obligations  like  these,  and  to  objects  and  designs 
of  a  similar  nature,  all  considerations  of  less  moral  im- 
portance were  systematically  and  habitually  made  sub- 
servient. United  in  the  most  faithful,  cheerful  and  en- 
lightened regard  for  the  requisitions  of  philanthropy, 
the  necessities  of  dependents  and  the   promptings  of 


142  MEMOIR  OP 

beneficence,  these  congenial  and  exalted  spirits  found 
more  genuine  gratification  in  the  unobtrusive  charities 
that  marked  their  mutual  career,  than  all  the  pomp  and 
luxury  of  a  regal  establishment  could  have  yielded 
them. 

Meanwhile  the  progress  of  National  events — so  im- 
portant, so  intersting  to  all — engaged  a  share  of  the  at- 
tention of  one  long  and  intimately  connected  with 
the  most  prominent  actors  in  the  affairs  of  her  coun- 
try. 

Mrs.  Washington  partook  her  husband's  high  pleas- 
ure in  the  early  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution 
by  her  native  State ;  and,  though  now  seldom  tempted 
to  leave  home,  probably  participated  with  him  in  the 
public  festivities  by  which  their  friends  in  the  city  of 
Alexandria  were  the  first,  to  celebrate  an  occurrence  so 
gratifying  to  the  Patriot  of  Mount  Vernon  ;  who  thus 
briefly  alludes  to  the  expressive  rejoicings  elicited  by 
the  occasion,  in  a  letter  written  immediately  after  his 
return  home  : — "  The  citizens  of  Alexandria  when 
convened  constituted  the  first  public  company  in  Amer- 
ica which  had  the  pleasure  of  pouring  a  libation  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  ten  States  that  had  actually  adopted 
the  General  Government."* 

Mrs.  Washington  was  too  true-hearted  a  daughter 
of  the  "  Old  Dominion,"  and  too  enlightened  in  her 
patriotism  and  philanthropy,  not  greatly  to  rejoice  in 
the  gradual  development  of  the  auspicious  events  by 
which  the  general  good,  not  of  her  native  country  alone, 

♦Letter  to  C.  C.  Pinkney,  Esq.,  Mount  Vernon,  June  28,  3788. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  143 

but  of  the  whole  civilized  world,  was  destined  to  be  so 
essentially  and  enduringly  promoted. 

Though  now  considerably  past  fifty  years  of  age, 
and  becoming  somewhat  portly  in  person,  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's rational,  healthful  habits  and  the  ceaseless  in- 
fluence of  the  principles  by  which  her  life  was  habit- 
ually regulated,  enabled  her  still  to  exhibit  undimin- 
ished her  characteristic  activity,  usefulness  and  cheer- 
fulness. As  a  wife,  a  parent,  a  mistress,  a  hostess, 
and  a  friend  she  was  equally  admirable,  and  a  happy 
combination  of  the  best  qualities  of  each  and  all !  In 
short,  Mrs.  Washington  was  at  this  time,  in  manner, 
appearance,  and  character,  the  pleasing  and  graceful 
representative  of  a  class  of  which  the  model  is  now, 
unfortunately  lost — a  Lady  of  the  Olden  Time! 
"  She  appeared  to  me,"  recorded  an  admiring  visitor* 
who  was,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband,  the  guest  of 
Mrs.  Washington  during  the  period  to  which  our  nar- 
rative at  present  relates,  "  one  of  the  best  women  in 
the  world,  and  beloved  by  all  about  her.     She        * 

*  *  *  was  surrounded  by  her  grand-chil- 
dren and  Mrs.  Custis,  her  son's  widow." 

The  fairy  forms  and  playful  sports  of  the  youthful 
inmates  alluded  to  in  this  brief  but  expressive  eulo- 
gium,  were  long  the  admiration  of  every  visitor  at 
Mount  Vernon,  as  they  were  the  pride  and  delight  of 
its  amiable  mistress,  whose  judicious  advice  and  assis- 
tance materially  aided  their  mother  in  conducting 
their  education.     Deeply  impressed   with  the  impor- 

*The  Marquis  de  Chastellux. 


144  MEMOIR  OP 

tance  of  this  grateful  task,  Mrs.  Washington  regular- 
ly devoted  much  time  and  attention  to  these  favored 
recipients  of  her  love  and  care,  and  her  husband 
formally  adopted  one  of  the  three  little  daughters  of 
Mrs.  Custis  as   his  own. 

With  this  general  and  imperfect  description  of  the 
peaceful  and  congenial  pleasures  and  employments  of 
a  delightful  and  fleeting  portion  of  the  existence  of 
our  heroine, — a  period  replete  with  exemplifications  of 
the  happy  fate  we  have  before  ascribed  to  her,  that  of 
being  ever  surrounded  by  a  glowing  halo  of  affection, — 
we  release  our  readers  from  further  attention  to  this 
portion  of  our  subject. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Must  I  thus  leave  thee,  Paradise  ?  Thus  leave 
Thee,  native  soil,  these  happy  walks  and  shades 
Fit  haunt  of  gods? 

Miltcx. 


The  World  is  with  me,  and  its  many  cares, 

Its  woes — its  wants — the  anxious  hopes  and  fears 

That  wait  on  all  terrestrial  affairs — 

The  shades  of  former  and  of  future  years — 

Foreboding  fancies,  and  prophetic  tears, 

Quelling  a  spirit  that  was  once  elate. 

Hood. 

Tiie  time  too  soon  arrived  when  his  ever  sacred 
duty  to  his  country  compelled  the  illustrious  Farmer  of 
Mount  Vernon  to  peril  his  mental  and  domestic  peace, 
as  he  had  formerly  done  his  "life,  his  fortune,  and 
his  sacred  honor,"  by  leaving  the  delightful  retreat  in 
which  he  had  earnestly  hoped  to  secure  future  exemp- 
tion from  the  burdensome  public  duties  to  which  he 
had  devoted  so  large  a  portion  of  his  past  life. 

Mrs.  Washington's  reluctance  to  leave,  for  gayer 
and  more  ceremonious  scenes,  the  quiet  pleasures  and 
congenial  pursuits  from  which  she  derived  so  much 
gratification,  as  well  as  her  sentiments  in  relation  to 
other  equally  interesting   subjects,  will  be  most  satis- 


146  MEMOIR  OF 

factorily  learned  from  a  Letter  addressed  by  her,  soon 
after  her  arrival  at  the  Seat  of  Government,  to  an  old 
and  confidential  friend  : — 


Mrs.  "Washington  to  Mrs.  Warren. 

"Your very  friendly  letter  of  last  month  has  af- 
forded me  much  more  satisfaction,  than  all  the  formal 
compliments  and  empty  ceremonies  of  mere  etiquette 
could  possibly  have  done.  I  am  not  apt  to  forget  the 
feelings  which  have  been  inspired  by  my  former  society 
with  good  acquaintances,  nor  to  be  insensible  to  their 
expressions  of  gratitude  to  the  President ;  for  you 
know  me  well  enough  to  do  me  the  justice  to  believe, 
that  I  am  fond  only  of  what  comes  from  the  heart. 
Under  a  conviction  that  the  demonstrations  of  respect 
and  affection  to  him  originate  in  that  source,  I  cannot 
deny,  that  I  have  taken  some  interest  and  pleasure  in 
them.  The  difficulties  which  presented  themselves  to 
view  upon  his  first  entering  upon  the  Presidency,  seem 
thus  to  be  in  some  measure  surmounted.  It  is  ow- 
in2;  to  the  kindness  of  our  numerous  friends  in  all 
quarters,  that  my  new  and  unwished-for  situation  is  not 
indeed  a  burden  to  me.  When  I  was  much  younger, 
I  should  probably  have  enjoyed  the  innocent  gayeties 
of  life  as  much  as  most  persons  of  my  age  ;  but  I  had 
long  since  placed  all  the  prospects  of  my  future 
worldly  happiness  in  the  still  enjoyments  of  the  fire- 
side at  Mount  Vernon. 

"  I  little  thought  when  the  war  was  finished,  that 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  147 

any  circumstances  could  possibly  happen,  which  would 
call  the  G-eneral  into  public  life  again.  I  had  antici- 
pated, that  from  that  moment  we  should  be  suffered  to 
grow  old  together  in  solitude  and  tranquility.  That 
was  the  first  aud  dearest  wish  of  my  heart.  I  will 
not,  however,  contemplate  with  too  much  regret,  disap- 
pointments, that  were  inevitable,  though  his  feelings 
and  my  own  were  in  perfect  unison  with  respect  to  our 
prediliction  for  private  life,  yet  I  cannot  blame  him 
for  having  acted  according  to  his  ideas  of  duty  in  obey- 
ing the  voice  of  his  country.  The  consciousness  of 
having  attempted  to  do  all  the  good  in  his  power,  and 
the  pleasure  of  finding  his  fellow-citizens  so  well  satisfied 
with  the  disinterestedness  of  his  conduct,  will  doubtless 
be  some  compensation  for  the  great  sacrifices  which  I 
know  he  has  made.  Indeed,  on  his  journey  from 
Mount  Vernon  to  this  place,  in  his  late  tour  through 
the  Eastern  States,  by  every  public  and  every  private 
information  which  has  come  to  him,  I  am  persuaded  he 
has  experienced  nothing  to  make  him  repent  his  hav- 
ing acted  from  what  he  conceives  to  be  a  sense  of  in- 
dispensible  duty.  On  the  contrary,  all  his  sensibility 
has  been  awakened  in  receiving  such  repeated  and  une- 
quivocal proofs  of  sincere  regard  from  his  country- 
men. 

