"^o '■^.. ^ aN^ ♦jCC' V^^^'V %,-'f.r.* .0'' V '•!^- ,/ % y ^^ k* -^ .:.^w,^ J'-'\ '.^0: ^^'\ ■j..^^... '- .^**yi-:i!^'.V ./..i^.>o .,**\c:^.V / ■.• /-^ -i ^-^ .0^ >- - ,^1°.* "Www?" c,*7^ •'^ii^" A^'^ o'^^^fv^* ^^' 0' Courageous in Youth Exalted in Manhood Beloved in Old Age SQaVENIR COMPLIMENTS OF THE NATIONAL FRATERNAL LEAGUE NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT cy.^n COPY, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON Arrang^an^Fublished By GEO.^ HMVOODRUFF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: 1899 29412 Copyright 1899 By GEORGE H. WOODRUFF. TWO eOHIKS (^«ei:ivEQ. \'b^'^'^ ^«)i,.vi.cta, Heaven's high behest no preface needs.—Milton. "It was a custom among the ancient Romans," says an eminent writer, " to preserve, in wax, the figures of those, among their ancestors, who were of noble birth, or had been more nobly advanced to the chair of honor by their personal merits and rare ex- ploits. Sallust relates, that— 'Scipio, and other great men, by be- holding those likenesses, found enkindled in their breasts so ardent a thirst after virtue as could not be extinguished, till, by the glory of their own actions they had equalled the illustrious objects of their emulation.'— These means and motives maybe very good, but it belorigs to Christianity alone to inspire her most affectionate friends with views infinitely higher and more imperishable. The good sense and experience of mankind, confirmed by the lapse of ages, have fixed this point, that example is that sort of silent rhetoric which at the same time convinces and persuades." In every respect a great and meritorious man, George Wash- ington was an example to the world, and in Masonic Circles his memory will always be cherished as that of an Ideal Man and Mason. The 100th anniversary of his death will be celebrated with fitting ceremonies by the Free Masons of the United States, under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, at Alexandria and Mt. Vernon, on December 14th, 1899. It is not, therefore, wholly from mercenary motives, nor without some sense of propriety, that the National Fraternal League, an association organized by Masons and for Masons, presents this Biographical Sketch at this time to the seventeen thousand members of the Fraternity in Connecticut. The subject matter of the sketch is a collection from various historical sources, with no attempt at anything but a very mod- est portrayal of those important events in the life of Washington which will ever be of universal interest. G. H. w. "No species of writing seems more worthy of cultivation than biography, since none can be more dehghtful or more useful, nor can more certainly enchain the heart by irresistible in- terest, or more widely diffuse instruction to every diversity of condition." — Dr. Samuel Johnson. (Beorge Masbingtott, Commander-in-Chief of the American army during the war with Great Britain, and first President of the United States, was the son of Augustine Washington,^ and was born at a place then known as Bridges' Creek, in the county of Westmoreland, Vir- ginia, February 22, 17 32. His great-grandfather, John Wash- ington, had imigrated to that place from the north of England, about the year 1657. At the age of twelve years he lost his father, and the patrimonial estate descended to his elder half-brother, Lawrence Washington, who, in the year 1740, had been engaged in the expedition against Carthagena. In honor of Admiral Ver- non, who commanded the fleet employed in that enterprise, the estate was called Mount Vernon. At the age of fifteen, agreeably to his brother's, as well as his own urgent request, to enter into the British navy, the place of a midshipman in a vessel of war, then stationed on the coast of Virginia, was obtained for him. Everything was in readiness for his departure, when the fears of a timid and affectionate mother prevailed upon him to abandon his proposed career on the ocean, and were the means of retaining him upon the land to be the future vindicator of his country's rights. All the advantages of educa- tion which he enjoyed were derived from a private tutor, who instructed him in English literature and the general principles of science. After his disappointment with regard to entering the navy, he devoted much of his time to the study of the mathemat- ics, and, in the practice of his profession as a surveyor, he had an opportunity of acquiring that information respecting the value of vacant lands which afterwards greatly contributed to the increase of his private fortune. 1. Augustine Washington was twice married. By his first marriage with Jane Butler, there were four children; by his second marriage with Mary Ball, in 1730, there were six children, of which George was the oldest. At the age of nineteen, when the mihtia of Vh'ginia were to be trained for actual service, he was appointed an adjutant gen- eral with the rank of major. It was for a veVy short time that he discharged the duties of this office. In the year 1T53, the plan formed by France for connecting Canada with Louisiana by a line of posts, and thus of enclosing the British colonies and of estab- lishing her influence over the numerous tribes of Indians on the frontiers, began to be developed. In the prosecution of this design possession had been taken of a tract of land then believed to be within the province of Virginia. Dinwiddle, the lieutenant governor, being determined to remonstrate against the supposed encroachment and violation of the treaties between the two coun- tries, despatched Major Washington through the wilderness to the Ohio, to deliver a letter to the commanding officer of the French, and also to^explore the country. This trust of danger and fatigue he executed with great ability. He left Williamsburg, October 31, 1753, the very day on which he received his commission, and at the frontier settlement of the Eng- lish engaged guides to conduct him over the Allegheny mountains. After passing them he pursued his route to the Monongahela, examining the country with a militar}" eye, and taking the most judicious means for securing the friendship of the Indians. He selected the forks of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers as a position which ought to be immediately possessed and fortified. At this place the French very soon erected Fort DuQuesne, which fell into the hands of the Enghsh in 1758, and was called by them Fort Pitt.^ Pursuing his way up the Allegheny to French Creek, he found at the fort upon this stream the commanding officer, to whom he delivered the letter from Mr. Dinwiddle. On his return he encountered great difficulties and dangers. As the snow was deep and the horses weak from fatigue, he left his attendants at the mouth of French Creek, and set out on foot, with his papers and provisions in his pack, accompanied only by a pilot by the name of Gist. At a place upon the Allegheny, called Murdering Town, they fell in with a hostile Indian who was one of a party then lying in wait, and who fired upon them not ten steps distant. 