1'iM''^^v^/'U/'i.'k ^ V -^^Z" V '//\^ ■A f^l.J^- y \ ^^ 'i>^' 'ifti. ^- *1 .\ WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON BY CHARLES H. CALLAHAN 'Vr' Published under the auspices of the MEMORIAL TEMPLE COMMITTEE OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON MASONIC NATIONAL MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION Copyright, 1913. by ALEXANDRIA-WASHINGTON LODGE. No. 22. A. F. St A. M. rvATtONAL CAPITAI PRESS, IMC, WASmntJTClN, O. C. To My Wife 20249G2 CONTENTS CHAPTER. PAGE I. The Cavaliers, i II. John Washington, the Immigrant, 3 III. Lawrence Washington of Wakefield 7 IV. Augustine Washington, g V. Lawrence Washington of Mount Vernon, 21 VI. The Virginia Fairfaxes 29 VII. Washington, the Surveyor, 41 VIII. Washington's Mission to the French Commandant, ... 47 IX. Washington in Braddock's Campaign, 53 X. Washington's Defence of the Valley, 61 XI. Washington, the Civilian, 71 XII. Washington in the Revolution, loi XIII. Washington Again in Private Life 133 XIV. Washington, President of the United States 153 XV. Last Days and Death of Washington, 177 XVI. Resolutions of Congress and Tributes of Respect 197 XVII. Mrs. Martha Washington, her Children and Grandchildren, . . 211 XVIII. Bushrod Washington and his Successors at Mount Vernon, . . 231 XIX. Our Masonic Forebears, 253 XX. Masonic Incidents in the Life of Washington 265 XXI. Lodges No. 39 and 22 of Alexandria, Virginia, 281 XXII. Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, A. F. & A. M 297 XXIII. The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, . 329 Appendix: Washington's Will, Schedule, Appraisement of Property, and Declaration of Independence 343 PREFACE In adding another treatise on Washington to the many now extant a statement of the author's plan and purpose may not be out of place. No effort has been made to write a complete biography of our principal subject. Every phase of his public career has already many times been critically investigated and minutely recorded by those who have had that special object in view, but, in doing this, they have allowed his private life to become largely overshadowed by his official greatness, and it is in his private life, with its rural pastimes and rustic occupations, that we find best illustrated the beautiftd simplicity of his character. To make this more intimate and personal portrayal of the "Father of his Country" has been the writer's desire. At the same time he has found it necessary to present a brief synopsis of Washington's entire career that the narrative might appear as a connected whole. Nearly all the biographies of this great man, whether written on an extensive scale or in abbreviated form, properly close with his death and funeral. Large interest, however, has centered in those most closely associated with him in a domestic sense, and especially in his now historic home. Some account, therefore, is given of his devoted wife, her children and grandchildren, and her successors at Mount Vernon on the Potomac. Particular attention has been paid to the history of this famous estate, the story of which is traced from the acquisition of the original grant by John Wash- ington, the immigrant, down to the present time. Numerous illus- trations appropriate to the subject and maps of the surrounding country are furnished in order to bring the reader face to face with the people and places here recorded, and give him some idea of the relative location of the homes of those "lords of the manor" who were the cherished friends and nearest neighbors of the mighty chieftain, and to whom with gladdened heart he returned again and again after the turmoils and vicissitudes of public service. This volume is intended, also, to give in brief form the history of Washington's connection with Masonry and, in particular, his relation to Alexandria- Washington Lodge No. 22, of which he was VII VIII PREFACE the first Master. The data for this branch of the work has not been easily obtained, but with conscientious care, discarding many unfounded traditions and weighing scrupulously every fact adduced, it has been attempted to present to the Craft an accurate account of its most illustrious member. The author would be deficient in gratitude if he did not empha- size his appreciation of the invaluable assistance rendered, in the preparation of this work, by Mr. Lawrence Washington of the Library of Congress. A careful and observant student of history and, like his distinguished collateral ancestor, a zealous member of the Masonic Fraternity, he has not only pointed to the proper sources of informa- tion in the government's great store-house of literature but has generously tendered his private volvmies and supplied photographic copies of the family paintings in his home for use as illustrations. In conclusion, the writer indulges the hope that in pursuing these subjects he is transmitting, in condensed and consecutive form, an interesting story, woven about and around the cherished home of Washington and those intimately associated with its great proprietor, as well as faithfully recording historic data of a particular nature and of intrinsic worth. If such proves to be the case, the tedious hours of toilsome investigation and persistent endeavor will be amply rewarded. Charles H. Callahan. Alexandria, Va., 1913. THE CAVALIERS ^HK political turmoils and dissensions of the mother countr)^ incident to and resulting from the rise of Cromwell and the execution of Charles I in 1649, mark an epoch of deep interest and importance in American as well as English history. They forced into exile many of the friends of the unfortunate king, and enriched the colonies with a large contingent of the highly cul- tured and intellectual manhood of England. Driven by the perse- cutions of fanatical Roundheads to seek safety in foreign lands, these homeless and hounded Cavaliers turned to the wilds of America, the new and undeveloped country^ beyond the seas, for safe and tranquil refuge. Here, in the seclusion of her virgin forests, far from the blood- stained fields and civil strife of suffering Britain, and immune from the vigilant watch of the prying Cromwellite, they pitched their tents and cast their lot with the fortunes of the young and romantic col- onies; here, with no skulking spy nor eavesdropping Roundhead to interrupt or stifle an open avowal of political faith, no stem voice of command to challenge their allegiance to the crown or curb the indig- nant protests of injured honor, and with vehement assurance of cordial and continued welcome from a sympathetic host, they started anew the journey of life amid Utopian surroundings. Bringing with them the portable remnants of liberal patrimonies, they acquired, at nominal cost, vast landed estates and reared on the banks of the broad rivers of the Old Dominion their manoral castles. Surrounded by all the natural beauties a diversified landscape could supply, by every luxury a generous soil and salubrious climate could produce, and by every comfort that ingenious necessity and cultured taste could provide, the new land soon became to these royal outcasts a fulfilment of the cherished desires and expectations of a lifetime. The death of Cromwell in 1658, the restoration of Charles II in 1660, and the resumption of kingly authority restored to them their princely fortunes, but the former environments and narrow surround- ings of English life had lost their charm, and the expatriated Cavalier preferred the broad expanse of his American estate to the limited confines of even a baronial castle or the lordly palace of his ancestors. 2 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE) MASON. He was here to stay by choice, and by choice he would bring his fortune here and add it to the dower that nature and nature's God had bestowed upon the land of his adoption. The migratory movement which set in between 1640 and 1645 cannot be characterized as spasmodic or considered in the nature of a stampede. While every vessel brought its cargo of living freight, adding to the number already on the scene, there was no hysterical rush, no convulsive haste, but a constant, steady, human tide pouring into the alluring land of promise. We find that in 1650 the colony of ^'irginia contained about fifteen thousand people, and in twenty years, or in 1670, the number had increased to forty thousand. Thus, in the short space of two decades, England had lost twenty-five thousand of tlie best of her citizens, while Virginia and the world were destined to reap the benefit of the mother country's sacrifice. For among this immigrant army we find the ancestors of men who in later years were called to proclaim and establish human liberty, divide the British empire and change the map of the civilized world — the Washingtons, Masons, Lees, Randolphs, Madisons, Pendletons, Monroes, Careys, Henrys, Jeffersons, Pages, Lewises, Warners and innumerable others, whose descendants were as loyal to the colonies and tlie people as they themselves had been to the king and the crown. Under the superior guidance of this added force, the colony acquired new life and animation. Their increasing numbers dimin- ished the dangers and checked the invasions of the red men. Their perseverance and energy were equal to and commensurate with their cultured taste and distinguished lineage, while their wholesome influ- ence and salutary example proved an inspiration and gave momentum to the onward march of literary and industrial progress. Educational institutions were established, churches erected, and cities founded in rapid succession until the whole tidewater section, aye, from Piedmont to the ocean, seemed revitalized by the quickening influence of her adopted sons. The plough followed the rifle in close pursuit, and the sound of the axe and the grinding mill was heard in the primeval forest before the trail of the departing Indian was obscured by the falling trees. Thus the despised and banished Cavalier became an active, living force, and the pampered creature of inherited station was transformed into a leader in the onward march of Anglo-Saxon civiliza- tion — the representative of a sturdy people whose wholesome morality coming generations will look back upon with increasing veneration and, in their eff"orts to exalt themselves, will emulate the lives and adopt the moral standards and social customs of the Virginia Cavalier. — f ,i^iMr^ ^&9 OfH^ -'■^"if"*tf ..w. ./( -X" -C-. y JOHN WASHINGTON, THE IMMIGRANT © Y ALL the associations, ties and traditions of an ancient and honored ancestry, dating back to the remotest periods of English history and famed for its loyal support and adherence to the crown in every struggle from the days of William the Conqueror to the ascen- sion of Oliver Cromwell, John Washington, the great- grandfather of the first president of the United States and the refugee immigrant, was a Royalist and Cavalier to whom every sentiment of the Roundhead was offensive and intolerable. With his wife, two children and his brother Lawrence, he emigrated from South Cave in the East Riding of Yorkshire, near the city of Beverly, England, in 1657, and landing in Virginia, patented a large tract of land in West- moreland County about seventy-five miles below our present national capital. Mr. Washington established his residence on Pope's Creek, near its confluence with the Potomac River, where, later on, he erected a colonial mansion known as "Wakefield." Through a distressing fatality, his wife and both children died shortly after their arrival in the colony of Virginia, and in 1660 he married a second wife, Anne Pope, daughter of a neighboring planter, whose father's residence was probably adjacent to Wakefield. By this wife he had four children, Lawrence (1661), John (1663), Elizabeth (1665), and Anne (1667). Colonel Washington appears to have been a man of wealth and importance in the colony. Shortly after his arrival we find him actively participating in its commercial, military and political affairs. He was also an extensive planter and proprietor of several valuable estates. In 1670 he became associated with Nicholas Spencer in a maritime enterprise between Virginia and the mother country and, in consideration of valuable services rendered the colony for bringing in one hundred settlers or immigrants, he and his partner received from Thomas, Lord Culpeper, five thousand acres of land situated on the Potomac River between Epsewasson* and Little Hunting Creeks. This was the original grant to the Washington family, which has since become famous throughout the civilized world as "Mount Vernon on the Potomac." •Indian name for Dogue Creek and neighborhood. 4 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Elected to the House of Burgesses about 1665, he was commis- sioned a colonel in the colonial militia and in this capacity became a conspicuous figure in many of the important and tragic events of Bacon's rebellion. Resenting, and probably justly so, the encroach- ments of the white man upon their forest and stream and in retaliation for wrongs supposed or real, the Indians for a number of years con- tinued their harassing incursions upon the border settlements, to the constant annoyance and alarm of the hardy pioneers. The persistent but unanswered pleadings and appeals of the defenceless settlers to Governor Berkeley for protection aroused the liveliest indignation and resentment and produced acts of overt hostility in the House of Burgesses to his administration and authority, which finally resulted in open "rebelUon." In justice to the youthful and brave leader, Nathaniel Bacon, this uprising would be more properly designated as a "revolution," for, if ever a cause was just. Bacon's was; and, if giving valuable life as a sacrifice for the people's safety and defence constitutes a hero, Nathaniel Bacon must be regarded in that light by impartial historians. It was during this interesting and exciting period, as one of the supporters of this sterling young patriot, that John Washington, the immigrant refugee, came boldly to the front as lieutenant-colonel of the provincial militia and commanded the joint forces of Maryland and Virginia Rangers, which broke the backbone of Indian power and stopped for all time their depredations and massacres east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a singular fact that the last stand made and last battle fought between the red man and his pale-face adversary in tidewater was on what subsequently became part of the Mount Vernon estate, designated in the accompanying map (see facing page 177) as the "River Farm." The circumstances leading up to this encounter are briefly as follows : About the year 1675 a herdsman by the name of Robert Henn and a friendly Indian were brutally murdered on the upper Occoquan Creek (in Stafford, now Fairfax County), an estuary of the Potomac River, about ten miles below the present site of Mount Vernon. The crime was committed by a roving band of Dogue Indians, a remnant of what was once a powerful tribe, who held possession of this whole section and whose principal city, Assaomec, was at the mouth of Little Hunting Creek, not over two miles above where Mount Vernon mansion now stands. This outrage aroused the Burgesses to prompt and determined action, regardless of the opposition of Governor JOHN WASHINGTON, THE IMMIGRANT. 5 Berkeley, and, closely pursued by the Staflford Rangers, under Colonel George Mason (ancestor of the author of the " Virginia Bill of Rights") and Captain Giles Brent, of Richland (now Widewater), Stafford County, the savages were surprised in their wigwams and summarily dispatched. The few who escaped took refuge with the Piscataways in Mar)dand and having been joined by the Algonquins, Piscataways, Chickamuxins and other neighboring tribes, fortified themselves on a high bluff overlooking the Potomac River, at the mouth of Piscataway Creek, nearly opposite the Dogue City of Assaomec, and on the present site of Fort Washington. Here the savages, numbering some twenty- five hundred, securely barricaded and well-intrenched, made a last and determined stand. Resistance, however, was hopeless against the onslaught of the intrepid ranger. Colonel Washington, command- ing a joint force of about fifteen hundred Mar>'land and Virginia militia, soon dislodged them from their stronghold. Attacking with relentless vigor the last remnant of the once powerful red man, whose tribal governments held absolute dominion and whose kings ruled supreme from the mountains to the mother of waters and beyond on down to the deep slushes and black pocosons of the CaroUnas, he drove them over the "great wall" into the valley of the Shenandoah, where, nearly a hundred years later, as a humble surveyor, subdividing the lands of his lordly patron, the great-grandson of Colonel Wash- ington was to lay the foundation for the noblest career in histor}^ — • and, later still, as colonel of militia, was to exhaust every resource of human ingenuity in protecting the humble pioneer from the merciless onslaught of the same American savage. Colonel Washington's active career in the colony was now nearing its close. He had made his mark as a man of business energy and military skill. He had risked his life to protect and proffered his sympathy to encourage the hardy frontiersmen, in their privations and struggles, and they lamented his death with sincere and grateful sor- row. As early as 1661, he was churchwarden of old " White Chapel." Lancaster County, and, in honor of his public services and private virtues, the parish in which he resided was given and still retains the name of Washington. He died in 1677, at the age of fifty-four, and is buried in the family vault at Bridge's Creek, near the site of the man- sion and on the estate he had founded in 1657. Colonel Washington's will, dated February 26, 1675, was ad- mitted to probate in Westmoreland County on January 16, 1677. After expressing the most devout faith — " being heartily sorry from the 6 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. bottom of my heart for my sins past, most humbly desiring forgiveness of the same from the Almighty God, my Saviour and Redeemer, in whom and by the merits of Jesus Christ I trust and believe assuredly to be saved, and to have full remission and forgiveness of all my sins, and that my soul with my body at the general resurrection shall rise again with joy," he proceeds to distribute his property, which, he says, "it has pleased God to give me far above my deserts." After dividing a number of landed estates between his second and surviving wife and his children, John, Lawrence, and Anne, and also his property in England, he left one thousand pounds to his brother-in-law, Thomas Pope, and one thousand pounds and four thousand weight of tobacco to his sister in England. To his eldest son he bequeathed the home- stead, Wakefield, and his moiety of twenty-five hundred acres in the Epsewasson or Mount Vernon tract. Thus it will be seen that Colonel John Washington, the immigrant, was not only a very wealthy and very prominent man but also a very pious one, which, from every available source of information, we are forced to conclude was a striking characteristic of many of his early descendants. LAWRENCE WASHINGTON OF WAKEFIELD ELDEST SON OF COLONEL JOHN. THE IMMIGRANT In AWRENCE WASHINGTON, the eldest child of Colonel Jolin of Wakefield, by his second wife, Anne Pope, was bom at his father's homestead in Westmoreland County, Virginia, about 1661. He married Mildred, daughter of Colonel Augustine Warner, of Gloucester County, and died at his residence, Wakefield, in March, 1698, at the age of thirty-seven. His remains were interred in the family vault at Bridge's Creek. He had issue, first John Washington, bom at Wakefield, 1692; Augustine (father of the general), born at Wakefield, 1694; and Mil- dred, born at Wakefield, 1696. His will, probated March 30, 1698, shows him to have been quite wealthy. After making numerous specific bequests to friends and distant relatives, he divided the rest and residue of his personal estate, which appears to have been considerable, equally between his wife and three children. To his eldest son, John, he bequeathed the ancestral mansion, Wakefield; to Augustine, he left large land inter- ests; and to Mildred he devised the twenty-five hundred acres on Hunting Creek, which he had inherited from his father and which is now known as Mount Vernon. We shall make no effort to follow the diverging lines of descent through each of the children of Colonel John Washington and their issue, leaving this interesting and intricate work to the experienced genealogist, who will find ample field for the full exercise of his attain- ments. Confining our attention to the direct line — from the founder of Wakefield to the "Man at Mount Vernon" — we shall digress only a step to follow the widow and children of Lawrence, the son of Colonel John, the immigrant, dwelling with them for a short period in the mother country and then coming back again to the lowlands of the Rappahannock and Potomac where they gather once more for awhile around the old fireside at Wakefield. Thence on up, as the trail may lead, to the high grounds of Epsewasson, building there, on the border- line of a primitive civilization, a rustic cottage which is to mark the 7 8 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. site in years to come of the favorite abode and last resting place of him who would be the hope and reverence of unborn multitudes. After the death of her husband, Lawrence, Mrs. Washington (nee Warner), with her three children, John, Augustine and Mildred, moved to England, where, in a short while, she married a second husband, George Gale, of Whitehaven, Cumberland Coimty, at which place she died in January, 1701. In her will, probated March 18, 1701, she bequeathed to her husband (Gale) one thousand pounds and devised the rest and residue of her estate equally between him and her three children. Gale, becoming the executor of the estate and guardian of his stepchildren, placed the two boys, John and Augustine, in a grammar school at Appleby, near his place of residence, Whitehaven. Twelve years after the death of his wife (171 2), Gale emigrated to the colony of Maryland and evidently brought his three step- children with him to America. A few years later, John, the eldest son, married Katherine Whiting, of Gloucester County, Virginia, where he settled at a placed called Highgate, on the Pianketank River. There seems to have been a strain of the military blood in the entire Washington family, as this, the eldest son of Lawrence and uncle of General George, bore the title of major, probably of the colonial militia. He was also a churchman (as were his ancestors), being a vestryman of Petsworth Parish and leading the quiet life of a well- to-do planter. His death occurred on September i, 1746. One of his sons, Warner, married Hannah, daughter of William Fairfax and Deborah Clark, of Belvoir, who will be brought prominently into this narrative later on. Mildred, the only sister of John and Augustine Washington, married first Roger Gregory, of Stafford County, Vir- ginia, and second. Colonel Henry Willis, founder of Fredericksburg. As Mildred Gregory, she stood godmother for her brother Augustine's son, George (the general), as will be seen in the birth and death record in the Washington family Bible, a facsimile of which is printed oppo- site page 20. m^ii^^^^^'^^^s^^^^^ij^n-y AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON ^ UGUSTINE WASHINGTON, father of General George, was the second child of Lawrence Washington and Mildred Warner and grandson of Colonel John, the founder of Wakefield. Bom in 1694, he spent most of his early life at Appleby School, in England, return- ing to the colony about 17 12. At the age of twenty- one or, to be more specific, on April 12, 1 7 1 5 , he married Jane, daughter of Caleb Butler, an eminent lawyer and practitioner of Westmoreland County, Virginia, and, having purchased of his elder and only brother John (then Uving in Gloucester County) the old family mansion, Wakefield, began his married life as proprietor of the ancestral home. Augustine Washington, hke his grandfather. Colonel John, ap- pears to have been a man of extraordinary energy and perseverance. Inheriting from his mother a respectable estate, by judicious invest- ments and diligent application to business he materially increased his patrimonial fortunes. In addition to his large farming interests, he owned and commanded a sea-going vessel, and engaged in the trans- portation of iron ore from the numerous furnaces, which he and others successfully operated, to England, returning with cargoes of merchan- dise, immigrants, indented slaves, etc. Among these early iron industries which deserve particular mention are " The Principio Iron Works," on the Patapsco River, in Maryland, and the "Kingsbury," " Laconshire, ' ' and " Accokeek " in Virginia ; the last mentioned being located on Captain Washington's own estate in Stafford County. In 1750 tliis plant alone furnished the English market with four hundred and ten tons of pig iron, which will indicate the extent of the industry in the colony at that early period. The first wife of Augustine Washington, Jane Butler, died and was interred in the family vault at Bridge's Creek in 1728, and on March 6, 1 730, he married for his second wife, Mary Ball,* daughter of Colonel Joseph Ball, of Lancaster County, Virginia, whose residence, "Epping Forest," w^as situated near the mouth of the Rappahannock River. That Mary Ball, affectionately knowTi as "The Rose of Epping Forest," was a splendid specimen of womanhood there can be little reasonable doubt, imless we refuse absolutely to accept as *The picture of Mary Ball on the opposite page is claimed to be authentic. The writer knows nothing of its history. 9 lO WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. correct contemporaneous descriptions of her person. Tall and stately, with brown hair and large, penetrating brown eyes, clear-cut features and a serene, intelligent expression, the very prototype of her dis- tinguished son, she must have been a woman of particularly striking appearance, far above the ordinary in physical perfection. But comely and attractive as she was reputed to be and undoubtedly was, these personal charms of form and feature sink into insignificance and obscurity when compared with the beauties of her well-poised mind and resolute Christian character. Pure of heart, she transmitted to her children the sublime lessons of her exemplary life. Possessing in a remarkable degree that inestimable power of imparting to others the strength and virtue of her own character, she was indeed by nature equipped to train for a grateful posterity the highest ideal of human perfection. Just where Mary Ball and Augustine Washington first met or where they were married is not known. The Reverend C. C. Colton, an Enghsh author, states that Captain Washington first met his bride in England. "He was," according to this authority, "thrown out of a carriage and fell (figuratively speaking) into the company of a lady who subsequently emigrated with him to Virginia." This story has been discredited, but the fact that Captain Washington, as a sea- faring man, made frequent trips to England, and the further fact, as claimed by some writers, that when Colonel Joseph Ball, father of Mary, died in 1711, his widow, who was an Englishwoman, disap- peared with her two children from the records and registers of Virginia, give color to the assertion. Later the letters of Mary Washington to her brother, Joseph Ball, in London, showing an intimacy and affec- tion for Joseph's wife, who had never been to America, which could hardly exist without personal association, furnish evidence that Mary had at some time visited her brother and made the acquaintance of his wife. No positive proof exists, however, that such was the case, yet the English clergyman's statement is certainly borne out in a measure by circumstantial evidence. Others were equally sure that, after the death of Mary's father. Colonel Joseph Ball, her mother married the third husband, Captain Richard Hughes, whose residence was at Sandy Point, near the mouth of Yeocomico River, in the county of Northumberland, Virginia, and that it was at this place, while living at the home of her stepfather, that Mary became the wife of Augustine Washington. In any event, about the year 1730, he brought his bride to Wakefield, the ancestral home of his family. AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. II which, regardless of spurious prints representing the house as small and unpretentious, must have been what General Washington said it was — " a colonial mansion. ' ' There they continued to hve until about the close of the year 1734 when, "owing to sickness in his family," he moved to the highlands of the upper Potomac and established a resi- dence on his Epsewasson or Hunting Creek* estate (then in Prince William, now Fairfa.x County). This estate, it will be recalled, origi- nally acquired by Colonel John Washington by grant from Lord Culpeper, was devised by him to his son LawTence, who bequeathed it to his daughter Mildred (Mrs. Roger Gregory-), and she in turn, with her husband on the 17th day of May, 1726, sold the property to her brother Augustine for the sum of one hundred and eighty pounds. Thus begins in the latter part of 1734 the occupation, by the Wash- ington family, of what is known to-day as Mount Vernon, and with the exception of three years (from 1740 to 1743) it continued unbroken until 185S, when Colonel John Augustine Washington, the last private owner, transferred it to the Ladies' Mount Vernon Association of the Union. The most learned liistorians and genealogists of the country did not know until a comparatively recent date that the father of General Wasliington had ever resided in the neighborhood of Epsewasson or that any of his children had been bom at that place, and, in the absence of any tangible information bearing on the subject, the early record of the famous grant was clothed in considerable mystery. Who it was that built the old mill on Epsewasson or Dogue Creek and the brick bam, still standing near Mount Vernon house, or who dug the first foundation and reared the first home on the site of the present mansion, were questions often asked and as often unanswered until a few years ago, when, by the merest chance, the Reverend Phihp Slaughter, D. D., an eminent Episcopal divine and historian of note, discovered the vestry record of Truro Parish. This was indeed a fortunate and valuable discovery, for not only is the old manuscript a history of the church proceedings, but also a complete and authentic record of all the important events of the parish. As the vestrymen of Episcopal churches in those days performed the civil duties of magistrates, or "divided with the county coiut the responsibility of local government," we get through this ancient document the secular as well as the "ecclesiastical" transactions of the community. *In the division of the grant Augustine Washington received the portion lying on Hunting Creek, the neighborhood was known as Epsewasson. 12 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Beginning in 1732, it extends over a period of more than three- quarters of a century and contains on its roster the familiar names of some of the greatest men in history, who, as vestrymen or wardens, discharged their duties with credit to themselves and honor to the community, just as they administered the affairs of state in after years to the glory of all mankind. The name of "Augustine Washington, Gent." first appears on the register on November 18, 1735, " and being this day sworn one of the members of this vestry took his place thereon accordingly." Captain Washington continued to serve in this capac- ity, taking an active part in the proceedings, until the latter part of 1739. The fact that he had lived at Epsewasson is now firmly established and the mystery which gathered around the mill and first residence there is also solved. Indeed the thread of Augustine Washington's life is complete ; the missing link was found in the faded and time-worn record of Truro Parish, sacredly preserved by the vigilant and faithful custodian of Mount Vernon Mansion. Augustine resided only five years at Epsewasson, but they must have been extremely busy years to accomplish what he appears to have done in such a comparatively short time. The grist mill erected by him on the banks of Epsewasson Creek about two miles west of the present mansion house deserves more than passing attention. It was in continuous operation for more than a century and in a fair state of preservation as late as 1850. Some portions of the foundation are still intact and the excavations for the race can be easily traced along almost its entire length to the dam on Dogue Run, more than a mile above. It seems to have been a source of considerable pride to General Washington, who improved and very successfully operated it for nearly fifty years and, according to his own statement, the flour manufactured there was of "such superior quality that it passed in English markets without inspection. " It was the last place visited by the General while inspecting his farms two days before his sudden death. The picture given of the old structure on another page is correct in almost every detail, even the surroundings and topography being faithfully portrayed. The roads still lead by the site, and the little house on the knoll is standing intact as it probably was on the day the General saw it last in 1799. (See the map of Mount Vernon farms, published elsewhere in this work.) The walls, laid firm and strong in oyster-shell lime, began to disintegrate and yield to the "grind of the elements" back in the "forties," and, just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, neighboring s^- HOUSE AT PINE GROVE WHERE AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON DIED. :~^i«t«.?ijr. •-•> >v5u2f< OLD MILL NEAR MT. VERNON ERECTED BY AUGUSTINE WASHLVGTON. AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. 1 3 farmers, unconscious of any act of vandalism, assisted nature in its slow destruction by carting away the stones for foundations of modern buildings. We publish here a touching tribute to the venerable landmark, written by William H. Snowden, Esq., A. M., of Andalusia, Virginia, member of the Virginia Historical Society : But go there, reader, as the writer has gone many a time, if your sympathies and reverential inclinations are for objects like these, and take your seat in the drowsy quiet of a midsummer day under the shadowy branches of oue of the oaks still remaining of the olden forest; and while you gaze on the briar grown ruins and listen to the murmur of the dwindled stream which goes hurrying on in its course to join the waters of the majestic bay but a mile or two beyond, the mystic veU which ides the vanished years of a century and a half will rise, and lo! all around you will throng the faded scenes and forms of the early days. The fallen stones will eve from the scattered heaps under the straggling vines and brambles and take their places in the walls again. The mill of Augustine and George Washington will be itself once more. The water will come poiuing down over the mossy wheel. You will hear the clattering of the grinding gear, and the plantation swains will bring in and carry away their burdens. You will see the dusty miller taking his tolls and filling the bins. A horseman wiU ride up, and hitching his steed by the door, go in and hold parley with the mill er, and you will not need to ask who he is, for his stately mien and dignified bearing will at once proclaim him the pro- prietor. You will see, too, the trading schooner waiting at the landing for its cargo for Jamaica or Barbadoes. The early pioneers in rough homespun garb and quaint vehicles will pass along the old highway by you in toilsome march for the new Canaan of their imaginations, there to fix their landmarks and lay the hearthstones. Anon, you will see straggling companies of provincial troops dressed in kersey or buckskin, with heavy flint lock muskets on their shoulders, hurrying up to the camp at the new bom hamlet of Alexandria. General Braddock and Governor Dinwiddle, Commodore Kepple and General John St. Clair will ride along in the pomp and vice- regal chariot and dashing retinue and guards of British regulars in showy scarlet uniforms bright with gilding and tinsel. War's wild alarm has been sounded, and the frontiers must be held against the encroachments of the French and their mur- derous Indian allies. Among other passers up the highway you will see a stripling wagon boy in homely workman's garb driving his own team, and like the rest of the wayfarers hurrying to the camp. He had been for years in the employ of John Ballandine, hauling iron ore to his furnace at Colchester, but the drum and fife of the troopers and the wild rumors of war have opened the vision of his adventurous spirit to other duties and other lines of action. He is going to offer his team to Braddock's quartermaster to haul supplies for the army over the mountains. Very obscure, lowly and friendless was this wagon boy then, but under that homespun shirt and buckskin cap were the lion heart and comprehensive intellect which when, ere long, the opportunities came to him, were to win for him a renown as a soldier and commander, world wide and imperishable. The boy who plodded over the weary roads of the Occoquan with his loads of 14 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. ore for the furnace became in after years the strategic and trusted soldier, the intrepid leader of the riflemen of Virginia and the swaying spirit and hero of Quebec, Saratoga and Cowpens — Daniel Morgan. Just where Augustine Washington built the first residence at Epsewasson is not positively known, but all indications point to the present site of Mount Vernon house as the most plausible. He cer- tainly erected a brick bam, still standing near the mansion, and in this structure he undoubtedly housed his stock and farming implements. The high ground and the commanding prospect of the broad, beautiful river were in themselves sufiicient inducement for the selection of tliis location for his dwelling in preference to the lowlands near the mill, at least two miles away from the bam, as others have contended. A careful investigation of the whole subject and a comparison and analysis of the contentions of numerous authorities have led to the firm conviction that Captain Washington dug the first foundation and built the first residence on the present site of the middle portion of the Mount Vernon mansion. Equally as certain is it that this building was destroyed by fire in 1739 and that, on account of its destruction, Captain Washington moved to his Pine Grove farm on the Rappa- hannock River in King George (now Stafford) County, opposite the city of Fredericksburg. It has been and is still claimed that Major Lawrence Washington, eldest son of the captain, erected the middle portion of the present Mount Vernon house in 1743. This contention, notwithstanding the stone at Mount Vernon taken from the walls of the old house and marked "L. W." is undoubtedly an error, as in 1740 Lawrence Washington enlisted in Colonel (Sir William) Gooch's regiment of Virginia militia and served in the Cartagena campaign under Admiral Vernon until the close of the year 1742. A few months after his return Augustine, his father, died (April 12, 1743), and his will shows that Lawrence was then living at Mount Vernon in a house given him by his father "together with all the slaves, cattle and stock of all kinds whatsover and all the household furniture whatsoever now in and upon or which has been commonly possessed by my said son, together with the said tract of land and mill." To this house Major Lawrence took his young wife, Anne Fairfax, the following July (1743). With such evidence before us, we are forced to the conclusion that Augustine Washington rebuilt the middle portion of IMount Vernon house on the site of his former and first residence during the absence of and for his son Lawrence. AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. 1 5 Knowing, in a general way, that Captain Washington had been forced to move to tlie Rappanhannock farm on account of the loss of his dwelling, the absence of any knowledge of his residence in the neighborhood of Epsewasson led to the erroneous supposition and statements, by early biographers, that it was Wakefield which had gone down before the "fire king," when, as a matter of fact, that venerable mansion was still standing at the close of the Revolu- tionary War. The discovery of the Pohick or Tnno Parish register, with its wonderful store of information, explained the myster}^ which had baffled and confounded the wisest investigators. Since Wakefield was still standing, the reader may be curious to know why the father of General Washington did not return to that commodious mansion instead of the little house on the Rappahannock, which, as shown in the engraving, was ver}^ unpretentious. The question is easily answered. His son Augustine, having returned from Appleby School in England, had been or was about to be married to the Westmore- land heiress. Miss Aylett, and in anticipation of the event had made all necessary arrangements to occupy this property himself, which he did a very short while afterwards. Augustine Washington lived only a few years after taking up his residence in King George (now Stafford) County. He died after a brief illness, April 12, 1743, at the age of forty-nine, in the very prime of life, having contracted a violent cold from exposure in a storm which, notwithstanding his robust constitution, resulted in a compli- cation of diseases very similar to the affection which caused the death of his illustrious son in the latter part of the centur}^ There can be no doubt that General Washington's father was an extraordinary man, a man of intellectual force and pure morality. A prominent contemporary (Mr. Withers) of Stafford County, who knew him well, has left a tribute to his memor)', which is a striking testimonial of neighborly affection and speaks for itself. " He was," says this friend, "a man of imcommon height, noble appearance, manly proportions and extraordinary muscular power, and such was his cliaracter for magnanimity, justice and moral worth that he commanded, wherever he appeared and in whatever he engaged, uni- versal and unhesitating deference. His disposition was mild, his manner courteous and his private character without reproach." That he possessed rare business qualities and tireless energy is also most evident. 1 6 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Much emphasis has been laid upon the character of Mary Wash- ington. The example she set for the emulation of her children and the rules of conduct she taught them have been the favorite theme for the panegyrist in every decade since her death. No doubt she was a worthy matron, a woman of uncommon worth, who deserved every tribute paid to her motherly virtues. No doubt she had a great deal to do with moulding the character and shaping the course of the lives of her children. Still this should not prevent a just recognition of the intrinsic worth of that noble father, whose simple lessons on the value of truth and honesty made an indehble impress upon the mind of his precocious son and became the rule and guide of his wonderful life in all his future transactions. The Reverend Dr. Edward McGuire, who married a granddaughter of Betty Lewis, Washington's sister, and who was for forty-five years rector of St. George's Church, in his work entitled "The Religious Opinions and Character of Washington, " published in 1836, has this to say of Captain Washington : Between him (George) and his father it would seem that a delightful intercourse always subsisted; it being a matter of regret to the latter that he was obliged to be separated from his child even during the hours of school. Mr. Washington sur- vived his removal from Westmoreland County but a few years.* He had time enough allowed him, however, to mark the budding virtues of his son. It was in the Easter hoUdays that Mr. Washington was taken sick. George was absent at the time, on a visit to some of his acquaintances at Chotank, King George (then Stafford) County. He was sent for after his father's sickness became serious, and reached the paternal abode in time to witness the last struggle and receive the parting benediction of his beloved parent. Augustine Washington's remains were interred in the family vault at Bridge's Creek and liis will, dated April 1 1 , 1 743, was admitted to probate in King George County, May 6, 1743. He left more than five thousand acres of land, located in Prince William (now Fairfax), Westmoreland, King George and Stafford counties, besides a large amount of personal property consisting of negro slaves, horses, cattle, and numerous shares of stock in several iron industries, all of which he divided amongst his wife and several cliildren. His children then living were Lawrence and Augustine by his first wife, Jane Butler; and George, Elizabeth, John Augustine, Charles and Samuel by his second wafe, Mary Ball. To Lawrence he willed. *ShouId be Epsawasson, Fairfax County. Mr. McGuire did not know of Aug:ustine Washing- ton's residence in Fairfax. As the Pohick Vestry register had not been discovered, he falls into the error common among the writers of that day. AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. 1 7 as before mentioned, the Mount Vernon property with the mill, con- sisting of twenty-five hundred acres, more or less, and a tract of land on Maddox Creek in the county of Westmoreland, together with his interest in several iron works. To his daughter, Betty, two negro children, named Mary and Betty, with the provision that Lawrence was to pay her four hundred pounds in cash. To Augustine he gave Wakefield with twenty-five head of cattle, forty hogs, twenty sheep and a negro man named Frank, besides the slaves formerly given his mother, and provided that Lawrence should purchase, from the pro- ceeds of the iron works, three other slaves for Augustine. To George he willed the farm on the Rappahannock opposite Fredericksburg with an interest in some other real estate and ten negro slaves. To Samuel he gave land on Chotank in Stafford County to the extent of six hundred acres and a moiety in land lying on Deep Run. To John Augustine he left seven hundred acres of land on Maddox Creek in the county of Westmoreland, and to Charles he left seven hundred acres in Prince William County. The residue of his estate, which seems to have been considerable, he divided between his wife, Mary Ball, and her children. To his wife he also left the crops made on Bridge's Creek, Chotank and Rappahannock waters at the time of his death and the privilege of working the " Bridge's Creek quarter for the term of five years next after his decease, during which time she might fix a quarters on Deep Run." He required Lawrence and Augustine to pay half his debts and bequeathed to them half of what was owing to him. In a sort of codicil he left to George " one lot of land in the town of Fredericksburg." During Augustine Washington's residence at Epsewasson, the Truro Parish Vestry, of which he was a member and present at the meeting held August 13, 1737, elected the Rev. Charles Greene rector, who subsequently, at the instance of Mr. Washington, appointed a man by the name of William Grove, clerk. A division of sentiment arose over this appointment and Grove, to preserve harmony, declined the position of clerk, accepting that of sexton. Some writers opine that this sexton (Grove) was a political convict brought over from England by Captain Washington and that the rural pedagogue, Hobby (George Washington's first school teacher), was none other than this exiled sexton, who had moved with the captain from Epse- wasson to Stafford, " Hobby" being a nickname. However tliis may be, as the first teacher of the world's greatest hero. Hobby has found an enduring place in history. 1 8 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Immediately after the death of his father, George went to hve with his half-brother Augustine at Wakefield. Here he found a very comfortable and luxurious home, for Augustine, having married an immensely wealthy lady, was living in great state, had numerous servants, an elegantly furnished house and finely stocked farm. (A subsequent inventory of his personal property showed seventy-seven slaves, thirty-six horses and other stock in proportion.) Thus favorably situated, George continued his studies under an excellent teacher, Mr. Williams, for several years, and it was during this period that an interesting incident in the life of the futiu-e president took place. Lawrence Washington, George's eldest half-brother, then married to Anne, daughter of Sir William Fairfax of Belvoir, and living at Mount Vernon, had become a man of wealth and importance in the colony. He was adjutant-general of its forces and member of the House of Burgesses from his district. Solicitous of his younger brother's future welfare and with an earnest desire to place him in a position where his manifest abilities would ultimately win promotion, he secured for George, through the influence and assistance of his father-in-law (Sir William Fairfax), an appointment as midshipman in the British Na\'y. This, however, did not meet with the approval of George's mother, who positively refused her consent to a long separation from her eldest boy. Neither did she relish the idea of his becoming a sailor. The following extracts from letters on the subject will indicate to some extent the amount of influence brought to bear on this devoted parent by Lawrence in an effort to win her approval of the naval appointment. In September, 1746, Sir William Fairfax was in Fredericksburg on business and wrote to his son-in-law at Mount Vernon : George has been with us, and says he will be steady and thankfully follow your advice as his best Friend. I gave him his Mother's letter to deliver with Caution not to show his. I have spoken to Dr. Spencer who I find is often at the widow's and has some influence to persuade Her to think better of your advice in putting Him to Sea with good Recommendation. And from the same place, a few days later, September 18, a friend, Robert Jackson, addressed Lawrence on the subject : I am afraid that Mrs. Washington will not keep up to her first resolution. She seems to intimate a dislike to George's going to sea and says persons have told her it is a very bad scheme. She offers several trifling objections such as fond and a 4, 3 AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. 1 9 unthinking mothers naturally suggest, and I find that one word against his going has more weight than ten for it. Colonel William Fairfax seems desirous he should go and desired me to acquaint you with Mrs. Washington's sentiments. I intend shortly to take an opportunity to talk with her and will let you know the result. There is another letter before us of an entirely different character. Homely in phrase but straight to the point, it came the following spring and is from the widow's brother, Joseph : Stratford by Bow, London, iQth May, 1747. Dear Sister : I understand that you are advised and have some thoughts of putting yoiu- son George to sea. I tliink he had better be put a prentice to a tinker, for a common sailor before the mast has by no means the common liberty of the subject; for they will press him from a ship where he has fifty shillings a month and make him take three-and-twenty, and cut and slash him like a negro, or rather like a dog. And as to any considerable preferment in the navy, it is not to be expected; there are so many always gaping for it here who have interest and he has none. And if he should get to be master of a Virginia ship (which will be very difficult to do), a planter that has three or four hundred acres and three or four slaves, if he be industrious, may leave his family in better bread than such a master of a ship can, and if the planter can get ever so little beforehand let him begin to buy goods for tobacco and sell them again for tobacco. I never knew them men miss while they went in so, but he must never pretend to buy for money and sell for tobacco. I never knew any of them but lost more than they got. He must not be too hasty to get rich but go on gently and with patience as things will naturally go. This method without aiming to be a fine gentleman before his time, wUl carry a man more comfortable and surely through the world than going to sea. I pray God keep you and yours. My wife and daughter join me in love and respect to you and yours. Your loving brother, Joseph Ball. Maternal affection conquered. The widow's will prevailed, and she firmly resisted the entreaties of the wealthy stepson and his powerful allies. Indeed, it is evident that she had determined on her course before her brother's caustic letter arrived, as George was back at Wakefield pursuing his studies, but not for long. His school days were nearly over and in the following year, 1748, we find him installed as a member of his brother Lawrence's family at Mount Vernon, where, with the exception of occasional visits and short sojourns with his mother at the Pine Grove farm on the Rappahannock, he made his home until the end came in 1 799. In advancing years, amid the privations of war, around the deso- late camp-fire, on the march or in the peril of deadly combat, he would 20 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. think of its pleasant shades and tranquil scenes, and, later still, many, many times he would turn with yearning from the vicissitudes and trials of poUtical strife to the sequestered home under his own "vine and fig tree" on the banks of the beautiful Potomac. Its name was to be inseparably linked with his ; his fame would gather around and glorify it as the years go by, and consecrate it in the hearts of the American people. CuiqUdUTio /^a^/ima/tmyaJii ,//^. 7 7 /in/^dd/OtiHf^ •y'/la^tc> /l 7 •/ ^ 'ifr-n.. IfJ,. .^, /o. J'l ^ ^^ //,n y- •^v I !■• ilF AlfU-STINF. AND MARY WASHINGTOV. LAWRENCE WASHINGTON OF MOUNT VERNON jT AWRENCE WASHINGTON, the eldest son of Augus- ^ tine by bis first wife, Jane Butler, was bom at Wake- field, Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1718, and before his death, at the early age of thirty-four (1752), had given ample proof of unusual merit and abihty. Educated at Appleby Grammar School, one of the best institutions of its class in England and the Alma Mater of his father, he returned to the colony about 1738 or 1739 well equipped to assume the exacting duties and responsibilities of pubhc life which were soon to devolve upon him. This was a period of feverish unrest amongst the European countries, which collaterally involved the American provinces. Indeed the situation there was exceedingly grave and rapidly growing worse, as England and Spain were making active preparations for war in the Antilles. Spanish outrages on British commerce had provoked prompt and vigorous retaliation. Admiral Vernon, commander-in- chief of the Enghsh forces in the West Indies, had captured Porto Bello on the Isthmus of Darien.and the Spanish government, with the assistance of France, was pushing elaborate preparations to avenge the blow. England, now aroused to tmusual energy, quickened her pace and hastily assembled a large land force on the island of Jamaica, under General Wentworth, with ample marine transportation facili- ties, preparatory to a general attack on Cartagena in the Spanish province of Colombia, South America. These warUke movements revived the dormant miUtary spirit in the colonies, and in a very short while four battalions of Virginia infantry were enlisted for immediate service and placed under the cormnand of Governor (Sir WiUiam) Gooch. Lawrence Washington, possessing a spark of the miHtant fire of his ancestors as well as a sincere devotion to the crown of England and her just causes, secured a commission as captain of the provincial contingent, and in obedience to the order of the Virginia Council, issued August, 1740, embarked with his regiment to join Vernon and Wentworth in the Bahamas. The expedition, so deliberately planned 22 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. against Cartagena, proved not only a pathetic failure as a military and naval movement but a serious disaster to the EngUsh and colonial forces engaged. On March 4, 1741, Vernon's superb fleet, composed of twenty- nine ships of the line, eighty small vessels, fifteen thousand sailors and twelve thousand land troops, among them the Virginia militia, appeared before the battlements of the Spanish-American city. It must have been (on parade) a gorgeous naval pageant, far more pompous than effective. Indeed, the whole affair bordered on the burlesque and suggests a prodigious miscalculation and fiasco. The range of the ships' guns was not sufficient for effective use on the beleagured city, while the ladders provided were too short for the land forces to scale the enemy's battlements. Confusion and chaos reigned. Beaten on every hand, hurled back from every quarter by the overpowering victorious Spanish forces, Vernon's army suffered a most humiliating and disastrous defeat. Of the one thousand Virginia troops, who, according to Irving, "acted v/ith consummate bravery," six hundred were either killed or wounded, and the remnant of the entire force, colonials included, scattered over swampy, miasmatic islands, soon fell an easy prey to the deadly climatic fever, more terrible in its consequences than the bloody battle itseff. Colonel Gooch, young Washington's regimental superior, became a victim of the pre- vailing epidemic and returned to the colony disappointed and despon- dent, broken in both health and spirit. The command devolving upon Captain Washington, he sustained under adverse circumstances and with the utmost courage and fortitude the privations and perils of his desperate situation. Though himself enfeebled by the effects of a baneful climate and enervating fever, he continued to serve until 1742. Returning with his emaciated battalions in the latter part of the year, he took up his permanent residence at Epsev^^asson (to wliich he then gave the name of Mount Vernon, in honor of his recent com- mander) in the spring of 1 743, just about the time of his father's death, and, on the 19th of the following July, was married to Anne, eldest daughter of Colonel William Fairfax, whose plantation "Belvoir" was adjacent to that of Epsewasson. Anne Fairfax, the first mistress of Mount Vernon, " left a mansion for a cottage." Her new home. Mount Vernon, had just been erected and was an unpretentious residence when compared to the house at Belvoir. It comprised then only the middle portion of what now constitutes the mansion in its entirety, but the broad, beautiful vistas MAJOR LAWRENCE WASHINGTON. LAViTRENCe WASHINGTON OF MOUNT VERNON. 2^ and quiet, restful shades, nature's embellishments, were there, and they gave an unspeakable charm to the place. It had been the intention of young Washington to return to England, join the British army, and take up military life as a profes- sion. This idea he now abandoned, except in a local way, for the less hazardous and more congenial pursuits of civil life. He soon became adjutant-general of the Northern Neck with the rank and pay of major, but devoted little time to the position, giving more particular attention to his extensive farming and iron industries. Like his ances- tors, he was a conservative member of the Episcopal Church, but firmly beheved in religious liberty and in numerous letters and public utterances deplored religious persecution and intolerance as a selfish, narrow-minded policy, inimical to the progress and best interest of Virginia. He took a leading part in local affairs and was especially active in any movement to advance the interest of his own com- munity. As a member of the General Assembly, he secured the pas- sage of a bill incorporating the city of Alexandria in 1748 and, with the Right Honorable Thomas, Lord Fairfax, the Honorable William Fairfax, George William Fairfax, Richard Osborne, William Ramsay, John Carlyle, John Pagan, Jerard Alexander, Hugh West and Philip Alexander, became one of its first trustees, as the bill quaintly pro- vides, "for designing, building, carrj'ing on and maintaining said town and laying off its streets and market place." Thus he had helped to found and establish a municipality which was, in a few years, to contain among its officials, as members of its council, two of the most distinguished statesmen of modem times — George Washington of JMount Vernon and George Mason of Gunston. Lawrence, also, in the last year of his official life as a member of the House of Burgesses, secured the passage of an act incorporating the town of Colchester, which was situated on the banks of the Occoquan River near its con- fluence with the Potomac and about eight miles below Mount Vernon. Some of the founders and early officials of this old town, like that of Alexandria, subsequently became well-known characters in the French and revolutionary wars and were likewise prominently identified in both the political and military movements incident to the founding of our great republic. Peter Wagener, upon whose land the town was located, was an ensign under Fry and Washington in the first expedi- tion against the French, taking part in the battle of Fort Necessity, and later commanding a company of Virginia riflemen in the disas- trous battle of Fort Duquesne. It was Wagener's troops who, during 24 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. that fatal engagement while fighting in Indian fashion from behind trees and rocks, were mistaken for the enemy and almost annihilated by the English regulars — fifty of the eighty in the company being killed or wounded before the error was discovered. At Colchester was afterwards located John Ballandine's iron foundry where many of the cannon and cannon balls for the Revolu- tion were moulded. Daniel Morgan, of heroic fame, commander of the famous riflemen, companion of Arnold in his march through the vvildemess from Cambridge to Quebec, the hero of Cowpens and the veteran of a hundred battles, then a humble teamster, was hauling iron ore to Ballandine's furnace* when Braddock came up over the Old King's Highway, in 1755, en route to Alexandria. Morgan sold his team, joined the colonial troops, and began that thrilhng military career which won for him imperishable fame and placed the name of the humble wagoner of the Occoquan in the forefront of American history. George Mason of Gunston was also one of the town's early trus- tees, as was William Grayson, who, during the Revolution, became an officer on Washington's staff and still later one of the first senators from Virginia. It was Colonel Grayson who brought to the commander- in-chief the first news of Lee's treason at Monmouth. These and several others, whose names are now famiUar to the readers of our nation's history, were among the directors of this colonial city on the Occoquan, of which only two rickety tenements remain to mark the place where once a thriving business hamlet stood. LawTence Washington's efforts, however, were not confined to local affairs by any means. He took a prominent part in what is known as the Ohio Company, the object of which was to estabhsh amicable commercial relations with the Indians and open up for settlement that vast covmtry south of the Ohio River and west of the AUeghany Mountains. The company in question was composed of some of the ablest and wealthiest men in the colony, with Governor Thomas Lee, president of the Council, as its head. It numbered among its directors and stock- holders such men as George Mason, William and George Wm. Fairfax, and numbers of others of equal prominence. Its organizers, having obtained a grant from the crown, under certain favorable conditions, for five htmdred thousand acres of land in the location referred to, or rather one section of it, viz., the portion east of the Kanawha and south of the Ohio, followed a prearranged plan to secure the rich fur •Ballandine's furnace or smelting mill, was at Occoquan, two miles above Colchester. His foundry was at Colchester. LAWRENCE WASHINGTON OF MOUNT \^RNON. 25 txade of the Ohio Valley and also to hasten the development of the new territory. They estabhshed trading posts, or commercial depots, at regular intervals of some fifty or a hvmdred miles, and so formed a chain of settlements from tidewater on the Potomac to and down the Ohio River, which constituted a system of rapid intercourse and exchange between the aborigines of the west and the settlements along the eastern seaboard and with the markets of Europe. To carry out this plan, they dispatched that intrepid pioneer and explorer, Christopher Gist (who, in 1753, became the guide and com- panion of George Washington on his first mission of protest from Governor Dinwiddle to the French commandant, the Chevalier de St. Pierre, at Fort DeBceuf, near Lake Erie), to examine the country, select suitable locations for settlements, and make report. Gist started on his journey August 31, 1749, following an old Indian trail up the Potomac. He penetrated the great unknown forest out to and down the Ohio and Kanawha rivers, traversed portions of the remote Ohio country, and returned through what is now Kentucky long before Daniel Boone or any other white man had ever ventvued into the wilderness west of the Alleghanies. Moving in a great circuit from the Ohio, he returned by way of his home on the Yadkin River in North Carolina the latter part of May, 1750. Going thence to Williamsburg, he at once reported the result of his journey to the officials of the company, who, pleased with his descrip- tion of the country, the discoveries he had made and the negotiations he had entered into with the Indians, immediately prepared to push forward the movement as originally contemplated and, regardless of the French protests and menaces, I\Ir. Gist, under sanction of the Virginia Legislature, proceeded in the same year to survey the land along the Ohio as far down as the Kanawha. The title to this particular territory was then and had been for years a subject of international dispute and subsequently brought on what is known in history as the French and Indian War in 1755. In 1673, Padre Marquette and his companion, Joliette, both sub- jects of the crown of France, had " passed down the Mississippi, quite to the Arkansas," establishing, as they claimed, the right of their sov- ereign not only to the rivers so discovered but to all the lands drained by the tributaries thereof, one of which was the Ohio. To this sweep- ing but flimsy contention the English advanced a claim equally absurd, basing their right and title on a treaty made at Lancaster in 1744 between commissioners from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia 26 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. and the Iroquois, or six nations, whereby, for four hundred pounds, the latter gave up all the land west of the Alleghany Mountains, even to the Mississippi River. Now, as a matter of fact, such treaty or pretended transfer of title did take place. The claim, nevertheless, was as groundless as that of the French, for not a single acre of land in that section was then or ever had been the property of these tribesmen. "Such," says Irving, "were the shadowy foundations of claims, which the two nations were determined to maintain to the uttermost and which ripened into a series of wars, ending in a loss to England of a greater part of her American possessions, and to France of the whole." In the midst of these activities, the executiv^e head of the Ohio Company, Honorable Thomas Lee, died, and this responsibility devolved upon the second in line, Lav^Tence Washington. To the alarm of his numerous friends, who appreciated him for both his personal worth and executive ability, Alajor Washington, never of a robust constitution, now showed symptoms of a serious debility. He had not fully recovered from the effects of exposure in the Cartagena campaign, and the exacting duties of his several situa- tions had taxed beyond endurance an enfeebled constitution. Yielding to the advice of his physicians and importunities of his wife and friends, he resolved, after other expedients, such as a long voyage to England and a sojourn at the Bath Springs of Virginia, had failed, to try the effects of a more salubrious climate, and on September 28,1751, accompanied by his brother, George, he sailed for Barbadoes and reached the island on the third day of November following. The experiment of a few weeks' residence there also proved unavailing and he determined to try, as a last resort, the healing properties of the delightful climate of Bermuda, with the understanding that George was to repair to Mount Vernon and, returning with Lawrence's wife and child, join him at the latter place. But it was now too late. Despair had superseded hope in the heart of Lawrence. His disease had advanced beyond the power of human control, and in the following extract from one of his letters we read utter despondence : " If I grow worse, I shall hurry home to my grave." His disease made such rapid progress that he did not wait for the arrival of his wife and brother, but, reahzing his desperate condition and submitting to the inevitable, he hurried back to his beloved Mount Vernon, to the bosom of his grief -stricken family and the circle of his friends. There, on July 26, six days after the ninth anniversary of his marriage, at the age of thirty-four, he succumbed to pulmonary trouble. LAWRENCE WASHINGTON OF MOUNT VERNON. 27 Of the four children born to Lawrence and Anne Fairfax Wash- ington, three died almost in infancy, and Sarah, the only surviving child, lived but a few months after the death of her father. In his wiU, dated June 29, 1752, admitted to probate in Fairfax County, September 26, in the same year, he bequeathed his entire estate to his infant daughter Sarah, but in the event of her death without issue, provided for its further specific distribution amongst his wife and brothers. To his brother Augustine he left all his stock, interest and estate in the Principio, Accokeek, Kingsbur}'-, Laconshire and No. East Iron Works in Virginia and Marj-land, reserving one-third of the profits of the said works to be paid to his wife by his executors. To his brother George he bequeathed, after the death of his wife, all his land in Fairfax County and the improvements thereon and further provided that he should have the joint use of an equal share and pro- portion with his wife of all the lands devised to his brothers, Samuel, John and Charles. After making these specific bequests, he distrib- uted amongst his brothers and sister the rest and residue of a con- siderable estate, scattered over several counties of Virginia and Mary- land, naming as his executors the Honorable William and George William Fairfax, his brothers Augustine and George Washington, and his friends, Mr. Nathaniel Chapman and Alajor John Carlyle. Major Washington left several thousand acres of land in Fairfax County. He had materially extended the limits of his Mount Vernon farm and had purchased other properties in his home county. All of these under the conditions of his will were soon to revert to his young brother George, as his infant daughter Sarah died within a year and his wife subsequently married Colonel George Lee, accepting dower rights in lieu of life tenure as her interest in the Mount Vernon property. The relation existing between Lawrence and his brother George was always of the warmest nature; indeed, he entertained for the boy almost paternal affection. So solicitous was he for his welfare and such was his confidence in the youth's judgment and integrity of character that he lost no opportunity to advance the boy's interest in either private or public life. He confided to him his most exclusive private affairs, keeping him under his personal observation and tutelage at Mount Vernon whenever possible, and, although not yet twenty-one years of age, he made him one of his executors along with men of maturer years and wide business experience. It is significant that he provides for him a home with his widow that he, no doubt, might have personal supervision of her affairs. 28 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. George now took up his permanent residence at Mount Vernon. Really it had been such for a number of years, since 1 747. Whenever his nomadic engagements permitted it, he would repair to the house of his brother as his favorite abode. In later years, as the proprietor, he extended its limits from his original inheritance to more than eight thousand acres and transformed it into one of the most valuable and productive plantations in the colony. LORD THOM AS FATRFAY GREENWAY COURT AND THOMAS (.SIXTH Loklij lAiki-AX. THE VIRGINIA FAIRFAXES [g'OR OVER fifty years after the close of the seventeenth century, the northern portion of Virginia might have been appropriately designated as Fairfax land, so extensive were the possessions and so potent the influ- ence of these mighty land-barons in that section of the colony. With this interest and these people our principal subject is to be intimately associated through all the years of his eventful career. It would be difficult indeed to write an intel- ligent synopsis of the life of George Washington without connecting him in some way with this powerful family. So closely are their lives interwoven and such was the influence of this association upon his public career that it becomes logically and essentially a part of the narrative, without which the story would be incomplete. Their ances- tors had intermarried in the mother country generations before, and their descendants were destined to do likewise in the new land. In 1673 Charles II granted his favorites, the Earl of Arlington and Lord Culpeper, once governor of Virginia, letters patent to that extensive domain known as the Northern Neck, lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers and extending from the Chesa- peake Bay to the headwaters of said rivers. Having purchased the proprietary rights of Arlington in 1683, five years later King James II confirmed the questionable title. Thus, for a nominal considera- tion and by a single stroke of his kingly pen, this discredited monarch had transferred to his "crony," Culpeper, five miUion seven hundred thousand acres of Virginia land, comprising, in its vast area, the present counties of Northumberland, Lancaster, Richmond, West- moreland, King George, Prince WiUiam, Fairfax, Loudoun, Fauquier, Culpeper, Madison, Page, Shenandoah, Hardy, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, Jefiferson, Frederick, and Clarke, or over one-sixth of the present commonwealth of Virginia and a territorial empire within itself. On the death of Culpeper, the grant descended to his daughter, Lady Catherine Culpeper Fairfax, who, in turn, bequeathed it to her son, the Right Honorable Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax, Baron Cameron. 29 30 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. In 1692, Robert Carter, better known by the ironical sobriquet of "King Carter," himself a landlord to the extent of some hundred thousand acres, had been appointed agent of all the Fairfax interests in Virginia and served in this capacity no doubt with satisfaction to the owners until 1732, when, upon his death, Benjamin Borden re- ceived and held for a short time the commission of agent for the western portion of the grant. Borden's avarice soon aroused sus- picion and in 1734 Lord Thomas induced his first cousin. Colonel William Fairfax, son of his father's brother Henry, to resign a ro)^al commission and accept the more lucrative one of general superin- tendent of his lordship's entire interest in the colony. Educated in the best schools of England, William Fairfax enjoyed the additional advantage of practical experience in public life to equip him for the arduous duties of his new situation. He had been a soldier in Queen Anne's war, chief justice of the Bahamas, governor of the Isle of Providence and collector of the port of Salem, Massa- chusetts Bay, acquitting himself throughout with signal ability and to the entire satisfaction of the home government. Returning to England in 1 7 1 7 with his wife Sarah (daughter of Colonel Walker of Nassau) , whom he had married while in the Bahama Islands, he appears to have temporarily retired from pubhc life until the year 1725, when he received the important appointment of collector of his majesty's customs at Salem. In this capacity he served until 1 734, the date of his removal to Virginia. His first wife, Sarah Walker, died in 1731. By her he had four children, George William, Thomas, Anne (married Lawrence Wash- ington), and Sarah (married IMajor John Carlyle of Alexandria). Shortly after the demise of his wife, and in deference to her death-bed request or desire, he married Deborah Clark, widow of Francis Clark and daughter of the Honorable Colonel Bartholomew Gedney of Salem. Deborah Clark was a woman of exalted character and extra- ordinary intelligence, whose unfeigned piety and motherly affection made a deep and wholesome impression, not only on the minds of her own children and the children of her husband by his first wife, but upon the young George Washington as well, who was a frequent and welcome visitor at her house, and over whom she seems to have exercised a most salutary influence. The duties incumbent upon the new agent were far more impor- tant than the perfunctory and no doubt disagreeable task of collecting quit-rents from the scattered settlers. King James' grant to Culpeper, THE VIRGINIA FAIRFAXES. 3 1 now the property of Lord Thomas Fairfax, contained a clause vali- dating all grants and purchases within the confines of the Culpeper boundary, made prior to the confirmation of that claim by the crown in 1688. Notwithstanding this, frequent disputes and contests arose to adjust which, without recourse to law, required consummate skill and diplomacy. It was in this particular line of duty that William Fairfax first demonstrated to the simple rustics his perfect sense of honesty and impartial justice, avoiding as far as possible legal squabbles and in the most friendly manner establishing agreeable relations between landlord and tenant to the mutual profit and sat- isfaction of all concerned. As a precaution against further entanglement and to facilitate the work of pacification along the Fairfax border, it was determined shortly after the arrival of his lordship in the colony in 1 746 to offi- cially locate the western limit of the Fairfax grant. The year previous (1745) the king had designated a line from the head-spring of the Conway River (branch of the Rapidan) to the head-spring of the northern branch of the Potomac River as the imaginary western boundar}^ and at the request of his lordship appointed three com- missioners, viz.. Colonel William Byrd of Westover, John Robinson and John Grymes, to meet a similar number appointed by Lord Fairfax to permanently define by actual surv^ey the disputed limits. This commission assembled in Fredericksburg in the early fall of 1746 and with Thomas Lewis, Robert Brooke and George William Fairfax as surveyors, numerous attendants and a company of provincial militia under Captain Joshua Fry (whose death at Will's Creek in 1754, while on the French expedition, gave George Washington his first command when only twenty-two years of age) to guard the expe- dition, started from Fredericksburg, according to the journal of Thomas Lewis, one of the surveyors, on September iS, 1746, and repaired to the headwaters of the Conway River. It appears that the corps subsequently divided, one portion going to the headwaters of the Potomac, where on the 17th day of October, 1746, the Potomac faction set the Fairfax stone inscribed "FX," which is said to be still standing about three miles from the town of Davis in Tucker County on the West Virginia Central Railroad. "It should be," says Moncure D. Conway, in "Barons of the Potomac and Rappahannock," "in the pedestal of Washington Monument in Washington City, for Fairfaxland was lost in Washingtonland." The Fredericksburg corps began its labors from the upper Conway 32 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. on the 1 2 th of October and the two sections, running on converging Hnes, completed their work on December 14 (Colonel WiUiam Byrd's Journal). Thus was positively established the western boundary of the Fairfax grant, but the litigation over disputed claims along this line continued for years, even after all the original litigants had been called from the transitory scenes of this world's affairs. On arriving in Virginia, Colonel Fairfax resided for a short while in Westmoreland County and there no doubt first made the acquaint- ance of the Washington family. About 1734, he moved to the upper Potomac and erected a spacious mansion on an elevated plain over- looking and commanding a fine prospect of the broad and beautiful Potomac River, about three miles below the present Mount Vernon house and separated from that farm by Epsewasson or Dogue Creek. Around this old homestead, which he named "Belvoir" (beautiful to see) in honor of his ancestral manor in England, and of which not even a picture remains, gather some of the most interesting events of an intensely interesting and historic epoch. In it Lawrence Washington, the eldest half-brother of George, was married to Anne, daughter of Colonel William Fairfax, July 19, 1743. To it came Lord Thomas, owner of the grant in 1739, on his first visit to Virginia and again in 1746, when, after disposing of his English estates, he returned to take up his permanent residence in the colony. Here he lived for a number of years enjoying the social intercourse of fashionable Belvoir and participating with relish in the rural pastimes of the local gentry. Here, also, his lordship made the acquaintance and formed a friend- ship for the boy surveyor, who from the very first seems to have strangely and irresistibly appealed to the peculiar nobleman. But by far the most important incident connected with the famous old homestead was the departure from its hospitable confines, in 1748, of the youthful George Washington on his initial trip to the Valley of Virginia to begin his career as a surveyor in the employ of the eccen- tric but cultured baron. This was the beginning of the pubUc life of the world's greatest hero, humanity's great champion. For forty years Belvoir was the seat of one of the most refined and distinguished families in the northern section of Virginia, and was noted for its princely hospitality. A man of ample means, genial dis- position and unquestionable ability. Colonel William Fairfax soon became an active and prominent factor in the political affairs of the province and, as member and afterwards president of the Colonial Council, occupied a position of influence and importance second only THE VIRGINIA FAIRFAXES. 33 to the governor. He was, also, from the very beginning of his resi- dence on the upper Potomac, a vestryman or warden in Truro Parish, and continued as such, taking an active part in local church work, until the day of his death. His son, George William, who was the only companion of young Washington on his first trip to the Valley of Virginia, also became prominent in very early life, succeeding his father in after years in several important pubhc positions. He maintained, by strict and conscientious attention to business, the honorable reputation of his parent for faithful public service. The old register of Pohick Church shows that, succeeding his father, he served as a vestryman of Truro Parish from 1758 to his departure for England in 1773. While a member of the House of Burgesses and at the age of only twenty-four, he married Miss Sally Cary, daughter of Wilson Cary of Celes, a cele- brated belle of Williamsburg and an heiress in her own right. She became, as most people did who knew him well, an admirer of the manly qualities and unusual attainments of the young sur\'eyor with whom she was now, as a resident of Belvoir, frequently thrown in company, and had ample opportunity to observe the intrinsic worth of his character. It will be remembered that Lawrence Washington was also a member of the House of Burgesses during this period. Thus we have, from the same community and virtually from the same family, three representatives in the Colonial Council. General Washington, even in his declining years, cherished the fondest recollections of the Fairfax home and wrote to IMrs. George William Fairfax, in England: It is a matter of sore regret, when I cast my eyes towards Belvoir, which I often do, to reflect that the former inhabitants of it, with whom we lived in such harmony and friendship, no longer reside there, and that the ruins can only be viewed as the mementoes of former pleasures. But as time heals, so does it destroy, and Belvoir house with its wide verandas and airy halls has gone with the happy throngs that gathered round its hearthstone in the long ago. Fire practically con- sumed the house in the early part of the Revolution, and British battleships, in the War of 181 2, completed the destruction and leveled its crumbling walls. Scarcely a brick remains to show where this palatial homestead stood, and only the half filled excavations, now covered with tangled Virginia creeper and interlacing bramble vines, mark the place where once the height of fashion reigned. It is a sad 34 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND TPIE MASON. commentary that the good and pious mother, Deborah, and her dis- tinguished and benevolent husband, Colonel William Fairfax, father- in-law of Lawrence Washington and friend and preceptor of the' youthful George, rest forgotten in unmarked graves, on the edge of a lonely forest, close by the abandoned and neglected site of their stately home, which for years was the center of an opulent and culture i association. Mrs. Deborah Fairfax died in 1747, beloved by all who knew her, and ten years later Colonel William, advanced in years and crowTied with merited honors, also passed away. By his second wife, William Fairfax left three children, Bryan, who became rector of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, and the eighth lord of the line, who died at Mount Eagle, Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1802; William Henry, a soldier killed at Quebec in 1759; and Hannah, who married Warner Washington, first cousin of the General. Just before the Revolutionary War, George William Fairfax, who had inherited from his father the family homestead (which had for- merly been given to Colonel William by Lord Thomas), accompanied by his wife, visited England with the full intention of returning, but circumstances prevented the consummation of this desire. On their way to the mother country they met the vessels bearing hither the "ill-fated tea," which was to arouse the colonies to bitter resentment and eventually lead to armed resistance. They finally settled in the city of Bath, where both subsequently died and were buried, he in 1787 and she in 1811. On the departure of George Wm. Fairfax and his wife for England, General (then colonel) Washington became the agent for his American estate, but later, as the difficulties with the mother country increased and matters of great public moment demanded his attention, he resigned the commission, giving as his reason lack of time to devote proper attention to its care. In August, 1774, by order of the owner. Colonel Washington dis- posed of the contents of Belvoir house at public auction, and judging from an inventory of the sale, which is still in existence, it must have been luxuriously and elegantly fitted. The purchases made by Wash- ington alone amounted to nearly two hundred pounds sterling and comprised in after years some of the most valuable furniture of Mount Vernon house, several pieces of which have been restored by the ladies of The Mount Vernon Association to their former place in the mansion. the; VIRGINIA FAIRFAXES. 35 After leaving the Williams School at Wakefield in Westmoreland C'anty in 1747, George Washington spent most of his time at Mount Vernon and Belvoir, pursuing his course in surveying under his brother Lawrence and George Wm. Fairfax, who were both of that profession, until he entered the active service of Lord Thomas in the Valley of \ irginia. It is during this short period that numerous writers have tried to make the staid and serious youth the hero or victim of several mysterious love affairs. Such narratives constitute very pretty romances and are undoubt- edly entertaining to those of sentimental incHnations, but to the mature and observant mind most of them appear, under investigation, far from plausible and contain many elements of reasonable doubt. Let us dwell for a moment on this tender but always attractive subject and draw our conclusions from the evidence at hand. He was said to be a devoted admirer of Sally Fairfax. Now there were at least three Sally Fairfaxes. First, there was the beautiful wife of young George William, who, as Sally Gary, had married his (Washington's) friend in 1748, when the boy George was only sixteen years of age. A.s this young lady's home was over a hundred miles from Mount Vernon and his school days were just drawing to a close, he evidently did not make Mrs. Fairfax's acquaintance until she came to live with her husband at Belvoir in the spring of 1749. The next was Colonel William's second daughter (Sarah), who married Major John Carlyle, of Alex- andria, while the boy Washington was still at school in the lowlands of Westmoreland County, and with whom he probably had only a limited acquaintance until after she became Mrs. Carlyle. The next Sally was the daughter of Brj^an, eldest son of Deborah Clark and William Fairfax. Bryan, himself, was not bom until 1737 and con- sequently was only twenty-two years of age when Colonel Washington married the widow Custis. His name was also connected with Miss Mary Gary, the sister of George William Fairfax's wife. In a letter to his friend, Robin, he refers to this young lady as follows : My residence is at present at His Lordship's (Belvoir), where I might, was my heart disengaged, pass my time very pleasantly, as there's a very agreeable yoxmg lady (Miss Molly Carj^) lives in the same house; but as that's only adding fuel to fire, it makes me more imeasy, for by often and unavoidably being in company with her, revives my former passion for your Lowland Beauty; whereas was I to live more retired from young women, I might in some measure alleviate my sorrows, by burying that chaste and troublesome passion in the grave of oblivion. 36 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. This letter speaks of Miss Cary as an interesting young lady only. It does not carry with it a conviction of very deep affection, and, as he commits himself in no uncertain measure to the "Lowland Beauty," we are forced to the conclusion that another is the object of his juvenile affection. Miss Cary afterwards married Mr. Edward Ambler and from all accounts enjoyed a long and happy married life. Miss Lucy Grymes, who subsequently married Henry Lee and became the mother of the celebrated Light Horse Harry Lee of revo- lutionary fame, was almost positively identified as the famous "Low- land Beauty." This, too, seems to have been mere conjecture, as the mysterious lady of Washington's romance has at last been satisfac- torily identified in the discovery, by General Fitzhugh Lee, a great- grandson of Lucy Grymes, of a letter from the boy Washington to WiUiam Fauntleroy, Sr., of which the following is a verbatim copy: May 20, 1752. To Wm. Fauntleroy, Sr. Sir : I should have been down long before this, but my business in Frederick detained me somewhat longer than I expected and immediately upon my return from thence I was taken with a violent pleurice which has reduced me very low ; but purpose as soon as I recover my strength to wait on Miss Betsy in hopes of a revo- cation of the former cruel sentence, and see if I can meet with any alteration in my favor. I have enclosed a letter to her, which should be much obliged to you for the delivery of it. I have nothing to add but my best respts to your good lady and family. Geo. Washington. Betsy Fauntleroy was a veritable "Lowland Beauty," residing at Naylor's Hold, on the Rappahannock, about fifteen miles from Wake- field. She was the only daughter of William Fauntleroy and was bom June 26, 1736. As the letter of George Washington was written just after his return from the Barbadoes, March 4, 1752, and speaks of not having been able to visit the Fauntleroys on account of illness, he must have received his "cruel sentence" from Miss Betsy before the voyage (September, 1751), which would make him nineteen years of age and the young lady sixteen. There can be little doubt, then, since the discovery of this letter, of the identity of the famous " Low- land Beauty," around whom has gathered the most impenetrable mystery and the deepest sentimental interest for more than a century and a half. That he survived this incipient, boyish passion and lived happily with his futm-e wife for nearly half a centtuy, constantly writing and speaking of her in the most endearing terms, is convincing THS VIRGINIA FAIRFAXES. 37 proof that many of the stories woven around the precocious hero's youth were flights of fancy and ridiculous exaggerations. Such stories of the youthful George bring to mind another one of similar nature. It would appear that Lord Fairfax also had an affair of the heart, and some have gone so far as to declare that this affliction drove his lordship to the wilds of America and forced him into perma- nent seclusion. If such was the case, he must indeed have been a very constant and loyal lover. According to the authorities, the incident occurred when the baron was only twenty-five years old and, as he had reached the age of fifty-seven when he landed in Virginia, we can only suggest that such fidelity would be unusual in this epoch of the divorce court. The Washingtons, notwithstanding their prominence and distin- guished lineage, were noted for their plain, unostentatious manner and natural simplicity, which are striking characteristics of the family to-day. It is more than probable that these commendable traits had something to do with winning the friendship of the cultured Baron of Cameron, who was as free from affectation and foolish pride as the most humble tenant on his vast estate. Intermarriage in England had united these families centuries before, and it may be assumed that the American branches were familiar with this early association. There is a curious episode in the history of their ancestors which bears a striking contrast to the future course and conduct of the Amer- ican line. In 1646, the city of Worcester, England, was besieged by Cromwell's forces under General Sir Thomas Fairfax and defended by its governor, Colonel Henry Washington (collateral ancestors of our subject), and not until an order from the captive king, as the following letter indicates, would this loyal Washington surrender : To General, Fairfax. Sir: It is acknowledged by your books, and by 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 disposal of this garrison. Till then I shall make good the trust reposed in me. As for conditions, if I shall be necessitated I shall make the best I can. The worst I know and fear not ; if I had, the profession of a soldier had not been begun nor so long continued by your Excellency's humble serv^ant, Henry Washington. In the year General Fairfax joined Cromwell, the Reverend Lawrence Washington was evicted from his home at Sulgrave, his family pauperized for loyalty to the crown, and his two sons, Colonel 38 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. John and Lawrence, driven to repair their broken fortunes in the far- away colony of Virginia. A descendant and namesake of the evicted Lawrence had married a Fairfax and ere long a Washington was to besiege and conquer a royal army at Yorktown, while a proud scion of the House of Fairfax would die a recluse, broken-hearted, isolated in an American forest, lamenting the fall of kingly power. Lord Fairfax moved from Belvoir to the Valley of Virginia m the latter part of 1748 or early in 1749, locating at a place about twelve miles from the present city of Winchester, which he at first called " his quarters" and to which he afterwards gave the name of "Greenway Court." Here he laid out a manor containing ten thousand acres of arable grazing land, vast meadows and noble forests, and projected a spacious manor house. The proposed manorial building was never even started, but, instead, the rambling one and a half story dwelling (shown in the illustration) was erected on the site originally selected for the mansion, and in this his lordship resided for about thirty-four years, extending a liberal hospitality and taking an active part in the development of that section of the province, which in the early days of his residence was literally an outpost of civilization. On the lawn adjacent to his residence he erected a small one-story office building and in this diminutive structure deeds were drawn and quit-rents collected; in it, also, the boy Washington prepared many of the now famous plats of his surveys and subdivisions, during his several years' sojourn with the baron. This little house is still stand- ing and the picture shows it as it is to-day. The youthful Washington no doubt derived incalculable benefits from his isolated association with the cultured proprietor, to whose ample library he had unlimited access. The boy was an omnivorous reader and we can be reasonably certain that he lost no opportunity to satisfy his hungry mind and take advantage of the rare volumes of Greenway Court. Here, too, both the young surveyor and his lordly patron were afforded ample opportunity to indulge their fondness for agreeable field sports, such as fox and deer hunting, as adjacent to the residence, we are creditably informed by contemporary chronicles, his lordship kept a well-stocked kennel, stables for saddle horses and hunters, and numerous quarters for a large retinue of servants. Doubt- less the pleasure of the chase and the hours of enjoyment derived from the extensive library broke the tedium and monotony of business engagements and added spice and variety to his sequestered life and voluntary exile in the wilderness. < X o 3 z < m 3 a o K W THE VIRGINIA FAIRFAXES. 