"  With  respect  to  myself,  I  sometimes  think  the 
arrangement  is  not  quite  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  that 
I,  who  had  much  rather  be  at  home,  should  occupy  a 
place,  with  which  a  great  many  younger  and  gayer 
women  would  be  extremely   pleased.     As  my  grand- 


148 


MEMOIR  OP 


children  and  domestic  connections  make  up  a  great 
portion  of  the  felicity  which  I  looked  for  in  this  world, 
I  shall  hardly  be  able  to  find  any  substitute,  that  will 
indemnify  me  for  the  loss  of  such  endearing  society. 
I  do  not  say  this  because  I  feel  dissatisfied  with  my 
present  station,  for  everybody  and  everything  conspire 
to  make  me  as  contented  as  possible  in  it ;  yet  I  have 
learned  too  much  of  the  vanity  of  human  affairs  to  ex- 
pect felicity  from  the  scenes  of  public  life.  I  am  still 
determined  to  be  cheerful  and  happy  in  whatever  situa- 
tion I  may  be ;  for  I  have  also  learned  from  experi- 
ence, that  the  greater  part  of  our  happiness  or  misery 
depends  on  our  dispositions,  and  not  on  our  circum- 
stances. We  carry  the  seeds  of  the  one  or  the  other 
about  with  us  in  our  minds,  wherever  we  go. 

I  have  two  of  my  grand-children  with  me,  who  en- 
joy advantages  in  point  of  education,  and  who,  I  trust, 
by  the  goodness  of  Providence,  will  be  a  great  blessing 
to  me.  My  other  two  grand-children  are  with  their 
mother  in  Virginia." — New  York,  December  26th, 
1789.* 

The  subjoined  passage  from  Mrs.  Warren's  reply  to 
this  highly  engaging  and  expressive  communication, 
truly  indicates,  as  she  herself  intimates,  the  feelings  of 
the  numerous  friends  of  the  wife  of  the  first  Presi- 
dent : — 

"  Your  observation  may  be  true,  that  many  younger 
and  gayer  ladies  consider  your  situation  as  enviable ; 
yet  I  know  not  one,  who,  by  general  consent,  would  be 

*  Published  by  Mr.  Sparks  from  the  Original  M.  S. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  149 

more  likely  to  obtain  the  suffrages  of  the  sex,  even 
were  they  to  canvass  at  election,  for  this  elevated  sta- 
tion, than  the  lady  who  now  holds  the  first  rank  in  the 
United  States." 

Our  readers  will  not  have  failed  to  remark  the  unos- 
tentatious allusion  contained  in  Mrs.  Washington's 
Letter  to  the  scenes  and  adventures  of  the  journey  of 
the  President  elect  from  Mount  Vernon  to  New  York  j* 
and  all  will  remember  the  peculiar  incidents  of  that 
triumphal  progress — unrivalled  as  it  is  in  the  lives  of 
the  Kings  and  Conquerors  of  the  World ! 

Every  generous  heart  will  beat  in  unison  with  the 
delightful  emotions  that  must  have  glowed  in  the  bo- 
som of  the  Patriot  Wife  while  witnessing  the  sponta- 
neous manifestations  of  enthusiastic  gratitude  and  rev- 
erence with  which  the  immortal  Savior  of  his  Coun- 
try was  everywhere  hailed,  from  the  time  of  his  de- 
parture from  home  to  the  auspicious  hour  of  his  im- 
posing and  august  inauguration.  The  glorious  ceremo- 
nial at  the  Bridge  of  Trenton  has  no  parallel  in  all 
history  for  its  deep  pathos  and  moral  sublimity.  It 
drew  tears  even  from  eyes  ' '  unused  to  the  melting 
mood" — those  of  the  imperturable  "Defender  of  the 

*Some  of  our  readers  may  have  forgotten  that  the  first  organization 
of  the  Federal  Government,  (April,  1789)  took  place  at  New  York.  Phil- 
adelphia was  afterwards  the  seat  of  the  General  Government  It  was 
not  until  the  year  1791  that  the  present  location  was  selected  by^WASH- 
ington,  to  whom  that  duty  was  formally  delegated  by  his  countrymen. 
Thus,  then,  Mrs  Washington  passed  the  first  year  of  the  Presidency  of 
her  husband  at  New  York,  the  second  at  Philadelphia,  and  the  remain- 
ing six  at  the  present  National  Capitol. 


150  MEMOIR  OF 

Mothers"  and  "Protector  of  the  Daughters"  of  Amer- 
ica. 

Words  poorly  avail  to  tell  the  pure  aud  exalted  hap- 
piness of  the  Wife  of  Washington,  when  partici- 
pating with  him  in  joys  so  little  alloyed  by  the  dross 
of  earth !  In  pleasures  like  these  she  received  a 
high  remuneration  for  the  sacrifice  of  personal  tastes 
and  wishes  involved  in  her  chanere  of  residence  and 

o 

position. 

We  behold  this  estimable,  exemplary  and  gifted 
woman  assuming  the  obligations  and  responsibilities  of 
her  novel  and  exalted  station,  with  the  same  ease  and 
grace,  the  same  self-possession  and  serenity,  the  same 
ready  self-adaptation  and  feminine  tact  that  had  clis 
tinguished  her  in  every  previous  phase  of  her  varied 
and  eventful  career. 

When  deciding,  for  the  first  time,  upon  the  exter- 
nal manifestations,  so  to  speak,  of  public  order  and 
system,  the  authority  of  law  and  the  reality  of  Na- 
tional Independence,  policy  and  propriety  equally  de- 
manded that  the  visible  tokens  of  each  should  be  suffi- 
ciently imposing  to  impress  the  popular  mind  and  ex- 
act respect  from  all  observers.  Hence  the  prominence 
given  to  the  mere  insignia  and  appendages  of  power. 

In  accordance  with  this  judicious  design,  the  Man- 
sion of  the  First  President  of  the  new  Republic  was 
furnished  with  stately  elegance,  and  the  daily  routine 
of  its  arrangements  was  conducted  with  much  more 
elaborate  observance  of  the  requisitions  of  courtly  eti- 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  151 

quette  than  is  now  required  either  by  popular  taste  or 
political  necessity.* 

The  Levees  of  Mrs.  AVasliington  were  held  on  Fri- 
day evening  of  each  week  ;  those  of  the  President  on 
each  Tuesday,  from  three  to  four  o'clocli.  The  "  Con- 
gressional dinners"  occurred  on  Thursday. 

The  company,  on  the  occasion  of  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton's Levees,  assembled  at  an  early  hour  and  usually 
retired  at  a  little  past  ten.f  The  Ladies  were  seated 
and  the  President  was  accustomed  to  address  some  ap- 
propriate remarks  to  each,  in  turn,  as  he  passed  round 

*  The  principal  servants  connected  with  the  Presidential  establishment 
wore  the  family  livery — white  with  red  collars  and  cuffs.  The  chariot  in 
which  President  Washington  performed  his  celebrated  tour  through  the 
United  States,  was  also  white.  This  was  probably  the  color  cf  the  car- 
riage in  which  Mrs.  Washington  made  visits  of  ceremony  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia.  The  horses  of  the  President  were  noted  for  their 
great  beauty  and  value.  Those  used  by  Mrs.  Washington  were  bays. 
The  chief  domestics  of  the  household  were  a  steward,  housekeeper,  por- 
ter, coachman  and  cook.  The  former  and  latter  were  personages  dii  tin- 
guished  by  family  tradition.  Francis,  the  steward,  wore, -when  in  his 
official  post  at  the  sideboard,  during  the  state  dinners,  silk  small  clothes, 
white  silk  stockings,  and  his  hair  elaborately  dressed  and  powdered !  It 
was  the  pride  and  business  of  his  life  to  contribute  his  full  share  towards 
sustaining  the  dignity  and  consequence  of  the  family  he  had  the  lienor 
to  serve,  through  the  most  ostentatious  display  permitted  by  the  n  - 
iug  supervision  of  his  methodical  and  judicious  master.  Hercules,  the 
colored  cook,  was  one  of  the  most  finished  and  renowned  dandies  of  the 
age  in  which  he  nourished,  as  well  as  a  highly  accomplished  adept  in  'he 
mysteries  of  the  important  art  he  so  long  and  so  diligently  practiced. 

t  The  author  remembers  to  have  somewhere  read,  (though  upon  what 
authority  the  statement  was  based,  she  cannot  now  recall)  that,  as  the 
usual  hour  of  separation  drew  near,  the  expre;sive  air  cf  "Home,  sweet 
Home,"  not  unfrequently  saluted  the  ears  of  the  assemblage;  arc1,  that 
Mrs.  Washington  was  wont  sometimes  quietly  to  remark  that  the  Gen- 
eral retired  at  half  past  ten ! 


152  MEMOIR  OF 

the  circle.  At  these  drawing-rooms  Mrs.  Robert  Mor- 
ris always  occupied  the  seat  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Lady  of  the  Mansion. 

We  have  no  means  of  describing  the  dress  worn  by 
Mrs.  Washington  during  her  receptions;  but  we 
know  that  the  etiquette  of  the  day  required  that  all 
gentlemen  who  attended  the  drawing-rooms  of  the  Na- 
tional Chief  Magistrate  should  appear  in  full  dress  ; 
and  we  infer  that  there  was  not  less  ceremony  observed 
by  both  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  the  Levees  of  Mrs. 
Washington.  The  costume  of  the  President  at  his 
own  Levees,  (and  probably  at  those  of  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton also,)  was  black  velvet,  with  a  dress  sword,  a 
chapeau  de  bras  adorned  with  a  cockade  and  fringed 
with  short  black  feathers,  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  and 
orange  colored  gloves  ;  his  hair,  of  course,  powdered, 
and  "  gathered  behind  in  a  silk  bag."  There  were  no 
seats  in  the  apartment  where  the  President  stood,  with 
his  Secretaries  and  other  attendants,  to  recieve  his 
guests,  on  these  State  Days.  Visitors  advanced  in 
succession,  paid  their  respects  to  the  Head  of  the  Pie- 
public  and  were  addressed  by  him  in  return  ;  but  the 
President  offered  his  hand  to  no  one. 

At  all  the  dinners  given  by  the  Republican  Chief 
Magistrate,  the  venerable  Robert  Morris,  took  prece- 
dence of  every  other  guest,  invariably  conducted  Mrs. 
Washington  and  sat  at  her  right  hand. 