2. The present site of the city of Pittsburgh, Pa. They took him into custody and kept him until nine o'clock, and then let him go. To avoid pursuit, which they presumed would be commenced in the morning, they traveled all night. On reach- ing the Monongahela, they had a hard day's work to make a raft with a hatchet. In attempting to cross the river to reach a trader's house, they were enclosed by masses of ice. In order to stop the raft. Major Washington put down his setting pole, but the ice came with such force against it, as to jerk him into the water. He saved himself by seizing one of the raft logs. With difficulty they landed on an island, where they passed the night. The cold was so severe that the pilot's hands and feet were frozen. .The next day they crossed the river upon the ice. Washington arrived at Williamsburg, January 16, 1754. His journal, which evinced the solidity of his judgment and his fortitude, was pub- lished. As the French seemed disposed to remain on the Ohio, it was determined to raise a regiment of three hundred men to maintain the claims of the British Crown. The command was given to a Mr. Fry ; and Major AVashington, who was appointed lieutenant . colonel, marched with two companies early in April, 1754, in advance of the other troops. A few miles west of the Great Meadows he surprised a French encampment in a dark, rainy night, and only one man escaped. Before the arrival of the two remaining companies, Mr. Fr}- died, and the command now fell on Colonel Washington. Being joined by two other companies of regular troops from South Carolina and New York, after erecting a small stockade at the Great Meadows, he proceeded towards Fort Du Quesne, which had been built but a short time, with the intention of dislodging the French. He had marched only thirceen miles to the westernmost foot of Laurel Hill, before he received information of the approach of the enemy with supe- rior numbers, and was induced to return to his stockade. He began a ditch around it, and called it Fort Necessity ; but the next day, July 3, he was attacked by fifteen hundred men. His own troops were only about four hundred in number. The action com- menced at ten in the morning and lasted until dark. A part of the Americans fought within the fort, and a part in the ditch filled with mud and water. Colonel Washington was himself on the outside of the fort during the whole day. The enemy fought under cover of the trees and high grass. In the course of the night articles of capitulation were agreed upon. The garrison were allowed to retain their arms and baggage, and to march unmolested to the inhabited parts of Virginia. The loss of the Americans in killed and wounded was supposed to be about a hundred, and that of the enemy about two hundred. In a few months afterwards orders were received for settling the rank of the officers, and those who were commissioned by the King being directed to take rank of the provincial officers, Colonel Washing- ton indignantly resigned his commission. He now retired to Mount Vernon, that estate, by the death of his brother, having devolved upon him. In the Spring of 1755, he accepted an invitation from Gen- eral Braddock to enter his family as a volunteer aid-de-camp in his expedition to the Ohio. He proceeded with him to Wills' Creek, afterwards called Fort Cumberland, in April. After the troops had marched a few miles from this place, he was seized with a raging fever, but, refusing to remain behind, he was con- A^eyed in a covered wagon. By his advice twelve hundred men were detached in order to reach Fort DuQuesne before an expected reinforcement should be received at that place. These disencum- bered troops were commanded by Braddock himself, and Colonel Washington, though still extremely ill, insisted on proceeding with them. After they arrived upon the Monongahela he advised "the General to employ the ranging companies of Virginia to scour the woods and to prevent ambuscades ; but his advice was not followed. On the ninth of July, when the army w^as within seven miles of the Fort DuQuesne, the enemy commenced a sudden and furious attack, being concealed by the wood and high grass. Washington was the only aid that was unwounded, and on him devolved the whole duty of carrying the orders of the commander- in-chief. Though he had two horses shot under him, and four balls through his coat, he escaped unhurt, while every officer on horse- back was either killed or wounded. Dr. Craik, the physician who attended him in his last sickness, was present in this battle, and 10 says: " I expected every moment to see him fall. Nothing but the superintending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him." After an action of three hours the troops gave way in all directions, and Colonel Washington and two others brought off Braddock, who had been mortally wounded. He attempted to rally the retreating troops, but, as he says him- self, it was hke endeavoring to stop the wild bears of the moun- tains. The conduct of the regular troops was most cowardly. The enemy were few in munbers and had no expectation of vic- tory. In a sermon occasioned by this expedition the Rev. Dr. Davies, of Hanover county, thus prophetically expressed himself : "As a remarkable instance of patriotism I may point out to the public that heroic youth. Colonel Washington, whom I cannofbut hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a manner for some important service to his country." For this purpose he was indeed preserved, and at the end of twenty years he began to render his country more important services than the minister could have anticipated. From 1755 to 1758 he commanded a regiment which was raised for the protection of the frontiers, and during this period he was incessantly occupied in efforts to shield the exposed settle- ments from the incursions of the savages. His exertions were in a great degree ineffectual, in consequence of the errors and the pride of government, and of the impossibility of guarding, with a few troops, an extended territory from an enemy who were adverse to open warfare. He in the most earnest manner recommended offensive measures as the only method of giving complete protec- tion to the sacred settlements. In the year 1758, to his great joy, it was determined to undertake another expedition against Fort DuQuesne, and he engaged in it with zeal. Early in July the troops were assembled at Fort Cumberland, and here, against all the remonstrances and arguments of Colonel Washington, Gen- eral Forbes resolved to open a new road to the Ohio, instead of taking the old route. Such was the predicted delay, occasioned by this measure, that in November it was resolved not to proceed further during that campaign. But intelligence of the weakness of the garrison induced an alteration of the plan of passing the winter in the wilderness. By slow marches they were enabled on the 25th of November, to reach Fort DuQuesne, of which peace- ful possession was taken, as the enemy on the preceding night set- ting it on 'fire had abandoned it, and proceeded down the Ohio. The works in this place were repaired, and its name was changed to that of Fort Pitt. The success of the expedition was to be attributed to the British fleet, which intercepted reinforcements destined for Canada., and to events in the Northern colonies. The great object, which he had been anxious to effect, being now accomplished, and his health being enfeebled, Colonel Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the troops raised in Virginia. Soon after his resignation he married Mrs. Custis, a