39 The baron, in after years, became principal justice of Frederick County and presided at the Winchester provincial court, and in the French and Indian War he led the troops of his county to the aid of Washington, then commander-in-chief of the colonial army in Virginia. The Fairfaxes took no part in the Revolution but were conserva- tive Royahsts to the end. It is said that Colonel Washington was dining with his lordship at Greenway Court when he received the news of the battle of Lexington, which proved a severe shock to the aged nobleman, and tradition informs us that in 1781, when apprised of the surrender of Cornwallis, so great was his grief and disappoint- ment that he exclaimed to his body-servant, "Come, Joe; carry me to my bed-; it is high time for me to die." Greenway Court, where Lord Fairfax passed so many of the closing years of his life, has also disappeared, and only the scattered fragments of its foundation can now be seen. The baron devised the ten thousand acres of land attached to the dwelling to his nephew. Colonel Bryan Martin, who subdivided it amongst his numerous heirs. They, in turn, made further divisions and distributions of the once princely manor, until now it constitutes innumerable highly cultivated plantations. The venerable lord died in 1782, in his ninety-second year, and, according to T. K. Cartnell, in his splendid history entitled "Shenan- doah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants," "his remains were placed in the Episcopal Church-yard on Loudoun Street (Winchester), now the site of the business block on the east side of the street, north of the comer of Water and Loudoun Streets. When Christ (Episcopal) Church was erected on the corner of Water and Washington Streets, his remains were removed and buried beneath the chancel of that church." Who can say that his life was not well spent? He had left the social whirl of aristocratic England and aU its allurements and attrac- tions to assist in the onward march of Anglo-Saxon civilization, and it is fitting that the dreamless dust of the Right Honorable Thomas, Lord Fairfax of Leeds Castle, England, Baron Cameron in Scotland, of Greenway Court in Virginia and proprietor of the Northern Neck of that colony, should rest in peace in the sanctuary of God which he had founded. So ends our brief review of the Fairfaxes in Virginia. They had lived to see their humble friend and employee rise from obscurity to the highest pinnacle of military power, and some of them survived to 40 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. see him walk still higher along the paths of fame. In after years their descendants enjoyed the benefits of his great life work and bravely defended the interests and the honor of the mighty republic he had helped to establish. Stranger than fiction, it came to pass in the course of time that this boy surveyor, when of superlative influence but still loyal to the friends of his youth, preserved from confiscation by colonial authority the remnant of the broken fortunes of the Virginia Fairfaxes, of which we are creditably informed not one acre is now owned by a lineal descendant bearing the name. We have referred to the neglected graves of Mrs. Deborah and Sir William Fairfax in the lonely forest of Belvoir, close by Mount Vernon, and it is a singular and sad coincidence that the remains of their son, Bryan, the Eighth Lord of the line, an eminent divine and the last of these noblemen in America, now rests in a tranquil but somewhat unfrequented valley not far from the quaint old city of Alexandria. His grave, marked by a simple shaft, is almost within sight of the electric railroad, which year after year transports venerat- ing thousands to the tomb of him who enjoyed the early friendship and was the object of the unselfish benefactions of this distinguished family. Such is the hand of fate. WASHINGTON THE SURVEYOR 'mM^ 'np'HE Virginia red man of the early colonial times, like his ^^ ^ cultivated pale-faced brother of to-day, was a migra- tory creature. As the sultry suns of spring and summer came and the wild game took its annual flight from the southern feeding grounds to more con- genial climates, the wily Indian also wandered away from the lowlands of the tidewater section, from the marshes and swampy confluents of the James, the York, the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers and, pursuing the ancient and well-beaten trail his ancestors had followed for centuries past, leisurely wended his way to the high and healthy hills of the Piedmont section. Beginning on the Chesapeake Bay, between the York and the James rivers, this path of the aborigines led up the backbone of the peninsula through the present city of Williamsburg, to New Kent Court House. From there by way of Bowling Green in Caroline County, Fredericksburg in Spotsylvania, Stafford Court House in Stafford, and through the old Scotch town of Dumfries in Prince William, it led to the crossing at the falls of the Occoquan. Then bending slightly to the east, it wound in a serpentine route by Washington's old mill close to Mount Vernon, through the fording at Cameron Run and down into the village of Bellehaven, now Alexandria. From this hamlet the Indians had two separate and distinct trails to the mountains and hunting grounds beyond, var>'ing in their course from one to twelve miles apart. The most northerly of these paths followed to some extent the meanderings of the Potomac River and is now known as the Middleburg turnpike. The other, taking a westerly course, led out across Fairfax County about two miles south of the present court house, by the httle village of Aldie in the BuU Run hills and, passing through Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge, crossed the Shenandoah River at Castleman's Ferry- in Clarke County. This branch is now known as Braddock's Road, and was the most popular trail of the red man in his annual pilgrimage to and from his shaded haunts in the Shenandoah Valley where, no doubt, during the summer months, he enjoyed savage life, gratifying his primitive tastes and indulging every diversion of his simple race. Roaming 41 42 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. unmolested through the virgin forest and drinking its health-giving waters, he lingered until the return of autumn's frosts and the coming of the geese and ducks called him back over the same old trail, by easy stages, to the wigwams .and bountiful hunting grounds of his beloved Chickahominy. This was the Indian life, the life of the nomad of the forest, not far removed from the migratory habits of cultured America of to-day. From the shadowy trail of the brown skinned child of nature developed the bridle path of the pioneer and later the public thoroughfare of the sturdy colonists, known as the King's Highway, which was further improved and transformed by the skill of the engineer into a historic military thoroughfare, over which mighty armies were transported and around which great battles were fought. By this route the immigrant John Washington led Nathaniel Bacon's men in pursuit of the preda- tory savage in 1675 ; over it George Washington passed on his mission from Dinwiddie to the French commandant in 1753 and again with his provincials, en route for the Great Meadows; over it Braddock journeyed with Governor Dinwiddie and his richly caparisoned sol- diery in 1755, and over it, still later, McClellan, Hooker, Burnside, McDowell and Pope, with Lee, Longstreet, Jackson and Stuart, hurried their countless legions to and fro. It led through the battle- fields of the peninsula, of Fredericksburg, of Hanover and Caroline counties, and on by that of Bull Run and traversed the entire country where the intrepid Stonewall Jackson achieved his greatest fame in the beautiful and historic Valley of Virginia. It is an immortal road, the Appian Way of the western empire, and should be marked by the nation to commemorate some of the greatest epochs and events in its history. On Friday morning, March 1 1 , 1 748, two young surveyors, George William Fairfax and George Washington, bade adieu to their friends and relatives at Bel voir house (see map, page 90), the Fairfax home- stead on the Potomac River (three miles below Mount Vernon), rode through its west gate and, turning sharply to the north, took this Indian trail which, converted into a public road, was then called the King's Highway. Passing by Augustine Washington's mill, close by Mount Vernon house, they almost paralleled the line of the present Washington- Virginia electric railroad to Alexandria. Crossing Great Hunting Creek at Cameron Ford, they halted for a moment at the village of Bellehaven, then, turning to the west, quickly passed the settled community of Fairfax County, out into the border country. ^-^^ LA\\.\ AT GKHK.\\\AY4CUURT. \VAbllI.\(./lu.\ .T (Ji-l'Jl )^ Al WREKNWAY COURT. WASHINGTON THE SURVEYOR. 43 and after riding forty miles stopped at the wayside inn of Squire Neville, a cousin of the Fairfaxes and well known to both the travelers. Neville had, some twenty years before, come up out of the lower country and established his isolated hostelry (which is still standing) not far from the present village of Aldie in Loudoun County. Our young surveyors spent but one night with their frontier host and on the following morning resumed their journey across the Blue Ridge range of mountains at Ashby's Gap. Swimming the Shenan- doah River, they entered the charming Valley of Virginia at one of its most beautiful and picturesque points — bounded on one side by the Blue Ridge range and on the other by the North Mountain, a spur of the Alleghanies, with a width of about twenty-five miles between the two. The undulating landscape, abounding in clear, copious streams and virgin forests, must have been an inspiring sight to these adventurous spirits buoyant with youthful enthusiasm and promising prospects. Pressing on their way, they found rest again at nightfall under the roof of Captain Ashby's home, a short way above Burwell's Island at the great bend of the Shenandoah River, and on Sunday, March 13, rode four miles farther up the valley to Lord Fairfax's quarters, afterwards known as Greenway Court. Here they found a generous welcome and here Washington was to make his home for several years to come, roughing it in the wilderness but gaining an experience from his contact with the wild men of the forest and his familiarity with the topography of the country that, in a few years, would make him the invaluable defender of this exposed and unpro- tected frontier. On this trip Washington was only an assistant to young Fairfax, who, though a comrade in every sense, was seven years his senior and a young man of excellent education, trained in England for the pro- fession in which he was then engaged. Their expedition was of short duration and in one of the most inclement and changeable months of the year, but Washington's well kept diary shows that not a day was lost and that, under the most trying conditions and circumstances, he and his companion pursued their vocation, regardless of numerous and sometimes almost insuper- able obstacles. " I have not slept," writes he in a letter to a friend, " above three or four nights in a bed but, after walking a good deal all the day, I have lain down before the fire, upon a little straw or fodder or a bear skin, whichever was to be had, with man, wife and children, like dogs and cats, and happy is he who gets the berth near the fire." 44 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THB MASON. Having completed all the surveys desired by his lordship at this time, the two young men, on the loth of April, according to the youth's diar}^,set forth from the south branch of the Potomac on their return home. "We took our farewell of the branch," says he, "and traveled over hills and mountains to Coddys on the great Cacapehon about forty miles ;" traversed the Shenandoah Valley, passed through the Blue Ridge and on the 12th of April, just one month after their departure from Belvoir, arrived once more at Alount Vernon. He received as compensation for his ser^^ices on this trip a doubloon per day, when actively employed, sometimes six pistoles. (A pistole is $3.00.) Washington remained but a little while at ISIount Vernon. He might have lingered there without reproach, participating in the pleasures of social intercourse with the Fairfaxes and other neighboring gentry, and would always have been a welcome guest, but idleness was not a trait of his character. Ere long, we find him wending his way back to the scene of his labors in the Valley. This time he journeyed alone. George William Fairfax had entered the political field and was a successful candidate for the House of Burgesses. He had quit the hardships and exposures of frontier life to mingle with the affluent and aristocratic assemblages of Williamsburg, while his young friend and former companion braved the privations and dangers of the border country, alone and undaunted, until the storms of winter drove him back to his mother's home on the Rappahannock. He was yet only a child in years, only a boy, but his livelihood and possibly that of his mother with four small children depended largely upon his earnings. Up to this time, except when accompanied by George William Fairfax, Washington's surveys lacked the official stamp of the colony to give them legal status. He had not, as yet, been commissioned as a pubhc surveyor, but on the 20th day of July, 1 749 (O. S.), there was admitted to record in the county of Culpeper the foUowing certificate: George Washington, Gent, produced a commission from the President and Master of William and Mary College, appointing him to be surveyor of this county, which was read and thereupon he took the usual oaths to his Majesty's person and government and took and subscribed the abjuration oath and test, and then took the oath of surveyor, he became an officer of the colony. In the future, his surveys would bear the stamp and seal of the government oflScer and be recorded as such. The winter's winds had come again ; Alount Vernon and Belvoir houses were closed and their occupants, Major Lawrence Washington WASHINGTON THE SQRVEYOR. 45 and the Fairfaxes, with their families, were at Williamsburg attending the session of the General Assembly and participating in the fashion- able social functions of the colonial capital. It was a gallant age, the age of pomp and regal splendor in the Old Dominion and, amid its brilliant scenes of powdered hair and silver buckles, little thought was possibly given to the awkward youth, who industriously plied his rod and chain for the Lord of Greenway Court in far-off Shenandoah, or to the lonely widowed mother in her humble cottage on the banks of the Rappahannock. It had probably never occurred for an instant to the generous Lawrence that the pall of poverty had gathered around the home of his father's widow, nor to William Fairfax that the ghost of actual want stalked at the door of the wife of his early friend and associate in Virginia. Willing hands would have been eagerly extended in prompt and liberal response had an intimation come of such a condition, but the proud soul of Mary Washington could not bend to supplication, even to those upon whom she had a claim and who would have been glad to contribute to her relief. So she waited the coming of her eldest son, whose plaintive appeal in the appended letter (a facsimile of which we also publish) , telling the story of his mother's want by intimation only, must have touched the hearts and opened the hands of their generous friends in Williamsburg. May 5TH, 1749. Dear Brother : I hope your cough is much mended since I saw you last, if so likewise hope you have given over the thought of leaving Virginia. As there is not an absolute occasion of my coming down, hope you will get the deeds acknowledged without me; my horse is in very poor order to undertake such a journey, and is in no likelihood of mending for want of com sufficient to support him; tho' if there be any certainty in the Assemblys not rising until the latter end of May, will, if I can, be down by that; As my Mother's term of years is out at that place, at Bridge's Creek, she designs to settle a quarter on that piece at Deep Run, but seems backward of doing it until the Right is made good, for fear of accidents. It's reported here that Mr. Spotswood intends to put down the Ferry that is kept at the Wharf where he now lives, and that IMajor Francis Talliaferro intends to petition the Assembly for an Act to have it kept from his House over against my Mother's Quarter, and right through the very heart and best of the Land; whereas he can have no other view in it but for the Conveniences of a small Alill he has on the Water side, that will not grind above three Months in ye twelve, and the great inconveniency and prejudice it will be to us, hope it will not be granted; besides, I do not see where he can possibly have a landing place on his side that will ever be sufficient for a lawful landing (by reason of the highness of the Banks) ; I 46 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. think we suffer enough with the Free Ferry, without being troubled with such an unjust and iniquitous Petition as that, but hope as its only a flying report he will consider better of it and drop his pretentions. I should be glad (if its not too much trouble) to hear from you in the mean while remain with my Love to my Sister, Dear Sir, Your affectionate Brother, George Washington. Augustine Washington had left his wife in comfortable circum- stances. In addition to other perquisites, he had provided an income for five years from the estate at Wakefield, but this had now expired. Poor crops and a plethora of slaves, which they would not sell, had sapped the resources of the widow until transient poverty darkened the door of her humble home and placed an added responsibility and care upon the shoulders of that son who was to meet greater obliga- tions than these and measure up to every requirement of the occasion even as he did in this. "How far away now appear these troubles," says an eminent writer, "under the later splendor of this man's career. Lately I saw on the edge of the Rappahannock the ruin of that same mill, to which the letter alludes, and on the heights near it uninhabited cabins that may be the very same that stood on the widow's lower farm, threatened by Taliferro's proposed ferry. These poor things once meant bread or the want of it to the widow Washington and her children. They also meant humiliation and disappointment to the lover of the ' Lowland Beauty.' He will roam among the Indians and survey my lord's lands, and write of 'her that's pityless' verses that amuse the dry historians." For two years after this trying circumstance, Washington pursued the vocation of surveyor, but in 1 75 1 the encroachments of the French on the territory of the Ohio Company, to which brief reference has been made in a preceding chapter, aroused the military spirit of the people. The province was divided into military districts, each having an adjutant-general with the rank of major, and the pay of one hundred and fifty pounds a year, whose duty was to attend to the organization and equipment of the militia. Although George Washington was only nineteen years of age, he secured, through the influence of his brother Lawrence, an appointment to one of these positions and immediately began preparations to equip himself for his new duties. I uc/^-\-oijey\. rryvy a~^7n- cU^'Pnco. I WASHINGTON'S MISSION TO THE FRENCH COMMANDANT AND THE BATTLE OF GREAT MEADOWS ^^^ 'Tr'HERE remained in the colony a number of the veterans ■^^^^^^ of the Cartagena campaign and among these early companions in arms of Lawrence Washington was Adjutant Muse, of Westmoreland County. His farm was on Pope's Creek and adjoined that of Wakefield. Another of Lawrence's old comrades was Jacob Van Braam, a Dutchman by birth, who had served in the British army, but, now retired, was hving at Fredericksburg. These two experienced soldiers were employed by Major LawTence to instruct the youthful George in the arts and artifices of war. " Under the tutelage of these veterans, Mount Vernon," says Washington Irvang, "from being a quiet rural retreat, where Washington, three years previously, had indited love ditties to his ' Lowland Beauty, ' was suddenly trans- formed into a school of arms, as he practised the manual exercise with Adjutant Muse or took lessons on the broadsword from Van Braam. " His military studies, however, were suddenly and sadly inter- rupted for a time by the critical condition of his brother's health and a trip to the Bahamas, to which reference has been made. Immediately after his return from the Barbadoes and the death of Major Lawrence, Washington renewed his martial training under ISIuse and Van Braam. Further complaints from the Ohio Company spurred Governor Dinwiddle to determined action. He hastily despatched Captain W^illiam Trent to expostulate with the French commandant on the Ohio for his encroachments on the territory of his Britannic majesty. The governor's agent appears to have been a timid man, who, dismayed at the menacing condition of affairs on the border, lost heart and hastily returned without accomplishing even a part of his object. The stubborn Scotch governor now determined to find a more capable messenger. There were certain quahties essential for the success of the undertaking. The man appointed must possess courage to cope with the savage, sagacity to deal with the experienced French com- mandant, and vigilance to observe every condition that might be of future advantage to the colony. 47 48 WASHINGTON THE! MAN AND THE MASON. Washington's name was suggested. He possessed every attain- ment to qualify him for the dehcate and dangerous position; he was acquainted with the matters in litigation, having been in the bosom councils of his deceased brother, and was an experienced frontiersman, familiar with the habits and traits of the cunning red man. It is true he was not yet twenty-two years of age, but public confidence in the wisdom of the youth justified his appointment and Governor Dinwiddle did not hesitate. "Ye're a braw lad," said he, on handing him his instructions, "and gin you play your cards weel, my boy, ye shall hae nae cause to rue your bargain. " The governor's instructions to the major were somewhat exten- sive but explicit. He said, in conclusion'. You are diligently to inquire into the numbers and force of the French on the Ohio and the adjacent country; how they are likely to be assisted from Canada; and what are the difficulties and conveniences of that communication, and the time required for it. You are to take care to be truly informed what forts the French have erected, and where ; how they are garrisoned and appointed, and what is their distance from each other, and from Logstown ; and, from the best intelligence you can procure, you are to learn what gave occasion to this expedition of the French; how they are likely to be supported, and what their pretensions are. When the French commandant has given you the required and necessary dispatches, you are to desire of him a proper guard to protect you, as far on your return as you judge for your safety, against any straggling Indians or himters that may be ignorant of your character and molest you. Wishing you good success in your negotiations, and a safe and speedy return, I am, etc. Robert Dinwiddib. Wn-LIAMSBURG, 30th October. The governor also furnished him with proper credentials reposing special trust and confidence in his ability, conduct and fidelity ; also a passport commanding all of his majesty's subjects and requiring all in alliance and amity with the crown of Great Britain to be aiding and assisting as a safeguard to his express messenger. Washington received his credentials on the 29th day of October, 1753, and, after hurried preparation, on October 30 set off on his perilous mission. Proceeding to Fredericksburg, he engaged his for- mer master of fence, Jacob Van Braam, as French interpeter. From Fredericksburg, he hastened to Alexandria and, having provided the necessaries of his journey, hurried to Winchester, then a frontier vil- lage. Here he procured horses, tents and other traveling equipments and then pushed on by a newly opened road to Will's Creek, now Cumberland, where he arrived on the 15th day of November. At Washington's mission to the French commandant. 49 Cumberland he was joined by that intrepid pioneer and explorer, Christopher Gist, and an Indian interpreter, John Davidson. With his httle company on the following day, November 16, he entered the great forest, directing his course to the seat of the French comman- dant at Fort LeBoeuf , near Lake Erie. It is not our intention to follow the subject of these memoirs day by day through his mihtar>' and political life. We leave this to others, and for the purposes of this work will refer only to the important events in his pubhc career, deahng more particularly with his social, civil and political environments, and with the men and women who gathered around him in official and in private life. The extended and varied service of this great man does not pro- duce a more interesting epoch than is found in this journey through the wilderness. With the sagacity of a trained diplomat, he wrung from the French their innermost secrets, outwitted the Indian in his own game, and displayed the most heroic courage and fortitude in the face of stupendous obstacles and dangers. Successfully overcoming every difficulty, without display or parade he quietly rode into Wilhamsburg on the 1 6th day of Januarys 1754, after an absence of two months and a half, having traveled over a thousand miles, most of the way through an unbroken and unexplored wilderness, inhabited by wild beasts and wilder men, and delivered the reply from the French commandant to Governor Dinwiddle. At the same time he rendered a full report of his journey, which was afterwards published and widely circulated, not only throughout the colonies, but spread broadcast over all England. An eminent writer says : The prudence, sagacity, resolution, firmness and self-devotion manifested by him throughout; his admirable tact and self possession in treating with fickle savages and crafty white men; the soldier's eye with which he had noticed the commanding and defensible points of the country, and everything that could bear upon military operations; and the hardihood with which he had acquitted himself during a wintry tramp through the wilderness, through constant storms of rain and snow; often sleeping on the ground without a tent, in the open air, and in danger from treacherous foes — all pointed him out not merely to the governor, but to the public at large, as one eminently fitted, notwithstanding his youth, for important trusts involving civil as well as military duties. It is an expedition that may be considered the foundation of his fortunes. From that moment he was the rising hope of Virginia. The pubhcation of Washington's journal aroused the colonial and the home governments to a deep sense of impending danger. Gov- ernor Dinwiddle convened the House of Burgesses to devise means 50 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. and measures for public security. Three hundred men were enlisted and divided into six companies. The command of the whole was offered to Washington, who, deeming the responsibility too great for his youth and experience, declined. It was then given to Colonel Joshua Fry, with Washington second in command, and on the 2nd of April, having enlisted two companies, he set forth from Alexandria for the new fort at the forks of the Ohio with but one hundred and fifty men, followed by Colonel Fry with the artillery and the remainder of the regiment. From Alexandria, they proceeded by way of Win- chester to Will's Creek (now Cumberland, ISIar^-land) , arriving there on the 20th of April. Here he halted to await the coming of Colonel Fr}^'s detachments, when, on their arrival, he again took up his march on the 20th of April. Pressing forward with his little force over mountains, and through a rugged, broken country, he arrived on ]\Iay 24 at a place called Great Meadows, where he received information of the approach of the enemy in force. Hastily intrenching himself, he prepared to resist their advance, but the information proved overdrawn. On May 25, Mr. Gist apprised him of the presence of a band of French scouts or spies lurking in the vicinity. Washington with a detachment of forty men sallied forth in the night, and on the early morning of May 28 surprised the French in their hiding place. After a lively skirmish, lasting about fifteen minutes, the French party was defeated, eleven being killed or wounded and twenty-one captured. Among the French slain wasM. Dejumonville, the leader of the band. This was Washington's first battle and served to stimulate him to further action. On the 29th the prisoners taken were sent back to Will's Creek where Colonel Fry, the ranking officer of the expedition, was detained by serious illness, from which he soon after died. The command devolving upon the youthful Washington, on the nth of June he resumed his laborious march towards Red Stone creek. He had advanced but twelve miles when reliable information came of the approach of a large force of the allied enemy. Washington's situation was now precarious. Lack of supplies, failure to receive the necessary recruits, and the exhausted condition of his little army forced a hasty return to the improvised fortifications at Great Meadows, where he arrived on the first day of July, closely pursued by the French and Indians. It was there, three days later, that Washington engaged in the first set battle of his career, which resulted in his capitulating to the French commander under certain favorable conditions. After Washington's mission to thb French commandant. 51 destroying their artillery, ammunition and military stores, with their portable equipment, the forlorn band of continental troops marched out of the temporary fortification and slowly wended their way back to the fort at Will's Creek. From there Washington hastened on to Williamsburg to make his report, while his troops by easy stages made their way back to Alexandria, at which place he joined them in the following month. Notwithstanding the disastrous results of the expedition, the assembly expressed its confidence in the young commander and extended a vote of thanks with certain extra compensation. Governor Dinwiddle, incensed at the success of the French, urged immediate action on the part of the colonies. He increased the pro- vincial force to ten independent companies, in which no officer of the Virginia line was to rank higher than a captain and each colonial cap- tain was to yield precedence to the officers royally commissioned. Washington indignantly resented this unjust scheme, which would reduce him from his well-merited position of lieutenant-colonel to that of captain, and notwithstanding an urgent request for his services, accompanied by assurances of high regard from Governor Sharpe of Maryland, who had been created commander-in-chief, he promptly resigned his commission and retired to private life at Mount Vernon. WASHINGTON IN BRADDOCK'S CAMPAIGN A FTER relinquishing his command and disengaging him- self from public service, Washington's first act was to visit his mother, inquire into the state of her affairs and look after the welfare of his younger brothers and sister. This duty performed, he resumed his residence at Mount Vernon, which, after the marriage of his brother Lawrence's widow to Mr. George Lee, had, imder the will of that brother, reverted to him in fee. Washington, even at this early age, evinced the liveliest interest in agricultural pursuits and with his brother, John Augustine, who had charge of the plantation during his absence, entered into the farming industry with characteristic zeal and method. This agreeable occu- pation, however, was soon to be disturbed. Incensed at the con- tinued French aggression and keenly resenting the disaster at Great Meadows, the home government now took immediate action to vigor- ously resent these outrages, appropriated a million pounds sterling to augment the colonial war chest for the defence of the colonies and appointed Major-General Edward Braddock commander-in-chief of the forces. Braddock sailed from Cork in Ireland on the 15th day of January, I755> with two regiments of foot, consisting each of five hundred British regulars, under Colonel Dunbar and Colonel (Sir) Peter Halket, officers of high repute for ability and experience. Landing at Hamp- ton in Virginia, on the 20th of February, the commander-in-chief repaired to Williamsburg, thence, with Governor Dinwiddle and a numerous escort, to Alexandria, the place of rendezvous, where Com- modore Augustus Keppel,* with his squadron of two ships of war and several transports bearing the royal troops, had already arrived. Looking down from his rural retreat at Mount Vernon, Washing- ton probably saw the English flotilla as it passed up the beautiful river on its way to the village of Alexandria, and there can be httle doubt that his martial spirit welcomed the opportunity to honorably participate in the expedition which was offered a few days later, by •Commodore Keppel's second sister. Lady Caroline Keppel, married in 1758 Robert Adair, for whom she wrote before her marriage that beautiful ballad "Robin Adair," that was destined to become familiar throughout the length and breadth of the civUized world. 53 54 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. the receipt of the appended invitation to become a member of Brad- dock's staff : Williamsburg, March 2nd, 1755. Sir: The general having been informed that you expressed some desire to make the campaign, but that you declined it upon some disagreeableness which you thought might arise from the regulations of command, has ordered me to acquaint you, that he will be very glad of your company in his family, by which all inconvenience of that kind will be obviated. I shall think myself very happy to form an acquaint- ance with a person so universally esteemed, and shall use every opportunity of assuring you how much I am, sir. Your obedient servant, Robert Orme, Aide-de-camp. Placing his affairs at Mount Vernon again in the hands of his brother, John Augustine, with whom, since the resignation of his Virginia command, he had been keeping " bachelor's hall," he promptly- accepted the invitation of General Braddock, repaired to Alexandria, took up his headquarters in Gadsby's Tavern (now City Hotel), and proceeded to assist in marshaling the Virginia contingent, which was also being assembled in that city. A courteous reception awaited Washington from General B raddock who complimented him on the favorable report he had received of his merits, and from Captains Orme and Morris, the general's aides-de- camp. These young officers welcomed him into frank companionship and a cordial intimacy was begun between them that continued throughout the campaign. There assembled in Alexandria, in addition to the military, a number of distinguished civilians, representing several colonies. On the 14th of April, a grand council of the five governors was held at the home of Major John Carlyle* at which were present Governor Shirley •John Carlyle, ia whose house the Council of War was held, was of Scotch descent; bom February 6, 1720; emigrated to Virginia, 1740; married Sarah, daughter of William Fairfax of Belvoir; in 1752 he erected the now famous Carlyle House in Alexandria, on the foundations of an old fort; the house was occupied in April, 1755, by General Braddock as his headquarters; on the 26th of January, 1 755, Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia appointed Mr. Carlyle major and com- missary of the Virginia forces in the Braddock Campaign. In 1 758 he succeeded his father-in-law. Honorable William Fairfax, as collector of his majesty's customs on the south Potomac; in the Revolution he espoused the cause of the colonies and was a zealous patriot. His only son, George William, waskilled in the battle of Eutavv Springs, South Carolina, September 18,1781, fighting under "Light Horse" Harry Lee, at the age of ordy seventeen. It was in his house that the seed of colonial taxation by the English ParUament was planted. During their conference with General Braddock, the five governors referred to gave it as their unanimous opinion " that a common fund proposed for the prosecution of the French War can never be established in the colonies without the aid of Parliament." They likewise declared that "having found it impracticable to obtain in their respective governments their proportions expected by his Majesty towards defraying the ^t. < > z < X S < < o z I— I < WASHINGTON IN BRADDOCK's CAMPAIGN. 55 of Massachusetts, Lieutenant Governor DeLancey of New York, Lieutenant Governor Sharpe of Maryland, Lieutenant Governor Morris of Pennsylvania, Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia, General Braddock, and Colonel Washington. At this meeting the general's commission was read and the plan of campaign, previously discussed, agreed upon; Washington's appoint- ment as major on Braddock's staff was officially announced and a general discussion of the proposed campaign entered into. It may be interesting to note Washington's opinion of Braddock, formed after a short acquaintance and that subsequent events proved the correct- ness of those first impressions: He appears to be stately and somewhat haughty, exact in matters of military etiquette and discipline, positive in gi\nng an opinion and obstinate in maintaining it but of an honorable and generous, though somewhat irritable nature. General Braddock's long, tedious march from Alexandria to Fort Duquesne was over the same broken route that young Washington had led his provincial companies the year before, and the English general might have been immeasurably benefited by the experience of a colonial colonel, not only in the affair of the battle, but in his difficult and laborious journey, had he permitted his haughty spirit to yield to the advice of his aide-de-camp. Braddock left Alexandria on the 2oth of April and did not reach Fort Cumberland until the 19th of May. Up to this point, he rode in a chariot with an extensive body-guard and outriders and much of the heraldry and pomp of continental warfare. This style, to his great disappointment, he was now forced to abandon. From that point on he must travel through narrow defiles, up and over rugged mountains, ford dangerous streams, and combat with every species of discouragement and adversity. To expense of his services in North America, we are unanimously of opinion that it should be proposed to his Majesty's Ministers to find out some method of compelling them to do it, and of assessing the several governments in proportion to their respective abilities, their shares of the whole money already furnished and what it shall be thought proper for them further to furnish towards the general expense of his service." After the adjournment of the council. General Braddock wrote from the Carlyle House, on April 19, 1755, to Sir Thomas Robinson, one of his majesty's secretaries of state, as follows: "... You will be sufficiently informed, sir, by the minutes of the Council which I send you, of the impossibility of obtaining from several colonies the estabhshment of a general fund agreeable to his Majesty's instructions ... I cannot but take the liberty to repeat to you the necessity of laying a tax upon all his Majesty's dominions in America, agreeably to the result of Council, for reimbursing the great sums that must be advanced for the service and interest of the colonies in this important crisis." This was the first suggestion by British officials in council, for taxing the American colonies — a project which ended in their independence. 56 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. surmount these difficulties he needed to lay aside the tinsel and trap- pings of parade and resort to the rougher but more practical methods of the frontier. This, however, he refused to do, and in consequence of his determi- nation to adhere to military rules and technical forms, regardless of the advice of Washington and experienced frontiersmen, Braddock consumed a month in marching little more than a hundred miles, so that it was not until the early part of July that he arrived at the ford of the Monongahela River, about fifteen miles below Fort Duquesne. There was one fortunate circumstance in connection with this sad affair — Major Washington had been suffering from a serious illness which had kept him in the rear of the army for several weeks, but regardless of the protest of his physician, Dr. James Craik, and his brother aides, Orme and Morris, and while yet unable to walk for any considerable distance, he, to the surprise of General Braddock, joined the advance forces on July 8, the day before the disastrous engagement and just as the fated army was approaching the narrow defile or dangerous cover where death and destruction awaited them. Fully sensible of the gravity of the situation, Washington appealed to Braddock to be cautious and to permit the colonial rangers to go forward and investigate the surroundings, warning him of the skulking foe, which was not to be despised under such conditions. All of this salutary advice the Englishman scornfully rejected and, without even an outrider or vidette,' pressed onward into the very jaws of the trap which the Indians had so cunningly set for his destruction. Major Washington was still confined to his couch in an ambulance, and it was only after the battle began that he climbed from the covered wagon, though weak and emaciated, mounted his horse and, with that superb serenity and mental poise, conspicuous traits of his character in time of great emergency, plunged into the thickest of the fight. " I expected every moment," said his friend. Dr. Craik, "to see him fall; his duty and situation exposed him to every danger ; nothing but the superin- tending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him." Wliile all the other mounted officers of Braddock's army were, without exception, slain or disabled, the Virginia aide-de- camp was mysteriously protected, as if to fulfil some higher destiny, and miraculously preserved from what appeared to be inevitable death without even a wound. We shall not dwell upon the harrowing circumstances attending General Braddock's defeat. He had spumed all advice, rejected WASHINGTON IN BRADDOCK S CAMPAIGN. 57 every word of counsel and, with persistent obstinacy, permitted his splendid army of more than fourteen hundred English and colonials to be entrapped and virtually annihilated by an inferior force of the roughest mongrel element of the backwoods numbering only eight hundred and fifty-five in all, of which six hundred and thirty-seven were Indians. The wounded Braddock was given in special charge of Captain Stuart of the Virginia militia, who with Dr. Craik gave him every possible attention. Placed on a stretcher, he was rapidly borne to the rear, while Washington rallied the fragment of his provincial force and stayed as best he could the wild rush of the panic-stricken regulars. Notwithstanding everything possible was done to relieve the afflicted general, he rapidly grew worse and died four days after the fatal fight, and on the night of the 13th of July, 1755, at low twelve, 'mid the solemn stillness of that obscure woodland, Washington read the funeral service and laid him to rest in the little valley of the Great Meadows, near the primitive fort he had erected a year before. Amid this desolate scene of death and disorder, the youthful major's first thought, after the burial of Braddock, turned to the humble cottage on the far-away Rappahannock where his mother, with her little children, anxiously awaited tidings from her eldest son. She was not kept long in suspense, as on the day following the midnight funeral service, the ensuing letter was forwarded by a special courier. It remains as an eloquent tribute to the fihal devotion of this great man, so often demonstrated in after life. Camp op Great Meadows, July 14, 1775. Honored Madam : As I doubt not you have heard of our defeat, and perhaps have had it represented in a worse light, if possible, than it deserves, I have taken the earliest opportunity to give an account of the engagement as it happened within seven miles of the French fort on Wednesday, the 9th inst. We marched on to that place without any considerable loss, losing now and then a straggler by the French and Indians, whose number I am certain did not exceed three hundred men. Ours consisted of about thirteen hundred well armed troops, chiefly of the English soldiers, who were struck with such a panic that they behaved with more cowardice than it is possible to conceive. The officers behaved gallantly in order to encourage the men, for which they suffered greatly, there being nearly sixty killed and wounded, a large proportion out of the number we had. The Virginia troops showed a great deal of bravery and were nearly all killed, for out of three companies there is scarce thirty men left alive. Capt. Poulson shared a hard fate, for only one of his men was left. In short, the dastardly behavior of those they called regulars exposed all others that were inclined to their duty to almost certain death, and at last in spite of all the efforts of the officers to the contrary they broke and ran as sheep pursued 58 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. by dogs, and it was impossible to rally them. The general, Braddock, was wounded and died three* days after. Sir Peter Halketwas killed on the field where died many other brave officers. I luckily escaped without a wound, though I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me. Captains Orme and Morris, two of the general's aides-de-camp, were wounded early in the engagement, which made the duty hard on me, as I was the only person left to distribute the general's orders, which I was scarely able to do, as I was not half recovered from a violent spell of sickness that confined me to my bed and wagon for about ten days. I am still in a weak and feeble condition which induces me to halt here two or three days, in the hopes of recovering a little strength to enable me to proceed homeward, from whence I fear I will not be able to stir until towards September. From your obe- dient son, George Washington. The subsequent ignominious flight of Colonel Dunbar with the remnant of English regulars to Philadelphia will ever remain a stigma upon his memory, leaving as he did, regardless of public appeal, the whole frontier exposed to the ruthless savage, while Washington, still suffering from the effects of his illness, safely convoyed the bleeding fragments of his colonial forces back to a place of refuge and safety. Out of eighty-six officers, all told, twenty-six had been killed and thirty-six wounded, and the number of rank and file killed and wounded amounted to over seven hundred. "The Virginia Corps," says Irving, "had suffered the most. One company had been almost annihilated, another, besides those killed and wounded in the ranks, had lost all of its officers even to the corporal." We must not close our brief summary of Braddock's defeat with- out a short reference to some of the minor colonial officers who took part in this great tragedy of the woods — men whose names were destined to loom up in our history and to remain there, as illustrious examples of patriotic zeal in the cause of American independence. Among these obscure provincials was Dr. Hugh Mercer, a Scotch- man, about thirty-two years of age, who had joined Braddock's forces in its early stages and become strongly attached to Washington, an attachment which continued during the remainder of his life. He subsequently settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia, became prominent in colonial affairs and a major-general in the continental army, and went down to his death on the bloody field of Princeton, honored and respected by even his enemies. Dr. James Craik, another Scotchman, who just previous to the Braddock campaign had taken up his resi- *The date of Braddock's death is given by Irving and other historians as the 14th, which would make four and not three days as stated in Washington's letter to his mother. GENERAL EDWARD BRADDOCK AND HIS HEADQUARTERS, THE CAKLYLE HOUSE, ALEXANDRIA, VA. WASHINGTON IN BRADDOCK'S CAMPAIGN. 59 dence in Alexandria, attached himself to the colonial forces and par- ticipated in the entire campaign. The friendship of Washington and Dr. Craik never diminished from this tragic hour to the day of their death. He was with Washington during the entire Revolution and rose to the position of surgeon-general in the revolutionary army. It is a curious fact that Craik dressed the wounds of and nursed Braddock in his dying moments at Fort Duquesne, ministered to the last wants of Mercer at Princeton, and stood by the bedside of General Wash- ington when he passed away at Mount Vernon. The third of these provincials who became distinguished in after years was Daniel Morgan. As a humble teamster he was hauling iron ore to John Ballandine's furnace at the little town of Colchester, about sixteen miles below Alexandria, when Braddock and Dinwiddie came up over the King's Highway from Williamsburg. Disposing of his equipment, he joined the colonial forces and participated in the fight at Monongahela. Returning to the Valley of Virginia, he took up his residence at Winchester and heroically assisted Washington in the defence of the frontier. When the revolutionary war broke out he was the first from Virginia to respond to the call for recruits to the army in the north and, within ten days after receiving his com- mission as captain, he enlisted ninety-six riflemen and marched from the Shenandoah Valley to Cambridge, a distance of six hundred miles, in seventeen days. Later on, in the spring of 1777, he returned to Winchester and raised two regiments of six companies each, which, as "Morgan's Riflemen," were famed for their deadly work and daring throughout the memorable struggle. He was one of the heroes of Quebec and Saratoga, and immortalized himself and his regiment at the battle of the Cowpens, striking a crushing blow to the famous Tarleton's Raiders. After the death of Braddock, being abandoned by Dunbar and his royal contingent, most of the provincial troops returned to their homes, and Washington, without a command, again retired to Mount Vernon, arriving at his home on the 26th of July, 1755. His stay at this quiet retreat was to be of short duration, for his name had become a household word, and the people soon called him again from his haven on the Potomac. WASHINGTON'S DEFENCE OF THE VALLEY AND HIS ENGAGEMENT TO MRS. CUSTIS ^jryASHINGTON arrived at Mount Vernon after the ^^ Braddock campaign wounded in spirit and broken in health. The disaster at Monongahela preyed upon his mind. He bemoaned the sacrifice of the provincial forces, many of whom were his personal friends, and sincerely sympathized with the officers and men of the royal arms, knowing full well that the shocking catastrophe was the result of the egotism and intolerance of one man who became the victim of his own conceit and paid the penalty of his folly in the final hour of peril by the forfeit of his gallant life. In a letter to his brother Augustine, then a member of the assem- bly at Williamsburg, Washington unbosomed his feehngs. He writes : I was employed to go a journey in the winter, when I believe few or none would have undertaken it, and what did I get by it? — my expenses borne. I was then appointed, with trifling pay, to conduct a handful of men to the Ohio. What did I get by that? Why, after putting myself to a considerable expense in equipping and providing necessaries for the campaign,! went out, was soundly beaten, and lost all ; came in, and had my commission taken from me ; or, in other words, my com- mand reduced, under pretence of an order from home (England). I then went out a volunteer with General Braddock, and lost all my horses and many other things. But this being a voluntary act, I ought not to have mentioned it; nor should I have done it were it not to show that I have been on the losing order ever since I entered the service, which is now nearly two years. Filled with galling disappointment, he did not and could not fully appreciate the benefits of this school of bitter experience. In the hand of heaven he stood to be shaped and trained for great purposes and these were the primer lessons, lessons of dire disappointment and failure, which were to equip him for the herculean duties of future life. But, regardless of crushing disappointments and woeful lamen- tations, he could not expel from his noble spirit the martial fever nor over-ruling pity for the afflicted and horror-stricken frontier settlers. He had seen their suffering and knew full well the constant peril of their exposed condition. Governor Dinwiddie convened the assembly on the 4th of August to devise measures for pubhc safety. A sense of impending danger 61 62 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. spurred the sluggish burgesses to prompt and decisive action. Forty- thousand pounds were voted and orders issued for the enUstment of one thousand men. Colonel Innes, a favorite of the governor, was strongly endorsed for the chief command, but the public eye turned again to the quiet youth at Moimt Vernon, who made no effort to procure the situation. "If," said he, "the command should be offered to me, the case will then be altered, as I should be at liberty to make such objections as reason and my small experience have pointed out. " He did not have long to await the news of final action, as on the 14th of August, less than a month after his return home, and without any personal solici- tation whatever, he received information of his nomination as com- mander-in-chief of all the forces raised or to be raised in the colony, with the additional privilege of selecting his own field officers. The ignominious retreat of Colonel Dunbar to Philadelphia with the British regulars in August, under the ridiculous pretext of taking up winter quarters, leaving the entire frontier exposed to savage butchery, was still fresh in the minds of all, and served to emphasize the heroism of young Washington in accepting the difficult and dan- gerous task of protecting this border country with raw and inexpe- rienced recruits. Having held a brief conference with His Excellency Governor Dinwiddie at WiUiamsburg on the 14th of September, 1756, and receiving necessary instructions, he hastened to Winchester where he established headquarters and immediately took steps to protect, as far as possible, the outlying districts by the erection, according to order, of a line of stockade forts from the northern boundary of Virginia to the Carolinas, a distance of nearly four hundred miles through a sparsely populated region ; an impossible task under the circumstances. Washington now found himself in the most embarrassing situation of his military career. The beautiful Valley of Virginia was threat- ened with aU the horrors of savage warfare, its terrified inhabitants were in a state of wild alarm, and the utmost confusion and dismay prevailed. To add to his difficulties, the care-free and former inde- pendent life of the new recruits made them intolerant of restraint and disobedient to military discipline. The colonial laws were lax, insuffi- cient and obsolete, providing no adequate punishment for desertion or other offences equally grave. His first move, therefore, was to strengthen the authority of the commander by legislative action, giving prompt operation to court-martial, severely punishing insubor- DEFENCE OF VALLEY AND ENGAGEMENT TO MRS. CUSTIS. 63 dination, mutiny and desertion. With this power, obtained through great and persistent effort, he soon improved his primitive mihtary estabhshment, but hardly had this reform been accomphshed when another annoying difficulty loomed up for grave consideration. The old hide-bound spectre of precedence of the crown over the pro- vincial commissions showed its ugly face again as it had in the cam- paign of the Great Meadows. Captain Dagoworthy, who held a so-called royal commission, was stationed with a small troop of Mary- land militia (thirty in number) at Fort Cumberland and refused to obey the orders of any officer of the colony. Governor Dinwiddie, with characteristic weakness, declined to take the initiative and make a positive decision in the matter. Washington, halting between two masters, uncertain of his true position and with no one to counsel, determined to refer the subject to Major-General Shirley, who had succeeded Braddock in command of the English troops in America. Accordingly on the 4th of February, 1756, leaving Colonel Adam Stephen in charge of the troops in the Valley, accompanied by his aides, Captain George Mercer and Captain Stuart, of the Virginia Light Horse, he started on a journey to Boston, the headquarters of the commander-in-chief. His mission to Shirley was entirely success- ful. An order from the commander-in-chief determined that Dago- worthy was entitled to the rank of a provincial captain only and must on all occasions give precedence to the commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces. This vexed question finally settled to his satisfaction, Washington returned to the scene of his duties at Winchester in the latter part of March and found things even more serious, if possible, than before. Horrors accumulated throughout the whole beautiful land; "every hour brought its tale of consternation, true or false, of houses burned, families massacred or beleaguered and famishing in stockade forts. " An attack on Winchester was apprehended and the terror of the people arose to agony. They now turned to Washington as their main hope. " The women surrounded him holding up their children and imploring him, with tears and cries, to save them from the savage. " It was an ' appalling situation for the young commander and he shrunk in mental agony, strong man that he was, from the afflictions of the helpless people. A letter to Governor Dinwiddie discloses his feeling: I am too little acquainted with pathetic language to attempt a description of these people's distresses. But what can I do? I see their situation; I know their danger and participate in their sufferings, without having it in my power to give 64 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. them further relief than uncertain promises. The supplicating tears of the women and moving petitions of the men, melt me into such deadly sorrow, that I solemnly declare, if I know my own mind, I could offer myself a willing sacrifice to the butchering enemy provided that would contribute to the people's ease. So great was his concern and embarrassment that he pubhcly declared that nothing but the imminent danger of the time prevented him from instantly resigning a command from which he could never reap either profit or honor. This declaration brought forth earnest appeals from various sections of the colony. "Your good health and fortune are the toasts of every table," wrote his friend, Colonel William Fairfax, at that time a member of the governor's council, "Your endeavors in the service and defence of your country must redound to your honor." " Our hopes, dear George," wrote Mr. Rob- inson, the speaker in the House of Burgesses, " are all fixed on you for bringing our aff'airs to a happy issue. Consider what fatal conse- quences to your country your resigning the command at this time may be, especially as there is no doubt most of the officers will follow your example." While his situation was desperate, the value of his services was now thoroughly understood and appreciated by the public. The leg- islature, though slow and timid, at last began to act. They voted an additional appropriation of twenty thousand pounds and an increase in the provincial force of fifteen hundred. Throughout the summer of 1756 plans for the frontier defense were diligently prosecuted. A large fortification (christened Fort Loudoun in honor of the new governor) was erected in the village of Winchester, and other smaller forts along the border were strength- ened and reinforced, giving a measure of security to the terrified people. In the meantime, the British army, along the northern frontier, had suffered numerous defeats. While t!ie English com- manders had wined and dined, had quibbled and debated trivial affairs, Field Marshal the Marquis de Montcalm, newly arrived from France, had acted. "Quick in speech, quicker still in action," says Irving, "he comprehended everything at a glance and moved with a celerity and secrecy that completely baffled his slow and pondering antagonist, and carried consternation to the heart of the English camp." During the period of these reverses of the English arms in the northern province, the Valley of Virginia enjoyed temporary relief and Washington proposed, as the most effective means of preven- ing further Indian depredations on the southern border, an invasion of DEFENCE OF VALLEY AND ENGAGEMENT TO MRS. CUSTIS. 65 their own territory and urged an immediate attack on Fort Duquesne, "which," said he, "is the key to the whole situation. Capture or destroy this stronghold and you block the path to Indian invasion." While the proposition was favorably received, the execution of his plan was to be long deferred by the English commander. The weak and vacillating course of Governor Dinwiddle was also a source of great annoyance. The uncertainty of his instructions to the commander-in-chief when called upon for advice, and his evident antipathy for the young soldier since the rejection of his favorite, Innes, increased the difficulties of Washington's situation and pro- duced a mental depression which, coupled with physical maladies, threatened to effectively undermine his robust constitution and com- pel his permanent retirement from the service. Dr. Craik, the army surgeon and his intimate friend, foresaw this and urged an immediate and protracted rest, which salutary advice Washington accepted. He relinquished his post at the end of the year (1756) and with- drew indefinitely to Mount Vernon. "My constitution," writes he to his friend, Colonel Stanwix (the royal officer who had taken com- mand of the forces along the border of Pennsylvania and Maryland and under whom Washington was to serve in future), "is much impaired, and nothing can retrieve it but the greatest care and the most circumspect course of life. This being the case, as I have no prospect left of preferment in the military way (he had desired a commission in the royal army), and despair of rendering that imme- diate service which my country may require from the person com- manding its troops, I have thoughts of quitting my command and retiring from all public business, leaving my post to be filled by some other person more capable of the task, and who may, perhaps, have his endeavors crowned with better success than mine have been." The spring, however, found him more cheerful and much improved in health, and early in April he again took command of Fort Loudoun. Conditions in the meantime had also assumed a more favorable aspect. Francis Fauquier had been appointed successor to Dinwiddle, and Mr. John Blair, president of the council and a very warm friend of Wash- ington, was the acting governor pending the arrival of Fauquier. It was also with the greatest satisfaction that he saw his plan, an invasion of the enemy's country and the reduction of Fort Duquesne, adopted. "This method," said he, "will strike terror to the heart of the red man and be a more effective defence than all the fortifications and troops on the border." 66 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. There would be many vexing delays, many discouragements and disappointments, but the idea for which he had contended had at last been approved and would in time be carried into effect. Provincial recruits now began to assemble at Winchester for the contemplated movement, but a total lack of supplies, tents and field equipments necessitated a trip to Williamsburg, which proved to be in one par- ticular the most important journey of Washington's life. He left Winchester, attended only by the faithful Bishop, who had been the military servant of the late General Braddock and who was now and would continue to be through life the faithful servitor and devoted attendant of Colonel Washington. Going by way of his mother's home on the Rappahannock River, opposite the town of Fredericksburg, he was detained there for several days by temporary illness, in consequence of which he did not resume his journey until the latter part of the month. Passing down through Spotsylvania, Caroline and King William counties, doubtless halting now and then to return the salutations of former friends of whom he had many along this old highway, he arrived at the ferry crossing of the Pa- munkey River, an estuary of the York, on the 25th of February. Here he accidentally met Major Chamberlain, a neighboring planter and a great admirer of the now popular hero. Chamberlain prevailed upon the young colonel to accept his hospitahty and halt long enough for dinner. Deep sentiments and profound affections are sometimes born in a moment. That slumbering fire, which, when aroused, leads to con- jugal bliss or the opposite, is as mysterious in its origin as it is in its operations. The young soldier, who had braved the dangers of the border country with its savage foe, did not realize the presence of that httle despot, Cupid, who could bend a subtle and unseen bow mightier than Achilles himself and conquer the heart of oak and the will of iron, to which in future years the mighty legions of proud old Eng- land would bow. Washington was about to meet his Waterloo, about to yield to the fascination of a little woman in the wayside home of his casual host who would be the gentle partner and companion of his future life, for among the guests at the Chamberlain House was Mrs. Martha Dandridge Custis, daughter of Colonel John Dandridge and widow of Colonel Daniel Parke Custis. Colonel Custis had died suddenly about two years before this meeting, leaving what was then considered an independent fortune of over one hundred thousand dollars, which his young widow now en- ,^' v»<»**'js; . ■';.,. ■'i:'i'^. ,;, _Y..^ :^. .# <- CHAMBERLAIN HuU.SE. ^"^ ■'■■•=^.•;^ti^fc^U■a^S. b-T. PETER'S CHURCH. DEFENCE OF VALLEY AND ENGAGEMENT TO MRS. CUSTIS. 67 joyed in her own right and as the guardian of her two children, John and Martha Parke Custis. Having been born in May, 1 732, she was three months younger than Colonel Washington, of comely person and attractive manner. It is not known whether Washington enjoyed a previous acquaintance with Mrs. Custis or not, but, nevertheless, the attachment appears to have been mutual from the first and the impres- sions then formed, the affections then founded, were as lasting and sincere as surprisingly sudden. Young Washington tarried at Major Chamberlain's over night, resuming his journey to Williamsburg on the following morning. He immediately entered into negotiations with the governor and council on the subject of his mission. His stay in the colonial capital was necessarily brief, during which time, however, he improved the opportunity to pay several visits to the attractive widow, whose home was at the White House on the Pamunkey River in New Kent County, not far from Williamsburg. He seems to have been as ardent a wooer as he was an energetic soldier. " In a word, " says an eminent writer, "before finally separating they had mutually plighted their faith and the marriage was to take place as soon as the campaign against Fort Duquesne was at an end." After obtaining the necessary equipment for his troops, Wash- ington returned to his command to renew his efforts in favor of an early advance on the fort. The northern campaign dragged slowly. Inaction was a striking characteristic of the royal commanders, under whom the Virginia con- tingent had now been placed. The provincial troops at Winchester were restless and impatient at the long and tiresome delay, during which the young colonel made it convenient to pay a second visit to his prospective bride. Starting from Fort Loudoun at Winchester, on this trip. May 24, 1758, he returned to his command on the 13th of June. A note in his account book, dated May 4, or twenty days before, suggests the object of the journey — "Purchased for sixteen shillings, one ring." It is reasonable to assume, combining the cir- cumstance of the visit with the date of the purchase of the ring, that the golden trinket was to be the seal and token of his phghted troth. We can imagine the relief Washington experienced, after waiting all summer, when he finally received orders to repair to Fort Cumber- land (where he arrived on the 2nd of July), the first step in the tedious advance toward the objective point on the Ohio. Here, too, they halted again and long delays followed and continued to foUow, without 68 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. a semblance of reason. Nevertheless, they lingered until September, and it was not imtil the 15th of November that the united forces of Mar>'land, Pennsylvania and Virginia assembled at a point called Loyal Hannon, about fifty miles from the French fort in the forks of the Ohio. While halting at Fort Cumberland, Washington made his head- quarters in the old building, shown in the cut, and it was in this house that he wrote the following and only known letter to his fiancee : Cumberland, July 29, 175S. We have begun our march for the Ohio. A courier is starting for Williamsburg and I embrace the opportunity to send a few words to one whose life is now insepa- rable from mine. Since that happy hour when we made our pledge to each other, my thoughts have been continually going to you as to another self. That an All Powerful Providence may keep us both in safety is the prayer of your ever faithful and ever affectionate Friend, Geo. Washington. To Martha Custis. Winter was now at hand and an unbroken forest of more than fifty miles was yet to be traversed. Notwithstanding these difficul- ties, with Washington and his Virginia contingent leading the way, the combined forces pushed forward rapidly through the wilderness and on the 25th day of November, heading the advance guard, he marched in and planted the British flag on the yet smoking ruins of Fort Duquesne, which had been abandoned by the French in their consternation at the approach of the combined army, without firing a gun or the sacrifice of a single man. The ruins of the fort were put in a defensible condition and garrisoned by two hundred men from Washington's regiment, and its name changed to Fort Pitt in honor of the British minister, whose progressive measures had given hfe to the campaign in its lagging hours and made possible the present success. The name of this isolated fortification, modified to Pittsburg, now designates one of the greatest financial and industrial centers of America and possibly of the world. The reduction of Fort Duquesne and the successful conclusion of the campaign brought also to a conclusion, at least for the time being, the military career of Colonel Washington. His great object had been to restore peace and security on the frontier of Virginia. This accom- plished, as he predicted it would be, in the capture of the above named stronghold, in the following month, on December 28, 1758, he resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces and grace- l^.v WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS AT WILL'S CREEK, NOW CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND. WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS AT WINCHESTER, VA. DEFENCE OF VALLEY AND ENGAGEMENT TO MRS. CUSTIS. 69 fully retired from the service, followed by the affection and applause of his soldiers and the gratitude and admiration of all his countrymen. Contemplating retirement from military service, he had pre- viously proposed himself to the electors of Frederick County as their representative in the House of Burgesses. The election took place at Winchester while he and his troops were awaiting orders at Cumber- land. Colonel Boquet, the royal oflficer in command, gave him leave to attend the election but he declined to absent himself from his post of duty for the promotion of his political interests. He was repre- sented by Colonel James Wood as proxy and elected by a large majority. Returning to his seat at Mount Vernon, he made hasty prepara- tions for the coming nuptials, which were to take place on the 6th of January, 1759, immediately following his retirement from the anny. WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN [AJOR LAWRENCE WASHINGTON died at Alount Vernon, July 26, 1752, and on the i6th of the follow- ing December, his widow, Anne Fairfax Washington, married Mr. George Lee. In less than a year after her second marriage, Mrs. Lee's only remaining child by her first husband died, and in consequence of the death of her little daughter, Sarah, and the purchase of her dower rights, Mount Vernon estate, under the provision of Major Lawrence's will, reverted " in fee " to the youthful George, who was then adjutant- general of the northern district of Virginia. His military engage- ments, during this period and for several years after, prevented personal supervision of his newly acquired property and necessitated the employment of a capable and trusty manager. Such he found in the person of his own brother, John Augustine. The exact date of the beginning or ending of John A. Washington's residence at IMount Vernon is not positively known, but he was cer- tainly there in July, 1754, superintending some building operations, and on April 14, 1756, he married Miss Hannah Bushrod and took his bride there to Uve. We find also that he still resided there as late as June, 1758, but between that time and August 24 of the same year he moved, presumably, to his residence, "Bushfield," on the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, near the mouth of Nomini Creek and a few miles below Wakefield, the ancestral home of his family, which was at that time owned and occupied by his half-brother Augustine. It was dtu-ing the residence of John Augustine at Mount Vernon that his brother George informed him of his intention to bequeath him that estate, in the event of his (the colonel's) death in the French War, and in consideration of this promise, as will be seen in Wash- ington's will, Judge Bushrod Washington (John Augustine's son) did finally inherit the mansion and four thousand acres of the farm, which in the meantime had been enlarged by five thousand acres. There seems to have been a very intimate relation existing between these two brothers, engendered probably by long association and intercourse, an affection which continued and was kept alive by constant correspondence during the life of the younger brother. 7» 72 WASHINGTON THE) MAN AND THE MASON. John A. Washington appears to have been a quiet, dignified man, without poHtical or miHtar)'- aspirations, and for years after leaving Mount Vernon he pursued the tranquil vocation of a well-to-do planter on his farm at Nomini. He took little part in public affairs until just before the beginning of the Revolutionary War, when he steps forth from retirement, becomes sheriff of his county (Westmore- land), and energetically participates in the military^ preparations for the defence of the colony. He assisted in raising and equipping a company of militia in his county and accepted a command in the provincial forces. In 1776 he was elected to that celebrated con- vention which declared Virginia an independent province, establishing the first representative constitutional government in the new world, and instructing its delegates in the Continental Congress at Phila- delphia to propose a declaration of independence for the united col- onies of America. In this masterly body, during the most important and thrilling epoch in Virginia's history, we find John Augustine Washington actively engaged as a legislator, fearlessly facing with his colleagues the dangers of royal displeasure, and battling in the council chambers of his native state for the inherent rights of all the colonies and all the people. In this he was emulating and upholding, by his fidelity to civil trust, the heroic example of his distinguished brother, then commander-in-chief of the colonic 1 forces in the north. The name of Washington was familiar to the legislative assembly of the Old Dominion, as for over a hundred years, without inter- mission, a member of that family had represented some one of the several counties in the provincial councils. Beginning with John, the Immigrant, in 1664 or 1665, followed by Lawrence, the son of John; then Augustine, the son of Lawrence; then Lawrence again, the son of Augustine, who was succeeded by his brother the second Augustine ; and later by Colonel George, who, when appointed to the Continental Congress, left his brother, John Augustine, recently elected from Westmoreland to keep the name on the roster; then Bushrod, the son of John A., took up the political burdens laid down by his father and for nearly forty years faithfully and efficiently performed important public duties. While it must be admitted that the fame of one member of the tamily in a measure overshadowed the rest with a tendency to obscure their merit, the continued preference for these men by their several vicinages is conclusive evidence of their general worth and profi- ciency and entitles them all to a respectable place in the chronicles of the Commonwealth. COLONEL JOHN AUGUSTLXE WASHLXGTON. WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 73 The retirement of John A. Washington as superintendent of Mount Vernon in the latter part of 1758 left the estate without a suitable manager. It was not for a protracted period, however, as on Saturday, January 6, 1759, the popular owner, Colonel George, married Mrs. Martha Dandridge Custis, widow of Colonel Daniel Parke Custis of New Kent County, Virginia, and shortly afterwards, with his bride, took up his permanent residence at their beautiful seat on the Potomac. There is no positive record as to just where the marriage ceremony of Colonel Washington and the widow Custis was performed. Some authorities contend that the WTiite House on the Pamunkey River in New Kent County, the home of the bride, was the place. Others are equally certain that it was performed at St. Peter's Church, a few miles distant from the Custis residence. Among those who believe the "White House to have been the scene of the nuptials are the Reverend Bishop William Meade, Washington Irving, and the Rev- erend E. C. McGuire, the latter of whom married the granddaughter of Washington's sister and was for thirty-five years rector of St. George's Parish in Fredericksburg. The opinion of these able authorities surely gives strength to the contention in favor of the WTiite House. Certain it is that the Reverend David Alossom, for forty years the rector of the little parish of New Kent, officiated, and that Colonel and Mrs. Washington attended religious services at St. Peter's the day following their marriage. A contemporary^ WTites: They came in bridal state, coach and four and a train of wedding guests, among whom was Speaker John Robinson and members of the House of Burgesses. At the marriage ceremony, the bride was attired in a heavy brocade silk interwoven with silver thread, embroidered satin petticoat, high heeled satin shoes with buckles of brilliants, point lace and rufiSes; her ornaments were a pearl necklace, earrings and bracelets. The bridegroom appeared in citizen's dress of blue cloth; the coat embroidered white satin; his shoe and knee buckles were of gold; his hair was powdered and at his side hung a dress sword. For three months after the wedding. Colonel Washington resided at the home of his young wife, attending regularly the sessions of the General Assembly at Wilhamsburg, to which he had been elected just previous to his retirement from the army in the fall of 1758. By a vote of that body, it had been determined to greet his installa- tion by a signal testimonial of respect. Accordingly, as soon as he took his seat, IMr. Robinson, the Speaker, in eloquent language, dic- tated by the warmth of private friendship, returned thanks on behalf 74 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. of the colony for the distinguished mihtary service he had rendered his country. Washington rose to reply, blushed, stammered, trembled and could not utter a word. "Sit down, Mr. Washington," said the Speaker with a smile, "your modesty equals your valor and that surpasses the power of any language I possess." Such was Wash- ington's first launch into civil life, in which he was to be distinguished by the same judgment, devotion, courage and magnanimity exhibited in his military career. After the close of the session of the House and the arrangement of his wife's affairs in New Kent, he conducted his bride to the beautiful scenes and happy surroundings of Mount Vernon. Mrs. Washington's inheritance from her first husband amounted to thirty-five thousand pounds sterling, besides large landed properties in various parts of the colony. One-third of this she received in her own right; the other, as guardian for her two children, a boy of six and a girl of four years of age. By an order of court, entered soon after the marriage, Colonel Washington was entrusted with the care of the property inherited by the children. It was a sacred and delicate trust which he discharged in the most faithful and judicious manner, becoming more Uke a parent than a mere guardian to them. Released from the cares of military life and in possession now of everything that could make his life agreeable, he settled down amid the tranquil surroundings of his beloved home on the banks of the Potomac to enjoy in retirement the well earned repose that he had longed for amid the vexations and trials of his military career. "I am now," wrote he, "I believe, fixed in this seat with an agreeable partner for life, and I hope to find more happiness in retirement than I ever experienced in the wide and bustling world." This was indeed the Utopian period of Washington's existence. Agriculture appears to have been his ideal and to it he now devoted his attention with the energy and zest of an enthusiast. Extending the limits of his liberal inheritance by the purchase of adjacent lands, he soon became one of the most progressive planters in the colony, introducing advanced methods of preparing the soil and taking par- ticular care in the selection of seed for planting purposes. Dividing his farm into five sections, as shown on the accompanying map,* with a capable overseer in charge of each section and with convenient quarters for numerous slaves, which he apportioned according to the number of acres of land allotted for cultivation, he surrounded each *See opposite page 177. WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 75 quarter with commodious outbuildings for the accommodation of his stock and the storage of his product. Carefully subdividing each quarter into fields of a given number of acres, he held his foreman responsible for the management of his particular charge and paid daily visits to the several quarters when possible to do so, keeping in close and intimate contact with every- phase and feature of his numer- ous interests. Indeed he made agriculture a profession and reduced his system to almost an exact science. Stock-raising appears to have been one of his principal hobbies. To this he gave special attention and spared no expense to improve the grades of his horses and cattle. He gives us the names of some of his choice steeds — Magnolia (an Arab) was a favorite, as were Blue Skin, Valiant, and Ajax. Mount Vernon estate was indented by several estuaries of the Potomac which spread out into marsh lands, affording a wide range and pasturage for hogs, and of this Washington took advantage. On January 22, 1760, he notes, "killed seventeen hogs, which weighed seventeen hundred and twenty-two pounds net, " and on the 7th of February following he killed fourteen more, which weighed sixteen hundred and fourteen pounds net. Another entry shows the aver- age annual kill amounted to about two hundred and fifty, all of which were raised, as he states, "at httle expense in the marshes and outlands." Horticulture also attracted his attention even at that early day. We find that he transplanted the native species of shrubs and trees and experimented in grafting and propagating plants of various kinds, even flowers. He also endeavored to domesticate foreign fruit trees, vines and shrubbery, keeping a concise record of the result of his efforts. The methodical life of the man is vividly reflected in the minute detail of his carefully kept diary. Indeed, it is extremely doubtful if any account or description of him extant so fully portrays the inner circle of his existence as these simple notes. The most trivial occur- rences are recorded with care and precision. He tells of the weather; of the health of his family; of his visits and visitors; of his fishing and fowling expeditions, and all so naturally that one has but to read these consecutive notes, recorded day by day, to mentally follow him through the changing scenes of life. Mount Vernon, with its miles of waterfront, was one continuous fishing shore, affording not only a pleasant diversion for anglers (of 76 WASHINGTON THB MAN AND THE MASON. which sport Washington himself was exceedingly fond and in which he frequently indulged), but an important and profitable industry during the spring run of shad and herring, while his and other neigh- boring woodlands, extending far and wide, stretching back over hill and dale, furnished ample cover for abundant and various kinds of game. He had traversed these woods time and again in boyhood days with his lordly patron, Fairfax, and now in the peaceful leisure hours of maturer life, surrounded by his friends, kindred spirits, fanner Washington pursued his favorite pastime with rod and gun and hound and horn. Truly there was no epoch in the span of Washing- ton's existence so free from depressing burdens and great responsi- bilities as this particular period. It was verily an age of leisure for him, compared with other days. The complete systems in vogue on his several plantations shifted a great deal of the responsibility to his overseers and left him ample opportunity to indulge in his favorite amusements. William Fairfax and Lawrence Washington, friends and bene- factors of his early youth, were gone, but the companion of his first survey, the son of his old-time friend, George WiUiam, was still his chum and neighbor, and now and then the Baron came down from his valley court to follow Vulcan, Singer, Ringwood, Sweetlips, Forester, Music and Rockwood (his thoroughbred hounds) in the chase of sly old "Reynard" tlirough the copse of "Muddy Hole" or Belvoir's shady fens. In the deepening twihght he would gather around the glowing embers on his hearthstone with Craik and Mercer, Morgan and W'agener, comrades of his border wars, to tell again the story of their trials and their trophies, of their daring and their dangers. So the time went on and for over a decade he gave himself up to domestic pursuits, to the enjoyments of domestic life, to the society of his neighbors, to the agreeable companionship of his wife and her children. This was the life he wanted to lead, the fife he looked and longed for, the life he loved the best. The war with France was drawing to a close. The depressing shadows of the American Revolution had not yet dimmed the lustre of colonial prospects nor had the baneful voice of English avarice been raised to stir the latent fires of the easy-going provincial. All nature and all men seemed to rejoice and smile at the progress and prosperity of the English dependencies of colonial America, and Washington, in his pleasant situation, was supremely satisfied. WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 77 We must not conclude, however, that he gave himself up exclu- sively to agricultural pursuits and the innocent pastimes enumerated. Circumstances had deprived him of many of the pleasures and enjoy- ments of early life, the enjoyments that youth most treasures and appreciates, and in his changed condition, with wealth at his com- mand, he was indemnifying the past, in a measure, for the losses and sacrifices it sustained. Compared with the stupendous duties he performed in after years, the public service he rendered and the positions he held at this particular period were of minor consideration and importance. Reelected to the House of Burgesses from Frederick County in 1761, he was regular and prompt in attendance at all the sessions of that body, which, as that was a time of comparative peace and nothing of an extraordinary character demanded the attention of the colonial council or the exercise of unusual vigilance, was more of a social than a legislative assembly. " He was an early riser, often before daybreak in the winter when the nights were long. On such occasions he lit his own fire and wrote or read by candle-light. He breakfasted at seven in summer, at eight in winter. Two small cups of tea and three or four cakes of Indian meal (called hoe cakes) formed his frugal repast. Immediately after breakfast he mounted his horse and visited those parts of the estate where any work was going on," seeing to everj'thing with his own eyes, and often " aiding with his own hands. ' ' On numerous occasions we find him assisting in manual labor, experimenting with a patent stump-puller; laying out worm fences; trimming trees, and on one occasion he assists his blacksmith, Peter, for nearly two days making a plough on a new invention of his own, "which," he reports, "he accomplished after several failures." He was a dexterous rider and an admirable horseman. Though he never claimed the merit of being an expert fox-hunter, yet he appears to have been passionately fond of the sport and in the height of the season went out three or four times a week. In this, however, he was not an exception to the rule. His neighbors kept weU-fiUed kennels and hunting parties were fre- quently given, in which the whole community seemed to join. We find the McCartys, Paynes, Colonel Grayson, the Fairfaxes and even the Reverend Mr. Massey joining in these excursions. On November 22, 1763, he notes, "hunting with Lord Fairfax, his brother and Colonel Fairfax." On November 25, " Mr. Bryan Fairfax, Mr. Gray- son and Phil Alexander came here by sunrise — hunted and catched a 78 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. fox with these." "Lord Fairfax, his brother and Colonel Fairfax — all of whom with Mr. Fairfax, his brother and Mr. Wilson of England, dined here." 26th and 29th — "Hunted again with the same com- pany." December 5 — "Fox hunting with Lord Fairfax and his brother and Colonel Fairfax; started a fox and lost it — dined at Belvoir and returned in the evening." Alount \^emon was seldom without a guest, and those who came usually stayed over night and frequently for several days. The colonel and his good lady were equally sociable with their near neigh- bors, dining and supping with the Ramsays, Masons, Johnstons, McCartys, Fairfaxes and others. They occasionally paid extended visits to Annapolis and participated in the round of festivities there during the meeting of the ]Mar}'land Assembly. Now and then we find them in Fredericksburg, visiting his sister and mother and the Fitzhughs and others nearby. Indeed, scattered all the way along from Mount Vernon to Williamsburg and beyond, this well-known and popular couple had a host of friends on whom they dehghted to call whenever the occasion permitted. Washington was very fond of dancing, which was not infrequently a feature of the social gatherings of the country folk in that day. The old Virginia reel and minuet, popular figures of the time, possessed an unusual charm for him and, as we shall see later, it was a source of regret to them both when advanced age prevented this innocent enjoyment. These informal interchanges and simple social customs were dear to the Virginia planter's heart. He asked no better condition in life than to be allowed to pursue, unmolested, the even tenor of his way. With his lady and his friends, with his books and his horses and his hounds, he Uved in a healthy atmosphere and enjoyed a moral envi- ronment so pure, elevated and noble that even in this day, to those who study his habits, he becomes a creature of romance and the ideal of perfect manhood. He was not averse to a species of ostentation. His lady dressed in the finest silks and wore the most costly jewels. When he traveled, he rode in his coach and four and had his outriders in livery. This sort of innocent pomp he had inherited from the motherland, but beneath the tinsel was a heart of oak, an independent spirit, which resented with stem and vindictive courage an infringe- ment of what he considered his inherent, chartered rights as a free American. With all his love for luxury and ease, he was not an indolent WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 79 creature, nor would he stand supinely by and yield to any man or set of men an atom of that Uberty or an element of those rights which he esteemed his richest dower. It was his cherished hope to trans- mit this legacy, as he enjoyed it, perfect and complete, to his posterity, to be handed down from generation to generation. Such was the manner of men who lived along the banks of the rivers of the Old Dominion and back among the foot-hills of her mountains, and over in her valleys beyond. They were tillers of the soil; feeders of flocks ; a peaceful, God-fearing citizenship; gentle and kind and hospitable when left alone, but stem and relentless when aroused. He was different from his northern neighbor in social cus- tom, style of dress and mode of life; for he was essentially a planter and generally on an extensive scale, while his New England brother had turned to commerce as a more profitable pursuit. The soil of Virginia was rich and productive ; that of the north was far less suit- able for agriculture. The Pilgrim Fathers had been driven from their mother country by religious persecution while the Cavaliers of Virginia had flown from political reverses and oppression, yet there was a kindred spirit and both elements had scattered along the coast from Georgia to Massachusetts Bay, creating a common tie and a mutual sympathy that would shortly bind them, after years of suffering and sacrifices, in a political union the like of which had never been contemplated. As early as 1760, the British Parliament evinced a disposition to collect duties on foreign sugar and molasses imported in the colonies. This was regarded as an onerous tax, an infringement upon the rights of American freedom. The question was taken to the civil courts in Massachusetts, and the cause of the colonies ably and eloquently defended by that heroic patriot, James Otis. Indeed, so vigorous was Mr. Otis in his denunciation of the poUcies of England that "all his hearers went away ready to take up arms against writs of assistance." "Then and there," says John Adams, who was present, "was the first scene of opposition to the arbitrary claims of Great Britain. Then and there American independence was born." There was nothing to which the jealous sensibihties of the colonies were more ahve than to any attempt of the mother country to draw a revenue from them by taxation. From the earliest period of their existence they had maintained the principle that they could only be taxed by a legislature in which they were represented. Sir Robert Walpole, a wise and discreet man, when at the head of the British 8o WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Government, was aware of this sensibility on the part of the colonies and declared, when approached on the subject, that it must be a bolder man than himself and one less friendly to commerce to venture 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 exchequer through the increased demands of British manufacturers. "This," he said sagaciously, "is taxing them more agreeably to their own constitution and laws." Had Sir George Greenville (at the head of the government in 1764) and his successors profited by an adherence to the wise policies of Walpole, America, in all human probability, would to-day be an English province instead of an independent world power. But such was not to be. Greenville, "great in daring and little in views," says Horace Walpole, " was charmed to have an untrodden field before him of calculation and experiment." In March, 1765, the iniquitous Stamp Act was passed, according to which all instruments in writing were to be executed on stamped paper, to be purchased from the agents of the British Government. And, worse still, all offences against the act could be tried in any royal, maritime or admiralty court throughout the colonies, however distant from the place where the offence had been committed, thus virtually abolishing that most inestimable right of a trial by jury. Up to that time, New England had been most affected by the policies of the British Parliament. In consequence of this she had taken the lead and so it was an ominous sign that the first burst of opposition to this particular measure should take place in Virginia, which had hitherto remained passive. " The Virginians," says Irving, "are of a quick and generous spirit, readily aroused on all points of honorable pride, and they resented the Stamp Act as an outrage on their rights." Washington occupied his seat in the House of Burgesses when (on the 29th of May) the Stamp Act became a subject of discussion. He had taken little part in the proceedings relating to the subject before this time, hoping, no doubt, for a satisfactory adjustment of the disagreeable situation. But, if such were his thoughts and desires, he was soon to be subjected to a sad awakening. Sitting in this assembly for the first time was a young and obscure barrister from Hanover County, Patrick Henry, whose fame till then had been con- fined to his native province and almost to his native county. Only one effort had brought him above the horizon of local obscurity — ^ft^t^^trd. t^LfMrrt/^^ W'-'-'-ifa^ /t-^^ a- /rrt-a-r7 hj'-'"' t/e^ ie-niy A> ^s^^Aay ^T-t/tLfji. WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 8 1 he had pleaded against the exercise of royal prerogatives in church matters and, by the boldness of his utterances in this case, had attracted local attention. Before the sun went down on this eventful day, however, his voice rang out in clarion notes to stimulate the courage of faltering America. Rising in his place, he introduced his celebrated Resolutions* (which we reproduce), declaring that the General Assembly of Virginia had the exclusive right to levy taxes and impositions upon the inhabi- tants and that whoever maintained to the contrary should be deemed an enemy to the colony. The Speaker, JSIr. Robinson, objected to the Resolutions as inflam- matory. Henry defended them, as justified by the nature of the case. Had a bolt from Heaven descended to electrify the assemblage, it would not have produced greater consternation. Mr. Jeflferson, an eyewitness, in the following language has aptly described the scene : By these resolutions, and his manner of supporting them Mr. Henry took the lead out of the hands of those who had, heretofore, guided the proceedings of the House, that is to say, of Pendleton, Wy-the, Bland, and Randolph. It was indeed the measure which raised him to the zenith of his glory. He had never before had a subject which entirely matched his genius, and was capable of drawing out all the powers of his mind. It was remarked of him throughout his life, that his talents never failed to rise with the occasion, and in proportion with the resistance which he had to encounter. The nicety of the vote on his last resolution, proves that this was not a time to hold in reserve any part of his forces. It was an Alpine *After the death of Mr. Henry, there was found among his papers one sealed and thus endorsed: "Inclosed are the resolutions of the Virginia Assembly in 1765, concerning Stamp Act. Let my executors open this paper." Within was found the copy of the Resolutions pro- duced, in Mr. Henry's handwriting, with the following endorsement which is also in Mr. Henry's handwriting — "The within resolutions passed the House of Burgesses in May, 1765. They formed the first opposition to the Stamp Act, and the scheme of taxing America by the British Parliament. All the colonies, either through fear or want of opportunity to form an opposition, or from influence of some kind or other, had remained silent. I had been for the first time elected a burgess a few days before, was young, inexperienced, unacquainted with the forms of the House, and the members that composed it. Finding the men of weight averse to opposition, and the commencement of the tax at hand, and that no person was hkely to step forth, I determined to venture, and alone, unad- vised and unassisted, on a blank leaf of an old law book wrote the within. Upon offering them to the House, violent debates ensued. Many threats were uttered, and much abuse cast on me, by the party for submission. After a long and warm contest, the resolutions passed by a very small majority, perhaps of one or two only. The alarm spread throughout America with astonishing quickness, and the ministerial party was overwhelmed. The great point of resistance to British taxation was universally established in the colonies. This brought on the war which finally sepa- rated the two countries, and gave independence to ours. Whether this will prove a blessing or a curse, will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation. Reader, whoever thou art remember this; and in thy sphere practise virtue itself, and encourage it in others." 