"  On  the  great  National  festivals  of  the  Fourth  of 
July  and  Twenty-second  of  February,  the  sages  of 
the  Revolutionary  Congress  and  the  officers  of   the 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  153 

Revolutionary  Army  renewed  their  acquaintance  with 
Mrs.  Washington ;  many  and  kindly  greetings  took 
place,  with  many  a  recollection  of  the  days  of  trial. 
The  Cincinnati,  after  paying  their  respects  to  their 
Chief,  were  seen  to  file  off  towards  the  parlor,  where 
"  Lady  Washington"  was  in  waiting  to  receive  them, 
and  where  Wayne,  and  Mifflin,  and  Dickenson,  and 
Stewart,  and  Moylan,  and  Hartley,  and  a  host  of  vet- 
erans, were  cordially  welcomed  as  old  friends,  and 
where  many  an  interesting  reminiscence  was  called  up, 
of  the  head-quarters  and  the  "times  of  the  Revolu- 
tion." 

On  the  National  fete  days,  the  commencement  of 
the  Levee  was  announced  by  the  firing  of  a  salute 
from  a  pair  of  twelve  pounders,  stationed  not  far  dis- 
tant from  the  Presidential  Mansion;  and  the  ex-Com- 
mander-in-Chief  paid  his  former  companions  in  arms 
the  compliment  to  wear  the  old  Continental  uniform. 

It  was  customary  for  the  gentlemen  officially  con- 
nected with  the  family  of  the  President  to  receive  the 
ladies  who  came  to  pay  their  respects  to  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington, and  attend  them  from  their  carriages  to  her 
presence ;  but  Washington  himself  performed  that 
service  when  the  venerated  widows  of  the  beloved  and 
lamented  Greene  and  Montgomery  called  at  the  Pres- 
idential Mansion. 

Visitors  were  not  received  either  by  the  President  or 
Mrs.  Washington  on  the  Sabbath.  They  habitually 
attended  divine  service  during  the  day  and  in  the  eve- 
ning her  husband  read  from  the  Bible,  or  some  other 

7* 


154  MEMOIR  OP 

devotional  book,  to  Mrs.  Washington  in  her  own  apart- 
ment. 

"  There  was  one  description  of  visitors,  however,  to 
be  fonnd  about  the  first  President's  Mansion  on  all 
days.  The  old  soldiers  repaired,  as  they  said,  to  head 
quarters,  just  to  inquire  after  the  health  of  his  Ex- 
cellency and  Lady  Washington.  They  knew  his  Ex- 
cellency was,  of  course,  much  engaged;  but  they 
would  like  to  see  the  good  lacly.  One  had  been  a 
soldier  of  the  Life  Guard ;  another  had  been  on  duty 
when  the  British  threatened  to  surprise  the  head-quar- 
ters ;  a  third  had  witnessed  that  terrible  fellow,  Corn- 
wallis,  surrender  his  sword ;  each  one  had  some  touch- 
ing appeal,  with  which  he  introduced  himself  to  the 
peaceful  head-quarters  of  the  presidoliad.  All  were 
41  kindly  bid  to  stay,"  were  conducted  to  the  steward's 
apartments,  and  refreshments  set  before  them ;  and, 
after  receiving  some  little  token  from  the  lady,  with 
her  best  wishes  for  the  health  and  happiness  of  an  old 
soldier,  they  went  their  ways,  while  blessings  upon 
their  revered  Commander  and  the  good  Lady  Wash- 
ington, were  uttered  by  many  a  war-worn  veteran  of 
the  Revolution."* 

In  her  new  and  interesting  position  as  the  wife  of 
the  first  President  of  the  American  Republic,  Mrs. 
Washington  continued  to  be  distinguished  by  the  quiet 

*  Perhaps  some  of  our  readers  may  be  disposed  to  ascribe  puerUitij  to 
the  minuteness  of  our  details  in  relation  to  the  peculiarities  of  Mrs. 
Washington's  present  mode  of  life.  The  author  hopes,  nevertheless,  to 
afford  passing  entertainment  to  others  whose  taste  for  antiquarian  re- 
search may  be,  perhaps,  in  some  degree  gratified. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  155 

good  breeding,  dignified  simplicity,  self-possession 
and  equanimity  for  which  she  had  long  been  remark- 
able. She  received  the  respect,  the  compliments  and 
the  honors  rendered  to  her  high  station  without  the 
assumption  of  undue  self-importance,  and  without  the 
affectation  of  inappropriate  humility.  She  presided  at 
her  elegant  and  bountiful  table  with  the  same  cour- 
teous ease  and  kindly  affability  that  formerly  shed  an 
almost  inimitable  charm  over  the  hospitalities  of 
Mount  Vernon ;  and  continued,  as  before,  to  lead  the 
conversation  on  such  occasions,  to  subjects  suited  to 
the  innocent  conviviality  of  the  hour.* 

Her  beloved  grand-children  continued  to  engage  the 
affections  and  enjoy  the  society  and  attention  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  not  only  when  she  was  comparatively  at 
leisure  in  the  retirement  of  Mount  Vernon,  but  when 
residing  at  the  seat  of  Government  and  involved  in 
the  formal  routine  of  public  life.  The  eldest  of  this 
little  band  were  now  rapidly  becoming  interesting  so- 
cial companions  for  the  paternal  guide  to  whom  they 
were  so  much  indebted. 

*  Mrs.  Washington  possessed  too  much  natural  good-sense  and  too 
clear  a  perception  of  propriety  to  converse  publicly  upon  subjects  in- 
volving her  husband's  political  interests  or  official  policy.  Foreign  em- 
bassadors and  strangers  frequently  attempted  to  draw  her  into  a  discus- 
sion of  political  topics  ;  but  it  was  her  invariable  practice  to  waive  all  dis- 
course of  this  nature But,  though  it  had  never  during  her  long  public 

career  been  the  habit  of  Mrs.  W.  to  give  open  expression  to  her  political 
sentiments,  no  want  of  independence  withheld  their  manifestation 
when  circumstances  required  their  promulgation.  In  the  year  1780  an 
Address  was  published  in  the  Philadelphia  newspapers,  entitled  "  The 
Sentiments  of  an  American  Woman"  which  was  attributed  to  her! 
and  which  was  publicly  read  in  the  Churches  throughout  Virginia. 


156  MEMOIR  OF 

This  disinterested  friend  did  not,  however  avail  her- 
self of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  her  exalted  posi- 
tion to  secure  either  personal  aggrandizement,  or  the 
exclusive  benefit  of  her  own  family.  The  daughters  of 
her  old  and  well-remembered  Revolutionary  compan- 
ions shared  with  her  grand-children  in  the  high  social 
advantages  it  was  now  in  her  power  to  afford  them  ; 
and  all  to  whom  she  was  bound  by  the  cherished  ties 
of  former  years,  received  the  most  convincing  proofs 
of  the  perpetuity  of  a  friendship  that  was  ever  equally 
thoughtful,  active  and  sincere,  whether  engendered 
by  the  clinging  tendencies  of  a  youthful  heart,  fos- 
tered amid  the  snow-thatched  hovels  of  Valley  Forge, 
enshrined  beneath  the  hospitable  roof  of  Mount  Ver- 
non, or  lending  interest,  grace  and  warmth  to  the 
stately  courtesies  of  the  National  Capitol ! 

During  each  year  of  the  double  Presidential  term 
of  office,  Mrs.  Washington  returned,  for  at  least  a 
portion  of  the  summer,  to  Mount  Vernon.  Indeed  the 
health  of  her  husband,  impaired  by  his  too  arduous 
labors,  soon  imperatively  required  that  temporary  ex- 
emption from  bodily  fatigue  and  mental  exertion,  which 
he  could  there  alone  secure,  as  well  as  the  watchful 
care  she  could  so  judiciously  and  affectionately  be- 
stow. 

There  is  no  record  of  Mrs.  Washington's  having  ac- 
companied the  President  in  his  journey  to  New  En cr- 
land,  during  the  year  following  that  of  his  election  to 
the  Chief  Magistracy ;  nor  of  her  being  the  compan- 
ion of  his  long  and  well-known  tour  in  the  year  1791. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  157 

We,  therefore,  infer  that  she  preferred  the  repose  and 
seclusion  which  she  could  best  enjoy  in  her  favorite 
retreat,  surrounded  by  household  companions  who 
might  almost  be  said  to  impersonate  the  Penates  of 
Mount  Vernon. 

Devoted  to  the  varied  and  important  duties  of  her 
high  station,  eight  successive  years  sped  away  in  pleas- 
ures and  occupations,  which,  if  not  those  most  congenial 
to  the  conjugal,  maternal  and  domestic  tastes  and  affec- 
tions of  this  eminent  American  Matron,  were  yet 
crowned  by  the  grateful  consciousness  of  usefulness 
and  the  high  approbation  of  that  mental  guide  to  the 
test  of  whose  scrutinizing  arbitration  she  was  wont  to 
submit  each  thought,  word  and  action  of  her  life. 

The  final  departure  of  President  and  Mrs.  "Wash- 
ington from  the  place  and  power  through  which  they 
had  acquired  so  much  personal  honor,  and  conferred 
such  lasting  benefit  upon  their  country,  was  distin- 
guished by  every  manifestation  of  national  and  indi- 
vidual reverence  and  gratitude. 

All  mourned  the  retirement  of  the  great  and  good 
Father  of  his  Country  from  the  immediate  supervision 
to  which  all  might  so  safely  and  implicitly  trust ;  and 
the  love  and  blessings  of  a  nation  followed  both  Mrs. 
Washington  and  its  honored  Chief  to  the  well-earned 
tranquility  of  private  life. 

Many  were  the  tender  farewells  of  those  who  were 
to  be  forever  officially  separated,  and  many  the  parting 
tokens  of  remembrance  and  affection  long  preserved 
as  the  sacred  mementoes  of  those  patriarchal  days. 