widow, a young lady, to whom he had been for some time strongly attached, and who, to a large fortune and a fine person, added those amiable accomplishments which fill with silent felicity the scenes of domestic life. His attention for several years was prin- cipally directed to the management of his estate, which had now become considerable. He had nine thousand acres under his own management. So great a part was cultivated, that in one year he raised seven thousand bushels of wheat and ten thousand bushels of Indian corn. His slaves, and other persons emploj^ed by him, amounted to near a thousand, and the woollen and linen cloth necessary for their use was chiefly manufactured on the estate. He was at this period a respectable member of the Legislature of Virginia, in which he took a decided part in opposition to the principle of taxation asserted by the British Parliament. He also acted as a judge of a county court. In 1774 he was elected a member of the first Congress, and was placed on all those committees whose duty it was to make arrangements for defence. In the following year, after the battles of Lexington and Concord, when it was determined by Congress to resort to arms. Colonel Washington was unanimously elected commander-in-chief of the army of the United Colonies.^ All were satisfied as to his quahfications, and the delegates from New England were particularly pleased with his election, as it would 3. He was elected Thursday, June 15, 1T75. 12 tend to unite the southern colonies cordially in the war. He accepted the appointment with diffidence, and expressed his inten- tion of receiving no compensation for his services, and only a mere discharge of his expenses. He immediately repaired to Cam- bridge, Mass., where he arrived on the 2nd of July. He formed the army into three divisions in order the more effectually to enclose the enemy, entrusting the division at Roxbury to General Ward, the division on Prospect and Winter Hills to General Lee, and commanding himself the centre at Cambridge. Here he had to struggle with great difficulties, with the want of ammunition, clothing and magazines, defect of arms and discipline, and the evils of short enlistments ; but, instead of yielding to despondence, he bent the whole force of his mind to overcome them. He soon made the alarming discovery that there was only sufficient powder on hand to furnish the army with nine cartridges for each man. With the greatest caution to keep this fact a secret, the utmost exertions were employed to procure a supply. Two vessels which had been dispatched to Africa obtained in exchange for N. E. rum all the gunpowder in the British forts ;^ and in the begin- ning of winter Captain Manly captured an ordnance brig, which furnished the American army with the precise articles of which it was in the greatest want. In September, General Washington despatched Arnold on an expedition against Quebec. In Febru- ary, 1776, he proposed to a council of his officers to cross the ice and attack the enemy in Boston, but they unanimously disap- proved of the daring measure. It was, however, soon resolved to take possession of the heights of Dorchester. This was done without discovery on the night of the 4th of March, and on the 17th the enemy found it necessary to evacuate the town. The recovery of Boston induced Congress to pass a vote of thanks to General Washington and his brave armv. In the belief that the efforts of the British would be directed towards the Hudson, he hastened the army to New York, where he himself arrived on the 14th of April. He made every exertion to fortify the city. While he met with the most embarrassing dif- 4. The two vessels were sent to Africa from Newport, R. I., early in 17T5, before Washing- ton was commissioned. 13 ficulties, a plan was formed to assist the enemy in seizing his per- son, and some of his own guards engaged in the conspiracy ; but it was discovered, and some who were concerned in it Avere exe- cuted. In the beginning of July, General Howe landed his troops at Staten Island, His brother, Lord Howe, who com- manded the fleet, soon arrived, and as both were commissioners for restoring peace to the Colonies, the latter addressed a letter to " George Washington, Esq," but the General refused to receive it, as it did not acknowledge the public character with which he was invested by Congress, in which character only he could have any intercourse with his lordship. Another letter was sent to " George Washington, etc., etc., etc." This, for the same reason, was rejected. After the disastrous battle of Brooklyn on the 27th of August, in which Stirling and Sullivan were taken prison- ers, and of which he was only a spectator, he withdrew the troops from Long Island, and in a few days he resolved to withdraw from New York. At a point then designated as Kipp's bay, about three miles from the city, some works had been thrown up to oppose the enemy ; but, on their approach, the American troops fled with precipitation. Washington rode towards the lines, and made every exertion to prevent the disgraceful flight. He drew his sword and threatened to run the cowards through ; he cocked and snapped his jjistols; but it was in vain. Such was the state of his mind at this moment that he turned his horse towards the advancing enemy, apj^arently with the intention of rushing upon death. His aids now seized the bridle of his horse and rescued him from destruction. JTew York was, on the same day, Sep- tember 15th, evacuated. In October he retreated to White Plains, where, on the 28tli, a considerable action took place, in which the Americans were overpowered. After the loss of Forts Washington and Lee he passed into New Jersey in November, and was pursued by a tri- umphant and numerous enemy. His army did not amount to three thousand, and it was daily diminishing; his men, as the winter commenced, were barefooted and almost naked, destitute of tents, and of utensils with which to diess their scanty pro- visions; and every circumstance tended to fill the mind with despondence. But General Washington was undismayed and firm. He showed himself to his enfeebled army with a serene and unembarrassed countenance, and they were inspired with the resolution of their commander. On the 8th of December he was obhged to cross the Delaware ; but he had the precaution to secure the boats for seventy miles upon the river, while the British were waiting for the ice to afford them passage. As his own army had been reinforced by several thousand men, he formed the resolu- tion of carrying the cantonments of the enemy by surprise. On the night of the 25th of December he crossed the river nine miles above Trenton, in a storm of snow mingled with hail and rain, with about two thousand and four hundred men. Two other detachments were unable to effect a passage. In the morning, precisely at 8 o'clock, he surprised Trenton and took a thousand Hessians prisoners, a thousand stand of arms, and six field-pieces. Twenty of the enemy were killed. Of the Americans two privates were killed and two frozen to death, and one officer and three or four privates were wounded. On the same day he re-crossed the Delaware with the fruits of his enterprise ; but in two or three days passed again into New Jersey, and concentrated his forces, amounting to five thousand, at