"^(filmf^^milmf^ltmmi^^ njw i 'it' i jj l U li i i ri iw iiljji' i 1 1 1 tmnm Ivi:Bie.A.I«^!^ OI^ O. O. OOV^K^H^^ m Class _~ Book. H J', J \/\U^hm ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^® ^S ^^8 1 ^^ g ^^M ^s ^« ^^ ^^S ^& ^p ^^m ^^ m ^m- ^m Sv^ ^^o^^g h^^^i'^vvi^^SvV ^ ^^» LIFE OF WASHINGTON: BY LEONAED HENLEY. NEW YORK : JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY, 14 & IG YESEY STREET, ^ASHINeTONWM COPYRIGHT, 1882, BY JOHN W. LOVELL CO. 1^^^ GEORGE WASHINGTON. PREFACE. The writer of this little book makes no claim to originality of research. He has found most of his material in the stately volumes of Marshall, in the pictured pages of Bancroft, and in Irving' s charming book, which will ever remain the standard Zife of Washi7igto7i. To these great writers, and to Lecky, Green, Sparks, and a dozen other historians, whose works are within easy reach, he owes every fact, whicli he lias narrated, and nearly every thought which he has expressed. His only aim has been to write a truthful, intelli- gible and readable book, for those who want a short biography of the most exalted character in Modern 8 CHAPTEK I. THE ANCESTRY OF WASHINGTON. In 1657, two brothers, John and Andrew Washing*- ton, left their English homes, and came to Virginia to live. The family, which had for centuries held an honor- able position in the motlier country, adhered loyally to Charles the First in the great Rebellion. One of them. Lieutenant Colonel James Wasliington, lost his life for that sovereign at the siege of Pontefract Cas- tle: and another. Col. Sir Henry AYashington, a nephew of George Yilliers, Duke of Buckingham, was one of Prince Kupert's best and bravest officers. He distinguished himself at the siege of Bristol l)y his gallant bearing and impetuous courage, and still more at Worcester, which important city he held for nearly three months against a largely superior force, and continued to hold it, after his ammunition had been almost completely exhausted, until the King himself issued an order for tlie surrender of all towns. Castles and Ports. His reply to Fairfax, when that Parliamentary General demanded the surrender of the place, disf>lays the character of this true gentleman and soldier : Sir — It is acknowledf>;ed in }'onr books, and by 4 GEORaE WASHINGTON. 5 report of your own quarter, that the King is in some of your armies. That granted, it may be easy for you to procure his Majesty's commands for the dis- posal of this garrison, fill then I shall make good the trust reposed in me. As for conditions, if I shall be necessitated, I will make the best that I can. The loorst I know and fear not ; otherwise the profession of a soldier had not been begun, or so long continued, by your Excellency's hum])le Servant, Henry Washington. It is noteworthy here, that a century later, another Washington, and another Fairfax, kinsmen of the Par- liamentary General and of the Koyalist Soldier, were neighbors and friends in the New World, on the banks of the Potomac in Yirginia ; that this Wash- ington married his neighbor's daughter; and that Thomas, Lord Fairfax, was the early and constant friend of another Washington, the greatest of his race. When, at last, the honor and the valor of the Cava- lier could no longer withstand the stern devotion and religious enthusiasm of the Puritan ; when the gallan- try and dashing courage of Prince Pupert was no longer a match for the discipline and genius of Crom- well ; and when, on Marston Moor and Naseby's fatal field, the royal armies had been dispersed, and the royal cause utterly overtln-own ; and Charles, unwisely trusting his person to his own Scottish people, had been by them basely betrayed to the English ; and by these beheaded in front of his own Palace of White- hall; when all this had happened, and Cromwell and the Puritans had possessed themselves of England, 6 GEORGE WASHINGTON. many of the Cavaliers, who had followed their Sover- eign's fortunes to the last, and battled for him to his death, resolved to seek a refuge, and to found new homes, and re-establish their wasted fortunes in the distant colony of Yirginia, which, during all the long struggle betweeji the King and his Parliament, had remained stedfast in her allegiance to Church and State. After Charles had been put to death, Yirginia still refused to acknowledge the Commonwealth, until Cromwell sent over a powerful fleet to reduce her to obedience ; and when this fleet anchored off James- town, in 1651, the Colonists, headed by their Gov- ernor, Sir William Berkely, still held out until, after some negotiation, a liberal and amicable compromise was made, whereby they made their submission to the Commonwealth as "a voluntary act, not forced or constrained upon the Country, by a Conquest." It was also agreed that, " the people of Yirginia " should have all the liberties of free-born Englishmen ; should entrust their business, as formerly, to their own Grand Assembly ; should remain unquestioned for their past loyalty ; and should have " as free trade as the people of England." During the Commonwealth, the Colony took advan- tage of the times to establish free institutions in her midst. She claimed, and used, the right to choose, and to remove, her Governors ; concentrated political power in her House of Burgesses ; was the first State in the world, of anv extent, to establish universal suf- GEORGE WASHINGTON. 7 frage, a privilege which she conferred even on her freed servants ; inaugurated Free Trade ; and made a great advance towards fleligious Freedom. But all this time, the Virginian cavaliers never wa- vered in their attachment to the Stuarts. Whilst Crom- well was still the undisputed Master of England, they sent Commissioners to Charles to invite him to come and rule over his Colony, pledging themselves to support his rights with men and arms. Their constant loyalty so touched the heart of even this frivolous prince, that as a mark of his kingly favor and a token of her equality in the Realm, he quartered the arms of Vir- ginia, by Royal Patent, on the Imperial Escutcheon, and seriously contemplated going to his Ancient Dominion^ as he graciously styled her, there to be crowned King of England, Scotland, Ireland and Vir- ginia. Tills plan was frustrated by the death of the Protector, and the resignation of his son, Richard, and the return of Charles to London, where he was crowned on the 31st of May, 1660, amidst the accla- mations of the people. Meanwhile, during the Civil Wars, and the Com- monwealth, many a Cavalier and Royalist gentleman had, as already narrated, been attracted to Virginia by her devotion to the cause of their Sovereign, and lier antipattiy to the Puritans. Among them were the two l^rothers, John and Andrew Washington, who came to the Cjlony in 1657, and purchased lands in Westmoreland County, and established their homes on the wooded shores of the stately Potomac, 8 GEORGE WASHINGTON. The population of Virginia at this time " may have been thirty thousand," says Bancroft. ^' Many of the recent comers had been Royalists, good officers in the war, men of education, of property, and of condition. * * * The genial climate and transparent atmo- sphere delighted those who had come from the dense au' of England. Every object in nature was new and wonderful. * * * The forests, majestic in their growth, and free from underwood, deserved admira- tion for their unrivalled magnificence; purling streams and frequent rivers, flowing between alluvial banks, quickened the soil into unwearied fertility ; strange and delicate flowers grew familiarly in the fields ; the woods were replenished with sweet barks and odors ; the gardens matured the fruits of Europe, of which the growth was invigorated and the flavor improT^ed by the virgin mould. Especially the birds, with their gay plumage and varied melodies, inspired delight; every traveller expressed his pleasure in listening to the mocking bird * * imitating and excelling the notes of all its rivals. The humming-bird, so brilliant in plumage, so delicate in form, and so quick in mo- tion * "" was ever admired as the smallest and the most beautiful of the feathered race. The rattlesnake, '" * * the opossum, * * * the noisy frog, * * the flying squirrel, * * tlie myriads of pigeons * * were the subjects of the strangest tales. To the men of leisure the chase furnished a perpetual resource ; * * the horse was nmltiplied, * * * and to improve tliat n.;hle animal was early an object of pride, soon to be GEOKaE WASHINGTON. 9 favored bj legislation. * * ^^ Proverbial was the hospitality of the Yirginians. * * The morasses were alive with waterfowl ; the creeks abounded with oysters; * * the rivers were crowded with lish; the forests were nimble with game; the woods rustled with coveys of quails, and wild turkeys, and rang with the merry notes of singing birds ; and hogs * * ran at large in troops. It was the best poor man's country in the world. Immigrants never again desired to live in England." Of all this fair and plentiful region, none was fairer or more plentiful than the shores of the Potomac, and there John Washington lived and flourished. He was a successful planter, and quickly became a man of consideration in the Colony ; a magistrate, a member of the House of Burgesses, and a Colonel of Militia, in which capacity he commanded the Virginia forces in an expedition against the Seneca Indians, who were lavaging both sides of the Potomac, and approved iiimself therein a good soldier and an able officer. His estates descended, m due course of time, to his grandson, Augustine Washington, who was born upon them in 1694. This grandson was twice married; his second wife being then known as the Belle of the ISTorthern -N"eck (as is called that part of Virginia which lies between the Potomac and the Kappahan- nock), but now, and for all time, known as Mai'y the Mother of Washingto7i. CHAPTEE II. HIS CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. Geokge Washington was born at the old home- stead on the Potomac, on the 22d of Februaiy, 1732, just one hundred and fifty years ago. Not long after- wards the family moved to a farm in Stafford County, near to the town of Fredericksburg, and there it con- tinued to reside till Augustine Washington died. This happened in 1743, when George was barely eleven years old. Augustine Washington's estates were then divided among his seven children, the lands on the Potomac being given to Lawrence and Augustine, sons of his first wife; and his other estates being- divided among the children of the second wife, who w^as made guardian of them till they should become of age. Lawrence Washington, the eldest son, who was fourteen years older than George, had, as was usual among the wealthier Virginia families, been educated in England ; but the death of their father denied this privilege to George and his other brothers. Indeed, he received no instruction at all outside of his home, except that which he acquired at a country school taught by one of his father's tenants, the parish sex- ton. There he learned the rudiments of reading, WTiting and arithmetic, and nothhig else. 10 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 11 Fortunately for liim, however, liis brother Law- rence had, shice his father's death, become a soldier, and distinguished himself as captain of a Yirginia regiment, which fought in tlie West Indies, under Admiral Yernon and General Wentworth ; and had won the confidence and friendship of those fine offi- cers, and becoming a great personage in the colony, liad married Anne Fairfax, daughter of William Fairfax, an English gentleman of birth and distinc- tion, living in Westmoreland, on the Potomac, at his splendid seat, Belvoir, which was famed far and wide for its elegant and lavish hospitality ; and had built on his ancestral estates, an imposing mansion, which, in honor of liisold commander, lie named Mount Yernon. Thither George was sent, that he might at- tend a neighboring school — Williams' — which was somewhat better than that of the old sexton. Hobby, but where nothing but-the commonest English studies were taught. But George studied diligently, and learned all that he could, and learned it thoroughly. He acquired much skill in drafting papers of all kinds, and in keeping accounts, and learned the science and art of surveying, which was to l)e his business ; and in tlie practice of which he acquired that knowledge of pub- lic lands, and their value, which afterwards contribu- ted greatly to the increase of his private fortune. He took great interest, too, and excelled, in all athletic exercises and feats of strength, and in all manly sports, and was a consummate horseman. While still 12 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. a child his imagination had been lired by his brother's exploits, and his martial tastes developed ; and at Hob- by's school he organized his schoolmates into military companies, and paraded, and reviewed, and fought them, and was their acknowledged commander. This right to lead and to govern was recognized as well at Williams' school, where he also became umpire and lawgiver, thus displaying in boyhood the qualities which distinguished him in manhood. At Mount Yernon George was the constant com- panion of men and women of breeding and accom- plishments, and of exalted virtue. His brother Law^- rence was not only a thoroughly educated man, but had brought back with him from England all the refinements and culture of an English gentleman. His service in the war had won him the respect and friendship, not only of Yernon and of Wentworth, but of all his brother officers. He had become a lead- ing personage in the colony — a member of the House of Burgesses, and adjutant-general of his district. His wife was a woman of the highest type of well" born Englishwomen. Her fatlier, William Fairfax, himself of noble birth, was a man of liberal education, accomplished maimers, and adventurous spirit. Havmg entered the British army at twenty one, and having won reputa- tion in every quarter of the globe, he liad come to Yirginia, to manage the princely estates of his cousin, Thomas, Lord Fairfax, and was Lawrence Washing- ton's nearest neighbor. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 13 Among these gentle-folk, and the other wealthy families whose mansions overlooked the lordly Poto- mac, and whose hospitality reached to the uttermost ends of the Virginia settlements, George acquired that stately grace and decorous courtesy of manner, which eminently became the dignity, the gravity, and the purity of his character, and which distinguished him above all the men of Ins time. There, too, his military aspirations were fostered and strengthened, till at last he sought and obtained a commission in the British navy, and was about to sail ; when his mother's entreaties l)ocame so urgent, that he a])andoned his cherished desire, and returned to his school. Perhaps the mother's prayers were obeyed the less reluctantly, because our hero's lieart had already been captured by one of the aristocratic beauties whom he had met at Mount Yernon or Belvoir. What her name was, and what her station, we know only from tradition : for he guarded his secret with the utmost care, and it would have died witli him, but for some love-sick rhymes, which he trusted to that inseparable companion and friend of his youth — his copy-book. In these amorous verses he describes her as his " Low- land Beauty ;" and the old gossips say that she was a Miss Grimes, who married a Mr. Lee, and became the mother of that Light Horse Harry Lee, who figured conspicuously in the Revolution, and was afterward Governor of Virginia, and the author of that pln-ase whicii so justly describes Washington as " Fu*st in 14: GEORGE WASHINGTON. War, First in Peace, and First in the hearts of his countrymen," and who, more than all, and above all, was the father of the great Confederate soldier, Eob- ert Edmund Lee. About this time, Thomas, Lord Fairfax, came to Virginia, to look after his great estates, and was stay- ing at Belvoir, with his cousin William, the father of Mrs. Lawrence Washington. He was now nearly sixty years old, upwards of six feet high, gaunt and raw-boned, near-sighted, with light gray eyes, sharp features, and an aquiline nose. Ungainly though he might be now, he had in his younger days been a great gallant in London society. His rank, his great wealth, and his high connections, gave him entree into the most fashionable circles of England, and he added to their prestige by his personal w^orth and accomplishments. He had graduated at Oxford, had served in the army, and, more than all, had contribu- ted one or two papers to Mr. Addison's Spectator, w^hich was then in great vogue. He had naturally fallen in love with a young lady of beauty and high rank. Slie had accepted him ; the wedding-day had been fixed ; the wedding-dresses had been made ; everything had been provided, even the servants and equipages for the new establishment, when suddenly the lady, dazzled by the superior brightness of a ducal coronet, broke her en- gagement, and overwhelmed her lover with shame and despair. He abandoned society altogether, and on the instant ; and shortly afterwards sought, in Virginia, distraction from his sorrow and his mortification. OEORGE WASHINGTOK. 15 Lord Fairfax's estates, derived by him through his mother, a daughter of Lord Culpepper, to whom thev had been granted by Charles 11. , embraced all the lands lying between the Potomac and the Kappahan- nock, and a great part of the valley of the Shenan- doah — a right royal domain ! Lord Fairfax was a staunch fox-hunter, and kept horses and hounds in the true English style, and the neighborhood was full of sport. Every Yir- ginian in those days was a horseman, and fond of tlie field; but the sharp-witted old lord, near-sighted as he was, quickly saw that among them all was none so bold and skillful a horseman, nor so eager to follow the hounds, as young Washington, and straightway took him into peculiar favor, and made him his con- stant companion. He saw, too, that the youth was a man of sense, and honesty, and honor, and one to be trusted; and one day he asked him whether he would undertake the laborious, and difficult, and dangerous task of surveying his lands Ijeyond the mountains, and ousting the lawless squatters, who were planting themselvci along the fairest streams, and in the loveli- est and most fertile valleys, and taking virtual posses- sion of the country. Washington, wlio was tb.en just beginning his sev- enteenth year, eagerly accepted the employment. It was just what he wanted, the very business for which he liad l)een diligently and carefully preparing liini- self; and in a very few days (March, 1748), he was on his way to the valley of the Shenandoah. He 16 GEORGE WASHINGTON. remained there, in the almost unbroken forest, for nearly a year ; when, having completed his surveys, he returned home, reaching Mount Yernon in April, 1Y49. Lord Fairfax was so greatly pleased hj the accounts which Washington gave him of his Western posses- sions, that he moved across the Blue Ridge, and took up his residence near the present town of Winches- ter. There lie laid out a manor, containing ten thou- sand acres of rich lands and noble forests, and pro- jected a spacious manor house, to which he gave the name of Greenway Court. By his influence Washington was made a public surveyor, and within the next three years, during which he was a frequent guest at Greenway Court, he made many surveys which are still of record, and which have always been found so correct, that to this day they are received with implicit credit. CHAPTEK III. MAJOR WASHINGTON. THE STRUGGLE FOR THE GREAT VALLEY BEGINS. While Washington was still surveying tlie then fresli-clad valley of the Shenandoah, great schemes in which he was destined to act a conspicuous part, were being quietly worked out at home and abroad. At that time both England and France laid claim to the vast region lying ])etween the Alleglianies and the Rocky Mountains : England on tlie ground that Cabot's discovery of the Atlantic coast, irom Labra- dor to Cape Hatteras,^ gave her all tlie country west of the coast which he had explored, even to the Pacific ; the French, on the much more tenable ground, the they were entitled to it l)y reason of the discoveries and explorations of Father Marquette, Joliet, and La Salle, who had, between 1673 and 1682, explored the Mississippi from the Falls of St. Anthony to the Gulf of Mexico, and taken formal possession for France of all the lands drained 'by that great river and its tributaries; that is to say, of the en- tire valley of the Mississippi, from the summit of the Alleghanies to the top of tlie Pocky Mountains. To this valley La Salle had, in honor of Louis XIY., given tlie name of Louisiana. After several attempts 18 GEORGE WASHINGTON?. to colonize this region, the French finally had estab- lished a colony at New Orleans, in 1722; and from this point had gradually extended their settlements up the Mississippi, and along the Ohio and Wabash, towards the great lakes, around which they had already planted themselves. They now conceived the vast and interesting plan of connecting their settle- ments in Louisianna with tliose in Canada, by a chain of forts, extending from the vicinity of Niag- ara to the headwaters of the Ohio, and thence along that river to the Mississippi. To these immense pos- sessions, embracing both Canada and Louisiana, they gave the name of New France. The population of Canada was tlien estimated at 45,000, and that of Louisiana at 7,000. The English had not yet attempted to make any settlement west of the Alleghanies ; but their traders (chiefly from Pennsylvania) roamed through the val- ley of the Ohio, and were now beginning to come into contact with the French traders from Canada. The white population of the English colonies, be- tween the Alleghanies and the Atlantic, w^as esti- mated (1750) at 1,05(),000; and the slaves at 220,000. The disparity in mimbers between the French and the English did not intimidate the Governor of New France from executing the plan to unite the French settlements in Canada with those on the Mississippi. On the contrary, he was satisfied that the French possessed advantages which would counterbalance the English superiority in numbers. These advantages GEORaE WASHINGTON. 