82 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. passage, under circumstances even more unpropitious than those of Hannibal; for he had not only to fight, hand to hand, the powerful party who were already in possession of the heights but, at the same instant, to cheer and animate the timid band of followers, that were trembling, fainting, and drawing back, below him. It was an occasion that called forth all his strength, and he did put it forth in such a manner as man never did before. The cords of argument with which his adver- saries frequently flattered themselves they had bound him fast, became packthreads in his hands. He burst them with as much ease as the unshorn Samson did the bands of the Phillistines. He seized the pillars of the temple, shook them terribly, and seemed to threaten his opponents with ruin. It was an incessant storm of lightning and thunder, which struck them aghast. The faint hearted gathered coiuage from his countenance, and cowards became heroes while they gazed upon his exploits. It was in the midst of this magnificent debate, while he was descanting on the tyranny of the obnoxious Act, that he exclaimed, in a voice of thunder and with the look of a god, "Caesar had his Brutus — Charles the First, his Cromwell — and George the Third" — "Treason," cried the Speaker — "treason, treason," echoed from every part of the House. It was one of those trj-ing moments which is decisive of character. Henry faltered not an instant; but, rising to loftier attitude and fixing on the Speaker an eye of the most determined fire, he finished his sentence with the firmest emphasis — "may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it." Washington had the good fortune to witness the splendid and momentous debate which followed the moving of these resolutions. His position as a wealthy planter would naturally have led him to take part with the aristocratic and loyal party who opposed them, but his habits and character were such as to produce an earnest sym- pathy with the people. Like Henr}^, he was bom a patriot, and like him he was also what is called a self-made man. His opinions on the Stamp Act are expressed without reserve in his correspondence; and though no record of his vote on this occasion is preserved, there can be no doubt that it was cast on the popular side. We may, therefore, easily imagine what his feelings must have been in witness- ing this unusual scene. The original Resolutions of Mr. Henr}'- as published here were slightly modified to accommodate Speaker Robinson and the more conservative members, "but even in their modified form," says a correspondent of the ministry, "they gave the signal for a general outcry over the continent and the mover and supporters of them were applauded as the protectors and asserters of American liberty." Immediately after the passage of the resolve, Lieutenant Gover- nor Fauguier dissolved the Assembly and issued writs for a new WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 83 election. But this was only a fruitless opposition to the popular will, which was bearing down all before it. In point of fact "the minds of the Americans underwent a total transformation. Instead of their late peaceful and steady attachment to the British nation, they were daily advancing to the opposite extreme." While these eventful scenes were transpiring in America, the colonies, notwithstanding the passage of the Stamp Act, had some able defenders in the British Parhament; among them was Lord Camden in the House of Peers and Mr. Pitt in the House of Commons. "My position is this," said Camden, in one of his ablest efforts, before the House of Lords, "I repeat it, I will maintain it until my last hour: Taxation and representation are inseparable. This posi- tion is founded on the laws of nature. It is more, it is itself an eternal law of nature, for whatever is a man's own, is absolutely his own. No man has a right to take it from him without his consent. Who- ever attempts to do it, attempts an injury; whoever does it, commits robbery." Mr. Pitt, with equal boldness, justified the colonists and defended them in their position. "You have no right, "said he, " to tax America. I rejoice that America has resisted. Three millions of our fellow- subjects, so lost to every sense of virtue as tamely to give up their liberties, would be fit instruments to make slaves of the rest." He closed with an urgent appeal for the absolute, total and immediate repeal of the act. "At the same time," said he, "let the sovereign authorities of this country' over the colonies be asserted in as strong terms as can be devised that we may bind their trade, confine their manufactures and exercise every power, except that of taking their money out of their pockets without their consent." The strong opposition to the enforcement of this iniquitous measure by these two eminent English statesmen and their urgent demands for the instant repeal of the bill were a source of great satis- faction to the colonies and encouraged the hope of a speedy repeal of the objectionable measure. The dismissal of Greenville from the cabinet also gave a favorable change to the gloomy situation, but perhaps no influence brought to bear, in favor of the colonies, proved more effective than an examination of Dr. Benjamin Franklin before the House of Commons, on the subject of the act. He was asked: "What was the temper of America towards Great Britain before the year 1763?" "The best in the world. They submitted wUlingly to the government of the crown, and paid, in all their courts, obedience to the acts of Parliament. Numerous 84 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. as the people are in the several old provinces, they cost you nothing in forts, citadels, garrisons, or armies, to keep them in subjection. They were governed by this country at the expense only of a httle ink and paper. They were led by a thread. They had not only a respect, but an affection for Great Britain, for its laws, its customs, and manners, and even a fondness for its fashions, that greatly increased the commerce. Natives of Great Britain were always treated with particular regard; to be an old-England man was, of itself, a character of some respect, and gave a kind of rank among us." "And what is their temper now?" "Oh, very much altered." "If the act is not repealed, what do you think will be the consequences?" "A total loss of the respect and affection the people of America bear to this country, and of all the commerce that depends on that respect and affection." "Do you think the people of America would submit to pay the stamp duty if it was moderated?" "No, ne'uer, ixnless compelled by force of arms." Such was the opinion of this wise, poHtical philosopher; an opinion which subsequent events verified and confirmed in every particular. Washington returned to ISIount Vernon full of anxiety and g^ave forebodings. From his quiet seat on the Potomac, he seemed to hear the ringing voice of Patrick Henrj^ echoing throughout the land. ^ He realized fully the seriousness of the situation and deplored the action of the English Government, for which he had a strong and enduring attachment. He had recently written letters describing the state of peaceful tranquilhty in which he was living, but after the exciting scene at the convention there was a perceptible change, showing conclusively that he, in a measure at least, participated in the popu- lar feeling and resentment to the acts of Parliament. In a communication on the subject addressed to his wife's uncle, Francis Dandridge, then in London (November, 1765), he said — The stamp act engrosses the conversation of the speculative part of the colonies, who look upon this unconstitutional method of taxation as a direful attack upon their liberties and loudly exclaim against the \aolation. \Miat may be the result of this, and of some other (I think I may add ill-judged) measure, I will not under- take to determine; but this I may venture to affirm, that the advantage accruing to the mother country will fall greatly short of the expectations of the ministry, for certain it is, that our whole substance already in a manner flows to Great Britain, and that whatsoever contributes to lessen our importations 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 in Great Britain, can well be dispensed with. This consequently will introduce frugality, RICHARD HENRY LEE. WASHINGTON THE CIVH^IAN. 85 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 impossible, or next to impossible, under our present circumstances, that the act of Parliament can be complied with, were we ever so willing to enforce its execution. And not to say (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. In other letters he expressed similar sentiments but, as a rule, notwithstanding these occasional forebodings, he was cheerful and full of hope for the future. He had not despaired of England finally yielding to the supplication of the colonies. Their cause, said he, was so just; their demands so reasonable, that he could not, in the nature of the circumstances, believe that the mother country would persist in such an unreasonable and iniquitous policy. Removed from the center of heated discussions and debates in the cities and towns, he appears not to have appreciated the full extent of the agitation or, if he did, to have attributed it to temporary resentment or undue apprehension which, in course of time, would pass away. He was, however, probably aware of the action of his friends in Westmoreland County, Virginia, who, inspired by the bold stand of Patrick Henry and led on by that equally fearless and able patriot, Richard Henry Lee, had assembled in Leedstown on the 27th day of February, 1766, formed a patriotic association, and drafted resolutions vindictively protesting against the acts of Parliament; solemnly pledging their lives and fortunes to resist to the utmost any effort to enforce the odious stamp measure. Indeed, the declarations and articles of agreement of this association (which we publish in full), written more than ten years before the Declaration of Inde- pendence, were undoubtedly the first organized attempt on the part of any community to prevent the enforcement and operation of this royal measure in the colonies. With its bold warnings and threats of dire consequences to offenders, it suggests the true spirit of the modern vigilance committee, and constitutes the most remarkable defiance of royal authority of that most remarkable period. WESTMORELAND RESOLVES. Leedstown, on the 27th day of February, 1766: Roused by danger, and alarmed at attempts, foreign and domestic, to reduce the people of this country to a state of abject and detestable slavery, by destroying that free and happy constitution of government, under which they have hitherto lived, We, who subscribe this paper, have associated, and do bind ourselves to each 86 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. other, to God, and to our country, by the firmest ties that religion and virtue can frame, most sacredly and punctually to stand by, and with our lives and fortunes, to support, maintain, and defend each other in the observance and execution of these following articles. First. We declare all due allegiance and obedience to oiu- lawful Sovereign, George the third King of Great Britain, And we determine to the utmost of our power to preserve the laws, the peace and good order of this Colony, as far as is consistent with the preser\'ation of our Constitutional rights and liberty. Secondly. As we know it to be the Birthright privilege of every British sub- ject (and of the people of Virginia as being such) founded on Reason, Law, and Compact; that he cannot be legally tried, but by his peers; and that he cannot be taxed, but by consent of a Parliament, in which he is represented by persons chosen by the people, and who themselves pay a part of the tax they impose on others. If therefore, any person or persons shall attempt, by any action or pro- ceeding, to deprive this colony of those fundamental rights, we will immediately regard him or them, as the most dangerous enemy of the community; and we will go to any extremity, not only to prevent the success of such attempts, but to stigmatize and punish the offender. Thirdly. As the Stamp Act does not absolutely direct the property of the people to be taken from them without their consent expressed by their representa- tives, and as in many cases it deprives the British American subject of his right to trial by jury; we do determine, at every hazard, and, paying no regard to danger or to death, we will exert every faculty, to prevent the execution of the said Stamp Act in any instance whatsoever within this colony. And every abandoned wretch, who shall be so lost to virtue and public good, as wickedly to contribute to the introduction or fixture of the Stamp Act in this colony, by using stampt paper, or by any other means, we will, with the utmost expedition, convince all such profligates that immediate danger and disgrace shall attend their prostitute purpose. Fourthly. That the last article may most surely and effectually be executed, we engage to each other, that whenever it shall be known to any in this association, that any person is so conducting himself as to favor the introduction of the Stamp Act, that immediate notice shall be given to as many of the association as possible; and that every individual so informed, shall, with expedition, repair to a place of meeting to be appointed as near the scene of action as may be. Fifthly. Each associator shall do his true endeavor to obtain as many signers to this association as he possibly can. Sixthly. If any attempt shall be made on the liberty or property of any association for any action or thing to be done in consequence of this agreement, we do most solemnly bind ourselves by the sacred engagements above entered into, at the utmost risk of our lives and fortunes, to restore such associate to his liberty, to protect him in the enjoyment of his property. In testimony of the good faith with which we resolve to execute this association we have this 27th day of February 1766, in Virginia, put our hands and seals hereto. Richard Henry Lee, Richard Buckner, W. Roane, Samuel Washington, John Berryman, John Suggett, Moore Fauntleroy, John Williams, John Beale, Jr., WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 87 Spencer M. Ball, Francis Thornton, Jr., Meriwether Smith, Jas. Edmonson, Willm. Grayson, William Sydnor, John Ballandine, Jr., Alvin Moxley, Winder S. Kenner, John Blackwell, Wm. Bronaugh, Daniel McCarty, Edwd. Ransdell, Francis Foushee, John Smith, Jr., Reuben Meriwether, Wm. J. Mountjoy, John Mountjoy, Laur Washington, Thompson Mason, John Edmonston, Jr., John S. Woodcock, Edgcomb Suggett, John Bland, Jr., Ebenezer Fisher, Thos. Douglas, Will. Robinson, Charles Washington, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Mitchell, Wm. Brockenbrough. John Edmondson, Jas. Webb, Jr., William Cocke, Francis Waring, Geo. Turberville, John Dickson, Edward Sanford, Townsend Dade, John Ashton, Jos. Blackwell, Edw. Mountjoy, Thos. Mountjoy, Gilbt. Campbell, A. Montague, John Augt. Washington, Robt. Wormley Carter, Thos. Belfield, Henry Francks, Jas. Emerson, Hancock Eustace, IVIax Robinson, Lewis Willis, Rodham Kenner, Richd. Parker, Spence Monroe, Charles Weeks, William Booth, Joseph Murdock, Saml. Selden, Peter Rust, John Upshaw, Smith Young, William Lee, Jos. Pierce, Wm. Pierce, Charles Chilton, Edwd. Sanford, W. Brent, Thos. Barnes, Jos. Lane, Will Beale, Jr., John Newton, Charles Beale, Peter Grant, Thos. Logan, John Richards, John Orr, Thos. Lud Lee, Thomas Jones, John Watts, Robt. Lovell, John Blagge, John Monroe, Richd. Lee, Daniel Tibbs, John Lee, Jr., Thos. Roane, Jas. Banks, Wm. Flood, Will ChUton, Thos. Chilton, John Broome, Jer. Sush, Wm. Ball, Jas. Upshaw, Rich. Hodges, Jas. Booker, Richd. Heffries, Chs. Mortimer, Jona Beckwith, Jas. Sanford, John Belfield, Jo. Milliken, Thos. Jett. Written by Richard Henry Lee, a warm personal friend of Gen- eral Washington, and signed by all of his brothers tben living, namely, Charles, Samuel, and John Augustine, as well as many other near relatives and intimate associates, their action must have been a source of deep interest, if not concern, to the future commander-in- chief, and we can well imagine that few men in America felt greater relief or more unfeigned satisfaction than he at the news of the repeal, on the i8th of March, 1766 (about three weeks after the Westmore- land compact), of the odious measiu-e, which had wrought the popu- lace to such a high state of excitement. 88 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE JMASON. The repeal of the Stamp Act would have allayed all animosities and restored confidence again but for an insidious declaration injected into the repealing measure, which provided that the king, with the consent of ParHament, ''had power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and vahdity to bind the people of America in all cases whatsoever." This qualifying clause aroused grave suspi- cion and created, if possible, even more general discontent than the bill itself. Other obnoxious acts of Parhament following in rapid succession, imposing duty on glass, pasteboard, white and red lead, painters' colors and tea, to be collected on the arrival of tlie articles in the colonies, further stimulated and intensified public resentment. During this agitation and excitement in the north and, indeed, throughout all the provinces, Washington continued to pursue his peaceful and uneventful hfe at Mount Vernon, and it was not until the latter part of 1768 that he assumed the aggressive and joined in the opposition to England's pernicious policies. Previous to tliis time the merchants and importers of New England and New York had agreed to suspend for a while the importation of all articles subject to English taxation. Philadelphia had also joined the association and Washington, on the 5th of April, 1769, in a letter to his friend, George Mason, gave this poUcy the stamp of his approval and boldly asserted his posi- tion. He had hoped against hope that some circumstance would arise to furnish a favorable and satisfactory adjustment of the whole misunderstanding, but seeing none, and reahzing that the time for positive action had arrived, with characteristic firmness he took up the cudgel and begun his war on the pohcies of the mother country by a process of exclusion and elimination. Mount Vernon, 5th of April, 1769. Dear Sir : Herewith you will receive a letter and sundry papers (containing resolves of the merchants of Philadelphia, respecting the non-importation of articles of British manufacture) which were forwarded to me a day or two ago by Dr. Ross of Bladensburg. I transmit them with the greater pleastire, as my own desire of knowing your sentiments upon a matter of this importance exactly coincides with the doctor's inclination. At a time when our lordly masters in Great Britain vnil be satisfied with nothing less than the deprivation of American freedom, it seems highly necessary that something should be done to avert the stroke, and maintain the liberty, which we have derived from our ancestors. But the manner of doing it, to answer the purposes effectually, is the point in question. That no man should scruple or hesitate a moment, to use arms in defence of so valuable a blessing, is clearly my WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 89 opinion. Yet arms, I would beg leave to add, should be the last resource, the dernier resort. We have akeady, it is said, proved the inefEcacy of addresses to the throne, and remonstrances to Parliament. How far, then, their attention to our rights and privileges is to be awakened or alarmed by starving their trade and manu- factures, remains to be tried. The northern colonies, it appears, are endeavoring to adopt this scheme. In my opinion it is a good one and must be attended with salutary effects, pro\aded it can be carried generally into execution. But to what extent it is practicable to do so, I will not take upon me to determine. That there will be a difficulty attend- ing the execution of it everywhere, from clashing interests and selfish designing men, ever attentive to their own gain, and watchful of every turn, that can assist their lucrative views, cannot be denied; and in the tobacco colonies, where the trade is so diffused, and in a manner wholly conducted by factors for their principals at home, these difficulties are certainly enhanced, but I think not insurmountably increased if the gentlemen in their several counties will be at some pains to explain matters to the people, and stimulate them to cordial agreements to purchase none but certain enumerated articles out of any of the stores after a definite period, and neither import nor purchase any themselves. This, if it should not effectually withdraw the factors from their importations, would at least make them extremely cautious in doing it, as the prohibited goods could be vended to none but the non- associators, or those who would pay no regard to their association; both of whom ought to be stigmatized, and made the objects of public reproach. The more I consider a scheme of this sort, the more ardently I wish success to it, because I think there are private as well as public advantages to result from it — the former certain, however precarious the other may prove. In respect to the latter, I have always thought that by virtue of the same power, which assumes the right of taxation, the Parliament may attempt at least to restrain our manu- factures, especially those of a public nature, the same equity and justice prevailing in the one case as the other, it being no greater hardship to forbid my manufactur- ing, than it is to order me to buy goods loaded with duties, for the express purpose of raising a revenue. But as a measure of this sort would be an additional exertion of arbitrary power, we cannot be placed in a worse condition, I think, by putting it to the test. On the one hand, that the colonies are considerably indebted to Great Britain, is a truth universally acknowledged. That many families are reduced almost, if not quite, to penury and want by the low ebb of their fortunes, and that estates are daily selling for the discharge of debts, the pubHc papers furnish too many melancholy proofs. That a scheme of this sort will contribute more effectually than any other that can be devised to extricate the country from the distress it at present labours under, I most firmly believe, if it can be generally adopted. And I can see but one class of people, the merchants excepted, who will not or ought not, to wish well to the scheme — namely, they who live genteelly and hospitably on clear estates. Such as these, were they not to consider the valuable object in view, and the good of others, might think it hard to be curtailed in their living and enjoyments. Upon the whole, therefore, I think the scheme a good one, and that it ought 90 WASHINGTON THB MAN AND THE MASON. to be tried here, with such alterations as our circumstances render absolutely necessary. But in what manner to begin the work is a matter worthy of consid- eration. Whether it can be attempted with propriety or efficacy, further than a communication of sentiments to one another, before May, when the Court and Assembly will meet at Williamsburg, and a uniform plan can be concerted, and sent into the different counties to operate at the same time and in the same manner everywhere, is a thing upon which I am somewhat in doubt, and I should be glad to know your opinion. I am, &c., George Washington. To Col. George Mason. It will be observed that in referring to the classes affected, Washington mentions "they who live genteelly and hospitably on fair estates" — to this class he himself belonged. Indeed, he might justly be considered among the most affluent, and his readiness to make the sacrifice required indicates a spirit of deep and firm resent- ment. "I think the scheme a good one," added he, "and that it ought to be tried here with such alterations as our circumstances render absolutely necessary — but in what manner?" George Mason, to whom this letter had been addressed, was his intimate friend and near neighbor (see illustrated map). Like Wash- ington, he was a rich and extensive planter; like him also, he was a quiet, unobtrusive, determined man, whose star was yet to rise, whose fame was yet to come. He evaded public life, preferring the seclu- sion of his country home and the quiet of his family circle to the most important public trust; nevertheless within his bosom burned the fires of latent genius which would in after years exalt the name of his native state and adorn her history by the glory of its achieve- ments in her councils. He and his neighbor, Washington, had many kindred tastes ; they were fond of books and horses ; were inveterate fox-hunters and farmers of the first order; made agriculture a busi- ness, and a profitable one, but, above all, they were patriots and time would prove their merits. Mason's reply to Washington's letter is characteristic: I entirely agree with you, that no regular plan of the sort proposed can be entered into here, before the meeting of the General Court at least, if not of the Assembly. In the meantime it may be necessary to publish something preparatory to it in our gazettes, to warn the people of the impending danger and induce them the more readily and cheerfully to concur in the proposed measures to avert it; and something of this sort I had begun but am unluckily stopped by a disorder, which affects my head and eyes. As soon as I am able I shall resume it and then ;; ILLUSTRATED MAP OF SECTION OP FAIRFAX COUNTY. VIRGINIA. SHOWING MT. VERNON AND ITS ENVIRONMENTS Key to iiliutretcd map which shows location of the homes of Washin^on's neigh- bors and brother vestrymen in Truro Parish, as well as the location of impor- tant places in the vicinity of Mount Vernon, giving old colonial roads. No. 1. Arlington House — Home of G. W. P. Custis and Robert E. Lee. No. 2. Episcopal Theological Seminary — Alma Mater of Rev. Phillips Brooks, Bishops Randolph, Potter and others. No. 3. Falls Church — George Washington and George William Fairfax on Building Committee. No. 4. Fairfax Court House — Id the Clerk's OEGce of which Washington's Will is kept. No, 5. Payne's Church — Erected by the vestrymen of Truro Parish. George Washington and George Mason on Building Committee. No. 6. Abingdon — Mrs. Washington's son, John Custis. No. 7. Rose Hill — Daniel French, member of Truro Vestry with Washington. Bmlder of Pohick Church. No. 8. Bell Vale — George Johnston. Attorney for Truro Parish, who, as a member of the House of Burgesses, moved the adoption of Patrick Henry's resolution on the Stamp Act. No. 9. No. 10 No. 11 No. 12 No. U No. 14 No. IS No. 16 No. 17 No. 18 Hayfield — Lund Washington, vestryman in Truro and custodian of Mount Vernon during the Revolution. Round Hill — William Triple tt, vestryman in Truro Parish with Washington, Ncwington — Truro Parish Glebe House, but never used as such. Woodlawn Mansion — La«Tence Lewis and wife. Nellie (nee Custis.) Washington's Mill — Last place visited by the General before death. Mount Vernon — Home of Washington. Belvoir — William and George William Fairfan, vestrymen in Truro, the latter with Washington. Cedar Grove — Daniel McCarty. vestryman in Truro with Washington. LaGrangc — Robert Boggess. vestryman in Truro with Washington. Pohick Church — Erected by plans drawn by Washington, who, with George Mason, George William Fairfax and others, formed Building Committee. Major Peter Wagner — Comrade in arms in Braddock's Campaign and member of Truro Vestry with Washington. No. 20. Alexander Henderson — On committee to settle boundan- line between Maryland and Virginia; member of Truro Vestry witn Washington, No. 21. Bell Air— Tomb of Colonel William Grayson, aide-de-camp to General Wa*Jiington -, one of the first Senators from Virginia and Attorney for Truro Parish. No. 22. Rippon Lodge — Colonel Thomas Blackburn, whose daughter. Anne. married Judge Bushrod Washington. No. 23. HoUin Hall— Thomas Mason, son of Colonel George of Gunston; compatriot of Washington. No. 24, Humphrey Peake — Washington's nearest neighbor. No. 25. Washington— Tobias Lear. Washington's secretary No. 26. Gunston Hall — Colonel George Mason. No. 27. Mount Eagle — Rev. Brvan, Eighth Lord Fairfax; where Washington paid his last social call. No. 28, West Grove— Colonel John West, vestryman in Truro, No, 29. Reverend Lee Masscy, Washington's revered pastor. No. 30. Belmont — Edward Washington, vestryman in Truro, couiin of the General. No. 31. Springfield— Martin Cockbuna, vestryman in Truro. "i c WASHINGTON THE! CIVILIAN. 91 write you more fully, or endeavour to see you. In the meantime pray commit to writing such hints as may occur. Our all is at stake, and the little convenience and comforts of life, when set in competition without liberty, ought to be rejected, not with reluctance, but with pleasure. Yet it is plain, that in the tobacco colonies we cannot at present confine our importations within such narrow bounds, as the northern colonies. A plan of this kind to be practicable, must be adopted to our circumstances; for if not steadily executed, it had better have remained unattempted. We may retrench all manner of superfluities, finery of all descriptions, and confine ourselves to linens, woolens, &c., not exceeding a certain price. It is amazing how much this practice, if adopted in all the colonies, would lessen the American imports, and distress the various trades and manufactures in Great Britain. This would waken their attention. They would see, they would feel, the oppressions we groan under, and exert themselves to prociue us redress. This once obtained, we should no longer discontinue our importations, confining our- selves still not to import any article that should hereafter be taxed by act of Parlia- ment for raising a revenue in America; for, however singular I may be in my opinion, I am thoroughly convinced that justice and harmony happily restored, it is not the interest of these colonies to refuse British manufactures. Our supply- ing our mother country with gross materials and taking her manufactures in return is the true chain of connexion between us. These are the bands, which, if not broken by oppression, must long hold us together by maintaining a constant reciprocation of interest. Proper caution should therefore be used in drawing up the proposed plan of association. Had the hint which I have given with regard to taxation of goods imported into America, been thought of by our merchants before the repeal of the Stamp Act, the late American revenue acts would probably never have been attempted. Frequent interviews between the two friends followed this corre- spondence, which resulted in Mason preparing the celebrated Virginia Non-Importation Resolutions. These were introduced in the Gen- eral Assembly at the ensuing session by Washington and formed the ground work for an instrument, signed by all the members present, pledging themselves to neither import nor use any goods, merchandise or manufactures taxed by Parliament to raise a revenue in America. This instrument was circulated throughout the country for signa- tures, and the scheme of non-importation, hitherto confined to a few- northern colonies, was soon universally adopted. While Washington had been regular in his attendance at the sessions of the General Assembly, aside from a few minor comments and an occasional letter on the subject, he had taken little active part in the general agitation. As this letter to Mason constitutes his first determined step in opposition to the objectionable measures of ParUament, we quote it extensively. His allusion in the letter to 92 WASHINGTON THE IMAN AND THE MASON. England as the mother country indicates that the "cord that bound" was not yet broken, while the suggestion of a resort to arms is ominous and proves conclusively his firm resolve. Nevertheless he continues, like Mason, his simple rural occupation — continues to sow and to reap. Devoting a portion of his time to local affairs of a public nature, he serves, with Mason, as a member of the Board of Trustees or Town Council of Alexandria, and is particularly active in practical church work. He was a vestryman at different times in two parishes, Fairfax and Truro, in which were four churches. The parochial church of Fairfax Parish was located in Alexandria, seven miles distant from Mount Vernon on the north, while that of Truro (Pohick) was an equal distance on the opposite side of his residence. Of the latter church, his father had been a member of the vestry and his brother, Lawrence, a prominent layman years before, as had been his old-time friend, William Fairfax. On October 25, 1762, he also was elected a member of this body which was then and continued to be, for at least two decades, comprised of some of the most influen- tial and distinguished citizens of the Commonwealth who deserve to be briefly mentioned in the capacity of church-workers, as well as for the conspicuous part they played in public affairs. We will find among this rural and then obscure vestry not only the future military chieftain in the great struggle for American independence, but those to whom that chieftain sometimes turned in after years for counsel and support — those whom he trusted and in whom he confided. Some of them had been his childhood friends, others his comrades in arms, and all were then his zealous collaborators in church and charity work, and we will see how true they were as years go by, in the darkest hours of the nation's trouble, and how great they grew to be in the eyes of a wondering world. The original church building in Truro in which Washington's father and brother had worshipped, a temporary frame structure at best, was now falling into decay and unfit for public uses; besides, it was located near the southern boundary of the parish and by no means in the center of the parochial population. The rapidly increasing membership necessitated the enlargement of the old or the erection of a new and more spacious building to meet the demands of the congregation. The question of convenient location seems to have aroused considerable contention and debate, Mr. Mason contending for the original site, while Colonel Washington desired a more central Z o < > Q 2 < o o o WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 93 location. To settle this Colonel Washington made a careful survey of the surrounding country, and from the data and plats he submitted the vestry formed its conclusions and wisely selected a beautiful site on an elevated plain at Pohick. Gunston Hall, the home of Mason, was five miles south of Mount Vernon in an air line, but two estuaries of the Potomac, Dogue and Pohick creeks interv^ened, to circumvent which by land made the distance nearly three times as great. The location of the new church, therefore, being near the headwaters of Pohick and seven miles from Mount Vernon, was an almost equal distance from Gunston Hall, and there this substantial and commodious structure stands to-day, a voiceless messenger from the past, a fitting monument to the vestry and, more particularly, to Colonel George Mason of Gunston and Colonel George Washington of Mount Vernon, who were the acknowl- edged leaders in the movement to secure its erection. (The illustra- tion is from a recent photograph and shows the venerable house to be in good repair, as it is.) In years past many eminent divines have occupied its pulpit, among them the learned and pious Lee Massey, whose writings on the religious tendency and church behavior of George Washington have been widely quoted by historians in dealing with that particular phase of Washington's character. The eccentric Mason L. Weems, first biographer of Washington, and originator of the celebrated stories of his childhood such as "the hatchet and the cherry-tree," "the cabbage seed," etc., was at one time its temporary rector, while the present pastor, the Reverend Everard Meade, is a grandson of the venerable Bishop William Meade, the profound theologian and his- torian of the Diocese of Virginia. In Washington's day, vestries were elected by the freeholders or qualified voters of the vicinage for entire parishes and not for any particular church. They also performed the duties of civil officers and assisted the courts in certain secular affairs. Churchwardens were selected by the vestry for special or specific duties. Apart from their church work, they were required to report to the chief magis- trate or proper prosecuting officer all violations of the law, such as Sabbath breaking, absence from religious service without reasonable excuse, profanity, disturbing public worship, gambling and, in fact, any infraction of the statutes which came under their observation. There might be, as in Truro, several churches in the same parish and all under the supervision of one vestry. To be eligible to the 94 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. position of vestryman, under both civil and ecclesiastical law, one had to be a resident freeholder in the parish where he served. As numerous, prominent writers have stated that Washington was a vestry- man in two parishes, inferentially conveying the erroneous idea that he served in both simultaneously, a correction of this error, with an expla- nation of how the confusion occurred, will not be amiss at this time. Up to February i, 1765, Alexandria city was located in Truro Parish and consequently within the jurisdiction of the vestry of which Washington was a member, but upon that date, in conformity to an act of the General Assembly, a division of Truro was made and a new parish created. By this division, Mount Vernon was transferred to the new parish of Fairfax, and on March 28, 1765, immediately fol- lowing the transfer, Washington was elected a member of the first vestry of Fairfax Parish. The life of this vestry was exactly four months. Sundry resi- dents of Truro, objecting to the location of the dividing line between the two parishes, secured a repeal of the act legahzing the division, and the passage of a new measure (on May 23) granting a more equi- table and satisfactory arrangement, under which the dividing line between the two parishes was established north of Mount Vernon instead of on the south. Washington, again in Truro, was promptly restored to his place in the vestry of that parish and continued to serve as such until February, 1774. The original of the following table, in Washington's handwriting, is in the Library of Congress. It shows who constituted this short- lived vestry and also shows that he (Washington) was not a member of Truro vestry while serving on that of Fairfax Parish, and vice versa. Vestry chosen for Truro Parish, 25th of Vestry chosen for Fairfax Parish, 28th March, 1765, with the Number March, 1765, with the Number of Votes to each. of Votes to each. Mr. Edward Payne, . 234 Colo. John West, 340 Colo. George Mason, . 2IO Mr. Charles Alexander, 309 Captn. Daniel McCarty, . 181 Mr. William Payne, . 304 Mr. Thos. Withers Coffer, . 174 Capt. John Dalton, . 281 Mr. William Gardner, 169 Colo. Geo. Washington, 274 Colo. George Wm. Fairfax, 161 Majr. Chas. Broadwater, . 260 Mr. Alexr. Henderson, 158 Captn. George Johnston, . 254 Captn. Lewis Ellzey, . • 152 Mr. Townsend Dade, . 252 Mr. Thomison Ellzey, ■ 151 Mr. Richd. Sanford, . . 247 Mr. Thomas Ford, 151 Mr. Willm. Adams, , . 244 Mr. John Ford, . 141 Captn. Posey, 222 Majr. Peter Wagener, 126 Mr. Daniel French, . 221 WASHINGTON THE) CIVILIAN. 95 Vestry chosen for Truro Parish, 22nd July, 1765, with the Number of Votes for each. Colo. Geo. Mason, Captn. Edw. Payne, . Colo. Geo. Washington, Captn. John Posey, Captn. Daniel McCarty, Colo. Geo. Wm. Fairfax, Mr. Alexander Henderson, Mr. William Gardner, Mr. Thomison Ellzey, Mr. Thos. Withers Coffer, Mr. William Lynton, . Mr. Thomas Ford, Vestry chosen for Fairfax Parish, 25th July, 1765, with the Number of Votes for each. 282 Colo. West, 309 277 Mr. Wmiam Payne, . 289 259 Mr. William Adams, . 250 259 Captn. John Dalton, . 247 246 Mr. Thos. Wren, . 237 235 Mr. Edward Dulan, . 228 231 Majr. Cha. Broadwater, . 225 218 Mr. Richard Sanford, 225 209 Mr. Daniel French, . 216 189 Mr. Edward Blackburn, . 210 173 Mr. Thos. Shaw, 209 170 Mr. Townsend Dade, 205 During the eleven years of Washington's service as a member of the vestry of Truro, there were held thirty-one meetings of that body and we find him recorded present at twenty-three. His absence from the other eight are accounted for in his diary as follows : Once he was sick in bed, twice he was in attendance at the General Assembly and, at the time of the remaining five, not in the county. The regularity of his attendance at the meetings of the vestry and the progress of church work throughout the parish during his incumbency is a strik- ing testimonial of the religious zeal and activity of him and his asso- ciates. He was on the building committee, drew the plans, and personally superintended the building of the new church at Pohick; and, as churchwarden, with George WiUiam Fairfax he advertised for and no doubt accepted the estimates and arranged the contract for the construction of the Falls Church (about eight miles from Alexandria), and was also one of the building committee who super- intended the construction of the Upper or Payne's Church (near Fairfax Court House). The exterior resemblance of these buildings, the similarity of design, and their conformity to a general plan induce the belief that the same architectural drawings were used for all three. As the plans for Pohick were declared by Lossing, who saw them, to have been prepared by Colonel Washington, there can be little doubt of the adoption of his design for each of the other churches and possibly for that of Christ Church in Alexandria also, for with the exception of the tower, built years after the church was completed, about 1818, it is a counterpart of the other three. Two of these substantial old structures which Washington, as 96 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. a member of Tniro vestry, helped to erect, are still standing and occupied as places of public worship, viz., the Falls Church, located at tlie town of that name in the upper part of Fairfax County, and Pohick, in the lower section of the same county, while Payne's or the Upper Church was torn down in 1862 and the bricks used to erect chimneys for the winter quarters of union soldiers stationed in the neighborhood. Washington's diary shows his regular attendance with his family at Pohick from the time of his marriage in 1759 until just before the Revolutionary War, whereas, after that period, we find him generally in attendance at Christ Church in Alexandria. He had purchased pews in both churches immediately, after their completion, holding numbers 28 and 29 in Pohick, for which he gave £29 los., and number 5 in Christ Church, for which he paid £36 los. On the fly-leaf of his diary for January, 1773, is the following memorandum: Sale of the pews in Alexandria Church to whom . &c. Nos. Purchasers. 4 Mr. Townsend Dade, 5 13 14 15 18 19 20 28 29 s. Colo. G. Washington, Mr. Robt. Adam, Mr. Robt. Alexander, Mr. Dalton, . Mr. Thos. Fleming, Col. Carlyle, Mr. Wm. Ramsay, Messrs. Jno. Muir &c., Mr. John West, Jr., . £ 28 36-10 30 30-10 20 21- 5 30 33 36- 5 33 The revolutionary struggle drew heavily upon the Pohick con- gregation. It drafted most of the eligible male portion into active military service and left to the old and ver}^ young the burdens which had formerly devolved upon the strong and active, in consequence of which the church suffered a severe dechne from its former pros- perous condition and gradually fell into a state of semi-neglect. Nor did this condition improve very much after the dawn of peace with England and the establishment of our Federal Government. Its ven- erable and beloved rector, "Parson Massey," stripped of his strongest pillars and afihcted with partial loss of speech, retired to his farm on the Occoquan and took up the practice of medicine, dispensing his services free to the poor. He hved, to an advanced age, the tranquil Ufe of a country gentleman; beloved by Washington and Mason, WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 97 whose pastor he was for many years, and revered for his gentle dis- position and extreme piety by all who knew him. After the desertion of Pohick by its regular attendants and sup- porters, an occasional exhorter (curious reUc of the past) would stop on his aimless journey and call the little flock for a day, or some wandering evangelist would temporarily take up the work of the Master in this abandoned house of God. Its founders and builders were scattered. Many of their for- tunes were destroyed by the years of cruel struggle, and for decades it looked as though these sacred walls, reared by the fostering hands and munificence of Washington and his neighbors, were doomed to utter ruin. The church was a refuge for man and beast during the Civil War and sufi'ered wanton pillage at the hands of sacrilegious vandals; its doors and windows were torn away; its pulpit sacked and burned; its pews destroyed, and even its floors pulled up and pilfered ; but generous hearts have restored it to its former state and every Sabbath morning can be seen, gathering around its chancel as in the long ago, the sturdy yeomanry of the countryside — men and women bearing the names of its founders, direct descendants of the manorial lords who built and consecrated it to its noble purpose. We cannot close this short review of Colonel Washington in civil Ufe without brief reference to some of his associates on this famous vestry of Truro Parish. First among them was George Mason of Gunston, one of the foremost citizens of that period. He was a model for patriots in a patriotic day. For thirty-nine years he served as a vestryman of Truro Parish. He has already been frequently mentioned in con- nection with this church work and his intimate association with Colonel Washington and later on came prominently to the front in the Council Chamber of his native state. Colonel Mason delighted in agricultural pursuits, owned a number of large planta- tions, and gave constant employment to nearly five hundred people. It is credibly recorded that in one year he shipped twenty-three thousand bushels of wheat and one hundred hogsheads of tobacco, the product of his numerous farms. He took a deep interest in public afi'airs but avoided as far as possible ofiicial life. An ardent and pro- found student of nature and a sagacious pohtical leader, it is highly probable that no single man produced works of greater importance and more lasting benefit to the human family during the mighty struggle for American independence than did this semi -recluse of 98 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Gunston Hall. He served one term in the House of Burgesses in 1759, after which he firmly decUned re-election for a number of years, but, from the beginning of England's pernicious system of colonial taxation, he abandoned the seclusion of his home and vigorously opposed, through his potent and powerful pen, the onerous parUa- mentary measures of the mother coimtry, arousing by unanswerable logic the spirit of resistance and of independence. Through the persuasion of Colonel Washington and others, who knew the intrinsic worth of the man, he finally consented to announce his candidacy and stand for election to the Convention in August, 1775. His success at the polls placed him again in public Ufe as a fitting and faithful successor to the seat of George Washington, who was then commander-in-chief of the provincial forces. The assist- ance he rendered in subsequent legislation and in the formation of our state and Federal Govenmient fixed the name of Mason in the very front rank among the great men of that or any other age. His Fairfax Resolves, drawn at a meeting of the freeholders of Fairfax County, held in Alexandria city on Monday, the i8th of July, 1774, constitutes one of the most forceful and determined protests against English abuses ever written and was adopted throughout the entire country as a model for the preparation of similar declarations. George Washington presided over the meeting and, in obedience to the instructions, presented these Resolves to the House of Bur- gesses, of which he was a member at the ensuing session. They clearly represent the spirit and feehng of the times and constitute the next important step of Mason and Washington, after the Non- Importation Resolution. Mason entered the Assembly the second time at a crucial period in the history of the country. One measure after another of the gravest importance came up for consideration in rapid succession. It was the beginning of the formative period of a new and original government. Old English laws and even social customs were ruth- lessly set aside with something of malicious and vindictive haste. There appears to have been a morbid rush to abandon and abolish everything English. This disposition, no doubt, inspired the meas- ure introduced soon after his arrival, providing for the legal support of ministers and teachers of rehgion of all denominations by a general assessment of the people of the state. This bill was ably supported by Edmund Randolph, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Page, Edmund Pendleton and others of distinction, and vigorously WASHINGTON THE CIVILIAN. 99 opposed by James Madison and a strong following, among whom was George Mason. It was a bitter struggle and the contestants were about equally divided. Madison, however, secured a postponement of final action until the next session, and in the interim prepared, at the instance of Mason, the celebrated Memorial and Remonstrance, which Mason circulated throughout the Commonwealth, finally defeating the measure and establishing the principle of supporting churches and other rehgious institutions by voluntary contribution. As in the course of this work future reference will be made to Colonel Mason in connection with important legislation, we will now pay brief attention to a few others of this distinguished vestry of old Truro, thuteen of whom, at different times, were members of the House of Burgesses and two of the King's Council, and all of whom Washington deUghted to call friends and neighbors. Some of them bore well-earned titles as just reward for meritorious service in the French and Indian War, and others distinguished themselves in the great struggle for American independence. The attorney for the parish, George Johnston, was an able jurist and a bold, aggressive patriot. He was the representative in the House of Burgesses from Fairfax County when Patrick Henry first became a member of that body, and had the distinguished honor of moving the adoption of IMr. Henry's celebrated resolutions in opposition to the Stamp Act in 1765. Major Peter Wagener of Colchester had won his spurs at Fort Duquesne. In that battle he commanded the company of "Prince William Riflemen" upon whom the EngUsh regulars fired in their panic. Wagener's troops were fighting true Indian style from behind trees and rocks, holding the French and Indians at bay, when the terrible mistake occiu-red. Out of the eighty provincial troopers in his company, only thirty escaped unhurt. Colonel Martin Cockbum, mentioned in connection with this active church work, was an uncle of the "fastidious" Admiral Cock- bum who commanded the British fleet which made an attack on the city of Washington in the War of 181 2. Colonel Cockbum was a near neighbor and married a relative of Colonel George Mason. There is a very pretty Uttle romance attached to his Ufe, which is worthy of preservation. Of Scotch descent, he was a native of the Island of Jamaica and when a youth of eighteen, while traveling in Virginia with his father, fell in love with Miss Bronaugh, whom he met at Colonel Mason's. Owing to the youth of the couple, their lOO WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. parents objected to an immediate marriage and young Cockbum returned with his father to his home in the West Indies. On coming of age, he came back to his Virginia fiancee, married the young lady and Uved in the neighborhood of Gunston Hall for over fifty years. Still another of this interesting coterie was Colonel William Grayson, attorney for the parish after the death of Johnson, a resident of Dumfries, Prince William County. He served as colonel on General Washington's staff during the revolution and was the first to inform the general of the retreat and apparent treason of Charles Lee at the battle of Monmouth. Taking an active part in the politics of his state, he was made a member of the convention which ratified the Federal Constitution in 1788 and was elected, with Richard Henry Lee, after George Mason declined to serve, one of the two first senators from Virginia in the Congress of the United States. There are a number of others among this parish court who richly deserve to be mentioned, whose lives should be written, whose deeds recorded, but the nature of this work will not permit of a further digression. We must take up the course of Washington's life. He is about to step upon the stage in the great theatre of war; about to come forth from his years of happy retirement as the leading actor in one of the most heroic and unequal struggles of modem times. Through the windings of his rugged path from Cambridge to York- town, touching only now and then upon the principal and important occurrences to connect the story, we must follow him until he crosses the rubicon and is beyond the pale of England's lordly grip; until he and his loyal legions have stamped liberty as a burnished motto upon the stainless escutcheon of free America. WASHINGTON AT THE AGE OF FORTY, BY PEELE. WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION jANY of the measures enacted and expedients resorted to by the burgesses of Virginia during the long period of feverish excitement from the passage of the Stamp Act, March 22, 1765, to the outbreak of the Revolu- tion in 1775, are matters of general history and, for the purpose of this narrative, we will only mention a few of the most important. While the House of Burgesses was in session in Wilhamsburg in the spring of 1773, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee and several others were accustomed to meet in a private room at the Raleigh Tavern for consultation, and during one of these meetings Lee proposed a plan to maintain a system of correspond- ence between the several colonies. Massachusetts had instituted the system in a local way between the counties, with favorable results, and Lee's idea was to extend the scope of the Massachusetts method of communication to all the colonies for their mutual benefit and protection. A resolution to this effect was offered by Dabney Carr, brother-in-law of Thomas Jefferson. The movement met with favor. The measure was promptly passed by the House and the following committee appointed : Robert Carter Nicholas, Richard Bland, Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Harrison, Edmund Pendleton, Patrick Henry, Dudley Diggs, Dabney Carr, Archibald Carey and Thomas Jefferson. The governor at once dissolved the Assembly, but the mischief was done. From that moment revolution was organized. Hitherto the American colonies had been detached communities. The men of the north and the men of the south, separated by hundreds of miles, without steam or electricity, were practically strangers. Boston might be bombarded or Williamsburg in flames, and neither might know what was the fate of the other. Now this danger had passed. The thirteen provinces were a unit. A portentous power had been suddenly thrust into the quarrel, and William Lee wrote from London that this intercolonial consul- tation had "struck a greater panic into the ministers than all that had taken place since the days of the Stamp Act." A great machine I02 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. had been put in motion and was hewing out the pathway to revolu- tion. The colonies would no longer engage in desultory and useless skirmishes but advance in a solid column all along the line. The labors of the committee were effective; a general congress was called to meet in Philadelphia, September 5, 1774, and the sub- joined roster shows that representatives from all the colonies, except Georgia, were present : New Hampshire. John Sullivan, Nathaniel Filsom. Massachusetts Bay. James Bowdoin, John Adams, Thomas Gushing, Robert Treat Paine. Samuel Adams, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Stephen Hopkins, Samuel Ward. Connecticut. Eliphalet Davis, Silas Deane. Roger Sherman, From the City and County of New York, and Other Counties in the Province op New York. James Deane, Philip Livingston, Henry Wishner, Isaac Low, John Jay, John Alsop. From the County of Suffolk, in the Province of New York. William Floyd. James Kinsey, William Livingston, John Dehart, Joseph Galloway, Charles Humphreys, Samuel Rhoads, George Ross, New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Stephen Crane, Richard Smith. John Morton, Thomas Mifflin, Edward Biddle, John Dickinson. Newcastle, Kent, and Sussex, on Delaware. Cesar Rodney, Thomas McKean, Robert Goldsborough, Thomas Johnson, William Paca, Maryland. George Read. Samuel Chase, Matthew Tilghman. 5^ V*! HOME OF THE FIRST COXTINEXTAL CONGRES?. WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 103 Virginia. Peyton Randolph, Richard Bland, Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Harrison, George Washington, Edmund Pendleton. Patrick Henry, North Carolina. William Hooper, Richard Caswell. Joseph Hewes, South Carolina. Henry Middleton, Christopher Gadsden, John Rutledge, Edward Rutledge. Thomas Lynch, The delegation from Virginia was composed of some of her best and ablest citizens. They were, according to the historian Ramsay, "men who would have done honor to any age or country," and in point of intellect Virginia's delegation was no exception to the rule. The Congress assembled in a room in Carpenters' Hall and organized by electing Peyton Randolph of Virginia, president, with Charles Thompson of Pennsylvania, secretary. Men from every section were now brought together. " It is such an assembly," wrote John Adams, "as never before came together of a sudden in any part of the world." By a singular chance, the Psalter for the day of the month in the prayer book used in opening the Congress with prayer contained the words — "Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for my help ; draw out also the spear and stop the way of them that perse- cute me. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation," etc. The imploring words of this Psalm appealed with particular force to the delegates from New England. John Adams wrote to his wife on the subject: You must remember this was the morning after we heard the horrible rumor of the cannonade of Boston. I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seemed as if Heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read on that morning. After this Mr. Douche unexpectedly struck into an extemporary prayer, which filled the bosom of every man present. Episcopalian as he is, Dr. Cooper himself never prayed with such fervor, such ardor, such earnestness and pathos and in language so eloquent and sublime; lor America, for the congress, for the province of Massa- chusetts Bay, and especially the town of Boston. It had an excellent effect upon everybody here. A long and deep silence followed the prayer of the venerable chaplain, which was becoming painfully embarrassing, when finally I04 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Patrick Henry rose and made one of his greatest and most earnest speeches. "British oppression," he exclaimed, "has effaced the boundaries of the several colonies. The distinctions between Virgin- ians and Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian but an American " The action of Congress was calm and deliberate. "It was not their wish," said Washington, "separately or collectively to set up for independence." A redress of colonial grievances was their object, and the Congress finally determined upon a declaration of rights. A petition to the king, drafted by Mr. Dickinson of Philadelphia, an address to the people of Great Britain by Mr. John Jay of New York, and a memorial to the inhabitants of British America by Richard Henry Lee were among the peaceable measures adopted. The moderation of Congress aroused sympathy for the American cause in England. Lord Chatham, in the House of Lords, said: "I know not the people or senate, who, in such a complication of difficult circumstances, can stand in preference to the delegates of America, assembled in general congress in Philadelphia." To return to the course of events in Virginia; Norbome Berkley, Baron de Botetourt, was appointed Governor of the Commonwealth, July, 1768. He had been Lord High Chamberlain to the king. whom Junius described as " a cringing, bowing, fawning, swordbearing courtier," and Horace Walpole declared: "If his grace does not capti- vate the Virginians, he will enrage them to fury, for I take all his douceur to be enameled iron." These words of the wits and satirists did not prove true. Bote- tourt at first affected the pomp of the English court, but the depre- cating smile of the Virginia burghers soon convinced him of his error and developed the true manly qualities which in a short while made him the idol of the colony, and his untimely death on October 15, 1770, produced the most unaffected sorrow. In his short administration he had learned to love his new found friends, to sympathize with them in their struggles, and had used his best efforts to restore peace and secure their rights from the home government. While these efforts had failed, his intentions were appreciated, as the following inscription on a monument erected to his memory in Wilhamsburg by the grateful burgesses (and still standing) amply testifies: America, behold your friend, who leaving his native country, declined those additional honors which were there in store for him, that he might heal your wounds WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 1 05 and restore tranquillity and happiness to this extensive continent. With what zeal and anxiety he pursued these glorious objects, Virginia thus bears grateful testimony. What a striking contrast was the character of this good man to that of his successor, John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, whose very name became a synonym of evil and whose memory is a blot on English civilization. Although he was treated with the utmost courtesy and deference by the colonists, whose politeness and liberal hospitality deserved reciprocal friendship and co-operation in their efforts to appease the English Parliament, he forfeited the most distant claim to their courtesy and respect by his arrogant, insolent and overbearing conduct; and, with shameless audacity, grossly betrayed the trust of a generous and confiding people. Surrounding himself with kindred spirits, he repaired to his armed vessel lying in the James, and began a system of rapine, arson and murder along the water courses that would have disgraced a savage freebooter and which, be it said to their credit, proved repug- nant to even the most exacting supporters of the crown. The in- human conduct of Dunmore filled the colony with bitter resentment, while the enactment of the drastic Boston Port Bill and other wrongs perpetrated upon the defenceless people of Massachusetts, together with their patient suffering and their heroic resistance, won from proud Virginia the deepest sympathy and warmest praise and pre- cipitated active defensive measures which might have been postponed, at least temporarily, had different conditions prevailed. Patience, it appeared, had ceased to be a virtue; appeals to Par- liament were spurned with contempt, supplications to the throne turned away with heedless indifference, and every chartered right and principle of self-government ruthlessly violated. It needed but a feeble spark to kindle the fire of revolution, but notwithstanding this feverish state of public mind, there were many present at the opening of the convention which assembled in old St. John's Church in Rich- mond on Monday, March 20, 1775, who fondly cherished the hope of future reconciliation. Some of the memorials and addresses of the national congress to the Crown and people of England were still pend- ing. There were bold enough spirits present to follow, but few dared take the lead. The time had not yet come, they said. "Wait, wait," was the watchword. It was a case of suspended political animation until the morning of the 23d when a resolution of thanks to the Assembly of Jamaica for their affectionate intercession to Parliament in behalf of the colonies I06 WASHINGTON THE) MAN AND THB MASON. aroused decisive action on the part of Patrick Henry. This " fawning was gall and wormwood ' ' to him. He had pondered well the situation and with his keen and level vision had penetrated the future. Rising in his seat, he offered, at first without comment, the following reso- lutions : Resolved, That a well-regtilated militia, composed of gentlemen and yeomen, is the natural strength and only security of a free government; that such a militia in this colony would forever render it unnecessary for the mother country to keep among us, for the purpose of our defence, any standing army of mercenary soldiers, always subversive of the quiet, and dangerous to the liberties of the people, and would obviate the pretext of taxing us for their support. That the establishment of such mihtia is, at this time, peculiarly necessary, by the state of our laws, for the protection and defence of the country, some of which are already expired, and others will shortly be so; and that the known remissness of the government in calling us together in legislative capacity, renders it too insecure, in this time of danger and distress, to rely that opportunity will be given of renewing them in General Assembly, or making any provision to secure our inestimable rights and liberties, from those further \'iolations with which they are threatened. Resolved, therefore. That this colony be immediately put into a state of defence, and that , • , • , be a committee to prepare a plan for embodying, arming, and disciplining such a number of men, as may be sufficient for that purpose. In an instant the convention was in an uproar. A state of wild alarm pervaded the assembly, and some of the boldest defenders of colonial rights stood aghast and poured forth vehement protests against Mr. Henry's Resolves. They asked : Was this a moment to disgust our friends, to extinguish all the conspiring sym- pathies, which were working in our favor, to turn their friendship into hatred, their pity into revenge? And what was there in the situation of the colony, to tempt us to this? Were we a great military people? Were we ready for war ? Where were our stores — where our arms — our soldiers — our generals — our money, the sinews of war ? They were nowhere to be found. In truth, we were poor — we were maimed — we were defenceless. And yet we talk of assuming the front of war against a nation ready and armed at all points. Her navies riding triumphant on every sea, her armies never marching but to certain victory. . . . The measiu'e might be brave; but it was the bravery of madmen. It had no pretension to the character of prudence, and as little to the grace of genuine courage. It would be time enough to resort to measures of despair when every well-founded hope had entirely vanished. These spirited protests served but to stimulate the ardent mind of Mr. Henry and nerve him for the forensic battle. Ten years before, he had whipped into line the weak and faltering and forced the passage WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. I07 of his resolutions on the Stamp Act, and now he arose to meet this emergency with the superb courage of honest conviction and lofty purpose. It was an awful moment; the hberties of three milUon people were in the balance. The die had been cast and the day would go down in history as the pivotal point in the preliminary struggle, while its record would cause the name of Henry to be revered or ridi- culed by generations yet to come. Naturally a serious man, he arose with a dignity commensurate with the solemnity and importance of the occasion. No man, he declared, thought more highly than did he of the patriotism as well as abilities of the very worthy gentlemen who had just addressed the House. But different men often saw the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, he hoped it would not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen, if, entertaining, as he did, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, he would speak forth his sentiments freely and without reserve. "This," he said, "was no time for ceremony." Continuing, Mr. Henry declared : Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned — we have remonstrated — we have suppHcated, we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spumed, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and recondlation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free — if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending— if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged our- selves never to abandon, until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained — we must fight — I repeat it, sir, we must fight. An appeal to arms and to the God of Battles, is all that is left us. They tell us, sir, that we are weak — unable to cope with so formidable an adver- sary. Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three milhons of people armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in a country such as we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone ; it is to the vigi- lant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery. Our chains are forged. Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston. The war is inevitable — and let it come. I repeat it, sir, let it come. I08 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun. The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms. Our brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle ? What is it that the gentlemen wish ? WTiat would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God — I know not what course others may take; but as for me (with both his arms extended aloft, his brows knit, every feature marked with the resolute purpose of his soul, and his voice swelled to its boldest note of exclamation) — give me liberty — or give me death. He took his seat. No murmur of applause was heard. The effect was too deep. After the trance of a moment several members started from their seat. The cry "to arms" seemed to quiver on every lip and gleam from every eye. Richard Henry Lee arose and supported Mr. Henry, with his usual spirit of elegance. But his melody was lost amid the agitations of that ocean, which the master- spirit of the storm had raised up on high. That supernatural voice still sounded in their ears and shivered along their arteries. They heard, in every pause, the cry of liberty or death. They became impatient of speech — their souls were on fire for action. The resolutions were adopted, and Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, Robert C. Nicholas, Benjamin Harrison, Lemuel Riddick, George Washington, Adam Stevens, Andrew Lewis, William Christian, Edmund Pendleton, Thomas Jefferson, and Isaac Lane, esquires, were appointed a committee to prepare the plan called for by the last resolution. The plan for embodying, arming and discipUning the miUtia, pro- posed by the committee which has just been mentioned, was received and adopted. Henry became the voice of Virginia; his utterances the slogan of the populace — "War is inevitable, and let it come, " resounded everywhere. The news of the stealthy midnight foray of the Enghsh troops from Boston to capttu-e munitions of war stored at Concord, the vigilance of Warren and Paul Revere, in giving the alarm of the approach of the British soldiers, and finally the ruthless slaughter of forty-nine innocent provincials at Lexington and Concord, had fulfilled his prophecy that "the next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms. " All efforts at reconciliation had now failed. A company of militia was hastily enUsted and equipped in every county. Before daylight, June i, 1775, Lord Dunmore fled from the capital (Williams- burg) and took refuge on board the Fowey, lying at Yorktown. < K W O w Q 2; w Q z Q Z < M o o o z < z w o WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 109 Just one month before this occurred, on the loth of May, the second General Congress assembled in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Peyton Randolph was again elected president, but, having been previously elected Speaker of the Virginia Assembly, he returned to take up the duties of that position in Williamsburg, and John Hancock of Massachusetts was elevated to the chair. There was an evidence of a stronger feeling against the mother country, and more excite- ment prevailed than characterized the previous session. Blood had been shed in Massachusetts and an army of New England provincials infested the town of Boston, fully determined on further resistance. On the 15th of June, this New England army was regularly adopted by Congress and the pay of the commander-in-chief fixed at five hundred dollars a month. Several names were suggested for the position, finally resulting in the nomination of George Washington by Mr. Thomas Johnson of Maryland. Washington was unanimously elected and on the day after his election, June i6, 1775, appeared before the House and addressed them as follows: Mr. President : Though I am truly sensible of the high honor done me in this appointment, yet I feel great distress from a consciousness that my abilities and military experience may not be equal to the extensive and important trust; however, as the Congress desire it, I will enter upon the momentous duty, and exert every power I possess in their service and for support of the glorious cause. I beg they will accept my most cordial thanks for this distinguished testimony of their appro- bation. But lest some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation, I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room, that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with. As to pay, sir, I beg leave to assure the Congress, that as no pecuniary consid- eration could have tempted me to accept this arduous employment, at the expense of my domestic ease and happiness, I do not wish to make any profit from it. I will keep an exact account of my expenses. Those, I doubt not, they will discharge, and that is all I desire. Indeed this domestic happiness of which he spoke appeared to have been uppermost in his mind. His first thought turned to his home and to his wife. The death of her daughter, Martha Custis, June 19, 1773, and the subsequent marriage of her son and only remaining child, John Custis, to Miss Eleanor Calvert, daughter of Benedict Calvert, Esq., of Mount Airy, Maryland, on the 3d of February, 1774, had, in the absence of the general, left Mrs. Washington alone and, naturally, her husband sympathized with her in her lonely situation. no WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. The ensuing letter, written immediately after his appointment, clearly indicates the burden of his thoughts and shows how keenly he felt the enforced separation from his wife and home : My Dearest : I am now set down to write to you on a subject which fills me with inexpressible concern, and this concern is greatly aggravated and increased when I reflect upon the uneasiness I know it will give you. It has been determined in Congress, that the whole army raised for the defence of the American cause shall be put under my care, and that it is necessary for me to proceed immediately to Boston to take upon me the command. You may believe me, my dear Patsy, when I assure you in the most solemn manner, that, so far from seeking this appointment, I have used every endeavor in my power to avoid it, not only from my unwillingness to part with you and the family, but from a consciousness of its being a trust too great for my capacity, and that I should enjoy more real happiness in one month with you at home than I have the most distant prospect of finding abroad, if my stay were to be seven times seven years. But as it has been a kind of destiny that has thrown me upon this service, I shall hope that my undertaking is designed to answer some good purpose. You might, and I suppose did, perceive, from the tenor of my letters, that I was appre- hensive I could not avoid this appointment, as I did not pretend to intimate when I should return. That was the case. It was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment, without exposing my character to such censures as would have reflected dishonor upon myself, and given pain to my friends. This I am sure could not and ought not to be pleasing to you, and must have lessened me considerably in my own esteem. I shall rely, therefore, confidently, on that Providence, which has hereto- fore preserved and been bountiful to me, not doubting but that I shall return safe to you in the fall. I shall feel no pain from the toil or the danger of the campaign ; my imhappiness will flow from the imeasiness I know you will feel from being left alone. I therefore beg that you will simimon your whole fortitude and pass your time as agreeably as possible. Nothing will give me so much sincere satisfaction as to hear this, and to hear it from your own pen. My earnest and ardent desire is, that you would pursue any plan that is most likely to produce content, and a tolerable degree of tranquillity ; as it must add greatly to my uneasy feelings to hear that you are dissatisfied or complaining at what I really could not avoid. Immediately after the appointment of a commander-in-chief, Con- gress selected four major-generals and one adjutant-general of the rank of brigadier as his subordinates, viz., first, Major-General Arte- mas Ward; second, Charles Lee; third, Phihp Schuyler; fourth, Israel Putnam ; Adjutant-General Horatio Gates, with eight brigadiers in the following order — first, Seth Pomeroy ; second, Richard Montgomer)^ ; third, David Wooster; fourth, WilHam Heath; fifth, Joseph Spencer; sixth, John Thomas ; seventh, John Sullivan ; eighth, Nathaniel Greene. Wasliing^on received his commission from the President of Con- gress on June 20 and left Philadelphia on the 2 ist, en route for his post G^rilP^!!}^PSc^^^ -etoTs^^iif^^ WASHINGTON'S FIRST MAJOR-GENERALS. WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION." Ill of duty at Cambridge, accompanied by Generals Schuyler and Lee. Shortly after leaving Philadelphia a messenger brought the news of the battle of Bimker Hill, and on being informed of the gallant conduct of the militia in this desperate and unequal engagement, he exclaimed : "The hberties of the country are safe. " Leaving Schuyler with necessary instructions at New York he hastened on his journey. Arriving at Cambridge on July 2, he took up his headquarters at the Craigie ]Mansion (afterwards occupied by the poet Longfellow, the historian Jared Sparks, and the Honorable Edward Everett). On the following morning, July 3, with the army at attention on Cambridge Common, taking his position under an ancient elm tree (which is still standing) surrounded by his staff and a large concourse of civihans, Washington drew his sword and formally assumed command of the American army. Investigation soon proved that serious conditions confronted the commander-in-chief. He had assumed command of fourteen thousand five hundred raw provincials, hastily drawn from every trade and pro- fession. Many of these were without previous military training or experience and poorly clad, while all of them were inadequately sup- plied with the munitions of war, yet with this undrilled and unskilled force of rustics he was to measure arms with the greatest mihtary power in the world. There were, nevertheless, some encouraging prospects. Most of his officers were seasoned veterans of the French War, of known ability, and the battle of Bunker Hill, in which four hundred and fifty provin- cials had given up their lives, left no doubt of the iron nerve of the colonial volunteer. He was the equal, in point of courage, of Eng- land's bravest grenadiers, and Washington saw that with proper training and equipment of the force at hand the cause of the colonies was safe. His repeated suppHcations to Congress and to the colonial gov- ernors for necessary supplies, inunediately after assuming command, show conclusively the difficulties confronting the commander-in- chief from the very beginning, and the failure of Congress to supply his wants through the ensuing years of the tedious struggle explains the Fabian policy which he pursued through the long years of suffer- ing and disaster. While the death of Warren and his compatriots at Bunker Hill had wrapped all New England in mourning, it had also aroused the spirit of vindictive hate for the British redcoats throughout the Ameri- 112 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. can colonies and had summoned sympathetic legions from the most distant provinces to avenge the wrongs of their compatriots in the north. Among those who came was Captain Daniel Morgan, who had been with Washington in his border wars. He was the first to respond from Virginia and, within ten days after receiving his com- mission, enlisted ninety-six riflemen with whom he marched from Winchester to Cambridge, a distance of nearly six hundred miles, in less than three weeks. It was a hardy band of backwoods pioneers, whose deadly aim and reckless courage would later prove a scourge to England's seasoned regulars. Notwithstanding the occasional arrival of fresh troops from other colonies, to lift for a while their drooping spirits, the investment proved a tiresome and discouraging vigil. For, to the amazement of the American commander, the British showed no disposition to become aggressive, and scarcity of munitions of war prevented him from taking the offensive. Thus wore away the tedious hours of summer, and fall and winter came slowly on without important developments in the situation at Boston. In the meantime Mount Vernon was threatened by Vir- ginia's discredited governor, Dunmore, who still continued his pirat- ical incursions along the water courses, and Washington, becoming uneasy about "the folks at home," wrote his wife, requesting her to join him at Cambridge. In compliance with this invitation, Mrs. Washington, with her son, John Parke Custis, and his wife, arrived at headquarters December 1 1 , to the very great satisfaction and relief of the general. To enliven the camp, the ladies of Cambridge had instituted a series of social functions. While these hospitable diversions, to some extent, broke the monotony of army life and proved a source of enjoy- ment to many of the officers, they entailed upon the commander-in- chief certain social duties which he gladly transferred to Mrs. Wash- ington and which she, with an eye to his comfort, very graciously accepted. The death of Montgomery, the wounding of Arnold and the capture of Daniel Morgan and many of his riflemen at Quebec, where the latter two, with a detachment of i,ioo men, had gone from Cam- bridge, produced a melancholy effect upon the colonial forces, which was not entirely dispelled by the unexpected evacuation of the beleag- ured city on the 17th of March, 1776. Washington entered Boston on the 20th and, after restoring order and establishing a system of civil government, immediately WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 1X3 began the transportation of his troops to New York, whither he supposed the EngUsh had gone and where he arrived on April 13, 1776. While General Washington had been devoting his attention to the military organization in the north, his friends and former associates in Virginia had not been idle. The committee selected to "place the colony in a proper state of defence" was diligently engaged in the performance of that duty. Military rendezvous were established throughout the province, and the cities and towns, transformed into military camps, resounded with the beat of drum and blast of bugle. Nor was the legislative body unmindful of the serious situation con- fronting them. Conditions were rapidly crystallizing the spirit of independence; they fully realized that "war was inevitable." "Let it come" was the slogan on every tongue. On May 6, 1776, just six weeks after the evacuation of Boston, the convention assembled in Williamsburg. It was tlie sixth and last of the emergency assemblies by which the province had been governed since Dunmore dissolved the burgesses in 1774. From that time (1776), constitutional government took its rightful place. A resolute, determined band were those friends and former associates of Washington who gathered in Williamsburg on that memorable occasion. They had to deal with problems that would afifect the future welfare of the human family and little time was lost in desultory discussion. Thomas Nelson undoubtedly expressed the sense of the entire assembly when he declared, " Having weighed the argument on both sides, I am clearly of the opinion, we must, as we value the Hberties of America, or even her existence, without a moment's delay, declare for independence," and this they proceeded to do by unanimously adopting the following resolutions : Resolved unanimously, That the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent states, absolved from all allegiance to or dependence upon the crown or parliament of Great Britain, and that they give the assent of this colony to such declaration, and to whatever measures may be thought proper and necessary by the Congress for forming foreign alliances and a confedera- tion of the colonies at such a time and in the manner as to them shall seem best: Provided, That the power of forming government for and the regulations of the internal concerns of each colony be left to the respective colonial legislatures. Resolved unanimously, That a committee be appointed to prepare a Declaration of Rights, and such a plan of government as will be most likely to maintain peace and order in this colony and secure substantial and equal liberty to the people. 114 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. By these resolutions, drawn by Edmund Pendleton and pre- sented by Thomas Nelson, directing the Virginia delegates in Congress to propose for that body to "declare the United Colonies free and independent states, " the Virginia convention took the first step which led to the Declaration of Independence on the part of the United Colonies.* On the next day the momentous resolves were read to the troops assembled at Williamsburg and received by the provincial army with joyous acclamation. "Camion thundered and the American flag was raised on the capitol. " Whatever might be the action of Congress, the final decision of Virginia had been made — she was to be an independent common- wealth. On the 15th a committee of twenty-eight was appointed to prepare a Declaration of Rights and constitution for the new republic. Among this committee were Meriwether Smith, James Mercer, Robert Carter Nicholas, Patrick Henry, Richard Bland, Thomas Ludwell Lee, Dudley Diggs, John Blair, John Page and Edmund Randolph, an illustrious group, and, almost to a man, they were descendants of the political refugees. On the i6th James Madison was added to the committee, and on the 17th George Mason, one of the greatest men of a great age, was also added. Mason was a farmer and lived at Gunston Hall, only a few miles distant from Mount Vernon. It will be recalled that he had been on the Truro vestry with General (then Colonel) Washington, and while averse to public life, from his retirement he had ably defended the cause of the colonist. At the instance of his neighbor, Washington, he had drawn the non-importation agreement in 1769; was the author of the Fairfax County Resolves, in 1774; and later was one of the committee, with Jefferson, Pendleton, Wythe and Thomas Ludwell Lee, all staunch supporters of the established church (except Jeffer- son), who prepared the bill for religious freedom — creating, as it did, the first statutory law for vouchsafing and protecting man in his right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. In view of this, it is not surprising that, although the committee appointed to draft the declaration of rights and constitution for the new government was composed of some of the ablest members of the Virginia bar, Mason, the " farmer-member " from Fairfax, was selected to prepare both instruments. Just nine days after his appointment on the committee, on the 27th of May (1776), the declaration was *On April 12th, nearly a month prior to the action of the Virginia convention, the Con- tinental Congress of North Carolina empowered its representatives in the General Congress to Concur with the delegates of other colonies in declaring independence, etc., whereas, the Virginia resolution directed their representatives to Propose, hence the action of Mr. Lee, which led up to the Declaration of Independence. (See page 116.) / /nCU. a^/ f/Un^t^ cytt^^ ^^//^ Azc,i^^,^,^,^4-r'. /2ccf>(^ k'dln:^ iv^vrr^^ id /^//^^>/2J^, y^A^tPi:^. yy^a^^J^c^rt.t^.