Trenton. On the approach of a superior enemy under Cornwallis, January 2, 1777, he drew up his men, expecting an attack in the morning which would prob- abh^ terminate in a ruinous defeat. At this moment when it was hazardous, if not impracticable, to return into Pennsylvania, he formed the resolution of getting into the rear of the enemy and thus stop them in their progress towards Philadelphia. In the night he silently decamped, taking a circuitous route through Allentown to Princeton. A sudden change of the weather to severe cold rendered the roads favorable for his march. About sunrise his van met a British detachment on its way to join Corn- wallis, and was defeated by it; but as he came up he exposed himself to every danger and gained a victory. With three hun- dred prisoners he then entered Princeton. During this march many of his soldiers were without shoes, and their feet left the marks of blood upon the frozen ground. This hardship, and their want of repose, induced him to lead his army to a place of security 15 on the road to Morristown. Cornwallis in the morning broke up his camp and, alarmed for his stores at Brunswick, urged the pursuit. Thus the mihtary genius of the American commander rescued Philadelphia from the threatened danger, obliged the enem}', which had overspread Xew Jersey, to return to the neigh- borhood of New York, and revived the desponding spirit of his country. Having accomplished these objects, he retired to ]\Iorris- town, where he caused his whole army to be inoculated with the smallpox, and thus was freed from the apprehension of a calamity, which might impede his operation during the next campaign. On the last of May he removed his army to Middlebrook, about ten miles from Brunswick, where he fortified himself very strongly. An ineffectual attempt was made by Sir "William Howe to draw him from his position b}' marching towards Phila- delphia, but after Howe's return to New York he moved towards the Hudson in order to defend the passes in the mountains, in the expectation that a junction with Burgoyne, who was then upon the lakes, would be attempted. After the British general sailed from New York and entered the Chesapeake, in August, General Washington marched immediately for the defence of Philadelphia. On the 11th of September he was defeated at Brandy wine, with the loss of nine hundred in killed and wounded. A few days afterwards, as he was pursued, he turned upon the enemy, deter- mined upon another engagement, but a heavy rain so damaged the arms and ammunition, that he was under the absolute neces- sity of again retreating. Philadelphia was entered by Cornwallis on the ^Gth of September. On the Itli of October the American commander made a Avell-planned attack upon the British camp at Germantown ; but, in consequence of the darkness of the morn- ing and the imperfect discipline of his troops, it terminated in the loss of twelve hundred men in killed, wounded and prisoners. In December he went into winter quarters at Vallej' Forge, on the west side of the Schuj'lkill, about twentj'-five miles from Phila- delphia. Here his army was in the greatest distress for want of provisions, and he was reduced to the necessit}' of sending out parties to seize w4iat they could find. About the same time a combination, in which some members of Congress were engaged, 16 was formed to remove the commander-in-chief, and to appoint in his place Gates, whose successes of late had given him a high reputation. But the name of Washington was too dear to the great body of the Americans to admit of such a change. Not- withstanding the discordant materials of which his army was composed, there was something in his character which enabled him to attach both his officers and soldiers so strongly to him, that no distress could weaken their affection nor impair the vener- ation in which he was generally held. . Without this attachment to him the army must have been dissolved. General Conway, who was concerned in this faction, being wounded in a duel with General Cadwallader, and thinking his wound mortal, wrote to General Washington, " You are, in mj' ej'es, the great and good man." On the 1st of Febriiarj^ 1778, there were about four thousand men in camp unfit for duty for want of clothes. Of these scarcely a man had a pair of shoes. The hospitals also were filled with the sick. At this time the enemy, if they had marched out of their winter quarters, would easily have dispersed the American armj". The apprehension of the approach of a French fleet induced the British to concentrate their forces, and when they evacuated Philadelphia on the 17th of June, and marched toward New York, General Washington followed them. Contrary to the advice of a council he engaged in the battle of Monmouth on the 28th, the result of which made an impression favorable to the cause of America. He slept in his cloak on the field of battle, intending to renew the attack the next morning, but at midnight the British marched off in such silence as not to be discovered. Their loss in killed was about three hundred, and that of the Americans sixty-nine. As the campaign now closed in the middle states, the American army went into winter quarters in the neigh- borhood of the highlands upon the Hudson. Thus, after the vicissitudes of two j'ears, both armies were brought back to the point from which they set out. During the j-ear 1779, General Washington remained in the neighborhood of New York. In January, 1780, in a \^^nter memorable for its severity, his utmost exertions were necessarj- to save the arm}- from dissolution. The 17 soldiers in general submitted with heroic patience to the want of provisions and clothes. At one time they ate every kind of horse food but ha3^ Their sufferings at length were so great, that in March two regiments mutinied, but the mutiny was suppressed and the ringleaders secured. In September the treachery of Arnold was detected. In the winter of 1781, such were again the privations of the army, that a part of the Pennsylvania line revolted and marched home. Such, however, was still their patriotism that they delivered up several British emissaries ta General Wayne, who hanged them as spies. Committing the defence of the posts on the Hudson to Gen- eral Heath, General Washington, in August, 1781, marched with Count Rochambeau for the Chesapeake, to cooperate with the French fleet there. The seige of Yorktown commenced on the 28th of September, and on the 19th of October he reduced Corn- wallis to the necessity of surrendering, with upwards of seven thousand men, to the combined armies of America and France. The day after the capitulation, he ordered that those who were under arrest should be pardoned, and that divine service, in acknowledgment of the interposition of Providence, should be per- formed in all the brigades and divisions. This event filled America with joy, and was the means of terminating the war. Few events of importance took place in 1782. In March, 1783, he exhibited his characteristic firmness and decision in opposing an attempt to produce a mutiny by anonymous letters. His address to his officers on the occasion displays, in a remark- able degree, his prudence and the correctness of his judgment. When he began to read it he found himself embarrassed by the imperfection of his sight. Taking out his