158  MEMOIR  OF 

Mrs.  Washington's  part  in  these  touching  aclieux 
will  be  characteristically  illustrated  by  the  following 
pleasing  anecdote,  for  which  we  are  obliged  to  a  gentle- 
man who  personally  received  it  from  the  most  authentic 
source  : — 

"  On  leaving  the  Seat  of  Government  after  the  in- 
auguration of  his  successor,  Washington  presented  to 
all  his  principal  officers  some  token  of  regard.  When 
Mrs.  Oliver  Wolcott,  the  wife  of  one  of  these  gentle- 
men and  the  particular  friend  and  correspondent  of  Miss 
Custis,  called  '  to  take  leave,'  Mrs.  Washington  asked 
if  she  did  not  wish  a  memorial  of  the  General. 
'  Yes,'  replied  Mrs.  Wolcott,  '  I  should  like  a  lock 
of  his  hair.'  Mrs.  Washington  instantly  took  her 
scissors,  and  with  a  happy  smile,  cut  a  large  lock  from 
her  husband's  head,  added  to  it  one  from  her  own,  and 
presented  them  to  her  fair  friend." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

And  a  vision  of  happiness  steals  through 
her  rest — 


Dimoxd- 


Oase,  then,  the  funeral  strain  !— Lament  no  more, 
"Whom,  rife  for  fate,  'twere  impious  to  deplore  ! 
He  died  the  death  of  glory.    Cease  to  mourn. 
And  cries  of  grief  to  songs  of  triumph  turn'. 
Ah,  no  ! — Awhile,  ere  reason's  voice  o'erpowers 
The  fond  regret  that  weeps  a  loss  like  ours, 

Yet,  yet  awhile,  the  natural  tear  may  flow, 
Nor  cold  reflection  chide  the  chastening  woe ! 


Scott. 


Yes,  there  is  pain  in  this 
Most  passionate  longing  to  o'erreach  the  clay— 
This  exile-thirst,  which  stronger  grows  each  day 
To  take  the  morning-wings  and  flee  away 
To  realms  of  future  bliss. 

Mks.  E.  J.  Eames. 

Relieved,  at  last,  from  the  irksomeness  of  elabo- 
rate ceremony  and  the  time-engrossing  duties  of  a 
public  station,  the  illustrious  Subject  of  our  Memoir 
returned  permanently;  in  the  Spring  of  1797,  to  the 
earnestly-coveted    and    peaceful    enjoyments   of    the 


160  MEMOIR  OF 

home  from  which  she  had  so  often  and  so  long  been 
exiled. 

Never  had  that  home  seemed  so  worthy  to  be  graced 
by  the  continued  presence  of  its  gentle  and  admirable 
mistress.  The  walks,  the  gardens,  the  grounds,  the 
venerable  mansion,  all  gave  most  pleasing  token  of  the 
refined  taste  and  careful  supervision  of  the  beneficent 
spirits  who  shed  everywhere  around  them  so  benign  an 
influence. 

But,  though  the  effects  of  their  previous  efforts 
were  so  plainly  cliscernable,  General  and  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington entered,  with  much  zeal  and  interest,  upon  pro- 
jects for  the  further  improvement  and  embellishment 
of  the  intended  asylum  of  their  declining  years. 

And  now  these  faithful  votaries  of  nature,  these  un- 
affected lovers  of  all  the  thousand  nameless  joys  that 
constitute  the  sacred  charm  of  Home,  contemplated 
with  exquisite  pleasure  the  calm  vista  through  which 
they  could  at  last  trace  their  mutual  pathway  along 
the  vale  of  time.  A  temperate  enjoyment  of  the  lux- 
uries afforded  by  affluence,  the  affectionate  reverence 
of  dependents  and  relations,  the  exalted  pleasures  of 
friendship,  the  heavenly  delights  of  benevolence,  the 
joys  of  conjugal  love — all  these  sources  of  happiness 
were  theirs ! 

"  And   memory  stood   side-wise,  half  covered  -with 

[flowers, 
Displaying  each  rose,  but  secreting  its  thorn," 

while  recalling  the  many  varying  incidents  of  long 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  161 

years  of  higb.  duty  and  successful  effort,  of  well-re- 
warded self-sacrifice  and  eventual  triumph  ! 

Such  were  the  natural  and  appropriate  rewards  that 
crowned  a  life  so  useful,  so  virtuous,  so  exalted  as  that 
which  it  has  been  our  desire  to  sketch  in  these  brief 
pages!  Unfettered  by  the  "  irons  of  circumstance," 
through  each  changing  scene  of  her  eventful  career, 
Mrs.  Washington  had  been  faithful  to  the  dictates  of  a 
noble  nature,  disciplined  and  controlled  by  Christian 
principle.  Yielding  to  no  selfish,  effeminate  love  of 
the  dolce  far  niente  of  existence,  nor  yet  to  the  in- 
sidious promptings  of  worldly  ambition,  but  ever 
"  true  to  the  kindred  points  of  Heaven  and  Home" 
she  had  passed  unfalteringly  on,  scathed  neither  by  the 
fierce  lightnings  of  adversity,  nor  the  dazzling  splen- 
dors of  place  and  power.  The  wordless  eloquence  ex- 
pressed by  the  serene  majesty  of  her  life,  commends  it- 
self to  our  hearts  with  far  more  resistless  pathos  than 
all  the  eulogies  panegyrists  could  pronounce,  or  poet's 
pen  ;  and  we  turn  from  the  contemplation  of  her  char- 
acter with  mingled  emotions  of  admiration,  affection 
and  humility ! 

Felicity  such  as  now  blessed  the  venerable  mistress 
of  Mount  Vernon  partook  too  little  of  the  usual  attri- 
butes of  human  happiness  to  be  perpetuated  on  earth. 
Two  years  after  his  final  resignation  of  the  cares  of 
state,  the  immortal  Washington  was  suddenly  sum- 
moned to  possess,  in  the  revealed  Presence  of  Deity, 

"  Through  boundless  Space  and  countless  Time," 
the  immutable  bliss  of  a  "just  man  made  perfect"  ! 


162  MEMOIR  OF 

Mrs.  Washington  never  for  a  moment  left  the  apart- 
ment of  her  husband  during  the  brief  and  severe  ill- 
ness that  terminated  his  existence.  Kneeling  by  his 
bed  side,  she  bowed  her  throbbing  brow  upon  the  sa- 
cred Records  of  those  Holy  Promises  and  Consola- 
tions that  could  alone  sustain  her  spirit  in  this  the 
hour  of  her  most  agonizing  trial. 

"The  last  effort  of  the  expiring  Washington  was 
worthy  of  the  Roman  fame  of  his  life  and  character. 
He  raised  himself  up,  and  casting  a  look  of  benignity 
on  all  around  him,  as  if  to  thank  them  for  their 
kindly  attentions,  he  composed  his  limbs,  closed  his 
eyes,  and  folding  his  arms  upon  his  bosom,  the  Fath- 
er of  his  Country  expired,  gently  as  though  an  infant 
died  !"  "  Favored  of  Heaven,  he  'departed  without 
exhibiting  the  weakness  of  humanity ;  magnanimous 
in  death,  the  darkness  of  the  grave  could  not  obscure 
his  brightness  !" 

Fate  had  now  dealt  the  last  deadly  blow  to  the 
earthly  happiness  of  Mrs.  Yvrashiugton  !  Her  chil- 
dren, their  father,  the  faithful,  affectionate,  symp- 
athizing friend  and  counsellor,  with  whom,  through 
unnumbered  years,  she  had  stood  side  by  side 
in  many  and  grievous  trials,  dangers  and  sorrows, — all 
were  gone  !  The  desolate  survivor  stood  like  a  lone 
sentinel  upon  a  deserted  battle-field,  regarding  in  mute 
despair  the  fatal  destruction  of  hope,  and  love,  and  joy  ! 

"  She  sheds  no  tears,  her  grief's  too  highly  wrought  : 
'Tis  speechless  agony  !" 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  1G3 

Long  did  the  heart-stricken  mourner  linger  amid  the 
familiar  objects  that,  like  the  faces  of  old  friends,  eve- 
rywhere met  her  sorrowful   eyes,  and    in  the  beloved 
presence  of  all    that  was  mortal   of  the  august  Chris- 
tian   Philosopher,   to    whose    memory  the    apartment 
where  he  reposed  would  be  forever  consecrated.     Yield- 
ing at   last  to  the  entreaties   of  affection,  she    turned 
along,  soul-harrowing  gaze  upon  the  placid  features  of 
the   mighty  dead,  and  then  departing  from  these  hal- 
lowed precincts,  never  more  returned  to  a  spot  replete 
with  associations  at  once  sorrowful  and  inviolate  ! 

The   shock   occasioned   by  the-  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  Washington   "fell  upon  the   country  with 
the  unexpected  suddenness  of  an  earthquake  ;  dismay 
and  affliction  suspended  all  business ;  all  ages  and  clas- 
ses united  in  demonstrations  of  respect  and  affection." 

"  By  an  arrangement  with  the  Government,  Mrs. 
Washington  yielded  the  remains  of  the  Chief  to  the 
prayers  of  the  nation,  as  expressed  through  its  repre- 
sentatives in  Congress,  conditioinng  that,  at  her  de- 
cease, her  own  remains  should  accompany  those  of  her 
husband  to  the  Capital.  The  earthly  relics  of  the 
great  Pater  Patrije  were  then  consigned  to  the  Fam- 
ily Tomb  within  the  grounds  of  Mount  Vernon,  there 
to  await  the  final  disposition  of  his  country."* 

"  When  the  burst  of  grief  which  followed  the  death 
of  the  Pater  Patrice  had  a  little  subsided,  visits  of 
condolence  to  the  bereaved  lady  were  made  by  the 
first  personages  of   the  land.     The  President  of  the 

-National  Portrait  Gallery. 