19 lay in the two circumstances, that the power of France in America was all united under one Gov- ernor ; and the genius of the people and of the gov- ernment being military, that the inhabitants could readily be called into the field if their services should be required. Great reliance, too, was placed on the Indians, who, with the exception of the Six Nations, were generally attached to France, and well trained to war. To all these advantages was added a perfect knowledge of the country which was to be the scene of action. Their Governors, too, most of whom had been military men, had, for several preceding years, judi- ciously selected and fortified such places as would give their nation most influence with the Indians, and best facilitate their own incursions into the English prov- inces. The command of Lake Champlain had, among other things, been acquired by erecting a strong fort at Crown Point ; and a connected chain of posts was maintained from Quebec up the St. Lawrence and along the great lakes. The British colonies, on the other hand, were divi- ded into distinct governments, unaccustomed, except those of New England, to act in concert; were jeal- ous of the powers of the Crown ; were spread over a large extent of country ; and were almost entirely unused to arms. About the same time that the French determined to extend their posts down the Ohio (1749), several opulent and influential persons, both in England and Virginia (and among the latter, Lawrence Washing- 20 G-EORGE WASHINaTON. ton and his brother Augustine), assocdated themselves together under the name of " The Ohio Company," and, as such, obtained from the Crown a grant of 500,000 acres of land, lying west of the Alleghanies, and, consequently, within the disputed territory. The grant was made on condition that the Company would locate 200,000 acres at once, and settle 100 families upon their land mthin seven years, and build and gar- rison a Fort, at the Company's expense, for the pro- tection of the settlers, and of the frontier, against the Indians and French. The management of the affairs of this Company was soon devolved, by the death of the President, upon Lawrence Washington, whose liberal spirit and en- lightened mind shone out in all its earlier operations. Among other things, Christopher Gist — a brave and hardy Yirginian, experienced in woodcraft and in the ways of the Indians — was sent out with a small party to explore the lands upon the Ohio, as far as the Falls of that river (where the City of Louisville now stands), and to select the Company's lands. He tra- versed a great part of the present States of Ohio and Kentucky; established friendly relations with the Indians, and surveyed with a keen eye the undulating and wide-spreading plain, watered with streams and rivulets, and clad Avith noble forests of hickory, walnut, ash, poplar, sugar-maple and wild cherry. There w^ere spacious fields covered with wild rye, and natural meadows, waving with blue grass and clover ; and grazing upo.n them wej-e herds of bufialo. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 21 while on woodland and prairie, deer, elk, and wild tur- kevs aI)ounded. Nothing was wanting hut the wand of civilization to convert this smiling wilderness into the abode of millions of men. The French had already begun to be alarmed by the increasing number of English — mostly Pennsyl- vanians- who were wandering through this region to trade with the Indians ; and the Governor of Canada (within whose jurisdiction Louisiana lay) had, early in 1749, sent De Bienville, an intelligent officer, with 300 men, to conciliate and confirm the friendship of the Indians, and to renew the French possession of the Yalley of the Ohio. De Bienville notified the English traders to leave the country, and, through one party of them, wrote to the Governor of Pennsylvania, that the French would not permit the English to intrude into this region, but would deal rigorously with any traders of that na- tion who should thereafter dare to enter the Yalley. Shortly before Gist's appearance upon the scene, De Bienville had, in execution of this threat, captured three men and sent them to Canada, Gist met, in these wilds, George Croghan, a shrewd, sagacious and experienced trader, who thoroughly understood the Indian character, and who, on that account, had been sent thither by the Governor of Pennsylvania to counteract the machinations of De Bienville. The two veteran pioneers prosecuted their labors together for some tiuie — the one in the interest of Pennsylvania, and the other in that of Virginia, 22 GEOKGE WASHINGTON. Gist, having completed liis explorations, returned home about the 1st of June, 1750, and reported the result of his labors and observations. This report accelerated the activity of the Ohio Company, which immediately sent him, with a party of surveyors, to locate some lands for the Company in the country lying between the Kanawdia and the Ohio. It also made preparations to erect a Fort on the Ohio, just below the present city of Pittsburg, for the protection of its employees, and of settlers upon its lands. The French lost no time in preparing to resist these encroachments, and to take military possession of the disputed territory. To effect this, they launched a war vessel of unusual size on Lake Ontario ; fortified their trading post at Niagara, and extended their lines from Presqu 'Isle (Erie), at the eastern extremity of Lake Erie, to the Alleghany, and thence down that river towards the Ohio. The English Colonies now saw that if they were not willing to be hemmed in between the Alleghanies and the Atlantic, they must prepare for war. Yirginia was the first to move. The province was divided into Military Districts, for each of which an Adjutant- General, with the rank of Major, was appointed, to organize, and attend to the equipment of, the Militia. At the request of Lawrence Washington, George was made Adjutant of his District, though he was then but nineteen years of age— no slight proof of the maturity of his mind, and of the confidence inspired by his judicious conduct and aptness for business. "With his (JEOitGE WASHINGTON. 23 accustomed devotion to duty and conscientious atten- tion to details, he at once began to prepare himself for his important duties, not only hj studying Military Science, but by perfecting himself in the School of the Soldier. In these practical details he Avas in- structed, not only by his brother Lawrence, but by two followers of that soldierly gentleman — a certain Adjutant Muse, and one Jacolj Van Braam, a Dutch- man l)y birth, a Diigald Dalgelty by nature and edu- cation, and now George Washington's Master of Fence. His studies were, however, soon interrupted by the illness of Lawrence Washington, who, being advised by his physician to seek restoration of his health in the sonny It^laiid of Barbadoes, went thither (September, 1751), taking George with him. There Lawrence grew better at first, and George had an opportunity to enjoy the hospitalities of the planters, and to see the sights of that tropical Island. There he went, for the first time, to a theatre, and witnessed, with a pleasure which he never forgot and which in after life he always renewed whenever he could, the acting of a play. But he w^as suddenly stopped in this course of amusement by a severe attack of small-pox, which left upon his features its indellible traces. When suf- ficiently recovered, lie returned to Mount Yernon, to attend to some Inisiness, while Lawrence went to Ber- muda, where his health so rapidly grew w^orse that lie was forced to hasten home. He had hardly gotten to Mount Yernon when he died (July 26, 1752), in the 35 th year of his age. 24 GEORGE WASHINGTON. Lawrence left a widow^, and an infant daughter, to inherit his ample estates — with the provision that, if the daughter should die childless, George should, after the death of her mother, too, inherit Mount Vernon and other lands. He was one of the executors of the will ; and, though only twenty years old, such was the confidence of his co-executors, that the management of the estate was devolved entirely upon him. It is needless to say that it was managed with consummate ability and scrupulous fidelity. CHAPTEK IV. THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. Meanwhile, both the Ohio Company and tlie French had l)een strengthening their positions near th.e Ohio? by forming alliances with the Indians, and 1)}^ taking possession of the coveted country — the French, through means of Military posts, and the English by actual settlement. Tlie Ohio Company had established a trading post at Wills' Ci'eek, (Cumberland,) just at the eastern base of the Alleghanies; and Gist had pre- vailed on eleven families to form, with him, a settle- ment farther west, near the Youghiogeny. The French had redoubled their activity, and had now pushed their Military posts forward, almost to the Fort which the Ohio Company was erecting on the Ohio. In this extremity, the Company appealed to the Governor of Virginia, Ilol)ert Dinwiddle, a grasp- ing Scotchman, for support. He was himself a sto(;k- holder, and listened favorably to its appeal. A com- missioner. Captain William Trent, was sent to expos- tulate with the French Commander on the Ohio, and to insist that he should withdraw his forces from the Valley of that river. Trent also took guns, powder, shot and clothing, as presents for the Indians. He was still 150 miles away from his destination, when he 26 GEOKGE WASHINGTON. heard that there had been a fight between the French and then- Indian Allies, on the one side, and some tribes which were friendly to the English, on the other : that the latter had been defeated, and that the French were triumphant everywhere. Trent lost heart and returned to Williamsburg, without having accomplished anything. Governor Dinwiddle now looked around for a person more fitted to fulfil a mission which required physical strength and moral energy, a courage to cope with savages, and a sagacity to negotiate with white men. Washington was suggested to him. True, he was only twenty-one years old ; l)ut he was already Adjutant General of his District, and familiar with the matters in controversy. His experience as a woodsman fitted him for an expedition into the wilder- ness ; and his great discretion and self command, for a negotiation with the wily French Commanders and fickle savages. He was accordingly chosen. He ac- cepted the position with the utmost alacrity, in spite of the dangers and fatigues of a journey through a country almost entirely unexplored by white men, and inhabited by Indians who were either hostile to the English, or of doubtful attachment. He commenced his journey from Williamsburg the day on which he was commissioned (October 31st, 1753), and arrived on the 14th November at Will's Creek. There he engaged guides to conduct him over the Alleghanies, the passage of which, at that season of the year, was very difticult. After sur- GEORGE WASHINGTON, 27 mounting considerable impediments, occiasioned by snow and liigh waters, he at last reached the Monon- gahela. There he learned that the French general, commanding on the Ohio, was dead, and that the greater part of his forces had gone into winter quarters. Fur- suing his route, he examined the country, through which he passed, with a military eye, and, with con- summate judgment, selected the spot at the confluence of the Monongahela and the Alleghany (where the French some time afterward erected Fort Duqesne, and where Pittsburgh now stands), as an advanta- geous and commanding position, which it was advisa- ble to inamediately seize and fortify. After employing a few days among the Indians there, trying to fasten tliem to the English, and to learn the actual state of affairs on tlie frontier, and after procm-ing some of the chiefs to accompany him (whose fidelity he took the most judicious means to secure), he ascended the Alleghany River until, at the mouth of French Creek, he found the first fort occupied by French troops. Here he was delayed several days ])y the machinations of their commander, a rollicking, Indianized Frenchman, Captain Joncaire, the veteran intriguer of the frontier ; who, when pretty well drunk, swore that " it was their absolute de- sign to take possession of the country, and they woukl do it." Proceeding further up the creek to another fort, Washington was received by the Chevalier Le- gardeur do St. Pierre, the commanding officer of the French forces on the Ohio, and delivered to him the 28 GEORaK WASHINGTON. letter of Governor Dinwiddle. On the evening of December 14th, 1753, the Chevalier de St. Pierre delivered to him a sealed reply to Governor Dinwid- dle's letter, and on the 16th Washington started homewards. He reached Williamsburgh on the 16th February 1754, after undergoing infinite fatigue on the route, and incurring considera])le danger from the liostile Indians by whom it was infested. The exertions made by Major Washington on this occasion, the perseverance with which he surmounted the difiiculties of the journey, and the judgment dis- played in his conduct towards tlie Indians, raised him in the public opinion, as well as in that of the Gov- ernor, Dinwiddle. His journal, drawn up for the information of that official, was soon published, and was generally considered as strongly evidencing the solidity of his understanding and the fortitude of his mind. From that hour he was the rising hope of Yirglnla. CHAPTER Y. LT. COL. WASHINGTON BEGINS THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. As the answer of the commandant of tlie French forces on the Ohio indicated, no disposition to with- draw from that country, Lieutenant-Governor Dinwid- die thought it necessary to make preparations to maintain the right asserted over it by the British Crown. Captain Trent was accordingly dispatched with all speed to the frontier, with instructions to raise a company of 100 men, and to march forthwith to the Ohio, and finish, as soon as possible the fort, which the Ohio company had already commenced there. Washington was empowered to raise a like force at Alexandria; to procure and forward munitions and supplies for the fort, and then to proceed thither with his company and assume command. The House of Burgesses having meanwhile met, authorized the Governor, with tlie advice of the Coun- cil, to raise a regiment of 300 men, and appropriated £10,000 for the expedition. The command of this regiment was offered to Ma- jor Washington ; but he modestly declined to accept it, on the ground that it was a " charge too great for 29 30 aEOEGE WASHINGTON. his inexperience and youth to be entrusted with." It was, therefore, given to Colonel Joshua Fry, an English gentleman, and Washington was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel. On the 2d of April 1754, he set off from Alexan- dria for the scene of operations, taking with him two companies, aggregating 150 men. Before reaching Will's Creek he learned that Captain Trent's com- pany had been captured while working upon the fort. This proved to be true. He met them at Will's Creek. From them Washington learned that the French had suddenly appeared before the unhnished fort with a thousand men, furnished with artillery ; that Captain Trent and his Lieutenant were both absent, and that resistance being out of the question, the men had surrendered upon condition that they might retire to the English settlement, taking their tools with them. Washington was now in the utmost perplexity. He found himself with a handful of raw recruits, far from support, in the midst of a wilderness, and in presence of an enemy, not only greatly superior in numbers and discipline, but well provided with artil- lery and munitions of war, and within reach of con- stant supplies and reinforcements. He was well ad- vised, too, that another army was already ascending the Ohio, and that 600 Indians were about to join the force in front of him. StiU, notwithstanding tlie accumulating dangers, it would not do to fall back, nor t.) show signs of apprehension; for in that case GEOKGE WASHINGTON. 31 his Indian allies would desert him, and his own troops lose confidence. He called a council of w^*r, which decided upon an advance to the Ohio company's store-house, at the mouth of Redstone Creek, where they would fortify themselves and await reenforce- ments. Sixty men were accordingly sent forward to open a road, and Washington wrote to the Governors of Pennsylvania, Yii-ginia, and Maryland, to apprise tliem of his situation, and asking for reenforcements and supplies. Washington himself set out for the front on the 29th of April, and found the working detail progress- ing slowly over Savage Mountain, and through the forest beyond it, which has since acquired the sinister name of " The Shades of Death." On the 9th of May they had advanced but twenty miles. Every day, traders, retreating from before the French, came into the Camp, and from them Washington learned that the French had occupied in force the very spot wliieli he had himself selected for a Fort, and w^ere themselves constructing one there, to which they had given the name of Du Quesne, in honor of the Governor of Canada ; that they were successfully winning over the Indians to their side, and preparing to advance against the English Colonists. He had, meanwhile, reached the Youghiogeny, a tributary of the Monongahela. Here he received a message from an Indian Chief, (whose friendship he had won when on his lirst expedition to the Ohio,) to 32 OEOKGE WASHINGTON. the effect that he was on his way to meet him, at the head of fifty warriors. A few days later (23d of June), his scouts reported tliat the French, 800 strong, were advancing, and had detached a part of their number on a secret expedition. He hastened to take position at a place called the Great Meadows, and began to entrench. On the night of the 25th, hearing that his Indian Allies were about six miles away, Washington set out, with forty men, to join them, determined to fall upon the enemy's detachment, which was known to be in the neighl)orhood. He reached the Indian encamp- ment at daybreak ; and, accompanied by the Chief and a few of his warriors, set out, with his own forty men, in search of the enemy. His Indians soon found their tracks, and, following them up like hounds, traced them to their camp in the woods. Advancing, with the \vliite men on his right, and the Indians on his left. Yrasliiiigton was upon the French before they knew it. But, quickly springing to arms, these re- sisted bravely for a quarter of an hour, when, having lost several of their number, they gave way. They were soon overtaken, however, and all of them cap- tured but one, who carried the news to Fort Du Quesne. Ten of the French had fallen in the fight, and one had been wounded. Among the killed was the ofiicer in command of the detachment, a young soldier of much merit and popularity, named de Jumonville. The prisoners, of whom there wei-o twenty-one, would have l)een massacred by the Indians GEORGE WASHINGTON. 33 had not Washington prevented it. His loss was one killed and three wounded. The prisoners were imnae- diatelj sent, under a strong guard, to Winchester, where Governor Dinwiddle was at that time. Washington, knowing that the main French Army, estimated at nearly 1,000 men, exclusive of their In- dian Allies, would soon be upon him, began forthwith to strengthen his defences at the Great Meadows, and at the same time sent an urgent request for reinforce- ments, to Colonel Fry, who was encamped at Wills' Creek. To Governor Dinwiddle he wrote ; " I shall expect every hour to be attacked, and by unequal numbers, which I must withstand, if there are five to one ; for I fear the consequence wdll be that we shall lose the Indians, if we suffer ourselves to be driven back. Your Honor may depend I mil not be surprised, let them come at Avhat hoar they will, and this is as much as I can promise ; but my 1)est endeav- ors shall not be wanting to effect more. I doubt not you will hear I am beaten, but you Avill hear at the same time that w^e have done our duty in fighting as long as there is a shadow of hope." About this time. Colonel Fry died, and the com- mand of the Regiment devolved on Washington. The Expedition w-as at the same time placed under com- mand of Colonel Lines, of North Carolina, a veteran soldiei', who had reached Winchester wdth 350 troops from that State. But neither he nor his men took any part in the campaign. The rest of Washington's Eegiment was now 34 GEORGE WASHINGTON. brought forward from Cumberland, increasing his force to 300 men. With it, came the Surgeon of the Hegiment, Dr. Craik, a Scotchman by birth, and des- tined to become Washington's faithful and confiden- tial friend throughout the remainder of his life. Shortly afterwards, an Independent Company of Sonth Carolinians, 100 strong, came into Camp, under command of Captain Mackay. As he bore the King's Commission, while Washington's was bestowed by Yirginia, Captain Mackay refused to obey the com- mands of Colonel Washington. On the 11th of June, Washington resumed his march across the mountains, leaving Captain Mackay and his Company, as a guard, at Fort Necessity. He had proceeded only thirteen miles, when he learned, from some friendly Indians, that the French, as nu- merous as the pigeons in the woods, were advancing upon him. Sending back for Captain Mackay's Com- pany, he prepared to give battle. But, reflecting that his men were ill-armed, that they had been witliout Ijread for six days, and had Init a very small supply of meat, and that his position was untenable, he called a council of war ; and, in pursuance of its advice, fell l)ack to Fort Necessity, and began a ditch around the stockade. At this critical juncture, lie was deserted by his Indian Allies. Early on the morning of the 3d of July, while he and his men were working on the Fort, the French, estimated at 1,500 men, appeared, and commenced a furious attack, which was i-eceived with much intre- GEORGE WASHINGTON. 36 pidity. The a(*.tion continued till dark, when the French officer, De Yilliers, proposed terms of capitu- lation; and, in the course of the night, articles were signed, by which the Fort was surrendered, on con- dition that its garrison should be allowed the honors of war ; and permitted to retain their arms and baggage, and to march, without molestation, to the inhabited parts of Virginia. In this affair, the Virginians, out of 305 officers and men, lost twelve killed and forty-three wounded. The loss of the South Carolina Company is unknown. The loss of the French and Indians is supposed to have been much greater. Having taken his men to Wills' Creek, Washington proceeded to Williamsl)urg, wdth Captain Mackay, to make his Heport to the Governor. Great credit was given to Colonel Washington by his countrymen for the courage and good sense which he displayed throughout the expedition ; and the House of Burgess- es voted their thanks to him and the officers under his command, and gave 300 pistoles to be distrilnited, as a reward, for their bravery and good conduct, to the men who participated in the defense of Fort Necessity. Early in August, AVashington rejoined his Eegi-. ment,at Alexandria, whither it had been ordered. But shortly afterwards. Governor Dinwiddle, in order to, put an end to the dispute which had arisen as to the rank of officers 1)earing the King's Commission, when serving with Provincial officers, and the right which 36 GEORGE WASHINGTON. the King's officers claimed to command Provincial officers of every grade, broke up Washington's Kegi- ment into Independent Companies. In the course of the winter, orders were also received from England, which directed, not only that all officers commissioned hj the King, or bv his General in North America, should take rank over all officers commissioned by Grovernors of the respective Provinces, but that Gen- eral and Field officers, of the Provincial troops, should have no rank when serving with General and Field officers commissioned by the Crown. Colonel Washington possessed too entirely the proud and punctilious feelings of a soldier, to submit to a degradation so humiliating as this ; and, therefore, while professing his unabated inclination to continue in the service, if permitted to do so without a sacrifice too great to be made, he refused, indignantly, to hold a commission on such dishonoring terms, and retired from the Army. His first care was to visit his mother, and to provide for her welfare and that of his l)rothers and sisters. This being done, he took up his residence at Mount Yernon, and devoted his attention to the duties of D]-ivate b'fe. CHAPTEE YI. Little as he himself knew it, Washington had kindled, in the Virginia Wilderness, a flame which set all Europe ablaze; for the death-blow given to De Jnmonville was the first blow struck in that great war, known in American History as the French and Indian War^ and in European History as The Seven Years' War — a war in which England and Prussia fought on the one side, and France, Spain, Austria, Russia, Sweden and Poland on the other a war in which Frederick the Great laid the foundations of the Ger- man Empire of to-day ; a war which lost to France every foot of her boundless American possessions ; a war in which Olive l^egan the construction of that mighty Indian Empire, whereof the Queen of Eng- land is now the Empress ; a war which prepared the way for the independence of the United States of America. The English Government, aroused, by the events on the Ohio, to the necessity of defending its possessions in that quarter, and considering those events as the commencement of war, instructed the Governors of the respective Colonies to repel force by force, and to 37 38 GEORGE WASHINGTON. take effectual measures to dislodge the French from their posts on the Oliio. It also recommended to them Union, for their mutual protection and defence, and urged them to secure the friendship of the Six Nations. But the impossibility of uniting the Colonies in any plan of action becoming apparent, the English Gov- ernment determined to carry on the war with British troops, aided by such reinforcements as the several Colonies would voluntarily afford ; and in 1755 Gen- eral Edward Braddock, a veteran officer, was sent to America, with a respectable body of troops destined for this service. One of the first measures which he adopted was a convention of the several Governors, for the purpose of settling the plan of Military operations. This Council was held in Alexandria, Ya., in April 1755, and three Expeditions were there agreed upon. The first was against Fort Du Quesne, and was to be undertaken by General Braddock in person, with the British troops, and such reinforcements as Vir- ginia and Maryland could furnish. The second was against Niagara and Fort Fron- tenac. It was to consist of American Regulars, to be commanded by Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts. The third was against Crown Point, and was to be executed by Colonial troops from New England and New York, and to be commanded by Major General William Johnson. Braddock had, meanwhile, landed his troops at Alex- OEORGE WASHINGTON. 