spectacles he said, " These eyes, my friends have grown dim, and these locks white in the service of my country ; 3'et I have never doubted her jus- tice." He only could have repressed the spirit which was break- ing forth. On the 19th of April a cessation of hostilities was pro- claimed in the American camp. In June he addressed a letter to the governors of the several states congratulating them on the result of the contest in the establishment of independence, and recommending an indissoluble union of the states under one 18 federal head, a sacred regard to public justice, the adoption of a proper peace establishment, and the prevalence of a friendly dis- position among the people of the several states. It was with keen distress, as well as with pride and admiration, that he saw his brave and veteran soldiers, who had suffered so much, and who had borne the heat and burden of the war, returning peaceabl}- to their homes without a settlement of their accounts or a farthing of money in their pockets. On the ^oth of November New York was evacuated, and he entered it accompanied b}- Governor Clinton and many other citizens. On the ith of December he took his farewell of his brave comrades in arms. At noon the principal officers of the armj- assembled at Frances' tavern, and their beloved commander soon entered the room. His emotions were too strong to be con- cealed. Filling a glass with wine, he turned to them and said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you; I most devouth^ wish that j^our latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." Having drank, he added, " I cannot come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged to jou if each of you will come and take me by the hand." General Knox, being pres- ent, turned to him. Incapable of utterance. Gen. Washington grasped his hand and embraced him; in the same affectionate manner he took his leave of each succeeding officer. In every eye was the tear of dignified sensibility, and • not a word was articulated to interrupt the silence and the tenderness of the scene. On the 2 .3rd of December, 1783, he resigned his commission to congress, then assembled at Annapolis. He delivered a short address on the occasion, in which he said, " I consider it an indis- pensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintendence of them to his holy keeping." He then retired to Mount Vernon to enjoy again the pleasures of domestic life. Here the expressions of the gratitude of his countrymen in affectionate addresses poured in upoii him, and he received every testimony of respect and veneration. 19 In his retirement, however, he could not overlook the public interests. He was desirous of opening by water-carriage a com- munication between the Atlantic and the western portions of our country, in order to prevent the diversion of trade down the Mississippi and to Canada, from which he predicted consequences injurious to the Union. Through his influence two companies were formed for promoting inland navigation. The legislature of Virginia presented him with three hundred shares in them, which he appropriated to public uses. In the year 1780 he was con- vinced, with other statesmen, of the necessity of substituting a more vigorous general government in the place of the impotent Articles of Confederation. Still he was aware of the danger of running from one extreme to another. He exclaims in a let- ter to Mr. Jay, ' ' What astonishing changes a few years are cap- able of producing ! I am told, that even respectable characters speak of a monarchial form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking; thence to acting is often but a single step. But how irrevocable, and tremendous I What a triumph for our enemies to verify their predictions ! What a triumph for the advocates of despotism, to find that we are incapable of gov- erning ourselves, and that systems, founded on the basis of equal liberty, are merely ideal and fallacious!" In the following year he was persuaded to take a seat in the convention which formed the present constitution of the United States, and he presided in that body. In 1780, he was unanimous- ly elected the first President of the United States. It was with great reluctance that he accepted this office. His feehngs, as he said himself, were like those of a culprit going to the place of exe- cution. But the voice of a whole continent, the pressing recom- mendation of his particular friends, and the apprehension, that he should otherwise be considered as unwilling to hazard his reputa- tation in executing a system which he had assisted in forming, de- termined him to accept the appointment. In April he left Mount Vernon to proceed to New York, and to enter on the duties of his high office. He everywhere received testimonies of respect and love. At Trenton, the gentler sex rewarded him for his success- ful enterprise, and the protection which he afforded them twelve 20 years before. On a bridge was erected a triumphal arch, orna- mented with laurels and flowers, and supported by thirteen pillars, each encircled with wreaths of evdi'green. On the front of the arch was inscribed in large, gilt letters, "T/je Defender' of the Mothers, will also protect their daughters.'''' At this place he was met by a party of matrons, leading their daughters, who were dressed in white, and who, with baskets of flowers in their hands, sung the following ode, written for the occasion : Welcome, mighty chief, once more, Welcome to this grateful shore ; Now no mercenar}' foe Aims again the fatal blow, Aims at thee the fatal blow. Virgins fair and matrons grave. Those thy conqu'ring arms did save. Build for thee triumphal bowers ; Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers, Strew your Hero's way with flowers. At the last line the flowers were strewn before him. After receiving such proofs of affectionate attachment, he arrived at New York, and was inaugurated first President of the United States on the thirtieth of April, 1789. In making the necessary arrangements of his household, he publicly announced, that neither visits of business nor of cere- mony would be expected on Sunday, as he wished to reserve that day sacredly to himself. At the close of his first term of four years he prepared a valedictory address to the American people, anxious to return again to the scenes of domestic life ; but, the earnest entreaties of his friends and the peculiar situation of his country, induced him to be a candidate for a second election. During his administration of eight years, the labor of establishing the different departments of a new government was accomplished ; and, he exhibited the greatest firmness, wisdom, and independence. He was an American, and he chose not to involve his country in the contests of Europe. He accordingly, with the unanimous ad- vice of his cabinet, consisting of Messrs. Jefferson, Hamilton, Knox, and Randolph, issued a proclamation of neutrality, April ^2, 1793; a few days afterwards, lie heard of the commencement of the war between England and France. This measure con- tributed in a great degree to the prosperity of America. Its adoption was the more honorable to the president, as the general sympathy was in favor of the sister republic, against whom it was said Great Britain had commenced war for the sole purpose