164  MEMOIR  OF 

United  States,  with  many  other  distinguished  individ- 
uals, repaired  to  Mount  Vernon,  while  letters,  ad- 
dresses, funeral  orations,  and  all  the  tokens  of  sorrow 
and  respect,  loaded  the  mails  from  every  quarter  of 
the  country,  offering  the  sublime  tribute  of  a  nation's 
mourning  for  a  nation's  benefactor."* 

But  grateful  and  consolatory  as  were  these  sponta- 
neous manifestations  of  reverential  regard  for  the 
memory  of  her  illustrious  husband,  Mrs.  Washington 
possessed  a  far  higher  and  dearer  source  of  confidence 
in  his  eternal  happiness  than  any  earthly  fiat  could  be- 
stow, in  her  inward  and  assured  conviction  that  he  had 
ever  sought  the  same  "fountain  of  living  waters," 
from  which  she  had  herself  drunk  deep  of  heavenly 
hope  and   joy  If 

Mrs.  Washington  now  looked  eagerly  and  intently 
forward  to  the  termination  of  that  journey  in  which 
she  had  been  preceded  by  all  who  were  most  dear  to 
her.  Devoutly  resting  her  wounded  spirit  upon  the 
soothing  conviction  that  those  from  whom  she  was  here 
separated  would  then  be  forever  restored  to  her,  she 
stregthened  herself  to  tread  on  in  the  weary  way  of 
life,  with  mournful  but  unshaken  confidence  in  the 
blessed  truth  that  "  all  things  work  together  for  good" 

*  National  Portrait  Gallery. 

t  We  present  our  readers  with  a  communication  upon  this  highly  in- 
teresting subject,  addressed,  at  his  request,  to  Mr  Sparks,  by  the  adopted 
daughter  of  Washington,  Miss  Custis,  who  was  twenty  years  an  inmate 
of  the  family  of  her  kind  protector.  Any  attempt  to  abr'dge  these 
agreeably-written  paragraphs  must,  necessarily,  diminish  the  pleasing 
simplicity  and  frankness  that  lend  additional  interest  to  the  details  they 
contain.— See  Note  C.  of  the  Appendix. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  165 

in  the  orderings  of  the  Great  Disposer  of  Events. 
Hers  was  not  the  callousness  of  indifference  or  insen- 
sibility, the  obtuseness  of  a  benighted  stoicism,  or  the 
lightness  of  a  shallow  intellect ;  but  the  uncloubting 
constancy  of  a  Christian,  whose  faith  in  Him  who 

" givetk,  with  paternal  care, 

Howe'er  unjustly  we  complain, 
To  each  their  necessary  share, 

Of  joy  and  sorrow,  health  and  pain," 

no  mortal  suffering  could  disturb,  no  sublunary  occur- 
rence destroy  ! 

But  neither  her  changeless  grief,  nor  her  deep  in- 
terest in  the  concerns  of  a  future  state  of  existence, 
were  regarded  by  this  exemplary  and  self-sacrificing 
Christian  as  entitling  her  to  exemption  from  vigilant 
attention  to  the  requisitions  of  actual  and  practical 
life.  The  many  cares  assumed  by  the  helpful,  judi- 
cious, kindly  friend  who  had  formerly  shared  her 
toils  and  duties,  now  rested  solely  upon  her.  Yet 
though  Mrs.  Washington  was  in  her  sixty-ninth  year, 
she  still  conducted  the  various  affairs  of  her  extensive 
establishment  with  her  previous  diligence,  regularity 
and  skill,  and  discharged  the  numerous  obligations  of 
the  hostess  of  Mount  Vernon,  with  wonted  dignity 
and  urbanity.  More  grave,  more  silent,  she  might  be  ; 
but  no  duty  was  forgotten  or  omitted  in  relation  to  do- 
mestic arrangements,   no  courtesy  neglected  towards 


166  MEMOIR  OF 

the  innumerable  votaries  who  sought,  in  sorrowing  pil- 
grimage, Columbia's  more  than  Mecca-shrine. 

"  Light  grief  is  fond  of  state  and  courts  compassion, 

But  there's  a  dignity  in  cureless  sorrow 

A  sullen  grandeur  which  disdains  complaint !" 

Yet,  despite  this  outward  composure,  this  habitual 
self-control,  this  hospitable  amenity,  her  lusterless  and 
abstracted  eye,  and  the  one  glowing  spot  in  her  else 
blanched  and  faded  cheek,  betrayed  only  too  plainly 
the  ceaseless  struggle  of  that  noble  spirit  ! 

"  She  lived — for  life  may  long  be  borne 
Ere  sorrow  break  its  chain  !" 

But  what  was  earth,  what  was  life,  to  this  bereaved 
and  heart-stricken  mourner  ! 

Thus  passed  two  long  years  for  the  worn  and  weary 
earth-wanderer  ;  and  then  her  sudden  and  serious  ill- 
ness spread  consternation  to  the  outermost  circle  of  the 
many  loving  and  sympathizing  hearts  that  ever  envi- 
roned her. 

Dr.  Craik,  the  old  and  highly-esteemed  physician 
of  the  family,  well  aware  of  the  insidious  mental  foe 
that  had  but  too  surely  undermined  the  strength  of  his 
patient,  scarce  spoke  of  hope  to  the  sorrowing  house- 
hold, and  Mrs.  Washington  was  herself  aware  of  her 
approaching  dissolution. 

Dying  as  she  had  lived,  mindful  of  duty  to  the  last, 
the  expiring  Christian  summoned  the  several  members 
of  her  family  to  attend  her  death-bed,  and  addressed 
to   her   grand-children,  particularly,  the  most  solemn 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON.  167 

and  impressive  words  of  exhortation  and  advice.  She 
bore  the  most  unequivocal  and  triumphant  testimony  to 
her  unwavering  reliance  upon  the  hopes  and  assuran- 
ces of  the  Religion  that  had  been  the  guide  and  sup- 
port of  her  long  and  varied  life,  and  with  that  ap- 
propriate and  pathetic  farewell  this  celebrated  Amer- 
ican Matron  tranquilly  rendered  back  her  earthly  ex- 
istence to   Him   from  whom  it  was  received. 

The  death  of  Mks.  Washington  occurred  in  the 
year  1801,  and  during  the  seventy-first  year  of  her 
age. 

Her  remains,  in  accordance  with  her  desire,  were 
enclosed  in  a  leaden  coffin  and  placed  beside  those  of 
Washington  in  the  family  tomb  at  Blount  Vernon. 


APPENDIX 


TO 


EMtBlfm  W&MW1f®EL 


APPENDIX 


TO 

MEMOIR  OF  MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 

NOTE  A. 

Mr.  Sparks  gives  us  the  original  List,  as  found 
among  Washington's  papers.  For  explanatory  partic- 
ulars, see  Sparks'  Life  of  Washington,  Vol.  II. 
329.     We,  of  course,  copy  exactly,  from  Mr.  S. 

"  A  Salmon-colored  Tabby  of  the  enclosed  pattern, 
with  satin  flowers,  to  be  made  in  a  sack  and  coat. 
One  Cap,  Handerchief,  Tucker,  and  Ruffles  to  be 
made  of  Brussels  lace,  or  point,  proper  to  wear  with 
the  above  negligee,  to  cost  £20.  One  piece  Bag  Hol- 
land at  6s,  (a  yard.)  2  fine  flowered  Lawn  Aprons. 
2  double  Handkerchiefs.  1  pair  woman's  white  Silk 
Hose.  6  pairs  fine  Cotton  do.  4  pairs  Thread  do. 
1  pair  black,  and  1  pair  white  Satin  Shoes,  of  the 
smallest  5s.  4  pairs  Calamanco,  do.  1  fashkmable 
Hat,  or  Bonnet.  6  pairs  woman's  best  Kid  Gloves. 
8  pairs  ditto  mits.  1-2  dozen  Knots  and  Breast 
Knots.     1    doz.  round   Silk   laces.     1   black  Mask. 


172  APPENDIX. 

1  doz.  most  fashionable  Pocket  Handkerchiefs.  2 
pairs  neat,  small  scissors.  1  lb.  sewing  silk,  shaded. 
4  pieces  binding  Tape.  6  m.  Minikin  Pins.  1  m. 
Hair  ditto.  6  lbs.  perfumed  Powder.  3  lbs.  best 
Scotch  SnufF.  3  lbs.  best  violette  Strasburg.  8  lbs. 
Starch.  2  lbs.  powdered  Blue.  2  oz.  Coventry 
Thread,  one  of  which  to  be  very  fine.  1  piece  nar- 
row white  satin  Ribbon,  pearl  edge.  1  case  .of  Pick- 
les, to  consist  of  Anchovies,  Capers,  Olives,  Salad 
Oil,  and  1  bottle  India  Mangoes.  1  large  Cheshire 
Cheese.  4  lbs.  Green  Tea.  10  groce  best  corks. 
25  lbs.  best  jar  Raisins.  25  lbs.  Almonds,  in  the 
shell.  1  hogshead  best  Porter.  10  loaves  double 
and  10  single  refined  sugar.  *****  12 
lbs.    best   Mustard.     2   doz.    Jack's    playing   Cards. 

*****  1  1-2  doz.  Bell  glasses  for  Gar- 
den. 2  more  Chair  Bottoms,  such  as  were  written  for 
in  a  former  invoice.  1  more  Windsor  Curtain  and 
Cornice.  100  lbs.  White  Biscuit.  3  gallons  of 
Rhenish  in  bottles." 

There  then  follows  a  long  enumeration  of  articles, 
evidently  designed  for  the  use  and  comfort  of  the 
slaves  upon  the  estate ;  among  which  we  observe  "  350 
yds.  Kendall  Cotton/'  "100  Dutch  Blankets,"  &c;, 
&c,  together  with  numerous  Garden,  Carpenter's  and 
Farming  tools,  and  articles  of  Cutlery  and  Iron-ware, 
sufficient  to  supply  a  colony  preparing  to  populate  a 
desert  island  of  considerable  size  ! 

Among  the  medicines  ordered  (and  the  list  seems  to 
us  to  include  the  whole  Materia  Medica  /)  we  light 


APPENDIX. 