39- andria. They consisted of two British Kegiments of 500 men each ; one commanded by Sir Peter Halket, and the other by Colonel Dunbar. These Regiments were to be augmented to 700 men each by picked men, who were to be enlisted in Virginia. Besides these, there was a train of artillery, and a detachment of thirty seamen under command of a Midshipman and a Lieutenant ; and also two Companies of Pioneers, six of Rangers, and one troop of Light Horse. It having been reported to General Braddock, soon after his arrival, that Colonel Washington would be pleased to take part in the Campaign, he, having been informed of the Colonel's merit, of his knowledge of the Coimtry which was to be the theatre of action, and of his motives for retiring from the service, in- vited him to enter his Military family as a Volunteer Aide-de-Camp. This invitation Washington instantly accepted, despite his mother's entreaties, and repaired at once to the General's Headquarters. There he was courteously received by Braddock, wlio expressed, in flattering terms, the impression he had received of his merits, and was cordially w^elcomed by the General's Aides, Captains Orme and Morris. He was also pre- sented to the Colonial Governors — Shirley, of Massa- chusetts ; Delancey, of New York ; Morris, of Penn- sylvania ; and Sharpe, of Maryland — who, with Din- widdle, of Virginia, had been summoned to Alexandria by Braddock, as has been already narrated. This w^as done in a manner which showed that his merits were justly appreciated. 40 G-EORGE WASHINGTON. Braddock now set out for Wills' Creek (Cumber- land), and on the 19tli of May his Army was concen- trated there. So great, however, were the difficulties of obtaining wagons and other necessary supplies for the Expedition, that the troops could not be put in motion till the middle of June. While at Cumberland, Washington again met his friend, Dr. Craik, and became acquainted with Cap- tain Horatio Gates, of whom we shall hear much here- after, and also with Dr. Hugh Mercer, a Scotchman about thirty-three years of age, who had been a Sur- geon in the forces of the Pretender, at Culloden, and who, having escaped to Virginia, was now serving under the standard of the House of Hanover, against which he had so lately fought. Here, too, Washington, for the iirst time, saw an army encamped in strict conformity to Kegulations, and military discipline enforced with all the precision of a martinet. In these exercises the Virginians cut but a sorry figure, according to the journal of Captain Orme, who comments upon their " languid, spiritless and unsoldier-like appearance, which, with the lowness and ignorance of most of their officers, gave little hopes of their future good behavior." How little did he understand them ! During the halt at Cumberland, Washington was sent down to Williamsburg, to bring on £4,000 for the Military Chest. He returned, after an absence of eight days, escorted by eight men, " which eight men," he writes, " were two days assembling ; but, T believe, GEORGE WASHINGTON. 4:1 would not have been more than as many seconds dis- persing^ if I had been attacked." At length, through the characteristic promptness and unwearied exertions of Benjamin Franklin, Post- master-General of America, transportation was pro- vided ; and Braddock set off from Cumberland, with his Staff, and troop of Light Horse, to overtake his advance, which had marched six days before under Sir Peter Halket. On the third day of the march, Washington was seized with a raging fever, which absolutely disabled him from riding on horseback. Persisting, however, in his refusal to remain behind the troops, he was conveyed with them in a covered wagon. General Braddock, who found the difficulties of the march, arising from the badness of the roads and his long train of wagons, infinitely greater than had been ex- pected, began privately to consult him respecting the measures which it would be most proper to pursue. Thus called upon, Washington gave his counsel with becoming modesty, but with his accustomed clearness. He urged Braddock to leave his heavy artillery and baggage with the rear guard; and, w^ith a chosen body of troops and some light artillery and stores of absolute and immediate necessity, himself to press forward to Fort Du Quesne, before it could be rein- forced. His advice was adopted. Twelve hundred picked men, with ten field pieces, constituted the advance, under the command of Braddock in person. They 42 GEORGE WASHINGTON. were to take with them only such wagons as the train would absolutely require, and to carry their provisions and necessary baggage on pack-horses. They set out immediately (19th of June) ; but, '' instead of pushing on with vigor, without regarding a little rough road, they were halting," says Wasliington, " to level every mole-hill, and to erect bridges over every brook." They w^ere thus four days in reaching the Youghio- geny — only nineteen miles. At that place, Washing- ton became so ill that he was peremptorily ordered to remain behind; Braddock giving him his word of honor that he sliould, at all events, be enabled to rejoin the advance, before it reached Fort Du Quesne. Though too ill to ride on horseback, he rejoined Braddock on the 8th of July, wlien the army was within twelve miles of Fort Du Quesne. He was warmly received by all ; and, though still very w^eak, immediately entered on the duties of his station. The attack on the Fort was to be made the next day. The Country had been reconnoitred, and the plan of attack determined upon. The advance was to consist of E-egulars under Lieutenant Colonel Gage. Washing- ton suggested that the Virginia Bangers, who were accustomed to the Country and to the Indian mode of warfare, should be sent forward instead. This sugges- tion was angrily rebuked by Braddock, who was indig- nant that a young provincial officer should presume to instruct a veteran like himself. Early on the morning of the 9th of July, the army began to march, in the greatest order, with bayonets GEORGE WASHINaTOK. 43 fixed, colors flying, drums beating and fifes playing. Washington, with his keen and youthful relish for military affairs, was delighted with their perfect order and equipment, so different from the rough fighters to which he had been accustomed, and often, in after life, used to speak of the effect upon him of the first sight of a well-disciplined European army marching, in high confidence and bright array, to l)attle. Within about seven miles of Fort Du Q.iesne, as the advance, immediately after crossing the Monon- gahela, in an open wood thick set with high grass, was pressing forward, entirely unapprehensive of dan- ger, it was suddenly attacked by an invisible enemy, a,nd thrown into some confusion. But the General having brought up the main body, and the attack of the enemy having l)een suspended for the moment by the death of their commanding ofiicer, order was restored. The enemy's attack, however, was soon re- newed with increased fury, and the English were thrown into utter confusion. Braddock possessed courage in an eminent degree, but he was without experience in that species of war in which he was engaged, and seems not to have been endowed with that fertility of genius which adapts itself to the existing state of things, and invents ex- pedients fitted to the emergency. In the present crisis, he was unfortunate in the choice of his measures. Neither advancing on the enemy nor retreating,' he exerted his utmost powers to form his broken troops, under an incessant and galling fire, on the very ground 44 GEORGE WASHINGTON. where they were first attacked. In his fruitless efforts to restore order, every mounted officer, but Washington, was either killed or wounded. Two horses had been shot under him and four bullets had passed through his coat. His escape without a w^ound was almost miraculous. Sir Peter Halket had been shot down at the head of his regiment. Braddock still remained in the centre of the field, in the desperate hope of retrieving the fortunes of the day. The Virginia Hangers, who had been most efficient in covering his position, were nearly all killed or wounded. His Secretary, Shirley, had fallen by his side. Many of his officers had been slain within his sight, and most of his guard of Virginia Light Horse. Five horses had been killed under him. At length, a bullet passed through his right arm, and lodged in his lungs. As he was falling from his horse^ he was caught by Captain Stewart, and borne from the field, but with difficulty ; for, in his despair, he desired to be left there. The rout now became complete. The troops gave way in every direction. Every effort to rally them was inef- fectual, until they had crossed the Monongahela, when, being no longer pursued by the enemy who had been stopped by the plunder, they halted, and were again formed, but soon resumed their flight. Of eighty-six officers, twenty-six had been killed and thh'ty-seven wounded. Of the men, upwards of seven hundred had been either killed or wounded. The Yir- ginians had suffered the most : of one company only one man was left ; another company lost every com- aEOEGE WASHINGTON. 45 missioned and non-commissioned officer, and most of its men. Braddock, deserted by his own troops, was borne from the field, along with his wounded aides, by Cap- tain Stewart and the remnant of the Virginians. On the 11th of July they reached Dunbar's camp, forty miles distant. That officer had been completely panic- stricken by the fugitives ; and, by his orders, all the ammunition, stores, and artillery had been destroyed. The whole army now began a disorderly retreat. On the 13th of July, they reached the Great Meadows, the scene of Washington's defeat, in the previous yeai*. There Braddock died that night ; and there he was buried the next morning before break of day, and " without a drum or a funeral note." " Whatever may have been his faults and errors, he liad expiated them by the hardest lot that can l)efall a soldier — an unhonored grave, in a strange land ; a memory clouded by misfortune; and a name forever coupled with defeat." Dunbar continued his flight. When he reached Cumberland, his forces amounted to 1,500 eifective men, enough to protect the frontier, and to recover the lost honor of the army ; but he paused only long- enough to dispose of liis sick and wounded, and hur- ried on his flight through the country, '' not thinking himself safe, as was sneeringly intimated, till he reached Philadelphia, whose inhabitants could protect him." The great disgrace of tins memorable defeat was 4:6 GEORGE WASHINGTOK. not known till some time afterwards; when it was learned that Braddock's fine army had been routed hy a mere detachment of the enemy, sent out to impede its advance — 865 men a]] told, of whom only seventy- two were Frencii soldiers, and 146 Canadians, the rest being Indians, while the whole numl)er of their killed and wounded did not exceed seventy. It has been, not very unjustly, characterized as "the most extraor- dinary victory ever obtained, and the farthest flight ever made." The expeditions against Niagara and Crown Point also failed to accomplish the purposes for w^hich they were planned ; and the only gleam of victory which shone upon the British arms in the campaign of 1755, was the lurid glare whicli was cast upon them by the brutal victory over the poor Acadians. Acadia, the oldest French colony in North America, had l)een ceded to England in 1713, but the French still constituted nearly three-four tlis of its inhabitants. The English, pretending to fear that these French might give them trouble in the impend- ing war sent a force thither, took possession of the entire peninsula and, with circumstances of atrocious barbarity, drove 7,000 of them — men, women, and children — on ship-board, and scattered them among the English colonies, from Maine to Georgia. There they were cast ashore, not only penniless and helpless, but in broken households. To prevent their return, their villages and farms were laid waste ; their houses burned to the ground ; their horses and cattle seized GEOKGE WASHINGTON. 4:7 and carried off as spoils of war ; and their l)eantif ul and fertile farms reduced to a wilderness. In the course of time forest trees choked up their orchards ; the ocean broke over their neglected dykes, and desolated their meadows. '' E-elentless misforfune pursued them, wherever they went. The annals of the human race," says Bancroft, " keep no record of sorrows so wan- tonly inflicted, so bitter and so perennial, as fell upon xhe French inhabitants of Acadia." ]:- CHAPTER YIL COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE VIRGINIA FORCES. Washington arrived at Mount Vernon on the 26tli of July, still enfeebled by his long illness ; but the martial spirit l)urned him as hotly as ever. His con- nection with the army had ceased at the death of Braddock, but he was still Adjutant-General of the Northern Disdsion of the Province, and as such he immediately issued orders for the militia to be gotten in readiness to protect the frontier, which Dunbar's shameless flight hjad left utterly exposed to the rav- ages of the Indians. The General Assembly met at Williamsburgh on the 4th of August to devise measures for the public safety. £40,000 were promptly voted, and a Regiment of 1,000 men was ordered to be raised. Washington's friends urged him to ask for the command of the Regiment. With mingled modesty and pride, he declined to do so. But Yirginia had already learned to look upon him as the pride and ornament of her Military department. His conduct in Braddock's ill-fated expedition was universally extolled, and the common opinion of his countrymen was that had his advice been pursued the destruc- GEORGE WASHINGTON. 49 tion of the day had been avoided. He was in fact the instinctive choice of every one for the command, except a set, of which Grovernor Dinwiddie w^as the centre, which was urging the appointment of Colonel Innes for the command of the new Kegiment. There was one other, his mother, who begged him not to again risk his life in these frontier wars. To her he WTote : " 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 be objected against, it would reflect dishonor upon me to refuse it ; and that, I am sure, must, and ought to, give you greater unea- siness than my going in an honorable command ? " Yielding to the general desire. Governor Dinwid- die, August 14th, 1765, reluctantly offered the Com- mand of the Kegiment to Washington, who was also designated in his commission as Commander-in-Chief of all the forces raised, and to be raised, in the col- ony of Yirginia. To this honorable manifestation of the public confidence was added the uncommon privi- lege of naming his own field ofiicers. He cheerful- ly accepted the appointment, and entered upon his duties. Having made all necessary arrangements for the recruiting service, lie proceeded in person to \dsit the posts, and organize the remaining troops of Yir- ginia, who w^ere at the time dispersed in small detach- ments over an extensive frontier. His Head-Quarters were established at Winchester, then an insignificant 50 GEOKGE WASHINaTON. settlement, on the extreme verge of civilization, but convenient, not only with reference to the protection of the frontier settlements of Yirginia, but for com- nmnication with the important Colonies of Pennsyl- vania, Maryland and South Carolina. Here Washington was brought into frequent and cordial intercourse with his old friend. Lord Fairfax, whose Manor of Greenway Court lay within a few miles of Winchester. The old soldier had again taken up his sword, had enlisted a troop of Cavalry, and was as quick to mount his war-steed as lie had, when last we saw him, been ready to spring into the saddle and follow the hounds. His services were soon put in requisition. AVash- ington having made all the arrangements which were possible for the defence of the frontier, had set out for Williamsburgh, where objects of the greatest importance required his attention. He was not only desirous of arranging, with the Lieutenant-Governor, the plan of future operations, but he also wished to impress upon him, and on the leading men of the Colony, the vast importance of devising proper means to retain the few Indians not already detached from the interest of the English by the French ; and the neces- sity for a more effectual Militia law, and an act to establish a complete system of Martial law among the troops in the regular service. While on the way he was overtaken by a courier from Colonel Stevens, commanding at Cumberland, with intelligence that a large number of French and Indians divided, as was aEORGE \VASHmGT(.)JS. 51 then their custom, into several parties, had crossed the mountains, and were ravaging the valley of the Shenandoah, murdering and capturing men, women and children, burning their houses, and destroying their crops. Washington hastened back to Winches- ter, which had been thrown into -the utmost con- fusion and alarm. Old Lord Fairfax had assumed command and called out the Militia of the neighbor- ing counties. The whole country beyond Winchester was said to be at the mercy of the savages ; they had shut up the troops in their forts, and were advancing upon the town with lire, tomahawk and scalping- knife. The country people were flocking into the town for protection. All who could were flying with their families beyond the Blue E-idge. In the height of the confusion Washington rode into the town. His presence inspired some degree of confidence ; but liis utmost efforts to raise the militia, tliat he might lead them against the enemy, were una- vailing. They would not leave their families to be butchered by savages. Couriers were sent off to hurry up the militia ordered out by Lord Fairfax ; scouts to ascertain precisely the number of the foe, and to con- vey assurance of succor to tlie troops who had l)een fastened up in their forts ; and arms and munitions were gotten ready. But the Lidians recrossed the mountains as suddenly as they had come, and Wash- ington was given time to or2;anize his command, to dispose them for the protection of the frontier, and to provide supplies for them, and to discipline them. 52 GEORGE WASHINGTON". Through his great and persevering efforts, an act was passed bj the Virginia Assembly, giving prompt operation to Courts-Martial, punishing insubordination, mutiny and desertion with adequate severity, and increasing the powers of the Commander. This being accomplished, he proceeded to perfect the discipline of his camp. His officers and men were instructed, not only in the school of the soldier, but in Indian war- fare. Forts were erected and roads made. He would have established liis headquarters at Cum- berland, but was prevented by the pretensions of a Captain Dagworthy of Maryland, who, l^eing at Cumberland with a company of thirty men, claimed the right to command that post over Lieutenant- Colonel Stevens of Washington's Regiment, on the ground that he himself bore the King's Commission ; and on the same ground, he contested tlie right of Colonel Washington to command. The latter, therefore, remained at Winchester. The question of rank disturbed the whole army to such a degree that it was determined to refer it to Major-General Shirley, who, upon the death of Braddock, had suc- ceeded to the command of the King's forces in the Colonies. As it was thought desirable that Colonel Washing- ton should confer in person with the Commander-in- Chief as to the approaching Campaign (1756), he re- solved to repair to the Head-Quarters of that officer at Boston, for that purpose, and to obtain at the same time his decision of tlie question as to rank, and some aEOBGE WASHINGTON. 63 general regulation by which such difficulties could be prevented in future. Accordingly, on the 4:th of February 1756, he set out, leaving Colonel Stevens in command of the troops. He was accompanied by his Aide-de-Camp, Captain George Mercer, of Virginia, and Captain Stewart, of the Virginia Light Horse, the officer who had taken Braddock from the field of battle. In those days the conveniences for traveling, even between our chief cities, were few, and the roads were execrable. The party, therefore, travelled in Vir- ginia style on horseback, attended by their negro ser- vants in livery. In this way they accomplished a journey of five hundred miles in the depth of winter stopping a few days at Philadelphia and I^ew York. These cities were then comparatively small, and the arrival of a party of young southern officers attracted attention. The late battle on the Ohio was still the theme of every tongue, and the honorable way in which these young officers had acquitted themselves in it, made them objects of universal interest. Wash- ington's fame, especially, had gone before him ; hav- ing been spread l)y the officers who had served with him, and by the public honors decreed him by the Virginia Assembly. "Your name," wrote Gist the preceding autumn, "is more talked of in Pliiladelphia than that of any other person in the army, and every- body seems willing to venture under your command." With these prepossessions in his favor, when we consider Washington's noble person and demeanor, 64: GEORGE WASHINGTON. his consummate liorsemansliip, tlie admirable horses he was accustomed to ride, and the aristocratical style of his equipments, we may imagine the effect produced by him and his little cavalcade, as they clattered through tlie streets of Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Their sojourn in each city w^as a continual fete. The mission to General Shirley was entirely suc- cessful as to the immediate question of rank ; the Commander-in-Chief, giving orders that Captain Dag- worthy should take rank as a Pro\dncial Captain, only, and therefore be subject to the orders of the Yirginia field ofiicers. But Washington had lioped to get the King's commissions for himself and his offi- cers, and in this he was disappointed. From General Shirley he learned that the main objects of the ensuing campaign would be the reduc- tion of Fort Niagara, so as to cut off communication between Canada and Louisiana ; the capture of Ticon- deroga and Crown Point as a measm-e of safety for New York; the taking of Fort Duquesne ; and the menacing of Quebec. Washington remained in Boston ten days, attending the meetings of the Massachusetts Legislature, in which the plan of military operations was ably dis- cussed, and receiving the most hospitable attentions from the polite and cultivated society of the place He then returned to New York. Tradition says that he fell in love tliere with Mary Phillipse, a niece and heiress of Adolphus Phillipse, a GEOR&E WASHINGTON. 