of imposing upon her a monarchial form of government. He preferred the peace and welfare of his country to the breath of popular applause. Another act, in which he proved himself to be less regardful of the public partialities and prejudices, than of what he conceived to be the public good, was the ratification of the British treaty. The English government had neglected to sur- render the Western posts, and by commercial restrictions and in other ways had evinced a hostile spirit towards this country. To avert the calamnity of another war, Mr. Jay was nominated as envoy extraordinary, in April, 1704. In June, 1795, the treaty, which Mr. Jay had made, was submitted to the Senate, and was ratified by that body on the condition that one article should be altered. While the President was deliberating upon it, an incor- rect copy of the instrument was made public by a Senator, and the whole country was thrown into a state of extreme irritation. At this period, he in August conditionally ratified it, and in Februar}^, 1790, when it was returned from his Britannic Majesty with the proposed alteration, he declared it to be the law of the land. After this transaction, the House of Representatives requested him to lay before them the papers relating to the treaty, but he, with great independence, refused to comply with their request, as they could have no claim to an insi3ection of them, except upon a vote of impeachment, and as a compliance would establish a dangerous precedent. He had before this shown a disiDosition to maintain the authority vested in his office, by declining to affix his signature to a bill which had passed both Houses. As the period for a new election of a President of the United States approached, and after plain indications that the public voice would be in his favor, and when he probabl}" would be chosen for the third time unanimous!}^, he determined irrevocably to withdraw to the shades of private life. He published, in September, 1796> 22 his farewell address to the people of the United States. In the most earnest and affectionate manner he called upon them to cher- ish an immovable attachment to the National Union, to watch for its preservation with jealous anxiety, to discountenance even the suggestion that it could, in any event, be abandoned, and indig- nantly to frown upon the first dawning of every attempt to alien- ate any portion of our country from the rest. Overgrown military establishments he represented as particularly hostile to republican liberty. While he recommended the most implicit obedience to the acts of the established government, and reprobated all obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities ; he wished also to guard against the spirit of innovation upon the principles of the constitution. Aware that the energy of the system might be enfeebled by alterations, he thought that no change should be made without an evident necessity ; and that in so extensive a country as much vigor as is consistent with liberty is indispensable. On the other hand he pointed out the danger of a real despotism by breaking down the partitions between the several departments of government, by destroying the reciprocal checks, and consolidating the different powers. Against the spirit of party, so peculiarly baneful in an elective government, he uttered his most solemn remonstrances, as well as against inveterate antipathies or passionate attach- ments in respect to foreign nations. While he thought that the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly and impartially awake against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, he wished that good faith and justice should be observed towards all nations, and peace and harmony cultivated. In his opinion, honesty, no less in public than in private affairs, is always the best policy. Pro^adence, he believed, had connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue. Other subjects, to which he alluded, were the importance of credit, of economy, of a reduction of the public debt, and of literary institutions; above all, he recommended religion and morality as indispensably necessary to political pros- perity. "In vain," says he, "would that man claim the tribute 23 BBBfl of patriotism, who should lahor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and cit- izens." Bequeathing these counsels to his countrymen, he con- tinued in office until the 4th of March, 1707, when he attended the inauguration of his successor, John Adams, and, with compla- cenc}', saw him invested with the powers which had for so long a time been exercised by himself. He, then retired to Mount Ver- non, giving to the world an example, most humiliating to its Emperors and Kings; the example of a man, voluntarily disrob- ing himself of the highest authority, and returning to private life with a character having upon it no stain of ambition, of covetous- ness, of profusion, of luxury, of oppression, or of injustice. It was now that the soldier, the statesman, and the patriot, hoped to repose himself after the toils of so many years. But he had not been long in retirement before the outrages of Republican France induced our government to raise an army, of which, in Juh^, 1798, he was appointed commander-in-chief. Though he accepted the appointment, his services were not demanded, and he himself did not believe that an invasion would take place. Pacific overtures were soon made by the French Directory, but he did not live to see the restoration of peace. On Friday, December 13, 1799, while attending to some im- provements upon his estate, he was exposed to a slight rain, wet- ting his neck and hair. Unapprehensive of danger, he passed the afternoon in his usual manner, but at night he was seized with an inflammatory affection of the windpipe. The disease commenced with a violent ague, accompanied with some pain and a sense of stricture in the throat, a cough, and a difficult deglutition, which was soon succeeded by fever and a quick and laborious respira- tion. About twelve or fourteen ounces of blood were taken from him. In the morning his family physician, Dr. Craik, was sent for, and later in the day Dr. Dick of Alexandria, and Dr. Brown of Port Tobacco ; but the utmost exertions of medical skill were applied in vain. The appointed time of his death was near. Believing, from the commencement of his complaint, that it would be fatal, a few hours before his departure, after repeated efforts to be understood, he succeeded in expressing a desire that he might 24 be permitted to die without being disquieted by unavailing at- tempts to rescue him from his fate. After it became impossible to get anything down his throat, he undressed himself and went to bed, there to die. To his friend and physician, who sat on his bed, and took Iris head in his lap, he said, with difficulty, "Doctor, I am dying, and have been dying for a long time ; but, I am not afraid to die." Respiration became more and more contracted and imperfect, until between teii and eleven o'clock on Saturday night, when, retaining the full possession of his intellect, he ex- pired without a struggle. Thus, on the fourteenth day of Decem- ber, 1799, in the sixty-eighth yoRv of his age, died the father of his country, the man, "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."'