173 


upon  the  agreeable  items  of  "Pearl  Barley"  and 
"Sago"  "5  lbs.  White  Sugar  Candy,"  "10  lbs. 
Brown  do,"  "  1  lb.  Barley  Sugar." 

After  this  follows  an  array  of  the  names  of  medi- 
cines to  be  used  in  Farriery ;  and  the  whole  is  conclu- 
ded by  the  following — 

Invoice  op  Sundries  to  be  shipped  by  Robert  Ga- 
ry and  Company,  for  the  use  of  Master  John 
and  Miss  Patty  Custis,  each  to  be  charged  to 
their  own  accounts,  but  both  consigned  to 
George  Washington,  Potomac  River. 


For  Master  Custis,  6  years  old. 

1  piece  Irish  Holland,  at  4s. 

2  yards  fine  Cambric  at  10s. 

6  Pocket  Handkerchiefs,  small  and 

fine. 
6  pairs  Gloves  ;  2  Laced  Hats. 

2  pieces  India  Nankeen. 

fi  pairs  fine  thread  Stockings. 
4  pairs  coarser  do. 
4  pairs  worsted  do. 
4  pairs  strong  Shoes;  4  pairs  Pumps. 
1  summer  suit  of  clothes  ;  to  be  made 
of  something  light  and  thin. 

3  fine  Ivory  Combs ;  2  Horn  do.,  and 

2  Brushes. 
1  piece  black  Hair  Ribbon. 
1  pair  handsome    Silver  Shoe  and 

Knee  Buckles. 
10s.  worth  of  Toys. 
6  little  books  for  children  beginning 

to  read. 
1  oz.  8d.  Thread  ;  1  oz.  12d.  do. 
1  oz.  ys.  do; ;  1  oz.  3s.  do. 
i  lb.  whited  brown  Thread. 
1  light  duffel  Cloak  with  silver  frogs. 


For  Miss  Costis;  4  years  old. 

8  yards  fine  printed  Linen  at  3s.  6d. 

1  piece  Irish  Holland  at  4s. 

2  ells  fine  Holland  at  10s. 
8  pairs  kid  Mits  ;  4  pairs  gloves. 
2  pairs  silk  shoes. 

pairs  Calemanco  do. ;  4  pairs  leath- 
er Pumps. 

6  pairs  fine  thread  Stockings, 

4  pairs  worsted  do. 

ij  piece  flowered  Dimity. 

2  yards  fine  Cambric  at  10s. 

2  Caps,  2  pairs  Ruffles,  2  Tuckers, 
Bibs  and  Aprons,  if  fashionable. 

2  Fans  ;  2  Masks  ;  2  Bonnets. 

2m.  large  Pins ;  2m.  short  whites ; 
2m.  Minikins ;  1  Cloth  Cloak. 

1  stiffened  Coat  of  Fashionable  Silk, 
made  to  pack-thread  stays. 

6  yards  Ribbon  ;  2  Necklaces. 

1  pair  Silver  Sleeve  Buttons,  with 
stones. 

1  fashionable-dressed  baby  10s  ;  and 
other  Toys  10s.    • 

0  Pocket  Handkerchiefs. 


NOTE   B. 

"  November  24tli. — After  dinner,  as  I  had  heard 
some  threats  thrown  out,  that  if  the  ball  assembled 
this  night,  as  it  was  proposed,  they  presumed  that  the 
New  Tavern  would  cut  but  a  poor  figure  to-morrow 
morning,  these  fears  of  some  commotion's  being  made 
that  would  be  very  disagreeable  at  this  melancholy 
time,  in  disturbing  the  peace  of  the  City,  I  concluded 
if  possible,  to  prevent,  in  order  to  which  I  went  to 
Col.  Hancock's  lodgings,  and  finding  he  was  not  come 
from  Congress,  and  the  time  grew  short,  being  three 
o'clock,  I  walked  up  to  the  State  House,  in  expecta- 
tion of  meeting  him.  That  failing,  I  requested  the 
door-keeper  to  call  Samuel  Adams,  which  he  accord- 
ingly did,  and  he  came.  I  then  informed  him  of  the 
account  received  of  a  ball,  that  was  to  be  held  this 
evening,  and  where,  and  that  Mrs.  Washington  and 
Col.  Hancock's  wife  were  to  be  present,  and  as  such 
meetings  appeared  to  be  contrary  to  the  Eighth  Re- 
solve of  Congress,  I  therefore  requested  he  would 
give  my  respects  to  Col.  Hancock,  desire  him  to  wait 
on  Lady  Washington  to  request  her  not  to  attend  or 
go  this  evening.  This  he  promised.  Thence  I  went 
and  met  the  Committee  at  Philosophic  Hall,  which 
was  large  and  respectable,  being   called  together  for 


APPENDIX.  175 

this  only  purpose  to  consider  the  propriety  of  this 
meeting  or  ball's  being  held  this  evening  in  this  city, 
at  the  New  Tavern,  where  after  due  and  mature  con- 
sideration, it  was  then  concluded,  there  being  but  one 
dissenting  voice,  (Sharp  Delany,)  that  there  should  be 
no  such  meeting  held,  not  only  this  evening,  but  in 
future,  while  these  troublesome  times  continued,  and  a 
Committee  was  appointed,  immediately  to  go  and  in- 
form the  directors  of  this  meeting  not  to  proceed  any 
further  in  this  affair,  and  also  to  wait  upon  Lady  Wash- 
ington, expressing  this  Committee's  great  regard  and 
affection  to  her,  requesting  her  to  accept  of  their  grate- 
ful acknowledgments  and  respect,  due  to  her  on  ac- 
count of  her  near  connection  with  our  worthy  and 
brave  General,  now  exposed  in  the  field  of  battle  in 
defense  of  our  rights  and  liberties,  and  request  and 
desire  her  not  to  grace  that  company,  to  which  we  are 
informed,  she  has  an  invitation  this  evening  &c,  &c. 
Came  home  near  six.  After  I  drank  coffee,  I  went 
clown  to  Samuel  Adams'  lodgings,  where  was  Col. 
Dyer.  Spent  some  time  pleasantly,  until  Col.  Harri- 
son came  to  rebuke  Samuel  Adams  for  using  his  influ- 
ence for  the  stopping  of  this  entertainment  which  he 
declared  was  legal,  just  and  laudable.  Many  argu- 
ments were  used  by  all  present  to  convince  him  of  the 
impropriety  at  this  time,  but  all  to  no  effect ;  so  as  he 
came  out  of  humor,  he  so  returned,  to  appearance. 

"  November  25th. — At  half  past  eleven,  went  to 
the  Committee  Room  at  the  Coffee  House  ;  came  away 
near  two.     At  this  time,  Major  Bayard,  one  of  the 


176  APPENDIX. 

four  gentlemen  appointed  to  wait  on  Lady  Washington 
reported  that  they  had  acted  agreeably  to  directions, 
that  the  lady  received  them  with  great  politeness, 
thanked  the  Committee  for  their  kind  care  and  regard 
in  giving  such  timely  notice,  requesting  her  best  com- 
pliments to  be  returned  to  them  for  their  care  and  re- 
gard, and  to  assure  them  that  their  sentiments  on  this 
occasion,  were  perfectly  agreeable  to  her  own-" 


X 


NOTE  C. 


After  some  particulars  in  relation  to  the  several 
churches  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Yernon,  the  fair 
writer,  gives  us  the  following  interesting  details  re- 
specting Washington  and  family  : — 

"  We  attended  the  Church  at  Alexandria,  when  the 
weather  and  roads  permitted  a  ride  of  ten  miles.  In 
New- York  and  Philadelphia  he  never  omitted  attend- 
ance at  church  in  the  morning,  unless  detained  by  in- 
disposition. The  afternoon  was  spent  in  his  own  room 
at  home ;  the  evening  with  his  family  and  without 
company.  Sometimes  an  old  and  intimate  friend 
called  to  see  us  for  an  hour  or  two  ;  but  visiting  and 
visitors  were  prohibited  for  that  day.  No  one  in 
church  attended  to  the  services  with  more  reverential 
respect.  My  grand-mother,  who  was  eminently  pious, 
never  deviated  from  her  usual  habits.  She  always 
knelt.  The  General,  as  was  then  the  custom,  stood 
during  the  devotional  parts  of  the  service.  On  com- 
munion Sundays  he  left  the  church  with  me,  after  the 
blessing,  and  returned  home,  and  we  sent  the  carriage 
back  for  my  grand-mother. 

"  It  was  his  custom  to  retire  to  his  library  at  9  or 
10  o'clock,  where  he  remained  an  hour  before  he  went 


178  APPENDIX. 

to  his  chamber.  He  always  rose  before  the  sun,  and 
remained  in  his  library  until  called  to  breakfast.  I 
never  witnessed  his  private  devotions,  I  never  enquired 
about  them.  I  should  have  thought  it  the  greatest 
heresy  to  doubt  his  firm  belief  in  Christianity.  His 
life,  his  writings,  prove  that  he  was  a  Christian.  He 
was  not  one  of  those  who  act,  or  pray,  '  that  they 
maybe  seen  of  men.'  He  communed  with  his  God  in 
secret. 

11  My  mother  resided  two  years  at  Mount  Vernon, 
after  her  marriage  with  John  Park  Custis,  the  only 
son  of  Mrs.  Washington.  I  have  heard  her  say  that 
General  Washington  always  received  the  sacrament 
with  my  grand-mother  before  the  Revolution.  When 
my  aunt,  Miss  Custis,  died  suddenly  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, before  they  could  realize  the  event,  he  knelt  by 
her  and  prayed  most  fervently,  most  affectingly  for 
her  recovery.  Of  this  I  was  assured  by  Judge 
Washington's  mother,  and  other  witnesses. 