^O ^i^t. ^/pT^*^^'^*^ C/tA^6/i^ ^^^^*yi «>^i^^ cZo-i^^i^ /jiyj^^ WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. II 5 reported from the special committee. It was referred to the com- mittee of the whole convention and, after careful consideration, was finally adopted on the 12th of June. On the 29th of the same month, five days before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the new constitution was also adopted. Thus was estabUshed the first independent, constitutional government in the history of mankind, where, under God, the will of the people is the absolute and indis- putable power that governs. There had been other forms of so-called repubhcs in the adminis- tration of which restricted participation had been nominally accorded, or rather limited suffrage granted, usually as a peace offering to stifle public clamor. But even this nominal voice had been invariably subjected to the arbitrary whims of some artful and ambitious schemer or, what was infinitely worse, some self -constituted autocrat, animated solely by sordid and selfish motives, but there, in an old-fashioned village, on the frontier of western civilization, from the healthy and untrammeled genius of rural pedagogues and planters had sprung into life a system of constitutional rule where the will of the people, voiced by their votes, was sovereign and supreme. And it will continue, under the wise provisions of its basic law, until debased manhood shall forfeit this inestimable birthright by corrupt political practices and moral turpitude. An eminent historian says : The Bill of Rights may be called not only the Magna Charter of Virginia but of America. It first announced the great principles upon which the Americans meant to rest in the approaching struggle and, after a century of republican freedom, there is nothing to add to this great protest in favor of the rights of man. It is truly the most remarkable paper of the epoch, and was the foundation of the great American assertion of right. Jefferson went to it for the phrases and expressions of the Declaration, and it remains the original chart by which free governments must steer their course in aU coming time. The writer lays down the fundamental principle that "all men are free and independent and have certain inherent rights of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot by any compact deprive or divest their posterity," and these rights are named. "All power," says he, "is vested in and consequently derived from the people;" and "magistrates are their trustees and serv-ants and are at all times amenable to them." He deals with reUgion in the spirit of the liberator. "Religion," he says, "is the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence ; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of Il6 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. religion according to the dictates of conscience." Lastly, he says, " the blessing of liberty can only be preserved by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." Colonel George Mason was an "American of Americans" and clung to his right with all the vehemence of his strong nature. " If I can only hve, " said he, " to see the American union firmly fixed, and free government established in our western world, and can leave to my children but a crust of bread and liberty, I shall die satisfied, and say with the Psalmist, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.'" In the Revolution he wrote, "I will risk the last penny of my fortune and the last drop of my blood upon the issue ; " and in his will he enjoined his sons "never to let the motive of private interest or ambition induce them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty and disgrace, or the fear of danger or death, deter them from asserting the liberty of their country, and endeavoring to transmit to their pos- terity those sacred rights to which they themselves were bom. " It was the spirit of the Virginians in all generations, now facing the new times, as it had faced the old. Such were the foundations of free government laid broad and deep by this farmer-friend of Washington. Will posterity continue to enjoy the blessings he gave them and profit by the example he set? Or will it surrender these inestimable privileges to the demands of avarice and political experiment? Through the courtesy of Miss Kate Mason Roland, biographer and a descendant of Colonel Mason, we have secured and publish a facsimile of this remarkable document, the original of which, now an invaluable manuscript, is in the State Library of Richmond, having been presented to the commonwealth by General John Mason, son of the author, February 15, 1844. In obedience to the resolution of the Virginia convention, on the 7th of June, 1776, Richard Henry Lee moved in Congress that "These United Colonies are and ought to be free and independent states and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved. " The motion was seconded by John Adams and, after considerable debate, a committee of five was appointed to draw up the declaration. Richard Henry Lee by parliamentary usage would have been the chairman of this committee, but the extreme illness of his wife called him away to Virginia and the position was conferred upon Thomas Jefferson, who, though a very young man, had steadily grown in pubhc ROGER SHERMAN ROBERT R LIVINGSTON COMMITTEE ON DECLARATION' OF INDEPENDENCE. WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. I17 favor and prominence. His zealous attachment to the cause of the colonies and his powerful defence of their claims as set forth in his summary view of the rights of British America, written in 1774, ^^d in which is the germ of the Declaration of Independence, pointed him out as the logical author of the Declaration itself. With such unusual men as Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Adams and Robert R. Livingston as associates, a less extraordinary document than it proved to be would have been disappointing and unsatisfactory. Mr. Jefferson drew the now famous instrument, which was slightly altered at the suggestion of the several members of the committee, as shown by the interlineations on the copy of the original. (See appendix.) This Resolution, declaring the colonies free and independent, was adopted by Congress on the 2d day of July, and the Declaration, pre- sented by the committee, was signed on the 4th. On the 9th, General Washington caused it to be read at six o'clock in the evening at the head of each brigade of the army. Washington hailed the Declaration with joy, for, while it was but a formal recognition of existing con- ditions, it put an end to all those temporizing hopes of reconciliation which had clogged the military action of the country. The rejoicing, however, was of short duration, as on the 27th inst. came the disastrous battle of Long Island, in which five hundred Americans were killed and wounded and one thousand and ninety- seven made prisoners. This crushing defeat cast a pall over the whole country and was a forerunner of the trials and disasters of years of bitter struggle. Now and then victory came, but treason and poverty, suffering and anguish were ever present. We cannot foUow day by day the varying fortunes of the widely separated bands of patriots in that heroic contest but, with brief allusion to the closing scenes and last days of the conflict, must pass on to a synopsis of the civil hfe of our subject. Of the eighty-nine engagements in the eight years of the Revolu- tion, General Washington personally commanded in only nine, viz., Long Island, August 27, 1776; White Plains, N. Y., October 28, 1776; Trenton, N. J., December 26, 1776; second battle of Trenton, January 2, 1777; Princeton, N. J., January 3, 1777; Brandywine, Delaware, September 11, 1777; Germantown, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1777; Monmouth, N. J., June 28, 1778 ; and the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, October 6 to 19, 1781. This of course does not include the investment of Boston or numerous small skirmishes. General Washington really won but three decisive battles — Il8 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Trenton, Princeton and Yorktown. Several of the others were drawn and in some he was badly defeated. From this it is evident that most of the general engagements were fought by Washington's subordinate officers. Generals Sumter and Greene each commanded in five ; Lincoln in four; Gates, three; Sullivan, two; Wayne, two; Putnam, two; etc. Indeed a great many of the principal battles were fought by colonels and not a few by majors and captains. There were twenty-four engagements in South Carolina, seventeen in New York ; nine in New Jersey; seven in Pennsylvania; five in Virginia; four in Georgia; four in North Carolina; two in Massachusetts; two in Connecticut; one in Vermont; one in Delaware; one in Rhode Island; one in Maine, and several in Canada. The royal army, splendidly equipped and flushed with frequent victories, was only one, and not the worst of the many formidable enemies confronting Washington and his loyal few. With a timid and vacillating congress faltering at every step, and with treacherous, hidden enemies, skulking in every camp, seeking opportunities to promote their loathsome intrigues and gratify their unworthy ambi- tions by impugning the motives and maligning the character of the commander-in-chief, despair was more than once written on the face of every self-respecting officer and man cognizant of the disgraceful and dangerous situation. The treason of Arnold has been signalled as the crowning act of infamy of these bitter years of strife. His name, dishonored, is a synonym of shame and his acts of early heroism are all forgotten in the storm of public malediction. Still, the famous traitor, black as he was and is, stands not alone in his perfidy. There were many other instances where the base conduct of trusted and confidential servants, holding high and responsible positions, forfeited all claim to honored memory, and not a few of the ranking officers themselves also deserved the punishment meted out to the famous culprit. How black indeed through the intervening years appear these shallow schemers with their shady cabals and envious intrigues, when compared with such heroic souls as the patient, generous Schuyler; the unselfish, valiant Lafayette; Steuben, DeKalb and Kosciuszko; the chivalrous Greene and Sullivan ; the rugged Sumter, Putnam and Stark; the jovial Knox; the heroic Morgan; the romantic Wayne, Marion, Pickens and Lee, and a host of others, whose fame will live with that of their peerless leader as noble examples of fidelity to trust ! GROUP OF YOUXG REVOLUTIONARY OFFICERS. WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. II 9 And how small those wavering pigmies in the council chamber appear to be by the side of Franklin, Adams, Jay, Hamilton, Jefferson, Mason, the Clintons, the Laurens, the Morrises, the Livingstons and their co-workers, who bravely steered the battered ship of state through its stormiest sea to a peaceful harbor and, after the din of battle had passed away, finally laid, firm and strong on the base of human liberty, the pillars of our governmental temple. It would be difficult to settle upon the exact moment when the cause of the colonies reached its lowest ebb. We have centered our thoughts around Middlebrook and Valley Forge with their harrowing tales of privation and suffering and have forgotten the cold and hunger of the intervening and overlapping years. We remember Yorktown and Trenton and forget the anguish and suffering which preceded and followed. If there was one period of gloom and despondency deeper than another it probably came just before the surrender of Cornwallis, in 1 781. Washington wrote to Colonel Laurens,* the American minister at Paris, March, 1781: Day does not follow night more certainly than it brings with it some additional proof of the impracticability of carrying on the war without the aids you were directed to solicit. As an honest and candid man I assert this, that without a foreign loan, our present force, which is but the remnant of an army, cannot be kept together in this campaign. . . . We are at this hour suspended in the balance. Such was the condition of affairs when the enemy determined to invade the " Old Dominion. " It was singular that they had not done so before. The state was entirely defenceless. She had stripped her- self bare to supply the army with fighting material, and the whole country below the mountains was absolutely unprotected except by the militia, composed for the most part of old men and boys. The invasion came in January, 1781. Benedict Arnold had been placed in command of about seventeen hundred men and with this force landed at Portsmouth in Chesapeake Bay, and shortly after- wards moved up the James River to the city of Richmond, almost without resistance. Baron Steuben, who had been in command of military affairs in Virginia, had only a short while before forwarded his troops to General Greene in the Carolinas, and "Traitor Arnold" entered Richmond on the 5th of Januar}^ 1781, unopposed except by about two hundred poorly equipped militia. During the following night Richmond "resounded with the drunken orgies of the British •Colonel Laurens was commissioned to negotiate a loan from the French. I20 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON, soldiers" and then Arnold fell back to Westover, about twenty-five miles down the James, thence to Portsmouth, harassed on the way by small bands of hastily assembled provincials. The real invasion came with the spring. It was now plainly the intention of the enemy to carry the war into Virginia. Lord Comwallis moved up from the Carolinas, and in April General Phillips succeeded Arnold and with a force of two thousand five hundred men ascended the James River, burned the warehouses at Petersburg, and then advanced on Richmond, a few miles distant. On arriving at Manchester he was forced to halt, as the hills around Richmond, on the opposite side of the James River, were occupied by twelve hundred regulars under the young Marquis de Lafayette, whom Washington had despatched to the defence of Virginia. This ardent young Frenchman (Gilbert Mottier) with Baron DeKalb had landed near Charleston, South CaroHna, April 25, 1777, when but nineteen years of age and was immediately ofi'ered a com- mand in the continental army. This he declined but forthwith raised and equipped a regiment at his own expense and then entered the ser- vice as a volunteer without pay. In July, 1777, he was commissioned a major-general and upon the recommendation of Washington, on the first of December, 1788, Congress appointed him to the command of a division. Thus we find this remarkable youth at the age of twenty- three pitted against England's veteran soldier, Comwallis. How well he conducted himself the observant reader will soon perceive. He had from the first won and maintained the confidence of the commander-in-chief, and his assignment to the command of a detached corps in so important an arena as Virginia indicates this fact. Subsequent events fully justified this favorable opinion, which ere long ripened into the warmest personal friendship. General PhiUips declined an engagement with him and returned towards Petersburg, whither Lafayette followed. During the short battle which ensued. General PhiUips died from natural causes and was buried in old Blanford graveyard, " the proudest man, " Jefferson said, "of the proudest nation on earth." Comwallis arrived in May and took command of all the forces in Virginia, amounting to eight or ten thousand men, among whom was the celebrated Colonel Tarleton with his flying battalions of cavalry. Comwallis was sanguine of success and confidently wrote, "The boy cannot escape me. " Truly the movements of Lafayette would indi- cate a desire to do this as he promptly retired upon the advance of the w o w o o WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 121 English forces and, falling back towards the Rappahannock River, obstinately declined being brought to an engagement. In the meantime Tarleton's dragoons proved a scourge to Vir- ginia, as they had been to the Carolinas. "They went," says a prominent writer, "with torch and sword through the whole James River region; burned houses; carried off horses and cattle, cutting the throats of colts which were found too young to use, and even made a dash to capture the assembly then in session at Charlottesville when Governor Jefferson made his escape by fleeing into the neighboring mountains. " CornwaUis, first despairing of and then refusing an engagement with Lafayette, who had been reinforced on the Rapidan by nine hundred Pennsylvanians under General Anthony Wayne and an additional force of militia under Baron Steuben, slowly wended his way down the peninsula between the James and the York rivers. At Williamsburg, and near Jamestown, Lafayette forced two small engagements. Comwallis, now the pursued, crossed the river at James Island and dropped down to Portsmouth, from which place, in July, he transported his troops to Yorktown where he determined to establish post. In the meantime Washington, who had been dili- gently preparing for an investment at New York, upon receipt of information of Comwallis's movements hastily reversed his plans. Colonel John Laurens, sent as minister to France to negotiate a loan, had not only been successful in this particular, but had secured the assistance of a French naval force as well. Late in August, Washington, then on the Hudson, opposite New York, received infor- mation through Lafayette that Count de Grasse, with a French fleet, had sailed from San Domingo and was coming up the American coast to co-operate in the movement against the English, then at Yorktown. This intelligence changed the entire situation. All attempt upon New York was abandoned and, leaving only a small force to keep up a pre- tence of investment and deceive CUnton, Washington rushed the bulk of his army, including the six thousand troops under Rochambeau in Rhode Island, to the south. Having safely crossed the Hudson, the two armies on the 25th commenced their several lines of march towards the Jersies, and on the 2d of September the American troops passed through Philadelphia, followed closely by Rochambeau's French. Washington left Philadelphia on the 5th of September en route for the head of the Elk, whither the troops had preceded him and were 122 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. beginning to embark. He arrived on the 6th, and on the 8th, accom- panied by de Rochambeau and several other officers, Washington crossed the Susquehanna and pushed forward to Baltimore. On the 9th, he left Baltimore at early dawn, accompanied only by Colonel Humphries and set out for Mount Vernon. Six years had elapsed since last he was under its roof; six years of toil, of danger and of constant anxiety, and during all this time, amid all his military care, he had kept up a regular weekly correspondence with his steward or agent, regulating the affairs of his rural establishment with as much exactness as he did those of the army. On the loth he was joined at Mount Vernon by his suite and on the nth General Chastellux and his aides-de-camp arrived. Mount Vernon was now crowded with guests who were all entertained in the ample style of old Virginia hospitality. On the 12th, tearing himself away once more from the home of his heart, Washington, with his mihtary associates, continued onward to join Lafayette at Williams- burg, where he arrived on the evening of the 14th. After despatching Count Fersen, one of Rochambeau's aides, to hurry on the French troops, and making other necessary arrangements, on the 1 8th, in company with Rochambeau, Chastellux, General Knox and du Portail, he paid a flying visit to the French fleet, lying in Lynn- haven Bay just above Cape Henry, where he was received by Admiral de Grasse with marked attention. After arranging a plan for the co-operation of the land and naval forces, Washington returned to Williamsburg, arriving there on the evening of the 2 2d. No time was lost in the transportation of the French and American troops down the Chesapeake Bay and up the James River to Williamsburg, most of them arriving by the 25th. On the 28th, the combined armies, numbering now some twelve thousand, exclusive of the five thousand state militia under General Thomas Nelson, marched from Williams- burg towards Yorktown, about twelve miles distance, and after driv- ing in the pickets and some patrols of cavalry they encamped at night within two miles of the little village. To General Lincoln was accorded the honor, on the night of the 6th of October, of opening the first parallel before Yorktown. By the 8th the parallel was completed, the batteries in readiness, and General Washington opened the siege by firing the first gun. We must not neglect to narrate an incident of self-sacrificing patriotism on this occasion. Immediately after the battle had begun General Thomas Nelson, who was the Governor of the Commonwealth at the time, was asked what part of the town could be most effectively WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 1 23 cannonaded. Pointing to a large handsome house on a rising ground, which he designated as CornwaUis' headquarters, he requested that it be levelled. It proved to be his own.* He had previously pledged and subsequently surrendered his entire fortune, amounting to over a hundred thousand dollars, for the public service. The house is still standing and is one of the beloved landmarks of the "Old Dominion. " On the night of the nth, the second parallel was opened by Baron Steuben's division, within three hundred yards of the works. From this moment the siege was pressed vigorously and Washington resolved to storm the fortification. It was arranged that Alexander Hamilton should lead the Americans, commanded by Lafayette, on the right; and the Baron de Viomenil the French, under Rochambeau, on the left. About nightfall, October 14, rockets were sent up as a signal for attack. It was a silent charge — not a gun was fired by the Americans. The colonials passed over the abatis with Hamilton leading. Placing his foot upon the shoulder of one of his men, he lightly mounted the works, followed by the whole line. The redoubts were taken at the point of the bayonet amid the wild enthusiasm of the American troops. Once in possession, Hamilton sent Viomenil word that his redoubt was carried; where was the Baron? "TeU the Marquis," said Viomenil, "that I am not in mine, but will be in five minutes," and he bravely kept his word. When the works were carried on the right and left and the mingled cheers of the French and Americans were borne to Washington, who was standing in one of his batteries awaiting the result, he calmly turned to General Knox and said, "The work is done and well done." The work, in fact, was done. The occupation of the outer line of redoubts by the Americans virtually decided the contest. The EngUsh stiU held the inner line, but these were covered and could be swept by the American artillery. The British commander realized that his situation was now desperate. He made one more effort to escape by crossing to Gloucester point but, this proving ineffectual, CornwaUis, on Octo- ber 17, 1 78 1, proposed a cessation of hostilities for twenty-four hours to discuss terms of surrender. Commissioners were accordingly appointed and met at the Moore House, the old Temple Farm, which had once been the residence of Governor Spotswood, who had made Benjamin Franklin the first postmaster-general in America. The terms agreed upon were transcribed and sent to Lord Corn- waUis for his signature early on the morning of October 19, 1781. •Memoirs of Lafayette. 124 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. This obtained and, all the conditions being agreed to, at about twelve o'clock the same day (October 19, 1781), the American army was drawn up in two separate columns about a mile long, and facing each other, on either side of a road running through the fields south of Yorktown. On the right were the American troops under personal command of Washington, on the left the French under Rochambeau ; and, standing near, a great crowd of people who had hastened to witness the ceremony. It took place at the hour appointed. The British troops marched slowly out of Yorktown, with drums beating but colors cased, an indignity which had been inflicted on General Lincoln at Charleston. The Enghsh commander did not appear. General O'Hara, who was in command, rode up to Washington, saluted, and apologized for the absence of Lord Comwallis, who was not well. Washington saluted in response and pointed to General Lincoln as the officer who would receive the surrender. O'Hara then presented Lord CornwaUis' sword to Lincoln, it was at once returned to him, and the surrender was over. The British marched between the American lines to a field near at hand, where they stacked arms. Their demeanor was gloomy and incensed. Some of them hurled their muskets on the ground, and Colonel Abercrombie bit the hilt of his sword from rage. The troops were then marched back to Yorktown under an American guard. On this same day, and nearly at the hour when Lord CornwaUis surrendered, Sir Henry Clinton sailed from New York with thirty-five ships and seven thousand men to reinforce him. This virtually closed the Revolutionary War. Several small skirmishes took place afterward, the last being at James Island, S. C, August, 1782, when the Americans, under Captain Wilmott, attacked and defeated a party of British, which was really the last blood shed in the war of independence. The British prisoners were marched to Winchester, Virginia, and Frederick in Maryland. Many of them never returned to the mother- country , but became true and loyal citizens of the states. CornwaUis on parole sailed for New York, while Lafayette took advantage of the favorable circumstance to pay a visit to his family in France. The Marquis St. Simon embarked his troops on the last of October and Count de Grasse made sail on the 4th of November, taking with him two beautiful horses which Washington had presented him as a token of his cordial regard. The main part of the American army re-em- WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 1 25 barked for the head of the Elk and returned to the vicinity of New York in command of General Lincoln, while Rochambeau, with his six thousand French troops, established his headquarters at Williamsburg. On the 5th of November Washington arrived at "Eltham," the residence of Colonel Bassett in New Kent County, whither he had been summoned to the bedside of his wife's son, John Parke Custis, who had been stricken with camp fever while serving with the army at Yorktown. He arrived just in time to receive the last blessings of his stepson. The deceased had been an object of Washington's care from early childhood and been cherished by him with paternal affec- tion. Reared under his watchful care and instructions, he had been trained to take part in the public concerns of his country, and had acquitted himself with credit as a member of the Virginia legislature. He was but twenty-eight years old at the time of his death, and left a widow and four young children. It was an unexpected event, and the dying scene was rendered peculiarly affecting from the presence of the mother and wife of the deceased. Washington remained several days at Eltham to comfort them in their afflictions. As a consolation to Mrs. Washington in her bereave- ment, the General adopted the two youngest children of the deceased, Nellie and George Washington Parke Custis, a boy and girl, who thenceforth formed a part of his immediate family. From Eltham, the General proceeded to Mount Vernon, accom- panied by members of his staff and a number of foreign officers. Stop- ping at Fredericksburg, he paid a visit to his aged mother and with her attended the reception given by the people for their distinguished guests. So soon as he had dismounted in the midst of a numerous and brilliant suite he sent to apprise her of his arrival and to know when it would be her pleasure to receive him. And now, mark the force of early education and habits, and the superiority of the Spartan over the Persian schools, in this interview of the great Washington with his admirable parent and instructor. No pageantry of war proclaimed his coming — no trumpets sounded — no banners waved. Alone, and on foot, the marshal of France, the general-in-chief of the combined armies of France and America, the deliverer of his country, the hero of the age, repaired to pay his humble duty to one whom he venerated as the author of his being, the founder of his fortune and fame. . . . The lady was alone — her aged hands employed in the works of domestic industry — when the good news was announced; and it was further told, that the victor-in-chief was in waiting at the threshold. She welcomed him with a warm embrace, and by the well- remembered and endearing names of his childhood. Inquiring as to his health, she remarked the lines which mighty cares and many 126 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. trials had made on his manly countenance; spoke much of old times and old friends; but of his glory, not one word ! Meantime , in the village of Fredericksburg, all was joy and revelry. The town was crowded with the officers of the French and American armies, and with gentle- men from all the country around, who hastened to welcome the conquerors of Cornwallis. The citizens made arrangements for a splendid ball, to which the mother of Washington was specially invited. She observed that, although her dancing days were pretty well over, she should feel happy in contributing to the general festivity, and consented to attend. The foreign officers were anxious to see the mother of their chief. They had heard indistinct rumors respecting her remarkable life and character; but forming their judgment from European examples, they were prepared to expect in the mother that glare and show which would have been attached to the parents of the great in the old world. How they were surprised when the matron, leaning on the arm of her son, entered the room. She was arrayed in the very plain, yet becoming garb worn by the Virginia lady of the olden time. Her address, always dignified and imposing, was courteous though reserved. She received the complimentary attentions which were profusely paid her without evincing the slightest elevation; and, at an early hour, wished the company much enjoyment of their pleasures, and observing that it was time for old people to be at home, retired, leaning as before on the arm of her son. With his suite, the General arrived at Mount Vernon on the 13th of November. Stopping only a few^ days to rest, he reached Phila- delphia on the 27th of the same month, where he remained for four months, and under his personal supervision, military arrangements for 1782 were made by Congress with unusual despatch. He joined the army at Newburg in March. He was not sure that the lull in military activity was an omen of peace and continued his efforts to prepare for the ensuing campaign. In his letters to the several governors of the colonies, urging a con- tinuance of military preparations, he wrote, in reference to several resolutions before the English Parliament: I have perused these debates with great attention and care, with a view, if possible to penetrate their real design, and upon the most mature deliberation I can bestow, I am obliged to declare it as my candid opinion that the measure in all its views so far as it respects America is merely delusory. Happily he was wrong in this opinion and, after much delay, the long-looked-for news of peace arrived. A general treaty had been signed in Paris, the 20th of January, 1783, and on the 23d of March a letter from Lafayette to the President of Congress communicated this inteUigence, and a few days later, Washington himself was apprised by Sir Guy Carlton that "he (Carlton) was ordered to proclaim the cessation of hostilities by land and sea." A similar proclamation WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 1 27 issued by Congress was received by Washington on the 17th of April, and two days later, just eight years after the battle of Lexington, the joyful intelligence was conveyed by proclamation to the army at Newburg. Thus closed the mighty struggle for American independence. We cannot describe fully the detail of the arrangements for peace or recite the many interesting and pathetic incidents in connection with the dissolution of the army, which had loyally, patiently and heroically followed their beloved leader through all the years of privation. The British troops having evacuated New York, Washington with a detachment of the American army took possession of that city on November 25, and on the 4th of December his principal oflScers assembled at Fraunce's Tavern to bid adieu to their venerated chief. It was an aflfecting scene. On entering the room and finding himself surrounded by his old companions in arms, who had shared with him so many scenes of hardship, difficulty and danger, his agitated feelings overcame his usual self-command. Filling a glass of wine, he turned upon them his benignant but saddened countenance. "With a heart full of love and gratitude," said he, "I now take leave of you, most devoutly wishing that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." Hav- ing drunk this farewell benediction, he added with emotion, "I cannot come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged if each of you will come and take me by the hand." General Knox, who was nearest, was the first to advance. Washington, affected to tears, grasped his hand and gave him a brother's embrace. In the same affectionate manner he took leave severally of the rest. Not a word was spoken. The deep feeling and manly tenderness of these veterans in the parting moment could find no utterance in words. Silent and solemn they followed their loved commander as he left the room, passed through a corps of light infantry, and proceeded on foot to Whitehall Ferry. Having entered the barge, he turned to them, took off his hat and waved a silent adieu. They replied in the same manner, and having watched the barge until the intervening point of the Battery shut it from sight, returned still solemn and silent to the place where they had assembled. On his way to Annapolis, Washington stopped in Philadelphia long enough to adjust his accounts with the Comptroller of the Treasury. The gross amount of his expense from the date of his com- mission, June 20, 1775, to the 13th of December, 1783, including monies expended for secret intelligence and service, amounted to only fourteen thousand five hundred pounds sterling. Accepting no pay. 128 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. he found himself a considerable loser, having frequently in the hurry of business neglected to credit himself with sums drawn from his pri- vate purse in moments of exigency. The schedule of his public accounts, written in his own neat style, "furnishes not the least among the many noble and impressive lessons taught by his character and example, " said Washington Irving. " It stands, a touchstone of honesty in office, and a lasting rebuke on that lavish expenditure of the pubhc money too often heedlessly, if not wilfully, indulged by military commanders. " Arriving in Annapolis on the 19th of December, he notified Congress, then in session, of his desire to resign his commission and requested to know in what manner it would be most proper to offer it, whether in writing or at an audience. The latter mode was adopted and the Hall of Congress selected for the ceremony. At twelve o'clock on the 23d of December, 1783, Washington, accompanied by the Secre- tary of Congress, entered the hall and took his seat in a chair appointed to him. After a brief pause, the President (General Mifflin) , informed him that the United States in Congress assembled were prepared to receive his communication. Washington then arose and in a dignified and impressive manner delivered the following short address : Mr. President : The great events on which my resignation depended having at length taken place, I have now the honor of offering my sincere congratulations to Congress, and of presenting myself before them, to surrender into their hands the trust committed to me, and to claim the indulgence of retiring from the service of my country. Happy in the confirmation of our independence and sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States of becoming a respectable nation, I resign with satisfaction the appointment I accepted with diffidence; a diffidence in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task, which, however, was superseded by a confidence in the rectitude of our cause, the support of the supreme power of the union, and the patronage of Heaven. The successful termination of the war has verified the most sanguine expecta- tions; and my gratitude for the interposition of Providence, and the assistance I have received from my countrymen, increases with every re\aew of the momentous contest. WMle I repeat my obligations to the army in general, I should do injustice to my own feelings not to acknowledge in this place, the peculiar services and distin- guished merits of the gentlemen who ha%'e been attached to my person during the war. It was impossible the choice of confidential officers to compose my family should have been more fortunate. Permit me, sir, to recommend in particular, those who have continued in the service to the present moment, as worthy of the favorable notice and patronage of Congress. I consider it as an indispensable duty to close this last act of my official life. WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. I29 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. Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of action, and, bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body, under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life. After delivering this short, touching farewell, Washington ad- vanced to the chair and delivered his commission to the President. He returned to his place and, still standing, received the following reply from President Mifflin : Sir: The United States in Congress assembled, receive with emotions too affecting for utterance, the solemn resignation of the authorities under which you have led their troops with success through a perilous and a doubtful war. Called upon by your country to defend its invaded rights, you accepted the sacred charge, before it had formed alliances, and whilst it was without funds or a government to support you. You have conducted the great military contest with wisdom and fortitude, invariably regarding the rights of the civil power through all disasters and changes. You have, by the love and confidence of your fellow citizens, enabled them to display their martial genius, and transmit their fame to posterity. You have persevered until these United States, aided by a magnanimous king and nation, have been enabled, under a just Providence, to close the war in freedom, safety, and independence ; on which happy event we sincerely join you in congratulations. Having defended the standard of liberty in this new world, having taught a lesson useful to those who inflict and to those who feel oppression, you retire from the great theater of action with the blessings of your fellow-citizens. But the glory of your virtues will not terminate with your military command ; it will continue to animate remotest ages. We feel with you our obligations to the army in general, and will particularly charge ourselves with the interests of those confidential oflBcers who have attended your person to this affecting moment. We join you in commending the interests of our dearest country to the protec- tion of Almighty God, beseeching him to dispose the hearts and minds of its citizens to improve the opportunity afforded them of becoming a happy and respectable nation. And for you, we address to Him our earnest prayers that a life so beloved may be fostered with all His care ; that your days may be as happy as they have been illustrious ; and that He will finally give you that reward which this world cannot give. "Few tragedies ever drew so many tears from so many beautiful eyes," says the editor of the "Maryland Gazette," who was present, "as the moving manner in which his Excellency took his final leave of Congress." The next morning Washington, with his wife and the two Custis children, left Armapolis and hastened across Maryland to Mount Vernon, where he arrived the same day, which was Christmas eve. I30 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Among the guests at Mount Vernon when the Httle party returned was a young lady from Fredericksburg, who has left us a very inter- esting account of this happy home coming. She wrote to her friends at home : I must tell you what a charming day I spent at Moimt Vernon with Mama and Sally. The Gen'l and Madame came home on Christmas Eve, and such a racket the Ser\'ants made, for they were glad of their coming. Three handsome ofEcers came with them. All Christmas afternoon people came to pay their Re- spects and Duty. Among them were stately Dames and gay young Women. The Gen'l seemed very happy, and Mistress Washington was from Daybreak making everything as agreeable as possible for Everybody. Among these visitors was George Mason and the officers were Colonel David Humphries,* Colonel Wm. Smith (married daughter of John Adams), Tench Tilghman, and Colonel Benj. Walker. *Colonel David Humphries, bora in Derby, Connecticut, 1753, first appears as major in General Parson's brigade, in 1777. He subsequently became aide to General Israel Putnam and served under General Greene. In 1780 he was appointed aide and military secretary to the commander-in-chief. It was Humphries who received the captured standards from the British at Yorktown. He was of a romantic disposition and of unswerving loyalty in his friendship. In the subjoined poem, written shortly after the revolution, he very gracefully and gra- ciously alludes to his former commanders — "I, too, perhaps, should heaven prolong my date The oft-repeated tale shall oft relate; Shall tell the feelings, in the first alarms. Of some bold enterprise the unequall'd charms; Shall tell from whom I learnt the martial art. With what high chief I play'd my early part: With Parsons first, whose eye, with piercing ken. Reads through their hearts the characters of men. Then how I aided in the following scene. Death-daring Putnam, then immortal Greene : Then how great Washington my youth approved. In rank preferr'd, and as a parent loved. (For each fine feeUng in his bosom blends The first of heroes, patriots, sages, friends) ; With him, what hours, on warlike plans I spent. Beneath the shadow of the imperial tent; With him, how oft I went the nightly round Through moving hosts, or slept on tented ground' From him, how oft (nor far below the first In high behests and confidential trust) — • From him, how oft I bore the dread commands. Which destined for the fight the eager bands: With him, how oft I pass'd the eventful day. Rode by his side, as down the long array His awful voice the columns taught to form. To point the thunder, and to pour the storm." WASHINGTON IN THE REVOLUTION. 131 WASHINGTON'S AIDES DE CAMP (Showing date of appointment) : Thomas Mifflin, General Orders, Joseph Reid, Secretary, .... General Orders, John Trumball, General Orders, Edmund Randolph, General Orders, George Baylor, General Orders, Robt. Harrison, Secretary, . . . General Orders, Stephen Moylan General Orders, Wm. Ralfrey, General Orders, Caleb Gibbs General Orders, General Orders, General Orders, General Orders, General Orders, General Orders, George Lewis, Richard Carg, Samuel Blackley Webb, . Alexa. Contee Webb, William Grayson, Secretary, P. Penet By Brevet, John Fitzgerald, General Orders, Geo. Johnston, General Orders, John Walker, General Orders, Alexander Hamilton, .... General Orders, Richard Kidder Meade, .... General Orders, Peter Presley Thornton, . . . General Orders, John Laurens, General Orders, Jas. McHenry, Asst. Secretary, . General Orders, Tench Tilghman, General Orders, David Humphries, General Orders, Richard Varrick, Secretary at Headquarters, . Jonathan Trumbull, Secretary, . General Orders, David Cobb General Orders, Peregrine Fitzhugh, General Orders, Wm. Stephen Smith, .... General Orders, Benj. Walker, General Orders, Hodijah Bayliss, General Orders, 4th July, 1775 4th July, '775 27th July, [775 15th Aug., t775 15th Aug., [775 6th Nov., '775 6th Mar., [776 1 6th May, '776 1 6th May, [776 1 6th May, [776 2ist June, [776 2ist June, [776 2ist June, [776 24th Aug., [776 14th Oct., [776 ist Mar., '777 19th Feb., '777 20th Jan., '777 12th Jan., '777 6th Sept., '777 6th Sept., '777 15th May, [778 2ist Jan., 780 23rd Jan., [780 25 th May, [781 8th June, [781 15th June, 781 2nd July, 781 6th July, 1 781 25th Jan., 1 782 17th May, ] 782 WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE ^J^ASHINGTON returned to his home rejoicing at the ^_ prospect of becoming a private citizen again. He was passionately fond of agricultural pursuits and the favorable opportunity to renew that agreeable occupation was pleasing indeed to him. In a letter to Governor Clinton, written three days after his arrival at Mount Vernon, he expresses his sense of relief : The scene is at length closed. I feel myself eased of a load of public care, and hope to spend the remainder of my days in cultivating the affections of good men, and in the practice of the domestic virtues." And to his young friend, Lafayette, he wrote: I have become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac in the shadow of my own vine and my own fig tree, free from the bustle of a camp, and the busy scenes of public life. I am solacing myself with those tranquil enjoyments, of which the soldier, who is ever in pursuit of fame — the statesman, whose watchful days and sleepless nights are spent in devising schemes to promote the welfare of his own, perhaps the ruin of other countries, as if this globe was insufficient for us all — and the courtier, who is always watching the countenance of his prince in the hope of catching a gracious smile — can have very little conception. I have not only retired from all public employment, but am retiring within myself, and shall be able to view the solitary walk, and tread the paths of private life, with heartfelt satisfaction. Envious of none, I am determined to be pleased with all ; and this, my dear friend, being the order of my march, I will move gently down the stream of life, until I sleep with my fathers. Subsequently in a letter to the Marchioness de Lafayette, inviting her to America to see the country, "young, rude and uncultivated, as it is," for the hberties of which her husband had fought, bled and acquired much glory, and where everybody admired and loved him, he wrote : I am now enjoying domestic ease and under the shadow of my own vine and my own fig tree in a small villa, with the implements of husbandry and lambkins about me . . . Come then, let me entreat you, and call my cottage your own, for your doors do not open to you with more readiness than mine would. You will see the plain manner in which we live, and meet with rustic civility; and you shall taste the simplicity of rural life. It will diversify the scene, and may give you a higher reHsh for the gayeties of the cotut when you return to VersaUles. 133 134 WASHINGTON TBOB MAN AND THE MASON. It is interesting reading, these friendly and sometimes afifectionate letters between Washington and his friends. His correspondence was generally directed to former comrades in the revolution and shows how firmly their affections had been grounded during the years of mutual suffering and anxiety. Sometimes they breathe the spirit of mental relief and relaxation, again the Ught and airy style of buoyant youth creeps in, while in others he refers with sadness to the afflictions of the people, " borne down by the ravage of war," and mournfully com- ments on the changed conditions around Motmt Vernon. Belvoir House, where he spent so many pleasant hours, is no more ; George William Fairfax, the boon companion of his early life, is now in England and the old lord, the master of Greenway Court, his early friend and patron, full of years and bitter disappointments at the fall of "kingly power," had passed away. The spring of 1784 came and Washington renewed his active farming operations, in the midst of which he received pleasant news and was delighted with the prospect of having as his guest his clierished friend and former comrade, the Marquis de Lafayette, and when he arrived in August we can well imagine that many hours were spent in pleasant reminiscences on the beautiful lawns and broad verandas of Mount Vernon. Letters of congratulation, teeming with fulsome praise, poured in upon him from every section. To answer the increasing volume of correspondence soon became an embarrassing problem and neces- sitated the employment of a private secretary. No amount of adula- tion, however, was ever sufficient to arouse a spirit of vanity or change his simple mode of life. Enthroned in the affections of his people, the world's greatest hero, then, as he is to-day, he continued modestly to pursue the even tenor of his way unchanged. He writes to a friend: My manner of living is plain and I do not mean to be put out of it — a glass of wine and a bit of mutton are always ready, and such as will be content to take part of them, are always welcome. Those who expect more will be displeased. Though in retirement he was still the center of attraction; the subject of every pen, the theme on every tongue. Joseph Mandrillon wrote: If ever mortal enjoyed his whole reputation during his lifetime, if ever a c'tizen has found in his own country a reward for his services and abilities, it is my hero; everywhere feted, admired, caressed, he everywhere sees hearts eager to render him homage; if he enters a town, or if he passes through a village, old and young men, PEELE PICTURE OF LAFAYETTE. From the Original in Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 12, A. F. and A. AL, Alexandria, Va. WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. 1 35 women and children all follow him with acclamations ; all load him with blessings ; in every heart he has a temple consecrated to respect and friendship. How I love to imagine to myself the French general (M. de Rochambeau), equally the idol and the hero of his army, sajing at table as he sat near Washington, that he had never known what true glory was, nor a truly great man, until he became acquainted with him. When America, overthrown by the dreadful revolutions of nature, shall no longer exist, it will be remembered of Washington, that he was the defender of liberty, the friend of man, the avenger of an oppressed people. From every quarter came lavish praise. Even the EngUsh, who had sufifered so much humiliation at his hands, and among whom we might naturally expect a spirit of resentment because of the universal popularity of this colonial idol, joined the chorus. The gifted Charles Varlo, a prominent English writer, who visited and made a tour of America in 1784, furnished the following interesting description of "The Man" and the life at Mount Vernon at this period. I crossed the river from Maryland into Virginia, near to the renowned General Washington's, where I had the honor to spend some time and was kindly entertained with that worthy family. As to the General, if we may judge by the countenance, he is what the world says of him, a shrewd, good natured, plain human man, about fifty-five years of age, and seems to wear well, being healthful and active, straight, well-made and about six feet high. He keeps a good table, which is always open to those of a genteel appearance. He does not use many Frenchified congees, or flat- tering useless words without meaning, which savour more of deceit than an honest heart, but on the contrary, his words seem to point at truth and reason, and to spring from the fountain of a heart, which being good of itself, cannot be suspicious of others. The General's house is rather warm, snug, convenient and useful than orna- mental. The size is what ought to suit a man of about two or three thousand a year in England. The out-offices are good, and seem to be not long built and he was making more offices at each wing, to the front of the house, which added more to ornament than real use. The situation is high, and commands a beautiful prospect of the river which parts Virginia and Maryland, but in other respects the situation seems to be out of the world, being chiefly surrounded by woods, and far from any great road or thoroughfare, and nine miles from Alexandria, in Virginia. The General's lady is a hearty, comely, discreet, affable woman, some few years older"" than himself; she was a widow when he married her. He has no children by her. The General's house is open to poor travelers as well as rich; he gives diet and lodging to all that come that way which indeed cannot be many, without they go out of their way on purpose. . . . I have traveled and seen a great deal of the world, have conversed with all degrees of people, and have remarked that there are only two persons in the world which have every one's good word.and those are — the Queen of England and General Washington, which I never heard friend or foe speak slightly of. *Mrs. Washington was three months you nger than the General. 136 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Varlo's idea that there could not be many visitors to Mount Vernon was certainly erroneous. Judging from an entry in the Gen- eral's diary, dated June 30, 1785 (" Dined with only Mrs. Washington, which I believe is the first instance of it since my retirement from pubHc life "), and contemporary letters, the house was seldom without a guest and it made no difference who they were or what their station. Rich or poor, great or humble, there was always a cordial welcome at this hospitable home. "My house is a sort of pubhc tavern," he wrote, and it soon became evident to the General, after his return from the army, that the "tavern" was not sufficently large to accommodate his numerous visitors, so we find him in July, 1784, making extensive additions to the mansion. The old portion erected by his father in 1 742-1 743 had only four rooms on each floor and was about one-third the size of the present structure. In the alterations, the original building was made to occupy the central portion while the new additions extended from either end. The improvements were completed at the close of 1785, and as it now appears the house is two stories in height, ninety- six feet in length, thirty feet in depth, with a piazza fifteen feet in width, extending the entire length along the eastern or river front. For months after Washington's return to private life, he could not accommodate himself to his new situation. The "public" bur- dens he had borne for nearly nine years, when abruptly thrown aside, left a mental void, similar perhaps to the physical collapse of an enfeebled patient when suddenly reheved of an enervating fever, and we find him writing to General Knox on the subject : I am just beginning to experience that ease and freedom from public cares which, however desirable, takes some time to realize; for, strange as it may seem, it is nevertheless true, that it was not till lately I could get the better of my custom of ruminating, as soon as I waked in the morning, on the business of the ensuing day; and of my surprise at finding, after revolving many things in my mind, that I was no longer a public man, nor had anything to do with public transactions. The transition from the bustle of the mihtary camp to the peace- ful occupation of the planter, burying the thoughts of the one and refreshing the mind with the other, required time. Agriculture was a pastime to him, and his several plantations, large as they were, ser\'ed only as a toy to amuse. His restless energy could not be restrained by minor occupations, his capacious intellect soared for mightier tasks, and he looked about, not for new worlds to conquer, but for new fields of righteous efi^ort. WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. I37 Immediately after Lafayette's temporary departure from Mount Vernon, on the ist of September (1784), with necessary equipment for the journey, and Dr. Craik, the doctor's son William, and Wash- ington's nephew, Bushrod Washington, as companions, he started on a trip to the west to visit his land on the Ohio and the Kanawha rivers. To the casual observer this excursion would appear in the nature of a private venture without special interest to the general public. That it finally resulted in the establishment of the government of the United States, or rather led up to negotiations which had that result and which we shall later review, is an indisputable fact. In our imagination we can follow the Uttle party as they leisurely wind their way by the old military road where, years before, Washing- ton had led the Virginia militia, and by which Braddock had marched his fated army to destruction. A veteran now in years, a general of renown, he no doubt thought of the days of his youth and conversed with his comrade, Craik, on the subject of their early campaigns. No doubt they paused at the grave of the gallant Braddock and viewed again the bloody field of the Monongahela. His original intention had been to inspect and survey his lands on the Monongahela, then descend the Ohio to the Great Kanawha, examine his property in that location and make a general survey and inspection of all his holdings along these rivers, but the unsettled condition of the Indian tribes in that vicinity prevented the execution of his original plan and they proceeded no further west than the Monongahela. Ascending that river for some distance, they took a southerly course through the unsettled regions and wilds of the AUeghanies, coming out into the Shenandoah Valley near the town of Staunton. From that point they leisurely returned to Mount Vernon, arriving there on October 4, having traveled nearly seven hundred miles on horseback since the ist of September. For many years Washington had entertained the idea that an easy and short communication could be established between the Potomac and James rivers and the waters of the Ohio, and that vast advan- tages would result to Virginia and, in fact, all the eastern colonies by such a communication. As early as 1770 and 1772, and again in 1774, he made tours of these western countries, inspecting the passes and mountain routes over and on both sides of the Appalachian range, to ascertain the feasibility of his plan, but the Revolutionary War coming on put a stop to his favorite project. One important object of the trip in 1784, therefore, was to continue those early observations 138 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. and collect additional information on the subject. On this trip he carefully located the favorable portages, noted the nature of the soil and the course of the rivers, and returned convinced of the necessity, from a political as well as a commercial standpoint, of such a system of communication with the countr}'- beyond the mountains. The western states, he observed — Stood as it were on a pivot, so that a touch of a feather might turn them any way. They had looked down the Alississippi, and been tempted in that directipn by the facilities of sending everything down the stream; whereas, they had no means of coming to us but by long land transportations and rugged roads. Filled with the spirit of his enterprise, immediately upon his return home he addressed communications on the subject to Gover- nor Harrison of Virginia and the Governor of Marjdand, urging imme- diate legislation. It behooved Virginia, wrote he, "to avail herself of the present favorable conjuncture to secure a share of western trade by connecting the Potomac and James rivers, with the waters beyond the mountains. The industry of the western settlers had hitherto been checked by the want of outlets to their products, owing to the before-mentioned obstacles. But smooth the road," said he, "and make easy the way for them, and then see what an influx of articles will pour upon us ; how amazingly our exports will be increased by them, and how amply all shall be compensated for any trouble and expense we may encounter to effect it." Not satisfied with the favorable response of Governor Harrison to his letter which had been laid before the Virginia Legislature, he repaired in person to Richmond, where he arrived on the 15th of November, 1784. His efforts were entirely successful. Not only were his representations favorably received but "prompt and decisive action" taken by the assembly to put them into effect. At Richmond he was joined by the Marquis de Lafayette, who, since their separation, had made a tour of the country, "crowned everywhere," writes Washington, "with wreaths of love and respect." They retiu-ned together to Mount Vernon where Lafayette again passed several days, a welcome addition to the domestic circle. When his visit was ended, Washington accompanied him on his journey as far as Annapolis and on returning home wrote a farewell letter to the Marquis, December 8, 1784, an extract from which eloquently portrays the depth of their abiding friendship: In the moment of our separation, upon the road as I have traveled, and every hour since, I have felt all that love, respect and attachment for you with which WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. 1 39 length of years, close connection and your merits have inspired me. I often asked myself, as our carriage separated, whether that was the last sight I ever should have of you? And though I wished to answer no, my fears answered yes. I called to mind the days of my youth, and found they had long since fled to return no more, that I was now descending the liill I had been fifty-two years climbing, and that, though I was blessed with a good constitution, I was of a short lived family, and might soon expect to be entombed in the mansion of my fathers. These thoughts darkened the shades, and gave a gloom to the picture and consequently, to my prospect of ever seeing you again. A few days after posting this letter, Washington, at the urgent request of the Virginia Assembly, again repaired to Annapolis, Decem- ber 20, 17S4, and appeared before the Maryland Legislature in the interest of his favorite project. The IMary^land Assembly greeted him with testimonials of affection and, as a proof of their confidence, promptly ratified and approved the action of the Virginia Assembly. A company known as "The Potomac Company " was organized and incorporated under the patronage and in accordance with the laws of both states and Washington was unanimously elected president. His idea of connecting the east and the west by improving the navi- gation of the upper Potomac River as far as practicable, thence by a system of highways over the mountain at the most convenient portages to the rivers beyond, was now about to be carried into effect and, to insure the successful operation of the new venture and to guard against future embarrassments, it became necessary at the very outset to remove several very serious obstacles. The jurisdiction over the waters of Chesapeake Bay and the rivers common to both states, particularly the Potomac, had long been a subject for dispute, and to permanently locate this boundary line and to regulate and establish a uniformity of duties on imports, commerce and currency, a joint commission was appointed by the two assemblies, consisting of Colonel George Mason, Edmund Randolph, Alexander Henderson and James Madison, Jr., of Virginia, and Thomas Johnson, Thomas Stone, Samuel Chase, Daniel (of St. Thomas) Jenifer, on the part of IMaryland, to meet in Alexandria, March 22, 1785. Through some unaccountable blunder, the members of this commission were not duly notified of their appointments, in conse- quence of which Mr. Randolph and Air. Madison of the Virginia delegation and Mr. Johnson of the ]Mar}'land were not present and in fact knew nothing of the meeting until too late to attend. Washington attended the convention on the 2 2d, which, after a three-days session in Alexandria, adjoiuned to Mount Vernon. We 140 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. find the following entries bearing on the subject in Washington's diary: March 24th, 17S5. At Mount Vernon — sent my carriage to Alexandria for Colonel Mason, according to appointment. March 25th — About one o'clock Major Jenifer, Mr. Stone, Mr. Chase, and Mr. Alexander Henderson arrived here. March 27th —Mr. Henderson went to Colchester (his home about seven miles below Mount Vernon) after dinner to return in the morning. And on the 29th, he notes — Major Jenifer, Mr. Stone and Mr. Henderson went away before breakfast and Colonel Mason in my carriage after it, . . . That our readers may fully appreciate the importance of the labors of this Mount Vernon convention, which has been almost entirely ignored by historians, w^e must briefly consider the agitated state of the public mind at that period and draw our conclusions from the final result of the conference. We must understand that, among the leading statesmen, a profound sense of impending danger pre- vailed. The old confederation under which the states were bound together, never very strong, was toppling to its ruin, and how to ward off this approaching calamity was a subject of grave concern to those charged with the administration of public affairs. The distressed condition of the people as a result of the war, the heavy obligations of the several commonwealths and a general contempt for the inadequate federal system, created universal dis- content and prevented the successful enforcement of national laws. Thus the general government stood powerless to collect its internal revenues and with a depleted treasury, helpless and appalled, faced inevitable bankruptcy and, what was worse, open defiance of its authority in a time of peace. It was this alarming and deplorable condition that taxed the public mind and brought to Washington a volume of correspondence from the leading statesmen of the country, about the time the little convention met at his house. Mr. Jay wrote : Our affairs seem to lead to something that I cannot foresee or conjecture ; I am uneasy and apprehensive, more so than during the war. . . . In Washington's reply to Jay, he said: Your sentiments that our affairs are drawing rapidly to a crisis accord with my own; what the event will be is also beyond the reach of my foresight . . . We must take human nature as we find it; perfection falls not to the share of the mortal. Many are of the opinion that Congress have too frequently made use M P o fa o o g WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. I4I of the suppliant humble tone of requisition, in applications to the states, when they had a right to assert their imperial dignity, and command obedience. Be that as it may, requisitions are a perfect nullity, where thirteen sovereign, independent, disunited states are in the habit of discussing and refusing or complying with them at their option. Requisitions are actually little better than a jest and a by-word throughout the land. . . . What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing. I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking; thence to acting is often but a step. But how irrevocable and tremendous. What a triumph for the advocates of despotism, to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal and falla- cious. Would to God that wise measures may be taken in time to avert the con- sequences we have but too much reason to apprehend. Again he wrote on hearing of the disorder arising from an effort to collect the federal tax : What, gracious God, is man that there should be such inconsistence and perfidi- ousness in his conduct. It was but the other day that we were shedding our blood to obtain the constitutions under which we now live, constitutions of our own choice and making; and now we are unsheathing the sword to overturn them. The thing is so unaccountable, that I hardly know how to realize it, or to persuade myself that I am not under the illusion of a dream, and in his letter to Knox he declares: I feel, my dear General Knox, infinitely more than I can express to you, for the disorders which have arisen in these United States. Good God, who besides a tory could have foreseen or a Briton predicted them ? I do assure you that, even at this moment, when I reflect upon the present prospect of our affairs, it seems to me to be like the vision of a dream. Such were the anxious forebodings of Washington and his con- temporaries. Only a few years before he had spumed a scepter and rejected a crown, had gladly sheathed a victorious sword and volim- tarily retired to the precincts of his happy home on the Potomac, with favorable prospects for a tranquil future. Now this Utopian dream was brought abruptly to an end. According to Jay, the situation was more serious than during the Revolutionary War. Civil dissensions were about to ripen into civil strife and the ghastly specter of insurrection stalked boldly about the country. Something must be done to avert the approaching storm. On this little connnission, selected to draft the compact between Virginia and Maryland, was George Mason. He had written the Declaration of Rights and the first constitution of Virginia and 142 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. undoubtedly knew more of the science of government than any man in his day or in his age. There can be no doubt that Washington, in the depths of his anxiety, appealed to his neighbor. Mason, on this as he had on other important occasions, and being as zealous a patriot as Washington himself, there is no room to beUeve that Mason did not hasten to his assistance. The intervening shadows of that distant past prevent the dis- closure of all the subjects discussed or the scope of the deliberations of this little band of devoted patriots behind the closed doors and within the mooted seclusion of Mount Vernon, but, with Washington and Mason to direct the way, it is fair to assume that the whole field of public peril was critically explored and a system of policy adopted which would ultimately lead to remedial measures and place on a firm and lasting foundation our governmental structure. For not only did they agree upon a compact between Maryland and Virginia, fixing the boundaries and regulating their commerce, which was sub- sequently ratified by their respective legislatures, but they also prepared resolutions, urging the call of a general convention of repre- sentatives from all the states with a view to strengthening the federal system. Pursuant to the recommendations of the Mount Vernon com- mittee, the Virginia Legislature (Maryland having previously acted) extended the invitation to the other state assemblies, urging the appointment of delegates to a general conference, to be held in Annap- olis, September 1 1 , 1 786. Five states only, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia, responded to this call. Delegates from several others had been duly appointed but, tlu-ough a variety of blunders, failed to receive due notice or proper credentials and were not present, while those in attendance found themselves vested with such limited power and in such a small minority that they did little else than draw up a report reiterating in substance the suggestions of the Mount Vernon convention for a revision of the confederated system of government and recommending a general convention of delegates with increased powers to be held in Philadelphia on the second Monday of May following. The resolutions of the Annapolis convention were promptly approved by the several state legislatures and delegates appointed to a general council to be held in the city of Philadelphia, May 24, 1787. As the time set for this convention approached, the legislature of Virginia selected its delegates, and Washington, by unanimous vote, was placed at the head of the delegation. For some time he hesitated 2 p o 2 S pq w o z Q w w o o o WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. I43 to accept the position. " It will have, " said he, in a letter to Edmund Randolph, then governor of the Commonwealth, "a tendency to sweep me back into the tide of public affairs, when retirement and ease are so much desired by me and so essentially necessary. " Wliile still debating the subject in his mind, he received notice of the serious illness of his mother and sister and, as his diary shows, he hastened to Fredericksburg, where they both Uved : Mount Vernon, April 26th : Receiving an express between four and five o'clock this afternoon informing me of the extreme illness of my mother and sister Lewis, I resolved to set out for Fredericksburg by daylight in the morning. At Fredericksburg, April 27th: About sunrise, I commenced my journey as intended — bated at Dumfries, and reached Fredericksburg before two o'clock and found both my mother and sister better than I expected — the latter out of danger as is supposed, but the extreme low state in which the former was, left little hope of her recovery as she was exceedingly reduced and much debilitated by age and the disorder — dined and lodged at my sister's. The importunities of his friends finally prevailed and on the loth of May, only a few days after his return from the bedside of his mother, at eight o'clock in the morning he set out in his carriage to attend the meeting of the convention in Philadelphia, which was scheduled to convene on the 14th and with General Mifflin, speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, Generals Knox and Varnum and Col- onel Humphries, who had joined him at Chester, he arrived at his destination on the evening of the 13th. In the absence of a quortim, the convention was not organized until the 25th. On that date, a delegate from New Jersey arriving, increased the number of states to seven, a majority of the whole, which constituted a legal quorum for the transaction of business. The convention immediately settled down to its difficult and important task. Composed of some of the ablest men in the country, it had been declared by capable critics, in point of intellectual strength and the exalted character of its membership, to rank with the world's greatest representative assemblies. After working from four to seven hours a day for nearly four months, the constitution was finally agreed to on the 17th day of September, 1787, and signed by all the representatives present except George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts. These gentlemen claimed the federal compact nullified or abridged to a dangerous extent the distinctive rights of the states and, therefore, dechned to sanction its adoption without several important changes. t44 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. The following is a full list of the signatures to the instrument: George New Hampshire. Washington, President. Delaware. George Read, Gunning Bedford, Jr., John Dickinson, Richard Bassett, Jacob Broom. Maryland. James M' Henry, Daniel (of St. Thomas) Jenifer. Daniel Carroll. Virgin LA. John Blair, James Madison, Jr. North Carolina. William Blount, Richard Dobbs Spaight, Hugh Williamson. South Carolina. John Rutledge, Charles Cotesworthy Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, Pierce Butler. Georgia. William Few, Abraham Baldwin. John Langdon, Nicholas Gilman. Massachusetts. Nathaniel Gorham, Rufus King. Connecticut. William Sherman Johnson, Roger Sherman. New York. Alexander Hamilton. New Jersey. William Livingston, David Brearly, William Patterson, Jonathan Dayton. Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimmoos, Jared Ingersoll, James Wilson, Gouvemeur Morris. Attest : William Jackson, Secretary. The instrument, after being signed, was forwarded to Congress and by that body sent to the several legislatures to be submitted in each state to a convention of delegates chosen by the people, for approval or rejection. At last the measure was full, the goal had been reached and triumph written on the labors of the sons of America. From the healthy germ of a private venture had grown the national tree, under whose refreshing shades the oppressed of every nation would gather to breathe the invigorating air and imbibe the elevating spirit of American independence. WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. 1 45 Three sentinels loom up through the shadows of our country's past to tell the magic story of man's achievements. The Virginia convention and continental congress of 1776, which gave to America and the world the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence, and the constitutional convention of 1787, which supplied the basic law of our land. Immediately after the convention closed, General Washington returned to Mount Vernon, arriving there Saturday, September 22, 1787, "about sunset," having been absent four months and fourteen days. While sharing the general alarm at the unsettled condition of his country, Washington's domestic pursuits and social engagements had not been seriously interrupted during those months of doubt and uncertainty. He continued his farming interests with energy; paid frequent visits to his friends, among them George Mason of Gunston Hall, who was also again in private life; participated in numerous festivities in Alexandria ; restored his fox kennel and, when the game was in season, enjoyed the chase as he had in the tranquil days of his early married life. He was likewise busy in transplanting shrubs and in decorating his lawns around the mansion with box and other ever- greens, such as holly and hemlock "from the Occoquan. " It will be recalled that just after the battle of Yorktown, Mrs. Washington's only remaining child, John Parke Custis, died at Eltham, in New Kent County, the home of her sister, Mrs. Bassett, and that immediately after the death of young Custis General Washington adopted his two youngest children, Nellie and George Washington Parke Custis. These children now enlivened the household at Mount Vernon and proved then, as in after years, a great source of comfort to the General and his amiable wife. Their mother, Mrs. Custis, had married a second husband, Dr. David Stuart of Alexandria, an inti- mate friend of General Washington, and resided at Abingdon, the Custis residence (stiU standing), on the Virginia side of the Potomac nearly opposite the present city of Washington. The relations between the two families were very intimate and the General in his diary frequently notes his visits to and from the Stuarts. There are a number of instances in Washington's life, where he became attached to and reposed implicit confidence in men very much younger than himself. In forming his friendships, he appears not to have considered age at all. Character seems to have been the essential qualification to win his afi'ection. Thus we find him seeking advice 146 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON, from such precocious youths as Alexander Hamilton, Lafayette, Light Horse Harry Lee, and John Marshall. Stuart was in this class, and it speaks well for the young doctor who had married the widow of his stepson. It is interesting to note the alacrity with which Washington steps from the solemn and important duties of life to the trivial but to him fascinating pastimes, and it was probably this happy faculty to banish care for innocent enjoyment and the convivial society of his friends for short periods that sustained him in the days of his deepest anxiety and greatest responsibihty. He might be absent from Mount Vernon for years, busy with mighty problems, but immediately upon his return he would resume his favorite amusements with almost youthful ardor. It was the human, the natural side of the man, and is most eloquently portrayed in the simple jottings of his daily record. Autumn seems to have been his favorite season for pleasure. He could hunt and fish and attend the races and barbacues and go on picnics, care-free and exuberant. On September loth, "Rid with Fanny Bassett (his wife's niece), Mr. Taylor and Mr. Shaw to meet a party from Alexandria at Johnson's Springs, on my land where Clifton formerly lived, where we dined on cold dinner, brought from town (Alexandria) by water and spent the afternoon agreeably; returned home by sun- down or a little after." And on October 2nd, 1785, — "Went with Fanny Bassett, Burwell Bassett, Dr. Stuart, G. A. Washington, Mr. Shaw and Nellie Custis to Pohick; to hear Mr. Thompson preach, who returned home with us to dinner, where I found the Reverend M. Jones, formerly chaplain in one of the Pennsylvania regiments. After we were in bed (about eleven o'clock in the evening) Mr. Houdon, sent from Paris by Dr. Franklin and Mr. Jefferson to take my bust, in behalf of the State of Virginia, with three young men assistants arrived here by water from the latter place." October 7th — "Sat this day, as I had done yesterday for Mr. Houdon to form my bust." (The General Assembly of Virginia having passed a resolution (June 22nd, 1784) that "The Executive be requested to take measures for procuring a statue of General Washington to be of the finest marble and best workmanship," Governor Harrison directed Thomas Jefferson, then in Paris, to engage the service of a suitable person for the purpose. Mr. Jefferson thereupon contracted with the celebrated statuary, Jean Antoine Houdon, to undertake the work. Mr. Houdon was unwill- ing to do so without seeing Washington and accordingly arrangements were made for his visiting the United States. He remained at Mount Vernon until October 19, during which time he made a cast of the face from which a bust was modelled, and took minute measurements of the figure of Washington. The statue was com- pleted in 1788, but was not put in position in the Capitol at Richmond until May WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. 147 2nd, 1796. The figure has been pronounced by Lafayette "a facsimile of Wash- ington's person," while the bust is held as the acknowledged likeness of the great American.) Only eight days after the above incident, he informs us that "the Reverend Mr. Spence Grayson and David Griffith, Lund Washington, his wife and Miss Stuart came to dinner, all of whom remained the evening except L. W. . . . After the candles were lighted George Augustine Washington and Frances Bassett were married by Mr. Grayson." He writes: On October 9th, 1786 — "At Mount Vernon — Allowed all my people to go to the races in Alexandria in one of three days as best comported with their respective business — leaving careful persons on the plantations." October loth — "At Alexandria — In company with Major Washington and Mr. Lear went up to Alexandria to see the Jockey Club purse run for (which was won by Mr. Snickers), dined by invitation with the members of it and returned home in the evening." November loth — "With Mrs. Washington and all the family, I went to Alex- andria and dined with Doctor Craik — returned in the evening." On December 22, 1785, he takes part in a very interesting and, we can imagine, somewhat exciting chase: Went fox hunting with the gentlemen who came here yesterday (Daniel Dulaney, Jr., Benjamin Dulaney, Samuel Hanson, Thomas Hanson, Philip Alex- ander), together with Fernando Washington and Mr. Shaw, after a very early break- fast — found a fox just back of Muddy hole plantation and after a chase of an hour and a quarter with my dogs and eight couple of Doctor Smith's (brought by Mr. Phil Alexander) we put him into a hollow tree, in which we fastened him, and in the Pincushion put up another fox, which in an hour and thirteen minutes was killed — we then after allowing the fox in the hole half an hour put the dogs upon his trail and in half a mile he took to another hollow tree and was again put out of it but he did not go six hundred yards before he had recourse to the same shift — finding therefore that he was a conquered fox we took the dogs off, and came home to dinner. On January 2, 1786, a few days after this, he goes hunting again but rain drives him in. The following entries with their dates show how passionately fond the General was of this particular sport. He apparently sometimes goes alone and thinks it of sufficient interest to cat ef ully note in liis diary : January 4th, 1786 — "After breakfast I rid by the places where my Muddy hole and Ferry people were clearing — thence to the Mill and Dogue Run plantations and having the hounds with me in passing from the latter towards Muddy hole planta- tion I found a fox which after dragging him some distance and running him hard for nearly an hour was killed by the cross road in front of the house." 148 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. January loth, 1786 — " Rid to my plantation in the Neck and took the hounds with me, about eleven o'clock found a fox in the Pocoson at Sheridan's point and after running it very indifferently and treeing it once caught it about one o'clock." January 14th, 1786— "Went out with the hounds and run a fox from eleven o'clock until near three o'clock when I came home and left the dogs at fault after which they recovered the fox and it is supposed killed it." January 28th, 1786 — " Went out after breakfast with my hounds — found a fox on the branch within Mr. Thomson Mason's field and run him, sometimes hard and sometimes at cold hunting from eleven o'clock till near two when I came home and left the huntsman with them who followed in the same manner two hours or more longer, and then took the dogs off without killing." These notes from day to day show the happy, care-free, the per- fectly natural life of the plain, well-to-do country gentleman. The Reverend Jedediah Moss, who visited Alount Vernon in 1 7S9, furnishes an excellent description of the habits and routine farm life of the General, which we cannot forbear to publish: He rises, in winter as well as summer, at the dawn of day; and generally reads or writes some time before breakfast. He breakfasts about seven o'clock on three small Indian hoe-cakes and as many dishes of tea. He rides immediately to his dif- ferent farms, and remains with his labourers until a little past two o'clock, when he returns and dresses. At three he dines : whether there be company or not, the table is always prepared by its elegance and exuberance for their reception; and the General remains at it for an hour after dinner in familiar conversation and convivial hilarity. It is then that every one present is called upon to give some absent friend as a toast; the name not unfrequently awakens a pleasant remembrance of past events, and gives a new turn to the animated colloquy. General Washington is more cheerful than he was in the army. Although his temper is rather of a serious cast and his countenance commonly carries the impression of thoughtfulness, yet he perfectly relishes a pleasant story, an unaffected sally of wit or burlesque descrip- tion which surprises by its suddenness and congruity with the ordinary appearance of the object described. After this sociable and innocent relaxation, he applies himself to business ; and about nine o'clock retires to rest. This is the routine, and this the hour he observes when no one but his family is present; at other times he attends politely upon his company until they wish to withdraw. As the time approached for the ratification of the national con- stitution by the Virginia convention, Washington clearly manifested a sense of uneasiness. He was extremely anxious that Virginia should approve the instrument by a substantial majority but, as many of his friends and former political associates, among them Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, Patrick Henr>', and Colonel William Grayson, were fearful of the loss of states' rights and were earnestly opposing the instrument, he was apprehensive of the outcome. He refused to stand as delegate to the Virginia convention which was called to con- WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. I49 sider the subject but actively assisted in the election of his friends, Dr. David Stuart and Colonel Charles Simms, as representatives from Fairfax County. The constitution was ratified by the different states in the fol- lowing order: Delaware, December 7; Pennsylvania, December 12; New Jersey, December 18, 1787; Georgia, January 2; Connecticut, January 9; Massachusetts, February 6; Maryland, April 28; South Carolina, May 23; New Hampshire, June 21 ; Virginia, June 25; New York, July 26, 1788; North Carolina, November 21, 1789, and Rhode Island, May 29, 1790. In his diary, June 28, 1788, he records: At Alexandria — "The inhabitants of Alexandria, having received the news of the Ratification of the proposed Constitution by this State, and that of New Hamp- shire — and having determined on public rejoicings, part of which to be in a dinner, to which this family was invited, Col. Humphreys, my nephew, G. A. Washington, and myself went up to it and returned in the afternoon." On the same day, after returning to Mount Vernon, he wrote to Charles Cotesworthy Pinckney (after describing the function in Alexandria) : Thus the citizens of Alexandria, when convened, constituted the first public company in America, which had the pleasure of pouring a libation to the prosperity of the ten states, that had actually adopted the general government. The day itself is memorable for more reasons than one. It was recollected that this day is the anniversary of the battles of Sullivan's Island and Monmouth. I have just returned from assisting at the entertainment. A sufficient number of states having ratified the federal consti- tution, Congress on September 13, 1788: Resolved, That the first Wednesday in January next (1789) be the day for appointing electors in the several states, which before the said day shall have ratified the said Constitution ; that the first Wednesday in February next be the day for the electors to assemble in their respective states and vote for a president ; and that the first Wednesday in March next be the time, and the present seat of Congress (New York) the place for commencing proceedings imder the said Constitution. It is unnecessary to add that General Washington received the entire vote of the electoral college and was therefore imanimously elected first President of the United States. The conventions of 177 4- 1775 and 1776 were notable bodies . The old confederation, a child of the revolution, bom in 1777, amid the san- guinary struggles of a desperate people, had proven a woeful failure and was soon to be a thing of the past. I50 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE) MASON. For the benefit of our readers, we subjoin a list of the several presidents under those primitive systems of government, with the places of meeting of the congress from 1774 to 17S8: Elected. Born. Died. Sept. 5, 1774 1723 1775 Oct. 26, 1774 .... .... May 10, 1775 1723 1775 May 24, 1775 1737 1793 Nov. I, 1777 1724 1792 Dec. 10, 1778 1745 1829 Sept. 28, 1779 1732 1796 July 10, 1781 1734 1817 Nov. 5,1781 1783 Nov. 4, 1782 1740 1821 Nov. 3; 1783 1744 1800 Nov, 30, 1784 1732 1794 Nov. 23, 1785 1737 1793 June 6, 1786 1738 1796 Feb. 2, 1787 1735 1818 Jan. 26, 1788 1748 1810 Convened. Adjourned. Sept. 5, 1774 Oct. 26, 1774 May 10, 1775 Dec. 12, 1776 Dec. 20,1776 Mar. 4,1777 Mar. 4, 1777 Sept. 18, 1777 Sept. 27, 1777 Sept. 27, 1777 Sept. 30, 1777 June 27, 1778 July 2, 1778 June 21, 1783 June 30, 1783 Nov. 4, 1783 Nov. 26, 1783 June 3, 1784 Nov. I, 1784 Dec. 24, 1784 Jan. 11,1785 Nov. 4,1785 Nov. 7, 1785 Nov. 3, 1786 Nov. 6, 1786 Oct. 30, 1787 Nov. 5, 1787 Oct. 21, 1788 Peyton Randolph of Virginia, Henry Middleton of South Carolina, Peyton Randolph of Virginia, John Hancock of IMassachusetts, Henry Laurens of South Carolina, John Jay of New York, Samuel Huntington, Connecticut, Thos. McKean of Pennsylvania, Jno. Hanson of Maryland, . Eliaa Boudmont of New Jersey, . Thos. Mifflin of Pennsylvania, . Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, . Jno. Hancock of Massachusetts, Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts, Arthur St. Clair of Pennsylvania, Cyrus Griffin of Virginia, Place of Meeting. ist Philadelphia, 2nd Philadelphia, 3rd Baltimore, 4th Philadelphia, . 5th Lancaster, Pa., 6th York, Pa., 7th Philadelphia, 8th Princeton, N. J., 9th Annapolis, Md., loth Trenton, N. J., nth New York, . 12 th New York, . 13th New York, . 14th New York, . It may be that some of our readers are curious to know the fate of Washington's cherished business venture, the Potomac Company. He had been the leading spirit in its organization and largely instru- mental in placing the corporation on a firm business basis, with bright prospects for a successful future. Installed as president of the com- pany May 30, 1785, he served approximately four years until Alarch 3, 1789, to the utmost satisfaction of the numerous stockholders. But wider fields of usefulness opened to him ; more important objects No. of days. 52 days 582 days 75 days 199 days I day 272 days 1 8 16 days 127 days 189 daj-s 54 days 298 days 362 days 359 days 353 days WASHINGTON AGAIN IN PRIVATE LIFE. 151 demanded his attention ; the people were clamoring for his steady hand to guide the new ship of state and, in obedience to their call, he laid aside his private affairs and personal interests and embarked again on the turbulent sea of public duty. After the retirement of General Washington as president, public interest in the corporation began to lag. The first estimated cost of $250,000, and the time limit of three years to complete the work, were insufficient. Amendments to the original charter extending the time were obtained from the legislature of the contributory states but other obstacles of a more serious nature confronted the now struggling com- pany, which proved in the end insurmountable. It had never been the intention of the organizers to do more than deepen the channel of the natural stream, by removing obstructions to navigation, and build locks and sluices around the falls and rapids. The successful prosecution of the work on the Erie Canal, xmdertaken by a sister state, with its 365 miles of continuous inland waterway, supplying superior facilities for navigation, discouraged their effort and proved their original plan futile and thus, after a tedi- ous struggle of thirty-six years and an expenditure of $729,000, this time-honored institution was abandoned in July, 1823. From its termination originated the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, over which are annually transported thousands of tons of bituminous coal from the mountains of Maryland and West Virginia to tidewater at Georgetown in the District of Columbia. Financially, the venture proved a dis- couraging failure, but it opened the way and was the very beginning of the great system of inland navigation which first linked the east to the west in a commercial chain so advantageous to both. An incident of more than passing interest in the life of Washing- ton, which connects his name with the birth of steam navigation, is associated with this development company. Among the early employees of the corporation was James Rumsey, a superintendent of the upper Potomac River improvement. While thus employed, Rumsey invented a method of propelling boats by steam. In Decem- ber, 1 7S7, he gave a public demonstration of his invention at Shepards- town and the following testimonial from General Washington, who witnessed the experiment, is an evidence of the success of the little vessel on its trial trip. I have seen the model of Mr. Ritmsey's boat, constructed to work against stream ; have examined the power upon which it acts ; have been an eye-witness to an actual experiment in running water of some rapidity; and do give it as my 152 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. opinion (altho I had little faith before) that he has discovered the art of propelling boats by mechanism and small manual assistance against rapid currents ; that the discovery is of vast importance, maybe of the greatest usefulness in our inland navi- gation and, if it succeeds, of which I have no doubt, that the value of it is greatly enhanced by the simplicity of the works, which when seen and explained to, might be executed by the most common mechanic. Given under my hand at the town of Bath, County of Berkley, in the State of Virginia, this 7th day of September, 1 784. (Signed) Geo. Washington. During the winter of 1788 Rumsey went to Philadelphia, where he formed the Rumseyan Society with Benjamin Franklin as treasurer. This association sent the inventor to London in the following May, where, after securing the proper patents on his device, he constructed a boat and launched it on the Thames in the spring of 1790. While thus employed he met Robert Fulton and the two soon became warm friends. After the death of Rumsey in London, December, 1792, Fulton took up the work and spent nearly twenty years constructing a model virtually on the plan of the original designer. The application of steam to maritime commerce obliterated dis- tance, changed the economic and poHtical aspect of the world, and made Robert Fulton with his "Claremont" a household word, while the name of Rumsey, the humble employee of the Potomac Company, the real inventor and pioneer in steam navigation, rests under the shades of unmerited obsciu-ity, almost unknown and entirely unre- warded by posterity. o z z WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT N DECEMBER 4, 1788, General Washington wrote: The more I am acquainted with agricultural affairs the better I am pleased with them; insomuch, that I can nowhere find so great satisfaction as in those innocent and useful pur- suits. In indulging these feelings, I am led to reflect how much more delightful to an imdebauched mind is the task of making improvements on the earth, than all the vain glory which can be acquired from ravaging it, by the most uninterrupted career of conquests. Such were the sentiments of this "Cincinnatus of the West," privately expressed, only a few months before the unanimous voice of the people called him from his pastoral pursuits to install the new govenmient. He was loath to exchange the quiet of his rural retreat, with all its attractions, for this untrodden field of political experiment. Mount Vernon was his haven for rest, his peaceful harbor. To it he was bound by the strongest ties of domestic felicity, and neither the honor of exalted station nor the prospect of political power was an inducement sufficient to entice him away from the tranquil scenes of his beloved home. Virtually his whole life had been consecrated to the service of his country, and he had returned from the revolution fully resolved to spend the remainder of his days "cultivating the friend- ship of good men," but the tide of public sentiment, an irresistible, subtle force, stronger even than his own iron will, was sweeping him along before it, bearing him out on the turbulent ocean of pubUc life again. It was the call of his distressed coimtry, the plaintive voice of the people pleading to their deliverer, and in all the years of his busy life he had never turned a deaf ear or failed to respond to their suppHcations, regardless of personal inclinations or sacrifice. He reaUzed that the organization of the new government, with its various departments and ramifications, was a stupendous under- taking and honestly doubted his ability to discharge the manifold duties of the untried situation to the satisfaction of the public and with credit to himself. His letters on the subject clearly indicate the gloomy forebodings of his mind and the depth of his anxiety at the approach of the day of inauguration. 