55 rich landholder, whose mansion house is still to bo seen on the banks of tlie Hudson. He met her at the house of an early friend and schoolmate, Beverly Robinson, of Yirginia, who had some time l)efore married her sister, and was now living elegantly in New York. The young lady is said to have been as beautiful and as attractive as she was wealthy ; and it is well known that Washington was among her avowed admirers. It is not probable, however, that he actually addressed her, for he was in New York only a few days; having been suddenly recalled to Virginia, by the menacing attitude of the French and Indians on the frontier of that province. The young lady was in due time wooed and won by Captain Mor- ris, who had, as one of Braddock's aide-de-camps, been his friend and companion in that disastrous expedi- tion. CHAPTER YTII.— 175a FORT DUQUESNE BECOMES FORT PITT. Eepairing directly to "Williamsburg, Colonel Wash- ington urged the Virginia Assem])ly to adopt more efficient measures for the capture of Fort Du Quesne, and the protection of the frontier. He particularly urged the organization and equipment of some com- panies of artillery and engineers. While still at the capital, news came that the French and Indians had again crossed the AUeghanies, and were ravaging the Yalley of the Shenandoah. Washington went at once to Winchester, whose in- habitants he found in great dismay, and took such measures as he could to defend the place. But they did not promise much ; for he soon found he could not induce the militia to turn out. The alarm increased. The French and Indians were within twenty miles of Winchester. Fears were entertained that they would even cross the Blue Hidge, and ravage the country below them. Express after express was sent to hasten the militia, but sent in vain. The Legislature requested the Governor to call out part of the militia of the eastern counties, and to send them to the relief of Winchester. A company of one hundred gentlemen 56 ■Ai GEORGE WASHINGTON. 57 volunteered, under the command of Peyton Randolph, the Attorney-General, and hurried to the front. Judge Marshall says, that ten well-trained woodsmen, or In- dians, would have rendered more service. They would have conducted themselves gallantly in battle, no doubt; but they came too late, for the French and Indians disappeared towards the last of April, and took their way to Fort Du Quesne, laden with plunder, prisoners and scalps. Soon afterwards the militia appeared. Relieved from pressing danger. Colonel Washing- ton, after inspecting the frontier, again urged the Governor and Assembly to organize a force sufficient to drive the French from Fort Du Quesne. So long- as they held that post, the great Indian force which their ascendancy over those savages enabled them to bring into action, would always put it in their power to annoy, and infinitely to distress, the border counties ; perhaps, indeed, to acquire the possession of the whole Yalley of Virginia. " As defensive measures," said he, in a letter to Governor Dinwiddle, " are evidently in- sufficient for the safety and security of the country, I hope that no arguments are necessary to show the necessity of altering them to a vigorous offensive war, in order to remove the cause. * * Our scattered force, separated and dispersed as it is, in weak par- ties, avails little to stop the secret incursions of the savages. We can only put them to flight, or frighten them to some other part of the country ; whereas, had we strength enough to invade their lands, and assault 58 GEORGE WASHINGTON. their towns, we should restrain them from coming abroad, and leaving their families exposed. We should then remove the principal cause, and have stronger probability of success. We should be free from the many alarms, mischiefs and murders that now attend us ; we should inspu^t the hearts of our few Indian friends, and gain more esteem with them. In short, could Pennsylvania and Maryland be induced to join us in an expedition of this nature, and to petition his Excellency, Lord Loudoun (the newly-appointed Com. mander-in-Chief of the King's forces in America), for a small train of artillery, witli some engineers, we should then l)e able, in all human probability, to sub- due tlie terror of Fort Du Quesne, retrieve our char- acter with the Indians, and restore peace to our unhappy frontiers." In the apprehension that this favorite scheme would not be adopted, he submitted, at the same time, a plan for the defence of the frontier by building a strong fort at Winchester, which should be a deposit of mili- tary stores, quarters for the troops, and a place of refuge for the women and children in time of alarm, when the men had to take suddenly to the field — in a word, it was to be the citadel of the frontier. Besides this, there were to be several supporting posts at con- venient distances. He proposed also to abandon Fort Cumberland, as being out of the province, and out of the track of Indian incursions. None of these propositions got the favor of Gov- ernor Dinwiddie — a weak, obstinate and resentful GEORGE WASHINGTON. 59 man — whose ignorant meddling added so greatly to Washington's perplexities, that he would have re- signed his commission in despair, had he not been sustained by the applause of such men as Mr. Speaker Kobinson and Colonel Fairfax, and others who knew and appreciated him. " Our hopes, dear George," wrote Mr. Kobinson, " are all fixed on you for bring- ing our affairs to a happy issue. Consider what fatal consequences to your country, your resigning the com- mand at this time may be, especially as there is no doubt most of the officers would follow your example." In fact, the situation and services of the youthful comm-ander, shut up in a frontier town, destitute of forces, surrounded by savage foes, gallantly, though desparingly, devoting himself to the safety of a suffer- ing people, loere properly understood throughout the country, and excited a glow of enthusiasm in his favor. The Legislature, too, began to act, though inefficiently, appropriating £20,000 for the service, and increasing the provincial force to 1,500 men. The inglorious campaign of 1756 is illustrated by one daring act, which deserves mention. The Chiefs of the Indian bands which had twice ravaged the Yal- ley of the Shenandoah, lived at a village, Kittannin, about forty miles above Fort Duquesne. There they fitted out their warriors for their raids, and thither these returned with their prisoners and plunder. A party of two hundred and eighty Pennsylvanians un- dertook to surprise and destroy this savage nest. They were Gomina.nded by Colonel John Armstrong', and 60 GEORGE WASHINGTON. with him went the Scotchman, Dr. Hugh Mercer, of whom we have heretofore heard, and who was now a Captain in the service of Pennsylvania, and was to become the friend and neighbor of Washington. The expedition was as successful as it was daring. Thirty or forty warriors w^ere slain, the town was burned to the ground, and the party returned safely to the Eng- lish Settlements. At the ISIorth, the campaign dragged heavily along. General Loudoun, who had been appointed to succeed Braddock, did not reach Albany till the 29th of July (1756). Abercrombie, who had succeeded Shirley, had reached there a month before, but be had done nothing. There were about 10,000 troops — regulars and provincials — at that point. After much debate, it was decided to send a part of them, under General Webb, to the relief of Oswego, which was threatened by the French ; but he learned on the march that the post had been taken, and that its garrison were prison- ers. While the British Generals were debating, Field Marshal the Marquis de Montcalm (newly ar- rived from France), had acted. He was a different khid of soldier from Loudoun and Abercrombie. A great mind and a brave heart animated a small, but active and untiring body. Quick in tliought, quick in speech, quicker still in action, he comprehended every- thing at a glance, and moved with a celerity and a secrecy whicli utterly baffled his slow and pondering antagonists. Crown Point and Ticonderoga were visited and strengthened. Then, hastening to Mon- GEOKGE WASHINGTON. 61 treal, lie put himself at the head of a force of regulars, Canadians and Indians; ascended the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario ; laid siege to the two forts at Oswego ; drove the garrison of one into the other ; killed its Com- mander, Colonel Mercer ; made prisoners of both gar- risons ; and took an immense amount of Military stores and supplies, 121 pieces of artillery, fourteen mortars, six war vessels, a larger number of batteaux, and three chests of money. All this being done, Montcalm re- turned to Montreal in triumph, and sent the captured flags to be hung up as trophies in the Canadian churches, while Lord Loudoun retired leisurely to the City of New York, hung up his sword, and enjoyed his comfortal)le winter quarters. The Campaign of 1757, like that of 1756, was con- ducted in America with the greatest activity and abil- ity on the part of the French, and with corresponding inactivity and imbecility on the part of the English. In the course of July, Lord Loudoun set sail for Halifax, with six thousand men, to join, with a great fleet and an equal force of men under Admiral Hol- bourne, in an attack on Louisburg. Scarce had the tidings of his Lordship's departure from New York reached Montcalm, when that ever-active soldier swooped down on Lake George with nearly eight thousand men, of whom the greater part were Cana- dians and Indians, and on the 1st of August (1757), appeared before Fort William Henry. Its garrison of 500 men was commanded by a brave old ofiicer. Colo- nel Monro. A summons to surrender was answered ^2 GEORGE AVASHINGTON. by a bold defiance. For five days Monro held out, trusting to be relieved by General Webb, who was at Fort Edward, fifteen miles away, with five thousand men. He trusted in vain, and was obliged at length to surrender. Montcalm, appreciating his valor, granted him honorable terms; then, having demolished the fort, returned once more in triumph, mth the spoils of victory, to hang up fresh trophies in tlie churches of Canada. His losses in killed and wounded had been but fifty-three. Lord Loudoun had formed, meanwhile, a junction with Admiral Holbourne ; and their fleet, bearing twelve thousand troops, approached within two miles of its destination, Louisburg. Lord Loudoun saw that the French were resolved to defend this stronghold, and prudently abandoned the attempt to take it. Thus ended the Northern Campaign, by land and sea, to the shame of England, and to the glory of France. The Eno-lisli liad now been driven from every cabin in the basin of the Ohio ; and Montcalm had destroyed every vestige of their power within tliat of tlie St. Lawrence. France had her posts on each side of tlie Lakes, and at Detroit, at Mackinaw, at Kaskaskia, and at New Orleans. She had connected Canada and Lou- isiana by three Avell-esta])lished bnes, the one by way of the Alleghany to Fort Duquesne ; another l)y the way of the Maumee to the Wabash ; and a third by way of Chicago to the Illinois. She was in military possession of four-fifths of all North America, and seenaed to have established her claim to every foot, of. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 63 land which was drained by the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence. Her American possessions were twenty times as great as those of England. On the Continent, too, England and her Allies had been everywhere de- feated. So dark an hour, so gloomy a prospect, she had not known in many a year. CHAPTEH IX. WILLIAM PITT AND VICTORY. 1757-1758. Ill their humiliation and distress, the people of Eng- land turned for lielp to the only man who could, in their opinion and in his own, save the country — Wil- liam Pitt — afterwards known as the great Earl of Chatham. Yielding to the popular will, the King or- dered him to form a Ministry; and in July 1757 he assumed office. " Sire ! " said he to his Sovereign, "give me your confidence, and I will deserve it." " Deserve my confidence," replied the King, " and you shall have it ; " and George kept his word. Straightway the voice of " the great Commoner " resounded throughout the world, impelling the armies of England, and the servants of the Britisli State to achievements of lasting glory from the St. Lawrence to the Ganges. Animated and governed hy his genius, a Corporation for trade did what Eome had not dreamed of, and a British Merchant's Clerk set his foot in permanent triumph, where Alexander the Great had faltered. Inspired and strengthened hy him, the great Frederick won, on the 5th of December, the greatest victory which had illustrated the 18th Cen- turv ; a ^dctory which established on a firm basis the GEORGE WASHINGTON. 65 power of that Prussia, which Bismarck has in our day made supreme in Germany. The soldiers knew how the fate of Prussia hung on that battle; and when a grenadier of the Guard, on the field of carnage, began to sing " Thanks be to God," the whole army in the darkness of evening, standing amidst thousands of the dead, uplifted the hymn of praise. No less potent was his will in America. Loudoun, whom Franklin, with characteristic humor and saga- city, likened to " St. George on the Signs, who was always on horse-back, but never rode on," w^as forth- witli recalled. The Colonies w^ere called on to put 20,000 men into the field. England would arm, equip and supply them ; nothing would be required, or ex- pected of the colonists but to levy, clothe and pay them, and even these charges the King would strongly urge Parliament to reimburse ; all company and field ofiicers should rank with British officers of similar grade, according to the date of their commissions. Three several expeditions w^ere to be set in motion — the first, under the command of Amherst, was to join the fleet under Boscawen for the siege of Louisburg ; and the second, under the command of Abercrombie was to capture Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The third, under Forbes, was to move against Fort Dn- quesne. Louisburg was taken on the 27th of July 1758. Tho hero of tlie expedition was Brigadier-General James Wolfe, an officer young in years, l)ut a veteran in mili- tary service, and destined to gain an almost roman- 66 GEORGE WASHINGTON. tic celebrity. He was l.)ut tliirty-one, but had been eighteen years in the service ; was at Dettingen and Fontenoy, and liad won lanrels at Saffeldt. None was more galhint than young Eicliard Montgomery : just one-and-twenty, and Irish by birth ; an humble officer in AYolfe's Brigade, but also a servant of humanity, enlisted in its corps of immortals. Captain Amherst, l>rother of the General, carried home the news to Eng- Lind, with eleven pair of colors. There were rejoicings throu2:hout the Kino-dom. The colors were borne in triumph through the streets of London, with a parade of horse and foot, kettle drums and trumpets, and the thunder of artillery, and were put up as trophies in St. Paul's Cathedral. Thus fell the power of France on the Coast. On the banks of Lake George 9,024 provincials from New England, New York and New Jersey had meanwhile assem])led. Among them were Benjamin Stark of New Hampshire, now promoted to Captain: and the generous, open-hearted Israel Putnam, a Con- necticut Major, of gentle disposition, l)rave, sincere and artless. By the side of the provincials rose the tents of the Regulars, 6,367 in number. Of the whole force Abercrombie w^as Commander-in-Chief; but it was the gallant spirit of Howe, a young nobleman, brave and enterpi'ising, full of martial entlmsiasin, and endeared to tlie soldiery l)y the generosity of his disposition, and the sweetness of Ids manners, wliich infused ardor and coniidence into every l)osom. On the 5th day of July (1758) the whole armament GEORGE WASHINGTON. 67 of more than 15,000 men, the largest army that had ever been assembled in America, embarked in boats, and moved do^vn the beautiful Lake. Resting from sunset till midnight, they kept on their way till they reached a point which still bears the name of Lord Howe. Here they landed and began their march. Their advance under Howe soon came upon a party of the enemy. In the skirmish which ensued he was the first to fall. The grief of his fellow-soldiers spoke his eulogy. Massachussetts voted him a monument in Westminster Abbey, and America bewailed his loss. "With him expired the soul of the enterprise. A few days later A bercrombie, who had fallen back, on the death of Howe, again advanced, but was driven back with a loss of nearly 2,000 men in killed and wounded. He had met Montcalm, whose aljility, and activity and genius made up for the smallness of his force. He had only 2,800 French and 450 Canadians. The English still exceeded the French four-fold. Their artillery was near, and could easily force a pass- age. But Abercrombie, a victim to the extremest fright and consternation, retreated that same evening in the utmost haste to his boats, nor did he stop till he had placed the Lake between himself and Mont- calm. Even then he sent his artillery and ammunition to Albany for safety. While Abercrombie lay in inglorious ease near the Lake, one of his ofiicers, Colonel Bradstreet, led an expedition consisting of nearly 3,000 provincials rijT^ainst Fort Frontenac, on the north side of Lake On- QS GEORGK WASHINGTON^. tario, and took it with an immense amount of merchan- dize and military stores, and all of the enemy's ship- ping on the Lake. After dismantling the fortifications and destroying everything which he could not carry away, he returned with his troops to the army at Lake George. Early in November (1758) Abercroml)ie was superseded as Commander-in-Chief by Amherst, who had arrived at Lake George in October. Pitt, who had carefully studied the geography of Kortli America, knew that the capture and destruction of Fort Fr( )ntenac had opened the way to Niagara ; and he turned liis mind from the defeat on Lake George to see whether the banner of England was already waving over Fort Duquesne, the key of the West. For its conquest he relied mainly on the cen- tral provinces. Maryland contributed nothing to the campaign. But General Forbes, to whom this ex- pedition had been entrusted, saw, after long delays, twelve hand ed and fifty Highlanders arrive from South Carolina. They were reinforced by three hun- dred and fifty Royal Americans. Pennsylvania raised twenty-seven hundred men ; and Virginia se: t two regim nts of nineteen hundred men under Washington. Yet great as were these preparations, Forbes would never have seen the Oliio, but for AYashington. On the 21st of July arrived tidings of the brilliant success which had attended General Amlierst's expe- dition against Louisburg. This intensified Washing- ton's impatience to march. Learning that Forbes had some thought of throwing a body of light troops in GEORGE WASHINGTON. 