^ This event spread a gloom over the country, and the tears of America proclaimed the services and virtues of the hero and sage, and exhibited a people not insensible to his worth. The Senate of the United States in an address to the President on this melancholy occasion, indulged their patri- otic pride, while they did not transgress the bounds of truth in speaking of their WASHINGTON : " Ancient and modern names," said they, " are diminished before him. Greatness and guilt have too often been allied; but, his fame is whiter than it is brilliant. The destroyers of nations stood abashed at the majesty of his virtue. It reproved the in- temperance of their ambition, and darkened the splendor of vic- tory. The scene is closed, and we are no longer anxious lest mis- fortune should sully his glory, he has travelled on to the end of his journey, and carried with him an increasing weight of honor; he has deposited it safely where misfortune cannot tarnish it, where malice cannot blast it." General Washington was rather above the common stature ; his frame was robust, and his constitution vigorous. His exterior created in the beholder the idea of strength united with manly gracefulness.'' His eyes were of a gray color, and his complexion light. His manners were rather reserved than free. His person and whole deportment exhibited an unaffected and indescribable 5. The resolution eoiitainins' this fitting expression was written by Gen. Henry Lee, (Light- horse Harry), andoffere^l by John Marshall, from Virginia, iu ths House of Representatives, December i9th, 1799. 6. His height was near 6 feet and 3 inches, and his weight about 220 pounds. LaFayette says his hands were "the largest he ever saw on a man." 25 dignity, unmingled with hautiness, of which all who approached him were sensible. The attachment of those who possessed his friendship was ardent, but always respectful. His temper was humane, benevolent, and concilatory ; but there was a quickness in his sensibility to anything apparently offensive, which experi- ence had taugnt him to watch and correct. He made no preten- sions to vivacity or wit. Judgment rather than genius consti- tuted the most prominent feature of his character. As a military man he "was brave, enterprising and cautious. At the head of a multitude, whom it was sometiiues impossible to reduce to proper discipline before the expiration of their time of service, and having to struggle almost continually with the want of supplies, he yet was able to contend with an adversary superior in numbers, well disciplined, and completely equipped, and was the means of saving his country. The measure of his caution has bj^ some been rep- resented as too abundant ; but he sometimes formed a plan, which his brave officers thought was too adventurous, and sometimes contrary to their advice he engaged in battle. If his name had not been rendered illustrious by splendid achievements, it could not have been attributed to the want of military enterprise. He conducted the war with that consumate prudence and wisdom, which the sitaation of his country and the state of his army de- manded. He also possessed a firmness of resolution, which neith- er dangers nor difficulties could shake. In his civil administra- tion he exhibited repeated proofs of that practical good sense, of that sound judgment, which is the most valuable quantity of the human mind. More than once he put his whole popularity to hazard in pursuing measures which were dictated by a sense of duty, and which he thought would promote the welfare of his country. In speculation he was a real Republican, sincerely attached to the Constitution of the United States, and to that system of equal political rights, on which it is founded. Real liberty, he thought, was to be preserved only by preserving the authority of the laws, and maintaining the energy of government. Of incor- ruptible integrity, his ends were always upright, and the means which he employed were always pure. He was a politician to whom wiles were absolutely unknown. "When any measure of importance was proposed, he sought information, and was ready to hear, without prejudice, whatever could be said in relation to the subject; he suspended his judgment until it was necessary to decide ; but after his decision had been thus deliberately made, it was seldom shaken, and he was as active and persevering in exe- cuting, as he had been cool in forming it. He possessed an inate and unassuming modesty, which adulation would have offended, which the plaudits of millions could not betray into indiscretion, and which was blended with a high sense of personal dignity, and a just consciousness of the respect which is due to station. General Washington was blessed with abundant wealth, and he was not ignorant of the pleasures of employing it for generous purposes. His style of living was dignified, though he main- tained the strictest economy. While he was in the army he wrote to the superintendent of his estate in the following terms : "Let the hospitality of the house be kept up with regard to the poor. Let no one go hungry away. If any of this sort of people should be in want of corn, supply their necessities, provided it does not encourage them in idleness. I have no objection to your giving my money in charity, when you think it will be well bestowed; I mean that it is my desire that it should be done. You are to con- sider, that neither myself nor my wife are in the way to do these good offices." Thus was he beneficent, while, at the same time, he required an exact compliance with engagements. A pleasing proof of the generous spirit which governed him is exhibited in his conduct towards the son of his friend, the Mar- quis De LaFayette. The Marquis, after fighting in this country for American liberty, had returned to France ; but in the convul- sions of the French revolution he was exiled and imprisoned in Germany. General Washington gave evidence of sincere attach- ment to the unhappy nobleman, not only b}^ exerting all his influ- ence to procure his release from confinement, but bj" extending his patronage to his son, who made his escape from France, and arrived, with his tutor, at Boston, in 1795. As soon as he was informed of his arrival, he wrote to a friend requesting him to visit the young gentleman, and make him acquainted with the 87 relation between this coiintr}- and France, which would prevent the President of the United States from publicly espousing his in- terest, but to assure him of his protection and support. He also directed his friend to draw upon him for money to defray all the expenses which j^oung LaFayette might incur. With regard to the religious character of General Washington there have been different opinions. His life was upright and vir- tuous. He seldom uttered a profane expression, but it is under- stood that in a few instances during the war, particularly when he met General Lee' retreating in the battle of Monmouth, his lan- guage was unguarded in this respect. On the other hand, Gen- eral Washington, when at the head of the army, issued public orders calling upon his officers to discountenance the habit of pro- fanity ; he speaks in his writings of the necessity of imitating those divine characteristics "charity, humility, and a pacific temper of mind;" he gratefully acknowledged the interposition of