153 154 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. On March 9, just before the votes were counted, he wrote to Benjamin Harrison: I will therefore declare to you that, if it should be my inevitable fate, to ad- minister the government (for Heaven knows, that no event can be less desired by me, that no earthly consideration short of so general a call, together with a desire to reconcile contending parties as far as in me lies, could again bring me into public life), I will go to the chair under no pre-engagement of any kind or nature what- soever. But, when in it, I will, to the best of my judgment, discharge the duties of the office with that impartiality and zeal for the public good, which ought never to suffer connexions of blood or friendship to intermingle so as to have the least sway on decisions of a public nature. And to General Knox, on April i, he frankly expresses his apprehensions : In confidence I tell you (with the world it would obtain little credit) that my movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit, who is going to the place of his execution; so unwilling am I, in the evening of a life so nearly consumed in public cares, to quit a peaceful abode for an ocean of difficulties, without that competency of political skill, abilities and inclination, which are necessary to manage the helm. I am sensible that I am embarking the voice of the people, and a good name of my own, in this voyage; but what returns will be made for them, Heaven alone can foretell. Integrity and firmness are all I can promise. "Integrity and firmness are all I can promise" — how well he kept this promise a critical but impartial posterity has amply testified. Notwithstanding that the time appointed for the organization of the new government was the fourth of March, 1789, through the tardiness of the members elect, the House of Representatives was not formed until the first, nor the Senate until the fifth of April. On that day at a joint session of these bodies the votes were opened and counted. Washington, having received all of the sixty-nine cast by the ten states participating in the election (New York, Rhode Island and North CaroHna were not represented) , was declared elected President of the United States, and John Adams, having received the highest number of votes (thirty-four) for Vice-President, was also declared elected to that office. Adams was installed in the chair of the Senate on April 2 1 . Anticipating coming events, Washington on March 7 paid a farewell visit to his mother in Fredericksburg. Arriving on Saturday evening, he returned to Mount Vernon the following Monday morning. This was the last meeting between Washington and his venerable parent, as she died on the 25th day of August following (1789) at the age of eighty-one. WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. I55 General Washington was officially notified of his election by Mr. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the late Congress, on the 14th day of April, 1789, and on the i6th, two days later, about ten o'clock in the morning, he set out from Mount Vernon on his journey to New York. This trip proved a veritable ovation from start to finish. Indeed history does not afford a parallel to the lavish demonstrations of affection that were voluntarily heaped upon the President-elect during this journey to the seat of government. Soon after passing through the gates of Mount Vernon, he was met by a civic cavalcade and escorted to Alexandria, where a public reception and dinner were given in his honor. It was the farewell of his neighbors, the loving good-bye of the men who knew him best in the private walks of life, and the address delivered by Dennis Ramsay, mayor of the city, an intimate friend and compatriot of the General (and subsequently one of his pallbearers), is worthy of the occasion and serves well to show how firm was the friendship existing between "farmer Washington" and his rural associates. Colonel Ramsay's Address. To George Washington, Esq., President of the United States, drc. Again your country commands your care. Obedient to its wishes, unmindful of your ease, we see you once more relinquisliing the bliss of retirement, and this, too, at a period of life when nature itself seems to authorize a preference of repose. Not to extol your glory as a soldier; not to pour forth our gratitude for past services; not to acknowledge the justice of the unexampled honour which has been conferred upon you by the spontaneous and unanimous suffrage of three millions of freemen, in your election to the supreme magistracy, nor to admire the patri- otism which directs your conduct, do your neighbors and friends now address you. Themes less splendid but more endearing, impress our minds. The first and best of citizens must leave us ; our aged must lose their ornament ; our youth their model ; our agriculture its improver; our commerce its friend; our infant academy its pro- tector; our poor their benefactor; and the interior navigation of the Potomac (an event, replete with the most extensive utility, already by your unremitted exertions brought into partial use), its institutor and promoter. Farewell! Go, and make a grateful people happy — a people who will be doubly grateful when they contemplate this recent sacrifice for their interest. To that Being Who maketh and unmaketh at His will, we commend you ; and after the accomplishment of the arduous business to which you are called, may He restore to us again the best of men, and the most beloved fellow-citizen. To this General Washington replied as follows : Although I ought not to conceal, yet I cannot describe the painful emotions which I felt, in being called upon to determine whether I would accept or refuse 156 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON, the Presidency of the United States. The unanimity in the choice; the opinion of my friends communicated from different parts of Europe as well as from America; the apparent wish of those who were not entirely satisfied with the Constitution in its present form, and an ardent desire on my own part to be instrumental in con- necting the good will of my countrymen towards each other, have induced an accep- tance. Those who knew me best (and you, my fellow-citizens are, from your situ- ation, in that number), know better than any others, my love of retirement is so great, that no earthly consideration, short of conviction of duty, could have pre- vailed upon me to depart from my resolution "never more to take any share in transactions of a public nature;" for at my age, and in my circumstances, what prospects or advantages could I propose to myself from embarking again on the tempestuous and uncertain ocean of public life? I do not feel myself under the necessity of making public declarations in order to convince you, gentlemen, of my attachment to yourselves, and regard for your interests. The whole tenor of my life has been open to your inspection, and my past actions, rather than my present declarations, must be the pledge of my future conduct. In the meantime, I thank you most sincerely for the expressions of kindness contained in your valedictory address. It is true, just after having bade adieu to my domestic connexions, this tender proof of your friendship is but too well calcu- lated still further to awaken my sensibility, and increase my regret at parting from the enjoyment of private life. All that now remains for me, is to commit myself and you to the protection of that beneficent Being, who on a former occasion hath happily brought us together after a long and distressing separation. Perhaps the same gracious Providence will again indulge me. Unutterable sensations must then be left to more expressive silence, while from an aching heart I bid all my affectionate friends and kind neigh- bors farewell. From Alexandria the General was escorted to the ferry opposite Georgetown by a large contingent of citizens and the local militia. Passing over the Potomac into Maryland he was received with demon- strations equal to, if not surpassing those accorded him in Alexandria, and conducted through the entire commonwealth by its leading citizens and companies of mounted militia. On his approach to Philadelphia, he was met by Governor Mifflin, Judge Peters, and a military escort headed by General St. Clair, followed with the usual cavalcade of gentlemen. Gray's bridge over the Schuylkill, which he and his escort had to pass, was profusely decorated with laurels and evergreens. At each end of the bridge were erected magnificent arches, entwined with laurels, emblematical of the ancient Roman triumphal arches, and on each side of the bridge was a laurel slirubbery. As the General passed the bridge, a youth, by aid of a mechanical WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1 57 contrivance, let drop from above his head, though unperceived by him, a civic crown of laurel. Upwards of 20,000 citizens lined the fences, fields and avenues between the SchuylkiU and Philadelphia. If any demonstration could exceed the warmth of his reception in the Quaker City, it was at Trenton, New Jersey. By direction of the ladies, a triumphal arch was erected on the bridge leading to that city. The crown of the arch, ornamented with laurels and flowers, contained likewise the suggestive inscription in large letters, "December 26th, 1776, Defender of the Mothers will also protect their Daughters." Ranged on the north side was a delegation of young girls, dressed in white, crowned with wreaths and carrying baskets of flowers. In the second row stood the young women, and behind them the married ladies of the vicinity. The instant Washington passed the arch, the children began to sing the following ode : Welcome mighty chief, once more Welcome to this grateful shore. Now no mercenary foe Aims again the fatal blow. Virgins fair and matrons grave. These thy conquering arms did save. Build for the triumphal bowers; Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers; Strew your hero's way with flowers. As they sang their last lines, they scattered flowers in the path of their beloved hero. Contrast his situation on this occasion with that of December, 1776, when the drooping spirits of the colonials had reached their lowest ebb of depression as amid a blinding storm of sleet and snow, he passed that very spot to strike a decisive blow against the English invaders, and imagine, if you can, the emotion and sensation that must have filled his bosom. His approach and entry into New York was a perfect triumph and beggars description. The ringing of bells, the roar of cannon, the shouts of the multitude banked on every pier were the sounds of welcome that greeted and followed him from the time his barge appeared upon the Hudson until it was moored at Murray's wharf. Here it was, however, that the most affecting scene of all took place in the meeting between the General and a delegation of bearded and weatherbeaten veterans of the revolution, who had assembled to bid him welcome. From the landing he was escorted by Governor Clinton and General Knox through lines of soldiers along streets 158 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE) MASON. strewn with flowers and evergreens and decorated with flags and bunting to the quarters arranged for his reception. This triumphant tof r and reception, while naturally gratifying to Washington, was in one sense a source of melancholy reflections. He was now the idol of the people; great things were expected of him; would he fulfil these expectations and Uve up to the ideals and standards arbitrarily estabhshed in the minds of the populace or was he doomed to disap- pointment and failure in the accomplishment of the mighty task allotted? In this perturbed state, he wrote : The display of boats which attended and joined us on this occasion, some with vocal and some with instrumental music on board, the decorations of the ships, the roar of the cannon and the loud acclamations of the people, which rent the skies, as I passed along the wharves, filled my mind with sensations as painful (considering the reverse of this scene which may be the case after all my labors to do good) as they are pleasing. The inauguration was delayed for several days during which time Congress resolved, after much discussion, that the title of the chief executive should be "The President of the United States." Washington, when informed of their determination, was greatly reheved and pleased with the simplicity of the official form of address agreed upon. Finally, the time set for the inaugural ceremony (April 30) arrived and about half-past twelve o'clock, all things being in readi- ness, the procession moved from the President's house, preceded by the troops and a numerous escort, to Federal Hall where the Senate and House of Representatives in joint session were in waiting to receive him. At the moment appointed to take the oath of ofiice required by the Constitution, accompanied by the Vice-President, numerous functionaries and a large number of the Senate and House of Representatives, Washington appeared on the balcony fronting Broad Street. There, in the presence of a vast concourse of citizens, surrounded by intimate friends, including several former comrades in arms among whom were Alexander Hamilton, Roger Sherman, Generals Knox and St. Clair, Baron Steuben and others, he took the following oath, prescribed by law, which was administered by the Chancellor of the State of New York, Robert Livingstone : "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the ofiice of President of the United States; and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." '.S! g WASlllXr.TOX'S riRSl' SIPRICMI' COLKT. WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1^9 When Mr. Livingstone had finished reading the oath, Washington repHed solemnly: "I swear, so help nic God," and bowing low, he reverently kissed the Bible presented by Air. Otis. The Chancellor now stepped forward and exclaimed, " Long live George Washington, President of the Ihiited States." The flag was unfurled from the cupola of the hall, the national salute of thirteen gims was fired, the bells of the city rang out with j(.>yful peals, and thousands of voices rent the air and resounded again and again with their acclamations. " During the ceremony of administering the oath an awful silence prevailed among the spectators. It was a niimite of the nu)st sublime political joy." Returning to the Senate Chamber, President Wash- ington delivered his inaugural address to Congress, after which he proceeded with the whole assemblage to St. Paul's Church, where prayers suited to the occasion were read by Dr. Prevoost, Risliop of the Protestant Kpiscopal Church of New York, who had been appoinlcd, by the Senate, one of the chaplains of Congress. So closed the ceremonies of the inauguration. Arrangements having been made for their acconunodation, Mrs. Washington, accom- panied by her grandchildren, Kleanor and Cieorge Washington Parke Custis, and a small escort, left Mount Venion for the seat of govern- ment on the 17th of May, traveling by very nearly the same route her husband had taken a few weeks before. Throughout the jouniey she, too, was greeted with public testimonials of affection and respect similar to those accorded the President. At I{lizabcthtown she stopped at the residence of Governor Livingstone, whither her husband had come from New York to meet her, and from there they proceeded by water to the capital. Congress having organized the several govermuental depart- ments, Washington, after careful consideration of the whole subject, with a view to selecting men qualified for the several situations, appointed at the head of the Department of vState or Foreign Afl^airs, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia; Alexander Ilamiltoti of New York, Secretary of the Treasury; Henry Knox of Massachusetts, Secretary of War; and Edmund Randolph of Virginia, Attorney-General. These composed the cabinet council of the first President. The Judicial Department he filled as follows: John Jay of New York, Chief Justice, with Jolm Rutledge of South Carolina, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, William Cushing of Massachusetts, James Iredell of North Carolina, and John Blair of Virginia, as Associate Jr.dges. l6o WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. In the selection of his official family, the President had not been governed by personal friendship. He had chosen Jefferson, an ultra repubUcan, for the important post of Secretary of State; Hamilton, with strong predilections for a centraUzed government, high strung and somewhat vindictive but with special quahfications for the posi- tion, he had placed at the head of the Department of Finance ; Henry Knox, a seasoned veteran of the revolution and Secretary of War of the late confederation, he installed in the same capacity under the new government; and Edmund Randolph, an ex-governor and ex- attomey-general of Virginia, a man of wide experience and practical legal training, he made Attorney-General. Important issues arose soon after the organization of the govern- ment, that, notwithstanding the great care exercised by the President in the iormation of his cabinet, produced violent discord in both the President's privy council and the national legislative body. Hamilton and Jefferson, widely separated in their views on questions of pubUc policy, were equally determined in asserting and maintaining their convictions. At the request of Congress, Hamilton proposed a plan for funding the debts contracted during the revolution and for the estabUshment of a general financial system. This plan, when sub- mitted, met with determined opposition and completely divided the national assembly. The question of a permanent seat for the federal government also aroused vindictive debates and several times brought Congress to the very verge of dissolution. To pacify these warring elements and smooth the way for the successful administration of the government's affairs was not an easy task and probably could not have been accom- plished by a less resourceful man than the President. Through his calm leadership, salutary advice and consummate diplomacy, most of the vexed issues were adjusted to the satisfaction of at least a majority of those directly concerned. As a compromise, it was agreed that Congress should hold its sessions in Philadelphia for ten years, beginning with the session of the second Congress, during which time pubhc buildings could be erected at some place on the Potomac River. A territory ten miles square was selected for the purpose on the confines of Mar>'land and Virginia, ceded by those states to the United States, and subsequently designated as the District of Columbia. It was also agreed, as a solution of the mooted fiscal problem, to test Hamilton's financial plan, which, as he predicted, soon proved WASHINGTON'S FIRST CABINET. WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. l6l efficacious. An immense floating debt was funded in a manner per- fectly satisfactory to the creditors and an ample revenue provided for the necessities of the government. Jefferson, in commenting on the discord that characterized Congress, observes that "in the latter part of the session, they had reacquired the harmony that always distinguished their proceedings before the introduction of the two disagreeable subjects of the Assump- tion and Residence. These," said he, " really threatened at one time a separation of the legislature sine die." As we look back upon these times and consider the importance of the stupendous subject under discussion and try to grasp the mag- nitude of their labors, Hamilton with his financial problems, solving the question of public credit, and Jefferson with his foreign relations and internal difficulties, with Washington over them all, building a nation from a tissue of straw, we cannot wonder at the divergency of opinion or the asperity of the contentions. That he pacified the contending factions at home; relieved sectional rancor; avoided for- eign complications; established a stable system of finance and left his successor a prosperous government, firmly intrenched in the affec- tions of the people, at peace with the world, is the ablest and most eloquent testimonial of his ability as a statesman. During the fall of 1789, Washington paid an extended visit to the New England states. Leaving New York on October 15, he retm-ned on the 13th of November, much pleased with conditions in that section. The first session of Congress, one of the most exciting, if not important in the history of the country, was then drawing to a close. In a short while New York would cease to be the capital. After returning thanks to the city for the elegant and convenient accommo- dations furnished, the national legislative body adjourned on the 12th of August, 1 790, to meet again in December in the city of Philadelphia. The President tarried in New York but a short while after the adjournment of Congress, and the public demonstrations at his depart- ure were nearly equal to the reception given him on his arrival there, a little over a year before, with one noticeable difference — on the latter occasion the populace seemed hysterical in its transports of joy, while on that of his departine a spirit of sadness pervaded the assemblages. Arriving in Philadelphia on September 2, 1790, he halted only for a few days to make arrangements for a future residence, then 1 62 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. continued his journey to Mount Vernon. Returning to Philadelphia late in the fall, in March of the follo^ving spring he started on a tour of the southern states. Halting for a brief rest at his home on the Potomac, he proceeded, by way of Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersbiu"g, Halifax, Newbum and Wilmington, to Charleston, where he arrived on May 2, and on the 9th he continued to Savannah, thence to Augusta. Returning, he visited the tomb of DeKalb, several of the southern battlefields, and other places of interest, passing through Charlotte, Salisbury, Salem, Guilford and other towns. He reached Moimt Vernon on the 12th of June, and on the 30th of that month set out, by way of Frederick, York and Lancaster to the new seat of government, finishing his itinerary on the 6th of July. Having pre- viously visited New England and the middle states, this tour of the south concluded the circuit of the whole country. Washington was delighted with his visits in New England and the south. Everywhere he had been received vidth almost frantic demonstrations of joy. But pleasing as were these proofs of affection, it was really the abundant evidence of prosperity and contentment of the people under the new form of government which supplied the main source of his pleasure. In the southern tour, he had traveled about eighteen hundred miles without serious interruption or accident and returned immeasurably gratified at the result of his investigations. The establishment of public credit and the speedy subjugation of the spirit of insurrection to the will of the law were having benef- icent efi'ects, and the President was convinced, from personal observ^a- tions, that a firm, just and intelligent administration of the law under the present constitution would supply a stable form of govern- ment sufficient for the protection and happiness of the people, an incomparable improvement, he declared, over the old confederated system. In his next message to Congress he dilated upon this subject. He drew a vivid comparison between the chaotic conditions of a few years before with those of that day and emphasized the necessity of cultivating amicable relations between the states. He believed that the ground work for future national greatness and prosperity depended largely upon internal peace, the eradication of sectional animosities and the development of the material wealth of the country, and not for one moment during the succeeding years of his administrations did he digress or depart from this policy. It was the rule and guide of his political faith and he clung to it with the tenacity of an inflexible will to the end. WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1 63 As it is not our purpose to attempt a consecutive narrative of th? political events of the eight years of Washington's administration, we will add a few concluding notes on the subject and pass on to his last years at Mount Vernon. Having determined to retire from office at the expiration of his second term, March 4, 1797, Washington published his farewell address on the 17th of September, 1796. His resolution to retire no doubt gave satisfaction to a few ambitious political leaders, but it undoubtedly produced solemn and anxious reflection amongst the great masses, even of those who belonged to the opposite political party, if we can consider him a partisan in any sense. The address acted as a notice to hush the acrimonious abuse of him which the opposition was pouring forth under the idea that he would be a candidate for a renomination and it served, as Fisher Ames said it would, "as a signal, like the dropping of a hat, for the party racers to start." Congress assembled on the 5th day of December following the publication of the address, and on the 7th Washington met the two houses in joint session for the last time. In his speech he recom- mended an institution for the improvement of agriculture, a military academy, a naval university, and a gradual increase of the navy. In concluding his speech he observ-es : The situation in which I now stand for the last time in the midst of the repre- sentatives of the people of the United States, naturally recalls the period when the administration of the present form of government commenced, and I cannot omit the occasion to congratulate you and my country on the success of the experiment, nor t-o repeat my fervent supplications to the Supreme Ruler of the universe and Sovereign Arbiter of nations, that His providential care may be still extended to the United States; that the virtue and happiness of the people may be preserved, and that the government which they have instituted for the protection of their liberties, may be perpetual. Both houses passed resolutions commendatory of his public service, expressing deep regret at the loss of so valuable a leader. The resolution of Congress concluded with the hope for his future happiness — May you long enjoy that liberty which is so dear to you, and to which your name will ever be so dear. May your own \artue and a nation's prayer obtain the happiest sunshine for the decline of your days, and the choicest of future blessings. For our country's sake, and for the sake of republican liberty, it is our earnest wish that your example may be the guide of your successors; and thus, after being the ornament and safeguard of the present age, become the patrimony of our descendants. 164 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. There were now two clearly defined political parties, and John Adams and Thomas Pinckney were the candidates on the federalist ticket for president and vice-president respectively, while Thos. Jefferson led the forces of the opposition. On the 8th of February, 1797, votes for president and vice-president were opened and counted in the presence of both houses, and Mr. Adams, the Vice-President, announced his own election for President, having received seventy- two votes as against Mr. Jeflferson's sixty-eight, Thomas Pinckney, fifty-nine, and Aaron Burr, thirty. The rest of the votes were scat- tered among Samuel Adams, Oliver Ellsworth, John Jay, and others. It is a singular fact that all thought of the incoming president, Mr. Adams, was lost in the overwhelming desire to do honor to the outgoing executive. Wherever he appeared crowds assembled, and he received on every hand the most profound testimonials of confi- dence and esteem. On the 4th of March, an immense crowd had gathered about Congress Hall. At eleven o'clock, Mr. Jefiferson took the oath as Vice-President in the presence of the Senate ; and proceeded with that body to the chamber of the House of Repre- sentatives, which was densely crowded, many ladies occupying chairs ceded to them by members. Washington entered amidst enthusiastic cheers and acclamations, and the waving of handkerchiefs. Mr. Adams soon followed and was likewise well received. Having taken the oath required by law, Mr. Adams, in his inaugural address, spoke of his predecessor as one "who, by a long course of great actions regulated by prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude, had merited the gratitude of his fellow citizens, commanded the highest praises of foreign nations, and secured immortal glory with posterity." Washington was a private citizen again. For the second time and with characteristic simplicity, without a semblance of pomp or theatrical display, this stately figure had voluntarily passed from exalted station to the humble and sequestered walks of private life. John Marshall, in summarizing Washington's administrations, declares that — Notwithstanding the extraordinary popularity of the first president of the United States, scarcely has any important act of his administration escaped the most bitter invective. On the real wisdom of the system which he pursued, every reader will decide for himself. Time will, in some measure, dissipate the prejudices and passions of the moment, and enable us to view objects through a medium which represents them truly. Without taking a full review of measures which were repro- bated by one party and applauded by the other, the reader may be requested to glance his eye at the situation of the United States in 1797, and to contrast it with their condition in 1788. At home a sound credit had been created; an immense WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1 65 floating debt had been founded in a manner perfectly satisfactory to the creditors; an ample revenue had been provided; those difficulties which a system of internal taxation, on its first introduction, is doomed to encounter, were completely removed; and the authority of the government was firmly established. Funds for the gradual payment of the debt had been provided ; a considerable part of it had been actually discharged; and that system which is now operating its entire extinction had been matured and adopted. The agricultural and commercial wealth of the nation had increased beyond all former example. The numerous tribes of warlike Indians, inhabitating those immense tracts which lie between the then cultivated country and the Mississippi, had been taught, by arms and by justice, to respect the United States, and to continue in peace. This desirable object having been accomplished, that humane system was established for civilizing and furnishing them with the conveniences of life, which improves their condition, while it secm-es their attachment. Abroad, the difference with Spain had been accommodated; and the free navigation of the Mississippi had been acquired, with the use of New Orleans as a place of deposit for three years, and afterwards, until some other equivalent place should be designated. Those causes of mutual exasperation which had threatened to involve the United States in a war with the greatest maritime and commercial power in the world, had been removed; and the military posts which had been occupied within their territory, from their existence as a nation, had been evacuated. Treaties had been formed with Algiers and with Tripoli so that the Mediterranean was opened to American vessels. . . , " General Washington, accompanied by Mrs. Washington, Miss Custis, George Washington Lafayette and Mr. Frestell, young Lafayette's tutor (the last tvi^o having arrived in Philadelphia a short while before) , set out from the seat of government for Mount Vernon on March 9, five days after the inauguration of Mr. Adams. The courtesies extended to him on his return journey were similar to those he had received eight years before, when en route for New York to be sworn in as first president. Although a private citizen, he was honored by special escorts throughout the entire length of his journey. In Baltimore the city was decorated, cannon thundered, military paraded, and bands of music enlivened the scene. WASHINGTON'S LEGACY OR FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES Friends and Fellow Citizens: The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the Executive Govern- ment of the United States being not far distant, and the time actually arrived when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person who is to be clothed with that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the 1 66 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among tlie nmnber of those out of whom a choice is to be made. I beg you at the same time, to do me the justice to be assured, that this reso- lution has not been taken without a strict regard to all the considerations apper- taining to the relation which binds a dutiful citizen to his country; and that, in withdrawing the tender of service, which silence, in my situation, might imply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future interests; no deficiency of grateful respect for your past kindness ; but am supported by a full conviction that the step is compatible with both. The acceptance of, and continuance hitherto in the office to which your suff- rages have twice called me, have been a uniform sacrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty, and to a deference for what appeared to be yoiu: desire. I constantly hoped that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement from which I had been reluctantly drawn. The strength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last election, had even led to the preparation of an address to declare it to you; but mature consideration on the then perplexed and critical posture of our affairs with foreign nations, and the unanimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence, impelled me to abandon the idea. I rejoice that the state of your concerns, external as well as internal, no longer readers the pursuit of inclination incompatible with the sentiment of duty or pro- priety; and am persuaded, whatever partiality may be retained for my services, that in the present circumstances of our country, you will not disapprove my determination to retire. The impressions with which I first undertook the arduous trust were explained on the proper occasion. In the discharge of this trust, I will only say, that I have with good intentions contributed towards the organization and administration of the Government, the best exertions of which a very fallible judgment was capable. Not unconscious, in the outset, of the inferiority of my qualifications, experience in my own eyes, perhaps still more in the eyes of others, has strengthened the motives to diffidence of myself; and every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome. Satisfied that if any circumstances have given peculiar value to my ser- vices, they were temporary, I have the consolation to believe, that while choice and prudence invite me to quit the political scene, patriotism does not forbid it. In looking forward to the moment which is to terminate the career of my pubUc life, my feelings do not permit me to suspend the deep acknowledgment of that debt of gratitude which I owe to my beloved country, for the many honors it has conferred upon me, and for the opportunities I have thence enjoyed of mani- festing my inviolable attachment, by services faithful and persevering, though in usefulness unequal to my zeal. If benefits have resulted to our country from these services, let it always be remembered, to your praise, and as an instructive example in our annals, that imder circumstances in which the passions, agitated in every direction, were liable to mislead, amidst appearances sometimes dubious — -vicissi- tudes of fortune, often discouraging — in situations, in which, not unfrequently, want of success has countenanced the spirit of criticism — the constancy of your support WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1 67 was the essential prop of the efforts, and a guarantee of the plans by which they were eflfected. Profoundly penetrated by this idea, I shall carry it with me to my grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence — that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual — that the free constitution, which is the work of your hands, may be sacredly maintained — that its administration, in every department, may be stamped with wisdom and virtue — that, in fine, the happiness of the people of these states, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete, by so careful a pres- ervation, and so prudent a use of this blessing, as to acquire to them the glory of recommending it to the applause, the affection, and the adoption of every Nation which is yet a stranger to it. Here, perhaps, I ought to stop. But a soUcitude for your welfare, which cannot end but with my life, and the apprehension of danger, natural to that sohc- itude, urge me, on an occasion like the present, to offer to your solemn contempla- tion, and to recommend to your frequent review, some sentiments which are the result of much reflection, of no inconsiderable observation, and which appear to me all-important to the permanency of your felicity as a People. These will be offered to you with the more freedom, as you can only see in them the disinterested warnings of a parting friend, who can possibly have no personal motive to bias his counsel. Nor can I forget, as an encouragement to it, your indulgent reception of my sentiments on a former and not dissimilar occasion. Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every hgament of yoiu- hearts, no rec- ommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment. The unity of Government, which constitutes you one People, is also dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence ; the support of your tranquillity at home ; your peace abroad ; of your safety ; of your prosperity ; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But, as it is easy to foresee, that from different causes, and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken the conviction of this truth ; as this is the point in your polit- ical fortress against which the batteries of internal ;and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insiduously) directed; it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your National Union, to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming your- selves to think and speak of it, as the palladium of your political safety and pros- perity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing what- ever may suggest even a suspicion that it can, in any ,event, ,be abandoned ; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now hnk together the various parts. For this you have every inducement of sympathy and interest. Citizens by birth or choice of a common country', that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With sUght shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and pohtical principles. You have, in a common cause. 1 68 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. fought and triumphed together; the independence and Uberty you possess are the work of joint counsels, and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes. But these considerations, however powerfully they address themselves to your sensibility, are greatly outweighed by those which apply more immediately to your interest; here every portion of our country finds the most commanding motives for carefully guarding and preserving the union of the whole : The North, in an unrestrained intercourse with the South, protected by the equal laws of a common Government, finds in the productions of the latter, great additional resources of maritime and commercial enterprise, and precious materials of manufacturing industry. The South in the same intercourse, benefiting by the agency of the North, sees its agricultvu"e grow, and its commerce expand. Turning partly into its own channels, the seamen of the North, it finds its particular naviga- tion invigorated ; and, while it contributes, in different ways to nourish and increase the general mass of the national navigation, it looks forward to the protection of a maritime strength, to which itself is unequally adapted. The East, in a like inter- course with the West, already finds, and in the progressive improvement of interior communication, by land and water, will more and more find, a valuable vent for the commodities which it brings from abroad, or manufactures at home. The West derives from the East supplies requisite to its gro\vi;h and comfort ; and what is, perhaps, of still greater consequence, it must, of necessity, owe the secure enjoyment of indispensable outlets, for its own productions, to the weight, influence, and the future maritime strength of the Atlantic side of the Union, directed by an indissol- uble commimity of interest as one Nation. Any other teniu-e by which the West can hold this essential advantage, whether derived from its own separate strength, or from an apostate and unnatural connection with any foreign Power, must be intrinsically precarious. While, then, every part of oiu" country thus feels an immediate and particular interest in the Union, all the parties combined cannot fail to find, in the united mass of means and efforts, greater strength, greater resource, proportionately greater security from external danger, a less frequent interruption of their peace by foreign nations ; and what is of inestimable value, they must derive from union, an exemp- tion from those broils and wars between themselves, which so frequently affict neighboring countries, not tied together by the same Government ; which their own rivalships alone would be sufiicient to produce, but which opposite foreign alliances, attachments, and intrigues, would stimulate and embitter. Hence, likewise, they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown mihtarj' estabhshments, which, under any form of Government, are inauspicious to hberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty; in this sense, it is, that your union ought to be considered as a main prop of your Uberty, and that the love of the one ought to endear to you the preservation of the other. These considerations speak a persuasive language to every reflecting and \Hrtu- ous mind, and exhibit the continuance of the Union as a primary object of patriotic desire. Is there a doubt, whether a common government can embrace so large a sphere? Let experience solve it. To hsten to mere speculation, in such a case, were criminal. We are authorized to hope, that a proper organization of the whole, with the auxiUary agency of governments for the respective subdivisions, will afford WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1 69 a happy issue to the experiment. It is well worth a fair and full experiment. With such powerful and obvious motives to union, affecting all parts of our country, while experience shall not have demonstrated its impracticability, there will always be reason to distrust the patriotism of those, who, in any quarter, may endeavor to weaken its bands. In contemplating the causes which may disturb our Union, it occurs, as matter of serious concern, that any ground should have been furnished for characteriz- ing parties by geographical discriminations — Northern and Southern — Atlantic and Western ; whence designing men may endeavor to excite a belief that there is a real difference of local interests and views. One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart-burnings which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection. The inhabitants of our western country have lately had a useful lesson on this head; they have seen in the negotiation by the Executive, and in the unanimous ratification by the Senate, of the Treaty with Spain, and in the universal satisfaction at that event, throughout the United States, a decisive proof how unfounded were the suspicions propagated among them, of a policy in the General Government, and in the Atlantic States, unfriendly to their interests in regard to the Mississippi ; they have been witnesses to the formation of two Treaties, that with Great Britain, and that with Spain ; which secure to them everything they could desire, in respect to our foreign relations, towards confirming their prosperity. Will it not be their wisdom to rely for the preservation of these advantages, on the Union by which they were procured? Will they not, henceforth, be deaf to those advisers, if such there are, who would sever them from their brethren, and connect them with aliens? To the efficacy and permanency of your union, a Government for the whole is indispensable. No alliances, however strict, between the parts, can be an adequate substitute ; they must, inevitably, experience the infractions and interruptions which all alliances in all times have experienced. Sensible of this momentous truth, you have improved upon your first essay, by the adoption of a constitution of Govern- ment better calculated than your former, for an intimate union, and for the effica- cious management of yom- common concerns. This Government, the offspring of our own choice, iminfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature dehberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, unit- ing security with energy, and containing within itself a provision for its own amend- ment, has a just claim to your confidence and your support. Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquiescence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true hberty. The basis of our political systems is the right of the People to make and to alter their constitutions of Government; but, the constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit — an authentic act of the whole People, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the People to establish Government, presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established Government. All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design and direct, control, coun- 170 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. teract, or awe the regular deliberation and action, of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force, to put in the place of the delegated will of the Nation, the will of a Party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public Administration the mirror of the ill -concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and whole- some plans, digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests. However combinations or associations of the above descriptions may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men, will be enabled to subvert the power of the People, and to usurp, for themselves, the reins of Government; destroying afterwards, the very engines which lifted them to unjust dominion. Towards the preservation of your Government, and the permanency of your present happy state, it is requisite, not only that you steadily discountenance irregular oppositions to its acknowledged authority, but also that you resist with care, the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts. One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown. In all the changes to which you may be invited, remember that time and habit are, at least, as necessary to fix the true character of Govern- ments, as of other human institutions; that experience is the surest standard by which to test the real tendency of the existing constitution of a country; that facility in changes, upon the credit of mere hypothesis and opinion ; and remember, especially, that for the efficient management of your common interests, in a country so extensive as ours, a Government of as much vigor as is consistent with the perfect security of liberty, as indispensable. Liberty itself will find in such a Gov- ernment, with powers properly distributed and adjusted, its surest guardian. It is, indeed, little else than a name, where the Government is too feeble to withstand the enterprises of faction, to confine each member of the society within the limits pre- scribed by the laws, and to maintain all in the secure and tranquil enjoyment of the rights of person and property. I have already intimated to you, the danger of parties in the State, with par- ticular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally. The spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes, in all Governments; more or less stifled, controlled or repressed; but in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy. The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which, in different ages and countries, has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is, itself, a frightful despotism. But this leads, at length, to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. I71 repose in the absolute power of an individual ; and, sooner or later, the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this dis- position to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public hberty. Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight) the common and continued mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise People to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administrations. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms ; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments, occasion- ally, riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the Government itself, through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another. There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the Government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This, within certain limits, is probably true, and in Governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in Governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary pin-pose, and there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be, by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume. It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking, in a free country, should inspire caution in those intrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding, in the exercise of the powers of one department, to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of Government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position. The necessity of reciprocal checks, in the exercise of political power, by dividing and distributing it into different depositories, and constituting each the guardian of the public weal against invasions by the others, has been evinced by experiments, ancient and modern ; some of them in our country and under our own eyes. To preserve them must be as necessary as to institute them. If, in the opinion of the People, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amend- ment, in the way which the Constitution designates : But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free Governments are destroyed. The precedent must, always, greatly overbalance, in permanent evil, any partial or transient benefit which the use can, at any time, yield. Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally 172 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and pubhc felicity. Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. WTiatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education, on minds of pecuUar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular Government. The rule indeed extends, with more or less force, to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric? Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a Government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened. As a very important soiuce of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it, is to use it as sparingly as possible ; avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also, that timely disbursements to prepare for danger, frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it: Avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shimning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear. The execution of these maxims belongs to your Representatives, but it is necessary that public opinion should co-operate. To facilitate to them the performance of their duty, it is essential that you should practically bear in mind, that towards the payment of debts there must be revenue ; that to have revenue there must be taxes ; that no taxes can be devised which are not, more or less, inconvenient and unpleasant; that the intrinsic embar- rassment inseparable from the selection of the proper objects (which is always a choice of difficulties) ought to be a decisive motive for a candid construction of the conduct of the Government in making it; and for a spirit of acquiescence in the measures for obtaining revenue, which the public exigencies may at any time dictate. Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and har- mony with all. Religion and moraUty enjoin this conduct ; and can it be, that good policy does not equally enjoin it? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and (at no distant period) a great Nation, to give to making the magnanimous and too novel example of a People, always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence. Who can doubt that in the coiu-se of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages which might be lost by a steady adherence to it. Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its virtue? The experiment, at least, is recommended by every senti- ment which ennobles human nature. Alas! is it rendered impossible by its \'ices? In the execution of such a plan, notliing is more essential than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded; and that in place of them, just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges towards another a WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT 1 73 habitual hatred, or a habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another, disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable, when accident or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The nation, prompted by ill-will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the Govern- ment, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The Government sometimes participates in the national propensity, and adopts, through passion, what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility, instigated by pride, ambition, and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes, perhaps, the liberty of nations has been the victim. So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest, in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter, without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubloy to injure the nation making the concessions, by unnecessary parting with what ought to have been retained ; and by exciting jealousy, ill-will and a disposition to retaliate, in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld; and it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray, or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity ; gilding with the appear- ances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for pubhc opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compUances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation. As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the enlightened and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practise the arts of education, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils. Such an attachment of a small or weak, towards a great and powerful nation, dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens), the jealousy of a free People ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government. But that jealousy, to be useful, must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defence against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation, and excessive dislike of another, cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even to second the arts of the influence on the other. Real patriots, who may resist the intrigues of the favorite, are liable to become suspected and odious; while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the People, to surrender their interests. The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is, in extending 174 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to imphcate om-selves by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities. Oiu" detached and distant situation invites and enables us to pursue a different course. If we remain one People, under an efficient Government, the period is not far off, when we may defy material injury from external annoyance; when we take such an attitude as will cause the neutraUty we may at any time resolve upon to be scrupulously respected; when belligerent nations, under the impossibihty of making acquisitions upon us, will not hghtly hazard the giving us provocation ; when we may choose Peace or War, as our interest, guided by justice, shall counsel. Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? Why quit oiu" own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world ; so far, I mean, as we are now at hberty to do it ; for let me not be imderstood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is imnecessary, and would be unwise to extend them. Taking care always to keep ourselves, by suitable establishments, on a respect- able defensive postm'e, we may safely trust to temporary aUiances for extraordinary emergencies. Harmony, and a liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, numanity, and interest. But even our commercial poUcy should hold an equal and impartial hand; neither seeking nor granting exclusive favors or preferences; consulting the natural course of things ; diffusing and diversifying, by gentle means, the streams of commerce, but forcing nothing ; estabUshing, with powers so disposed, in order to give trade a stable course, to define the rights of our merchants, and to enable the government to support them ; conventional rules of intercourse, the best that present circumstances and mutual opinion wiU permit, but temporary, and liable to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall dictate; constantly keeping in view, that it is folly in one nation to look for disinterested favors from another; that it must pay with a portion of its inde" pendence for whatever it may accept under that character ; that by such acceptance it may place itself Ln the condition of having given equivalents for nominal favors, and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not giving more. There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard. In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate WASHINGTON THE PRESIDENT. 1 75 friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish ; that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our Nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations: But if I may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good; that they may now and then recur, to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism; this hope will be a full recompense for the soUcitude of your welfare, by which they have been dictated. How far, in the discharge of my official duties, I have been guided by the principles which have been delineated, the public records and other evidences of my conduct must witness to you and to the world. To myself, the assurance of my own conscience is, that I have at least believed myself to be guided by them. la relation to the still subsisting war in Europe, my Proclamation of the 22nd of April, 1793, is the index to my plan. Sanctioned by your appro\'ing voice, and by that of your Representatives in both Houses of Congress, the spirit of that measure has continually governed me; uninfluenced by any attempts to deter or divert me from it. After deliberate examination with the aid of the best lights I could obtain, I was well satisfied that our country', under all the circumstances of the case, had a right to take, and was bound in duty and interest to take a neutral position. Havnng taken it, I determined, as far as should depend upon me, to maintain it with moderation, perseverance, and firmness. The considerations which respect the right to hold this conduct, it is not necessary, on this occasion, to detail. I will only observ^e, that according to my understanding of the matter, that right, so far from being denied by any of the beUigerent powers, has been virtually admitted by aU. The duty of holding a neutral conduct may be inferred, without any thing more, from the obligations which justice and humanity impose on every nation, in cases in which it is free to act, to maintain inviolate the relations of peace and amity towards other nations. The inducements of interest for observing that conduct will best be referred to your own reflections and experience. With me a predominant motive has been, to endeavor to gain time to our country to settle and mature its yet recent institu- tions, and to progress without interruption to that degree of strength and con- sistency, which is necessary to give it, humanly speaking, the command of its own fortunes. Though in reviewing the incidents of ray administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am, nevertheless, too sensible of my defects not to think it prob- able that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the e\-ils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence ; and that, after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service, with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to obhvion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest. Relying on its kindness, in this as in other things, and actuated by that fervent love towards it, which is natural to a man who views in it the native soU of himself 176 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. and his progenitors for several generations, I anticipate with pleasing expectation that retreat, in which I promise myself to reahze without alloy the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the midst of my fellow-citizens, the benign influence of good laws under a free Government — the ever-favorite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as I trust, of our mutual cares, labors and dangers. Go. Washington. United States, lylh September, iyg6. /^^-^C-'fl^- /Km,^e^ ^£-»i-»^ *r*l^ erT'^g-^ 'plj~C>^ ir*iSt^S *f*f^ i *^ *.' seat near Vendome. He enjoys there tolerably good health considering his great age, and reckons, as well as his military familj', amongst his most dear and glorious remembrances, that of the time we had the honor to serv^e under your command. Washington had not heard from this old friend and former com- patriot for a long time and the reference of Dumas refreshed his memory. In his reply he sent cordial greetings to de Rochambeau. This worthy patriot, a kindred spirit to Lafayette and, like that heroic soul, always a champion of the people's rights, had suffered some of the vicissitudes of the French Revolution also. During the time of terror he had been arrested, conducted to Paris, thrown in the con- dergerie, and condemned to death. '^Taen the car came to convey a number of victims to the guillotine, he was about to mount it, but the executioner, seeing it full, cried out roughly, "Stand back, old marshal; your turn will come by and by. ' A sudden change in pohtical affairs saved his hfe and enabled him to return to his home near Vendome, where he then resided. The worthy de Rochambeau survived the storms of the Revolution. In 1 803 he was presented to Napoleon, who, pointing to Berthier and other generals who had once served under his orders, said, "Marshal, behold your scholars." "The scholars have surpassed their master," repHed the modest veteran. In the follow- ing year he received the cross of Grand OfiBcer of the Legion of Honor, and a marshal's pension. He died full of years and honors in 1807. Washington seems to have had a kind of premonition of his death. The last year of life was devoted largely to the settlement of his private affairs and in arranging for the final distribution of his estate. He carefully prepared a map* of his Moimt Vernon farms, giving the number of acres in each field and the location of his farm houses, and on July 9 he executed his last wiU and testament consist- ing of twenty-nine pages of manuscript, written entirely by h imself, and at the bottom of each, with the exception of page twenty-three, •See facing page 177. INTERIOR CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VA. Pew on the left with open door was Washington's. EXTERIOR CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VA. LAST DAYS AND DEATH OF WASHINGTON. 185 he fixed his signature. To this he added a schedule of descriptive notes of the property devised in the will. Notwithstanding his many engagements he gave much time to social intercourse, paid frequent visits to his neighbors, and participated in numerous festivities. In his diary, he notes: February i ith, 1799: Went up to Alexandria to the celebration of my birthday. Many manoeuvres were performed by the Uniform Corps — and an elegant Ball* and supper at Night. February 12th: Returned home. While the marriage of Miss Custis, to which we have previously referred, was the occasion of a briUiant assemblage, he briefly records it as follows: At Mount Vernon, February 22nd. The Reverend Mr. (Thomas) Davis & Mr. Geo. Calvert came to dinner & Miss Custis was married about candle Ught to Mr. Lawrence Lewis. In those days the change from the old to the new calender had not been generally adopted. Thus we find the celebration referred to above held in Alexandria on the nth, while Miss Custis' marriage, also intended to be on his birthday, took place on the 22nd. Other entries Ukewise show that he was frequently away, but while most of his trips abroad were of a business nature, he was by no means a social recluse. On the 29th of April we find him survey- ing his lands on Four Mile Run and on the i6th of May he attends the races in Alexandria. On May 31 he is in the federal city where he stays until June 2, attending church in Alexandria on his way home, and on July 4 he diversifies the scene by participating in a celebration of the Declaration of Independence at Kent's Tavern in Alexandria, and so the time goes on. In September he received news of the death of his brother Charles, and in a letter to Colonel Burgess Ball he says : I was the first and now the last of my father's children by the second marriage, who remain. When I shall be called upon to follow them is known only to the Giver of Life. When the summons comes I shall endeavor to obey it with a good grace. In November, about a month before he died, he visited Alexandria on business and, with a number of friends, dined at Gadsby's Tavern, now the City Hotel. During the repast, it was suggested that a new company of militia, called the " Independent Blues, " commanded by Captain Piercy, an oflScer of the revolution and a friend of the *This Ball was held in City Hotel, see opposite page 55. 1 86 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. General, should parade for his inspection. The General, in company with Colonel Fitzgerald (a former aide in the revolution). Dr. Craik, Mr. Keith, Mr. Herbert and several other gentlemen, took his stand on the steps of the hotel, fronting the public square on Royal Street. The troops went through many evolutions with great spirit, and concluded by firing several volleys. When the parade was ended, the General sent his congratulations to Captain Piercy, by George Washington Parke Custis, his adopted son. This was the last mili- tary order issued in person by the "Father of his Countr}-," and it was from the steps of the building in which, when but twenty-three years old, he had received his commission as colonel of the Virginia Mihtia, and where, two years later, he made his headquarters when commissioned a major on Braddock's staff. It was in this hotel also that the assembhes or balls, under the auspices of the "Washington Society of Alexandria," were held during the winter months, and the following letter, dated a few days after he held the review, addressed to the Committee on Arrangements for these assemblies, is among the last letters Washington ever wrote. The original of this letter, now in possession of Alexandria- Washington Lodge of Masons, is a priceless heirloom : MoxmT Vernon, izth November, lygg. Gentlemen : Mrs. Washington and myself have been honored with your polite invitation to the Assemblies in Alexandria, this winter, and thank you for this mark of your attention. But alas ! our dancing days are no more. We wish, however, all those whose relish for so agreeable and innocent an amusement, all the pleasure the season will afford them. And I am, Gentlemen, Your most obedient and obliged servant. Go. Washington. Jonathan Swift, George Deneale, William Newton, Robert Young, Charles Alexander, James H. Hooe. On the 17th of the same month, he attended church for the last time. "Went to (Christ) Church in Alexandria & dined with Mr. Fitzhugh." On the 7th of December he made his last social call and dined with Lord Bryan Fairfax at Mount Eagle.* Four days later he notes, in his daily record : December nth, 1799: But little wind and rain — mercmy 44in the morning and 38 at night. About nine o'clock wind shifted to the north-west and it ceased *See opposite page 39. Managers. LAST DAYS AND DEATH OF WASHINGTON. 1 87 raining but continued cloudy — Lord Fairfax, his son, Thomas, and daughter — Mrs. Warner Washington and son Whiting and Mr. John Herbert dined here and returned after dinner. These were apparently his last visitors, and two days after this entry, on the 13th, he makes another entry: Morning snowing and about three inches deep — wind at north-east and mercury at 30 continuing snowing till one o'clock — and about four it became perfectly clear — wind in the same place but not hard — mercury 28 at night. These were the last lines from the fertile pen of Washington. The curtain was about to fall around the greatest figure in history, whose Hfe, made up of heroic actions, noble impulses and devotion to duty, is one to which America can point without fear of truthful contradiction as representing the highest ideal of human perfection. Firm and strong in the resolve to act in all things as his conscience told him was right as it respected his God, his country and himself, he knew no divided fidelity, no separate obligation; his most sacred duty to himself was his highest duty to his country and his God. Irving says : The character of Washington may want some of those poetical elements, which dazzle and delight the multitude, but it possessed fewer inequalities and a rarer union of virtues than perhaps ever fell to the lot of one man. Prudence, firmness, sagacity, moderation, an overruling judgment, an immovable justice, courage that never faltered, patience that never wearied, truth that disdained all artifice, mag- nanimity without alloy. It seems as if Providence had endowed him in a pre- eminent degree with the qualities requisite to fit him for the high destiny he was called upon to fulfil — to conduct a momentous revolution which was to form an era in the history of the world, and to inaugurate a new and untried government, which, to use his own words, was to lay the foundation "for the enjoyment of much purer civil hberty, and greater pubhc happiness, than have hitherto been the portion of mankind." The fame of Washington stands apart from every other in history, shining with a truer luster and a more benignant glory. With us his memory remains a national property, where all sympathies throughout our widely extended and diversified empire meet in unison. Under all dissensions and amid all the storms of party, his precepts and example speak to us from the grave with a paternal appeal ; and his name — by all revered — forms a imiversal tie of brotherhood, a watch- word of our Union. An eminent British statesman (Lord Brougham) writes : 1 88 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON It will be the duty of the historian and the sage of all nations to let no occasion pass of commemorating this illustrious man, and until time shall be no more, will a test of the progress which our race has made in wisdom and virtue, be derived from the veneration paid to the immortal name of Washington. As no Other account of the last illness and death of Washington is likely to be as correct as that prepared by an eyewitness, we submit herewith the sworn statement of his private secretary, Mr. Lear, attested in part by Dr. Craik : LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH OF WASHINGTON Mount Vernon, Saturday, December 14th, ijgg. This day being marked by an event, which will be memorable in the history of America and perhaps of the world, I shall give a particular statement of it, to which I was an eyewitness. On Thursday, December 12th, the General rode out to his farms about ten o'clock, and did not return home till past three. Soon after he went out, the weather became very bad, rain, hail, snow falling alternately, with a cold wind. When he came in, I carried some letters to him to frank, intending to send them to the postofEce in the evening. He franked the letters, but said the weather was too bad to send a servant to the office that evening. I observed to him, that I was afraid he had got wet. He said. No, his great-coat had kept him dry. But his neck appeared to be wet, and the snow was hanging upon his hair. He came to dinner (which had been waiting for him) without changing his dress. In the evening he appeared as well as usual. A heavy fall of snow took place on Friday, which prevented the General from riding out as usual. He had taken cold, undoubtedly from being so much exposed the day before, and complained of a sore throat. He, however, went out in the afternoon into the ground between the house and the river to mark some trees, which were to be cut down in the improvement of that spot. He had a hoarseness, which increased in the evening; but he made light of it. In the evening the papers were brought from the post-office and he sat in the parlor with Mrs. Washington and myself reading them, till about nine o'clock, when Mrs. Washington went into Mrs. Lewis's room, who was confined, and left the General and myself reading the papers. He was very cheerful, and when he met with anything interesting or entertaining he read it aloud as well as his hoarseness would permit. He requested me to read to him the Debates of the Virginia Assembly, on the election of a Senator and Governor; and, on hearing Mr. Madison's observations respecting Mr. Mom-oe, he appeared much affected and spoke with some degree of asperity on the subject, which I endeavored to moderate, as I always did on such occasions. On his retiring I observed to him, that he had better take something to remove his cold. He answered, " No, you know I never take anything for a cold. Let it go as it came." Between two and three o'clock, on Saturday morning, he awoke Mrs. Washing- ton, and told her that he was very unwell, and he had had an ague. She observ'ed Dr JAME5 CRAIK Dr. ELISHA C.DICK. Dr. GU5TAVU5 BROWN TOBFAS LEAR \VA>HI.\GT(i\>. l'HVSICI.-\.\> AM) I'KIVATE SHCKETARV. LAST DAYS AND DEATH OF WASHINGTON. 189 that he could scarcely speak, and breathed with difficulty, and would have got up to call a servant. But he would not permit her, lest she should take a cold. As soon as the day appeared, the woman (Caroline) went into the room to make a fire and Mrs. Washington sent her immediately to call me. I got up, put on my clothes as quickly as possible, and went to his chamber. Mrs. Washington was then up, and related to me his being ill as before stated. I found the General breathing with difficulty, and hardly able to utter a word intelligibly. He desired Mr. Rawlins (one of the overseers) might be sent for to bleed him before the doctor could arrive. I despatched a servant instantly for Rawlins, and another for Dr. Craik, and returned again to the General's chamber, where I found him in the same situation as I had left him. A mixture of molasses, vinegar, and butter was prepared to try its effects in the throat; but he could not swallow a drop. Whenever he attempted it, he appeared to be distressed, convulsed, and almost suffocated. Rawlins came in soon after sunrise, and prepared to bleed him. When the arm was ready, the General observed that Rawlins appeared to be agitated, said, as well as he could speak, " Don't be afraid." And when the incision was made, he observed, "The orifice is not large enough." However, the blood ran pretty freely. Mrs. Washington, not knowing whether bleeding was proper or not in the General's situation, begged that much might not be taken from him, lest it should be injurious, and desired me to stop it; but, when I was about to untie the string, the General put up his hand to prevent it, and, as soon as he could speak, he said, " More, more." Mrs. Washington being still very uneasy, lest too much blood should be taken, it was stopped after taking about half a pint. Finding that no relief was obtained from bleeding, and that nothing would go down the throat, I proposed bathing it externally with sal volatile, which was done, and in the operation, which was with the hand, and in the gentlest manner, he observed, "It is very sore." A piece of flannel dipped in sal volatile was put around his neck, and his feet bathed in warm water, but without affording any rehef . In the meantime, before Dr. Craik arrived, Mrs. Washington desired me to send for Dr. Brown of Port Tobacco, whom Dr. Craik had recommended to be called, if any case should ever occur, that was seriously alarming. I despatched a messenger immediately for Dr. Brown, between eight and nine o'clock. Dr. Craik came in soon after, and, upon examining the General, he put a blister of cantharides on the throat, took some more blood from him, and had a gargle of vinegar and sage tea prepared; and ordered some vinegar and hot water for him to inhale the steam of it, which he did; but in attempting to use the gargle he was almost suffocated. When the gargle came from the throat, some phlegm followed, and he attempted to cough, which the doctor encouraged him to do as much as possible ; but he could only attempt it. About eleven o'clock Dr. Craik requested that Dr. Dick might be sent for, as he feared Dr. Brown would not come in time. A messenger was accordingly despatched for him. About this time the General was bled again. No effect, however, was produced by it, and he remained in the same state, unable to swallow any thing. Dr. Dick came about three o'clock and Dr. Brown arrived soon after. Upon Dr. Dick's seeing the General, and consulting a few minutes with Dr. Craik, he I90 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. was bled again. The blood came very slow, was thick, and did not produce any symptoms of fainting. Dr. Brown came into the chamber soon after, and upon feehng the General's pulse, the physicians went out together. Dr. Craik returned soon after. The General could now swallow a little. Calomel and tartar were administered, but without any effect. About half past four o'clock he desired me to call Mrs. Washington to his bedside, when he requested her to go down into his room, and take from his desk two wills, which she would find there, and bring them to him, which she did. Upon looking at them he gave her one, which he observed was useless, as being superseded by the other, and desired her to bum it, which she did, and took the other and put it into her closet. After this was done, I returned to his bedside and took his hand, He said to me: "I find I am going. My breath cannot last long. I believed from the first, that the disorder would prove fatal. Do you arrange and record all my late military letters and papers. Arrange my accoimts and settle my books as you know more about them than any one else, and let Mr. Rawlins finish recording my other letters, which he had begun." I told him this should be done. He then asked, if I recollected anything which it was essential for him to do, as he had but a very short time to continue with us. I told him, that I could recollect nothing but that I hoped he was not so near his end. He observed, smiling, that he cer- tainly was, and that, as it was the debt which we must all pay, he looked to the event with perfect resignation. In the course of the afternoon he appeared to be in great pain and distress, from the difficulty of breathing, and frequently changed his posture in the bed. On these occasions I lay upon the bed and endeavoured to raise him and turn him with as much ease as possible. He appeared penetrated with gratitude for my attentions, and often said, "I am afraid I shall fatigue you too much;" and upon my assuring him, that I could feel nothing but a wish to give him ease, he replied, "Well, it is a debt we must pay to each other, and I hope when you want aid of this kind, you will find it." He asked when Mr. Lewis and Washington Custis would return. (They were then in New Kent.) I told him about the 20th of the month. About five o'clock Dr. Craik came again into the room, and, upon going to the bedside the General said to him; "Doctor, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go. I believed, from my first attack, that I should not survive it. My breath cannot last long." The doctor pressed his hand, but could not utter a word. He retired from the bedside, and sat by the fire absorbed in grief. Between five and six o'clock Dr. Dick and Dr. Brown came into the room, and with Dr. Craik went to the bed, when Dr. Craik asked him if he could sit up in the bed. He held out his hand, and I raised him up. He then said to the physicians: "I feel myself going; I thank you for your attentions; but I pray you to take no more trouble about me. Let me go off quietly. I carmot last long." They found that all which had been done was without effect. He lay down again, and all retired except Dr. Craik. He continued in the same situation, uneasy and restless, but without complaining, frequently asking what hoiu- it was. When I helped him to move at this time, he did not speak, but looked at me with strong expressions of gratitude. Q 2 O o 2 <3 O w is 2 O o LAST DAYS AND DEATH OF WASHINGTON. I91 About eight o'clock the physicians came again into the room, and applied blisters and cataplasms of wheat bran to his legs and feet, after which they went out, except Dr. Craik, without a ray of hope. I went out about this time, and wrote a Une to Mr. Law and Mr. Peter, requesting them to come with their wives (Mrs. Washington's granddaughters) as soon as possible to Mount Vernon. About ten o'clock he made several attempts to speak to me before he could effect it. At length he said, "I am just going. Have me decently biu-ied; and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am dead." I bowed assent, for I could not speak. He then looked at me again and said, "Do you understand me?" I replied, "Yes." "'Tis well," said he. About ten minutes before he expired (which was between ten and eleven o'clock) , his breathing became easier. He lay quietly ; he withdrew his hand from mine, and felt his own pulse. I saw his countenance change. I spoke to Dr. Craik, who sat by the fire. He came to the bedside. The General's hand fell from his wrist. I took it in mine, and pressed it to my bosom. Dr. Craik put his hands over his eyes, and he expired without a struggle or a sigh. While we were fixed in silent grief, Mrs. Washington, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, asked with a firm and collected voice, " Is he gone?" I could not speak, but held up my hand as a signal, that he was no more. "'Tis well," said she, in the same voice, "all is now over; I shall soon follow him; I have no more trials to pass through." OCCURRENCES NOT NOTED IN THE PRECEDING NARRATIVE The General's servant, Christopher, was in the room during the day; and in the afternoon the General directed him to sit down, as he had been standing almost the whole day. He did so. About eight o'clock in the morning, he expressed a desire to get up. His clothes were put on, and he was led to a chair by the fire. He foimd no relief from that position, and lay down again about ten o'clock. About five in the afternoon, he was helped up again, and, after sitting about half an hoiu", he desired to be undressed and put in bed, which was done. During his whole illness he spoke but seldom, and with great difficulty and distress; and in so low and broken a voice, as at times hardly to be understood. His patience, fortitude, and resignation never forsook him for a moment. In all his distress he uttered not a sigh nor a complaint; always endeavoring from a sense of duty as it appeared, to take what was offered him, and to do as he was desired by the physicians. At the time of his decease. Dr. Craik and myself were in the situation before- mentioned. Mrs. Washington was sitting near the foot of the bed. Christopher was standing near the bedside. Caroline,* Molly, and Charlotte were in the room, standing near the door. Mrs. Forbes, the housekeeper, was frequently in the room during the day and evening. As soon as Dr. Craik could speak, after the distressing scene was closed, he desired one of the servants to ask the gentlemen below to come upstairs. When they came to the bedside, I kissed the cold hand, which I had held to my bosom, laid it down, and went to the other end of the room, where I was for some time lost *Caro!ine Brennon. 192 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. ' in profound grief, until aroused by Christopher desiring me to take care of the General's keys, and other things, which were taken out of his pockets, and which Mrs. Washington directed him to give to me. I wrapped them in the General's handkerchief, and took them to my room. About twelve o'clock the corpse was brought downstairs, and laid out in the large room.* Sunday, December 15th. Mrs. Washington sent for me in the morning, and desired that I would send up to Alexandria and have a coffin made, which I did. Mrs. Stuart was sent for in the morning. About ten o'clock Mr. Thomas Peter came down; and about two, Mr. and Mrs. Law, to whom I had written on Saturday evening. Dr. Thornton came down with Mr. Law. Dr. Craik stayed all day and night. In the evening I consulted with Mr. Law, Mr. Peter, and Dr. Craik on fixing a day for depositing the body in the vault. I wished the ceremony to be postponed till the last of the week, to give time to some of the General's relations to be here; but Dr. Craik and Dr. Thornton gave it decidedly as their opinion, that considering the disorder of which the General died, being of an inflammatory nature, it would not be proper to keep the body so long, and therefore Wednesday was fixed upon for the funeral. Monday, December i6th. I directed the people to open the family vault, clear away the rubbish about it, and make everything decent; ordered a door to be made to the vault, instead of closing it again with brick, as had been the custom. Engaged Mr. Inglis and Mr. Muim to have a mahogany coffin made, lined with lead. Dr. Craik, Mr. Peter, and Dr. Thornton left us after breakfast. Mrs. Stuart and her daughters came in the afternoon. Mr. Anderson went to Alexandria to get a number of things preparatory for the funeral. Moiuning was ordered for the family, domestics, and overseers. Having received information from Alexandria, that the militia, freemasons, &c, were determined to show their respect for the General's memory, by attending his body to the grave, I directed provision to be prepared for a large number of people, as some refreshment would be expected by them. Mr. Robert Hamilton wrote to me a letter, informing me that a schooner of his would be off Mount Vernon to fire minute guns, while the body was carrying to the grave. I gave notice of the time fixed for the funeral to the following persons by Mrs. Washington's desire: namely, Mr. Mason and family, Mr. Peake and family, Mr. Nickols and family, Mr. McCarty and family, Miss McCarty, Mr. and Mrs. McClanahan, Lord Fairfax and family, Mr. Triplet and family, Mr. Anderson and family, Mr. Diggs, Mr. Cockburn and family, Mr. Massey and family, and Mr. R. West. Wrote also the Rev. Mr. Davis to read the service. Tuesday, December 17th. Every preparation for the mournful ceremony was making. Mr. Stewart, adjutant of the Alexandria regiment, came to view the ground for the procession. About one o'clock the coffin was brought from Alexan- dria. Mr. Grater accompanied it with a shroud. The body was laid in the coffin. *The following certificate in the handwriting of Doctor Craik is appended to the above portion of Mr. Lear's narrative. "Sunday, December 15th. The foregoing statement, so far as I can recollect, is correct. Jas. Craik." OLD AND NEW TOMBS AT MOUNT VERNON. LAST DAYS AND DEATH OP WASHINGTON. 1 93 The mahogany coffin was lined with lead, soldered at the joints, with a cover of lead to be soldered on after the body should be in the vault. The coffin was put into a case, lined and covered with black cloth. Wednesday, December i8th. About eleven o'clock numbers of people began to assemble to attend the funeral, which was intended to have been at twelve o'clock; but, as a great part of the troops expected could not get down in time, it did not take place till three. Eleven pieces of artillery were brought from Alexandria; and a schooner belonging to Mr. R. Hamilton, came down and lay off Mount Vernon to fire minute guns. About three o'clock the procession began to move. The arrangements of the procession were made by Colonels Little, Simms, Deneale, and Dr. Dick. The pall-holders were Colonels Little, Payne, Gilpin, Ramsey, and Marsteller. Colonel Blackburn preceded the corpse. Colonel Deneale marched with the military. The procession moved out through the gate at the left wing of the house, and proceeded round in front of the lawn, and down to the vault on the right wing of the house. The procession as follows : The Troops, horse and foot. The Clergy, namely, the Reverend Messrs. Davis, Muir, Maffitt, and Addison. The General's horse, with his saddle, holsters, and pistols, led by two grooms, Cyrus and Wilson, in black. The body, borne by the Freemasons and Officers. Principal Mourners, namely, Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Law, Misses Nancy and Sally Stuart, Miss Fairfax and Miss Dennison, Mr. Law and Mr. Peter, Mr. Lear and Dr. Craik, Lord Fairfax and Ferdinando Fairfax. Lodge No. 22, Corporation of Alexandria. All other persons; preceded by Mr. Anderson and the Overseers. When the body arrived at the vault, the Rev. Mr. Davis read the service, and pronounced a short address. The Masons performed their ceremonies, and the body was deposited in the vault. After the ceremony, the company retimied to the house, where they took some refreshment, and retired in good order. Whatever was the direct cause of General Washington's death, there can be little doubt that excessive bleeding reduced him to a low- state and very much aggravated his disease. According to Mr. Lear, the lancet was applied three times, and other authorities inform us that thirty-two ounces of the life-giving fluid was taken from the General in the last application. 194 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. The subjoined letter, written by Doctor Brown only a few days after the death of the General, shows that the vile practice of bleeding an enfeebled patient was a subject of criticism even in that day, and that the most advanced thinkers in the medical profession were beginning to seriously doubt the wisdom of such treatment: DR. BROWN TO DR. CRAIK-JANUARY 2ND, 1800 I have lately met Dr. Dick again in consultation, and the high opinion I formed of him when we were in conference at Alo'int Vernon last month, concerning the situation of our illustrious friend, has been confirmed. You remember how, by his clear reasoning and evident knowledge of the causes of certain symptoms after the examination of the General, he assined us that it was not really quinsey, which we supposed it to be, but a violent inflammation of the membranes of the throat, which it had almost closed, and which if not immediately arrested would result in death. You must remember he was averse to bleeding the General, and I have often thought that if we had acted according to his suggestion when he said "he needs all his strength — bleeding will diminish it," and taken no more blood from him, our good friend might have been alive now. But we were governed by the best hght we had; we thought we were right, and so we were justified. Dr. Gustavb R. Brown. AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON AND FAMILY Augustine Washington, son of Lawrence, the son of John the Immigrant, was twice married, first April 20, 17 15, to Jane Butler, daughter of Colonel Caleb Butler of Westmoreland, Virginia, by whom he had four children : First, Butler, born at Wakefield, Westmoreland County, Virginia, 17 16, died young. Second, Lawrence, bom at Wakefield, Westmoreland County, Virginia, 1718, married Anne Fairfax, July 19, 1743, died at Mount Vernon July 26, 1752; buried at Mount Vernon. Third, Augustine, born at Wakefield, Westmoreland County, Virginia, 1720; married Ann Aylett in 1743; died at Wakefield, 1760; buried at Wakefield. Fourth, Jane, bom at Wakefield, Westmoreland County, Virginia, 1722; died January 17, 1735. Jane Butler, mother of these children, died at Wakefield, November 24, 1728; buried at Wakefield: By his second wife, Mary Ball, daughter of Colonel Joseph Ball of Lancaster Coimty, Virginia, to whom he was married March 17, 1731, Augustine Washington had six children: First, George, bom at Wakefield, February 22, 1732; married the widow Custis, January 6, 1759; died at Mount Vernon, December 14, 1799. LAST DAYS AND DEATH OF WASHINGTON. 1 95 Second, Bettie, bom at Wakefield, June 20, 1733; married Colonel Fielding Lewis; died, March 31, 1797. Fielding Lewis died at Fredericksburg in 1781. Third, Samuel, bom at Wakefield, November 16, 1734; married, first Jane Champe ; second, Mildred Thornton ; third, Lucy Chapman ; fourth, Anne Aller ton ; fifth, Susanna Perrin; died at Harewood, Berkeley County (now Jefferson County), West Virginia, 17S1; buried at Harewood. Fourth, John Augustine, born at Epsewasson (now Moimt Vernon), Fairfax County, Virginia, January 13, 1736; married Hannah Bushrod; died at Bushfield, on Nomini Creek, Westmoreland County, Virginia, February, 1787, and buried at Bushfield. Fifth, Charles, bom at Epsewasson (Mount Vernon), Fairfax County, Virginia, May 2, 1738; married Mildred Thornton; died at Mordington near Charlestown (now West Virginia), in 1791. Sixth, Mildred, bom at Epsewasson (Mount Vernon), Fairfax County, Virginia, June 21, 1739; died at Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River in Stafford County, October 23, 1740. Mary Ball, second wife of Augustine, died at Fredericksbiurg, Virginia, August 25. 