"  He  was  a  silent,  thoughtful  man.  He  spoke  lit- 
tle generally ;  never  of  himself.  I  never  heard  him 
relate  a  single  act  of  his  life  during  the  war.  I  have 
often  seen  him  perfectly  abstracted,  his  lips  moving, 
but  no  sound  was  perceptible.  I  have  often  made  him 
laugh  most  heartily  from  sympathy  with  my  joyous  and 
extravagant  spirits.  I  was,  probably,  one  of  the  last 
persons  on  earth  to  whom  he  would  have  addressed  se- 
rious conversation,  particularly  when  he  knew  that  I 
had  the  most  perfect  model  of  female  excellence  ever 
with  me  as  my  monitress,  who  acted  the  part  of  a  ten- 


APPENDIX.  179 

der  and  devoted  parent,  loving  me  only  as  a  mother 
can  love,  and  never  extenuating  or  approving  in  me 
what  she  disapproved  in  others.  She  never  omitted  her 
private  devotions,  or  her  public  duties ;  and  she  and  her 
husband  were  so  perfectly  united  and  happy  that  he 
must  have  been  a  Christian.  She  had  no  doubts,  no 
fears,  for  him.  After  forty  years  of  devoted  affection 
and  uninterrupted  happiness,  she  resigned  him  with- 
out a  murmur  into  the  arms  of  his  Savior  and  his  Grod, 
with  the  assured  hope  of  his  eternal  felicity." 


Jnhj,  Jttilln  &  Ci., 

AUBURN,  N.  Y., 

WALL  pygLDSIHI  S©@[M0 


HEADLEYS'  WOMEN  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

Historical  and  Descriptive  Sketches  of  the  Women 
of  the  Bible,  as  Maidens,  AVives  and  Mothers ;  from 
Eve  of  the  Old,  to  the  Marys  of  the  New  Testament ; 
by  Rev.  P.  C.  Headley,  in  one  12mo.  volume,  il- 
lustrated— uniform  with  "  Headley 's  Sacred  Moun- 
tains," $1,25 


THE  YOUNG  MEN  OF  THE  BIBLE  : 
From  Abel  of  the  Old,  to  Timothy  of  the   New 
Testament ;  by  P.  C.   Headley — uniform  with  the 
above.  $1,25 


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of  "Women  of  the  Bible;"  12mo  volume,    $1,25 


182         DERBY,    MILLER    &    CO.'s    PUBLICATIONS. 

THE  GOVERNORS  OF  NEW  YORK, 

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by  John  S.  Jenkins,  A.  M. — 14  portraits,  one 
large  12mo.  volume,  $1,50 


GOLDEN  STEPS  FOR  THE  YOUNG, 

To  usefulness,  respectability  and  happiness,  being  a 
series  of  lectures  to  youth  of  both  sexes,  by  John 
Mather  Austin,  author  of  "  Voice  to  Youth,"  &c. 
12mo.  $0,75 


YOUATT'S  FARRIERY 

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Horse/'  Americanized  and  simplified,  with  addi- 
tions, by  a  popular  writer — numerous  plate,, — large 
12mo.,  $1,50 


mtxb&  llttlkr  &  €0. 


UM/E    nEOEMTLY  P(U)  SUSHI©, 

THE  LIFE  OF  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS, 

Sixth  President  of  the  United  States,  by  Hon.  Wm. 
H.  Seward,  U.  S.  S.,  with  a  portrait  on  steel,  12mo. 
muslin,  gilt  backs, 

*#*  20,000  copies  of  this  popular  work  have  been  sold,  by  agents  in  the 
short  space  of  8  months. 

There  is  indeed  so  much  to  admire  throughout  the  whole  Work,  that 
were  we  to  enter  into  anything  like  an  elaborate  review,  it  would  require 
more  space  than  we  can  spare.  *  *  *  *  The 

Life  and  Public  Services  of  such  a  man  as  John  Quincy  Adams  furnish 
the  very  material  for  such  a  pen  as  Gov.  Seward's,  and  we  find  eviden- 
ces of  his  own  brilliant  intellect  impressed  upon  almost  every  page  and 
sentence.  Preserving  the  connection  of  events  with  almost  mathemati- 
cal nicety,  at  the  same  time  avoiding  everything  tedious  and  prolix.  Aa 
a  writer,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  Gov.  Seward  has  any  superiors. — 

*  *        Philadelphia  News,  {Whig.) 

It  would  be  a  task  of  no  ordinary  difficulty  for  a  cotemporary,  one  who 
has  mingled  in  the  strife  and  arena  of  his  times,  to  write  an  impartial 
Life  of  so  peculiar  and  prominent  an  actor  (for  half  a  century)  as  Mr. 
Adams.         *  *  Gov.  Seward  has  attempted  it,  and  succeeded 

in  producing  an  interesting  work  characterized  by  ability  and  eloquence. 

*  *  We  consider  it  worthy  of  public  attention.— Albany 
Argus,  (Dem.) 

We  have  read  this  volume  with  great  satisfaction,  and  hasten  to  ex- 
press our  thanks  to  the  Author — not  merely  for  the  pleasures  afforded  u  s 
— but  for  the  services  rendered  humanity.  *  *  * 

— Louisville  Examiner,  (Anti- Slavery.) 


184  DERBY,    MILLER    &    CO.'S    PUBLICATIONS. 


*  *  We  are  glad  to  see  a  pretty  full  account  of  Mr.  Adams' 
Anti-Slavery  efforts  in  Congress  have  been  given,  for  great  as  his  pub- 
lic services  were  during  a  long  life,  his  greatest  fame  with  the  present  and 
future  generations,  will  rest  upon  his  efforts  to  break  down  the  Slave 
power.  The  great  men  who  eulogised  Mr.  Adams  in  Congress  and  else- 
where, generally  passed  silent  over  this  part  of  his  life,  as  if  it  was 
something  not  very  creditable  to  him,  and  to  be  talked  about  as  little 
as  possible.  Mr.  Seward  has  taken  a  better  view  of  the  subject.  We  can 
recommend  this  biography  as  being  a  clear  and  concise  history  of  Mr. 
Adams' life.        *  *        Lowell  Republican,  (Free  Soil.) 

It  is  a  work  well  written,  prepared  evidently  with  care,  conveys  an  ex- 
cellent idea  of  th-e  life  aad  services  of  that  distinguished  patriot  and 
statesman.  It  is  well  adapted  for  popular  reading,  and  comes  within  the 
means  of  every  citizen,        *  *      And  possessing,  as  it  does,  a  fund 

of  historical  and  biographical  information  of  the  most  interesting  de- 
scription, it  will  be  a  desirable  book  for  the  library  and  a  welcome  com- 
panion to  any  man  who  cherishes  a  respect  for  the  memory  of  Adams. 

*  *        Boston  Journal,  (Neutral.) 

*  *  We  have  read  it  and  are  delighted  with  the  good  taste 
and  discrimination  with  which  facts  and  cotemporary  events  are  brought 
in  to  show  forth  the  noble  and  manly  stand  of  John  Quincy  Adams. 
Next  to  our  national  pride  that  we  have  such  great  and  good  men  to 
adorn  the  pages  of  our  history,  we  should  glory  in  having  authors  like 
William  II.  Seward  to  chronicle  their  lives  and  their  deeds.        *  * 

*  *  *  Massachusetts  Eagle 


JAMES  MADISON  and  JAMES  MONROE  : 

Lives  of,  by  J.  Q.  Adams,  with  a  History  of  their 
Administrations,  12mo.,  mus.,  $1,25 


DERBY,  MILLER  &  CO's  PUBLICATIONS.  185 

THE  LIFE  OF  GEN.  ZACHARY  TAY- 
LOR, 12th  President  of  the  U.  S.,  brought  down 
to  his  inauguration.  Steel  portrait  12mo.  muslin — 
a  new  edition.  SI  25 

*u*  18,000  of  the  above  work  have  been  sold  by  us. 

"  The  Life  of  Gen.  Z.  Taylor."— H.  Montgomery,  Esq.,  Editor  of  the 
Auburn  Daily  Advertiser,  has  found  leisure,  amid  the  multitude  of  his 
engagements,  to  get  up  the  most  respectable  looking,  and  carefully  pre- 
pared biography  of  the  old  General  we  have  yet  seen.  It  makes  a  neat 
volume  ;  and  is  printed  on  excellent  paper  and  new  type,  and  bound  in 
the  very  best  style.  It  cannot  fail  to  find  a  tremendous  sale  ;— a  result 
due  alike  the  book  itself,  and  the  enterprise  of  its  busy  publishers.— Al- 
bany Evening  Journal. 

"  Life  of  ©eneral  Zachari  Taylor,  by  H.  Montgomery,"  is  the  lates  t 
and  most  complete  of  the  numerous  volumes  purporting  to  be  '  Lives'  of 
the  General.  The  author  of  this  work— likewise  editor  of  the  Auburn 
Journal — is  already  known  as  a  forcible  and  pleasing  writer,  handling 
his  subject  with  a  masterly  hand  ;  these  characteristics  are  fully  devel- 
oped in  the  book  before  us.  The  stirring  incidents  of  General  Taylor's 
life,  and  the  recent  battles  on  Mexican  soil  are  well  portrayed — the  very 
fair  and  impartial  style  of  narration  being  a  rare  quality  in  depicting 
battle  scenes.     The  book  will  repay  an  attentive  perusal. — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

The  Life  of  Major  General  Zachary  Taylor.  By  H.  Montgomery. 
Another  and  still  another  "  illustrated"  Life  of  the  great  American 
(would  that  he  had  as  many  lives  as  the  publishers  give  him,)  the  Amer- 
ican whom  Carlyle  would  recognise  as  "a  hero"  worthy  of  his  pen's 
most  eloquent  recognition  ;  the  man  of  doty  in  an  age  of  Self!  An 
American  in  every  thing;  in  valor,  in  strong  muscular  sense;  in  sim- 
plicity and  directness  and  cordiality  of  feeling  ;  an  American  in  every 
thing  save  in  devotion  to  our  new  political  God  of  Expediency. 