Provi- dence in favor of this country. He principally supported an Epis- 7. Geueral Charles Lee was a mi^st peculiar genius, anl the li^story oi his life is little else than the history of disputes, quarrels an :1 duels ia every part of the world. He was bi)rn in Wales, and seems to huve been pussessed of a military spirit, which le;l him to enter the army at an early age. He first came to America in 1?'56, and took part in the attack upon Ticonde- roga, in 1758, when Abercrombie was defeated. In 1763 he served as a colonel under Bur- goyne, in Portugal, and later entered llie I'lilish service. From 1771 to 1773 he rambled over all Europe, during which time he wasengageil in a duel with an officer in Italy, miu-dering his antagonist, escajjing. himself, with a loss at two fingers. He zeiilously supjicirted the cause of Amei-ica at the time ttie stamp aet was iiasseil. and having lrs. he was tried liy court martial and sentence 1 to be suspended for one year. Lee defended himself witli .great ability, and seems to have justified his retreat under the circiunstances. l)ut his disivsiiectful letters to the commander-in-chief could not be overlooked. He retired to his instate in Virginia, where he lived in a style peculiar to him- self. Glass windows and jilaster woidd have been extravagances in his house. His only companions were a few select autliors and his three dogs. He sold his estate in 1783, and removed to Philadelphia and took lodgings in an inn, but he was taken witli fever four days after his arrival, from which he died Octobers, 1783. In his person he was rather above medium size, and his remarkable a'piiline nose rendered his face s jmewliat disagreeable He was master of a most genteel address, yet rude in his manners and excessively ne.gligent in his appearance. As an officer he was brive and able, and did much towards disciplining the American army. He was a correct and elegant classical scholar, having acquired a competent copal Church m the neighborhood of Mount Vernon, where he constantly attended public worship.*^ Towards his slaves General Washington manifested the great- est care and kindness. Their servitude lay with weight upon his mind, and he directed in his will that they should be einancipated on the decease of his wife. There were insuperable difficulties in the way of their receiving freedom previous to this event. On the death of Martha Washington, May 22, 1802, the estate of General Washington, as he had no children, was divided according to his will among his and her relations. It amounted, by his own estimate, to more than five hruidred thousand dollars. The public addresses and other productions of General Wash- ington's pen are written in a style of dignified simplicity. Some have seen so much excellence in his writings that they have been ready to transfer the honor to his secretaries ; but nothing has appeared under his name, to which his own powers were inade- quate. A volume of epistles, confidential and domestic, attrib- uted to him, was published in 1777, and republished about the year 1796. Of these General Washington, in a letter to the Sec- retary of State, in 1797, declared the following to be forgeries: A letter to Lund Washington, dated June 12, 1776; a letter to John Parke Custis, dated June 18, 1776; letters to Lund AVashington, dated July 8, July 16 and July 22, 1777; and a letter to Mrs. Washington, dated June 24, 1776. His official letters to the American Congress, written during the war, were published in two volumes, .8vo., 1795. After his death his letters to Arthur Young and Sir John Sinclair on agriculture and the rural economy of the United States were published . The death of General Washington, created almost world- wide interest, and the noblest exertions of historians, poets, and artists were all called into action. At Birmingham, England, skill in Greek and Latin, while his fondness for traveling made him acquainted with the Italian, Spanish, German and P'rencli languages, and he both wrote and spoke his native language with propriety, force and beauty. His temper was severe. He was vindictive, avaricious, im- moral arid profane, and he ridiculed every tenet of religion. In his last will he directed that he should not be buried in any church or churchyard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Baptist meeting house. He had kept so much bad company in this country, when living, that he was unwilling, as he says, to continue it when dead. After his death memoirs of his life, with his essays and letters, were published. 8. The most authentic history says Washington was not a communicant. 29 a handsome medal of the great American was struck off and widely circulated. Round the profile are these words, "George Washington, ob. 1-i December, 1T99, AE. 68." On the reverse is the figure of Fame with her trumpet, having this inscription en- circled with oak and laurel, "Emancipator of America." Finally, what did Washington not do for his native country and the world that mortal man could do ? May the blessings he obtained for us continue to be most sacredl}' esteemed and reso- lutely guarded for the sake of a nation's honor and a nation's joy ! This real patriot, considered either in his militarj' or legislative capacity, possessed a degree of merit which taxes the powers of commendation. His prudence and fortitude in war, his wisdom and moderation during the period of his presidencj'^, to which he was twice elected, together with his determined firmness on other occasions, in preserving peace with the world, entitle him to the reverence and gratitude of mankind throughout succeeding gen- erations. Sweet Peace ! do thou his relics keep, With olives blooming round thy head : And stretch thy wings across the deep, To bless the nations with the shade. Stand on the pile immortal Fame, Broad stars adorn th}' brightest robe; Thy thousand voices sound his name, In silver accents round the globe. Flattery shall faint beneath the sound, AVhile hoary truth inspires the song : Env}' grow pale and bite the ground. And slander gnaw her fork}' tongue ! Night and the grave remove your gloom, Darkness becomes the vulgar dead ! But glory bids the patriot tomb. Disdain the horrors of a shade ! Glorj' with all her lamps shall burn. And watch the warrior's sleeping clay ; Till the last trumpet rouse his urn, To aid the triumphs of the day ! Watts. 80 George Washington was made a Mason in the old Lodge at Fredericksbarg, Virginia, having been Initiated November 4th, 1752; Passed March 3rd, 1753, and Raised August 4th, 1753, In 1779 he declined the office of Grand Master of the State, butin 1788 he was elected and served as Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge, (now Alexandria-Washington), No. 22, at Alexandria, Virginia. On April 30th, 1789, he was sworn in as President of the United States, the oath being administered upon the Bible of St. John's Lodge, of New York City, by the Grand Master of the State, Robert R. Livingston, who was also at that time Chancellor of New York. On September 18th, 1793, he laid the corner stone of the Capi- tol, as Grand Master pro tem. and Worshipful Master of No. 22, Virginia. He died on Saturday, December 14th, 1799, and was buried on Wednesday, December 18tli, with Masonic honors. 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