1789. at the age of eighty two and is buried at that place. Augustine, father of these children, born at Wakefield in 1694, died at the Ferry or Pine Grove Farm on Rappahannock River in Stafford County, opposite Fiedericksbm-g, April 12, 1743; buried at Wakefield. PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS AND TRIBUTES TO THE MEMORY OF WASHINGTON 'np'HE news of General Washington's death did not reach the seat of government until the i8th, the day of his funeral, and was at first generally discredited, but, upon confirmation by letter from Mr. Lear, Congress immediately adjourned until the next day, when John Marshall, afterwards Chief Justice of the United States and then a member of the lower body, rose, and "with deep sorrow on his countenance, in a low, pathetic tone addressed the House as follows:" The melancholy event which was yesterday announced with doubt has been rendered but too certain. Our Washington is no more! the hero, the patriot, and the sage of America; . . . the man on whom in times of danger, every eye turned and all hopes were placed . . . lives now only in his own great actions, and in the hearts of an affectionate and aiHicted people. If, sir, it had even not been usual openly to testify respect for the memory of those whom heaven has selected as its instruments for dispensing good to man, yet, such has been the uncommon worth, and such the extraordinary incidents which have marked the life of him whose loss we all deplore, that the whole American nation, impelled by the same feelings, would call, with one voice, for a public mani- festation of that sorrow which is so deep and so universal. More than any other individual, and as much as to one individual was possible, has he contributed to found this our wide spreading empire, and to give to the western world independence and freedom. Having affected the great object for which he was placed at the head of our armies, we have seen him convert the sword into the ploughshare, and sink the soldier into the citizen. When the debility of our federal system had become manifest, and the bonds which connected this vast continent were dissolving, we have seen him the chief of those patriots who formed for us a constitution which, by preserving the Union, will, I trust, substantiate and perpetuate those blessings which our revolution had promised to bestow. In obedience to the general voice of his country calling him to preside over a great people, we have seen hira once more quit the retirement he loved, and, in a season more stormy and tempestuous than war itself, with calm and wise determination, pursue the true interests of the nation, and contribute, more than any other could contribute, to the estabUshment of that system of policy which will, I trust, yet preserve our peace, our honor, and our independence. 197 198 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Ha\'ing been twice unanimously chosen the chief magistrate of a free people, we have seen him, at a time when his re-election with universal suffrage could not be doubted, afford to the world a rare instance of moderation by withdrawing from his high station to the peaceful walks of private life. However the pubUc confidence may change, and the pubUc affections fluctuate with respect to others, with respect to him, they have in war and in peace, in public and in private life, been as steady as his own firm mind, and as constant as his own exalted virtues. Let us then, Mr. Speaker, pay the last tribute of respect and affection to our departed friend. Let the grand council of the nation display those sentiments which the nation feels. For this purpose I hold in my hand some resolutions which I take the Uberty of offering to the house. The resolutions,* after a preamble stating the death of General Washington, were in the following terms: Resolved, That this House will wait on the President in condolence of this mournful event; Resolved, That the speaker's chair be shrouded with black, and that the mem- bers and officers of the house wear black during the session ; Resolved, That a committee, in conjunction with one from the Senate, be appointed to consider on the most suitable manner of paying honor to the memory of the Man, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his fellow citizens; Resolved, That this House, when it adjourns, do adjourn to Monday. To the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives who waited on him, in conformity to the first resolution, the President expressed and exhibited the deepest grief and affection for "the most illustrious and beloved personage that America had ever produced." The Senate on this occasion addressed to Mr. Adams the following conimunication : 23RD OF December, 1799. Sir : The Senate of the United States respectfully take leave, sir, to express to you their deep regret for the loss their country sustains in the death of General George Washington. This event so distressing to all our fellow citizens, must be pecuHarly heavy to you who have long been associated with him in deeds of patriotism. Permit us, sir, to mingle our tears with yours. On this occasion it is manly to weep. To lose such a man, at such a crisis, is no common calamity to the world. Our country mourns a father. The Almighty disposer of human events has taken from us our greatest benefactor and ornament. It becomes us to submit with reverence to Him who "maketh darkness his pavilion." *These resolutions were prepared by General Lee, who, happening not to be in his place when the melancholy inteUigence was received and first mentioned in the house, placed them in the hands of the member who moved them. (Marshall's "Life of Washington.") CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN MARSHALL. TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 1 99 With patriotic pride, we review the Ufe of our Washington, and compare him with those of other countries who have been pre-eminent in fame. Ancient and modern times are diminished before him. Greatness and guile 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 virtues. It reproved the intemperance of their ambi- tion, and darkened the splendor of victory. The scene is closed and we are no longer anxious lest misfortune should sully his glory. He has traveled on to the end of his journey and carried with him an increasing weight of honor; he has depos- ited it safely where misfortune cannot tarnish it; where maUce cannot blast it. Favored of heaven, he departed without exhibiting the weakness of humanity; magnanimous in death, the darkness of the grave could not obscure his brightness. Such was the man whom we deplore. Thanks to God, his glory is consum- mated. Washington yet hves on earth in his spotless example — his spirit is in heaven. Let his countrymen consecrate the memory of the heroic general, the patriotic statesman, the virtuous sage : let them teach their children never to forget that the fruits of his labors and his example are their inheritance. To this address, on December 23, 1799, the President returned the following answer: Gentlemen of the Senate : I receive, with the most respectful and affectionate sentiments, in this impres- sive address, the obliging expressions of your regret for the loss our country has sustained in the death of her most esteemed, beloved, and admired citizen. In the multitude of ray thoughts and recollections on this melancholy event, you will permit me to say that I have seen him in the days of adversity, in some of the scenes of his deepest distress and most trying perplexities. I have also attended him in his highest elevation and most prosperous felicity, with uniform admiration of his wisdom, moderation and constancy. Among all our original associates in that memorable league of this continent in 1774, which first expressed the Sovereign Will of a Free Nation in America, he was the only one remaining in the general government. Although with a consti- tution more enfeebled than his, at an age when he thought it necessary to prepare for retirement, I feel myself alone, bereaved of my last brother; yet I derive a strong consolation from the unanimous disposition which appears in all ages and classes to mingle their sorrows with mine on this common calamity to the world. The life of our Washington cannot suffer by a comparison with those of other countries who have been most celebrated and exalted by fame. The attributes and decorations of royalty could only have served to ecUpse the majesty of those virtues which made him, from being a modest citizen, a more resplendent luminary. Mis- fortune, had he Uved, could hereafter have sullied his glory only with those super- ficial minds, who believing that characters and actions are marked by success alone, rarely deserve to enjoy it. Malice could never blast his honor, and envy made him a singular exception to her universal rule. For himself he had lived long enough, to life and to glory ; for his fellow citizens, if their prayers could have been answered, he woidd have been immortal; for me, his departure is at a most unfortunate 200 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. moment. Trusting, however, in the wise and righteous dominion of Providence over the passions of men, and the results of their councils and actions, as well as over their hves, nothing remains for me but humble resignation. His example is now complete; and it will teach wisdom and virtue to magis- trates, citizens, and men, not only in the present age, but in future generations, as long as our history shall be read. If a Trajan found a Pliny, a Marcus Aurehus can never want biographers, eulogists, or historians. Immediately after the receipt of Mr. Adams' letter, Congress passed the following joint resolutions: December 23RD. Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled. That a marble monument be erected by the United States at the Capitol of the city of Washington, and that the family of General Washington be requested to permit his body to be deposited under it, and that the monument be so designed as to commemorate the great events of his militar)^ and political life; and be it further Resolved, That there be a funeral procession from Congress Hall to the German Lutheran Church, in memory of General George Washington, on Thursday the 26th instant, and that an oration be prepared at the request of Congress to be delivered before both Houses that day; and that the President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, be desired to request one of the members of Congress to prepare and deliver the same ; and be it further Resolved, That it be recommended to the people of the United States, to wear crepe on their left arm, as mourning, for thirty days ; and be it further Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to direct a copy of these resolutions to be transmitted to Mrs. Washington, assming her of the pro- found respect Congress will ever bear for her person and character, of their condo- lence on the late afflicting dispensation of Providence ; and entreating her assent to the interment of the remains of General Washington in the manner expressed in the first resolution. Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to issue his proclamation, notifying to the people throughout the United States the recom- mendation contained in the third resolution. December 30TH. Resolved, That it be recommended to the people of the United States to assemble on the twenty-second day of February next, in such numbers and manner as may be convenient, publicly to testify their grief for the death of General George Wash- ington, by suitable eulogies, orations and discourses, or by pubhc prayers; and be it further Resolved, That the President be requested to issue a proclamation for the purposes of carrying the foregoing resolutions into effect. As far as these resolutions would admit of immediate execution, they were promptly carried into effect. The whole nation was wrapped in mourning and funeral orations were pronounced by the HENRY (LIGHT HORSE HARRY) LEE. TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 20I best talent throughout the country, and in foreign lands unusual trib- utes of respect were paid to the memory of America's departed hero. On receiving news of Washington's death, Napoleon, then First Consul of France, issued one of his terse, characteristic orders to the army: Washington is dead. This great man fought against tyranny, he established the liberty of his country. His memory will always be dear to the French people, as it will be to all freemen of the two worlds ; and especially to French soldiers, who, like him and the American soldiers, have combated for Uberty and equality. He also ordered that black crepe be suspended from all the stand- ards and flags throughout the republic, and a funeral oration in honor of the deceased hero was pronounced by M. de la Fontaine, at which the great Napoleon and the civil and military authorities were present. The English were equally prompt in public manifestations of respect. The flags on the fleet were placed at half mast, symbols of mourning displayed on the public buildings, and the greatest states- men in the empire paid glowing tribute to his incomparable worth. In compliance with the second resolve, "that an oration be pre- pared at the request of Congress to be delivered before both Houses," Congress, on Thursday the 26th, the day appointed, under escort of the Grand Lodge of Masons of Pennsylvania, repaired to the German Lutheran Church, where General Henry (Light-horse Harry) Lee, representative from Washington's own district in Virginia, who had been selected for the purpose, delivered his celebrated oration. It was an effort so chaste and beautiful that one of its phrases, "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his country^men, " has been deemed sufficient encomium for the epitaph of this great man. FUNERAL ORATION ON THE DEATH OF GENERAL WASHINGTON: DELIVERED AT THE REQUEST OF CONGRESS. BY MAJOR GENERAL HENRY LEE, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM VIRGINIA. In obedience to your will, I rise, your humble organ, with the hope of executing a part of the system of public mourning which you have been pleased to adopt, commemorative of the death of the most illustrious and most beloved personage this country has ever produced; and which, while it transmits to posterity your sense of the awful event, faintly represents your knowledge of the consummate excel- lence you so cordially honor. Desperate indeed is any attempt on earth to meet correspondently this dis- pensation of Heaven; for, while with pious resignation we submit to the will of an aU-gracious Providence, we can never cease lamenting, in our finite view of Omnipo- n...M THE MAN AND THE MASON. WASHINGTON THE main 2 02 " ^^^ weeps When the of men. An enu, ^^ + „f tVip human mind, ue suiy „j tViroughout the earth, and by the ^^^JJ^""^^ the affections ^^^^^/^^^^.^^^rf existing growing knowledge of our cnu ^^^^ ^^^y. ^^en ^^^'J' ^rished, world; and ^^^^ -^e^^to-gandfar-sprea^^^^^^^^^ ^ue shall be nomore, when eve y ^^^^^ ^^^_ ^^^ die not, un Will you go with tne to^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ j^dian ^actory, the ^^^^^^ ^ W^SHXKO.OK supporun^ -J^^Tand by his valor, the remans o^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ dock, and sav-g. by h s 3udgm ^^^^^^ ^^^ ,^^'/^XtsT" as elevated by the army, pressed by the conq ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^d nghts. ne ^^^^ ^^ resolving to nsk ^^ aU^^f , the command of ^^ Annie^^ J^^^^^ ^^^^^^3 unanimous voice of Congress ^^ ^^ ^ndisciplmed ^^ Jd the mvincibihty to the high grounds of Boston ^^ ^^^^_ ^^//^^'"^ 'fLong Island, yeomanry, his P-^^ ^ j:^^-^ ^^ ^"^ '"^ ^"^tnTSant ar^s. aided of love of -untxy? O shaU ;;;y^^^,,,i,g ^"STfame he ood the bulwark York Island, and New J^^^fy- ^ ^^^ in the roll of fame, ^^^ st , ^ by powerful ^^^'-^^^;^%tilJ, unchanged by change jj ^ ^^ -^^..^.g of our safety, undismayed Dy Trenton, where ^^fP f ° ^^ded ranks, you view him in t^X^n, though our thinned. -^ ^-^ ^^j ^,,er- every arm. reigned tnump ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ Tv, tatL^. fo^^ade the ap- bimself unmoved^ ,^^;Xware ^^^^^^ ^^ ly with flo-^-^^^^^^,, 3eene. His the storm raged— the uei ^j.^oUected. viewed the uem country called, unappaue , ^,^g sun cheered the Ml „icted, m he fouihf. l" '-f,::^,, Jfherd.unt,essch,e«pursuu.gh.sblo«,c country rose on the eveni, TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 203 the lawns of Princeton, what his vast soul had conceived on the shores of the Delaware. Thence to the strong grounds of IMorristown he led his small but gallant band ; and through an eventful winter, by the high efforts of his genius, whose matchless force was measurable only by the growth of difficulties, he held in check formidable hostile legions, conducted by a chief experienced in the art of war, and famed for his valor on the ever-memorable heights of Abraham, where fell Wolfe, Montcalm, and since, our much-lamented Montgomery, all covered with glory. In this fortu- nate interval, produced by his masterly conduct, our fathers, ourselves, animated by his resistless example, raUied around our coimtry's standard, and continued to follow her beloved chief through the various and trying scenes to which the destinies of our union led. Who is there that has forgotten the vales of Brandywine — the fields of German- town — or the plains of Monmouth? Ever^-where present, wants of every kind obstructing, numerous and vaUant armies encountering, himself a host, he assuaged our sufferings, limited our privations, and upheld our tottering republic. Shall I display to you the spread of fire of his soul, by rehearsing the praises of the Hero of Saratoga, and his much-loved compeer of the CaroUnas? No; our Washington wears not borrowed glory. To Gates^to Green, he gave without reserve the applause due to their eminent merit; and long may the chiefs of Saratoga and of Eutaws receive the grateful respect of a grateful people. Moving in his own orbit, he imparted heat and light to his most distant satel- lites; and combining the physical and moral force of all within his sphere, with irresistible weight he took his course, commiserating folly, disdaining vice, dismaying treason, and invigorating despondency; until the auspicious hour arrived, when, united with the intrepid forces of a potent and magnanimous ally, he brought to submission the since conqueror of India ; thus finishing his long career of military glory with a luster corresponding to his great name, and in this his last act of war, affixing the seal of fate to our nation's birth. To the horrid din of battle, sweet peace succeeded; and our virtuous Chief, mindful only of the common good, in a moment tempting personal aggrandizement, hushed the discontents of growing sedition; and, surrendering his power into the hands from which he had received it, converted his sword into a ploughshare, teaching an admiring world that to be truly great, you must be truly good. Were I to stop here, the picture would be incomplete, and the task imposed unfinished. Great as was our Washington in war, and as much as did that great- ness contribute to produce the American Republic, it is not in war alone his pre- eminence stands conspicuous. His various talents, combining all the capacities of a statesman with those of a soldier, fitted him ahke to guide the councils and the armies of our nation. Scarcely had he rested from his martial toils, while his invaluable parental advice was still sounding in our ears, when he who had been our shield and our sword, was called forth to act a less splendid but more important part. Possessing a clear and penetrating mind, a strong and sound judgment, calm- ness and temper for deliberation, with invincible firmness and perseverance in resolutions maturely formed, drawing information from all, acting from himself with incorruptible integrity and unvarying patriotism: his own superiority and 204 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. the public confidence alike marked him as the man designed by Heaven to lead in the great political as well as military events which have distinguished the era of his life. The finger of an over-ruling Providence, pointing at Washington, was neither mistaken nor unobserved; when, to reaUze the vast hopes to which our revolution had given birth, a change of poUtical system became indispensable. How novel, how grand the spectacle ! Independent states stretched over an immense territory, and known only by common difiiculty, clinging to their union as the rock of their safety, deciding by frank comparison of their relative conditions, to rear on that rock, imder the guidance of reason, a common government, through whose com- manding protection hberty and order, with their long train of blessings, should be safe to themselves, and the sure inheritance of their posterity. This arduous task devolved on citizens selected by the people, from knowledge of their wisdom and confidence in their virtue. In this august assembly of sages and of patriots, Washington of course was found; and, as if acknowledged to be most wise, where all were wise, with one voice he was declared their chief. How well he merited this rare distinction, how faithful were the labors of himself and his compatriots, the work of their hands and our union, strength and prosperity, the fruits of that work, best attest. But to have essentially aided in presenting to his country this consummation of her hopes, neither satisfied the claims of his feUow-citizens on his talents, nor those duties which the possession of those talents imposed. Heaven had not infused into his mind such an uncommon share of its ethereal spirit to remain unemployed, nor bestowed on him his genius unaccompanied with the corresponding duty of devoting it to the common good. To have framed a constitution was showing only, without reaUzing the general happiness. This great work remained to be done; and America, steadfast in her preference, with one voice summoned her beloved Washington, unpractised as he was in the duties of civil administration, to execute this last act in the completion of the national felicity. Obedient to her call, he assumed the high office with that self-distrust pecuUar to his innate modesty, the constant attendant of pre-eminent virtue. What was the burst of joy through our anxious land on this exhilarating event, is known to us all. The aged, the young, the brave, the fair, rivalled each other in demonstrations of their gratitude ; and tliis high wrought, delightful scene, was heightened in its effect by the singular contest between the zeal of the bestowers and avoidance of the receiver of the honors bestowed. Commencing his administration, what heart is not charmed with the recollection of the pure and wise principles announced by himself as the basis of his poUtical hfe! He best understood the indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the soUd rewards of public prosperity and individual felicity; watching with an equal and comprehensive eye over this great assemblage of commimities and interests, he laid the foundations of our national poUcy in the unerring, immutable principles of moraUty, based on religion, exemplifying the pre-eminence of a free government, by all the attributes which win the affections of its citizens, or command the respect of the world. "O fortunati nimium, sua si bona norint!" TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 205 Leading through the compUcated difficulties produced by previous obligations and conflicting interests, seconded by succeeding Houses of Congress, enlightened and patriotic, he surmounted all original obstruction, and brightened the path of our national feUcity. The presidential term expiring, his solicitude to exchange exaltation for humility returned with a force increased with the increase of age; and he had prepared his Farewell Address to his countrymen, proclaiming his intention, when the united interposition of all around him, enforced by the eventful prospects of the epoch, produced a further sacrifice of incUnation to duty. The election of President followed, and Washington, by the unanimous vote of the nation, was called to resume the chief Magistracy. What a wonderful fixture of confidence! Which attracts most our admiration, a people so correct or a citizen combining an assem- blage of talents forbidding rivalry, and stifling even envy itself? Such a nation ought to be happy; such a chief must be forever revered! War, long menaced by the Indian tribes, now broke out ; and the terrible con- flict, deluging Europe with blood, began to shed its baneful influence over our happy land. To the first, outstretching his in\-incible arm, under the orders of the gallant Wayne, the American Eagle soared triumphant through distant forests. Peace followed victory, and the meUoration of the condition of the enemy followed peace. Godlike virtue, which uplifts even the subdued savage! To the second he opposed himself. New and dehcate was the conjtmcture, and great was the stake. Soon did his penetrating mind discern and seize the only course, continuing to us all the felicity enjoj-ed. He issued his proclamation of neutraUty. This index to his whole subsequent conduct was sanctioned by the approbation of both Houses of Congress, and by the approving voice of the people. To this sublime policy he invariably adhered, unmoved by foreign intrusion, unshaken by domestic turbulence. "Justum et tenacem propositi virum, Non civium ardor prava jubentium, Non vultus instantis tyrauni, Mente quatit solida." Maintaining his pacific system at the expense of no duty, America, faithful to herself, and unstained in her honor, continued to enjoy the delights of peace, while afflicted Europe mourns in every quarter under the accumulated miseries of an unexampled war; miseries in which our happy country must have shared, had not our pre-eminent Washington been as firm in council as he was brave in the field. Pursuing steadfastly his course, he held safe the pubhc happiness, preventing foreign war, and quelling internal discord, till the revolving period of a third election approached, when he executed his interrupted but inextinguishable desire of return- ing to the humble walks of private life. The promulgation of his fixed resolution, stopped the anxious wishes of an affectionate people from adding a third unanimous testimonial of their unabated confidence in the man so long enthroned in their hearts. WTien before was affection like this exhibited on earth? Turn over the records of ancient Greece — review the annals of mighty Rome — examine the volumes of modem Europe — you search in vain! America and her Washington only afford the dignified exemplification. 2o6 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. The illustrious personage called by the national voice in succession to the ardu- ous office of guiding a free people, had new difficulties to encounter. The amicable effort of settling our difficulties with France, begun by Washington, and pursued by his successor in virtue as in station, proving abortive, America took measures of self-defence. No sooner was the pubUc mind roused by a prospect of danger, than every eye was turned to the friend of all, though secluded from public view and grey in the public service. The virtuous veteran, following his plough, received the unexpected summons with mingled emotions of indignation at the unmerited ill- treatment of his country, and of a determination once more to risk his all in her defence. The annunciation of these feelings, in his affecting letter to the President, accepting the command of the army, concludes his official conduct. First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of his Country- men, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere ; uniform, dignified, and commanding, his example was edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting. To his equals he was condescending; to his inferiors kind; and to the dear object of his affections exemplarily tender. Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always felt his fostering hand; the purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues. His last scene comported with the whole tenor of his Ufe. Although in extreme pain, not a sigh, not a groan escaped him ; and with undisturbed serenity he closed his well-spent life. Such was the man America has lost! Such was the man for whom our nation mourns ! Methinks I see his august image, and hear falling from his venerable hps these deep-sinking words: "Cease, Sons of America, lamenting our separation. Go on, and confirm by your wisdom the fruits of your joint councils, joint efforts, and common dangers. Reverence religion, diffuse knowledge throughout your land; patronize the arts and sciences; let liberty and order be inseparable companions; control party spirit, the bane of free government ; observe good faith to, and cultivate peace with all nations ; shut up every avenue to foreign influence; contract rather than extend national connection; rely on yourselves only — be American in thought, word and deed. Thus will you give immortality to that union which was the constant object of my terrestrial labors. Thus will you preserve, undisturbed to the latest posterity, the felicity of a people to me most dear; and thus will you supply (if my happiness is now aught to you) the only vacancy in the roimd of pure bliss high Heaven bestows." The first resolution, adopted by Congress on December 23, "that a marble monument be erected by the United States at the Capitol cf the City of Washington, etc," was only partly carried out. In her reply to President Adams' communication, requesting permission to move the body of the General, Mrs. Washington wrote: TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 207 Taught by the great example, which I have so long had before me, never to oppose my private wishes to the pubHc will, I must consent to the request made by Congress which you have the goodness to transmit to me ; and in doing this, I need not, I cannot say, what a sacrifice of individual feeling I make to a sense of pubhc duty. At this stage of the proceedings the matter rested, and no further important action w^as taken for a number of years. During Mr. Mom-oe's administration, a crypt was erected under the Capitol for the remains of both the General and his wife, but not in conformity with the designs of the resolution of 1799. In 1832 a final effort was made to carry out the provisions of the original resolve. A resolution to this effect, offered by Mr. Thomas of Louisiana, February 13 of that year, was opposed by some of the representa- tives from Virginia as contrary to the expressed wish of General Washington in his will, but was nevertheless adopted by a substantial majority, and measures were taken to carry it into effect on the 22nd of the same month, which was the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Washington. Mr. Thompson's resolution, however, applied only to the remains of the General, whereas it was shown by record that it was the distinct understanding between Mrs. Washington and President Adams that her remains should accompany those of her husband wherever the latter might lie. This reservation created the necessity of securing the consent of other parties, and on the i6th of February, on motion of Mr. Clay, the Senate proceeded to the con- sideration of the following joint resolution from the House: Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives, That the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives be hereby authorized to make application to John A. Washington, of Mount Vernon, and to George W. P. Custis, grandson of Mrs. Washington, for the remains of Martha Washington to be removed and deposited in the Capitol at Washington City, at the same time with those of her late consort, George Washington, and if leave be obtained, to take measures accordingly. This last effort to have the remains of the illustrious citizen deposited beneath the Capitol also failed, and they are yet within the area marked out for them by that great man while living, and where, among his kindred, according to the words of his will, no doubt it was his desire that they should for ever repose. The wiU of General Washington was presented in open cotul, Fairfax County, by George Steptoe Washington, Samuel Washington, and Lawrence Lewis, three of the executors named in the instrument, 2o8 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. January 20, 1800, and being proved by Charles Simms, Charles Little, and Ludwell Lee (son of Richard Henry Lee) to be in the handwriting of the testator, it was duly probated. Through the courtesy of Honorable J. B. T. Thornton, present judge of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Virginia, in which circuit Fairfax County is located, and at the county seat of which the original will is deposited, we publish for the first time (see Appendix i) a photographic copy of that interesting document. In 1853 Alfred Moss (now deceased), then clerk of the County Court of Fairfax, secured permission from the legislature of Virginia to have the will lithographed, but for some unknown cause this was never done and until now it has never been published in this manner. In July, 1 86 1, when the Confederate Army fell back from Fair- fax Court House, Mr. Moss carefully enveloped the will, endorsing thereon : The original will of Generai^ George Washington Belongs to the records of Fairfax County Court to be returned to me or any one legally authorized to receive it. (Signed) Alfred Moss, Clerk, Fairfax County Court. The will, with numerous other court records, was then carried to Richmond, Virginia, and deposited with George W. Mumford, Esq., at that time Secretary of the Commonwealth, where it remained until the summer of 1865. Mr. O. W. Hunt, who had been selected by the County Court of Fairfax to recover, if possible, the lost documents, received it from Mr. Lewis, the successor of Mr. Mumford, who stated that after the evacuation of Richmond by the Confederates the will had been found on the floor in one of the rooms of his office, among the papers lying scattered by Federal soldiers. Mr. Hunt returned the will with other records to the county. A few years ago, the services of a manuscript expert from the National Library of Congress were secured to restore, if possible, the precious manuscript in question. This was accomplished by facing and backing each sheet with transparent silk gauze and so skilfully was the work performed that the dotted lines across the writing are to the casual observer the only visible signs of the workmanship. The faded lines were strengthened, the worn and ragged paper straight- ened, the accumulation of dust and dirt removed from the paper with such perfect success that the dilapidated instrument was given the J TRIBUTES TO WASHINGTON. 209 appearance of a new document, after whicli it was carefully deposited in a steel case, safely embedded in the walls of the building and, while visible through a glass panel, is otherwise inaccessible to the public. The illustration shows the ancient building of this historic county seat as it is to-day and as it was no doubt a hundred years ago. Located in a beautiful undulating country, it has been directly asso- ciated with some of the most famous men and thrilling events in the history of our nation. It stands near the scene of the first desperate conflict in the war between the states; indeed, the first actual engage- ment on Virginia soil, in which human life was sacrificed, took place within the confines of this little village. Lined up on the court-house yard, on the first day of June, 1861, the Warrenton Rifles engaged a reconnoitering party of McDowell's army, and eight hundred feet to the right of the monument, as viewed in the illustration, Colonel John O. Marr, their gallant commander, fell. This was the prelude to the terrific struggle which followed a few weeks later at Bull Run (only a few miles away), July 21, 1861. The old court records and dust-brown parchments in the archives of the old-time court constitute a veritable storehouse of history. In a,ddition to the wills of General Washington and his wife, we find recorded there, also, the last wills and testaments of Lawrence, Bush- rod, Edward, Lund, John Augustine* and several others of the Wash- ington family, as well as that of George Mason, William and Lord Bry-an Fairfax, the Lees, the Johnstons, the McCartys and numerous others whose names have become familiar to the readers of our country's history. Among those who served the court as justices in its early history were William and George William Fairfax, George Washington, Lewis Ellzey, Charles Broadwater, John West, George Mason and Daniel McCarty, all of whom were intimate associates and neighbors of General Washington. The human side of some of our venerated patriots is suggested by the entries in the minute books and faded records. Under date of May 21, 1760, the following report of the Grand Jury is recorded, which strongly indicates the impartial justice and fidelity of the county ofiicials of that day : We present, George William Fairfax, George Washington, John Carlyle, Daniel French, Robert Bogges, Catesby Cocke, Townsend Dade, Subhill West, Gerard Alexander, Jemima Minor, William Ramsay, Benjamin Grayson, George *The last private owner of Mt. A'ernon. 2IO WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Mason, etc., for not entering their wheel carriages (for taxation) agreeable to law, as appears to us by the list delivered to the Clerk of the Court. No record is made of the penalty imposed for the offence against the Commonwealth by these fathers of our country. Dining the late Civil War the will of Mrs. Martha Washington, the inventory or appraisement of the General's estate and many other official papers were carried away, and most of these valuable docu- ments have never been recovered. The original manuscript will of Mrs. Washington is said to be in possession of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, while the inventory referred to is owned by Mr. Wm. K. Bixby of St. Louis, who kindly permitted the writer to copy it for this work. We understand that prelimi- nary steps have been recently taken by the court officials of Fair- fax County to recover the will, if possible, and restore it to its former place among the records where it belongs. ' O w < w < Q o o O < MRS. MARTHA WASHINGTON, HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN [RS. AlARTHA WASHINGTON, wife of the General, was the eldest child of Colonel John and Frances Jones Dandridge, of New Kent County, Virginia. Her parents were married July 22, 1730. The early death of her mother placed Martha at the head of her father's household when but a child in years. Colonel Dandridge married a second wife, Fanny Taylor, of Henrico County, who survived her husband many years. He died in Fredericksburg, Virginia, August 21, 1756, at the age of fifty-six and is buried at that place. Mrs. Washington's stepmother was a woman of rehgious char- acter, who, by her gentle manner and amiable disposition, won and maintained the affection of her husband's children throughout her life. As late as 1773 General Washington urged Mrs. Dandridge to make Mount Vernon her permanent home, and the children of Colonel John by his first wife always referred to her as "our dear mother." Martha Dandridge is described in early youth as being small of stature, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. At the age of seventeen she married Colonel Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy young planter of her native county. The first matrimonial alliance of Martha Dandridge, like that of her second, possessed some of the elements of romance. Honorable John Custis, father of Colonel Daniel, had arranged with Colonel William Byrd of Westover for the marriage of his son to Colonel Byrd's daughter Evelyn, a celebrated colonial beauty. This, how- ever, did not meet with the approval of young Custis, who preferred to select his own matrimonial partner. Miss Byrd, tradition informs us, was also otherwise incHned, and being attached to a young English nobleman, she would not submit to her father's pre-nuptial arrange- ment. The senior Custis finally yielded to his son's desires and the marriage of Daniel Parke Custis and Martha Dandridge was solem- nized in St. Peter's Church, New Kent County, in 1749. Four children were born of this union: Frances, who died in infancy; Daniel, who also died in early childhood; and John and 212 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Martha Parke Custis, who were living at the time of their mother's marriage to Colonel Washington. The two eldest children of Mrs. Custis were first buried in Marsden cemetery, near the home of their parents. Their remains were later removed to Bruton church- yard, Williamsburg, Virginia. Young Custis and his wife maintained a winter residence in Williamsburg which was commonly known as "The House of the Six Chimneys." They were prominent in the social circles of the colonial capital and dispensed from their spacious home a liberal hospitality. Colonel Custis died in the spring of 1 757, leaving an estate of over 30,000* pounds in. currency, several large plantations, and numerous slaves to his wife and two children. He nominated her executrix of his estate and guardian of their children. Thus, at the early age of twenty-five, the future Mrs. Washington became possessed of an inde- pendent fortune in her own right. We have referred to the accidental meeting of the widow Custis and Colonel George Washington at the Chamberlain House on the Pamunkey River and will not again revert to this episode, which resulted in the second marriage of Martha Custis to the young Virginia colonel on the 6th of January, 1759. The prominent characteristics of Mrs. Washington have been so often and so fully described that a lengthy discussion of the subject would add but little to what is generally known. That she was thor- oughly domestic in her taste, delighted in the simple occupations of the housekeeper and cared nothing for fashion or display is undoubt- edly true, yet circumstances over which she had no control wove into her life as much of the tragic and dramatic which goes to make real romance as has come to any woman in the history of modern times. Not even Josephine, the consort of the great Napoleon, with her wonderful rise from mediocre station and comparative obscurity to share the throne of Italy and imperial crown of France, is more inter- esting than the varied experience of this little rustic dame from the lowlands of the Pamunkey. About three months after their marriage, Colonel Washington, with his bride and her two children, moved to Mount Vernon, and for a number of years, until the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775, she led the quiet, uneventful life of the wife of a prosperous planter. The death of her daughter, Martha, June 19, 1773, was the first *This legacy is variously given at 30,000, 35,000 and 45.000 pounds sterling. MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 213 shadow to darken the household after her second marriage, and the sad event appears to have affected General Washington as deeply as it did his wife. The young lady, just maturing into beautiful woman- hood, had been a companion in his daily trips around the farms, as Nelhe Custis was in after years, and his affection for the dehcate, dark-eyed girl was as genuine and sincere as that of an indulgent parent. On her sudden death he is said to have given way to uncon- trollable grief and to have knelt at her bedside and prayed aloud for her recovery. The ensuing letter, written by him to Mr. Bassett, husband of Mrs. Washington's sister, the day following the death of Miss Custis, shows very clearly the weight of sorrow which burdened the family on that sad occasion : Mount Vernon, 20th June, 1773. Dbar Sm: It is an easier matter to conceive, than to describe the distress of this Family ; especially that of the unhappy Parent of our Dear Patsy Custis, when I inform you that yesterday removed the Sweet Innocent Girl Entered into a more happy & peaceful abode than any she has met with in the afflicted Path she hitherto has trod. She rose from Dinner about four o'clock in better health and Spirits than she appeared to have been in for some time; soon after which, she was seized with one of her usual Fits, & expired in it, in less than two minutes without uttering a word, a groan, or scarce a sigh — This sudden, and unexpected blow, I scarce need add, has almost reduced my poor Wife to the lowest ebb of Misery; which is encreased by the absence of her son, (whom I have just fixed at the College in New York from whence I returned the 8th Inst.) and want of the balmy consolation of her Relations ; which leads me more than ever to wish she could see them, and that I was Master of Arguments powerful enough to prevail upon Mrs. Dandridge [Mrs. Washington's stepmother] to make this place her entire & absolute home. I should think as she Uves a lonesome Hfe (Betsey being married) it might suit her well, & be agreeable both to herself & my wife; to me, most assuredly, it would. I do not purpose to add more at present, the end of my writing being only to inform you of this unhappy change. The death of her daughter and the absence of her only remaining child, John, left a lonely fireside for Mrs. Washington at Mount Vernon, which was rendered particularly distressing by the enforced and frequent absence of her husband at Wilhamsburg, during the sessions of the Assembly. That was a period of extreme poUtical unrest. The storm of revolution was rapidly brewing and, the ser- vices of the very best men of all the colonies being required at the several seats of government to deal with the delicate situation, Mrs. Washington was left on these occasions almost entirely alone with the servants. 214 WASHINGTON THE) MAN AND THE MASON. Another source of considerable worry of a different nature ap- peared to distress the afflicted couple also. Young John Custis, Mrs. Washington's son, then at King's, now Columbia CoUege, New York, was not giving entire satisfaction with his studies. He had become deeply enamored of Miss Eleanor Calvert, second daughter of Benedict Calvert (a descendant of Lord Baltimore) of Mount Airy, Mar^iand, and was determined on an early marriage, which the young lady appears to have encoiuaged, and no amount of argument or influence was sufficient to persuade him to postpone the nuptials. No objection was offered to the young lady by either his mother or General Wash- ington ; his youth and the unfinished state of his education formed the basis of their opposition to an early alliance, but without effect. The parents finally consented, and young Custis married Miss Calvert on February 3, 1774. Mrs. Washington, still absorbed in grief over the loss of her daughter, could not attend the wedding, but wrote the bride as follows : My Dear Nelly: God took from Me a Daughter, when June Roses were blooming — He has now given me another daughter, about her Age when Winter winds are blowing, to warm my Heart again. I am as Happy as One so Afiiicted and so Blest can be. Pray receive my Benediction and a wish that you may long live the Lo\dng wife of my happy Son, and a Loving daughter of, Your affectionate Mother, M. Washington. Young Custis took his bride home to Mount Vernon where they resided for about two years, when they moved to Abingdon, a fine homestead on the Potomac River just above Alexandria, and adjoining what is now Arlington estate, which Mr. Custis a few years after purchased also. Mrs. Washington's spirit of self-abnegation became well known before the revolution. WTien Patrick Henry and Edmund Pendleton, colleagues of Washington in the Virginia Delegation to the First Con- tinental Congress, had spent a night at Mount Vernon and, in company with the Colonel, were leaving next morning for Philadelphia, her encouraging words to the trio of distinguished statesmen long remained a pleasing memory in the mind of IMr. Pendleton, who wrote to his wife : I was much pleased with Mrs. Washington and her spirit. She seemed ready to make any sacrifice and was cheerful, though I know she felt anxious. She talked like a Spartan mother to her son on going to battle. "I hope you will all stand firm — I know George will," she said. The dear little woman was busy from morning MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 215 until night with domestic duties, but she gave us much time in conversation and affording us entertainment. When we set off in the morning, she stood in the door and cheered us with the good words, "God be with you, gentlemen." The revolution brought to this "Uttle Spartan mother" many- heartaches and anxieties. Devoted to her husband, his personal safety and welfare were a subject of constant concern to her. She could not contentedly endure long periods of separation from him, and when the active campaigns of the summer were over, she usually joined the General at headquarters and patiently shared the privations of camp during the winter, ministering to the sick and wounded. She was particularly active in this work at Morristown and Valley Forge, and some of the letters written in reference to her relief work about this period are especially interesting. Mrs. Washington joined her husband in the New Jersey camp March 5, 1777, and Dr. Joseph Tuttle gives an amusing account of the experience of some Morristown ladies who paid the General's wife a social call soon after her arrival. "Having a natural desire to appear at their best and to do honor to the great lady, they donned their bravest attire." Mrs. Troupe, one of the party, afterwards relating her experience, says: We found her knitting and with a speckled apron on. She received us very graciously and easily, but after the compliments were over, she resumed her knit- ting. There we were without a stitch of work, and sitting in state, while General Washington's lady with her own hands was knitting stockings for herself and husband. And that was not all. In the afternoon her ladyship took occasion to say, in a way that we could not be offended at, that at this time it was very important that American ladies should be patterns of industry to their countrjTvomen, because the separation from the mother country will dry up the sources whence many of our comforts have been derived. We must become independent by our determination to do without what we cannot make ourselves. Whilst our husbands and brothers are examples of patriotism, we must be patterns of industry. Another Morristown woman, in giving an accoimt of the same visit, says: Yesterday, with several others, I visited Lady Washington at headquarters. We expected to find the wealthy wife of the great general elegantly dressed, for the time of our visit had been fixed; but, instead, she was neatly attired in a plain brown habit. Her gracious and cheerful manners delighted us all, but we felt rebuked by the plainness of her apparel and her example of persistent industry, while we were extravagantly dressed idlers, a name not very creditable in these perilous times. She seems very wise in experience, kind-hearted and winning in all 2l6 WASHINGTON THE; MAN AND THE MASON. her ways. She talked much of the sufferings of the poor soldiers, especially of the sick ones. Her heart seemed to be full of compassion for them. Mrs. Westlake, who lived near the Potts* House (Washington's headquarters) at Valley Forge, and who in her old age conversed with the historian, Mr. Lossing, said: I never in my life knew a woman so busyfrom earlymoming untU late at night as was Lady Washington, providing comforts for the sick soldiers. Every day, excepting Sunday, the wives of officers in camp, and sometimes other women, were invited to headquarters to assist her in knitting socks, patching garments and making shirts for the poor soldiers, when materials could be procured. Every fair day she might be seen, with basket in hand, and a single attendant, going among the huts seeking the keenest and most needy sufferer and giving all the comforts to them in her power. I sometimes went with her, for I was a stout girl, sixteen years old. On one occasion she went to the hut of a dying sergeant, whose young wife was with him. His case seemed to particularly touch the heart of the good lady, and after she had given him some wholesome food she had prepared with her own hands, she knelt down by his straw pallet and prayed earnestly for him and his wife with her sweet and solemn voice. I shall never forget the scene. In every walk of her life, Martha Washington measured up to the full requirements of the situation. As the wife of a soldier, she shared that soldier's troubles and was the ministering angel to the sick and distressed in the camp ; as the wife of the President of the United States, she discharged with dignity and ease the duties of " the first lady of the land," and under all conditions was the same devoted mother, amiable companion and loyal helpmate. The young French traveler, Brissot de Warville, said of the Mount Vernon household : Everjrthing has an air of simplicity in his (Washington's) house; his table is good, but not ostentatious; and no deviation is seen from regularity and domestic economy. Mrs. Washington superintends the whole, and joins to the quaUties of an excellent housewife, that simple dignity which ought to characterize a woman whose husband has acted the greatest part on the theatre of human affairs; while she possesses that amenity, and manifests that attention to strangers, which renders hospitality so charming. The death of her only remaining child, John Custis, was a severe blow to this devoted parent. Stricken with camp fever during the battle of Yorktown and while serving as an aide to General Washing- ton, he was removed to Eltham, the residence of Mrs. Washington's *Mr. Potts was the aged Quaker who, when he discovered Washington in solitary prayer, informed his wife that the colonies were sure to win as "George Washington was a God-fearing man." MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 217 sister, in New Kent County, where he died, after a short illness, on the 5th of November at the age of only twenty-seven. Young Custis, happily married, had given proof of intrinsic worth. As a member of the Virginia Legislature, to which he had been elected, he had attracted considerable attention by his active participation in public affairs and his zealous attachment to the cause of the colonies. He left, besides his widow, four small children, Ehza, Martha, Eleanor and George Washington Parke Custis, the youngest two of which (NeUie and George Washington Parke) were adopted by General Washington immediately after their father's death. These children were taken to Mount Vernon, and in the absence of Mrs. Washington at headquarters remained in care of Mrs. Lund Washington, wife of the General's manager, vmtil after the Revolu- tionary War and the permanent return of their grandparents, when the care of the two little ones devolved entirely upon General Wash- ington and his wife. It was a source of great satisfaction to the venerable couple in their dechning years, when cheered by the inno- cent mirth of these young people, to realize that their affections and labors had not been misplaced. The last sad affliction which befell ]Mrs. Washington was the death of her husband, and she could well and truthfully say, as she did in a spirit of Christian resignation, when death had robbed her of her revered companion: " 'Tis well; I have no more trials to pass through; I shall soon follow." Like that companion she was the last or nearly the last of her family. Father and mother, sisters and brothers and all her children had gone before. After the death of General Washington, the family at Mount Vernon consisted of Airs. Washington, Major Lawrence Lewis and wife, NeUie Lewis (nee Custis), their infant daughter, bom about two weeks before the General died, Tobias Lear and Albin Rawlins, the General's secretaries, and young George Washington Parke Custis. Under the provisions of General Washington's will, his widow was to enjoy the benefits of his estate during her natural life, except where specifically provided to the contrary. In consequence of this provision, no distribution of the Mount Vernon property was imme- diately made and, so far as the management of these farms were concerned, conditions were not materially changed at the home of the widow during her lifetime. Lawrence Lewis assumed active supervision of the plantations, and Air. Lear and Mr. Rawhns con- 2l8 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. tinued their work of copying and compiling the correspondence and other papers of the General, as he had directed. As a matter of fact little is known of the last year or closing scenes of Martha Washing- ton's life. Though deeply affected by the death of her husband, with whom she had lived in perfect harmony for over forty years, she did not become a recluse or abstain from all participation in domestic affairs ; nevertheless she lived in retirement, attended no public func- tions, and quietly awaited the end. George Washington Parke Custis, in his "Recollections of Washington," states that: When the burst of grief which followed the death of the Pater Patrise had a little subsided, visits of condolence to the bereaved lady were made by the first personages of the land. The President of the United States, with many other distinguished individuals, repaired to Mount Vernon; while letters, addresses, funeral orations, and all the tokens of sorrow and respect, loaded the mails, from every quarter of the country, offering the sublime tribute of a nation's mourning for a nation's benefactor. Although the great sun of attraction had sunk in the west, still the radiance shed by his illustrious life and actions drew crowds of pilgrims to his tomb. The establishment of Mount Vernon was kept up to its former standard and the lady presided with her wonted ease and dignity of manner, at her hospitable board. She relaxed not in her attentions to her domestic concerns, performing the arduous duties of the mistress of so extensive an estabUshment although in the sixty-ninth year of her age, and evidently suffering in her spirits, from the heavy bereavement she had so lately sustained. In little more than two years from the demise of the chief, Mrs. Washington became alarmingly ill from an attack of bilious fever. From her advanced age, the sorrow that had preyed upon her spirits, and the severity of the attack, the family physicians gave but little hope of a favorable issue. The lady herself was^ perfectly aware that her hoiu^ was nigh; she assembled her grandchildren at her bedside, discoursed to them on their respective duties through Ufe, spoke of the happy influences of religion upon the affairs of this work, of the consolations they had afforded her in many trying afflictions, and of the hopes they held out of a blessed immortality, and then, surrounded by her weeping relatives, friends, and domestics, the venerable relict of Washington resigned her life into the hands of her Creator, in the seventy-first year of her age. Mrs. Washington died, after an illness of seventeen days, of a slow, debilitating fever, at twelve o'clock on Saturday, May 22, 1802, and was interred by the side of her distinguished husband in the family vault. In 1831 their remains, with several others of the Washington family, were removed on the completion of the new tomb and deposited in that receptacle. In 1837 a vestibule was erected in front of the new vaidt and MRS. MARTHA WAPHIXGTOX I.\ OLD AGE. MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 219 the remains of the General and his wife, encased in leaden cofl&ns, were deposited in separate sarcophagi made from solid blocks of Pennsylvania marble and placed side by side in this addit'on. There they rest to-day. The death of Mrs. Washington dispersed the family at Mount Vernon and precipitated a distribution under their respective wills of both her own and her husband's estate. As it may be of interest to some not familiar with the subject to know what became of the individual members of this interesting group, we will devote a line or two to each. ALBIN RAWLINS Of Albin Rawlins little can be learned. He was a native of Caroline County, Virginia, and had been selected by General Wash- ington upon the recommendation of General Spotswood as an assist- ant secretary in 1798. To him was assigned the duty of copying into manuscript volumes the General's most private correspondence. He was engaged upon this duty at the time of the General's death and appears to have faithfully performed his task. It has been the opinion of many, among them Dr. Gustavus Brown, that excessive bleeding hastened, if it did not cause, the death of General Wash- ington, and Rawlins was the first to apply the lancet, which he did at the request of the General before the arrival of the physicians. TOBIAS LEAR Tobias Lear was bom in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1760, and graduated from Harvard College in 1783. He first came to Mount Vernon about 1786 as a tutor to the Custis children. He also served for a number of years at different times in the capacity of private secretary to the General. Mr. Lear was married three times, his first wife being a New England lady, Miss Mary Long, daughter of Captain Long, also of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and a childhood acquaintance of Mr. Lear. During Washington's admini- stration as President, while acting in the capacity of private secretary to the General, Mr. Lear and his young wife lived in the Executive Mansion or president's house, in Philadelphia, as members of the Washington family. His first wife, who was very popular with the^Washingtons, died suddenly, presumably of yellow fever, July 28, 1793. 220 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. In writing of her death to his wife, Judge Iredell refers to Mrs. Leax in the following complimentary terms: We have lately had a very affecting death in this city. Mrs. Lear, the wife of the President's secretary, died on Sunday last after a short but very severe illness. She was only twenty-three and beloved and respected by all who knew her, and she and her husband had been fond of one another from infancy. He attended the funeral himself, and so did the President and Mrs. Washington. Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Jefferson, General Knox, Judge Wilson, Judge Peters, and myself were pall- bearers. Mr. Lear's second wife was the widow of George A. Washington and niece of Mrs. Washington, who will be recalled as Fanny Bassett. His second wife, whom he married in 1795, also died and he was again married to Frances Dandridge Henley, who was a grand-niece of Mrs. Washington. After the death of the General, Mr. Lear retired to his farm, "Wellington," a part of the Mount Vernon estate in which he had inherited a life interest from the General. (See illustrated map.) He was appointed, by President Jefferson, consul to negotiate the treaty of peace with the Barbadoes in 1803. He died in Wash- ington, D. C., in 1816. His third wife died in the same city in 1856. LAWRENCE LEWIS AND WIFE. NELLIE (NEE CUSTIS). General Washington in his will divided his Mount Vernon farms into three parts. The mansion and four thousand acres of land adjacent thereto he willed to his nephew. Judge Bushrod Washington, son of his brother John Augustine; the section east of Hunting creek, containing two thousand acres more or less, he bequeathed to his nephews, George Fayette and Lawrence Augustine Washington, sons of George A. Washington and Fanny Bassett; and that portion lying west of the road, running from the grist mill to the crossing at Little Hunting creek (see map of farms) containing about two thousand acres, he willed to his nephew, Lawrence Lewis and wife, Nellie. The southwestern section of the tract inherited by Mr. and Mrs. Lewis is an elevated plain, commanding a beautiful prospect of the Potomac River and the siurounding country. This highland General Washington selected as a suitable location for the future home of his adopted daughter, and in compliance with his wish or suggestion, which is contained in a letter written just before his death, Lawrence Lewis, about 1804, erected on the site selected by the General one of the most imposing residences in nortliern Virginia. To this elegant home, which they named "Woodlawn," the favored ►4 CO O w z Q 2 < O z < o w o m z' o z z < Q O MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 221 nephew and petted ward of Washington moved after the death of Airs. Washington and the dissolution of her family at Mount Vernon. Tradition informs us that the stately structure was designed by the General during the last year of his life, and while we have been unable to substantiate this time-honored rumor, it is not improbable that such was the case in view of the fact stated above and that the Lewises were among the principal residuary legatees in the wills of both the General and his wife. Woodlawn is situated about three miles inland from Alount Vernon and is a much more pretentious and imposing structure than the Mount Vernon mansion. It was occupied by the Lewises for about thirty-five years, until near 1840, and there can be little doubt that the beautiful Nellie as mistress of this splendid manor maintained her reputation as a social leader and charming hostess. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Lewis moved to Audley, an estate of the major near Berry\alle, in Clarke County, Virginia. Vacant and abandoned by its owner, Woodlawn Alansion suffered from neglect, and the once beautiful farm, the most desirable part of the Mount Vernon property, presented a sad and desolate appearance for a number of years, or from the departure of Airs. Lewis in 1840 until the early "fifties," when a colony of the Society of Friends or Quakers from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, purchasing the Lewis property and most of the Alount Vernon estate, began the laudable work of restoration. These people proved a veritable boon to the surrounding country as they soon transformed the neglected waste land into highly cultivated, valuable farms. Sober, industrious and frugal, they stamped their identity on the community not only by their industry but by examples of moral worth and rectitude. Within recent years the Woodlawn Alansion has been entirely restored and, as the accompanying illustration shows, is at present, as it was in the days of its first occupants, a strikingly beautiful home. Alajor Lawrence Lewis died at Arlington, November 20, 1839, and his remains were deposited in the vault at Alt. Vernon. His wife died at Audley, in the Shenandoah Valley, July 15, 1852. Airs. Lewis' remains were brought to Alount \'ernon and interred by the side of the tomb where rest her distinguished foster-parent, her grand- mother and her husband. A well-known writer has left us a vivid description (the substance of which he received from the grandson of Airs. Lewis) of the journey from Audley to Alount Vernon with the remains of Airs. Lewis, and 222 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. the arrival at the beloved home of her childhood and youth after the lonely funeral procession from the distant Shenandoah : To the watcher from the farmhouse and village that must have been a lonely and mournful funeral procession indeed, as it slowly wended its course down the long Virginia highway from the Shenandoah to the Potomac, the hearse contain- ing the remains of the aged grandmother, and a solitary carriage accompanying, with the two surviving grandsons, one of whom was lately living to tell of the impressive circumstances of the event. Late at night their journey was finished, and the coffined form of Nelly was placed in the parlor at Mount Vernon, where, more than fifty years before, crowned with bridal wreaths, "the fairest lady of the land," Washington himself had affectionately given her in marriage, and commended her to the protecting care of the one favored claimant of his choice, and where she had received the congratulations and blessin^js oi so many of her kinsfolk and friends. Many of the citizens of Alexandrir, and Washington and the surrounding country came to pay their tributes of fond remembrance and regard to " Nelly" as she lay in state in the "Mansion," and to see the last of "earth to earth." Down in the family burial place, just by the waters of the river on whose pleasant banks she had passed so many happy days in childhood and youth, her dust is very near to that of her kind and loving guardians. A marble monument marks her last resting place with the following inscription : SACRED to the memory of Eleanor Parke Custis, granddaughter of Mrs. Washington and adopted daughter of General George Washington. Reared under the roof of the Father of his Country, this lady was not more remark- able for the beauty of her person than for the superiority of her mind. She lived to be admired, and died to be regretted, July 15, 1852, in the seventy-fourth year of her age. Another handsome monument in the same iron enclosure marks the resting place of her daughter, Eleanor Angela Conrad. (Our illustration shows Mr. and Mrs. Lewis in old age, with their only son, Lorenzo.) GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKE CUSTIS AND ARLINGTON. On the 25th day of December, 1778, John Parke Custis, son of Mrs. Martha Washington, purchased from Gerard Alexander eleven hundred acres of land for the sum of eleven hundred poimds Virginia currency. This property, situated near the head of tidewater on the Potomac River directly opposite the present city of Washington, adjoined Mr. Custis' home farm, "Abingdon," on the west. Like Woodlawn estate, the western portion of this property consists of a high ridge or tableland around which the broad, beauti- ful Potomac winds its way through verdant fields and bordering bluffs, creating a diversified pastoral scene of entrancing beauty. LAWRE.XCE LEWIS AXD WIFE, XELLIE "CUSTIS" LEWIS, IN OLD AGE, AXD THEIR ONLY SOX. MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 223 Nature endowed the spot with special charm, while the genius of man has enriched and embellished the dazzUng panorama by erecting the incomparable home of the nation almost within the evening shadows of its stately oaks. In the division of John Custis' estate the eleven hundred acres of land purchased from Alexander fell to his son, George Washington Parke Custis, the younger of the two children adopted by General Washington. After the death of his grandmother, Mrs. Washington, young Custis made his home with his sister Nellie until his marriage in 1804 to Miss Mary Lee Fitzhugh, daughter of William Fitzhugh of Chatham, a fine old estate in Stafford County, opposite Fredericks- burg, Virginia (still standing) . About two years before his marriage and probably in contempla- tion of that event, selecting the most conspicuous point on the brow of the high ground referred to as a suitable location, Mr. Custis began the erection of his palatial residence, which he christened "Arlington House ' ' and which has since become world famous as the abode of the renowned southern chieftain, Robert E. Lee, and the sacred Valhalla of America. The life of George Washington Parke Custis, founder of ArUngton, the adopted son of George Washington and the grandson of Martha, his wife, was replete with thrilling interest. Reared under the roof of Mount Vernon mansion, he enjoyed not only the salutary advice of his distinguished foster-father, but in addition thereto the superior advantage of the cultured society and companionship of the most distinguished men and women of the country. Educated in the best schools of his day and along the most practical lines, he developed in early Ufe a talent for literature and in later years became noted as an orator of considerable force. His "Recollections of Washington," written at different periods of his Ufe and published in numerous magazines at the time, was subsequently compiled under the supervision of his daughter, Mrs. Robert E. Lee. While somewhat ornate, it is intensely interesting and instructive, as it carries the reader into the inner circle of the sanctum at Mount Vernon and vividly portrays the domestic life in the home of Washington. On January lo, 1799, young Custis, though only nineteen years of age, was appointed by President Adams comet in the United States army and afterwards, when the country was threatened with a war with France, was promoted to the position of aide-de-camp to 2 24 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. General Charles Cotesworthy Pinckney of South CaroUna with the rank of colonel. Owing to the early settlement of the French diffi- culty, young Custis was never called into active service but continued the peaceful life of a planter, occasionally contributing to contem- porary periodicals his much sought recollections and reviews. Mr. Custis died on the loth of October, 1857, after an illness of only four days, and on the 12th, with military honors, his remains were laid by the side of his wife (who had died in 1S53) in the quiet groves near the stately home he had reared in early manliood and in which he had spent over half a century in his favorite rural occupations, diversified by an occasional literary production. By his will bearing date March 20, 1855, he devised the Arlington House estate to his daughter and only surviving child, Mary Ann Randolph Lee, during her natural life, and on her death to his eldest grandson George Washington Custis Lee, to him and his heirs forever, with the plate and paintings* therein. Robert E. Lee, the famous son of the famous Light Horse Harry of revolutionary fame, and the grandson of the traditional "lowland beauty," Lucy Gr^-mes, was married to Mary Ann Randolph Custis, June 30, 1 83 1, at Arlington House. The ceremony was performed by the Reverend Reuel Keith, a professor in the Episcopal Theo- logical Seminary near Alexandria, Virginia, and once pastor of Christ Church in that city, in which sacred edifice Colonel Lee was con- firmed in 1853 by the venerable Bishop Ivleade. The place of his confirmation stood only a few hundred feet from the old school- house where, in early youth, he had been prepared for West Point by the worthy old Quaker pedagogue, Benjamin Halowell. It was fitting that the name of Custis should merge into that of the family so closely associated and connected with the name of Washington, and especially gratifying that the great granddaughter of Martha Washington, the last of the honored name of her paternal ancestors, should be joined in wedlock to the noblest scion of this knightly race. Beautiful old Arlington was in all her glory on the night of their marriage. The stately mansion never held a happier assemblage. Its broad portico and widespread wings held out open arms, as it *The following illustrations in this work are from that collection: Nellie Custis, a bride, and in childhood ;G.W. P. Custis, in old age and in youth; Martha and Daniel Parke Custis; Washing- ton, aged forty; Light Horse Harry Lee; John Custis and Martha Parke Custis. These, with the exception of General Henry Lee, were formerly at Mount Vernon. The picture of Colonel Robert B. Lee and wife are from the same collection but were painted about 1832. f i\:S .-^^' GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKE CUSTIS IN OLD AGE. MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 225 were, to welcome the coming guest. Its simple Doric columns graced domestic comfort with a classic air. Its halls and chambers were adorned with the patriots and heroes and with illustrations and relics of the great revolution and of the "Father of his Country." With- out and within, history and tradition seemed to breathe their legends upon a canvas as soft as a dream of peace. The beginning of the Civil War in 1861 brought serious trouble upon this happy home. General Lee was then a colonel in the United States army with a record of thirty-two years of honorable service, and it was at Arlington that the momentous question of following the Union he loved or the state of his nativity confronted him. It was there also that he made his final decision and from there on the 2oth of April, 1861, he wrote that now memorable letter to his old commander, General Scott, as follows : Arlington, Va., April 20th, 186 1. LiEut.-Generai, WnsTFiELD Scott, Commanding United States Army. Gener.'vl: Since my interview with you on the i8th inst., I have felt that I ought not longer to retain my commission in the Army. I therefore tender my resignation, which I request you will recommend for acceptance. It would have been presented at once but for the struggle it has cost me to separate myself from a service to which I have devoted all the best years of my life and all the ability I possess. During the whole of that time, more than a quarter of a century, I have experi- enced nothing but kindness from my superiors, and the most cordial friendship from my comrades. To no one, General, have I been as much indebted as to yourself for uniform kindness and consideration; and it has always been my ardent desire to merit your approbation. I shall carry to the grave the most grateful recollections of your kind consideration, and your name and fame will always be dear to me. Save in defense of my native state, I never desire again to draw my sword. Be pleased to accept my most earnest wishes for the continuance of your happiness and prosperity, and believe me, most truly yours, R. E. LEB. A few days after writing this letter Colonel Lee with his family left Arlington House, never to return as proprietor, if ever in any capacity. On the 7th of June, 1862, the United States Congress passed an act for the collection of direct taxes in insurrectionary districts within the United States, and for other purposes, and tmder this act only the owner in person could redeem the property upon which such tax was imposed. The amount levied on the Arlington estate was ninety- two dollars and seven cents. The nature of the law prevented the 226 WASHINGTON THB MAN AND THUS MASON. redemption of the property under the circumstances and consequently Arlington, on the nth day of January, 1864, was offered for sale by the government at public auction in the city of Alexandria and bid in by the government's commissioners for the sum of twenty-six thousand eight hundred dollars. No portion of the purchase money was ever paid, as it would have been an empty form for the govern- ment to have converted the amount into its own treasury. On January 22, 1872, Mrs. Mary A. R. Lee began proceedings to recover Arlington estate by a petition to the United States Senate. Mrs. Lee died November, 1873, and her son, General George Wash- ington Custis Lee, under the will of his grandfather, became sole heir to the property and continued to press the claim, which was subse- quently referred to the Court of Claims for adjudication and, after long continued litigation, in October, 1882, the case was finally decided in the Supreme Court of the United States in favor of General Lee, who subsequently received an award of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in full of all demands. Thus terminated the interest and association of the Lees with the Arlington estate. Arlington has become one of the sacred shrines of America. For half a century the home of the grandson of Martha Washington, it is directly associated and connected with Mount Vernon and the memories that cling to that revered spot, while the name and fame of Robert E- Lee, a legacy to the southland and an honor to the human race, will gather around and glorify it to the latest posterity. Under its spreading oaks rest, side by side, those who wore the blue and those who wore the grey in that awful period of " blood and iron," symbolizing peace and a united country. As a southern man, the writer feels that any tribute he might pay to the husband of Mary Custis would in a sense be attributed to his natural partiality for the south and particularly his native state. Realizing this and appreciating the fact that no work relating to American men and institutions is worthy of consideration unless it rises above sectionalism and locality, he has preferred to submit, as an impartial analysis of the character of Robert E. Lee, the opinion of an eminent northern historian, James Ford Rhodes of Boston, Massachusetts. In reply to the writer's request for permission to make the quotation, Mr. Rhodes not only very graciously granted it, but also stated that he had written the opinion nineteen years ago and that subsequent investigation had only confirmed his early convictions. H z; z e5 w w « m o Pi J o o MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHILDREN. 227 The Confederates had an advantage in that Robert E. Lee espoused their cause; to some extent appreciated at the time, this in reality was an advantage beyond computation. Had he followed the example of Scott and Thomas, and remained in service under the old flag, in active command of the army of the Potomac, how differently might events have turned out ! Lee, now fifty-four years old, his face exhibiting the ruddy glow of health and his head without a gray hair, was physically and morally a splendid example of manhood. Able to trace his Uneage far back in the mother country, he had the best blood of Virginia in his veins. The founder of the Virginia family, who emi- grated in the time of Charles I, was a cavalier in sentiment; "Light-horse Harry" of the revolution was the father of Robert E. Lee. Drawing from a knightly race all their virtues, he had inherited none of their vices. Honest, sincere, simple magnanimous, forbearing, refined, courteous, yet dignified and proud, never lacking self-command, he was in all respects a true man. Graduating from West Point, his life had been exclusively that of a soldier, yet he had none of the soldier's bad habits. He used neither hquor nor tobacco, indulged rarely in a social glass of wine, and cared nothing for the pleasures of the table. He was a good engineer, and under General Scott had won distinction in Mexico. The work that had fallen to his lot he had performed in a systematic manner and with conscientious care. " Duty is the sublimest word in our language," he wrote to his son. Sincerely religious, Providence to him was a verity, and it may be truly said he walked with God. A serious man, he anxiously watched from his station in Texas the progress of events since Lincoln's election. Thinking "slavery as an institution a moral and political evil," having a soldier's devotion to his flag and a warm attachment to General Scott, he loved the Union, and it was especially dear to him as the fruit of the mighty labors of Washington. Although believing that the South had just grievances due to the aggression of the North, he did not think these evils great enough to resort to the remedy of revolution, and to him secession was nothing less. "Still," he wrote, in January, 1861, "a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. ... If the Union is dis- solved and the government is disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people, and, save in defence, will draw my sword on none. ' ' Summoned to Washington by his chief, Lee had arrived there a few days before the inauguration of Lincoln, and he had to make the decision, after the bombardment of Sumter and the President's call for troops, whether he should serv^e the national government or Virginia. The active command of the federal army with the suc- cession to the chief place was virtually offered to him, but, with his notiou of state rights and his allegiance to Virginia, his decision, though it cost him pain to make it, could have been no other than it was. He could not lead an army of invasion into his native state, and after the ordinance of secession had been passed by the Virginia convention he resigned his position and accepted the command of the Virginia forces. Northern men may regret that Lee did not see his duty in the same light as did two other Virginians, Scott and Thomas, but censure's voice upon the action of such a noble soul is hushed. A careful survey of his character and life must lead the 228 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. student of men and affairs to see that the course he took was, from his point of view and judged by his inexorable and pure conscience, the path of duty to which a high sense of honor called him. Could we share the thoughts of that high-minded man as he paced the broad pillared veranda of his stately Arlington house, his eyes glancing across the river at the flag of his country waving above the dome of the Capitol, and then resting on the soil of his native Virginia, we should be wilUng now to recognize in him one of the finest products of American life. For surely, as the years go on, we shall see that such a life can be judged by no partisan measure, and we shall come to look upon him as the English of our day regard Washington, whom little more than a century ago they delighted to call a rebel. Indeed in all essential characteristics Lee resembled Washington, and had the great work of his life been crowned with success or had he chosen the winning side, the world would have acknowledged that Virginia could in a century produce two men who were the embodiment of public and private virtue. The contemplation of Lee's course at the parting of the ways has another lesson for us of the North ; it should teach us to regard with the utmost charity other officers in the army and men in civil life who either did not believe in the constitu- tional right of secession or in the expediency of exercising it, yet who deemed it the path of duty to follow the fortunes of their states when they, in the parlance of the day, resumed their full sovereign powers. Woodlawn and Arlington, w^ith their tradition and their history, stand as monuments to the memory of the adopted children of George Washington, and in their association form a trinity vi^ith the home of the "Father of His Country';" fit objects for the veneration of all the people of all the states of the Union. MRS. MARTHA WASHINGTON. HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN Martha Dandridge, daughter of Colonel John and Frances Jones Dandridge, married, first Colonel Daniel Parke Custis, of New Kent County, Virginia, in 1749. Colonel Custis died in 1757, and on the 6th of January, 1759, his widow^ married a second husband, Colonel George Washington of Mount Vernon, Fairfax County, Virginia. By her first husband (Custis), Mrs. Washington had four children: Frances and Daniel Parke Custis, bom at the White House on the Pamunkey River in New Kent Coxmty, Virginia; died yoimg; biuied in Bruton churchyard, Williamsburg, Virginia. John Parke Custis, born at the White House, New Kent County, 1753; died at Eltham, home of his mother's sister, Mrs. Basset, in New Kent County, November 5, 1 78 1, buried at Eltham. Martha Parke Custis, bom at the White House, New Kent County, 1756; died at Mount Vernon, June 19, 1773; buried at Mount Vernon. r MARTHA WASHINGTON AND HER CHH^DREN. 229 John Parke Custis, son of IMrs. Martha Washington by her first husband, married Eleanor Calvert, daughter of Benedict Calvert, of Mount Airy, Maryland, February 3, 1774. Of this union there were born four children: First, Elizabeth Parke Custis, bom at Abingdon, near Alexandria, Virginia, August 21, 1776; married Mr. Thomas Law. Second, Martha Parke Custis, bom at Abingdon, December 3 ist, 1777; married Mr. Thomas Peter. Third, Eleanor (Nellie) Parke Custis, bom at Abingdon, March 21, 1779; married Major Lawrence Lewis, February 22, 1799; died at Audley, Clarke County, Virginia, July 15, 1852; buried at Mount Vernon, July 19, 1852. Her husband, Major Lewis, died at Arlington, November 20, 1839; buried in family vault at Mount Vernon, November 23, 1839. Fourth, George Washington Parke Custis, born at Mount Airy, April 30, 1781; married Mary Lee Fitzhugh in 1804; died at Arlington in 1857. His wife died at Arlington, April 23, 1853. Both buried at Arlington. George Washington Parke Custis' only surviving child, Mary, married Colonel Robert E. Lee. 2 O H O 2 1—1 W < W o 2 O o 2 S M < BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS AT MOUNT VERNON ^HE children of Mrs. Mary Washington did not remain long under the paternal roof after reaching maturity. Indeed most of them, before that time, established their residences in different sections of the Common- wealth. Her eldest son, George, was sent to Wakefield to live with his half-brother, Augustine, soon after the death of his father, afterwards moving to Mount Vernon with his elder half- brother, Lawrence. Charles and Samuel first temporarily located in Westmoreland County, but about 1768 or 1769 moved to the Valley of Virginia and settled in Berkeley (now Jefferson) County, West Virginia, where they erected two manor houses, "Harewood" and "Mordington." They soon became prominent in the public affairs of their adopted county and for a number of years were recognized as among its leading citizens. In 1786 Colonel Charles and several associates founded the city of Charlestown, which was located on his land and bears the Christian name of its founder. Colonel Samuel was vestryman in Norborne Parish, and a member of the Justice Court in 1771. He was also county lieutenant, but resigned that position to enter the revolu- tionary army. The only surviving daughter, Betty, married Colonel Fielding Lewis and resided in Fredericksburg, while John Augustine, when but eighteen years of age, about 1754, located at Mount Vernon with his brother George. During Colonel Washington's engagements in the French and Indian War, John A. acted as superintendent of the Mount Vernon farm, and the two brothers, when the Colonel was not in active service, kept "bachelor's hall" at that place. On April 14, 1756, John Augustine married Miss Hannah Bushrod, daughter of Colonel John Bushrod of Westmoreland County, and the young couple spent the first two years of their married life at their brother's farm, but later, about August, 1758, they moved to West- moreland and settled on Nomini Creek. 231 232 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Ow-ing to this condition, the Washington brothers and sister, widely separated, were not often brought in personal contact. Never- theless, the deepest affection appears to have existed between them all, and it would be mere conjecture and unfair to assert positively that the General was partial to any, as some have maintained, except for the reason given in the first clause of his will, which afifords a moral and is worthy of particular attention. It indicates the firmness and consistency of George Washington's friendship when once formed and shows how seriously he regarded even a tentative promise when once given. To my nephew, Bushrod Washington, and his heirs (partly in consideration of an intimation to his deceased father, while we were bachelors and he had kindly undertaken to superintend my estate, during my military services in the former war between Great Britain and France, that if I should fall therein Mount Vernon (then less extensive in domain than at present) should become his property) I give and bequeath all that part which is comprehended within the following limits, etc. For over forty years he had borne this promise in mind and at last had discharged his volimtary obligation to the worthy son of the companion of his youth. Judge Bushrod Washington, who inherited ]Mount Vernon man- sion and four thousand acres of land immediately surrounding it from his distinguished uncle, was the eldest son of John Augustine and Hannah Bushrod Washington and was born at Bushfield, the home of his parents on Nomini Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Jime 5, 1762. Bushrod Washington was truly one of America's obscure great men, whose intrinsic worth was fully understood and appreciated only by his intimate associates. Of a modest and retiring disposition, he cared nothing for the pomp and show of public life, and, when not engaged in ofiicial duties, sought the seclusion and quiet association of his family circle. After graduating in the classical branches at William and Mary College in 1778, he took up the study of law and, through the influence of General Washington, secured a position in the ofiice of the Honor- able James Wilson, one of Pennsylvania's most distinguished attor- neys. Here he was carefully and thoroughly prepared for his chosen profession. On completing his law coiu-se, he practised for a short while with only moderate success in his native county, which he represented in the General Assembly in 1787 and also in the convention which rati- BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 233 fied the Federal Constitution in 1788. He subsequently moved to Alexandria and, failing to acquire a satisfactory clientage in that city, transferred his residence to Richmond, Virginia, where he soon built up a lucrative practice and in time became one of the leading lawyers at the Virginia Bar. In 1785, prior to his removal from Westmoreland, Mr. Wash- ington married Miss Anne Blackburn, daughter of Colonel Thomas Blackburn of Rippon Lodge, Prince WilUam County (see illustrated map). Soon after his marriage his wife's health became impaired as the result of a shock occasioned by the sudden death of her sister under peculiarly distressing circumstances. From this she never entirely recovered and, until the day of his death. Judge Washington was unceasing in his tender and affectionate attention to his afhicted wife. So constant was he in his care for the invalid that for many years he was lovingly referred to, by ladies of his acquaintance, as a "model husband." The death of Judge Wilson in 1797 left a vacancy in the Supreme Court, and it is a curious coincidence that the man selected by Presi- dent Adams to fill the place was the former pupil of the deceased judge. Mr. Adam's first choice was John Marshall, and upon Mr. Marshall decUning to accept the appointment he immediately desig- nated Air. Washington to fiU the position formerly occupied by his legal preceptor. In writing to Mr. Pickering, Secretary of State, Mr. Adams says : General Marshall or Bushrod Washington will succeed Judge Wilson. Marshall is first in age, rank and public service, probably not second in talents. The char- acter, the merit and abilities of Mr. Washington are greatly respected, but I think General Marshall ought to be preferred. Of the three envoys (to France) the conduct of Marshall alone has been entirely satisfactory, and ought to be marked by the most decided approbation of the pubUc. He has raised the American people in their own esteem, and, if the influence of truth and justice, reason and argument, is not lost in Europe, he has raised the consideration of the United States in that quarter of the world. If Mr. Marshall should decline, I should next think of l^Ir. Washington. Mr. Marshall did decline and the President immediately com- missioned Mr. Washington (1798). The resignation of Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth in 1800 left a vacancy in that position, which IMr. Adams filled by the nomination of General Marshall ( Januar}^ 20, 1 801 ) . Thus began, almost at the same time, the judicial careers of two of the greatest, if not the two greatest American jurists, and the asso- 234 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THB MASON. ciation lasted unbroken for a period of nearly thirty years until the death of Judge Washington in 1829. Probably no act of Jolin Adams, in his long and brilliant career, redounds more to his credit or has produced more lasting benefit to his country than the appoint- ment of these two men to the Supreme Bench. David Paul Brown says of Mr. Washington that, "He was per- haps the greatest Nisi Prius Judge that the world has ever known without even excepting Chief Justice Holt or Lord Mansfield," and adds, "This appointment and that which speedily followed, the Chief Justiceship of John Marshall, were enough in themselves to secure a lasting obligation of the country to the appointing power." Another distinguished contemporary. Judge Story, says : For thirty -one years he held the important station, with a constantly increasing reputation and usefulness. Few men, indeed, have possessed higher qualifications for the office, either natural or acquired. Few men have left deeper traces, in their judicial career, of everything which a conscientious judge ought to propose for his ambition, or his virtue, or his glory. His mind was solid, rather than brilliant; sagacious and searching, rather than quick and eager; slow, but not torpid; steady, but not unyielding; comprehensive, and at the same time, cautious; patient in inquiry, forcible in conception, clear in reasoning. He was, by original temperament, mild, conciUating, and candid ; and yet, he was remarkable for an uncompromising firmness. Judge Binney, who practised in his court for twenty years and was afterwards associated with him on the Bench writes : His mind full, his elocution free, clear and accirrate, his command of all about him indisputable. ... He was eminent from the outset and in a short time became in my apprehension as accomplished nisi prius Judge as ever hved. I have never seen a judge who in this specialty equalled him. I cannot conceive a better. Judging of Lord Mansfield's great powers at Nisi Prius, by the accounts which have been transmitted to us, I do not believe that even he surpassed Judge Washington. Judge Hopkinson declares: Very few men who have been distinguished on the judgment seat of the law have possessed higher qualifications, natural and acquired, for the station than Judge Washington. ... He was wise as well as learned; sagacious and searching in his pursuit and discovery of truth and faithful to it beyond the touch of corruption or the diffidence of fear. ... He was too honest and too proud to surrender himself to the undue influence of any man, the menaces of any power or the seductions of any interest, but he was as tractable as humiUty to the force of truth, as obedient as filial duty to the voice of reason. . . . BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 235 Such encomiums from eminent sources cannot fail to impress the reader with the abihty of Bushrod Washington as a judge and with his intrinsic worth as a man and a citizen. Under the will of General Washington, Judge Bushrod came in possession of his Mount Vernon bequest immediately after the death of his aunt in 1802, but it is highly probable that he did not personally occupy the premises for some time after that date or until the com- pletion of Woodlawn, the residence of Lawrence Lewis and wife, which was then in process of erection. While the judge cherished his famous legacy above all his earthly possessions, it proved, from a financial standpoint, to be rather an encumbrance than a source of profit, as the cost of maintaining the place amounted, according to his own statement, to from five hundred to a thousand dollars a year over and above the receipts therefrom. This deficit, which was drawn from other resources, the judge never complained of, but preserved the premises with almost filial affection during his entire life. He died while attending court in Philadelphia, November 26, 1829, at the age of sixty-seven, and his wife died the day following. The shock produced by the death of her husband was too great for her delicate constitution, and in a few hours she succumbed under the death-deahng strain of her affliction. Their remains were removed to Mount Vernon and deposited in the family vault at the same time. Judge Washington, like his famous uncle, left no children. In his will, proved in Fairfax County, December 21, 1829, he devised the mansion and about twelve hundred and twenty-five acres of the land adjoining it to his nephew, John A. Washington. The rest and residue of the estate he divided between his nephews, Bushrod, George C, and Bushrod C. Washington, and his niece, Mary Lee Herbert. This John A. Washington to whom Judge Bushrod bequeathed Mount Vernon was the son of his (Bushrod 's) brother Corbin and his wife Hannah, daughter of Honorable Richard Henry Lee of Chantilly, Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was bom in 1792 and in 1814 married Jane Charlotte, daughter of Major Richard Scott Blackburn of the United States Army. At the time he came into possession of his famous legacy, he resided on an estate called "Blakely" in Jefferson County, now West Virginia. He died on June 16, 1832, aged forty-eight, and his will, dated July 8, 1830, was proved in Court in Jefferson County, July 16, 1832. John A. Washington bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, 236 WASHINGTON THB MAN AND THE MASON. Mrs. Jane C. Washington, with power to divide his property amongst their children in any way she might think proper, and in a codicil he permitted his wife to sell Mount Vernon property or any part thereof to the Congress of the United States. His widow (Mrs. Jane C), in conformity to the provisions of her husband's will, gave Mount Vernon bequest to their son, Jolin A. (September 18, 1849), during her Ufetime. Some question arising as to the validity of the title to the property acquired by her son, John A., in this manner, by advice of counsel she confirmed the deed of gift in her will. Mrs. Jane Washington,* the motherly old lady shown in the famuy group, was widely known for her gentle manner and benevo- lent spirit. She died in 1855, and her remains were the last to be interred in the family vault at Mount Vernon. Colonel John A. Washington, grand-nephew of Bushrod and the last private owner of Mount Vernon, was bom at Blakely , the residence of his father, May 3, 182 1, and in February, 1842, married Eleanor Love, daughter of Wilson Carey Seldon of Exeter, Loudoun County, Virginia. There are a number of people living in and around Alexandria who remember Colonel Washington, and who testify to his generous, noble nature. He was a true type of the old regime and, although his death occurred more than fifty years ago, his genial disposition has left an impress upon the community in which he hved, which still fingers and is fondly cherished. Mr. Washington, at the beginning of the war between the states, enfisted in the Confederate service and became an aide with the rank of colonel on the staff of General Robert E. Lee and was killed at Cheat Mountain, September 13, 1861, while conducting a reconnois- sance on the turnpike along Elk Water River, about nineteen miles northwest of Huttonsville, Randolph County (now West Virginia). It appears that General Lee was uncertain of the location of the Federal forces, and it was in an effort to obtain this information that Mr. Washington lost his life by a volley from a picket post. Colonel *The group entitled "Mrs. Jane Washing1;on and Family" is by Chapman, the celebrated artist, who painted the "Baptism of Pocahontas" in the rotmida of the Capitol. The young lady standing on the right of Mrs. Washington, holding a musical instrument, is her daughter, Anne Maria Washington, who married Dr. Wm. F. Alexander. On Mrs. Washington's left is her son, Richard Blackburn Washington; the young man standing on the extreme right is John A. Wash- ington, the last private owner, while the little boy standing at Mrs. Washington's knee is Noblet Herbert, a descendant of Major John Carlyle. MRS. JANE WASIII.XGTO.X AND FAMILY. BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 237 Washington, it would seem, was the only man struck. His detach, ment retreated, and Colonel J. H. INIorrow of the 39th Regiment Ohio V^olunteers appearing on the scene, made an effort to relieve the fallen officer, but his wound was mortal and he died in a few minutes with his head resting on Colonel Morrow's lap, without gaining con- sciousness. Mr. Washington was forty years of age at the time of his death. His remains were first buried in Fauquier County, Vir- ginia, but afterwards removed to the family buiyang ground at Charles town, now West Virginia. In the illustration, with liis father, will be seen Mr. Lawrence Washington, who is the only living male member of the family born at Alount Vernon. (See next page). Colonel Jolm A. Washington came into possession of Mount Vernon by deed from his mother in 1S50, and upon him devolved not only the vexed problem of maintaining the estate in proper condition under trying circumstances but its final disposition in a manner best calculated for its future preserv^ation. Agricultural conditions had materially changed since the time of its early occupants. The opening of the great west with its fertile fields and the improved trans- portation facilities had lowered the price of agricultural products, while the constant drain on the land of the Mount Vernon farm, in an effort to meet current expenses, had greatly impoverished the soil and reduced its earning capacity. Coupled with this was the custom of keeping open house, of dispensing that unbounded hospitality which, while it gave to the landlords of the Old Dominion an enviable reputation, at times led to financial difficulty and too often to abject poverty. Mr. Washington's was a particularly distressing con- dition. He had been reared in the social atmosphere described above and knew no other code, and, to add to his embarrassment, he had inlierited the most distinguished homestead in America, which at- tracted countless visitors. ISIany came tlirough sheer curiosity, and most of them were utter strangers to their host and had no claim on his good natured generosity. Thus, day by day, the problem of pre- serving his beloved inheritance from total ruin became more and more serious. Reahzing the owner's embarrassment, enterprising speculators, prompted by a spirit of cupidity, endeavored to secure the mansion with its adjoining land for mercenar}" purposes, and tempting offers were made to the devoted proprietor, all of which he rejected with commendable firmness.