The  volume  before  us,  is  put  forth  in  Auburn,  by  the  editor  of  the 
Auburn  Daily  Advertiser,  whose  vigorous,  fluent  style,  and  skill  in  com- 
pressing his  materials,  must  make  his  elegant  volume  very  generally  ac- 
ceptable. Many  of  the  traits  ascribed  to  General  Taylor  have  been  as- 
similated by  some  of  his  admirers  to  the  leading  military  characteristics 
of  Frederick  the  Great.  But,  unlike  Frederick,  Taylor  is  any  thing  but 
a  martinet  in  discipline  ;  and,  though  his  movements  of  small  bodies  of 
troops  against  vast  odds,  are  characterized  by  the  vigorous  will  and  iron 
determinatioa  of  Frederick,  the  arbitrary  disposition  of  the  Prussian 


186  DERBY,  MILLER  &  CO.'s  PUBLICATIONS. 


despot  is  wholly  alien  to  his  tolerant  and  candid  nature.    Taylor's  affec- 
tionate and  almost  parental  relation  to  his  soldiers  perhaps  alone  first  sug- 
gested the  paralell  as  we  find  it  hinted  in  the  following  stanza  of  some 
verses  upon  one  of  his  battles,  quoted  by  Mr.  Montgomery  : 
"  '  Old  Zach  !'  '  Old  Zach  '.'  the  war-  cry  rattles 

Among  those  men  of  iron  tread, 
As  rung  '  Old  Fritz'  in  Europe's  battles, 
When  thus  his  host  Great  Frederick  led." 

Literary  World. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  MEXICO, 

from  the  commencement  of  hotilities  with  the  U. 
States  to  the  Ratification  of  Peace  ;  embracing  de- 
tailed accounts  of  the  brilliant  achievements  of  Gen- 
erals Taylor,  Scott,  Worth,  Wool,  Twiggs,  Kearney 
and  others,  by  John  S.  Jenkins ;  514  pp.  large 
12mo.     20  Illustrations,  muslin,  gilt  back.    $1  50 

A  history  of  the  late  war  prepared  for  popular  circulation.  The  wri- 
ter takes  a  patriotic  view  of  his  subject.  His  narrative  of  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war  would,  we  presume,  not  displease  Mr.  Polk.  He 
follows  the  campaign  throughout  with  industry  and  spirit,  drawing  from 
public  documents,  diplomatic  correspondence,  and  the  newspaper  letter 
writers  by  the  way.  More  facts,  we  believe,  are  brought  together  than 
in  any  single  publication  of  the  kind.  The  narratives  of  adventure  in 
California,  Col.  Doniphan's  march,  and  other  passages,  are  told  with  in- 
terest ;  the  writer  evidently  seeking  to  make  a  useful  book.  The  por- 
traits and  illustrations  of  scenes  are  numerous;  the  mechanical  execu- 
tion of  the  whole  work  being  highly  creditable  to  the  Auburn  publish- 
ers  Literary  World. 

This  is  a  volume  of  over  509  pages.  The  Publishers  have  brought  it 
out  in  excellent  style.  The  paper,  type,  printing  and  binding  are  admi- 
rable. The  Book  has  been  written  with  due  regard  to  accuracy  and  in  a 
popular  style.  It  is  the  most  elaborate,  and  probably  the  best  History 
of  the  War  yet  published. — Albany  Evening  Journal. 


DERBY,  MILLER  &  CO.'s  PUBLICATIONS.  187 


We  have  been  unable  to  notice  until  now  this  new  work  from  the  pen 
of  the  author  of  "The  Generals  of  the  last  War  with  Great  Britain,  etc.'' 
In  this  volume  we  have  at  last  a  complete  and  interesting  history  of  the 
late  collision  between  the  two  Republics  of  the  Continent.  To  a  minute 
and  detailed  account  of  the  position  and  policy  of  Mexico,  the  origin  and 
causes  of  War,  are  added  soul-stirring  descriptions  of  the  brilliant  and 
successful  engagements  of  our  army  with  the  enemy.  This  narrative  is 
written  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  diplomatic  correspondence  and 
the  various  publications,  of  a  public  or  private  character,  that  have  ap- 
peared from  time  to  time,  calculated  to  throw  light  on  the  subject.  To 
render  the  work  still  more  interesting  and  desirable  it  has  been  illustrated 
with  portraits  of  the  most  distinguished  officers  of  our  own  and  the 
Mexican  army,  with  views  of  the  ever  memorable  tattle-fields  of  Buena 
Vista  and  Cerro  Gordo.  The  reputation  of  the  author  will  insure  for 
this  history  a  very  general  circulation. — Albany  Atlas. 


THE  GENERALS  OF  THE  LAST  WAR 
WITH  GREAT  BRITAIN,  with  portraits  of  Gen- 
erals Brown,  Macomb,  Scott,  Jackson,  Harrison, 
and  Gaines,  12mo  ,  by  John  S.  Jenkins,  mus- 
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THE  AMERICAN   FRUIT   CULTURIST, 

By  J.  J.  Thomas,  containing  directions  for  the 
propagation  and  culture  of  Fruit  Trees,  in  the  Nur- 
sery, Orchard  and  Garden,  with  descriptions  of  the 
principal  American  and  foreign  varieties  cultivated 
in  the  United  States.  With  300  accurate  illustra- 
tions. One  volume  of  over  400  pages,  12mo. 
Price  SI  00 

We  predict  for  it  a  very  rapid  sale  ;  it  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
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for  its  price. —  Ohio  Cultivator. 


188  DERBY,  MILLER  &  CO.'s  PUBLICATIONS. 


A  cheaper,  but  equally  valuable  book  with  Downing's  was  wanted  by 
the  great  mass.  Just  such  a  work  has  Mr.  Thomas  given  us.  We  con- 
sider it  an  invaluable  addition  to  our  agricultural  libraries. — Wool 
Grower. 
It  is  a  most  valuable  work  to  all  engaged  in  the  culture  of  fruit  trees.— 
Utica  Herald. 

It  is  a  book  of  great  value. —  Genesee  Farmer. 

Among  all  the  writers  on  fruits,  we  do  not  know  of  one  who  is  Mr. 
Thomas'  superior, if  his  equal,  in  condensing  important  matter.  He  gets 
right  at  the  pith  of  the  thing — He  gives  you  that  which  you  wish  to 
know  at  once. — Prairie  Farmer. 


THE  MISSIONARY  OFFERING, 

A  Memorial  of  Christ's  messengers  in  Heathen 
Lands,  dedicated  to  Dr.  Judson,  8  engravings ; 
12 mo.  muslin,  gilt  back — now  ready.  $1  00 

We  have  seen  no  book  of  late  which  upon  a  hasty  examination  we 
could  more  cheerfully  and  confidently  recommend.  The  history  of  the 
labors  of  Missionaries  in  foreign  lands  has  always  been  one  of  unsur- 
passed interest  to  a  great  class  of  every  community,  by  whom  such  en- 
terprizes  are  conducted,  and  in  no  similar  work  have  we  seen  this  his- 
tory more  ably  and  truthfully  set  forth,  than  in  the  one  before  us. — Buf- 
falo Commercial  Advertiser. 

Here  is  a  volume  of  about  400  pages,  neatly  printed,  and  illustrated  . 
made  up  of  the  most  interesting  matter  from  the  pens  of  the  first  writers. 
Such  a  work  cannot  fail  to  interest.  What  a  glorious  band  have  cast 
aside  the  heart-clinging  ties  of  home,  country  and  friends  and  borne  the 
peaceful  emblem  of  Christianity  to  the  darkest  climes.  Bloody  rites 
have  ceased,  the  funeral  flame  is  extinguished,  the  crushing  car  has 
ceased  to  roll,  and  mental  and  moral  darkness  has  given  away  before  the 
silent  labors  of  the  missionary.  The  records  of  such  a  history  cannot 
but  interest,  revealing  as  they  do,  some  of  the  sublimest  features  in  the 
character  of  man — sacrifices  and  toils  and  triumphs,  before  which  the 
brightest  achievements  of  earth  dwindle  into  folly. —  Cayuga  Chief. 


DERBY,    MILLER    &    CO.'s  PUBLICATIONS  .189 

THE  WESLEY  OFFERING, 

A  record  of  true  Methodism,  in  one  16rno.  vol.  uni- 
form with  "  Judson  Offering,"  by  Rev.  W.  H. 
Pearne.     (In  preparation,)  SO, 75 


THE  TEMPERANCE  AMULET, 

An  Offering  for  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Tem- 
perance throughout  the  world,  by  Thurlow  Weed 
Brown,  1  vol.  12mo.     (In  preparation,)  1,00 


THE  ODD  FELLOW'S  AMULET, 

The  Principles  of  Odd  Fellowship  defined,  the  ob- 
jections to  the  Order  answered,  and  its  advantages 
maintained,  with  an  address  to  the  public,  the  la- 
dies, and  the  order,  by  Rev.  D.  W.  Bristol,  Pastor 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  Auburn.  250  pages,  12mo., 
with  4  beautiful  steel  illustrations,  cloth  gilt,  10th 
edition,  $1,00 


INDIAN  CAPTIVITIES, 

Or  Life  in  the  Wigwam,  being  true  narratives  of 
Captives  who  have  been  carried  away  by  the  Indi- 
ans from  the  frontier  settlements  of  the  U.  S.,  from 
the  earliest  period  to  the  present  time  :  by  Samuel 
G-.  Drake — 12mo.  muslin.     Now  ready,  1,25 


190    DERBY,  MILLER  &  CO.'s  PUBLICATIONS* 

THE  NEW  CLERK'S  ASSISTANT : 

Or  every  man  his  own  Lawyer ;  a  book  of  practi- 
cal forms,  containing  numerous  precedents  and  forms 
for  ordinary  business  transactions,  with  New  Con- 
stitution, by  J.  S.  Jenkins,  3d  edition  revised,  large 
octavo,  law  sheep. 

%*  Nearly  13,000  copies  of  the  above  work  have  been  sold — it  is  highly 
recommended  by  our  Appeal  and  Supreme  Judges  as  the  sefest  and  surest 
law-guide  for  every  man. 


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