69 advance, he wrote to Colonel Bouquet, who was in immediate command of the army, begging to have himself and his Regiments included in this detach- ment. " I hope," said he, " that I may be allowed to say that from long intimacy with these woods, and fre- quent scouting in them, my men are at least as well acquainted with all the passes and difficulties as any troops that can be employed." The plan was, how- ever, abandoned, in consequence of the determination of Forbes, against Washington's frequent and earnest remonstrances, and in spite of the loudly expressed indignation of the Yirginia Assembly, to open a new road through Pennsylvania to Fort Duquesne. September had come before Forbes, whose life was slowly ebbing away, was borne in a litter to the front, at Raystowm, thirty miles from Cumberland. Meanwhile Washington had been busy providing and disciplining his men for the march. As they were scantily supplied vdtli regimental clothing, lie con- ceived the idea of equipping them in the light Indian hunting garb, and adapted it himself. Two companies were accordingly equipped in this style, and they having been ordered to General Head-Quarters, their costume was greatly admired, and was gradually adopt- ed by the Americans in their subsequent warfare. The 1st of December found Washington still at Cumberland, his troops sick and dispirited, his Indi- ans all gone, and the brilliant expedition which he had anticipated dwindling down to a tedious operation of road-making. In the meantime, his scouts had in- 70 GEORGE WASHINGTON. formed him that the French force, inchiding Indians, at the fort, did not exceed 800. At length, Forbes having reached Raystown, Washington joined him there with his forces, and was received by the Gen- eral with the highest marks of respect. On all occa- sions, both public and private, that officer now treated his opinions with the greatest deference, adopting his plan of march, and an order of battle which still exists. The advance of the army under Colonel Bouquet, consisting of about 2,000 men, had by this time opened the road to a point beyond Laurel Hill, and was within about lif ty miles of Fort Duquesne. Learn- ing of the smallness of the force there. Bouquet, who was a vain fellow, sent forward, without the order or knowledge of Forbes, a force of eight hundred men, among them a company of Virginians under Major Lewis, the whole under command of Major Grant, to reconnoiter the country in the neighborhood of the fort, and to ascertain the strength and posi- tion of the enemy. Grant conducted the enterprise with the foolhardiness of a man eager for personal notoriety. His whole object seems to have been to provoke an attack. The French, who had been rein- forced, were apprised, through their scouts, of his approacli, but suffered him to advance unmolested. Arriving at midnight. Grant posted his men on a hill, which to this day bears his name, and sent out a party of men to set fire to a log house near the fort. As if this were not enough to put the French on the alert, he had his drums beat loudly in the morning, GEORGE WASHINGTON. Yl and marshalling his regulars in battle array, sent an engineer, with a covering party, to take a plan of the works, in full view of the garrison. A large body of French and Indians now rushed out of the fort, under the gallant Aubrey, and attacked Grants troops in front, while other Indians in ambush attacked his flanks. A scene now ensued similar to that of the defeat of Braddock. Again the regulars gave way, with tlie loss of nearly three hundred men, and again the Vir- ginians saved the detachment from utter ruin. Lewis fought hand-to-hand with an Indian, whom he laid dead at his feet, but was, with Major Grant, forced to surrender. Oat of eight Yirginia officers, five were killed, a sixth wounded, and a seventh (Major Lewis) taken prisoner. Captain Bullitt, who saved the rem- nant of the detachment, was the only officer who es- caped unhurt. Out of 166 Virginians engaged in the affair, sixty-two were killed on the spot. Washington, to whose Regiment they belonged and who was at Raystown when the disastrous news was received, was publicly complimented by General Forbes on the gallant conduct of his men. Bullitt's behavior was publicly extolled, and he was soon after- ward rewarded with a major's commission. As a farther marlv of the high opinion now enter- tained of the provincial troops, they were formed into a Division, under Washington's command, and sent to the front. The entire army reached the camp at Loyal Llanna, through a road said to l)e indescribably ])ad, and 72 GP:0RGE WASHINGTON. there, as had been predicted, a council of war deter- mined that it was unadvisable to proceed further this campaign. Fifty miles of a wilderness, through wliich there was no I'oad, still separated them from Fort Duquesne. But it would have been almost im- possible to have wintered an army in that position. They must have retreated from the cold, inhospitable, mountain forest, into which they had penetrated, or have suffered immensely. Fortunately, some priso- ners, brought in about this time, informed them of the extreme distress of Ft. Duquesne. The garrison was weak, in great want of provisions, and had been deserted by the Indians. These encouraging circum- stances changed the resolution which had been taken, and the march was accordingly resumed. Colonel Washington was advanced in front; and with infinite labor opened the way for the main body of the Army. Moving forward with slow and painful steps over a road, which was white with the bones of those who had been killed in Grant's late unfortunate movement or had died on the retreat, and of the slain in Braddock's defeat, they cautiously drew near the Fort expecting a vigorous defence. But the French had evacuated it the evening l)efore, and setting it on fire, had gone down the Ohio in boats. The recent successes of the English in Canada, par- ticularly the capture and destruction of Fort Fronte- nac, had left the garrison without hope of reinforce- ments or supplies. Its whole force did not, at the GEoKGK WASHINGTON. Y3 time, exceed five hundred, and their provisions were nearly exhausted. On the 25th of November (1758) Washington, with the advance of the Army, marched in, and phinted the British Flag on the yet smoking ruins. The Fort was repaired, and garrisoned hy two hundred men of Washington's own Regiment. Its name was changed to Fort Pitt, in lionor of the great minister, whose miparalleled vigor and talents had given force and effect to the campaign. America afterwards raised to him statues that have been wrongfully broken; and erected granite monuments, of which not one stone remains upon another; l)ut so long as the Monongahela and the Alleghany shall flow together and form the Ohio, and hold in their beneficent arms the great City which has grown up in their em- brace, so long as the English tongue shall be the lan- guage of freedom in the boundless valley which their waters traverse, so long will his name stand inscribed on the Gateway to the West. Colonel Washington now marched back to Win- chester wdtli his command ; and soon afterwards pro- ceeded to Williamsburg to take his seat in the General Assembly, of which he had been elected a Member for the County of Frederick, while stationed at Fort Cumberland. The removal of the French from the Ohio having put an end to Indian hostilities and relieved Yirginia from all apprehension of their savage incursions, the object for which alone Washington had continued in 74: Q-EORGE WASHINGTON. the service, was accomplished. His health, too, was much impaired, and his domestic affairs were in urgent need of his attention. Impelled by these, and other motives of a private nature, he determined to withdraw from a service which he could now quit without dishonor; and ac- cordmgly towards the close of the year (1758) he resigned his commission as Colonel of the 1st Virginia Hegiment, and Commander-in-Cliief of all the troops of that Colony. On the last day of the year " the affectionate" officers whom he had commanded ex- pressed witli " sincerity and openness of soul " their grief at losing a leader who had always shown " a quick discernment and invariable regard for merit, an earn- estness to inculcate genuine sentiments of true honor and passion for glory," whose example inspired " alacrity and cheerfulness in encountering the severest toils," and whose zeal for strict discipline and order gave to his troops a superiority which both regulars and provincials publicly acknowledged." In the Virginia House of Burgesses, the Speaker (Robinson) obeying the resolve of the House, publicly gave him the thanks of Virginia for his services to his Country. When the young man, taken by surprise, hesitated for words wherewith to reply, " Sit down," said the Speaker, "your modesty is equal to your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I possess." CHAPTER X. FRANCE LOSES HER AMERICAN POSSESSIONS. Before following Washington into his retirement, and telling the story of his new life at Mount Yernon, it wdll be w^ell to glance at the concluding events of that great war, wherein he struck the first blow^, and in which he was taught the lessons that prepared him for his great career : and which ^vrought, too, those mighty changes, out of w^hich, under the his wise guid- ance the United States arose. Major-General Amherst had succeeded Abercrombie as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in North America. For the Campaign of 1759 he planned three Expeditions, of which one, under the command of Wolfe, was to ascend the St. Lawrence, and lay siege to Quebec, the Capital of Canada ; a second, un- der General Prideaux, was to take Fort Niagara, and then to descend the St. Lawrence, capture Montreal, and hasten on to Quebec. The third, under Am- herst himself, was to advance by Lake George against Ticonderoga and Crown Point, reduce those forts, cross Lake Champlain, and push on to Quebec, where the whole army was to be ultimately concentrated. General Prideaux, accompanied by Sir William 75 76 GIORGE WASHINGTON. Johnson and a large body of Indians, laid siege to Fort Niagara. He was killed, by the bursting of a cohorn, in his own trenches, on the 20th of July, and Brigadier-General Gage, who had led Braddock's ad- vance, was ordered to take the command. Before he reached the army, however. Sir William Johnson, who was meanwhile in command, routed a large force of French and Indians, wliich was hastening to the relief of the Fort, and on the next day (July 25, 1759) cap- tured it with its garrison of about 600 men. Thus did New York extend her limits to the Niagara Kiver and Lake Erie. Meantime Amherst assembled his army on Lake George, and with nearly twelve thousand men ad- vanced on Ticonderoga and Crown Point. At the approach of this overwhelming force the French aban- doned both of those forts. They had only about four hundred men. Instead of following them up, Amherst wasted all August, all September, and ten days of Oc- tober, in building fortifications at Crown Point, and in repairing Ticonderoga, while Wolfe lay waiting for him before Quebec. He, with his eight thousand men, had ascended the St. Lawrence in June. With him were Colonel Guy Carleton and Lieutenant-Colonel William Howe, both destined to celebrity, in after years, in the annals of tlie American Pevolution. Among the officers of the fleet was Jervis, the future Admiral, and famous Earl St. Yincent. And the Master of one of the ships was James Cook, the great Navigator, who afterwards ex- GEORGE WASHINGTON. 77 plored and ]-evealed the unknown paths and thousand isles of the Pacific. The brio^ades had for their commanders the l)rave, open-hearted, and liberal Kobert Monckton, after- wards Governor of Kew York, George Townshend and James Murray. On the 27th of June (1759) the whole force disem- barked on the Isle of Orleans. A little way off the seemingly impregnable Cliff of Quebec was seen dis- tinctly, rising precipitously in the midst of one of the grandest scenes in JSTature. To protect this Citadel of New France, Montcalm liad only six wasted battalions of regular troops, a few Indian warriors, and the Cana- dian Militia; the hitter gave him the superiority in numl)ers, but he put his chief confidence in the natural strength of tlie Country. Of the movements of the opposing forces during the next ten weeks; of the untiring zeal with which Wolfe sought his foe; of tlie patient courage with w^hi(;h Montcalm baffled him continually; of the Eng- lish defeat at the Falls of Montmorenci ; and of the skill, the daring, and the invincible pluck with which Wolfe at last planted liimself upon the plains of Abraham; and of all that was done in those eventful days, this is not the place to write. The two armies stood face to face on those high plains, in numbers not unequal. When at last, Mont- calm saw that the moment for decisive action had come, he led the French impetuously to the attack. Then came the shock of battle. Wolfe was wounded 78 GEORGE WASill^'GTOJSr. in the wrist ; still pressing forward, he received a second ball ; and then was struck a third time, and mortal!}', in the breast. "Support me," he cried, '-let not my l)rave fellows see me drop." He was carried to the rear, and they brought him water to quench his tliirst. " Tliey run ; they run," said the officer on whom lie leaned. " Wlio run? "asked Wolfe as life fast ebbed away. "The French." " What ? Do they run already ? Go, one of you, to Colonel Eurton and bkl him march Webb's regiment with all speed to Charles Eiver to cut off the fugitives. l!^ ow God be praised ! I die happy." These were his dying words. Night, silence, the rushing tide, veteran discipline, and the sure inspiration of genius, had been his allies ; his battle- field, high over the Ocean-river, was the grandest the- atre on earth for illustrious deeds ; his victory, one of the most momentous in the annals of mankind, gave to the English tongue and to the institutions of the Anglo-Saxon race the unexplored, and seemingly in- finite, ]^orth and West. He crowded into a few hours actions wliich would have given lustre to length of life ; and, filling his day with greatness, completp.d it before its noon. The hope of New France was also gone. Born and educated in camps, Montcalm had been carefully in- structed, and w^as skilled in the language of Homer, as well as in the art of war. Greatly laborious, just, disinterested, hopeful even to rashness, sagacious in council, swift in action, his mind was a well-spring of bold designs; his career in Canada a wonderful strug- aEORGE WASHINGTON. 'TO gle against inexorable destiny. Sustaining hunger and cold, vigils and incessant toil, anxious for his soldiers, unmindful of himself, he set, ev( n to tlie forest-trained red men, an example of self-denial and endurance ; and in the midst of corruption made the pul)lic good his aim. But the hour of defeat and death had come at last. Struck by a musket ball, he continued to fight till he was mortally wounded by a second. On hear- ing that death was inevitable, " I am glad of it,*' he cried. " How long shall I live ? " " Ten or twelve hours, perhaps less." " So much the better ; I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec. To your keeping," said he to de Eamsay, " I commend the honor of France. As for me, I shall pass the night with God, and prepare myself for death." Having written a letter commending the French prisoners to the generosity of tlie English, his last hours were given to the hope of an endless life, and at five the next morn- ing (Sept. 15,1759) he expired. On the 17th Quebec capitulated. America rang with exultation ; the towns were ])right with illuminations, the hills with bonfires ; pro- vinces and families gave thanks to God. When the Parliament assembled, Pitt modestly put aside the praises which were showered on him. " The more a man is versed in business," said he, " the more he finds the hand of Providence everywhere." Had Amherst followed up his success at Ticon- deroga the preceding summei*, the year's campaign would have ended, as had been projected, in the sub- 80 GEORGE WASHINGTOK. jiigation of Canada. His delay gave the French time to make another struggle for the salvation of the Province. But the inevitable end was reached on the 8th of Septeml)er 1760, when Yaudreuil, in command at Montreal, thi*eatened by an army of nearly ten thous- and Englisli and a host of Indians under Amherst and Sir William Johnson, surrendered that post and all Canada. Thus ended the contest between France and England for dominion in America. A far-seeing French states- man, the Count de Yergennes, predicted that England's triumph would not be lasting ; that the expulsion of the French from America would remove the only check which kept the English colonies in awe, and made them feel the need of protection : and that when called upon l)y the Mother Country to contribute to- wards supporting the burdens which the war had brought upon her, they would answer by declaring and establishing their independence. CHAPTER XI. WASHINGTON FALLS IN LOVE AND GETS MARRIED. While Forbes was concentrating his forces at Cum- berlanout Belvoir and Mount Yernon was sure to ring, at early morn, with the inspiring music of the hound. The Pot(jmac, in tlie palmy days of Yirginia, was 90 GKORGK WASHINGTON. occasionally the scene of a little aquatic state and ostentation among the rich planters, who resided on its banks. The j had beautiful barges, which, like their land equipages, were imported from England ; and mention is made of a Mr. Digges, who always re- ceived Washington in a barge rowed by six negroes, arrayed in a kind of uniform of check-shirts, and black velvet caps. At one time, according to notes in Washington's diary, the whole neighborhood was thrown into a ] aroxysm of festivity by the anchoring of a British frigate in the river, just in front of Belvoii*. There were dinners and breakfasts at Mount Yernon, and at Belvoir, and tea parties on the frigate, and the greatest gaiety everywhere. Occasionally he and Mrs. Washington would go to Annapolis, while the Maryland Assembly was in ses- sion. The society of the capitals of the Provmces was always polite and fashionable, and more exclusive then, than in these Bepublican days; being, in a manner, the outposts of the English aristocracy, where all places of dignity or profit were secured for younger sons and poor but proud relatives. Dinners and balls abounded, and there were occasional theatricals, an amusement of which Washington was particularly fond. He was somewhat given to dancing — but is said to have been rather grave and ceremonious. CHAPTER XII. ENGLISH OPPRESSION. In this round of rural occupations, and amusements, and social intercourse, Washington passed several tran- quil years. He was not, however, altogether withdrawn from public pursuit and duties. As a member of the County Court, and of the House of Burgesses, he had numerous calls upon his time and thoughts. He also took a personal interest in a project to drain the great Dismal Swamp, and make it lit for cultivation. AVith his usual zeal and hardihood he explored it on horse- back, and on foot, and made a report, which led to the organization of the Dismal Swamp Company, which, in accordance with his observations and plans, has since converted that then desolate region into produc- tive fields. Other pu1)lic matters of far greater importance than these were now taking a course, which was destined gradually to bear him away from his quiet home, and launch him on his great career. At no period -of time was the attachment of the col- onists to the mother country more strong or more gen- eral than in 1763, when the defenitive Treaty of Peace between Great Britain, France and Spain was signed. The war, which it concluded, had deeply interested 91 92 GEORGE WASHINGTON. every part of America. Every colony had been en- gaged in it ; every colony had felt its ravages. The part taken in it ])y the Indians had greatly increased its horrors, and had added to the joy which was pro- duced by its termination. The union of that vast tract of country which extends from the Atlantic to the Mississippi and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Artie Circle, was also believed to be a guarantee of future peace, and an effectual security against the horrors of civilized, as well as savage, warfare. This state of things had been brought about by the union of British and American valor. English and Americans had co-operated in the same service, their blood had mingled in the same fields, and they had pursued a common ol)ject, for the good of both. While the British Nation was endeared to the American heart by this community of danger and identity of interest, tlie brilliant achievements of the war had exalted to enthusiasm the admiration which the Colonists felt for British valor. They were proud of the land of their ancestors, and of the fact that they were themselves the sons of Englishmen. They ad- mired, with fervor, the political institutions of the Mother Country. And the excellence of the English Constitution was the constant theme of their declama- tion. They, at the same time, jealously insisted \\\)on their own right to tlie enjoyment of its advantages, and could not achnit that, l)y crossing the Atlantic, their ancestors had relinquished tlie essential rights of British subjects. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 93 The degree of authority which Parliament might rightfully exercise over the colonies had never been accurately defined. In England it had always been asserted that it might bind them in all cases whatso- ever. In America, at different times, and in different colonies, various opinions had been entertained on this subject. In New England, (originally settled by Kepublicans, and the favorite, during the Commonwealth, of the English Nation,) habits of independence had nourished the theoi-y that the Colonial Legislatures possessed all the powers of legislation whicli had not been surrender- ed l)y compact ; that they were themselves subjects of the British Crown, but not of the British Nation ; and that they were not bound 1)y any law to which they had not assented. From this high ground they had, it is true, been compelled reluctantly to recede ; but the doctrine was still extensively maintained that Par- liament had no riglit, or power, to regulate the internal affairs of the Colonies. In the Middle and Southern provinces no question respecting tlie supremacy of Pai'liament in matters of general legislation had ever existed. But even these Colonies, howe\er they might acknowledge the su- premacy of Parliament in other respects, denied the right of that body to tax them internally, without their consent. A scheme for taxing the Colonies by authority of Pailiament had been formed as early as 1739, l)ut had not l)een countenanced by the then pi-inie niiui.-tci' of 94 GEORGE WASHINGTON. England, Sir Kobert Walpole. " It must be a bolder man than myself," he replied when that suggestion was made to him, " and one less friendly to commerce, who will ventm'e on such an expedient." For his part he would encourage the trade of the colonies to the utmost ; one-half of the profits would be sure to come into the Koyal Exchequer through the increased de- mand for British manufactures. "This," said he, sagaciously, " is taxing them more agreeably to their own Constitutions and laws." This scheme was not again taken up until 1754, when a Avar, in which every part of the Empire was deeply concerned, was about to begin. Some of the Colonies tliemselves appear to have then Vvdshed for the adop- tion of some mode for combining their exertions, and for equitably apportioning the expenses of the comm^on cause. The Government according!}^ devised a plan for taxing the Colonies. The temper and opinions of tlie Colonists were, however, so manifestly against the execution of the plan, that the Ministry in view of the impolicy of irritating them in the midst of a great war, and when their willing co-operation was absolutely required, suspended all action for the time. Of the right of Parliament, as the supreme author- ity of the Nation, to tax as well as to govern the Colonies, those who guided the Councils of Great Britain seem, however, never to have entertained a doubt. This total opposition of opinion between England and America on that subject which most interests the GEORGE WASHINGTON^. 