* *Col. Washington was oflfered $300,000 for the property he sold to the Mount Vernon Association for $200,000. 238 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Foreseeing the difficulty of a private individual keeping up the place, John A. Washington, the elder, had wisely provided for the disposal of the property to the United States, should Congress desire to possess it, and at this juncture a proposal was made to the National Assembly to buy the property and preserve it for the American people. Not once, but several times was the matter brought to the attention of Congress, with the most flattering inducements to pur- chase. So anxious, indeed, were the owners that the estate should be owned and cared for by the government that, just after the Alexican War, the mansion with one thousand acres of land was offered for thirty thousand dollars, without avail. It was then proposed that the legislature of Virginia buy the estate, and on December 5, 1853, and again in 1855, Governor Johnson in separate messages to the General Assembly urged its purchase and complete restoration by the Commonwealth. These patriotic appeals were also fruitless, and the prospects for a satisfactory disposition of the estate were gloomy indeed. It was at this crucial period, when hope for the preservation of the beloved homestead had almost fled ; when all efforts to enlist the co-operation of state or Federal Government had failed; when the nation he had founded and the state of his nativity, whose histor}'- he had exalted and on whose soU his sacred ashes rest, had turned a deaf ear to the appeals of justice and right and were thoughtlessly permitting the home of Washington to fall into abject and hopeless ruin, that Ann Pamela Cunningham, of South Carohna, that land of sentiment and chivalry, from her invalid couch started a movement which aroused a latent force more potent and powerful than the manhood of America or the government itself — the patriotic zeal and indomitable energy of the American woman. We cannot enter into a full detail of the work of these devoted women, led on by the heroic invalid from the "Palmetto State," but refer our readers with pleasure to the splendid works entitled " History and Preservation of INIount Vernon," by Dr. Thomas Nelson Page, and a small booklet called "The Southern Alatron." The reader will not regret a careful perusal of these little volumes, which not only give a full description of the INIount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union but a synopsis of the hves of its founder and her associates, all of whom deserve the lasting gratitude of the lovers of American liberty. Miss Cunningham descended from a family noted for its patri- otism. Her mother, Mrs. Louise Cunningham, nee Byrd, daughter of William Byrd, founder of Byrdsborough, Pennsylvania, was born BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 239 in Alexandria, Virginia, May i6, 1794. Her grandfather and great- grandfather, John Dalton (business associate of John Carlyle) and Thomas Shaw, were each vestrymen of Old Christ Church with George Washington, and two of her aunts had married distinguished Pennsylvanians, James Wilson and George Ross, both signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mr. Wilson afterwards became the legal preceptor of Bushrod Washington and later still was appointed by General Washington a member of the first Supreme Court and, on his death, his pupil, Mr. Washington, succeeded him on the bench. It was therefore particularly appropriate that the Cunninghams should be interested in the preservation of Mount Vernon. A solemn custom inspired this noble soul to conceive and organize the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Miss Cunningham, reared in a refined, aflfluent circle, possessing a strong comprehensive mind and trained in the best private schools of the south, was as popular as she was prepossessing and had exceptional prospects for a brilliant future, when at the age of nineteen she was stricken with an incurable spinal trouble. Eminent physicians were consulted and every known remedy applied by her devoted parents to relieve the gentle sufferer, but without success. As a last resort, the anxious mother journeyed with her afflicted daughter from their home in South Carolina to Philadelphia in order to place her child under the care of a famous specialist. On their way up the Potomac River, while passing Mount Vernon, in conformity to an ancient custom the steamer's bell tolled the solemn notice that the vessel was abreast the home of Washington. Mrs. Cunningham understood its significance and, knowing the sad condition of affairs at the beloved homestead, imparted her melan- choly reflections to her invalid daughter, expressing the wish or hope that some good woman would start a movement amongst the women of the south to save the venerated mansion for the people of the country. Moved by the suggestion, the patient sufferer, with char- acteristic determination, declared, " I will do it, " and to this decision she energetically adhered, notwithstanding the persistent efforts of friends and associates to turn her from her noble purpose. It is a pity that the name of the boat, and all the circumstances surrounding that particular trip up the beautiful Potomac on that moonhght night in 1853, have not been preserved. It would be interesting to know the commander's name and the name of the humble sailor who pulled the cord that sent out over the still waters 240 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. the solemn peal of the steamboat bell which fired the soul of Ann Pamela Cunningham and started the movement that saved from utter ruin, for a grateful posterity, the revered home of the father of his country. The story of the unselfish sacrifices and ceaseless efforts of IMiss Cunningham and her collaborators to acquire and preserve this ines- timable treasure reads like a romance and redounds to the everlasting glory of their sex. Many years were spent in ceaseless toil and bitter disappointment after the first note of appeal went out from the couch of the patient invalid. Time and again the movement seemed on the verge of col- lapse, and failure more than once loomed high above the hopes and dampened the ardor of the co-workers of Miss Cunningham. Yet never for one instant did she despair, nor for one short moment did she relax her ceaseless efforts, until success crowned her glorious work and brought its rich reward. On the 3rd of December, 1853, Miss Cunningham made her first appeal to the women of the country, explaining her lofty purpose and urging their co-operation. In this appeal she used the nom de plume, "A Southern Matron." It appears that the address was made only to the women of the south, which naturally drew protests from other parts of the Union. "Whatever else was sectional," they said, "Washington belonged to the whole country," and this view the "Southern Matron" readily accepted. The first public meeting to raise the fund was held at Laurens, South Carolina, Miss Cunningham's home, on the 26th of February, 1854. The next organized effort was made in Richmond, Virginia, July 12, 1854, when about thirty ladies assembled for the purpose of forming an association to raise money to aid in purchasing the property. Governor Johnson was present at this meeting and in his address referred to his unsuccessful efforts, when a member of Congress, to induce the United States Government to purchase the estate, as well as his failure to influence the legislature of Virginia to acquire the property. This meeting marked the beginning of the active work in Virginia and gave an impetus to the movement in other places. Associations were formed in rapid succession in a number of states and funds for the purpose began to pour in. It was first proposed to raise the money, purchase the property, BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 24 1 and vest the title in Virginia, as trustee for the Association. This plan, when understood, proved unpopular with the public and contri- butions ceased. It was maintained that if Virginia wanted the estate she should buy and pay for it by an appropriation out of her own funds. Miss Cunningham realized the menace that suddenly thrust itself into the movement, but was equal to the emergency. In this, as in other crucial moments, she proved as resourceful as she was perse- vering and at once conceived and proposed the plan of not only raising the funds for the purchase of the place but of the ladies holding it themselves in trust for the people of America, and to this end she directed her efforts with renewed vigor. The idea was novel, the press ridiculed it as chimerical, and a number of prominent citizens, among them a distinguished member of Congress, endeavored to defeat it. Mr. Washington, in ignorance of Aliss Cunningham's real purpose, was much perplexed and at first refused absolutely to consent to the transfer of the estate under the altered conditions. Miss Cunningham, at great personal inconveni- ence, visited Mount Vernon and converted its owner from determined opposition to warm support of both the character and the object of the Association. This visit of "The Southern Matron" to Mr. Washington prob- ably marks the period of deepest gloom for the Association, and her description of the meeting, full of pathos and aglow with enthusiasm in her righteous cause, is worthy of the gifted pen of the heroic writer: Of course, we could do nothing with the public when they believed Mr. Wash- ington would not sell. I proposed to go to Mount Vernon and charm the bear (as I thought him then). Mr. Everett urged this. I had not for many years been on a railroad — the motion made me ill. But I found I could get to Baltimore by canal- boat, from whence the railroad ride would be short. Arriving at Movmt Vernon, I was carried on a, chair to the house on an awfully hot day in June. I saw the famUy; was received kindly — but all my arguments faUed, though Mr. Washington promised to meet me in Washington. When I got to the wharf the boat had gone and left me ! We could just see it. I was put into a sail-boat and towed into the stream, expecting to catch the mail boat, but waited in vain. When I got back to the bank I was nearly dead. But the moment I saw I was left, I said, "Mount Vernonis saved!" I was carried down to the parlor at night. I talked pleasantly, telhng of various incidents connected with Mr. Everett and his Washington lecture, and enlightened the famDy in a roundabout way as to our proceedings and the interest felt. I could see their amazement. It was a side of the shield they had not seen. I felt I had gained Mrs. Washington. I shook hands with Mr. Washington; told him it was leap-year; women were 242 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. bound to have their way. He might resist with all his might, but I knew I was to be victor, and must coimsel him to follow the example of his illustrious ancestor, who never acted on a grave affair without having slept on it. Next morning I had a regular talk. The spirit moved me as never before. I never spoke to mortal as I spoke to him. I told him the isles of the sea would send their tributes to Mount Vernon ; that he woidd Uve to see it, though I would not. (We both did, for Havana and the Sandwich Islands both sent contributions.) When I saw I could not shake his resolution allowing Virginia to buy Mount Vernon, for he was very indignant at that, and considered it would be mean for Virginia to accept the purchase money, I went so far as to point to him the hght in which coming generations would view his conduct in preventing our tribute to Washington. I told him his descendants would mourn having descended from him, and I dared say this because I felt that I, by starting this movement, had been instrumental in placing him in this impleasant position. He thanked me ; said he knew it; but he was as firm as a rock, though he was deeply moved. I could see that he realized his real attitude, and felt it sorely. The carriage was waiting — I had to go — the cause was gone ! I ttu-ned to him, mournfully expressed my grief, but said that I could not leave him without putting myself in proper position. I told him I knew the pubUc had behaved abominably to- ward him ; that the Virginia Legislature had done so also, in framing a charter contrary to the terms he had expressed himself willing to accept ; that, apprehensive of this, I had tried to get the address of the governor, to find in what way he intended to present the subject to the legislature. The governor was traveUng in West Virginia, and could not be communicated with in time — thus we had lost eighteen months in inaction and delay. Could I have succeeded, matters would have taken a different form. That as soon as I saw a draft of the charter I realized that it was not what would be agreeable to Mr. Washington. I assured him that I believed all the ladies concerned felt as I did. While we wished to succeed in our beautiful tribute, we were grieved that his feelings were hurt — insulted — so repeatedly because of it. I looked up to him as I said this. WTiat a change in his face! Unawares I had at last touched the "sore spot" — the obstacle no money could have removed. I now found that he beUeved the whole thing had been arranged between the Association and Virginia to put an indignity upon him! His feelings were wounded, goaded; and lol in explaining my feelings I had shown him his error. I then told him if he would consent to overcome minor objections, that I would prove to the country the position of the Association by going before the next legis- lature and asking it to make any change he required ; but he must let the Association pay the money, and not feel that his state or himself were lowered by the act. I held out my hand — he put his in mine; then, with quivering hps, moist eyes, and a heart too full to speak, our compact was closed in silence. . . . None but God can know the mental labor and physical suffering Mount Vernon has cost me! On March 19, 1858, after numerous failures to arrive at a satis- factory adjustment of the knotty problem, the legislature of Virginia, MISS ANN PAMELA CUNNINGHAM. BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS, 243 at last satisfied with the nature of the corporation, passed the act incorporating the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, previous to which Mr. Washington had signed the contract, accepting the conditions of the charter. CHARTER I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That the act entitled an act to incor- porate the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, and to authorize the purchase of a part of Mount Vernon, passed March 17, 1856, be amended and re- enacted so as to read as follows : Section i . The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union as heretofore organized shall be, and they are, hereby constituted a body, politic and corporate, under the name and style of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union; and by this name and style shall be subject to all the provisions and entitled to all the rights, powers, privileges, and immunities prescribed by existing laws, in so far as the same are applicable to like corporations, and not inconsistent with this act. Section 2. It shall be lawful for the said Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union to purchase, hold and improve two hundred acres of Mount Vernon, including the late mansion, as well as the tomb of George Washington, together with the garden, grounds, and wharf and landing now constructed on the Potomac River ; and to this end they may receive from the owner and proprietor of the said land a deed in fee simple; and shall have and exercise full power over the use and manage- ment of the same as they may by By-Laws and Rules declare : Provided, however. That the said Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union shall not have power to alien the said land, or any part thereof, or to create a charge thereon or to lease the same without the consent of the General Assembly of Virginia first had and obtained. Section 3. The capital stock of the said Moimt Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union shall not (including the two hundred acres of land aforesaid) exceed the sum of five hundred thousand dollars. The said association, in contracting with the proprietor of Mount Vernon for the purchase of the same, may covenant with him so as to reserve to hira the right to inter the remains of such persons whose remains are in the vault at Mount Vernon, as are not now interred, and to place the said vault in such a secure and permanent condition as he shall see fit, and to enclose the same so as not to include more than a half -acre of land; and the said vault, the remains, in and around it, and the inclosure shall never be removed nor disturbed; nor shall any other person hereafter ever be interred or in tombed within the said vault or enclosure. Section 4. The said property herein authorized to be purchased by the said Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union shall be forever held by it sacred to the Father of his Country, and if from any cause the said association shall cease to exist, the property owned by the said association shall revert to the Common- wealth of Virginia, sacred to the purposes for which it was originally purchased. On April the 4th, 1777, the following amendment was added to Section 4: And, if said Mount Vernon Association shall fail in making such proper and becoming improvements to said property or keeping the same in repair, upon such default 244 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. being found by a board of visitors, then said estate shall be subject to improvement and repair at the pleasure of the State of Virginia and to this end the possession of said estate shall vest in the said State. Be it further enacted that the following section shall be added to the above mentioned Act, to be known as Section 5. Section 5. The Governor of Virginia shall annually appoint and commission five fit and proper men, who shall constitute a Board of Visitors for Mount Vernon, with the ordinary powers of a Board of Visitors, whose duty it shall be to visit that place and examine and faithfully report to the Governor all proceedings of said association touching Mount Vernon, and the manner in which they comply or fail to comply with this Act and other laws of the land. The expenses of said Board shall be paid by said association. On January 17th, 1879, the General Assembly provided that no allowance should be made by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union or the State for expenses of the Mount Vernon Board of Visitors in the discharge of their duties. CONSTITUTION OF THE MOUNT VERNON LADIES' ASSOCIATION OF THE UNION For the purpose of securing the great ends of their charter, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union ordain this Constitution : I St. The officers of this association shall consist of a Regent, Vice-Regent, Secretary, Treasixrer, and such subordinate officers as may be from time to time appointed. 2nd. The Regent shall be the President of the association, and of the Grand Council, and the "Southern Matron" shall be the first Regent, and in case of her death before the organization of the association, she shall have the power, by will or otherwise, of naming her successor until the organization. 3rd. The Regent shall have the first nomination of the Vice-Regents. One shall be appointed, if practicable, from each state in the Union. They, with the Regent, shall constitute the Grand Council. 4th. Vacancies in the Regency shall be filled by the Grand Council, and vacan- cies in the Vice-Regencies by the Regent, with the advice of the Grand Council. 5th. The Secretary, Treasurer, and subordinate officers shall be appointed by the Regent, with the advice of the Grand Council. 6th. The Grand Council shall be held annually, and additional meetings may be called by the Regent whenever the exigencies of the association may, in her dis- cretion, require their convocation; and the Regent, with any two or more Vice- Regents, or any three or more Vice-Regents without the Regent, shall constitute a quorum; and in case of the death or absence from the United States of the Regent, any three Vice-Regents may convoke the Grand Council. 7th. In the absence of the Regent the Vice-Regents present at any meeting of the Grand Council shall elect from among themselves a President pro tempore. 8th. The Regent shall have the power to appoint local Boards of Managers in the several states, which shall be entitled to send advisory delegates to the Grand Council. 9th. The legislative power of this association shall be vested in the Grand BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 245 Council, or a quorum thereof, subject to the control of the association at their meetings; and during the recess of the association and of the Grand Council, the general direction and order of the affairs of the association shall be vested in the Regent, subject to the control of those bodies at their respective meetings. loth. A meeting of the association shall be held at Washington or Mount Vernon, whenever in the opinion of the Council it shall be deemed necessary, or whenever a majority of the members of the association shall, in writing, request the Regent to call a meeting of the association. As vdll be seen, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is a Virginia corporation, and is composed entirely of ladies, representing every state which took part in the movement inaugurated by Miss Cun- ningham. These ladies elect from their number a president, vpho is known as the Regent, while the rest are designated as Vice-Regents. These compose the Council, which, under a carefully prepared set of by-laws and the above constitution, controls and manages Mount Vernon and its business affairs. The Council meets annually at Mount Vernon in May, and sojourns there during its sessions, which usually extend over a period of about ten days. They receive no compensation for their services other than their actual traveling expenses in attending the annual council, and many of the ladies of the Council, from time to time, have dechned to accept this consideration and some of them have, in addition, made large contributions to the Association. The Council is divided into eighteen standing committees, con- sisting of not less than three Vice-Regents to each committee, who are required to make annual report in writing to the parent body and are designated as: Committee on Records; Library; Rehcs; Tombs; Mansion and Out-buildings; The Press; Grounds, Trees and Shrubs; Flower-gardens and Greenhouses; Finance; By-Laws; Furniture; Parliamentary Law ; The Farm ; Kitchen Garden ; Guide Books ; Inves- tigation of Washington Relics ; Post Cards ; and Index of Minutes. The superintendent is appointed by the Grand Council, is bonded in the sum of five thousand dollars for faithful performance of duty, and serves during the pleasure of the Association. There have been but four Regents, the fotmder, Miss Cunning- ham, who presided from 1853 to 1874, the year before her death, when she resigned on account of her health ; second, Mrs. Lily M. Laughton, of Pennsylvania, who presided from 1874 until her death in 1891; third, Mrs. Justine Van Rensselaer Townsend, of New York, who 246 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. presided until 1909, when Miss Harriet C. Comegys of Delaware was chosen and is now Regent. The following list shows the states, with their representatives, which constitute the present Council of Vice-Regents : Alabama, California, Connecticut, . Delaware, Georgia, . Illinois, . Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, . . Maine, Nebraska, New York, ; . New Jersey, . North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, . Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, . Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Mrs Robert D. Johnson. Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst. Mrs. Susan Johnson Hudson. Mrs. Antonie L. Foster. Mrs. Geo P Wilder. Mrs. Mary T Lieter. Mrs. William F. Barrett. Mrs. Henry W Rogers. Miss Alice Longfellow. Mrs. Elizabeth B. A. Rathbone. Miss Annie Ragan King. Mrs. Francis Jones Ricks. Mrs. Christian B. Graham. Mrs. James G. K. Richards. Mrs. C. F. Manderson. Miss Amy Townsend. Mrs. Francis S. Conover. Mrs. A. B. Andrews. Mrs. Lewis Irwin. Miss Mary F. Failing. Mrs. Charles Custis Harrison. Mrs. J. Carter Brown. Mrs. J. J. Pringle. Mrs. Mary P. Y. Webb. Mrs. Thomas S. Maxey. Mrs. Emma Reed Ball. Miss Mary Evarts. Mrs. Eliza F. Leary. Mrs. Eugene Van Rensselaer. Miss Jane A. Riggs. The Association's title to the property has been pronounced by eminent lawyers as indefeasible. In the event of its dissolution, the estate reverts to the Commonwealth, sacred to the purpose for which it was originally purchased. The Regents obtained formal possession of the premises February 22, i860, but prior to that date the wotk of restoring the buildings had begun. Miss Cunningham lived at Mount Vernon for a short while in i860, but returned to South Carohna at the begirming of the Civil BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 247 War. Resuming her residence there in 1 868 , she continued in personal charge until 1872, receiving no compensation for her valuable services other than living expenses. During the war between the states, the property was under the control of Mr. Upton H. Herbert, of Alexandria, Virginia, who was the first superintendent, and Miss S. C. Tracey of New York, the secretary of the Association. The vital power of the sacred shrine was felt even during the fratricidal struggle (1861-1865) when, with reverential air, the "boys in blue and the boys in gray," laid aside their deadly accoutrements of war and met unarmed at the tomb of Washington. Owing to the low state of the Association's funds, the position of superintendent was abolished in 1869, and Mr. Herbert, having given entire satisfaction, on retiring received a letter of thanks for faithful performance of duty. As an interesting sequel to the associations of the first custodians under the new regime, the reader will probably be interested to learn that in 1870 Miss Tracey, the former secretary, became Mrs. U. H. Herbert. After Mr. Herbert's resignation, Miss Cunningham continued in personal charge until 1872, when the condition of her health became so alarming as to necessitate absolute rest and relief. Colonel J. AI. Hollingsworth was then made resident secretary and superintendent and acted in that capacity until the 15th of July, 1885, when Mr. Harrison H. Dodge, the present incumbent, was chosen and he, with Mr. James Young, the assistant superintendent, have since performed the dutes of those offices with unswerving fidehty. To no one is due more credit for raising the fund to buy and restore the home of Washington than the Honorable Edward Everett. This noble son of Massachusetts was as brilliant as he was patriotic. Graduating from Harvard in 181 1 , when but seventeen years old, at the early age of nineteen he was a Unitarian minister. He soon entered political life and in 1824 was elected to Congress and served ten years. He was three times Governor of Massachusetts and for five years Minister to the Court of St. James; was elected to the United States Senate, from which he resigned after one year's service, on account of poor health; was President of Harvard University in 1845-1848; Secretary of State under Filmore and candidate for Vice- President in 1 860. Notwithstanding these honors, the crowning glory 248 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. of his life was his noble effort with tongue and pen to raise the money to purchase and preserve the home of Washington as a national shrine for all time. In this great work he delivered one hundred and thirty-nine lectures, receiving neither fee nor reward, paying his own expenses. He devoted four years of his life traveling up and down the continent from Maine to Georgia, and as far west as St. Louis, swaying vast audiences with the spell of his wonderful eloquence. Mr. Everett converted into the treasury, as the direct result of his efforts, $68,294, but this does not approximate the value of his influence or the amounts which were indirectly obtained as collateral result of his labor. He was undoubtedly one of America's most talented orators and his ora- tion on Washington was his greatest effort. Mr. Everett, after a long and brilliant career, died in Boston, January 15, 1865. Among the valuable co-workers of Miss Cunningham was Mrs. Catherine Willis Murat, Florida's first Vice-Regent, who was the grand-niece of General Washington. A very pretty romance con- nected with this lady's life is worthy of preservation. In early youth she had been known throughout all eastern Vir- ginia as the "beautiful Catherine Byrd Willis," daughter of Colonel Byrd Willis of Willis Hall near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her mother, Mary Lewis, was the daughter of Betty, the only sister of General Washington. At the early age of fifteen she married a Scotch gentleman, a Mr. Gray, who survived his marriage only a few months, and at the age of sixteen the former Miss Willis became a widow. A few years later, with her parents, she moved to Florida and settled in Tallahassee. There she met Achille Murat, eldest son of Caroline Bonaparte (sister of the great Napoleon) and the exiled King of Naples. Prince Achille immediately became enamored of the beautifvd young widow, who at first rejected his addresses but finally yielded to the unchanging love and faithfulness of her royal suitor. After their marriage, they lived on their Florida plantation. The Prince took his wife to a gathering of the Bonaparte family in Europe and while in London Madame Murat met her husband's cousin, Louis Napoleon, who addressed her by the familiar title of " Cousin Kate," confided to her his hopes and ambitions, and became interested in his American cousin. The Murats returned to America and the Prince distinguished himself in the Seminole War. He died in 1847 of an illness contracted ■j: Z > BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 249 from exposure while in the service of his adopted country, leaving his wife an independent fortune. When Louis Napoleon became emperor of France, Madame Murat visited him at the Tuileries, where he gave a state dinner in her honor. The Civil War swept away her fortune as it did many others, but in the days of her adversity Louis Napoleon, then at the zenith of his success, remembered his "Cousin Kate" and gave her a life annuity of five thousand dollars. In 1866 she crossed the ocean once more to visit the Emperor and his wife, Eugenie, then came back to her home, where she died the following year. She was laid to sleep beside Prince Achille, and soon the grass and flowers were growing green over the graves of the royal pair. Two simple monuments, ten feet high, mark their graves. The inscrip- tions on them are : I. Departed this life April 18, 1847, Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, son of the King of Naples and Caroline Murat, aged 47. (This moniunent is dedicated by his wife, Catherine, in perpetual memory of her love.) II. Sacred to the memory of Catherine Willis Murat, widow of Colonel Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, and daughter of the late Colonel Byrd C. Willis of Virginia, who departed this life August 6, 1867, in the 64th year of her age. Madame Murat by her marriage became a grand-niece of Napo- leon Bonaparte as she was of Washington by descent. In our illustration, "Mount Vernon in 185S," we show the condi- tion of the mansion just about the time these noble women started the work of restoration. How different things are to-day. The falling ruins have been restored and once more we see the home of Washington as it was in the days of its great proprietor. On the resignation of Aliss Cunningham, in June, 1874, she en- joined her associates to keep the place as it was, and it is a satisfaction to know that her injunction is being religiously observed. Ladies, the home of Washington is in your charge; see to it that you keep it the home of Washington. Let no irreverent hand change it; no vandal hands desecrate it with the changes of progress. Those who go to the home in which he lived and died wish to see in what he lived and died. Let one spot in this grand country of ours be saved from change. Upon you rests this duty. When the centennial comes, bringing with it its thousands from the ends of the earth, to whom the home of Washington will be the place of places in our country, let them see that, though we slay our forests, remove our dead, pull down our churches, remove from home to home, till the hearthstone seems to have no resting 250 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. place in America; let them see that we do know how to care for the home of our hero. Farewell! Ladies, I return to yom- hands the ofiSce so long held — since December 2, 1S53. Respectfully, Ann Pamela Cunningham. All things considered, the "home of Washington" is undoubtedly held in the very best manner it could be held. In everj^ essential it is his home to-day just as it was when the beloved hero paced its stately verandas. Every interest is guarded with such scrupulous vigilance that no just criticism can be made of either the conduct of the Associa- tion or those in personal charge of the premises. Had either the federal or state government acquired the prop- erty-, it would in all probabiht\- have been subjected to the van,'ing fortunes of pohtical parties. Changes in administrations would have brought with them changes in the management of ]Moimt Vernon. The system, whose motto is " To the \-ictor belongs the spoils, " would doubtless have operated in this as in other cases and the several positions would have been filled, not because of special qualification for the important posts, but as a payment for service rendered the partj* in power. As it is now, and ever has been, under the Iklount Vernon Association, j>ersonal worth and inflexible fidelity to trust constitute the onl}^ influence needed to secure the approval of the Regents and to remain in office at that place. For over forty years the writer has lived within a few miles of the famous homestead and can, from personal observation, testify to the indefatigable and faithful ser\-ice of those in charge of the premises. This above all considerations is what the American people want, and under the circumstances is all the}" have a right to demand. The principal actors in the historic drama whose climax and thrilling finale was the purchase and restoration of Moimt Vernon as a legacy for the people have long since passed away, and the names of some of them are fast sinking beneath the gathering shadows of the past. Is this a proper reward for their noble service? Their graves should be kept green by lo\Tng hands, and loj-al pyens should revive their memories and keep them fresh in the minds of all true lovers of American freedom as illustrious examples of incomparable perseve- rance and heroic devotion to patriotic principle. Miss Cimningham died at her ancestral home at Laurens, South Carolina, May i, 1875, in the fift5--ninth year of her age, and at her own request her remains were carried to Columbia, South Carohna, BUSHROD WASHINGTON AND HIS SUCCESSORS. 25 1 and laid to rest in the churchyard of the First Presbyterian Church of that city. Few indeed of the thousands who annually wend their way to this venerated spot and delight in its broad vistas and beautiful sur- roundings ever hear of the struggle it cost in mental anguish and cease- less toil to raise the money and bring it back from ruin to its former state, but, as a precious part of the history of our land and an eloquent testimonial of the exalted worth of American womanhood, it should be written on tablets in our nation's home and taught in the schools by American preceptors that unborn generations of Uberty-loving children may bless the name of Ann Pamela Cunningham and those who shared her labor, her anxiety, her disappointments and her success. There is a modest private mansion on the banks of the Potomac, the abode of George Washington and Martha, his beloved, his loving, his faithful wife. It boasts no spacious palace or gorgeous colonnades, no massive elevation or storied tower. The porter's lodge at Blenheim Castle, nay, the marble dog kennels were not built for the cost of Mount Vernon. No arch nor column in courtly English or courtlier Latin sets forth the deeds or worth of the Father of his Country. He needs them not. The unwritten benedictions of millions cover all the walls. No gilded dome swells from the lowly roof to catch the morning or evening beams, but the love and gratitude of united America settle upon it in one eternal sunshine. From beneath that humble roof went forth the intrepid and imselfish warrior — the magistrate who knew no glory but his country's good; to that he returned happiest when his work was done — there he lived in noblest simplicity; there he died in glory and peace. While it stands the latest generations of the grateful children of America will make the pilgrimage to it as to a shrine, and when it shall fall, if fall it must, the memory and the name of Washington shall shed an eternal glory on the spot. Edward Everbtt. OUR MASONIC FOREBEARS [T IS not within the scope of this work to carefully review the institution of Free Masonry in colonial America and we must therefore confine ourselves to a brief reference to the most important characters and events of that time. That it existed here, in a primitive form, before 1730, is an estabUshed fact, as in that year the Duke of Norfolk, then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, commissioned Daniel Coxe Provincial Grand Master of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. That three years later Alajor Henry Price was commissioned by the Grand Master of England as Provincial Grand Master of New England, and that his authority was extended over all America the following year, are also matters of record. By the authority vested in him in this last commission. Grand Master Price established a Lodge in Charleston, South Carolina, and made Benjamin Franklin Master or Grand Master of Masons in Philadelphia as early as 1 734. Numerous others besides Price received similar commissions or deputations for their particular province or colony, from the English, Scotch and Irish Grand Lodges, seemingly with conflicting authority. Sir John Johnson, of Tory fame, became Provincial Grand Master of New York; Robert Tomlinson succeeded Major Price in Mas- sachusetts and was in turn succeeded by Thomas Oxnard. It was Oxnard who issued a warrant constituting Fredericksburg Lodge, in which George Washington took his first step in Masonry, November 4, 1752; passed to the degree of Fellowcraft, March 3, 1753; and was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, August 4. 1753. Among the Provincial Grand Masters who became distinguished for both their private virtues and pubUc services was Peyton Randolph of Virginia, who in 1773 received from Lord Petrie, Grand Master of England, a warrant constituting him Master of the Lodge in Wil- liamsburg, with John Minson Gault, Senior Warden, and Edward Charlton, Junior Warden. 253 254 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. The instrument bore date in London on the 6th of November and its registry number was 457. The first recorded meeting under this warrant was held on St. John's day, June 24, 1 774. Mr. Randolph was not present and John Minson Gault presided as Deputy Master. It appears from the record of this date tliat previous meetings had been held, at the last of which officers had been elected for the ensuing year, which were as follows : John Blair, Master; William Waddill, Deputy Master ; William Fimiey, Senior Warden; Harrison Randolph, Junior Warden; John Rowsey, Treasurer; WilHam Russell, Secretary, and Humphrey Haywood and James Gait, Stewards. On the 5th of July, 1774, the name of Peyton Randolph first appears on the records as present at the Lodge, on which occasion, the records state, he presided as Provincial Grand JSIaster with John Blair as IMaster, William Waddill, Deputy Master, etc. From this it appears that Mr. Randolph had at this time been appointed Provin- cial Grand Master of Virginia, a rank which, records show, he held until the time of his death, October 22, 1775. The hfe of Peyton Randolph, like many others of the Provincial Grand Masters, is a part of the cherished history of this country, and will remain such as long as unselfish patriotism and distinguished service are appreciated by the beneficiaries of American independence. He presided over the deliberations of the House of Burgesses and the conventions of Virginia when the war cloud of the revolution was gathering; was chairman of the Committee on Correspondence, whose efforts made possible the first Continental Congress ; was elected first president and presided over that assembly with signal abihty in 1774. Returning to Virginia at the close of its first session, he was reap- pointed a member of Virginia's delegation in the Congress of 1775, and again elected its presiding officer. Resigning the position, he returned to the council of his native state and remained at the head of her deliberative body until the close of the Virginia convention in 1775, when he went back to Philadelphia. John Hancock (a ^Massa- chusetts Mason) having succeeded him as president of the second Congress, Mr. Randolph took his place with the rank and file of his colleagues, but his useful life was drawing to a close, and to the deep regret of all who knew him he died suddenly of apoplexy at his post of duty, October 22, 1775, in the fifty-third year of his age. Thus, in the short space of a year, had fallen, while in the active service of their country, two of the most distinguished Provincial OUR MASONIC FOREBEARS. 255 Grand Masters of America, Joseph Warren of Massachusetts and Peyton Randolph of Virginia. Mr. Randolph's remains were temporarily deposited in a vault in Philadelphia until November, 1776, when they were removed by his nephew, Edmund Randolph, to WiUiamsburg, where they were interred by the side of those of his father, in the college chapel, with Masonic ceremonies. The following extract is from the Wilhamsburg Lodge records, November 26, 1776: Met and agreed on the form of the procession of our late worthy Brother Pejrton Randolph, Grand Master of Virginia, deceased, and then repairing to the Lodge Chapel ; after the corpse was interred, returned to the Lodge, and adjourned till a Lodge in course. In writing of the death of Randolph, Hayden in his "Washington and his Masonic Compeers" says, "Now, for the first time, the Craft in America began to inquire into their own inherent powers, to assume an elective supremacy." Our revolutionary fathers, at first averse to a war with England and loathe to a separation from the mother country, when finally forced to the drastic issue, became not only political but rehgious, social and fraternal overturners. Jefferson, poisoned by the conduct of the British Parliament and imbued with radical ideas of republican simplicity, became the leader and the most aggressive in the movement to abolish all things English. In his revision of the colonial statutes, he wiped out the power of the Church of England in America and gave to the world its first taste of absolute legalized religious Uberty. His laws of descent destroyed the system of primogeniture, existing under the old regime, while his satirical pen held up to scorn and ridicule the pomp and display of Cavalier society and sounded the death knell to the aping of English customs, even in the Old Dominion. This violent spirit of revolt, grounded in deep resentment, per- meated all classes, and the advanced ideas of Otis, Franklin, the Adamses, Henry and Jefferson were welcomed with vindictive sat- isfaction. With the changes in political, rehgious and social conditions, came also the change in fraternal circles. Before this expanding force, the Provincial Grand Lodges and Grand Masters, instituted by and oper- ating under the authority of foreign jurisdictions, gradually passed 256 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. away, and the new order of American Masonry superseded the EngUsh, Scotch and Irish establishments. The spirit of transition probably began with the death of the gallant Warren at Bunker Bill.* His blameless life and heroic death, coupled with an untiring zeal in the cause of the Fraternity, had a tremendous influence upon the Craft at large; carried the estrange- ment into the fraternal breast, and in some of the colonies hastened the establishment of independent organizations. For several years after Warren's unfortunate death, however, the authority of the Pro- vincial Grand Lodge and Grand Masters was duly recognized. It was hard to break away from the old fraternal parent, and in nearly every instance the so-caUed army Lodges, chartered during the Revolutionary War, were the creatures of those provincial parents. That these military organizations began their beneficent labors early in the long contest for independence, there is little doubt, as we find that on the 13th of Februar}^, 1776, Colonel Richard Gridley, the designer of the fortifications on Bunker Hill and Deputy Grand Master of Massachusetts, under English warrant, instituted American Union Lodge in the Connecticut line encamped at Roxbury. This was the first Lodge organized in the continental army and was the beginning of that peculiar system of Alasonic institution which later permeated the whole military fabric of the American colonies and proved an invaluable auxiliary to its deficient reUef organization. Masonry to those men was indeed a verity, as the opportunities 'General Joseph Warren, killed while fighting as a private in the ranks, was bom at Rox- borough, Massachusetts, 1740, initiated in St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston, September 10, 1761; passed the Degree of Fellow Craft, November 2, 1761, and raised to the subHme Degree of Master Mason, November 28, 1765. He was elected Worshipful Master of St. Andrew's Lodge, 1769, and was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Boston the same year. On March 7, 1772, he was appointed Grand Master of the American Continent. While Grand Master, there were forty communications of the Grand Lodge, at thirty-seven of which he presided. He was a vigilant patriot and obtained information of the intended expedition of the British, under Pitcairn, from Boston to destroy the miUtary stores at Concord, April 18, 1775. It was Warren who gave instructions to Paul Revere, also a Mason and afterwards Grand Master, who, obeying the pre- concerted signals of the lights, displayed by Robert Newman, sexton of old North Church, made his now famous ride to Lexington by way of Concord. In our illustration, we show the old church with General Warren and Colonel Revere. The tablet on the tower bears the inscription — "The original lanterns of Paul Revere, displayed in the steeple of this church, April 18, 1775. warned the country of the march of the British troops to Lexington and Concord." From this old church tower also General Gage witnessed the battle of Bunker Hill. Colonel Revere was captured before finishing his ride, but the news of his mission was borne to its destination by a loyal companion and served its purpose in arousing the patriots to armed resistance. OLD NORTH CHURCH OUR MASONIC FOREBEARS. 257 to render practical philanthropy were multiplied by the ever vigilant redcoat and, what was far more dangerous, the ever empty commissary. The ministering angel of the red cross had not been bom, and the white cap and gentle touch of the trained nurse were unknown to the rugged defenders of American rights. These were away in the distant future, and the benevolent spirit of the Fraternity man found ample field for the practical application of his solemn vows. The best proof that those warrior craftsmen Uved up to their Masonic professions and rendered acceptable service amid forlorn conditions is the warm support given the military Lodges by the commander-in-chief and his principal subordinate officers. In those nomadic temples, during the eight years of privation, some of the most distinguished men in the history of America received Masonic light and afterwards became potent factors in the organization and work in both the grand and subordinate bodies under the more dignified and comprehensive American system. Their existence accounts also for the number of famous revolu- tionary characters known to have been members of the Order whose Masonic records cannot be consecutively traced, and no discovery made of the time or place of their initiation, passing or raising. As illustrious examples, we have Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, John Marshall and numerous others about whose admis- sion into the Fraternity little or nothing is positively known and perhaps never will be, yet some of these men became among the most prominent of the early Grand Masters and were zealous workers under the independent American plan. The revolution over and the army disbanded, the miHtary Lodges as a rule ceased their labors. Their warrants were lost, their minutes scattered or destroyed in the confusion and, in consequence, one of the most interesting epochs in the history of our Fraternity lies buried in impenetrable darkness. Numbers of the revolutionary offi- cers, who had been members of the Order before the beginning of military operations, identified themselves with these traveling Lodges and at the conclusion of hostilities returned to their native states or took up their residences in other sections of the country to continue, in their old or adopted homes, active participation in fraternal work. Notably among these we find General John Sullivan, First Grand Master and Governor of the State of New Hampshire ; Pierrepont Edwards, first Grand Master of Connecticut ; General James Jackson, Governor and Grand Master of Georgia ; William Richardson Davies 258 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. and Richard Caswell, both Governors and Grand Masters of North Carolina; General Rufus Putnam, first Grand blaster of Ohio (raised in American Union Military Lodge) ; General JMordecai Gist, Grand Master of South Carolina; Robert R. Livingstone, Chancellor of New York, who swore George Washington in as first President of the United States on a Masonic Bible, while Grand Master; DeWitt Chnton ; John Marshall, afterwards Chief Justice of the United States ; General David Wooster of Connecticut ; Frankhn and Milnor of Penn- sylvania ; Aaron Ogden of New Jersey; Paul Revere of Massachusetts, and innumerable others were instrumental in the establishment and promotion of the American institution of Masonry as it is to-day. And what a power they grew to be! What a tremendous stimulus they gave to the Fraternity ! They were political philanthropists who had founded the greatest governmental asylum the world has ever known and, emerging from the conflict with hearts filled with fervent love of humanity, they donned the insignia of Masonry, and laid deep and strong the foundation of the greatest fraternal organization in the annals of the human race — our present system of the American Grand Lodge with its constituent subordinate bodies. The Masons of the Old Dominion were among those who did not wait until the close of the revolution to throw off their allegiance to the Grand Lodge of the mother country, as we find at the first recorded meeting of the Williamsburg Lodge, after the burial of Mr. Randolph, their last Provincial Grand Master, December 3, 1776, the following resolution was passed : Resolved, That the Master of this Lodge be directed to write to all the regular Lodges in this state, requesting their attendance by their deputies, at this Lodge, in order to form a convention to choose a Grand Master for the State of Virginia, on the first day of the next Assembly. At that time there appears to have been nine legally constituted Lodges in the Jurisdiction of Virginia. They were Norfolk No. i, Borough of Norfolk; Port Royal No. 2, Caroline County; Blandford No. 3, Petersburg; Fredericksburg No. 4, Fredericksburg; St. Tam- many No. 5, Hampton; Williamsburg No. 6, Williamsburg; Botetourt No. 7, Gloucester Court House; Cabin Point No. 8, Prince George Court House; Yorktown No. 9, Yorktown. These Lodges had been constituted by various authorities. In the Freemason's Pocket Companion, published by Auld & Smellie, Edinburgh, 1765, under the heading, "An exact list of regular English Lodges, according to their Seniority and Constitution," we OUR MASONIC FOREBEARS. 259 find recorded: No. 172, The Royal Exchange, in the Borough of Norfolk, Virginia; first Thursday, December, 1733. No. 204 in Yorktown, Virginia; ist and 3rd Wednesday; August i, 1755. Thus it is shown that Masonry existed in organized form in the Old Dominion as early as the days of Major Price, or in 1733, and according to Masonic customs of the day, these Lodges were legally constituted. In compliance with the resolution of Wilhamsburg Lodge, five of the aforenamed Lodges, viz., Norfolk, Kilwinning Port Royal Crosse, Blandford, Williamsburg, and Cabin Point Royal Arch, assembled in Williamsburg on Tuesday, the 7th day of May, 1777, thence by adjournment to the 13th inst., when, "taking the subject of meeting into consideration, they were unanimously of opinion that a Grand Master is requisite in this state for the following reason. ' ' The reasons are then given in a series of resolutions. The convention adjourned on the 13th of May until the ensuing 23rd day of June, when, upon assembling, they unanimously recom- mended to their constituents and all other Lodges in this state, His Excellency General George Washington, as a proper person to fill the ofiice of Grand Master of the same and to whom the charter of appoint- ment aforementioned be made Washington at that time had held no ofiicial position in Masonry, and when informed of the wish of his Virginia brethren he modestly declined the intended honor, for two reasons, "first, he did not con- sider it Masonically legal that one who had never been installed as Master or Warden of a Lodge should be elected Grand Master ; and second, his country claimed at the time all his services in the tented field." This was the information which came to the convention held in Williamsburg on the 13th day of October, 1778, and the Right Wor- shipful John Blair, Past Master of the Williamsburg Lodge, being nominated, was unanimously elected and on the 30th of the same month duly installed* First Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, which, according to Hayden and other reputable Masonic historians, was the first independent Grand Body in the western world. Grand Master Blair served until November, 1784, when he was succeeded by Right Worshipful James Mercer of Fredericksburg Lodge, No. 4, with Edmund Randolph as Deputy Grand Master. *Most Worshipful Blair was installed by Right Worshipful, the Reverend Robert Andrews, Worshipful Master of Williamsburg Lodge, who became his Deputy Grand Master. Right Worshipful Andrews was the ancestor of our present Grand Master, William L. Andrews. 26o WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Few purer lives are recorded in history than that of the first Grand Master of the independent Grand Lodge of Virginia. An intrepid patriot, he became conspicuous in early life for his activities in the cause of the colonies and later became distinguished as one of the ablest lawyers at the Virginia Bar. The purity of his private character, coupled with his reputation as a profound jurist, induced General Washington to appoint him Associate Justice of the First Supreme Court, which position he filled with signal ability. Grand Master Blair's successor, James Mercer, served until the 27th day of October, 1786, when he was succeeded by Edmund Randolph, Esq., the brilliant nephew and adopted son of Virginia's last Provincial Grand Master. Few men in the colony suffered more as a consequence of the Revolutionary War than Edmund Randolph. His father, John Ran- dolph, brother of Peyton, was a staunch Royalist and supported Lord Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia, in his efforts to main- tain the king's power in the colony. Faihng in this, he abandoned his friends and home, disinherited his son for his loyalty to the colonial cause, and departed for England with the discredited Dunmore. He, however, soon repented his choice, died of a broken heart in 1784, and on his death bed requested that his remains be transported to Virginia and buried at WilHamsburg, which was done. Disinherited, deserted and disowned by his father, Edmund was adopted by his uncle, Peyton, and grew to be a power in both state and national councils. It is not known where Edmund Randolph received his Masonic degrees ; as his name appears on the records at the organi- zation of Williamsburg Lodge, June 24, 1774, he had evidently been raised in some other Lodge prior to that time. At the outbreak of the revolution he became aide-de-camp to General Washington; in 1779 he was elected by his state a delegate to the Continental Congress and served until March, 1782. In 1786, while Deputy Grand Master of Virginia, he was elected to succeed Patrick Henry, Governor of the Commonwealth, and, while holding that office and also that of Grand Master of Masons, was one of Virginia's delegation with Washington, George Mason and others in the convention at Philadelphia, which framed the Federal Constitu- tion in 1787, but with Mason, believing the rights of the states im- paired, he refused to sign the instrument as adopted. When the new government was organized under this constitution in 1789, Washing- ton appointed Governor Randolph Attorney-General in his cabinet, < > Q Z o K < X In 2 O < OUR MASONIC FOREBEARS. 261 and in 1 794, under Washington's second administration, he succeeded Mr. Jefferson as Secretary of State. About 1784 the legislature of Virginia, which had formerly held its sessions in Williamsburg, took up its permanent abode inRichmond^ and the Grand Lodge also very properly determined to locate at the new seat of government. A suitable site on the corner of i8th and Franklin streets, having been tendered as a gift by Mr. Gabriel Gault, provided the Masons would erect a temple thereon and occupy it for Masonic purposes, was promptly accepted and application to the legislature for author- ity to raise funds for the building by a lottery was made and granted. The lottery was drawn at Williamsburg and the proceeds appropriated to the erection of the building now standing on the site presented by Mr. Gault. How entirely different are the customs and the moral, social and legal codes of to-day from those of our fraternal ancestors of a century ago. The plan adopted by the Masons of Richmond to raise their building fund would, in the light of present conditions, be a flagrant violation of our state and national statutes. Yet we find Edmund Randolph, successor to Patrick Henry as Governor of the Common- wealth in 1776 and Attorney-General and Secretary of State of the United States under General Washington, and John Marshall, brave soldier in the revolution and later member of Congress, astute diplo- mat and immortal Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, both actively participating in this movement to raise the fund for the first home of the Grand Lodge in Richmond by the dubious means of a simple game of chance. To this now historic structure, which its builders christened Mason's Hall, the name it still retains, the Grand Lodge moved in 1786 while Edmund Randolph was Grand Master and John Marshall his Deputy, and in it they both presided as Grand Masters of the Masons in Virginia. On October 28, 1789, Mr. Randolph retired from the East and Worshipful Alexander Montgomery was duly elected and installed as his successor. Montgomery served but one year, and on October 28, 1790, Honorable Thomas Matthews, Esquire, Speaker of the House of Delegates, was elected to succeed Montgomery. Most Worshipful Matthews served three years or until the 28th of October, 1793, and was succeeded by his Deputy Grand Master, John Marshall, who served two terms during which nine communications were held. Not- 262 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. withstanding the frequent charges made by the enemies of our Order that Mr. Marshall was not a zealous craftsman, the records of the Grand Lodge of Virginia show that he was present and presided at all of the nine communications held during his terms, besides actively participating in the incidental business pertaining to his exalted station. Both Mr. Marshall and Mr. Randolph were members of Lodge No. 13, which was the only Lodge in Richmond at the time of the revolution. It appears that, after the close of that war, a number of the Hessian prisoners quartered at Charlottesville concluded to remain in this country and took up their residence in Richmond. Several of them, being Masons, affiliated with No. 13. This provoked deep resentment among the Americans, and, as a consequence, IMasonry languished in that locality. To revive the institution, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Randolph concluded to surrender the charter of No. 13, and establish two Lodges, which was done — one taking the name of Ricli- mond. No. 10, the other that of Richmond-Randolph, No. 19. The old building, having been erected by No. 13, then became the joint property of the two Lodges above named and was jointly occupied by them for a number of years. In our illustration we give the east view of the hall, showing the chair occupied by Randolph, Marshall and other eminent leaders of the Fraternity. It was in this room and while Edmund Randolph was Grand Master, that the charter of Alexandria Lodge, No. 22, was awarded in 1788, as was also the privilege to change its name from Alexandria, No. 22, to Alexandria- Washington, No. 22, in 1805. In it the Mar- quise de Lafayette, with his suite, was received in 1824, as the fol- lowing extract from the mim'tes of old No. 19 shows: At a called meeting of Richmond-Randolph Lodge, No. 19, held in Mason's Hall, in the city of Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, October 30th, A. L. 5824; A. D. 1824, there were present R. E. Carrington, W. M.; George Ives, S. W.; WilUam Braddish, J. W. Then follows a long list of members among whom are B. Bowling, R. G. Scott, W. H. Fitzwhylson, John Minor Botts, and others: On motion of Worshipful Brother Cabell, Secretary, Brother the Marquis de Lafayette was unanimously elected an honorary member, as was also his son, Brother George Washington Lafayette, and Brother LaVassauer. The Brothers Lafayette and LaVassauer then signed the register. EDMUND RANDOLPH JOHN MARSHALL HAkLV GRAXn MASTHRS OF VIRGINIA. OUR MASONIC FORBEARS. 263 This register, with the autographs of the distinguished French- men, is still preserved by Richmond-Randolph Lodge, and are exhibited to the visitor with commendable pride. Another incident in connection with the venerable building is worthy of note. When the Union army entered Richmond, after its evacuation by the Confederate authorities in 1865, they found the city not only in flames but in the hands of a mob who were looting the houses and committing acts of vandalism, and among the properties threatened with sack and destruction was " Mason's Hall." It so happened that the colonel of a regiment, marching by the building, was a member of the Fraternity, and observing the emblems over the door and realizing its danger, he halted his troops and detailed a captain (who was also a Mason), with his company to protect the premises. After the occu- pation of the city by the Federal forces and the restoration of order, the commanding general, being a member of the Craft, requested Colonel W. E. Tanner, Past Master of No. 10, to call a meeting of his Lodge, which he did, the general and a large contingent of his Masonic comrades attending. During the meeting, an association was organ- ized amongst the Union brethren for the relief of the widows and orphans of Confederate Masons, and we are creditably informed that this improvised society rendered valuable assistance to the destitute wives and children of the impoverished or deceased Confederate soldiers. In the ante-room of the Lodge there still remains a striking reminder of that interesting period. It appears that while attending the Lodge, the soldier Masons hung their side-arms in the ante or preparation rooms, and to-day the visitor to this ancient shrine is shown a sword, evidently that of an officer, hanging on the wall, left there by one of those militant Samaritans over fifty years ago. The building is still occupied by Richmond-Randolph Lodge, one of its original owners, and the Lodge that performed the Masonic rites at the funeral of Chief Justice Marshall in 1836. Having been constantly used for Masonic purposes from the time of its erection to the present day, a period of one hundred and twenty-six years, it is the oldest Masonic Temple, in point of service, in the United States and probably in America. In our illustration we give four of the "early Grand Masters in Virginia," Peyton Randolph, John Blair, Edmund Randolph, and John Marshall. Peyton Randolph was the last of the Provincials, while the others 264 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THB MASON. were among the Titian pillars of the American temple of our fraternal forebears and fittingly illustrate the character and class of men in every state who guided our fraternal barks through the stormy seas of its formative period and handed down to us the priceless legacy of American Masonry. Much of the early history of the Craft of Virginia is irretrievably lost. The Revolutionary and Civil wars drew heavily upon the mem- berships of the Lodges, necessitating the suspension of many and the disbandment of not a few. Their records lost or destroyed, not even a stray fragment of what was the chronicle of earnest workers remains to tell the story. In many instances a lack of zeal on the part of the secretary to properly preserve correct records and transmit them to their successors in intelligent form has deprived this generation of a priceless treasure, while carelessness and stupidity have also played their deadly parts. A distinguished Grand Master of Virginia still living informed the writer that years ago a highly esteemed Grand Secretary destroyed several barrels of manuscript and old records relating to the early history of the Fraternity, believing it to be worthless rubbish — a loss so great that it can hardly be approximated in this day of research. Through that hazy past we find scattered here and there the names of some of Virginia's noblest sons, compeers of Washington, of Marshall, the Randolphs, Pendleton, the Lees and others, who had made their vows at a Masonic shrine, but the only proof of this is found in an occasional visit by them to some foreign Lodge or their participation in some Masonic function. When they were made or where they belonged will probably never be known. Certain it is that the greatest of the great men of Virginia during the revolutionary period were ardent and earnest members of the Masonic Order, and this, we believe, was the case in the rest of the colonies.* ♦Brother M. Delancey Haywood, historian of the G. L. of North Carolina, furnished the writer with the names of eighty-six prominent Revolutionary patriots, who were members of the Craft from that Jurisdiction; P. G. M. John M. Carter of Maryland, nearly as many from his State; the Grand Secretary of Massachusetts about two hundred, while the Grand Secretary of New York more than Massachusetts. From other States we received equally important informa- tion but space will not permit publication of this interesting roster. MASONIC INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON |T ITTLB is known of the Masonic record of General Washington from the time he received his Master Mason's Degree in Fredericksburg Lodge in 1753 until the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The records of his mother Lodge, covering a part of the early period of his Masonic life, were lost or destroyed, and as that old institution was one of the first established and among the very few existing in the colony when Washington became a Mason, the loss of these records deprives the Fraternity at large of valuable information relating not only to Washington but to a large number of his fraternal contemporaries, who in after years rose to distinction in both military and civil life. From 1753 to 1775 Washington probably enjoyed few oppor- tunities to visit any organized Masonic body. From the date of his raising until the latter part of 1758, he was engaged in military affairs and spent most of his time on the frontier with the provincial army, and from the spring of 1759, with the exception of an occasional visit to Williamsburg as representative in the House of Burgesses, to 1775, he lived the quiet, uneventful life of a planter at Mount Vernon, nearly fifty miles from the nearest Masonic body, which was his home Lodge at Fredericksburg. Nevertheless, there can be little doubt that on his occasional visits to his mother and sister he took advantage of such opportunities to pay his respects to the brethren of No. 4, and it would be interesting indeed to read of those visits and to know who greeted him on such occasions. Alany of his intimate friends and early associates lived in and around the little sequestered town, where, when nothing but a youth, he had received his degrees. Jacob Van Eramm, his early fencing-master; the Weedons and the Alercers ; his brother-in-law. Colonel Fielding Lewis ; John Dan- dridge, his wife's father; the Warners, Spotswoods, WiUises, Paynes, Balls, Popes, and FitzHughs were among the members of that now famous old institution, and a record of their meetings would be to us, who look upon the past with particular reverence, interesting indeed. That he was well known in Masonic circles and kept up his 265 266 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. fraternal associations through these unrecorded years, when oppor- tunity permitted, is also strongly indicated by his active participation in important Masonic functions and the numerous distinguished atten- tions paid him by the Fraternity from the very beginning of the revolutionary struggle. Had he held aloof and abstained from all intercourse with the Fraternity prior to the revolution, there is no suflScient reason to believe that he would have been an object of special attention and interest at the beginning of that period. He was not then, as he grew to be a few years later and as he is to-day, world-renowned. Favorably known, it is true, as a capable provincial soldier and an Indian fighter, he was yet untried as commander-in- chief of an extensive army, and his fame as a statesman was a long way in the distance. Thus we must search for some other reason why the Craft should select him as a particular object of attention in those early days of that famous struggle and throughout the remainder of his Hfe, and the only logical conclusion at which one can arrive is that Washington was well-knowTi for his zealous attachment to the Fraternity before the beginning of the mighty struggle for American independence. As some of our readers may be curious to know the particular occasions on which our subject became a conspicuous figure before the Craft and the nature of the circumstances which brought him into such prominence, we will briefly refer to a few of the instances. Upon the institution of the Grand Lodge of Virginia in 1778, although with the army in the north, he was the first choice of that body for Grand Master but declined the position. This is authen- ticated by the records of that Grand Lodge. That he occupied the chief position in the procession at the celebration of St. John the Evangehst by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1778, in which more than three hundred brethren joined, is also a matter of record. At a public festival of American Union Lodge, held at Reading, Connecticut, on the 25th of March, 1779, the first toast given was "General Washington," which was followed by one "To the Alemory of Warren, Montgomery and Wooster," three distinguished Masons who had fallen on the battlefields of the revolution; and, on the 24th of June of the same year, American Union Lodge celebrated the festival of St. John the Baptist at the Robinson House, near West Point on the Hudson, having among the guests on this occasion the ccmmander-in-chief. MASONIC INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 267 On the 6th of October following (1779), the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts constituted a traveling or military Lodge, with Gen- eral John Patterson, Master; Colonel Benjamin Tucker and ISIajor William Hull (afterwards General), Wardens, which they were pleased to call Washington Lodge. Captain Moses Greenleaf of the nth Massachusetts Regiment afterwards became Master of this Lodge, and his son, Simon Green- leaf, one of the early Grand IMasters of Maine, stated, upon informa- tion from his father, that Washington was a regular visitor to this Lodge while he (the elder Greenleaf) occupied the chair.* On the 27th of December, 1779, American Union Lodge met at Morristown, N. J., to celebrate the festival of St. John the EvangeUst, and records still extantf show that the following distinguished oiEcers of the revolutionary army were among the visitors present on that memorable occasion : Bros. Washington, Gibbs, Kinney, Van Rensselaer, Jackson, Bruff, Craig, Baldwin, Durfee, Shaw, Hunter, Lawrence, Church, Gist, Butler, Coleman, Camp- bell, Maclure, Savage, Schuyler, Lewis, Livingstone, Ten Eyck, Sherburne, McCarter, Conine, Somers, Bevius, Bleeker, Maxwell, Dayton, Campfield, Arnold (the traitor), Armstrong, Mentzer, Slafif, Smith, Sanford, Williams, Rogers, Hughes, Brewin, Woodward, Brooks, Thompson, Hervey, Machin, Piatt, Gray, Van Zandt, Edwards, Fox, Erskine, Guion, Spear, Ellsworth, Hunt, Reacumm, Conner, White, Proctor, Wetmore, Hamilton (Alexander), Hanmer, Walden, Hubbard, Gnmman, Peckham. It is claimed that General Lafayette was made a Mason in an army Lodge at Morristown and, although the minutes of this meeting make no reference to the fact, circumstances suggest this as the interesting occasion. There must have been something of extra- ordinary interest to have brought together such an unusual assem- blage ; something besides the celebration of the festival of the patron saint. It was at this meeting also that active steps were taken by the army Lodges to consider the appointment of a National Grand Master, and General Mordecai Gist, of Maryland (afterwards Grand Master of South Carohna), was appointed chairman of a committee to bring the subject before the several Grand Lodges. The movement was subsequently taken up by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, who unanimously recommended to the several Grand Lodges the appoint- ment of General Washington to that position. *See Hayden. fMinutes of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. 268 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Owing to the unsettled condition of the times, the effort fell through, although it received the endorsement of a number of Grand Lodges. It nevertheless shows that Washington was foremost in the minds of the leading Masons, indeed of all the Masons, of that day. In his address at laying the cornerstone of the Washington monument in Richmond, the Honorable Robert G. Scott, of Virginia, in speaking of Washington's zeal as a Mason, refers to a visitation made to Lodge No. 9, at Yorktown, just after Cornwallis' surrender. "In that village," says he, "was Lodge No. 9, where, after the siege had ended, Washington, Lafayette, Marshall and Nelson came together and by their union bore abiding testimony to the beautiful tenets of ^lasonn,-." Every year and almost ever}' month during that eventful period brought to him some testimonial of respect or mark of attention from the Craft. Lodges were named for him, IMasonic Hterature dedicated to him, and in numerous other ways the Fraternity acknowl- edged and saluted him as their most distinguished patron, not only in America but abroad, as the following correspondence, on the subject of some ornaments presented to the General by a mercantile firm of France, amply proves: To His Exckllekcy General W.\shington, America : Most Illustrious and Respected Brother — In the moment when all Europe admire and feel the effects of your glorious efforts in support of American liberty, we hasten to offer for your acceptance a small pledge of our homage. Zealous lovers of liberty and its institutions, we have experienced the most refined joy in seeing our chief and brother stand forth in its defence, and in defence of a new-bom nation of republicans. Your glorious career will not be confined to the protection of American libertj', but its ultimate effect will extend to the whole human family, since Pro\"i- dence has evidently selected you as an instrument in His hands to fulfil His eternal decrees. It is to you, therefore, the glorious orb of America, we presume to offer Masonic ornaments as an emblem of 3'oin: virtues. May the Grand Architect of the universe be the guardian of your precious days, for the glory of the western hemisphere and the entire universe. Such are the vows of those who have the favor to be, by all the known numbers, Your affectionate brothers, Watson & Cassocx. To this letter Washington made the following reply : State op New York, August 10, jj82. Genttlemen': The Masonic ornaments which accompanied your brotherly address of the 23d of Jannar}- last, though elegant in themselves, were reuderer^ MASONIC I^XIDE^'TS IX THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 269 more valuable by the flattering sentiments and affectionate manner in which they were presented. If my endeavors to avert the evil with which the country was threatened by a deUberate plan of tyranny, should be crowned with the success that is wished, the praise is due to the Grand Architect of the imiverse, who did not see fit to suffer His superstructure of justice to be subjected to the ambition of the princes of tVii'; world, or to the rod of oppression in the hands of any power upon earth. For your affectionate vows, permit me to be grateful and offer mine for true brothers in all parts of the world, and to assiore you of the sincerity with which I am, Yours, Go. Washington. The revolution was then drawing to a dose, indeed the curtain had akeady fallen on the last act in the great drama at Yorktown. We have described in a preceding chapter of this work the sad fare- well of Washington to his officers in New York, the impressive scene when he resigned his commission at AnnapoUs, and his return to his peaceful abode at Mount Vernon, and will not repeat them here. The Revolutionary War over, the spirit of independent Masonic organization rapidly crystallized. An eminent writer says : Masonry was at that time fast assuming in this country an independent American poUty, and in 1785 the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, which had been chartered as a Provincial Grand Body while the British troops held possession of its commercial city, virtually renounced its fealty to its parent head in London; and under Robert R. Livingston, a Grand Master of its own election, it formed for itself a Book of Constitution, which was dedicated to Washington in the following language: To His Excellency George W.^shington, Esq. : In testimony, as well of his exalted services to his cotmtry as of his distinguished character as a Mason, the following Book of Constitutions of the ancient and honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, by order and in behalf of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, is dedicated. By his most humble servant, A. L. 5785. Javtks Giles, Grand Secretary. The honor of receiving the dedication of Masonic pubhcations had not been conferred on any American iMason previous to Wash- ington ; but this was the third time such distinction was shown to him. The period from 1785 to 1790 marks a wonderful epoch in the history of America, during which the old confederated form of government passed out and down into the chronicles of time, and a constitutional union, with George Washington at its head, came into existence. A strong, virile, endiuing system came to live and gladden the world by its influence and example, and on the 30th of April, 1789, 270 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Washington was inaugurated the first President of the United States of America, on which occasion General Jacob Morton, Worshipful Master of St. John's, the oldest Lodge in the city, and at the same time Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of New York, was Marshal of the day. General Morton brought from the altar of his Lodge the Bible with its cushion of crimson velvet, and upon that sacred volume Robert R. Livingstone, Chancellor of the State of New York and Grand Master of its Grand Lodge, administered to Washington his oath of office as President of the United States. For want of space we can only enumerate a few of the numerous courtesies extended to Washington by the Fraternity, all of which he seemed to appreciate and was pleased to return on every occasion possible. There never has been nor will there ever be a cause, worthy of the endorsement of good men, which has not provoked in some way, through ignorance, superstition, envy, avarice, cupidity, or some other weakness or passion, the enmity of misguided or vicious men, and the Masonic fraternity for untold ages has been periodically the object of as much vindictive abuse and unmerited criticism as any institution erected by the genius of man. Its traducers have resorted to the most contemptible subterfuges to accomplish their iniquitous objects and to impede its progress and destroy its influence. Among other devices, they have questioned the loyalty of its most distin- guished leaders, prominent among whom are Andrew Jackson, John Marshall, and George Washington. In refutation of the charges made by these enemies of our Order, impeaching the loyalty of Washington and doubting his Masonic zeal, we publish a few of the numerous letters written by the General to his Masonic friends, which will be sufficient to brand with the calumny of falsehood all such effusions without further notice. On his visit to Newport, Rhode Island, in August, 1790, an address of welcome was delivered to the President by King David's Lodge of that city, to which Washington made the following reply : To THE Master, Wardens, and Brethren of King David's Lodge in Newtort, Rhode Island. Gentlemen: I receive the welcome which you give me to Rhode Island with pleasure; and I acknowledge my obligations for the flattering expressions of regard contained in your address with grateful sincerity. Being persuaded that a just application of the principles on which the Masonic fraternity is founded must be productive of private virtue and public prosperity, I shall always be happy MASONIC INCIDENTS IN THK LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 27 1 to advance the interests of the society, and to be considered by them as a deserving brother. My best wishes, gentlemen, are offered for your individual happiness. Go. Washington, This letter was probably the first he had written to any Masonic body during his presidential term. After the close of the session of Congress in Philadelphia in the winter of 1 790-1 791, Washington retttmed to Mount Vernon, and in the late spring and early summer months made a visit to the southern states. On his arrival in Charleston, South CaroHna, General Mordecai Gist, intimate friend and former compatriot in the Revolu- tionary War and at that time Grand Master of South CaroHna, addressed him the following congratulatory letter, as Grand Master, in behalf of his Grand Lodge: Sir: Induced by a respect for your public and private character, as well as the relation in which you stand with the brethren of this society, we, the Grand Lodge of the State of South Carolina, Ancient York Masons, beg leave to offer our sincere congratulations on your arrival in this state. • •••••. When we contemplate the distresses of war, the instances of humanity dis- played by the Craft afford some relief to the feeling mind ; and it gives us the most pleasing sensation to recollect, that amidst the difficulties attendant on your late military stations, you still associated with, and patronized the Ancient Fraternity. Distinguished always by your virtues, more than the exalted stations in which you have moved, we exult in the opportunity you now give us of hailing you brother of our Order, and trust from your knowledge of our institution, to merit your countenance and support. With fervent zeal for your happiness, we pray that a life so dear to the bosom of this society, and to society in general, may be long, very long preserved; and when you leave the temporal symbolic lodges of this world, may you be received into the celestial lodge of light and perfection, where the Grand Master Architect of the Universe presides. Done in behalf of the Grand Lodge. M. Gist, G. M. Charleston, 2d May, 1791. To this letter Washington immediately replied as follows : Gentlemen: I am much obliged by the respect which you are so good as to declare for my public and private character, I recognize with pleasure my relation to the brethren of your Society, and I accept with gratitude your congratu- lations on my arrival in South Carolina. Your sentiments, on the establishment and exercise of our equal government, are worthy of an association, whose principles lead to purity of morals, and are beneficial of action. The fabric of our freedom is placed on the enduring basis of public virtue. 272 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. and will, I fondly hope, long continue to protect the prosperity of the architects who raised it. I shall be happy, on every occasion, to evince my regard for the Fraternity. For your prosperity individually, I offer my best wishes. Go. Washington. To understand and fully appreciate this correspondence, it must be borne in mind that General Gist had been the companion in arms of General Washington during the war of the revolution, and that while in command of the Marjdand Brigade in 1779 he had held intimate personal and Masonic intercourse with him; had presided over a convention of Masonic brethren in the army at Morristown that desired to elevate Washington to the Grand Alastership of all American Masons; had been constituted, by a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Master of a military Lodge in his owti brigade; and, having borne the trowel and the sword together in many weary marches and many well-fought battles, had at the close of the war retired to a plantation near Charleston, carrying with him to his southern home a love of Masonry and a knowledge of its kindly influences during the war; had established a Lodge in Charleston, been chosen Grand Master of the Ancient York ^Masons of South Carolina, and as such greeted Washington on his arrival there, in their behalf. When, therefore, he declared in his letter to Washington — When we contemplate the distresses of war, the instances of humanity dis- played by the Craft afford some relief to the feeling mind ; and it gives us the most pleasing sensation to recollect that amidst the difficulties attendant on your late military stations, you still associated with, and patronized the Ancient Fraternity, he well knew that Washington was familiar with the instances of humanity in war to which he alluded, and Washington's reply was in keeping with his past sentiments expressed on the subject. During the summer of 1791, the Grand Lodge of Virginia pub- lished the first edition of her Book of Constitutions, or New Ahimon Rezon, as it was called, and dedicated it to Washington, and in the same year the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania renewed its testimonials of respect by directing that an address be presented to him from that body. The address was presented to Washington in person by the Grand Master and a committee of the Grand Lodge and is as follows : To George Washington, President of the United St.