96 human heart was now about to produce a system of measures which tore asunder all the bonds of relation- ship and affection, which had subsisted for ages, and planted the deepest hatred in bosoms, w^here the warm- est friendship had been long cultivated. The unex- ampled expenses of the war rendered unavoidable a great addition to the regular and usual taxes of Great Britain ; and great difficulty was experienced in search- ing out new sources of revenue. In its embarrassment the Ministry turned to the Colonies, and, upon its sug- gestion, Parliament passed, (1764), without much de- bate, a resolution that it would be proper to impose certain Stamp duties in tlie Colonies and Plantations, for the purpose of raising a revenue in America, pay- able into the British Exchequer; and the Ministry gave notice, that it would introduce such a measure at the ensuing session of Parliament. In the meantime that body perpetuated certain duties on sugar and molasses (heretofore subjects of complaint and opposition), and imposed duties on other articles imported into the Colonies. To recon- cile the latter to these measures, it was stated that the revenue to be thus raised was to l)e appropriated to their protection and security. It w^as really intended for the support of a Standing Army, which was to be quartered upon them. Whatever might have been the fate of the com- mercial regulations, tlie resolution concerning the duties on Stamps excited a great and general ferment in Amej-ica. The i-ight of Parliament to impose taxes 96 GEORGE WASHINGTON. on the colonies became the subject of universal con- versation aad was almost universally denied. Petitions to tlie King, and memorials to both Houses of Parlia- n.eiit against the measure were transmitted by several of the provincial Assemblies to the Board of Trade in England, to be presented immediately to his Majesty, and to Parliament when it should meet. Massa- chusetts instructed her agent in London to use his utmost endeavors to obtain a repeal of the acts laying duties, and to prevent the passage of the Stamp Act, or any other Act laying taxes upon t!;e American Provinces. A Committee was, also, appointed to cor- respond with the Legislatures of the other Colonies, and to solicit their concurrence in the measures which she had adopted. The Legislatures of Virginia, Rhode Island, New York and North Carolina seconded Massachusetts; and Franklin appeared in London at the head of agents from Pennsylvania, Connecticut and South Carolina to deprecate in person measures so fraught with mischief ; and, at the same time, associations were formed to abstain from the use of such British manu- factured goods as were not indispensable. Perceiving the opposition which would be encountered by adhering to the vote of the last session, the Ministry informed the agents of the Colonies, in London, that if they would propose any other mode of raising the sum required, their proposition would be accepted, and the Stamp Duty laid aside. The agents replied that they Avere not authorized to propose any substitute, u:j!JilG-E WASHIiS'G-TON. 97 but were oraered to oppose any bill which should as- sume to tax the Colonies without their consent. This reply j)laced the controversy on ground which seemed to admit of no compromise ; and Grenville, believing biiccessful resistance to be absolutely impossible, brought into Parliament his celebrated Act for impos- ing Stamp Duties in America. It passed both Houses by very great majorities, but not without animated de- bate (1765). General Conway, alone, had the courage to stem tlie torrent of public opinion and with mag- nanimous iirmnesri to pi-otest against their riglit to give away the money of tho&o who were not represented in that Body. One particular passage in the debate stands out in I'elief from the rest, and has found a place in every American History. Mr. Grenville had concluded a long argument in favor of the bill with these w^ords: '' Will these American children, planted by our care, nourished by our indulgence to a degree of strength and opulence, and protected by our arms, grudge to contribute their mite to relieve us from tlie heavy bur- den under which we lie ? " In answer to which obser- vation, Colonel Barre, who, having served in Ameri- ca, claimed to speak of the Colonists from personal knowledge, indignantly and eloquently exclaimed, '' Children planted hy your care ! No ! Your oppres- sion planted them in America. They fled from your tyranny into a then uncultivated land, wliere they were exposed to all the hardships to which human nature is liable, and among others to the savage cruel- ty of an enemy the most subtle and the most terrible 98 GEORGE WASHINGTON. that ever inhabited any part of Gud's Earth. * * Jliey nourished hy your uidulgencel No! They grew by your neglect. When you began to care about them, that care was exercised in sending persons to rule over them, * * to spy out their liberty, to mis- represent their actions, and to prey upon them — men whose behavior has caused the blood of those sons of Liberty to recoil within them ; men promoted to the liighest seats of justice, some of whom were glad, by going to a foreign country, to escape being brought to the bar of justice in their own. They j^^'otected hy your arms ! They have nobly taken up arms in your defence, have exerted their valor amidst their constant and laborious industry for the defence of a country, the interior of which, while its frontiers were drenched in blood, has yielded all its little savings to your en- largement. * * * The people there are as truly loyal, I believe, as any subjects the King has; but they are a people jealous of their liberties, and will vindicate them if they should be violated." By this Act all instruments in writing were to be executed on stamped paper, to be purchased from the ao-ents of the British Government. What was worse, all offences against the Act could be tried in any "Royal, Marine, or Admiralty, Court throughout the Colonies, however distant from the place where the offence had been committed ; thus interfering with that inestimable right of freemen — a trial by jury. The passage of the Act, which was to go into oper- ation in November (1765), excited throughout the GEORGE WASHINGTON. 99 Colonies the most serious alarm and universal indiirna- tion. In some places the bells were tolled, Und flags were displayed at half-mast, to denote the feeling of the Community. It was sincerely believed to wound vitally the Constitution of the Country ; and to de- stroy the most sacred principles of liberty. Combina- tions against its execution were every where formed, and the utmost exertions were used to diffuse through the press, as extensively as possible, a knowledge of the pernicious consequences which must flow from ad- mitting that America could be taxed by a Legislature in which slie was not represented. The Legislature of Virginia happened to be in ses- sion when the passage of the Act was first announced, and then it was that Patrick Henry, a young and almost self-educated orator, electrified his brother members by the boldness of the Resolutions which he brought forward, in support of Colonial Eights, and the yet greater boldness with '\vhich he supported them. One of these Resolutions asserted the exclusive right of the Colonial Asseml)ly to laj^ taxes and im- positions on the inhabitants of that Colony, and that any attempt to vest such a power elsewhere " is illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust, and has a manifest tend- ency to destroy British as well as American freedom." It was in the course of the impassioned speech which he made in defence of these declarations that Henry uttered the memorable defiance — " Caesar had his Brutus ; Charles the First his Cromwell ; and George the Third " — here the cry of " Treason ! Trea- 100 OEORGE WASHINQ-TOH. son ! " resounded on all sides — " may profit bj their example," said the self-possessed orator, completing his sentence. " If this be treason, make the most of it." Among those who listened to this fiery outburst was George Washington, tlien a member of the House of Burgesses. What his opinions on these questions had previously been, we have no means of knowing. His correspondence hitherto had not turned on politi- cal, or speculative, themes, being engrossed l)y either military or agricultural matters, and evincing little an- ticipation of the vortex of public duties into which he was about to be drawn. All his previous conduct and writings show a loyal devotion to th > (^rown, with a patriotic attachment to his country. Till now, he had been a loyal British subject, and a thorough Virginian. Patrick Henry's resolutions, after being slightly modified to accommodate them to tlie scruples of tlie Speaker and some of the Members, were adopted. Tlie Lieutenant-Governor of the colony, Lord Fauquier, startled by this patriotic outbreak, dissolved the xVs- sembly, and writs for new elections were issued. But the clarion had sounded, and so entirely did the peo- ple concur in the Resolutions that hardly any member who had opposed them was re-elected. Washington, after the dissolution of the Assembly returned to Moui^. Ycrnoi-i, full of anxious tlioughts inspired by the political situation, and the scenes which he had witnessed in the House of Bui-gesses. II is recent letters had spoken of the ])eacefnl tranquil- GEORGE WASHINGTON. 101 ity in which he was living. Those now written show that he participated fully in the popular feeling, jind that, while he comprehended the arduous struggle which was approaching, his patriotic mind was study- ing how to prepare for it. In a letter to his wife's uncle, Francis Dandridge, then in London, he says: " The Stamp Act engrosses the conversation of the speculative part of the Colonists, who look upon this unconstitutional method of taxation, as a direful attack upon their liberties, and loudly exclaim against the vio- lation. What may he tlie result of this and of some other (I think I ma}^ add ill-judged) measures, I will not undertake to determine ; but this I ma^ vsxiture to affirm that the advantage accuring to the Mother Country, will fall greatly short of the expectation of the Ministry — for certain it is that our whole su])?tance already in a jnanner flows to Great Britain, and that whatsoever constitutes to lessen our imporiations must be hurtful to her manufactures. The eyes of our people already begin to be opened, and they will perceive that many luxuries, for which we lavish our substance on Great Britain, can well be dispensed with. This, consequently, will introduce frugality, and be a necessary incitement to industry. * * As to the Stamp Act, regarded in a single view, one of the first bad consequences attending it is, that our Courts of Judicature must inevitably be shut up ; for it is im- possible, next to impossible, or under present circum- stances, that the Act of Parliament could be complied with, were we ever so willing to enforce its execution. 102 GEORftE WASHINGTON. And not to saj (which alone would be sufficient) that we have not money enough to pay for the stamps, there are many other cogent reasons, which prove that it would be ineffectual." A letter of the same date to his agents in London, shows that while deeply interested in the course of public affairs he did not neglect his own personal affairs — nor the interests confided to him. Indeed all his letters respecting his shipments of tobacco, and the returns required in various articles of household and personal use, are perfect models for a man of business. And this may be remarked throughout his whole career, that no pressure of events:-, nor multiplicity of cares, prevented a clear, steadfast undercurrent of at- tention to domestic affairs, and to the iuterest and well-being of all dependent upon him. In the mean- time from his quiet abode at Mount Yernon, he seem- ed to hear the voice of Patrick Henry echoing throughout the land, and raising one Legislative body after another to follow the example of the Virginia House of Burgesses. At the instigation of Massachusetts, deputies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsyl- vani", Maryland and South Carolina, JSTew York, New Jersey, and Delaware assembled at New York in October, and, after declaring the exclusive right of the Colonies to tax tliemselves, with equal temper and decision addressed the King, and each House of Parliament on the subject of their grievances. The Lee^islatures of Yiro;inia and North Carolina G-EORGE WASHINGTON. 103 not being in session, no deputies from those States appeared in this Colonial Congress, but they each sent similar petitions to England. In the mean- time the papers teemed with the most anin»ating ex- hortations to the people to unite in the defense of their liberty and property, and the Stamp officers were almost universally compelled to resign. In Boston he was hanged in effigy ; his windows were broken ; and a house intended for his office was torn down, and his effigy burnt in a bonfire, made of tlie fragments. The Lieutenant Governor, Chief Justice, and Sheriff, at- tempting to allay the tumult, were pelted. The Stamp officer thouglit himself happy to be hanged only in effigy, and next day publicly renounced the dangerous office. In Virginia, Georg-*. Mercer publicly refused to serve. The bells were thereupon rung for joy, Williamsburg was illuminated, and Mercer was hailed with the acclamations of the people. Ou the first day of November, when the Act was to go in operation, there was great tolling of bells, and Inirning of effigies in the N w England Colonies. At Boston the ships displayed their flags at half-mast. Many shops were shut. Funeral kneUs resounded from the steeples, and there was a great auto-du-fe^ ir which the promoters of the Act were paraded, an'^ suffered martyrdom, in effigy. At New York the printed Act was carried about the streets on a pole, surmounted by a death's liead, with a scroll bearing the inscription: "The folly of England, and the ruin of America." The Governor 104 GEORGE WASHINGTON. Golden, fearing the Btorm, retreated into a fort, and garrisoned it with Marines. The mob broke into liis stable, drew out his chariot, put his effigy into it, and paraded it through the streets to tlie common, (now the Park), where they hung it on a gallows. In the evening it was taken down, put again into the chariot with the devil for a companion, and escorted by the light of torches to the Bowling Green, where the whole pageant, chariot and all, was burnt under the very guns of the Governor's Fort. These violences received no countenance from the leading members of society, who, however, endeavored to organize a systematic, and determined opposition to the policy of the British Government, and to interest the English people themselves on their side. To this end associatiop.s were formed in all the Colonies for the encom-agement of domestic manufactures, and against the use of those imported from England. To increase their quantity of wool, they determined to kill no lambs, and to ue directed GEORGE WASHTNGTOiNT. 131 towards the Hudson, hastened with the mam body of his army to Kew York. One of his first measures was to break off all intercourse between the inhabit- ants and the British ships lying in the harbor. He then set to work to strengthen his position in every way. He soon discovered that his army was wholly incompetent for the great purposes for which it had been raised. His effective force was much below the estimate which had been made, and was wanting in arms, ammunition, tents, and clothes. Congress ac- cordingly called out 13,500 militia, to be furnished by the adjoining states, for the defense of New York; and 10,000 by Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, for the defense of these States. Washington was greatly embarrassed by the num- ber of tories in New York. They even went so far as to form a plot to seize him and deliver him up to the British. The Mayor of the city and some of the General's Body Guard were concerned in it. By a timely discovery the sclieme was defeated, and some of those implicated suffered death. In the beginning of July, (1Y76), General Howe and the troops under him, landed on Staten Islai.d. It was the most formidable armament which liad then been seen on this continent. Admiral Lord Howe, the brother of the General, ai'rived on the 12th with his ileet. Washington's force did not exceed 10,000 men at the beginning of Jvdy. It was increased by subsequent reinforcements to 27,000 men, of whom about 20,000 were fit for duty. A part was encamped on Lung 132 GEORGE WASHINGTON. Island under General Putnam. On the 27tli of Au- gust the British attacked the Americans on Long island, with a greatly superior force. The latter were driven back upon Brooklyn with great loss. Generals Sullivan and Sterling, with over 1,000 men, were captured. Washington, who was in New York when the battle commenced, crossed over to Brooklyn while it was going on ; but in time only to witness the hope less discomfiture of his men. The next day he sent over reinforcements, and at midnight on the 29th, silently withdrew his whole army to New York under a dense fog, with the loss of only a few pieces of heavy artillery. The manner in which this critical operation was executed, and the circumstances under which it was performed, added greatly to Washington's reputation, in the opinion of all military men. Without loss to withdraw a defeated, dispirited and undisciplined army fi'om the view of an experienced and able offi- cer, and to transport them in safety across a wide river, under the guns of a great and vigilant fleet, require talents of no ordinary kind, and the retreat from Long Island may be justly ranked among those skilful ma- noeuvres which distinguish a master in the art of war. Congress had meanwhile adopted (July 4, 1776), the Declaration of Independence. The success of the British on Long Island greatly dis- pirited the army. The militia went home by companies and by regiments. Washington expressed to Congress, with the deepest concern, his want of confldence in the aEORaE WASHINGTON. 133 generality of the troops, and nrged the enlistment of men "for the war." On the 15th of Septeml)er, having removed liis snpplies from the city, he evacuated it on the approach of the British, and took position at Kingsbridge, at the northern extremity of Manhattan Island. From this he was driven on the 28th of October, and finally crossed the Hudson in order to be in position to defend Philadelphia, which was now threatened. He was followed by the British under Cornwallis, who pressed him closely as he retreated across New Jersey to Trenton, destroying the bridges along his route, and finally crossed the Delaware, (December 8th, 1776). Tliis was the period when the American cause was at its lowest pohit of depression. The minds of all were filled with gloom and apprehension. But Wash- ington bore bravely and manfully up. His efforts redoubled with his difficulties, and however desperate he may have -thought the condition of his army he neither said nor did anything which showed a want of confidence. Then it was that, when asked what he w^ould do, if the enemy took Philadelphia, he an. swered, " We will retreat beyond the Snsquehannah and, if necessary, beyond the Alleghany. Howe being unable to transport his troops across the Delaware, went into winter quarters at Princeton, Trenton, Bordentown, and other places in New Jer- sey, while the Americans encamped in the neighbor- hood of Philadelpliia. Congress l)eing thorouglily {iroused to a sense of its 134 GEORGE WASHINGTON. duties, now authorized the enlistment of a greatly increased force, for the loar, and empowered Washing- ton to call on the States for militia ; to appoint and remove all officers under the rank of Brigadier-Gen- eral ; to impress supplies for his army, paying a rea- sonable price therefor ; and to arrest and imprison any one who should refuse to take Continental money. It invested liim, in fact, with dictatorial puwers for the period of six months. In this moment of general despondency, Washing- ton had the bold and lucky thought to attempt offen- sive operations. Knowing that the British were encamped in different towns, somewhat remote from each other, he resolved to attack them. Crossing the Delaware, Christmas night, (17Y6), with 2,400 men, he fell suddenly upon al)out 1500 Hessians, who were posted at Trenton. In half an hour their com- mander and thirty men were slain ; all their stores and 946 prisoners were taken. Not a man was lost by the Americans. Washington then recrossed the I>ela- ware with his prisoners. This bold and brilliant stroke revived the spirits of his army, and of the people. To profit by this fact^ he returned to, and reoccupied, Trenton, on the last day of the year, (17Y6). But his difficulties w^ere almost insurmountable. The army funds were ex- hausted. Congress had no credit. It was only by the pledge of their private fortunes by Washington and other officers, and^ by the liberality and active exer- tions of Robert Morris, that means were obtained GEORGE WASHINGTON. 135 for the immediate and urgent uses of tbe army. He had only 8,000 men, mostly raw and inefficient. Cornwallis was sent to drive him beyond the Dela- ware. At night the armies which had been slvirmish- ing, Avere separated only by the little river Assinpink- Cornwallis, having greatly the advantage in numbers, as well as in discipline and experience, counted on certain victory in the morning. Keeping up his camp fires in order to deceive him, Washington by a mas- terly manoeuvre, eluded him during the night, and when morning broke appeared unexpectedly before Princeton, where lie found three British Regiments on their march to join Cornwallis. Washington im- mediately attacked them. His advance, led by General Hugh Mercer, was thrown into confusion when that brave officer fell, mortally wounded ; but Washington, bringing np his main body in person, restored the fortunes of the day, and the enemy was put to flight. The abandoned camp in front of him, and the distant cannonade, first revealed to Cornwal- lis the escape of the Americans. He hurried in pur- suit, but was too late. Washington reached Morris- town, and occupied a position too strong to be taken by the English force. Nothing could have been more opportune than these successes at Trenton and Princeton, to raise the drooping spirits of the Americans. It excited as- tonishment everywhere, that an army which appeared to be broken down by a succession of defeats, and ill supplied with everything necessary for its efficiency, 136 GEOKGE WASHINGTON. should turn upon a victorious and superior enemy, regain the ground which it had h:)st, and assume the offensive. It raised the military character of Wash- ington very high, both in Europe and America, and gained for him the title of tlie iVmerican Fabius. Soon after the Declaration of Independence Con- gress had sent Franklin and two other commissioners to France to negotiate an alliance with that country, and to ol)tai]i money for the urgent wants of the army. They were not officially recognized, but re- ceived much encouragement, and were aided with money, arms, clothing, and other army supplies. Many European officers tendered their services through them to the Republic; and among these the young Marquis de la Fayette. Ilis departure was opposed by his family, l)y the King, and by the British Minister. But he boug\t a vessel, landed at Charleston (1777), was coolly received by Congress, and warmly by Washington. With him came the Baron DeKall) and Pulaski. During this summer (1777), the flag, "the stars and stripes," was adopted by Congress. An invasion from Canada, supported by a move- ment up the Hudson from the City of !New York, was the main feature of the British campaign for the year 1777. Sir John Biirgoyne was intrusted with the execution of it. The first event of the cam- paign was the seizure of Fort Ticonderoga. This fort was held l)y General St. Clair with 3,000 men. But when the British took possession of a hill over- G-EORGE WASHTNGTON 131 looking tlie fort, the garrison aljandoned it, and with- drew into Yermont. The British pursued, and over- took them at Hubbard ton; but met such a fire as compelled them to give up the pursuit. The Americans fell back to Fort Edward, where General Schuyler took command, and led them to the mouth of the Mohawk river. AYliile on his way iu pursuit, Burgoyne sent Colonel Baum with five hun- dred men, to capture some stores at Bennington. The Vermont militia, under General Stark, completely routed them, killing or capturing nearly every man. Stark then attacked and drove back, with loss of tlieir artillery and baggage, reinforcements which Burgoyne had sent forward to Baum. An expedition, which Burgoyne had sent against Fort Schuyler, was routed about the same time l)y the [N'ew York militia under General Herkim.er. Burgoyne's force w^as now reduced to 6,000 men. Reinforcements were pouring in to the American camp, and Washington had sent thither some of his best officers, x\rnold, Lincoln and Morgan. General Horatio Gates was in command. The armies came together at Stillwater, on the 19tli of September, (L777). A skirmish ])egan, and grew into a general and bloody battle. The Americans withdrew at nightfall to their camp. The British bivouacked upon the field of battle ; but their condi- tion was desperate. More than two weeks passed be- fore any further action took place. Meantime, Burgoyne was falling short of provisions. 138 GEORGE WASHINGTON. and liis Indian and Canadian allies were deserting. On the other hand Gates' force was increasing. At last, believing that some of the American troops had been sent off to meet Clinton, who was advancing up the Hudson, Burgoyne began a second battle at Still- water on the Tth of October, (1777). He was badly defeated and driven from his position. In this battle Arnold distinguished himself by his reckless daring. The Americans pursued the defeated army as far as Saratoga, and then Burgoyne, finding his situation hopeless, surrendered. On the 17th of October (1777), his army, about 5,800 men, became prisoners of war, and a large quantity of arms, and other valuable stores passed into the hands of the Americans. The Ameri- can Army consisted of about 13,000 men. The event excited the liveliest joy throughout America, and many regarded it as decisive of the contest. It was the more grateful to the patriots because the army under Washington was suffering reverses. Howe, who had withdrawn his forces entirely from New Jersey, in June, now embarked nearly 20,000 men in 300 ships, and entering Chesapeake Bay, land- ed at their head, for the purpose of taking Philadel- phia. Washington took position l)ehind the Brandy- wine, a small stream. Here he was attacked by supe- rior numbers, and driven back with the loss of 1,200 men, (September 11, 1777). Lafayette was severely wounded. Kext day Washington retreating towards Philadelphia, took ] osition at Germanto\\m. On the 15th he moved out to attack the British camp, but a GEOKGE WASHINGTON. 139 Storm prevented a battle. Howe entered Pliiladelpliia on the 26tli of September. Upon this, Congress re- moved first to Lancaster, and then to York, where it continued to meet till the capital was abandoned by the British, the next summer. One of Howe's first movements was to send a large force against Forts Mifiiin, and Mercer, on the Dela- w^are. Washins^ton thinkino; that this would be a £>:ood time to attack the remaining forces, which were most- ly at Germantown, moved his army in three divisions and fell upon the British. At first the attack seemed successful, but the Americans were eventually forced to retreat with great loss. Howe having captured the Delaware forts, now went into winter quarters at Philadelphia, and Wash- ington at Yalley Forge, (Deceml)er 11). Here he was near his stores at Reading, and protected Congress which was sitting at York. His troops suffered severe- ly for the want of food, clothes, and every other ne- cessary. Many deserted, and those who remained needed all their patriotism, and all the power of their commander, to make their condition bearable. Some of Washington's enemies blamed him for the reverses which his army had sustained, and strove to have Charles Lee, or G ates put in his place ; but the Army and the Comitry saw that if Washington had not been successful in the field, he had always fought at a dis- advantage, with raw troops, at once inexperienced, ill- armed, and inferior in numbers to the enemy ; that he had pointed out the difficulties, and theii* remedy j and 140 GEOKOE WASHINGTON. that if he had not been able, with insufficient means, to obtain victory, he had at least prevented defeat, when danger was most immiDcnt ; and had by his wise and untiring efforts, finally made the American troops a match for tlie well-appointed veterans of Europe. During this winter (1T7T-8) Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, though they were not rati- fied by the States till 1781. A treaty was also made with France early in 1778. At this time, Baron von Steuben, an officer of Frederick the Great, offered his services to Congress, and was, at the request of Wash- ington, made Inspector-General of the Army, and in that important position did a great deal towards drill- ing and disciplining the troops. ISTo important action took place until the summer of this year (1778). Then the British, fearing that a French fleet would occupy the Delaware, left Phila- delphia for New York. Their army of 14,000 men was now commanded by Sir Henry Clinton. Wash- ington put off in pursuit, and on the 27th of June was within five miles of them at Monmouth, New Jersey. General Lee was ordered on the 28th to attack. He did so, but the bold attitude of the British regulars, the disadvantageous character of the ground, the un- satisfactory^ movements of the command, and want of confidence in his own troops, induced Lee to withdraw and wait for the main bod3^ Cornwallis pressed vig- orously on the retreating lines, and threw them into great disorder. At this crisis, Washington rode up and harshly accosted Lee. Then checking the retreat lie GEORGE WASHINGTON'. 141 drew up the discomiitted troops in line, brought up the main l)ody of his ra-nij, and renewed the battle. The British were driven l)ack, but the Americans did not pursue, as night was approaching and the soldiers much exhausted by the hard fighting and the great heat. Lee's men had been under lire nearly all day; and he himself had displayed great gallantry and skill after their flight had been arrested. Washington intended to renew the battle in the morning, but the British retreated daring the night, and finally reached a safe position at Nevasink, having lost two thousand men by casualties and desertion in their retreat through New Jersey. Washington followed and took position at White Plains, whereupon Clinton withdrew to New York. In July a French fleet under the Count d'Estaing arrived off Newport; but, after making some demon- strations, and being disabled in a storm which com pelled it to go to Boston for repairs, it sailed in the autumn, to the West Indies, without having done any- thing. In July Major Butler, a tory, led a company of British and Indians into the beautiful Wyoming Val- ley, among the mountains of Pennsylvania. They captured the fort that was there, and massacred the garrison. They then fell upon the helpless people, slew and scalped all they could lay their hands upon, men, women, and children, and laid waste and ravaged the whole country. It was during this winter (1778-9) that George 14:2 GEORGE WASHINGTON. Kogers Clarke, with a force of Kentuckiaiis, acting under authority of Virginia, drove the British out of the country betw^een the Oiiio and the Lakes. This whole region was then annexed to Virginia under the name of the County of Illinois. The operations in America during 1779 were small, but not insigniiicant. In the North the British held only New York, Newport, and a few other places. In the South they had just taken and still held Savannah, and were gradually occupying all of Georgia. They had attempted to take Charleston, but had been driven back by Rutledge, Moulton and Pulaski. They burnt 130 merchant vessels in the James, and an unfinislied frigate, and eight smaller vessels of war, at Portsmouth, where Virginia had established a Navy Yard; and then, having inflicted $2,000,000 of damage, return- ed to New York with 3,000 hogsheads of to- bacco. It was in this year that John Paid Jones distin- guished the birth of the American Navy by his bril- liant sea-fio^hts off the Eno-lish Coast. During 1780 the war was c;arried on cliiefly in the South, whither Clinton, leaving sufficient forces for the protection of New York, novr went. On the 11th of May, he took Charleston, after an obstinate resist- ance, and aided by that brilliant soldier. Colonel Tarlc- ton, completed the conquest of South Carolina. After which Clinton returned to New York (3d June 1780), leaving Cornwallis with 4,000 men to complete the conquest of. the Soutli, In tlie troubled times that GEORGE WASHINGTON. 143 followed Sumter and Marion made themselves forever famous as partisan leaders. Gates was now placed iii command of the American armies in the South, (July 25). He advanced towards Camden, South Carolina with 4,000 men, (many of whom were unfit for duty,) hoping to surprise the British there, under Cornwallis and Rawdon. Corn- wallis set out on the 15th to surprise Gates. The two armies stumbled upon each other after midnight. As soon as day dawned the battle began, (August 16, 1780). The militia fled from the charge of the bayonet. DeKalb was killed. Every corps was shat- tered and dispersed, and the Am.ericans were swept from the field. Gates retired into North Carolina. He was then relieved of the command, and General Nathaniel Greene was appointed hj Washington in his stead. A few days after the battle of Camden, Sumter, in command of a detachment sent out l^y Gates to in- tercept some supplies for the British, was attacke.I and hadlj whipped by Tarleton. One victory only cheered the patriots. Colonel Campbell with a thousand men attacked a body of English and tories under Colonel Ferguson, at Kings's Mountain. Thrice Ferguson drove his furious adver- saries back with the bayonet, but the murderous rifles of mountaineers picked off 150 of liis best men. Fer- guson himself fell, and then the eight hundred sur- vivors surrended, (9th October 1780.) The armies in the North har — of State, of the Treasury, and of War. The Navy was put under the charge of the latter. Long experience in public affairs, high political standmg, and great ability, pointed out Thomas Jeffer- son as eminently qualified for the State Department. He was now about to return for a time from France, where he had some years before succeeded Frank- lin as xVmerican Minister, and had already won great distinction and favor among all parties to t e great struggle which was then convulsing France and shak- GEORGE WASHINGTON. 181 ing all Europe to its centre. To him the President determined to offer the Secretaiyship of State. Alexander Hamilton was appointed Secretary of the Treasury. His eminent fitness for the position was questioned by no one. General Henry Knox, of Massachusetts, one of his most trusted generals, and who was known to be a discreet man with business habits, was made Secre- tary of War. To Edmund Randolph of Yh-ginia, was given the office C'f Attorney General. He had presented to the Convention that scheme of Government which was the basis of tlie new Constitution ; he was so dissatisfied, however, with the changes whic'i were made, that he was one of the three members of the Convention who refused to sign it. For this mistake he compensated afterwards, by supporting the Consti- tution with great and controlling ability in the Vir- ginian Convention. He had been Governor of that State at an early age, and l)eing gifted with intellect, eloquence, an elegant person, charming manners, and social distinction, was very popular. The President's next care was to appoint the Justices of the Supreme Court, a tribunal whose proper constitu- tion he regarded as " essential to the happiness of the country, and to the stability of its political system," and as " the keystone of our political fabric." In plac- ing John Jay at its head, he consulted alike the public good, the dignity of the Court, and his own feelings. His associates were worthy of him, and the Coiu't in- 182 GEORGE WASHINGTON. stantly assumed a respectability and weight suited to the rank conferred upon it by the Constitution. No part of his duties gave him so much anxiety as that of distributing the lesser offices in his gift ; for he clearly foresaw the important bearing of this matter, no less upon the disposition of the people towards the new government, than upon the efficiency of the administration itself. He, therefore, after earnest thought, prescribed to himself certain rules for his guidance, to which he rigidly adhered — never to give any pledges or encouragement to any one ; not be in- fluenced in the remotest degree by tlie ties of family or of blood ; and chiefly to regard three things, " the fitness of character to fill offices, the comparative claims from the former merits and sufferings in ser- vice of the different candidates, and the distribution of appointments in as equal a proportion as might be to persons belonging to different States in the Union." Amono; the lesser duties of his station was the es- tablishment of rules for the conduct of his social relations as President of the Republic ; a thing of no little difficulty, for while it was essential, in the inter- course of the President with the world, to maintain the dignity of the office l)y such forms as should in- sure deference and respect, the nature of Republican Institutions, and the habits of the people, required the Chief Magistrate to be accessible to every citizen on proper occasions, and for reasonable purposes, and that he should be surrounded by none of the pomp e-KOEGB AVASHINGTON. 183 and circumstance of Kingly Governments. Accord- ingly, with the adT^.c3 of the Yice-Fresident, Hamil- ton, Madison, Jay, and other gentlemen, rules were adopted which estallished the etiquette of the White House, as it substantially exists at the present day. Hours were set apart to receive such persons as chose to call. Foreign Ministers, strangers of distinc- tion, and citizens came and Avent without ceremony. Every Friday afternoon Mrs. Washington received; the General always being present. Other times were set ; part for special visits of ceremony or business. He accepted no invitations to dinner; but invited to his own table foreign ministers, officers of the Gov- ernment, and others. No visits were received on Sun- day. In the morning he uniformly attended church. The afternoon he spent alone, the evening with his family, and occasionally an intimate friend. During the summer, (1Y89), he was dangerously ill. For six weeks lie was confined to his bed ; and it was three months before lie was well. He never en- tirely recovered from the effects of this sickness. Hardly had he gotten strong enough to leave the house, when he heard of the death of his mother, who had died, on the 25tli of August, in the 82d year of her age. Through life she had been remarkable for vigor of mind and of body, simplicity of manners, and uprightness of character. The success and renown of her great son, and the honors which were heaped upon him, made no change in the widow's deportment or style of living, and wlionever he re-visited her mod- 184 aBOEGE WASHINGTON. est dwelling, he re-entered the simple home of his childhood, with its ways and liabits all unchanged, and as fresli in its rustic purity and old-time virtues, as when, in his boyhood, he there learned the lessons of unaffected wisdom and all-pervasive goodness. Neither pride nor vanity ever mingled with the feelings which were aroused in her heart by the atten- tions which were bestowed upon her as the "Mother of Washington." Slie listened to his praises and was silent, or would only say that he had always been a good son, and had, she hoped, done his duty as a man. Congress having adjourned on the 29th of Septem- ber till January, Washington took advantage of this circumstance to make a tour through New England for the benefit of his health and to observe the condi- tion of the people and their feelings toward the new government. He travelled in his own carriage, ac- companied by his Secretaries, Mr. Lear and Mr. Jack- son; and in the course of a month visited New Ha- ven, Hartford, AV^orcester, Boston, Salem, Newburyport and Portsmouth. He was everywhere greeted with ac- clamations of joy, and shown the utmost respect and veneration. The journey was every way satisfactory to him, not only as furnishing proofs of the strong at- tachment of the people to himself, but as showing to him the growing prosperity of the country, and the sausf action of the people with the Constitution and with the administration of the Government. Congress having re-assembled in January (1790), the President, from tlie chair of the Yice President, GEORGE WASHINGTON. 185 addressed both Houses assembled in the Senate Cham- ber, advising them to organize, arm, and discipline the militia ; to encourage such manufactures as were essential to the national defense ; to protect the West- ern frontier fi'om Indian incursions ; to adopt a natu- ralization law ; to establish a uniform currency ; to pro- mote education ; and above all to support the public credit. Tlie National Debt had its origin chiefly in the He volution. It was of two kinds — Foreign and Do- mestic. The Foreign, amounting to $12,000,000, was due mainly in Fiance, Holland and Spain. The Do- mestic Debt, due in this country, amounted to $42,- 000,000. Both of these debts had l)een contracted by Congress, and were acknowledged to be a national charge. The several States had also contracted dur- ing the Revolution, for the support of troops and the maintenance of the war .generally, debts amounting to about $25,000,000. The Foreign debt had to be paid in full. Hamilton proposed that all the Domes- tic debts, including the $25,000,000 due by the States individually, should be funded and paid by the United States. He w^as violently and bitterly opposed, on the ground that the Domestic debt had fallen into the liands of speculators who had paid l3ut a trifle for it, and who had no claim to full payment. The assumption of the State debts was opposed by Madison and others, on other and stronger grounds ; but Hamilton, backed by the 'speculators and sustained by those w^ho believed that the honor and best inter- 186 GEORGE WASHINGTON. ests of the country required it to fulfill its obliga- tions at whatever cost, triumphed. He might have failed, after all, had he not (as is charged) secured for his propositions a vote or two from Maryland and Virginia, by making an arrangement whereby the seat of Government was permanent!}^ established within the limits of those States. The President expressed no sentiments on the sub- ject, while it was under debate in Congress; but he approved the act for funding the del)t, and was, un- doubtedly, a sincere friend of the measure. Another severe illness prostrated him during the summer, and, as soon as he was well enougli to travel, he souglit repose and recreation in the quiet of Mount Yernon, whither he always returned with delight; l)ut with redou1)led pleasure now, when he so much needed rest fr(jm labor, and refreshment for liis weary spirit and de])ilitated body. The new Government was early called upon to pro tect the frontier settlements against Indian ravages. A war began, wliich lasted four or five years, with many vicissitudes of m.isfortune and disaster ; the de- feats of PTarmer and St. Clair ; unsuccessful campaigns ; and much loss of blood and treasure, till General Wayne put an end to it, first ]:»y a battle (4th JSTovember, L794) and then, in the next year, by a treaty of peace. It was a source of constant regret and pain to Wash- ington, on account of the necessity of subduing the savages by force, and of the heavy burdens which it laid upon the Treasury. aEORGW WASHINGTON. 187 Congress convened at Philadelphia in December, 1790, that city having been made the seat of gov- ernment for ten years. Two important measm-es were adopted : a ITational Bank, and a tax on ardent spirits distilled in the United States. Washington approved both. Tlie tax on ardent spirits was violently opposed (particularly in those sections where whiskey was chiefly distilled), and its enforcement was openly re- sisted. In Western Pennsylvania it provoked a for- midable insurrection with wliich very respectable persons, including Albert Gallatin, were connected. Washington finally called out fifteen thousand militia, under command of General Henry Lee and General Morgan. This wise display of force, with the exer- cise of moderation, was successful. The insurgents dispersed and the Wliiskey Insurrection was at an end (1794). During the Spring and Summer of this year (1791) AYashington made a journey through the South. He was gone three mon hs, and travelled nearly 1900 miles with the same horses. His route lay through Richmond, Wilmington and Charleston, as far as Savannah ; whence he retm-ned by way of Au- gusta, Columbia, and the interior of Virginia and North Carolina. Before leaving home he had ascer- tained with great exactness the distances between each place at whicli lie was to stop. Not a single accident occurred, nor was his plan depai'ted from in any in- stance — except that he stayed one day less at one place 188 GEORGE WASHINGTON. and one day longer at another, than had been intended. He everywhere received the same proofs of respect and attachment which had attended him in his travels through the Middle and Eastern States. It was dur- ing tins trip that he selected the site of the District of Columbia. At the next session of Congress, the parties which liad existed in the country ever since the debates on the adoption of the Federal Constitution, divided dis- tinctly on all the measures before that body. The leader of tlie one, tb.e Federalists, was Alexander Hamilton, Secretaiy of the Treasury ; the leader of the other, wliich now took the name of Republicans, was Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State. The con- test was carried on, therefore, not only before the people and in Congress, but in the Cabinet itself. Hamilton !)elieving ti-at the Constitution could never l)e efficient and strong enough, except by con- struing and administering it in such manner as would add to the powers of the Executive, had always pre- ferred those measures, which would produce that re- sult, and among these were the Funding system ; the assumption of the State debts ; the bank ; and the tax on distilled spirits. Jefferson, whose fears were that the Constitution gave too much power to the Executive, and that it endangered the rights of the States, and the liberties of the people, resisted these measures and every other which it was not clearly within the constitutional power of Congress to enact. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 189 The conflict between Hamilton and Jefferson soon became bitter and personal, and gave great anxiety to Washington. He had a high opinion of the merits of both, and probably was not blind to the faults of either. He accordingly used his utmost endeavors to reconcile their differences, and to that and addressed to each of them several letters, which are enduring monuments of his own wisdom, of his own patriotism, and of his own immense superiority to both of them in statesmanship and in real manhood. But in vain. The two Secretaries continued to di- verge from each other, both in their political course, and in their private feelings, till their differences set- tled into a personal enmity, which neitlier tlie advdce of friends could modify, nor time eradicate. On one point they agreed : the need of Washington at tlie helm. When, therefore, his first term was drawing to its close, they each wrote him a long let- ter, urging him, as a matter of the utmost import- ance to his own reputation, and to the public inter ests, tliat lie should at least consent to serve for the present; and assuring him, in the most earnest lan- guage, that in their opinion, his character, his influ- ence, and his steady hand were necessary to secure the stability of the Government, if not to preserve the nation from anarchy. " The confidence of the whole Union," said Jeffer- son, " is centred in you. * * * I am perfectly aware of the oppression under which jour present oflice lays your mind, and of the ardor with wliich you pant for 190 GEORGE WASHIxVGTON. retirement to private life. But there is sometimes an eminence of character, on which society has such pe- culiar claims, as to control the predilection of the individual for a peculiar walk of happiness, and re- strain him to that alone, arising from tlie present and future benedictions of mankind. This seems to be your condition, and the law imposed upon you by Providence in forming your character, and fashioning the events upon which it was to operate." Hamilton was equally strenuous and decided. Governor Randolph, the Attorney-General, wrote: " The Constitution never Avould have been adopted, but from the knowledge that you sanctioned it, and an expectation that you would execute it. It is in a state of probation. The most inauspicious struggles are past ; but the public deliberations need sta- bility. You alone can give them stability. * * It is the tixed opinion of the world, that you surrender nothing incomplete." Yielding to these, and similar representations from all quarters of the country, Wasliingtun finally con- sented to serve a second term, and wp*^ again unani- mously elected. CHAPTER XIX. HIS SECOND TERM. Washington began his second term on the 4th of March, 1793, with John Adams again as Vice-Presi dent. The foreign relations of the United States were every day becoming more peculiarly delicate and embarrassing. The French Pevolution, which had broken out in the first year of his administration, (1789), had, in its earliest stages, excited the utmost sympathy of the people of America, and, in spite of the bloodthirsty scenes which had since darkened its cliaracter, was still r( garded by the greater part of them as a rightful war of the oppressed against their oppressors. Gouverneur Morris had, after Jefferson's return^ been sent to France as United States Minister, and a friendly intercourse had been kept up between the two countries, on the basis of the existiug treaties of »tUi- ance and commerce. But the subversion of the royal government in France, in August, 1792, was suc- ceeded by such a state of anarchy, and by scenes of so nmch IJood and horror ; there was so nmch uncer- tainty as to the future course of events in that coun- 192 GV:ORGE WASHINGTOV. try, and so much reason to doubt whether the fallen monarch would he finally deposed, or restored to his throne, with increased splendor and power ; that the American Minister, uncertain what course to pursue, declined to commit his government to the fortunes of the party which had seized the supreme power. Offended by this conduct, tlie Executive of France complained, through its minister at Philadelphia, of the conduct of the American Minister, and of the lit- tle sympathy exhibited by the American Government to those who had so lately, so generously, and so suc- cessfully aided them in their own struggle for liberty. Our Government, responding to these complaints, in- structed Mr. Morris that the United States recognized tlie right of every nation to govern itself according to its own will ; to change its institutions at discretion ; and to transact its business tlirough whatever agents it might think proper; and that, consequently, the administration entertained no doubt of the propriety of recognizing the existing authority in France, what- ever form it might assume. lie was also directed to seize every occasion to confirm and strengthen the alliance l)etween the two countries. These instructions expressed the feelings of the Pres- ident, whose attachment to tlie French nation was as strong as consisted with a due regard to the interests of his own country. Devoted to the principles of real liberty, and approving unequivocally the Re^ u])lican form of government, he earnestly hoped that the French would tliemselves estal)lish a Republic which gkorgl; washing on. 193 should secure to that people the inestimable blessings of Liberty ; but he could not forget that it was the deposed King himself who had given to the hard pressed colonies that assistance which had enabled them to achieve their independence ; nor was he wil- ling to imperil the fortunes of his own country by involving it in the deadly contest which was deluging the soil of France with blood. He therefore resolved to maintain the strictest neutrality between the con_ tending factions, and to carefully avoid becoming com. plicated in their quarrels. Not much time elapsed after his second inaugura- tion before an occasion presented itself for testing the firmness of his resolution. Early in April, (1793), the people of the United States learned that the French had declared war against England and Holland. The event produced the profoundest agitation. There was an almost universal feeling that it was criminal to be uncon- cerned spectators of a conflict between their an- cient enemy and Kepublican France. Men of all parties partook of it. The few who did not do so were held up as objects of popular detestation, and were denounced as the tools of Britain, and as the satellites of despotism. But the disposition to actually engage in the w^ar w^as far from being general. The inclination of the people was to the full indulgence of tlie most extrav- agant partiality, but not to an involvement in the consequences which that indulgement would infallibly 194 GEORGK WASHIJN^GTON. produce. The situation was one in which the wisdom and foresight of an enlightened government was in- dispensably necessary to prevent the nation from pre- cipitating itself into war. Washington was at Mount Yernon when he heard of the French declaration of war. He wrote imme- diately to the Secretary of State, avowing his deter- mination to maintain a strict neutrality, and directing him to take instant measures to prevent privateers from being fitted out in any American port. On the 17th of April he reached Philadelphia, and after con- sulting his Cabinet, determined that he would receive a Minister of the French Kepublic, if one should present his credentials ; and on the 22d of April 1Y93, published a proclamation of neutrality, which there- after being rigidly enforced, saved this country from being drawn into the vortex of the great wars, which raged in Europe for many years with such great vio- lence. Our relations with Great Britain had also become very unsatisfactory. Accusations were made by both Governments of infractions of the Treaty of Peace of 1783, and that its stipulations had not been carried out, and both began to resort to measures of retalia- tion. To avert war, "Washington determined to send the Chief-Justice, John Jay, as a Special Minister to England. (April, 1796). A treaty was concluded by him, which was not by any means satisfactory to the President ; but he, belieWng that war would inevita- bly follow its rejection, submitted it to the Senate. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 195 That body reluctantly ratified it by a bare constitu- tional majority (June, 1795). Its publication created the intensest excitement, and developed the bitterest opposition to the Treaty. But the President never- theless signed it, August 13th 1795. Washington had reluctantly accepted the Presidency the second time. He was resolved to decline a third ©lection and signified this purpose in a Farewell Ad- dress — a paper unrivalled for the vigor of its language, the soundness of its maxims, the wisdom of its coun- sels, and the purity and elevation of its sentiments. In- it he urged the maintenance of " the unity of the Gov- ernment " as " a main pillar in the edifice of real in- dependence ; the support of tranquillity at home, peace abroad, safety, prosperity and liberty." He regretted that " any ground should be furnished for characteriz- ing parties by geographical discriminations — Northern and Southern, Atlantic and Western" — and warned the people against innovations on the principles of the Constitution, \vhile retaining its forms. It was published on the 15th of September (1796), and produced in every class of the community a sensa- tion which has been as lasting as it was strong. The sentiments of veneration with which it was generally received were manifested in almost every part of the Union. Some of the State Legislatures directed it to be inserted at large in their jom-nals ; and near- ly all of them passed resolutions expressing their respect for the person of the President, their high sense of his exalted services, and the emotions with 196 GEORGE WASHINGTON. which they contemplated his retirement from office. In the election which followed, John Adams was elected President, and Thomas Jefferson Yice-Presi- dent. On the 4th of March (1797) they were inaugu- rated, and Washington ceased to be President. CHAPTER XX. AFTER THE PRESIDENCY. Being once more a private citizen, and having al- ready made preparation for his departure from the Capitol, he proceeded immediately with his family to Mount Yernon. He was welcomed, as he went thith- er, with as ardent demonstrations of attachment as when clothed with the dignity and powers of office. On approaching Baltimore he was met by a military escort and a large concourse of her people, who ac- companied him into the city ; and it was not till he had actually reached Mount Yernon that he could say that he was no longer a public man. No one, at this day, doubts the msdom and the suc- cess of Washington's administration, nor its beneficent influence upon the character of the Government ; and never was the country more prosperous than while he was its Chief Magistrate. Credit was restored and established on a firm basis ; the public debt was pro- vided for, and its ultimate payment secured ; com- merce increased beyond example ; the tonnage of our ports was doubled ; imports and exports were greatly augmented, and the revenues increased beyond expec- tion; the war with the Indians was successfully 197 198 GEORGE AVASMINGTON. (dosed an I the security of the frontier assured; and treaties were made with foreign powers, whereby old disputes were settled and important privileges gained. Being once more at Mount Ycrnon, Washington readily returned to the same habits of life and the same pursuits, which he had always practiced there. He found that much was to be done to repair his houses, to restore his farms to the condition in which he had left them, and to complete his system of agri- culture ; and to these employments he devoted himself earnestly, and with unfailing pleasure. Writing to a friend, at this time, he says that he arose with sun, that as soon as he had breakfasted he mounted his horse and rode over his farm till it was time to dress for dinner, " at which I rarely miss," says he, " to see stranger faces come, as they say, out of respect for me, and how^ different is this from having a few social friends at a cheerful board ! Then a walk and tea l^rings me within the dawn of candle-light ;" after whicli he acknowledged the letters he Lad received. In this manner a year passed aw^ay ; wdien once more he was called to serve his country. The French Directory was committing outrages and insults against the United States, which no independent nation could brook. President Adams convened Congress, and, sub- mitting the subject to them, recommended preparations for war. That everything might be done to escape that alternative, two envoys extraordinary John Mar- shall and Eldridge Gerry, were sent to France to make one more effort, in conjunction with the American Min ©EORGE WASHINaTON. 199" ister there, Mr. Pincknej, to preserve peace. This mission failed entirely, and Congress authorized the President to enlist ten thousand men as a Provisional army, and to call them into actual service if war should be declared by France, or whenever there was danger of an invasion. The President straightway nominated Washington Lieutenant-General and Commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States, and the nomination was unanimously confirmed by the Senate the next day (July 3 1798). The Secretary of War himself bore the commission to Mount Yernon. Washington accepted the appointment with two reservations : first, that the principal officers should be such as he approved ; and that lie himself should not be required to take the field till ]iis presence there should become necessary. He also declared that he would not receive any emoluments of the office, until he should actually incur expense, and only to that extent. At his request, Alexander Hamilton was commis- sioned as Inspector-General, with rank next to himself, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and Henry Knox w^ere appointed Major Generals. Knox, offended by being ranked by men who had been his juniors, de- clined the appointment. From this time to the end of his life a great part of Washington's attention was given to the affairs of the new army. His correspondence with the Secretary of War and with the officers of the army was unremit- ting and very full, and showed that the vigor and fer- 200 GEORGE WASHINGTON tilitj of his mind were still unimpaired. He spent a month in Philadelphia with Hamilton and Pinckney, making arrangements for raising and organizing the army, and after the plan was finished, applied himself with all the ardor of his younger days to put it into ■execution. He never seriously apprehended that the French would actually invade the country, but he firmly be- lieved that the surest way to prevent war was to pre- pare for it. His opinion proved to be correct. The French, seeing that our Government was sustained by the people, intimated a willingness to enter into nego- tiations. The President again sent three envo^^s with full power to negotiate. Before they arrived in Paris Napoleon had overthrown the Directory, and was at the head of affairs. Having taken no part in the preceding disputes, and seeing no advantage in con- tinuing them, he readily received the envoys, and the disputes between the two countries were peacefully settled. Washington did not live to share in the joy which the country felt at the restoration of peace. On Fri- day, the 13th of December, (1799) while attending to some improvements upon his estate, he was exposed to a light rain, by which his neck and hair became wet. Not apprehensive of danger from this circum- stance, he passed the afternoon in his usual manner ; but in the night he was seized with an inflammatory affection of the windpipe. The disease commenced with a violent ague, accompanied with some soreness OE •llGl': W\SHIN.IT()N. 201 of throat, which bj Saturday morning had become so severe, that lie breathed and spoke with difficulty. About 11 o'clock in the morning Dr. Craik arrived. Per- ceiving the extreme danger of the case, he requested that two consulting physicians should be immediately sent for. But the utmost exertions of medical skill were applied in vain. The powers of life were manifestly yielding to the force of the disease. Speaking, which was painful from the beginning, became almost im- practicable; respiration became more and more im- perfect and contracted, until half-past eleven, Satur- day night (December 14:th 1799), when, retaining the full possession of his intellect, he expired without a struggle. Believing from the commencement of his com- plaint that its conclusion would be mortal, he had economized his time in arranging, with the utmost serenity, those few concerns which required his atten- tion, and had awaited the inevitable hour with every demonstration of that equanimity for which his life was so uniformly and singularly conspicuous. On Wednesday, the 18th of December, his body was de- posited in the family vault at Mount Vernon. On the same day the news reached Philadelphia, where the Congress was in session. On the next day, John Marshall, afterwards Chief -Justice, and then a member of the House, after recounting the public acts of AVashington in an eloquent and pathetic speech, offered resolutions that the House wait upon the President, to condole with him on the occasion; 202 "GEORGE WASHINGTON. and that a joint committee of the two Houses be ap- pointed, " to pay due honors to the memory of the man, who was first in war, first in peace, and first ia the hearts of his fellow-citizens." General Henry Lee was appointed to deliver an oration before Congress ; the people were requested to observe his birth-day, and imposing funeral ceremo- nies were celebrated. The mourning was universal, and was respected everywhere, and in all appropriate ways. The honors which he received abroad are such as have no paral- lel. Bonaparte issued an order of the day to the French armies, announcing his death, and directing all the standards and flags of the Republic to be draped with black crape. A splendid ceremony took place in the Champ de Mars, and a funeral oration was pronounced in the Hotel des Invalides, in the presence of Napoleon, and the chief civil and mili- tary authorities of France. The whole British fleet at Torbay, on hearing the intelligence of his death, displayed its colors at half-mast in honor to his mem- ory. CHAPTER XXI. HIS CHARACTER. Washington, like most of the Virginians of his day, was utterly opposed to the institution of slavery, and sought to promote emancipation by every legal means. In 1774 he had, as chairman of a committee appointed by a meeting in Fairfax County, drafted resolutions declaring that " no slaves ought to be imported into any of the British colonies on this Continent," and expressing " the most earnest wishes to have an entire stop put forever to such a wicked, cruel and unnatural traffic." In 1783 he wrote to Lafayette, who had bought an estate in Cayenne in order to emancipate the slaves, that he would be most happy to join him in so laudable a work. " It is," says he, " a generous and noble proof of your humanity. Would to God a like spirit might diffuse itself in the hearts of the peo- ple of this country ! Emancipation might, and assur- edly ought ^ to be effected, and that too, by Legislative authority." He would have set free his own slaves while he was yet living, but was prevented by the fact that Mrs. Washington's, with whose his own were inter- married, had been entailed upon her, and could not be set free till her death. Ho therefore provided by his 203 r^ 204: GEORGE WASHINGTON. will for the emancipation of all when she should die. The old and the feeble were carefully provided for. The young ones were to be liberated when they reached twenty-five, and were meanwhile to be taught to read and to write ; and he expressly forbade the transporta- tion of any one of them out of the Commonwealth. He also enjoined it upon his executors to see that the clause respecting slaves and every part thereof " should be religiously fulfilled, without evasion, neglect, or delay." Great as was the fame of Washington while he lived, and venerated as was his name, it is only in our day that mankind have begun to comprehend the greatness of his understanding and the grandeur of his character. But even then the great ones of the earth recognized his wisdom and his virtues. Frederick the Great and I^a- poleon measured him aright ; Chatham and Erskine and Grattan paid glowing tributes to his exalted worth ; Hamilton and Jefferson felt and acknowledged his mastery; and John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States, knowing him w^ell, and having thor- oughly studied his life and character, describes him thus : "He made no pretensions to that vivacity which fascinates, or to tliat wit which dazzles, and frequently imposes upon the understanding. More solid than bril- liant, judgment rather than genius constituted the most prominent feature of his character. " As a military man he was brave, enterprizing and cautious. Inferior to his adversary in the number, in GEORGK WASHINGTON. 205 the equipment and in the discipline of his troops, it is evidence of his merit that no great and decisive advan- tage was ever obtained over him, and that the oppor- tunity to strike an important blow never passed away unused. He has been termed the American Fabius ; but those who compare his actions with his means will perceive as much of Marcellus as of Fabius in his character. " In his civil administration, as in his military ca- reer, were exhibited ample and repeated proofs of that practical good sense, of that sound judgment, which is- perhaps the most rare, and certainly the most valuable, quality of the human mind. " No man has ever appeared upon the theatre of pub- lic action, whose integrity was more incorruptible, or whose principles were more perfectly free from the con- tamination of selfish and unworthy passions. His ends were always upright, and his means were always pure." From that day to this his fame has grown in great- ness and in brightness, and yet the half has not been told of his virtues and his wisdom. One of the latest and best of English historians^ (Green,) says of him : " No nobler figure ever stood in the forefront of a nation's life. Washington was grave and courteous in address ; his manners were simple and unpretending ; his silence and the serene calmness of his temper spoke of a perfect self-mastery ; but there was little in his outer bearing to reveal the grandeur of soul, which 206 GEORGE WASHINGTON. lifts his figure with all the simple majesty of an an- cient statue, out of the smaller passions, and the mean- er impulses, of the world around him. As the wearv fight for independence went on, the colonists learned little by little, the greatness of their leader, his clear, judgment, his heroic endurance, his silence under diffi- culties, his calmness in the hour of danger or defeat, the patience with which he waited, the quickness and hardness with which he struck; the lofty and serene sense of duty that never swerved from its task through resentment or jealousy, that never through war or peace felt the touch of a meaner ambition, that knew no aim save that of guarding the freedom of his fel- low countrymen, and no personal longing save that of returning to liis own fireside when their freedom was secured. It was almost unconsciously that men learned to cling to him with a faith and trust which few men have won, and to regard him with a reverence which still hushes us in the presence of his memory." And Lecky writes : "Of all the great men in history he was invariably the most judicious, and there is scarce- ly a rash word, or action, or judgment recorded of him. No act of his public life can be traced to personal ca- price, ambition, or resentment. In the despondency of long failui'e; in the elation of sudden success; at times when his soldiers were deserting hy hundreds, and when malignant plots were formed against his reputation; amid the constant quarrels, rivalries and jealousies of his subordinates ; in the dark hour of national ingratitude as well as in the midst of universal GEORGE WASHmGTON. 207 flattery ; he was always the" same calm, wise, just and single-minded man, pursuing the course whicli he be- lieved to be right, without fear, or favor, or fanati- cism ; equally free from the passions which spring from interest and from those that spring from imagination. He was, in the highest sense of the word, a gentleman and a man of honor, and he carried into public life the severest standard of private morals. It was always known by his friends, and it was soon acknowledged by the whole nation and by the English themselves, that in Washington America had found a leader who could be induced by no earthly motive to tell a false- hood, or to break an engagement, or to do any dishon- orable act. There is scarcely another instance in his- tory of a man of this moral type, who has reached and maintained the highest position in the convulsions of civil war, and of a great popular agitation. And no fact shows so eminently the high intelligence of the men who managed the American Kevolution as then* selection of a leader, whose qualities were so much more solid than brilliani, and who was so entirely free from all the characteristics of a demagogue." And Everett expresses the universal judgment of all men who have studied the history of Washington's life, and of the times in which he lived, in these nota- ble words : " He teas the greatest of good inen^ and the lest of great men.'''' ^ m ^s^fi ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^S ^^8 ^^^ ^^^ ^^m ^^fe ^^§ ^^m ^S ^^S