\tes. Sir and Brother: The Ancient York Masons of the jurisdiction of Penn- sylvania, for the first time assembled in General Communication to celebrate the feast of St. John, the Evangelist, since your election to the chair of government MASONIC INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 273 of the United States, beg leave to approach you with congratulations from the East, and, in the pride of fraternal affection, to hail you as the great master-builder (under the Supreme Architect), by whose labors the temple of liberty hath been reared in the West, exhibiting to the nations of the earth a model of beauty, order, and harmony worthy of their imitation and praise. Your knowledge of the origin and objects of our institution — its tendency to promote the social affections and harmonize the heart — give us a sure pledge that this tribute of our veneration, this effusion of love, will not be ungrateful to you ; nor will Heaven reject our prayer, that you may be long continued to adorn the bright list of master workmen which oiu: Fraternity produces in the terrestrial lodge; and that you may be later removed to that celestial lodge where love and harmony reign transcendent and divine; where the Great Architect more immedi- ately presides, and where cherubin and seraphim wafting our congratulations from earth to heaven shall hail you brother! By order and in behalf of the Grand Lodge of Permsylvania, in General communication assembled in ample form. J. B. Smith, G. M. To this address the President returned the following written reply : To THE Ancient York Masons of the Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania. Gentlemen and Brothers: I receive your kind congratulation with the purest sensations of fraternal affection; and from a heart deeply impressed with your generous wishes for my present and future happiness, I beg you to accept my thanks. At the same time I request you will be assured of my best wishes and earnest prayers for your happiness while you remain in this terrestrial mansion, and that we may hereafter meet as brethren in the celestial temple of the Supreme Architect. Go. Washington. In 1792 Massachusetts issued its new Book of Constitutions for the government of its Grand Lodge and we find the instrument dedicated to General Washington, by the direction of that Grand Body, in the following language : In testimony of his exalted merit, and our inaUenable regard, this work is inscribed and dedicated to our illustrious Brother, George Washington, the friend of Masonry, of his Country, and of Man. On December 27 the Grand Lodge passed a resolution presenting a copy of the constitution which had been dedicated to him, accom- panied by this address, which bears date of December 29, 1 792 : The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons for the Commonwealth OF Massachusetts, to their Honored and Illustrious Brother Georgb Washington, President op the United States. Sir: Whilst the historian is describing the career of your glory, and the inhabitants of an extensive empire are made happy in your unexampled exertions — 274 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. while some celebrate the Hero, so distinguished in liberating United America, and others the Patriot who presides over her councils — a band of brothers, having always joined the acclamations of their countrymen, now testify their respect for those milder virtues which have ever graced the man. Taught by the precepts of our Society that all its members stand upon a level, we venture to assume this station, and to approach you with that freedom which diminishes our difEdence without lessening our respect. Desirous to enlarge the boundaries of social happiness, and to vindicate the ceremonies of their institution, this Grand Lodge have published a "Book of Constitutions," and a copy for your acceptance accompanies this, which, by dis- covering the principles that actuate, will speak the eulogy of the Society; though they fervently wish the conduct of its members may prove its higher commendation. Convinced of his attachment to its cause, and readiness to encourage its benevolent designs, they have taken the liberty to dedicate this work to one, the qualities of whose heart, and the action of whose life, have contributed to improve personal virtue, and extend throughout the world the most endearing cordialities; and they humbly hope he will pardon this freedom, and accept the tribute of their esteem and homage. May the Supreme Architect of the Universe protect and bless you, give length of days and increase of feUcity in this world, and then receive you to the harmonious and exalted Society in heaven. John Cutler, Grand Master. JosiAH Bartlett, MuNGO Mackay, Grand Wardens. To this address General Washington made the subjoined reply: To THE Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth OF Massachusetts. Gentleman : Flattering as it may be to the human mind, and truly honor- able as it is to receive from our fellow-citizens testimonials of approbation for exertions to promote the public welfare, it is not less pleasing to know that the milder virtues of the heart are highly respected by a society whose liberal principles are founded in the immutable laws of truth and justice. To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy the benevolent design of the Masonic Institution, and it is most fervently to be wished that the conduct of every member of the Fraternity, as well as those Dublications that discover the principles which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race. While I beg your acceptance of my thanks for the "Book of Constitutions" which you have sent me, and for the honor you have done me in the dedication, permit me to assure you that I feel all those emotions of gratitude which your affectionate address and cordial wishes are calculated to inspire. And I sincerely pray, that the Great Architect of the Universe may bless you here, and receive you hereafter in his immortal Temple. Go. Washington. MASONIC INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 275 Just before the close of General Washington's second term the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania appointed the Right Worshipful Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, and Brothers Saddler, Milnor and Williams, a committee to form an address "To the Great Master Workman, our Illustrious Brother Washington," on the occasion of his intended retirement from public labor. This address was presented to the President by a Grand Lodge Committee composed of the Right Worshipful Grand Master, Deputy Grand Alaster, Senior and Junior Wardens, Grand Secretary, Brothers WUliam Smith, Dupleses, and Proctor of the Masters of the different Lodges in the city. Having made suitable arrangements, this Grand Committee waited on the President at the time appointed, at his residence, and there presented the address of the Grand Lodge, which we quote : To George Washington, President of the United States. Most Respected Sir and Brother: Having announced your intention to retire from public labor to that refreshment to which your pre-eminent services for near half a century have so justly entitled you, permit the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at this last feast of our Evangelic Master, St. John, on which we can hope for immediate communication with you, to join the grateful voice of our country in acknowledging that you have carried forth the principles of the Lodge in every walk of your life, by your constant labor for the prosperity of that country ; by your unremitting endeavors to promote order, union, and brotherly affection amongst us; and, lastly, by the views of your farewell address, which we trust our* children's children will ever look upon as a most valuable legacy from a friend, a benefactor, and a father. To these our grateful acknowledgments (leaving to the pen of history to record the important events in which you have borne so illustrious a part), permit us to add our most fervent prayers, that after enjoying to the utmost span of human life, every feUcity which the terrestrial lodge can afford, you may be received by the Great Master Builder of this world, and of worlds unnumbered, into the ample felicity of that celestial lodge, in which alone distinguished virtues and distinguished labors can be eternally rewarded. By the unanimous order of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. WxtrLiAM Moore Smith, G. M. The President's reply to this address is still in the archives of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and constitutes one of their most cherished Masonic treasures. The following is a verbatim copy: Fellow-Citizens and Brothers of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania: I have received your address with all the feelings of brotherly affection, mingled with those sentiments for the society, which it was calculated to excite. 276 WASHINGTON THE) MAN AND THE MASON. To have been in any degree an instrument in the hands of Providence to promote order and miion, and erect upon a solid foundation the true principles of government, is only to have shared, with many others, in a labor, the result of which, let us hope, will prove through all ages a sanctuary for brothers, and a lodge for the virtues. Permit me to reciprocate your prayers for my temporal happiness, and to supphcate that we may all meet hereafter, in that eternal temple, whose builder is the Great Architect of the Universe. Go. Washington. General Washington's second administration closed March 4, 1797, and, as on aU previous occasions, when his work was done, he retired immediately to the peaceful precincts of his home on the Potomac. He had scarcely settled himself in the enjoyment of private life when the voice of Masonry reached him again. It came in an address first from his own Lodge in Alexandria, to be followed in a few days by another from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, which bears date of March 21, 1797: The East, the West, and the South, of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free AND Accepted Masons, for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to their Most Worthy Brother George Washington: Wishing ever to be foremost in testimonials of respect and admiration of those virtues and services with which you have so long adorned and benefited our common country, and not the last nor least to regret the cessation of them in public councils of the Union, your brethren of this Grand Lodge embrace the earUest opportunity of greeting you in the calm retirement you have contemplated to yourself. Though as citizens they lose you in the active labors of political life, they hope as Masons to find you in the pleasing sphere of fraternal engagement. From the cares of state, and the fatigue of public business, our institution opens a recess, affording all the relief of tranquilHty, the harmony of peace, and the refreshment of pleasure. Of these may you partake in all their purity and satisfaction and we will assure ourselves that your attachment to this social plan wUl increase; and that, under the auspices of your encouragement, assistance, and patronage, the Craft will attain its highest ornament, perfection, and praise. And it is our earnest prayer, that when your light shall be no more visible in this earthly Temple, you may be raised to the All Perfect Lodge above, be seated on the right of the Supreme Architect of the Universe, and receive the refreshment yoiu" labors have merited. In behalf of the Grand Lodge, we subscribe ourselves, with the highest esteem, your affectionate brethren, Paul Revere, Grand Master, Isaiah Thomas, Senior Grand Warden, Joseph Laughton, Junior Grand Warden, Daniel Oliver, Grand Secretary. MASONIC INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 277 Washington's reply was communicated to the Grand Lodge on the 12th of the following June. It breathes the same tender spirit and clearly indicates that his fraternal affections had not diminished one iota by his retirement to private Ufe: To THB Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in the Com- monwealth OF Massachusetts. Brothers : It was not until within these few days that I have been favored by the receipt of your affectionate address, dated in Boston, the 21st of March. For the favorable sentiments you have been pleased to express on the occasion of my past services, and for the regrets with which they are accompanied for the cessation of my pubUc functions, I pray you to accept my best acknowledgments and gratitude. No pleasure, except that which results from a consciousness of having, to the utmost of my abilities, discharged the trusts which have been reposed in me by my country, can equal the satisfaction I feel for the unequivocal proofs I con- tinually receive of its approbation of my public conduct; and I beg you to be assured that the evidence thereof, which is exhibited by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, is not among the least pleasing or grateful to my feelings. In that retirement which declining years induce me to seek, and which repose, to a mind long employed in public concerns, rendered necessary, my wishes that bounteous Providence will continue to bless and preser^^e our country in peace, and in the prosperity it has enjoyed, will be warm and sincere; and my attachment to the Society of which we are members will dispose me always to contribute my best endeavors to promote the honor and interest of the Craft. For the prayer you offer in my behalf, I entreat you to accept the thanks of a grateful heart, with assurances of fraternal regard, and my best wishes for the honor, happiness, and prosperity of all the members of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Go. Washington. Strange as it may appear to the world and undoubtedly is to every member of the Craft who enjoys the benefits of an institution of unexcelled popularity and importance whose usefulness and power is now universally admitted, the beginning of the last century wit- nessed the most violent anti-Masonic wave in the history of the American Fraternity. For more than three decades it seriously threatened the very Ufe of the institution and tested the fidelity of every individual member to the utmost limit. In certain locations, to wear a Masonic emblem amounted virtually to social ostracism, and some of the greatest statesmen in the country bowed to this popular fanaticism and became open in their avowals of opposition. It was at this period that George Washington was called upon by the enemies of the Fraternity to assert his position and declare his 278 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. sentiments. In his reply, first to a letter of congratulation from the Grand Lodge of Maryland on his retirement from office, and again to one G. W. Snyder, a leader of the antis, he makes plain and without equivocation his sentiments as regards the Fraternity: To THE Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Freemasons of the State of Maryland. Brethren and Brothers: Your obliging and affectionate letter, together with a copy of the "Constitutions of Masonry," has been put in my hands by your Grand Master, for which, I pray you to accept my best thanks. So far as I am acquainted with the principles and doctrines of Freemasonry, I conceive them to be founded on benevolence, and to be exercised only for the good of mankind. I cannot, therefore, upon this ground, withdraw my approbation from it. While I offer my grateful acknowledgments for your congratulations on my late appoint- ment, and for the favorable sentiments you are pleased to express of my conduct, permit me to observe, that, at this important and critical moment, when high and repeated indignities have been offered to the government of our country, and when the property of our citizens is plundered without a prospect of redress, I conceive it to be the indispensable duty of every American, let his station and circumstances in life be what they may, to come forward in support of the government of his choice, and to give all the aid in his power towards maintaining that independence which we have so dearly purchased; and, under this impression, I did not hesitate to lay aside all personal considerations and accept my appointment. I pray you to be assured that I receive with gratitude yoiu: kind wishes for my health and happiness, and reciprocate them with sincerity. I am, gentlemen and brothers, very respectfully. Your most obedient servant. Go. Washington. To Snyder, who was a clergyman and lived at Fredericktown, Maryland, he wrote first a general denial of the charges that the Masonic Fraternity was inimicable to the principles of good govern- ment and, secondly, a more extensive communication defining his exact position or opinion in the matter, which we publish in full: Mount Vernon, 24th October, 1798. Reverend Sir: I have your favor of the 17th instant before me, and my only motive for troubhng you with the receipt of the letter is to explain and correct a mistake which, I believe, the hurry in which I am obliged often to write letters has led you into. It was not my intention to doubt that the doctrines of the Illuminati, and the principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more fully satisfied of this fact that I am. The idea I meant to convey was, that I did not believe that the Lodges of Freemasons in this country had, as societies, endeavored to propagate the diabolical tenets of the former, or the pernicious principles of the latter, if they are susceptible MASOXIC INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON. 279 of separation. That individuals of them may have done it, or that the fotmder, or instruments employed to found, the democratic societies in the United States may have had these objects, and actually had a separation of the people from their government in view, is too evident to be questioned. My occupations are such that Uttle leisure is allowed me to read newspapers or books of any kind. The reading of letters and preparing answers absorbs much of my time. With respect, I remain, sir, etc., Go. Washington^. Space will not permit a further discussion of Washington as a fraternity man. The pubUcation of a few of his letters on the subject of Masonry and our brief reference to !Masonic episodes and incidents during his militar)' and political careers, appear to the writer to be suflScient proof that this great and good man, even amid the cares and concerns of war, delighted in the milder associations and benevo- lent occupations of the true Mason, and that he was ever ready and willing to step down from his exalted station as President of the United States, and lay aside the scepter of power to take up the fraternal pen; ever ready and anxious to say a word or write a line here and there in behah of that institution to which for nearly fifty years he had maintained loyal allegiance, and with whose members he had delighted to hold fraternal communion. From evidence produced in these letters, no man or set of men can truthfully aver, without impugning his veracity or doubting the sincerity of his declarations on the subject, that Washington was other than an earnest, zealous member of the Craft, loyal to its principles and true to its teachings, to the close of his life. LODGES NOS. 39 AND 11 OF ALEXANDRIA, VA. •nr^HE year before General Washington's return from the revolution a number of his neighbors and com- patriots, among them Robert Adam, Michael Ryan, William Hunter, Jr., John Allison,* Peter Dow and Dr. Elisha CuUen Dick, took the first steps to organize a ISIasonic Lodge in Alexandria, Virginia, by pre- senting a petition to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, praying for a dispensation or warrant under the sanction of that Grand Lodge and recommending the appointment of Robert Adam, Esquire, to the office of Worshipful Master, with Colonel Michael Ryan and \Mlliam Hunter as Senior and Junior Wardens, respectively. This petition was presented to the Provincial Grand Lodge at its quarterly communication held in Philadelphia, September 2, 1782, and was ordered to lie over to the next regular communication of the Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge convened in extra com- munication on the 3rd day of February, 1783 — when it was ordered that the prayer of the said petitioners be compHed with and that the secretary present Brother Adam with a warrant to hold a Lodge of Ancient Masons in Alexandria, in Virginia, to be numbered 39. Brother Robert Adam was then duly recommended, and presented, in form, to the Right Worshipful Grand Master, in the chair, for installation as Master of No. 39, to be held in the Borough of Alexandria, in Fairfax County, Virginia, and was accordingly installed as such. The first meeting of this Lodge, for organization, was held on the 25th day of February, 1783, and among its recorded proceedings appears the following: Ha\dng obtained a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, to establish a Lodge, No. 39, in the town of Alexandria, the following persons convened, this day, and opened "An Entered Apprentices' Lodge," in due form with a prayer particularly applicable to the occasion. Brother Young, t in the Chair, Brother Allison, Senior Deacon, Brother Proctor, t Senior Warden, Brother Dow, Junior Deacon, Brother Adam, Junior Warden, Brother Dick. •Ancestor of President William McKinley's mother. tMessrs. Young and (Colonel) Thos. Proctor were members of the Grand Lodge o/ Pennsylvania and came to Alexandria to assist in the organization of the Lodge. 281 a8a WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. The acting Secretary, Mr. Dick, then read the warrant as follows: William Adcock, G. M. Alexander Rutherford, D. G. M. Thomas Proctor, S. G. W. George Ord, J. G. W. To All Whom It May Concern : We, the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, according to the Old Institutions, held at Philadelphia, in the Province of Pennsylvania, by virtue of a Provincial Grand Warrant from the Grand Lodge of London, in Great Britain, whereof, then the Right Worshipful and Right Honorable Thomas Erskine, Earl of Kelly, Viscount Fenton, Lord Baron of Pitten Ween, etc., in Great Britain, was Grand Master of Masons, the Right Worshipful Mr. William Osborne, Deputy Grand Master, the Right Worshipful Mr. William Dickey, Senior Grand Warden, and the Right Worshipful James Gibson, Esq., Junior Grand Warden, under their hands and the seal of their Grand Lodge, constituting and appointing the Right Worshipful William Ball, Esq., Grand Master of Masons for the Province of Pennsylvania, and the Territories thereunto belonging; the Right Worshipful Captain Blaithwaite Jones, Deputy Grand blaster, the Right Worshipful Mr. David Hall, Senior Grand Warden, and the Right Worshipful Mr. Hugh Lenox, Junior Grand Warden, authorizing and empowering them, and their successors, to grant Dispensations, Warrants, or Constitutions, for the forming, holding and governing Lodges within their jurisdiction, as by the said Warrant, bearing date the 2oth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1764, and of Masonry 5764, reference being thereunto had, may more at large appear. Now Know Ye, That we, William Adcock, Esq., Grand Master; Alexandria Rutherford, Deputy Grand Master; Thomas Proctor, Senior Grand Warden, and George Ord, Junior Grand Warden, present, and legal successors to the above- named Provincial Grand Officers, as the Grand Lodge books may appear by virtue of the power to us granted by the above in part recited warrant. Do hereby authorize and empower our trusty and well-beloved brethren, Robert Adam, Master; Michael Ryan, Senior Warden, and William Hunter, Junior Warden of a New Lodge, No. 39, to be held in the Borough of Alexandria, in Fairfax County, Virginia, or within five miles of the same. And we do further authorize and empower our said brethren, Robert Adam, Master; Michael Ryan, Senior Warden, and William Hunter, Junior Warden, to admit and make Freemasons according to the Most Ancient and Honorable Custom of the Royal Craft in all ages and nations throughout the known world, and not contrarywise. And we do further empower and appoint our said brethren, Robert Adam, Master; Michael Ryan, Senior Warden, and WiUiam Hunter, Junior Warden, and their successors, to hear and determine all and singular matters and things relating to the Craft within the jurisdiction of Lodge No. 39. And, lastily, we do hereby authorize and empower our said trusty and well- beloved brethren, Robert Adam, Master; Michael Ryan, Senior Warden, and William Hunter, Junior Warden, to nominate, choose, and install their successors, to whom they shall deliver this warrant, and insert them with all their powers and /^..^^.C.,;^^.^.;:!.^ St 1j^^- //cF3 y^A^Z^^^^j^^ (3^ ^y^^^'^/2^Yi^. LODGES NOS. 39 AND 22 OF ALEXANDRIA, VA. 283 dignities as Freemasons, and such successors shall in Hke manner nominate, choose, and install their successors, etc., etc., etc. Such installation to be upon or near every St. John's day, during the continuance of this Lodge, forever; provided, always, that the above-named brethren, and their successors, pay due respect to the Right Worshipful Grand Master, from whom they have their authority, otherwise, this warrant to be of no force or virtue. Given under our hands, and the Seal of the Grand Lodge, at Philadelphia, this third day of February, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three, and of Masonry, five thousand seven hundred and eighty-three. Charles Young, Grand Treasurer. Joseph Howell, Jr., Deputy Grand Secretary. The first election of officers under the Pennsylvania warrant was held on the 2ist of December, 1783, when the following persons were duly elected: Robert Adam, Worshipful Master; Robert McCrea, Senior Warden; EHsha C. Dick, Junior Warden; William Herbert, Secretary; William Ramsay, Treasurer. Three days after this election, General Washington returned to Mount Vernon, and two days after his return the following letter was addressed to him by the officers of the Lodge . Sir: Whilst all denominations of people bless the happy occasion of your excellency's return to enjoy private and domestic felicity, permit us, sir, the mem- bers of Lodge No. 39, lately established in Alexandria, to assure your excellency, that we, as a mystical body, rejoice in having a brother so near us, whose pre- eminent benevolence has secured the happiness of millions; and that we shall esteem ourselves highly honored at all times your excellency shall be pleased to join us in the needful business. We have the honor to be, in the name and behalf of No. 39, your excellency's Devoted friends and brothers, Robert Adam, M. E. C. Dick, S. W. J. Allison, /. W. Wm. Ramsay, Treas. His Excellency General Washington. We give herewith a photographic copy of the General's reply to this address, the original of which is among the many Washington souvenirs that adorn the walls of Alexandria- Washington Lodge-room. On the approach of the festival of St. John the Baptist, in June the Lodge addressed Washington an invitation to join them, to which he sent the following reply : Mount Vernon, June ig, 1784. Dear Sir : With pleasure, I received the invitation of the master and members of Lodge No. 39, to dine with them on the approaching anniversary of St. John 284 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. the Baptist. If nothing unforeseen at present interferes, I will have the honor of doing it. For the polite and flattering terms in which you have expressed their wishes, you will please accept my thanks. With esteem and respect, I am, dear sir, Your most Ob't serv't, Go. Washington. Wm. Herbert, Esquire. The original of this letter is also in Washington Lodge and the records of the meeting, still extant, show that the General was present and participated in the celebration of the festival and that it was on this occasion that he first became identified with the Fraternity in Alexandria by being elected an honorary member of Lodge No. 39. The minutes state that a banquet was served at Wise's Tavern, which he (Washington), in company with the members, attended. In the month of August, 1786, a circular letter was received from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania notifying the officers and members of No. 39 that at the quarterly communication of the above named Grand Lodge, to be held on the fourth Monday in September of that year, the question of establishing the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania independently of Great Britain or any other authority would be considered, and requesting the presence of the Lodge either by its proper officers or by a deputation in writing authorizing some Master Mason or Masons to represent the Lodge upon the determination of the question. The reply of No. 39 was communicated by Colonel Ramsay as follows : Alexandria, September 15, iy86. Mr. James Whitehead, Deputy Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Brother : Your circular letter, of the 8th of August, we have had the honor of receiving, and the same was laid before the brethren of Lodge No. 39, and duly considered, by whom I am instructed to express their regard and esteem for the fraternity around the globe, wherever dispersed, particularly the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the promotion of whose honor and interest they have much at heart, and fervently wish to advance. The subject proposed being of the greatest impor- tance and magnitude, the collected wisdom of the whole, under your jurisdiction, becomes necessary to decide thereupon, and from our youth and inexperience in Masonic matters, we may be inadequate to determine on the propriety of the measure. We shall, however, endeavor to prevail on some of our officers to appear for U3 at the proposed meeting. If in case we should not succeed, we flatter our- selves of being excused, on account of our locality, and the little intercourse our members have, at present, with Philadelphia. LODGES NOS. 39 AND 22 OF ALEXANDRIA, VA. 285 It might be alleged we could provide against this by appointing some of the brethren there to represent us, and which plan we could most cheerfully adopt, but have not the necessary acquaintance with any of the brethren. Brothers Proctor and Young excepted, and they, we are well informed, represent other Lodges imder your care. That we are as separate and independent of Great Britain, as of Denmark, is politically true, and as we owe them no subjection as a state or nation, how can the subjects of the one owe any to the subjects of the other? If it is answered, none; then, query, how this political truth may, with propriety, be applied to the Masonic Order, who, as they do not intermeddle with state matters, ought not to draw arguments from thence to dismember themselves from the jurisdiction of those they hold under, except from similar burthens, or impositions exacted inconsistent with Masonry. But those, no doubt, are the matters to be discussed. We have only to request (in case we should stand unrepresented), that you will inform us of the result of your deliberations. I am, with due respect, Your brother and servant, Dennis Ramsay, Secretary. A circular letter from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, received February 23, 1787, informed the Lodge that that Grand Lodge had been established independently of Great Britain and requested the return of the warrant issued to No. 39, February 3, 1783, in order to its renewal under the new organization. Desiring to be governed in accordance with the usages of Masonry in determining the course to be pursued, it was ordered at this meeting "that Colonel Michael Ryan, a member of the Lodge, be requested to inquire of James Mercer, Esq., upon what principle he was appointed Grand Master of the different Lodges in Virginia," and on the 3rd of March following Colonel Ryan reported that he had made. the necessary inquiry of Honorable James Mercer, late Grand Master, and was — Happy to say that the Grand Lodge of Virginia is constitutionally appointed consistent with the strictest rules of Masonry, and independently of all foreign jurisdiction ; that in its formation the Grand Lodge had not, in any one instance, deviated from the ancient landmarks of Masonry; and that our dependence on a Grand Lodge at Richmond, to which we may conveniently send representatives, will be more natural than our present situation. At this meeting the Lodge decided that it would be more con- venient for it to work under the authority of the Grand Lodge of Virginia than under that of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and having resolved to make application to the Grand Lodge of Virginia for a Charter, recommended the following persons for appointment by the Grand Lodge: George Washington, Esq., Master; 286 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Robert McCrea, Deputy Master; William Hunter, Jr., Senior Warden; John Allison, Junior Warden. To Messrs. Robert McCrea, William Hunter, Jr., John Allison and William H. Powell was assigned the duty of waiting upon General Washington to ascertain whether it would be agreeable to him to be named in the charter, and WilHam Hunter, Jr., and John Allison, to make application to the Grand Lodge at Richmond, for the charter. General Washington, having given his consent to the use of his name, the application to the Grand Lodge was accompanied by the following letter dated October 25, 1788, prepared by Colonel Charles Simms and Robert McCrea, Esq.: "The brethren of Lodge No. 39, Ancient York Masons, were congregated, and have hitherto wrought under a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, who having since the revolution declared themselves independent of any foreign jurisdiction, and also notified us that it was necessary that we should renew our warrant under the new established Grand Lodge, the brethren composing this Lodge, taking the same imder consideration, and having found it inconvenient to attend the different communications of that honorable society in Philadelphia, and as a Grand Lodge is established in our own state, at Richmond, agreeably to the ancient landmarks, whose communications we can with more ease and con- venience attend, have, at sundry preceding meetings, resolved to ask your honorable society for a new warrant, which has already been communicated to you by letter, and also by our Brother Hunter, personally, who hath obtained an entry of this Lodge on your minutes. "We have now to observe, that at a meeting of this Lodge, on the 25th inst. it was unanimously resolved, that an application should be immediately made by this Lodge to your honorable society for a charter, which we now do, and pray that it may be granted to us. "it is also the earnest desire of the members of this Lodge that our Brother George Washington, Esq., should be named in the charter as Master of the Lodge. The names of the other necessary officers of the Lodge will be mentioned to you by our Brother Hunter." At the next regular Communication of the Grand Lodge (held at Mason's Hall, in the city of Richmond), the petition of this Lodge was granted, and its registry number changed from No. 39 of Pennsylvania to No. 22 of Virginia. We give herewith a photographic copy of the Virginia Charter, two-thirds the size of the original, and for the convenience of our readers also print its contents. Edm. Randolph: To All, and Every to whose knowledge these presents shall come. Greeting : Whereas, It has been duly represented to us, that in the County of Fairfax, and Borough of Alexandria, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, there reside a number of the brethren of the Society of Freemasons, who have assembled as a Lodge agreeably to the regulations of Masonry by the title of the Alexandria Lodge, and it appearing to be for the good and increase of the Fraternity that the said i%„„ ,..y,./.:. ,/...,. A.,.- / /"// • / ,/ ,/ -v.-,, „ //, /'■'...' . / ' / iw ■I /i,„r /v t'lt,' lAi t/,,,y l!i(itr. if, /„,„£;, J : (if/ r,,/ J.J.J, ..y^/ '/l)H,ll„ „.,l/,M .l„f,«^^Hu/.J,uf/ f„,y ,/,. .. %ii li..,-r „.f!j, lU .„..f-J'i..r,,,/„„^,/,^, ■"/■■■ 'tiu/ ,.ii,4U.J,tJ r.i.,foM,y.W\t,,c,f,.e til. tl.J .,/.:. /.. ./../.„. J r/,.u»r //t..../.r... f4\,r,/<..... ^.,J.,J,..^ „./ ,l//,.lin tlji,'rrr.J ,i,lh„„//y,n,C'J ' .;",'.- M„J,. .„.,/ in,.,f.,.j l, ,/„,„... ,.„,..j , „„„.,„^, y„,„. .. t,. ,/,..,,/ i/„:,-.,u,J. /,,/y. /,„(C, rt.,,.,/,/-,/^;'. v; •,;J../.,i,'.-,^.,„i^ '/,,W, f.,f „fre/ift/,r,-^ fiertr,. l/,.-,f ,/,'U,'r„,^ /.Ki, //.„„/, :„.,/, •■^"■rr" „,../,/..'/■■„,/...„ ^"'^ ' •' ""'"'■' 'r/,.M ., /...., ■rr,../,..,„/ .,:,/, l/,r nng period of reconstruction and led it up to the very door of healthy progress. It is pleasing to testify that these venerated brethren lived to see the institution they loved so well in the full swing of renewed vigor and prosperity; to see it rise to the very crest of the wave of national veneration and were laid to their eternal rest, covered with well-earned honors and, what was infinitely better and more desirable, the unstinted affections and respect of those who knew them best. Immediately after the death of Washington, being sensible of his relation to the Fraternity and as testimonials of their friendship to the institution he loved, numerous mementoes of inestimable value were presented to the Lodge by the General's intimate friends and relatives, and, notwithstanding the entire collection was gratuitous, within a few years the sanctum became a perfect storehouse for these interesting souvenirs. Indeed so numerous were these gifts and so much space did the collection occupy, as early as 181 1, that the Lodge was seriously embarrassed for room in which to confer its degrees. Consequently, on the 29th day of December of the year mentioned, a movement was started which resulted in the establishment of a museum to be attached to the Lodge. As a result of the effort, the City Council in 18 18 appropriated the entire third story of one wing of the City Hall, then just erected, to the purpose of this museum. Colonel Mountford, a venerable member, was appointed manager and custodian, and served in that capacity until the day of his death, March 2, 1S46. At the destruction of the Temple and the City Hall by fire in 1871, the museum, with a large portion of its contents, was lost or •^ V*«„/e<3r.^Jgj. TROWEL WITH WHICH WASHINGTON LAID THE CORNERSTONE OF THE NATIONAL CAPITOL. GROUP OF RELICS IN ALEXANDRIA-WASHINGTON LODGE. ALEXANDRIA- WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 22. 311 destroyed, and among the relics and other articles of value, relating to Washington, burned or stolen at that time, were: The bier* upon which the remains of Washington were borne to the tomb and the crape that floated from the door of his home to tell the sad news of his death. A picture of Martha, the wife of Washington, in her youthfid days. A portrait of Washington. Washington's military saddle.* Portions of a "settee" of Washington, which once stood in the hall of the old Mount Vernon mansion. Washington's card tables. Many original letters of Washington in flames. A flag used by an Alexandria company in the revolution — a faded red, with yellow center, inscribed in black "IX Virginia Regiment, Alexandria Company;" staff wood, stained red, with wooden lance. The flag of Washington's life-guard The flag of the Richmond Rifle Rangers in the revolution — white silk, ele- gantly painted, with a device — motto: " Nemo me impune lacessit." A bust of the celebrated John Paul Jones, which was presented to Washington by Lafayette, and adorned the dining-room of Mount Vernon. The flag of the Independent Blues of Alexandria, used in thewar of 1812-1814. The flag used by Paul Jones on the " Bon Homme Richard." A portrait of Lafayette. The model of the first French guillotine, which recalled all the horrors of the bloody bygone days, when even rulers trembled on their thrones for fear of torture. One of the candles used at the mass before the execution of Louis XIV. A cross made of three thousand pieces of wood, without nail, peg or glue. A saddlef of crimson velvet, heavily embroidered with gold, sent as a present to Thomas Jefferson by the Dey of Morocco. The clothes of "Tecumseh,' covering life-size figure representing the great Indian chief, killed by Colonel Richard M Johnson, of Kentucky, at the battle of the Thames in 18 14. The model of a corn -planter, invented by George Washington Parke Custis in 1790. After the erection of the present building in 1872 on the site of the old structure, the relics saved from the fire were deposited in the new Temple, where they can be seen at this time. In the illus- trations scattered through this work are shown a few of these treasures which we will briefly describe. *It is believed that the military saddle of Washington and the bier upon which he was borne to the tomb were not destroyed by fire. They mysteriously disappeared, however, and have not been recovered. fThe President of the United States being inhibited from the acceptance of a present at the hands of a foreign prince, this saddle was deposited in the museum by Jonathan Swift, Esq., the Consul of Morocco, through whom it was sent. It was valued at SiS.ooo. 312 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. In the group entitled " Group of relics in Alexandria- Washing- ton Lodge" can be seen Washington's Masonic apron and sash, worn by him when Master and at the laying of the comer-stone of the National Capitol. It is of cream-colored satin, heavily embroidered in gold, with the French and American flags entwined. A bee-hive and fairies adorn the center. It was presented to the Lodge, with the box below and the sash above, in 1 8i 2 by Lawrence Lewis, nephew of the General and the husband of his adopted daughter, Nellie Custis. The apron has been seldom worn since the death of the General, among the few instances being by General Lafayette in the Lodge, February 21, 1825; at the laying of the comer-stone of the Yorktown monument by Grand Master Peyton S. Coles, 1881 ; and to confer the Master Mason's Degree on Lawrence Washington, February 22, 19 10, by a delegation from Illinois; by Grand Master G. Roscoe Swift, with a Michigan Degree team, to confer the Master Mason's Degree on Wilham H. Pettus, a theological student, Feb- ruary 22, 191 1 (President William H. Taft was present on this occasion) ; and on a later occasion by President Taft himself. In thanking the Lodge for the use of the apron at Yorktown, Grand Master Coles wrote in part : I am deeply gratified by this distingiiished honor, and in the name of the Grand Lodge, not less than of every individual Mason in the state, I thank you. I count it a high and priceless privilege to be the trusted recipient of so great an honor, and that it has fallen to my humble lot to wear the Masonic clothing conse- crated in our memories by association with Washington and Lafayette, fills me with proud and grateful emotions. . . 1. I desire you to communicate to your Lodge the assurance of my warm and heartfelt thanks for this high honor. I wish you to assure them that nothing will contribute more to my enjoyment on that august occasion, than the wearing of the apron and sash, endeared to us as Masons and patriots by such time-honored and hallowed associations. 1 am, yours tndy and fraternally, Peyton S. Coles, Grand Master of Masons in Virginia. On either side of the apron are the General's wedding gloves, and beneath, his farm-spurs; to the right, his pruning knife and a black glove worn by the General while in mourning for his mother; to the left, a little pearl-handled knife, a present from his mother when a boy (see story of the knife) ; his pocket compasses, cupping and bleeding instnunents; a piece of sealing wax taken from his ALEXANDRIA- WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 22, 313 desk after death and last used by the General before his death ; boot- strap or garter worn by the General at Braddock's defeat. On the extreme right, near the top, is a copper plate owned and used by John Hancock to print his reception cards while president of the Continental Congress, and presented to General Washington by the Hancock family after the dissolution of the old Colonial Confed- eracy. These were all given by the General's nephew, Captain George Steptoe Washington, from 1803 to 181 2. On the left of the pearl-handled knife is a button, cut from Washington's coat at his first inauguration and presented by Doctor James Craik, and to the left of the button, a piece of canvas from his army tent, used during the Revolutionary War, presented by George Washington Parke Custis, his adopted son. In the lower right comer is a picture of Doctor Dick; Doctor Dick's and Washington's medicine scales and a medalHon of Washington presented to the General as founder of free schools in Alexandria, Virginia, by D. Eggleston Lancaster, Esq., founder of free schools in England, and other relics of importance which space will not permit us to enumerate. The clock, shown in another group, was on the mantel in the General's bed-chamber at the time of his death. Doctor Dick cut the cord, which suspended the weight and stopped the old time-piece at twenty minutes after ten, P. M. After the funeral Mrs. Washing- ton presented the clock to Dr. Dick for the Lodge. "Its work is done, but the hands still point to the minute and hour that mark the close of the greatest life in history." It is said to be the only piece of furniture in the room at the time of the General's death which has not been restored to its former place. The Uttle weight with the catgut cord attached can be seen to the left of the clock. The Lesser Lights in the group are the original lights of the Lodge and were used on the most important occasions in the history of the institution, among them, laying the comer-stone of the District of Columbia in 1791; the National Capitol in 1793; the funeral of Washington in 1799, and at laying the comer-stone of the Washington Monument in 1848. The hour glass is the original, except one column, which, having been broken, was replaced by a new one and the old column cut in small pieces for souvenirs. It has served as the emblem to teach the sublime lesson of human life from the beginning of the Lodge to the present time. 314 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. Story of the Knifb. When George Washington was eleven years old his father died (1743). Shortly after, the boy took up his residence at Mount Vernon with his half-brother, Lawrence, and, while waiting for repairs to Mount Vernon House, stopped at Belvoir, the home of William Fairfax, an intimate friend and neighbor, father-in- law of Lawrence. Through the influence of his brother and the Fairfaxes, he obtained a commission as midshipman in the English Navy. All preparations had been made for his departure, when his mother's message, her final command, for- bidding the step, arrived. In obedience to this command and in deference to her wish, the boy surrendered his commission and returned to his studies, back to sm^eying and mathematics. Among the items of his mother's next order to England, for annual suppUes, was one for a good penknife. This she presented to the boy, as a reward for his submission to her will, with the injunction, "Always obey your superiors." He carried the token with him through life, as a reminder of his mother's command, and to General Knox explained its significance. At Valley Forge, when a vacillating and timid Congress failed to provide food and shelter for his ragged and starving army, in desperation and despair, yielding temporarily to his feelings and sympathy for his men, and in disgust with Congress, he wrote his resignation as commander-in-chief, summoned his staff and notified them of his action. Among the officers present and sitting in council was Knox, who reminded him of the story of the knife and his mother's injunction, "Always obey your superiors; you were commanded to lead this army and no one has ordered you to cease leading it." Washington paused, then replied, "There is something in that. I will think it over." Half an hour later he had torn up his resignation, determined to fight on to the end. Thus upon this slender thread, the story of a little knife, and a mother's injunction, hung for one brief moment the future life of a great nation, whose gov- ernmental principles have enlightened and elevated humanity. A mother's gentle command determined the course of a noble son and changed the map of the world. The little knife is shown in the group with the chair and the key. It was given to the Lodge in 1 8 1 2 by Captain Steptoe Wash- ington, a nephew of the General, and one of the executors of his will. The card attached states that it was in Washington's possession about fifty-six years. Partly legendary and partly historical, the narrative, like other tales of his childhood, serves to illustrate the character of the boy and the man, and is beautifully told in Owen Wister's "Seven ages of Washington." In the group with the key and knife, we give a faithful repro- duction of the old chair occupied by General Washington when Worshipful Master of No. 22. It was in continuous use for one hundred and seventeen years but, as "constant dripping wears the stone," so this old Gainsborough, which had borne its precious burden ALEXANDRIA-WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 22. 315 when new and strong, began slowly to yield to the grind of time and usage. The rips in the seat and arms were, however, the work of vandals, the ever-present relic fiends. To preserve it from further abuse, it was placed in a glass case some five years ago and is not used except on very important occasions. The frame of mahogany is inlaid with white holly and upholstered in leather. In the course of its long service many distinguished visitors have occupied it, among them General Lafayette in 1825, Vice-President Fairbanks, Speaker Cannon, Admiral Schley, Presi- dent Taft and others. On the occasion of Lafayette's visit to the Lodge in 1825, he presented the Lodge with the front door key of the Bastile, which, made by hand of wrought iron, weighs five pounds — a striking reminder of that house of horrors. The key with the silk sash con- taining the picture of Lafayette, worn by him in the Lodge on the occasion of his visit, is now kept, as are most of the other relics, in a glass case for security, a feeble protector indeed from either fire or vandalism. The little trowel in the illustration was used by General Wash- ington, President of the United States, at the laying of the comer- stone of the National Capitol, September 18, 1793. The blade is of silver with an ivory handle. It was made by John Duffey, a silver- smith of Alexandria, Virginia, who married the daughter of General Washington's landscape gardener. The little implement of Masonry- has been used on many important occasions, among the last being to lay the comer-stone of the new Masonic Temple in Washington, D. C, by President Theodore Roosevelt and the Grand Master of the District of Columbia, and later to lay the corner-stone of the new Scottish Rite Cathedral, now being erected in the national capital, by the Grand Master of the District of Columbia, Most Worshipful J. Claude Keiper, and the Supreme Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction, Scottish Rite, James D. Richardson. On the frontispiece will be seen a copy of the WiUiams picture of Washington, which attracts as much attention as any relic in the Lodge. In 1793 the Lodge, by resolution, requested General Wash- ington, then President and hving in Philadelphia, to sit for this picture, and after obtaining his consent, employed Williams of that city to execute the work, and requested General Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee, at that time representing this district in Congress, to introduce Mr. WiUiams, which he did. Washington approved the 3i6 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. likeness and late in 1794 it was received from the artist and accepted by the Lodge. It is a flesh-colored pastel and pronounced by critics of superior quality. It is an entirely different conception from any other paint- ing of the General extant, resembUng in cast and feature the original Houdon statue in Richmond, Virginia, and is the only painting from life showing the General in extreme old age and in Masonic regalia. Having been ordered, received and accepted by the neighbors and Masonic contemporaries of the General, men who knew him inti- mately and were with him in every walk of his eventful life, who had followed his fortunes and shared his adversities in war, had coun- seled and supported him in peace, and who, when his labors ended, had sorrowfully laid him to his eternal rest, it is beyond reasonable conception that these men would have foisted on a credulous and confiding posterity a spurious picture of their friend and compatriot. An offer of fifty* thousand dollars was not sufficient inducement for the Lodge to part with this treasure, and while probably sentiment has enhanced its value in the eyes of the Fraternity beyond its intrinsic worth, past association and its Masonic character prevent the possibility of future disposal. However urgent the wants or flattering the inducements, it will be kept, in remembrance of that association, for generations of Masons yet to come. The Lodge also possesses another picture of Washington, by Peele, known as '"^he Pope Peele Picture," which is said to be of great value. The painting of the Marquis de Lafayette given in this work was executed in 1784, immediately after the Revolutionary War, by Peele, and presented to the Lodge by an English admirer. It shows the marquis in the uniform of a continental general officer at the age of twenty-seven. The Lodge possesses also a life-sized painting of the marquis in Masonic regaUa, which it highly prizes, painted by Hurdle of Alex- andria in 1840. It closely resembles the patriot's portrait in the National Capitol in Washington. Of all the works of art in possession of the old institution, prob- ably none even approaches, in a monetary sense, the value of the painting of Thomas, "Sixth Lord," Fairfax. It descended to the Lodge from the Fairfax family and is variously estimated to be worth from fifty to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It was executed in London in 1730. •The Lodge now has a standing offer of $100,000 for this picture. ALEXANDRIA- WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 22. 317 To Fairfax, more than any other man, can be accredited the honor of fostering and developing the genius of the precocious youth, Washington, whose Ufe is a marvel to mankind and a history within itself. EUsha Cullen Dick came to Alexandria from Philadelphia prior to 1783. One of the organizers of the first Lodge, No. 39, he served as secretary at the first meeting of that Lodge, February 25, 1783, and was the last Worshipful Master under the Petmsylvania juris- diction. In 1789 Dick succeeded General Washington as Master and as such laid the comer-stone of the District of Columbia in 1791. With his Lodge as escort of honor, he accompanied General Washing- ton and assisted in laying the corner-stone of the National Capitol, in 1 793 ; was one of the physicians at Washington's bedside when he died; presided at the funeral Lodge called December 16, 1799, and performed the Masonic service at his funeral, December 18, 1799. Dick's silk apron, worn at the funeral of Washington, and his medicine scales are now among the valued possessions of the Lodge. He died in 1828. The picture of the doctor, in the cut of the Old Lodge and group of physicians, is from St.Memin's miniature in the Library of Congress. Colonel George Deneale succeeded Doctor Dick as Worshipful Master of Lodge No. 22, December 27, 1799; was present with the Lodge at the laying of the comer-stone of the National Capitol, and was Junior Warden at the time of Washington's funeral. On the latter occasion he commanded the troops in attendance. As Clerk of Court, Deneale recorded Washington's will, January 20, 1800. His relation to the General was that of a warm personal friend. He died in 18 18, after serving as Worshipful Master for thirteen years. The silhouette of Colonel Deneale in the illustra- tion of the Old Lodge is the only picture extant. Dr. James Craik, the family physician of General Washington, was a Scotchman by birth, and came to America in 1750. Of all men, he probably enjoyed the most intimate acquaintance with the commander-in-chief. As surgeon of Fry's regiment, he was with him in the Battle of the Great Meadows, occupied the same position under Braddock, participated in the Battle of Fort Duquesne, and for gallant service and meritorious conduct on that occasion received thirty pounds from the Virginia Assembly. Through the whole war of the revolution he was a member of Washington's military family, was a surgeon-general in the Continental Army, was in 1777 appointed 3i8 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. assistant director-general of the hospital department of the Army, and when ComwaUis surrendered was director of the hospital corps at Yorkto^vn. He nursed Braddock at Monongahela, Hugh Mercer at Princeton, John Custis at Eltham, and was with both General Washington and his wife, Martha, when they breathed their last at Mount Vernon. He was a zealous IMason and among the first to join the Fraternity in Alexandria. His apron is among the treasures of the Lodge. He died at his country place, "Vaucluse," near Alexandria, February 6, 1814, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. The present home of Washington Lodge, erected on the site of the old structure destroyed by fire in 187 1, was dedicated by the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Virginia, William H. Lambert (member of the Lodge), Monday, the 23rd day of February, 1874, in the presence of a large gathering of distinguished members of the Order. In performing the ceremonies, the Grand Master was as- sisted by Colonel Robert E. Withers, Past Grand Master of Virginia, General Albert Pike, Supreme Commander of the Southern Juris- diction of A. A. S. R. Masons who resided in Alexandria at that time, and the venerable John Dove, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, whose "Virginia Digest" has become a virtual code for the Fraternity at large. In the illustration* is seen this new structure as it is to-day, the high portion being the Temple. It is flanked on either side by the City Hall. At the time of its erection it was assumed that the building would afford ample accommodations for all the Masonic bodies in this city for years to come and this has proven correct, except on extraordinary occasions. It is now the meeting-place of two Blue Lodges, Andrew Jackson, No. 120, and Alexandria- Wash- ington, No. 22; Mount Vernon Chapter, No. 14, R. A. M., Old Dominion Commandery, No. 11, and Virginia Consistor}^ No. 2, A. A. S. R., and Martha Washington Chapter, O. E. S. The build- ing, however, while affording comfortable and sufficient accommoda- tions for Lodge purposes, is not of the fireproof type, in consequence of which the valuable collection of Washington souvenirs, described elsewhere in this work, are constantly menaced with destruction, and it was a realization of this fact which prompted the idea of a national memorial to Washington the Mason. After the dedication of the Temple in 1874, Masonry inAlexandria •The upper arrow points to the Temple while the one below indicates the old City Hotel, Washington's headquarters in Braddock's campaign. r" > Q ■z. < < H O Q O z < X a < Q < U ALEXANDRIA- WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 22. 319 languished to some extent for a number of years, and it was not until the last decade of the last century that a genuine revival of interest in the local Order came to stay. The old custom of long tenure in office, usually detrimental to any subordinate institution, and other equally antiquated customs had prevailed from time immemorial but in the early nineties a number of active, energetic young men were admitted to membership and immediately began to take interest in the rituahstic work and to otherwise enliven the hitherto prosaic communications by instituting popular social features, which from the first had a salutary effect, materially increasing the regular attendance. By their vigorous methods and a just application of the principles that moral worth and rectitude in fife and not social conditions are the true qualifications of the worthy Mason, these men soon shattered the burdening tradition that " Washington Lodge was the Lodge of the elect, a Lodge of the ultra-aristocracy." This reputation, which had grown with the years, was reall}^ unmerited in a sense, but still it had gone abroad and stood as a barrier to prevent many, among whom were the very best of the moral and mental worth of the community, from seeking membership in the famous old institution. The introduction of more progressive ideas was at first mildly resented by the patriarchs of the Fraternity, who clung with reverence to the customs of their fathers, but the new order of things, notwithstanding these honest objections, added new life to the Lodge and proved in the end to be its salvation. Looking back over the intervening years of success, even the most pronounced conservatives rejoice now that the so-called inno- vations were introduced, since they have not in any sense lowered the dignity nor diminished the public respect and veneration for their beloved institution. The change was fortunate from another point of view. The time was approaching when the Lodge would be called upon to participate in one of the most imposing Masonic functions of the age, and the young, progressive element was needed to cope with that and other equally important events which would follow in rapid succession. The memorial observance of the one-hundredth aimiversary of the death of Worshipful George Washington by the Masons of the United States, held December 14, 1899, was undoubt- edly the most universal commemorative service ever inaugurated in the history of the American Fraternity. Nearly every Grand Master or Grand Lodge and a great many of the subordinate Lodges 320 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. throughout this country, Canada, England and some of the conti- nental European Grand Lodges, participated in some way. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, solemn ceremonies were performed, sermons delivered and eulogies pronounced on the life and character of Washington. The center of this great memorial observance was Mount Vernon, but Alexandria was the place of rendezvous, the nucleus to which the JMasonic clans from every direction and almost every country gathered in force. In that year the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Virginia, under whose auspices the great commemora- tive service was held, met in Grand Annual Communication in that city. Most Worshipful R. T. W. Duke, Jr., then Grand Master, presided and acted as master of ceremonies. The Grand Lodge of Virginia was opened in ample form, in Lannon's Opera House, southwest corner of King and Pitt Streets, on the 13th instant, and almost the entire first day was occupied in the formal reception and introduction of the distinguished guests. It assembled again at nine o'clock on December 14 and was called from refreshment to labor by Right Worshipful George W. Wright, Deputy Grand Master, presiding, who announced that, "pursuant to a former arrangement, the Grand Lodge would proceed to Mount Vernon to conduct the ceremonies incident to the observance of the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Worshipful Brother George Washington." The Grand Lodge was then formed in the following order : Grand Tiler, with drawn sword ; two Stewards with white rods; Master Masons; Alexandria- Washington Lodge, No. 22; Fredericksburg Lodge, No. 4; officers and members of the Grand Lodge; Deputy Grand Masters. The procession marched to the wharf at the foot of Prince Street where they boarded the steamer for Mount Vernon. On arriving there, they were joined by Federal Lodge, No. I, of the District of Columbia, and representatives from the following jurisdictions: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Dela- ware, District of Columbia, England, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Indian Territory, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mary- land, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Victoria, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The procession, reform- ing, moved from the wharf to the mansion house and was there joined by the President of the United States, Brother William ALEXANDRIA-WASHINGTON LODGE NO. 22. 32 1 McKinley, of Lodge No. 431, Canton, Ohio, escorted by Most Wor- shipful R. T. W. Duke, Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, and a large committee from the several jurisdictions. It is estimated that twelve thousand people were present. The procession then passed in front of the mansion house, following the route of the original funeral cortege, one hundred years before. Arriving at the old tomb, prayer was offered by the Right Reverend Bishop Randolph of Virginia; from thence they moved to the new tomb, where prayer was again offered. It was at the new tomb that the most touching of all the ceremonies took place. Grand Master Duke,* in opening the service, said : My Brethren, one hundred years ago the Supreme Architect of the Universe removed from the terrestrial to the celestial Lodge, our Brother, George Washington; about his tomb we assemble to-day in our character as Masons to testify that time has not weakened our veneration for his memory nor years brought f orgetfulness of his virtues. From the east and west, from the north and south, from the Isles of the Sea, Masons have come to-day to mark the first century of his departure from the earth to Heaven. Most Worshipful Duke then called upon each Grand Master or representative of the Grand Jurisdictions present, who made proper response, expressing some sentiment appropriate to the occa- sion, from which we quote the following as typical of the whole : Grand Mastbr of Virginia.: My Brother, the Grand Master of Massachu- setts, what message do you bring us to-day? Grand Master of Massachusetts: From the Commonwealth where Lex- ington and Concord and Bunker Hill were fought ; from the Cradle of American Freedom, I bring greetings of veneration and respect, and a wreath of leaves from the elm under which he took command of the armies of freedom. Washington and Adams and Warren sleep, but Liberty is yet awake. Grand Master of Virginia: My Brother, the Grand Master of Rhode Island, have you a message for us? Grand IVIaster of Rhode Island: From the Old Plantations I bring you a greeting to the immortal memory of our greatest dead. Great men die, but great principles are eternal. Grand Master of Virginia: My brother, the Grand Master of Connecticut, what is your message? Grand ]VL\ster of Connecticut : The same blood runs in the veins of those who made the Oak the treasure-house of their charter. The spirits of Roger Sherman and of Israel Putnam hail that of their great compatriot. Hail — never to say Farewell ! *Grand Master Duke, who was master of ceremonies on this occasion, is now a member of the Executive Committee of The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association. (See illustration entitled Group of Officers, next chapter.) 322 WASHINGTON the; MAN AND TH^ MASON Grand Master of Virginia: My Brother, the Grand Master of New Hamp- shire, we await your message. Grand Master of New Hampshire: Of old sat Freedom on the heights; her dwelling-place is with us yet. The land of Stark greets those ashes as the Temple in which once dwelt the Father of American Freedom. Gr.\nd Master of Virginia : My Brother, the Grand Master of New Jersey, have you a message ? Grand Master of New Jersey: Monmouth and Trenton and Princeton knew him. Valley Forge yet remembers his prayers and the endurance of the heroes whom he led. The soul-stirring peals of the bell which proclaimed Liberty from its tower in Philadelphia, the birthplace of Independence, are still sounding through our land, testimonials that the memory of Washington is imperishable. No Com- monwealth cherishes more faithfully his illustrious name. Grand Master of Virginia: My Brother, the Grand Master of Delaware, have you a message? Grand JVIaster of Delaware: Where is the Commonwealth in whose borders he is not reverenced? I bring you to-day the love and veneration of my people, as true now as in 1776. Grand Master of Virginia : My Brother, the Grand Master of Maryland your greeting? Grand Master of Maryland : From the mountains to the Chesapeake his fame dwells secure. But a river divides his birthplace and his tomb from oiu" Commonwealth. All the seas could not divide us from our love and admiration of his memory. Grand Master of Virginla: My Brother, the Grand Master of North Carolina, what testimonial do you bring in? Grand Master of North Carolina: His memory is as green to-day as the verdure of our pine-trees. His fame as enduring as our everlasting hiUs. Cowpens and King's Mountain and Guilford. We brought him these. We bring him to-day the love of sons as faithful as their sires. Grand Master of Virginia: My Brother, the Grand Master of South Carolina, what say you? Grand Master of South Carolina : Sumter and Jasper and Marion were ours. Washington was no less ours, for he made their victories complete. I bring you this palmetto for your wreath. Grand Master of Virginia: My Brother, the Grand Master of Georgia, your message? Grand Master of Georgia: Last, but not least, of the Thirteen! Pulaski's blood enriched our soil! Washington was ours as he was yours. Peace to these ashes and peace to the land he loved. All the Grand Masters: Enlighten us with Thy Light everlasting, oh Father, and grant unto us perpetual peace. The Cre/:>i^ oy^//C^ y^t-y^^y^e.-^ -3 ^eyz^iz. o^:i^jZ, /A^!2^ti_- y ^-^, .y^<:r:^^^^:' X^-CT"'"/!.^ i,£--»'<^ «;:..v^;.? L. vC /c?-?^- ,7-.- 'C-'a ^^.y- -it. ^i^'*^ -VJ ■ f^ 1 ^£/^ 'A.'Z.'::i-^ ■^ir^^yytj!^ clc-z-t,.^o , e^^-^-^r^^-M- c^ o-x/^u ~' '.^ /- 'a>x... i^i^i:^^ ^-<^ e-'t.^^^ cst-'t-Z. ,^wi..--t.. <2_o1CaCu. 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'X^^'^lyj/ -' — .^2 -Q < .r.-£:,.:r -<:-.■!: ..:r.. •Vi_.st.. iti i:a....<:^i_^;;r' iZ....^ y - y .V- -A ^-.iS- ..:^, -i^ 2>-' : I- rj t. -y*. •'i- ;A... ■y--'i/i....t:l.. /''j;i:...».... ■l-;<::a... ,:3lC, I ■i«...<3-....<'. •,,<;_. >'/ ^y--< ,'• ,...-, f X*:a.--:::^'ic' <::t^'P^J^ ^G-hz^ ^^l^c..^ '^i^-^.)~£^. c^^''^^^/X-^^-<;K^/€fX^ \^' "3^ «!!!« SCHEDULE of property comprehended in the foregoing Will, directed to be sold, and some of it conditionally is sold — with descriptive and explanatory notes thereto. Acres. Loudon CO. Difficult Run, 300 Loudoun and Faquier — Ashby's Bent, 2,481 Chattin's Run, 885 Berkley, S. fork of BuUskin, 1,600 Head of Evan's m., 453 In Wormley's line, 183 2,236 Frederick, bought from Mercer, 571 Hampshire, on Potomac river, above B, . . . . 240 Gloucester, on North-river, 400 Nansemond, near Suffolk, one-third of 1,1 19 acres, . . 373 Great Dismal Swamp, my dividend thereof, . . . .... Ohio River, Round Bottom, 587 Little Kanhawa, 2,314 Sixteen miles lower down, 2,448 Opposite Big Bent, 4,395 Price. 9.774 lod. 8 . 24,810'! 7,080/ 20 20 15 about 8 about Dollars. 10 Dollars. 6,666a 44,720c ii,42cxi 3,600 2500 6246 3 p. ct 2496J Do of Bank of Columbia 170 Shares at 40$, 6800 Do Bank of Alexandria 25 Shares at 200$, 5000 Do James River company 5 Shares at 100$, 500 Do Potomac Company 24 Shares at £100 Stg 10,666 Cash, 254 I Set of Shoe and knee buckles Paste in Gold, . . . 250 1 pr. Shoe & knee buckles silver 5 2 Gold Cincinnati Eagles, 30 fo APPENDIX. 357 D. C. (12) 1 Diamond Eagle do, 387 I Gold watch, chain, 2 Seals & a key 175 I Compass in a brass Case, 50 I Gold box presented by the Corporation of New York, . 100 1 Large Gold medal of Gen'l W — n, 150 . I Gold medal of St. Patrick Society 8 I Gold (or other metal) antient medal, 2 I I Medals in case, 50 I large medal of Paul Jones, 4 3 Other metal medals, i I Brass engraving of the Arms of the U. States, ... 10 I Pocket Compass, 5 I Bust in Plaster of Paul Jones, 20 I Case Instruments, Parallel rule S:c., 17 50 1 Pocket Book, 5 2 Pine writing Tables, 4 I Circular Chair 20 I box Military figures, 2 1 Brass model Cannon, 15 2 Bi'ass candlesticks, 2 2 horse whips, 4 I pr. Steel Pistols, 5° I Copper Wash bason, 75 I Chest & its contents (Gloves &c), 100 I Fan Chair 2 I Writing Stand & apparatus, 5 I (Green) field Book 25 Battahon flag, 1 Tongs Shovel & fender, i A Painted likeness of Lawc. W — n, 10 I Oval Looicing Glass, 2 3 pr. Pistols, 50 D. 1920 D. (40) RIVER FARM: 5 Mares "5 IS Working Mules 900 2 Young do, 60 14 Working Oxen, 140 2 Oxen fatting 40D. i bull 40 80 19 Cows, 190 II Stears 3 years old, no 6 do 2 do 48 5 Heifers 3 do, 5° 6 do 2 do, 42 5 Bull calves, , i5 4 Cow do, 12 I I I Sheep 222 7 Sows, 42 I Boar, 2 I I large Shoats, 38 75 C. D. C. 50 50 358 WASHINGTON TH^ MAN AND THE MASON. D. C. D. C. 26 small do, 26 8 Plows, 20 14 pr. Iron Traces 14 8 large and small Trees for do, 4 2 large harrows, 6 8 small do, 16 9 leading lines, 90 3 Ox carts, 60 4 Chairs, 4 1 Horse Cart and Gear, 5 2 Dutch fans, 20 1 Cutting Box and knifes, 3 1 half busl. measure, 5° 8 Axes 4 2 Mortising Axes, 5° 2250 90 (41) 20 weeding and hilling hoes, 2 spades and 3 shovels old, 6 Mattoxa, 8 Iron teeth Rakes, 3 pr. mauling wedges, 15 pr. Steel Yards, I bags much worn, I Corn barrel, 1 Tierce, 2 Barrels, I flax brake, . I Grindstone, I Roller, 6 Milk Pans, I Gun, I old handsaw, 3 reap hooks, 3 Augers i bill hook and a Gouge, 1 Driller or Plow to open furrows, 50 I 50 33 2 25 1 3 75 50 50 I I 2 il 48 50 75 1 I i 30 06 MUDDY HOLE FARM: 2 old Mares, 7 6 Mules, 300 7 Oxen, 7° I Bull 15 9 Cows, 90 I Young bull a year old, 8 4 Stears 2 years old 28 4 Heifers do do, 24 4 do I year old, 12 1 Calf 2 74 Sheep all last years lambs, 1 1 1 5 Sows 23 I Boar, 2 692 APPENDIX. 359 (42) D. D. 9 large shoats (penned), 25 shoats and pigs, 4 Plows, 8 pr. Iron Traces, large and small Trees for 4 do. One large harrow, I small do, I RoUer, 4 Axes, . 10 Mataxes, 1 Shovel, 2 Dung forks, 1 Dutch Fan, 10 hilling hoes, 7 bags, . 2 mauling wedges, I Cross Cut Saw, I Handsaw, . 1 Ox Cart, 2 Ox Chains, I Cutting Box and Knife, I half bushel measure, I Grind Stone, 18 17 3 8 2 3 I I 2 5 10 2 I 15 2 2 50 25 10 50 50 75 75 50 50 75 60 DOGUERUN FARM: I Old mare, . I Mare, . 1 do useless, . 9 working mules, 2 young do, . 15 oxen at 12$, X Bull, . 18 Cows, I Young Bull, 5 40 495 80 180 15 180 7 (43). 8 Stears 2 years old, 56 17 Heifers 2 do, 119 6 Heifer Calves, 21 6 Bull do, 21 I Young Calf, 2 63 Sheep, 126 5 Plows, 5 8 pr. chains, 8 large and small trees for 4 pr., 2 1 large harrow, 2 2 small do, 3 1 Corn barrel, 2 Cultivators, 6 8 Bags 2 50 75 36o WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. 1 Dutch Fan, 2 Rollers, 4 Axes, .... 6 Mattocks, . 12 Weeding and hilling hoes, 5 Iron teeth Rakes, 3 Dung forks, 4 mauling wedges, 1 old handsaw, 2 do augers and i chizel, I Cutting Box and Knife, I Reap hook, 1 half bushel measure, 2 Ox Carts, . 4 chains for do. D. 8 6 I 2 2 I 2 20 4 C. 25 D. 50 50 50 10 10 464 (44) UNION FARM: 3 working horses, 75 I Brood Mare, 15 12 working Mules, 555 1 Mule Colt 2 years old, 60 2 Mare Colts 3 years old, 60 2 do do I year old, 30 2 horse do i do, 35 12 Oxen, 108 20 Cows, 200 I Bull 50 I Ox fatting 12 I Cow fatting, 15 4 Stears 2 years old, 28 8 do I year old 40 8 Heifers 2 years old, 56 13 do I do, 45 8 Bull Calves near i year old, 24 3 heifers do do 9 106 Sheep, 212 At Ferry — i Young horse, 60 I Old do, 12 II Sows, 66 I Boar 2 I Barrow and 10 Shoats (Penned), 33 20 Shoats and 2 Pigs, 21 8 Plows, 20 12 pr. Iron Traces, 12 8 large and small Trees, 4 I large harrow, 2 (45) 3 small harrows, 4 I Big Plow 3 1 Double mould Boars do, 3 2 Rollers, 6 50 50 1682 50 50 APPENDIX. I Dutch fan, . I Corn barrel, 14 Bags much worn, 7 Axes, . I Mortising do, 3 pr. Mauling Wedges, 9 Mattocks, . 16 Hilling hoes, I Pattent Plow and harrow, 3 Ox Carts, 3 Chairs, 1 Spade, . 2 Dung Forks, Distillery 10 Oxen, . 16 Cows, 2 bull Calves, 2 heifer do, !i Spade, 4 Augers, Parcel old Tools I Cart and Chain, Coopers Tools &c., hogs large and small 96 5800 BU. SUves, . (46) MANSION HOUSE: 5 Sets of harness for 2 horses, 200 I Coachee 250 1 Charriot, 300 4 Coach horses, 450 3 Riding do 220 2 Hack do, 70 I Brood mare, 40 1 Steed, 100 2 Covering Jacks 800 1 Jack 5 years old, 250 2 do 4 do, 450 1 do I do 200 2 do Colts, 160 1 1 Jennets, 95° I do Colt 30 10 Working mules, 750 9 Cows, 175 I Calf 2 I Bull, 100 28 Sheep, 70 13 lambs, 4 I Sow 10 1 Wagon and Gear, 60 2 Carts and Gears 25 D. C. 12 75 3 50 3 50 25 2 25 4 50 2 66 4 60 3 50 67 D. 361 C. 114 8S 128 30 30 50 50 so 12 8 18 180 33 58 532 38 33 362 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. 3 Cutting Boxes, . I half bus. Measure, 1 Measure 1 side a Peck and the other a J, 8 axes, 4 Mattocks, . 5 hillinghoes, 4 mauling Wedges, 3 mortising Axes, . 8 Spades, 2 Old Shovels, 3 Iron Pitch forks. D. c. 12 10 50 4 2 84 I 50 75 4 25 50 D. C. 5692 77 (47) 18 old bags, . 4 wheel barrows, . I Scow, . I large boat, . I old fishing Boat, I new do, lYoal, . I I 40 20 5 40 75 80 182 80 Green House Lopt: 27 Cradles with Scythes, I Flax wheel, I Reel 5 Flax Wheels. 7 Spinning do, 140 bus. Peas in all. 27 2 I 6 7 83 33 126 33 Fish House: 65 Empty hhds, 4 do Tierces, 50 bbls Shad 75 do Herring, 25 do Supposed as they are in Hhds, 9 do with Lacey in Londonn, 8 do with Col. Gilpin, 5 do do do shad, 65 3 200 187 37 22 20 20 50 50 50 553 50 Barn: 1 Machine for drilling wheat, 2 do for Com, .... 1 do for Gathering Clover seed, I do for raking up Wheat, A quantity of Timber, Do Pine Scantling, .... Do Inch and quarter plank. 3 I I 2 6 50 50 50 113 50 (48) 1 Turning laith, ID Axes, 8 10 APPENDIX. 3 adze, .... 25 large moulding Plains, 35 Smaller do, 3 Plow do, I Sprin do, 10 Smoothing do, 4 Old Irons, . 18 chizels, 3 Dogs, . 1 Guage, 4 Turning Gouges, 2 pt. Compass, 6 handsaws, . 8 Augers, I Trow, . 4 Whip Saws, 1 Grindstone, 3 hammers, 2 Rulers, 3 Gauges, Shingles, I center bitt &c. a Quantity Brick in a kiln, a quantity Oyster Shells, Do Turnip, . (49) In The Paint Cellar Marble Slab and Grinder, Shoemakers tools in Shop, . Gardeners' Tools: 4 Spades, I Iron teeth rakes, 1 Turning Knife, I stone roller, 3 small hoes and 2 large do 1 Grubbing do. Reel and line, 2 Watering pots, I pump for Green house I Wheel barrow, 1 Edging Iron, 2 pair Shears, D. C. I 50 25 17 50 3 I 7 50 40 72 50 4 40 25 7 33 16 10 50 30 25 9 6 6 60 6 6 3 I 25 50 25 2 2 2 D. 25 363 C. 54 25 $27,158.34 The whole number of negroes left by Genl. Washington in his own right are as follows : 40 Men 37 Women 4 Working boys 3 do Girls 40 children 124 Total. 364 WASHINGTON THE MAN AND THE MASON. which Mrs. Washington intending to liberate at the end of the present Year, can only be valued for the Service of the Working Negroes for one year. (50) Amount brought forward • $27,158-34 To this sum must be added the amount of the following Articles which were not extended in the Inventory when the foregoing was case up. To witt: Books omitted and a Theodolite, $80 Bank Stock, United States Stock, Potomac and James River Shares, . $29,212 Cash on Hand 254.70 Addition to Gold Buckles and Knee buckles, 200.00 Diaitoond Eagle, 387 30.137-70 $57,296.04 In odedience to the annexed Order of Court, we the Subscribers being duly sworn, having viewed and appraised all the personal Property of the late General Washington dec'd, which was presented to us for that purpose, agreeably to the foregoing Schedule. Thomson Mason, Tobias Lear, Thomas Peter, Wm. H. Foote. (51) At a Court held for Fairfax County the 2otJbi day of August, 1810. This Inventory and appraisement of the Estate of George Washington deceased Returned and ordered to be Recorded. Teste. Wm. Moss. Ci ABSTRACT OF TYTLE TO THE MT. VERNON ESTATE General Washington was above all things a practical man. Fond of retirement and averse to superficial pomp and useless display, these admirable traits of his character have helped to make the home of his choice a place of romantic interest. Indeed every phase of its history has its peculiar attraction and even the chain of title to the property, a subject usually prosy and imin- teresting to the layman, affords a field for inquiry and demands more than casual attention. Mount Vernon in its beautiful simplicity is a faithful reflection of the character of Wash ington, or it might be said, that the character of Washington mirrored the simple elegance of Mount Vernon. Like most of the old Virginia estates, its title having remained in one family continuously for nearly two hundred years (1674-185S), is easily traced. It was not clouded by vitiating incum- brances, or entails which so often enter into, complicate and confuse, but came on down free from the immigrant John to the last vendee of the name of Washington. In view of this it is singular, but nevertheless true, that most of the abstracts of title to this famous homestead given the public and purporting to be correct contain misleading if not serious flaws, errors or omissions sufficient at least to confuse and perplex the ordinary reader. While such errors may be in a sense harmless they are apt to, and sometimes do, lead credulous writers who copy them in good faith for the information and enlightenment of an equally credulous public, into embarrassing situations. Appreciating this fact, we have been especially careful in the preparation of the following abstract and cordially invite the reader's investigation. APPENDIX. 365 Being located in that particular section of Virginia known as the Northern Neck, the Washington grant was comprised in that vast territory granted to Lords Culpeper and Arlington by Charles the II, in 1674, and consequently came direct from the crown. 1. A grant from Lord Culpeper of five thousand acres of land, properly described with metes and bounds, to Colonel Nicholas Spenser and Colonel John Washington; this in consideration of said Spenser and Washington having at their own expense imported one hundred immigrants into the colony. 2. On record in the land oflBce, Richmond, Virginia, a grant from George H. Jeffreys to Colonel Nicholas Spenser and Colonel John Washington for five thousand acres of land, 1679 (confirmation of Culpeper grant). 3. The will of John Washington on record in Westmoreland County proved January 10, 1677, devised his moiety of above land to his son, Lawrence Washington (of Wakefield). 4. In the year 1690, the Court of Stafford County appointed one John Washington and George Brent to divide the grant equally between Lawrence Washington, son and heir of Colonel John, and the heirs of Colonel Nicholas Spenser. This they did by survey, September and December, 1690, running a line east and west from the river to the back line thereof and giving to each one- half the river front. The southern portion, bounded by Epsewasson Creek, fell to the heirs of Spenser, while Lawrence Washington received the portion on the north bounded by Little Hunting Creek (see map of grant). 5. The will of Lawrence Washington (of Wakefield), proved Westmoreland County, Virginia, March 30, 1698, devised his property equally between his wife and three children, John, Augustine and Mildred. The two thousand five hundred acres, as above described, he devised to his daughter Mildred, who married Roger Gregory of Stafford County, Virginia. 6. In 1726 Mildred Gregory (nee Washington) and her husband, Roger, in consideration of one hundred and eighty pounds or nine hundred dollars, united in a deed recorded in Westmoreland County, for the transfer of the Hunting Creek property to her brother. Captain Augustine Wash- ington, father of the General. 7. Augustine Washington purchased from the heirs of Colonel Nicholas Spenser a tract of two hundred acres of land, lying along the head-waters of the Epsewasson. This purchase furnished a site for the grist mill, erected by Augustine, and is shown in the illustration (page 13). 8. A deed from Augustine Washington, conveying two thousand five hundred acres and the mill to his son, Lawrence, recorded at a session of the General Court of Virginia, held at Williams- burg, October 28, 1740. 9. The will of Captain Augustine Washington confirming the above deed of 1740, recorded in King George County, May, 1743. 10. The will of Lawrence Washington (of Mount Vernon), proved in Fairfax County, Sep- tember 26, 1752, devising all his properties in Fairfax County which included that estate named by him Mount Vernon, to his infant daughter Sarah, and her heirs with life estate to his wife, Anne Fairfax Washington, and providing that in case of the death of his daughter without issue, the property was to revert to his half-brother George. Sarah, daughter of Lawrence, died soon after her father, and in a few months his widow, Anne, married Colonel George Lee, uncle of Richard Henry and Arthur Lee, but did not by this marriage forfeit her dower in the estate of her late husband. Thus we find. . II. Deed recorded in Fairfax County, December 16, 1754, Anne Lee and her husband, George, conveyed to George Washington, all their right and title to two tracts of land, one on Little Hunting Creek (original two thousand and five hundred acres), and one on Dogue Run, together with grist mill; the latter parcel being the same tract of two hundred acres purchased from the Spenser heirs by Augustine Washington, in 1739, and devised by him to his son, Charles, and purchased from Charles by Lawrence. This purchase of the widow's dower in 1754 gave Colonel Washington Mount Vernon in fee. 12. General Washington subsequently increased his inheritance by purchase of five hundred acres on Dogue Run from Sampson Darrill, conveyed in two deeds May 6 and 9, 1 760. Three hundred and seventy sis acres on Dogue Creek, from Benjamin Dulaney, and wife, February 27, 1785. One hundred and forty-two acres on Dogue Creek from William Triplett et als, September 26, 1786. One thousajiil eight hundred and six acres in Clifton Neck, just north of Hunting Creek 366 WASHINGTON THB MAN AND THE) MASON. from G.William Fairfaxand others, commissioners. Five hundred and eighty-fouracresadjoining the above last mentioned from George Brent. A number of other deeds conveying land in Fairfax County adjacent to Mount Vernon to General Washington were recorded at Fairfax Court House, but are now missing, the records having been carried away or destroyed during the Civil War. To George Washington from John Carney, Simeon Pearson, Alexandria Trustees, John Posey, George Mason, John Posey, Jr., Ulinda Wade, John West, Jr., Charles West, Margaret Manley, Thomas H. Marshall, William Barry and Adam Daw, et als. 13. The will of George Washington, devising Mount Vernon mansion and four thousand acres of land adjacent thereto to his nephew. Judge Bushrod Washington (son of his brother John Augustine), proved in Fairfax County Court, January 20, iSoo. 14. The will of Bushrod Washington devising Mount Vernon mansion and one thousand two hundred and twenty-five acres to his nephew John A. Washington, son of his (Bushrod's) brother Corbin, proved in Fairfax County, December 21, 1S29. 15. Will of John A. Washington, convej-ing all his property to his wife, Jane C. Washington, during her widowhood, with power to devise it as she pleased among their children, on record in Jefferson County, now West Virginia, proved July 16, 1832. 16. Deed from Mrs. Jane C. Washington, widow of John A. Washington, to her oldest son, John A. Washington, conveying to him under the power of appointment given her by her husband's will. Mount Vernon mansion and one thousand two hundred and twenty-five acres attached thereto, on record in Fairfax County, 1850. 17. The wUl of Mrs. Jane C. Washington, widow of John A. Washington, devising Mount Vernon to her aforesaid son, John A. Washington, the proprietor (who sold the mansion to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union), thus confirming the deed she had aheady made to him, on record in Jefferson County, now West Virginia, 1855. 18. Contract between John A. Washington and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a corporation chartered under the act of the legislature of Virginia, passed March 19, 1858, for the purchase of two hundred and two acres of the above land, on record in Fairfax County, April 6, 1S58. 19. A deed dated 12th day of November, 1868, made in pursuance of the contract previously cited, W. A. Taylor, Commissioner, and the heirs of John A. Washington, conveying to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association the Mount Vernon buildings and the tombs, with two hundred and two acres of land. 20. Deed of the 23rd of July, 1887, Jay Gould and wife conveyed to the Association an adjoin- ing parcel of thirty-three and one-half acres. This land was a part of the original Mount Vernon estate, and was conveyed to Jay Gould by a deed from Lawrence Washington, and also simul- taneously with the execution of the deed of Gould and wife to the Mount Vernon Association. Lawrence Washington was a sou of John A. Washington, and inherited this property from his father, who sold two himdred and two acresto the Mount \'emou Association. In 1893, Christian Heurich, of Washington, D. C. , gave the Association two acres more, abutUng the original property, making a total of two hundred and thirty-seven and one-half. This is the unbroken chain of the original grant to John Washington, with subsequent addi- tions by his descendants, the mansion and two hundred and thirty-seven and one-half acres of which are now held by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union. The rest of the eight thousand acres comprising the estate at the time of General Washington's death has been subdivided from time to time and now constitutes a number of highly cultivated small farms. [Copied by pernii2sm li"om the MS. m the Depaxtment of State, at Washington.] Ot iy/irlE'IxlCA. C'Vu G^^r-^^y^^)^ Crry^eyy^^j o^^OnrJlri^. ^ /I ini I '^ i f I ii''- ^ '' II M' T in fi ^,:.w>wt/^ ^l^/»^.- \Jl^yicM^ lyrny^p^X, TKe/n\.~to •Wj^vii .■■■■y , iji i ti'^n^A. /ryi u^'U oU^oUJO^ /L;6^,.n>*.-r^.>Twrvfc ^ e^-UM^kQ ^L>^.£A.yuft i^akM^r^ f^nr Ca^^jL V ti-oyrv^-U^ Ca.rv.yrpxr^ t» oo^ uwrs^jU^ K^t>..c±jl4^ ksJ clj^f^rx^.^Mjrr'. /^ -^-eX-L^^ c^C^VCiU^ ^}Up^^rr^ yJa^dU^UrX^^y^C^ cAo -n-t^c.^ ^ /r^ xuiyjicA. r\t. i^yr-a^ /Ax^ru'ty o,r»T~'>vw6 O-^-^x^ir^-*^ 'f^su, Zlaj-c^ ,A Ou^r'^tAi.cy^ '7W ^i^w* ux- ^t^/rx cx^^O/TvC:^ c^ cJXi/rl^^orr^^ Xc ox>-uk^ (rxy/An-c^: Co^A-axa^ p>ryCor^un\ : j-Kat //W^ u/t/x. eJfL^'^ at fki^ t^Kf^CTy^Jl- c^ cruyy- (ruuy\^^TA^^rrd.U ^r^^a^oiyhC ^ K. a^ ^>t/rrruXOnj ffu^ cAlz/ rr\jx./yu3 f^tJ-z. ta ^crwC-crXferr 'Y[Jf. ayJU< t^o-^JLijsy'n (/r tru/ir otrrr\^trsurf^ tri-K tyZ/iXJi iVt^Tv/^ <6rrM^ ^^^cnjtcm. // ^^^ c^^*-/«-<3. portrait opposite 109. Hand, Edward, 182. Hanmer, 267. Hanson, Jno., 150. Hanson. Samuel. 147. Hanson, Thomas, 147. Harper, Jchn. 293. Harper, William, 298. Harrison, Benjamin. 101, 103, 108. 138, 154- Harrison. Mrs. Charles Custis. 246. Harrison. F. E.. 334. 338. 339. Harrison. Robert, i3X- Havens, F. W., 334. 338. Hawkins, John. 288. Hays, James. 301. Hasrwood. Humphrey. 254. Hearst. Mrs. Phoebe A., 246. Heath. William, no. Beffries. Richard. 87. Henderson, Alexander. 94, 95, 139, 140, map 90-91. Henley, Frances Dandridge, 220. Henn, Robert. 4. Henry. Patrick. 80-82, 84, 85, loi. 10 j. 104. 106-108, 183, 214, 255. 260, facsimile of resot Jtlonson stamp act opposite 8i. resolves 106-108. Herbert, John, 1S6. 1S7. Herbert. Mary I,ee, 235. Herbert, Noblet, 236. Herbert. Upton H., 247. Herbert. William. 283, 284, 293, 300. Hervey, 267. Hoban, James, 292, 326. Hobby. 17. Hodges, Rich.. 87. Hodgson, William, 288. 293. 300. Holden, Justen. 338. 339. Hollingsworth, J. M., 247. Holt, John. 234. Hooe, James H., 186. HooEE. Lawrence, 278. Hooker. Joseph. 42. Hooper, William. 103. Hopkins. Stephen. 102. Hopkiason. Joseph. 234. Houdon. Jean Antoine. 146. Howell. Joseph. 2S3. Hudson. Mrs. Susan Johnson. 246. Hughes. Isaac, 267. Hughes. Joseph. 103. Hughes, Richard. 10. Hull, John J.. 334. Hull. M. J.. 334. HuU. William, 267. Humphreys, Charles. 102. Humphries. David, 122, 130, 131, 143. Hungerford, R. B., 324. Hunt. 267. Hunt, O. W., 208. Hunter, John Chapman. 293, 301. Hunter, Nathaniel C, 28S, 293. Hunter. William. 281. 2S2. 286-288. Huntington. Samuel, 150. IngersoU. Jared. 144. Inglis, 192. Innes, James, 62. Iredell. James. 159. 220, portrait opposite 159. Irwin, Mrs. Lewis. 246. Ives, George. 262. Jackson. Andrew. 42. Jackson, James. 257. 267. Jackson. Robert. 18. Jackson. William, 301. Jamesson. Robert B., 298. 300. Jay, John, 102, 104, 119, 140. 150, 159. 164, portrait opposite 159. Jeffries. T. H.. 338. 339. Jefferson, Thomas, 101, 108. 114-117, 119— 121, 146, 159-161. 164, 220, 255, 261, 311, portrait opposite 117, 160. Jenifer. Daniel of St. Thomas. 139. 140, 144. Jett, Thomis, 87. Johnson, James R.. 332~335. 338. portrait Opposite 335. Johnson. John. 253. Johnson, Joseph, 240. Johnson. Richard M.. 311. INDEX TO PERSONAL NAMES. 373 Johnson. Robert D . 246. Johnson. Thomas, 102. log. 139, 292. Johnson. WiUiam Sherman, 144. Johnston, Dennis McCarthy, 298, 300. Johnston. George, 94, 99. 131. Johnstoa, William. 288. 2^8. 300. JoUette, Louis. 25. Jones. Blaithwaite, 282. Jones, Charles, 299, 301. Jones, John Paul. 311 Jones, M.. 146. Jones. Thomas. 87. Jones,- Walter. 300. JamonviUe, N. Coulon de. 50. Kalb, Johann de. 118. 162. Keiper, J. Oaude. 315, 338, portrait opposite 341- Keith. I 6. Kemper, Kosciosko, 310. Kempff, John Christopher, 293. 298. 300. Kenner. Ro iham, 87. Kenaer. Winder S.. 87. Keppel. Augustus. 13. 53. Keppel. Caroline, 53. Kies, George A.. 338, 339. Kincaid, John. 301. King, Annie Ragan, 246. Kinj. Clarence P., portrait opposite 341. King, Rufus, 144. Kinaey, 267. Kinsey, James. 102. KlnoK, Henry. 118, 122, 136. 141. 143. 157-160. 182, 220, portrait oppxjsite 160. Kosciuszko. Thadeusz. 118. Kruger. Albert J., 324. feafayette. Marquis de, 1 18. 120-122, 124, 126. 133. 134, 137. 138, 146, 147. 180, 181, 184. 257. 262, 267, 303, 305-308. 312. 316, portrait opposite 134. Lafayette, Marchioness de, 133, 180, 181. Lafayette, George Washington, 165, i3o, 181, 304. Lambert. William H.. 308-310. Lamberton, James M., 335. 338. 340, portrait opposite 335- Lancaster. D. Eggleston, 313. Lancy. James de, 55. Lane, George, 301. Lane. Isaac. 108. Lane. Joseph. 87. Langdon, John. 144. Latimer. Alexander, 301. Laughton, Joseph, 276. Laughton, Lily M.. 245. Laurens, Henry, 150. Laurens. John, 119, 120. 131. Law, Thomas, 191-193. 229, 300. Lawler, Oscar. 329, 333. Lawrence, Samuel, 267. Lear, Tobias. 147. 183. 188. 192, 193. 217,219, 220,3x1. portrait opposite 189. Leary. Mrs. EHza F.. 246. Lee. Charles, 24, 100, 110, m, 118. 182. 198. portrait opposite 1 10. Lee. Fitzhugh, 36. Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 87. Lee. George, 27, 53. 71. Lee, George Washington Custis, 226. Le«. Hannah, 235. Lee, Henry (Light Horse Harry), 36. 54, 146, 201, 224, 227. 315. portrait opposite 201. Lee, John. 87. Lee. Lawrence H.. 333-335. 338. portrait opposite 339. Lee, Mary Ann R., 226, portrait opposite 227. Lee. Richard, 53, 87. Lee, Richard Henry. 85-87. 100. loi, 103. 104. 108, 116. 150. 235, portrait opposite 85. Lee, Robert E.. 223-229, portrait opposite 227. Lee. Thomas. 24. 26. Lee. Thomas Ludwell. 87. 114. 208. Lefebre. Charles M.. 299. Lemoine. John, 301. Lenox, Hugh. 2S2. Lewis. 2o3. Lewis, Andrew, 108. 267. Lewis. Betty. 16, 248. picture of home opposite 141, portrait opposite 143. Lewis, Fielding, 195, 231, 265. portrait opposite 145. Lewis, George, 131. Lewis. Lawreace. 178, 179, 190. 207. 217. 220-222, 229, 23s. 293, 312. picture of home opposite 221, por- trait opposite 222. Lewis. Lorenzo. 222. 293, portrait opposite 222. Lewis, Mary. 248. Lewis, Thomas. 31. Lieter, Mrs. Mary T.. 246. Lincoln. Benjamin, 118. 122, 124, 125. 182, portrait opposite 124. Linton. William S., 333. Little, Charles. 193. 208, 288. 293, 297, 299. Livingston, Philip, 102. Livingston. Robert R.. 117. 158. 159. 258. 269. portrait opposite 117. Livingston. William, 102, 144. Logan. Thomas, 87. Long, Mary. 219, 220. Longfellow. Henry Wadsworth, xxi. Longfellow, Alice. 246. Longstreet, James, 42. Lovell, Robert. 87. Low, Isaac, 102. "Lowland Beauty," 35. 36. Lynch, Thomas. 103. Lynton, William, 95. McCarty. Daniel. 87. 94. 95. 192. 209. McCarty. Miss. 192. McChesney, William B.. 331. 333, 334, 337. 338. por- trait opposite 331 . McClanahan. 192. McClellan. 42. McCormick. Alexander. 326. McCrea, Robert. 283, 286. 287. 288. 302. McDowell. 42. 209. McGaffey. Albert B.. 334, 335, portrait opposite 335. McGuire. Edward. 16. McHenry. James. 131. 144, 177. 178, 182. Machin, Thomas, 267. Mclver, John, 298, 300. Mackay, Mungo. 274. McKean, Thomas. 102. 150. Mackenzie. Alexander, 29S. 300. Mackenzie, James. 29S. 300. McKinley. William. 281. 321. 325, McKinley. William B., portrait opposite 341. McKnight. John, 298, 300. McKoy. William B.. 338. 339. McLeary. J. H.. 334- 374 INDEX TO PERSONAL NAMES. MaClure, 267. Madden, Michael. 293. Madison. James. 114. I39. I44. 188. Maffit. Williiim. 298, 193. Magruder. Philip. 301. Manderson, Mrs. C. F., 246. Mandrillon. Joseph, 134. Mann, William H.. 333- Mansfield. William Murray. 234. Marion. Francis. 118, portrait opposite 118. Marquette. Jacques, 25. Marr, John Q.. 209. Marshall, John, 146, 164, 177, 181. 197. 233, 257, 258, 261-264, 270, portrait opposite 198, 263. Marsteller, Philip. 193. 298, 299. Marsteller. Philip G., 293. 300. Martin, Bryan, 39- Martin. David, 301. Mason, George, colonist, 5. Mason. George, 24. 88. 90. 91. 94-95.97-99. 100. 114, 116, 119, 139, 141-143, 145. 209, 260, portrait opposite 97. Mason, John, 116, Mason. Thompson, 87. 192. Massey, Lee, 93, 192, map, 90-91. Matthews, Thomas, 261. Maxey. Mrs. Thomas S., 246- Meade, Everard. 93. Meade, Richard Kidder, 131. Meade, William, 93. Mercer, George. 63. Mercer, Hugh. 58. 59, 76, 318. Mercer, James, 114, 259. 260, 285 Meriwether, Reuben. 87. Middleton, Henry, 103. 150. Mifflin, Thomas, 102, 128, 129, 131, 143, 144, 150, 156. . Milliken. Joseph. 87. Milnor, James, 25S. 275, 303. Minor. Jemima. 209. Mitchell, Richard, 87. Molly, 191. Monroe. James. 1S8. 207. 307. Monroe, John. 87. Monroe, Spence, 87. Montague. A., 87. Montcalm. Marquis de, 64. Montgomery. Alexander. 261. Montgomery, Richard, no, 112. portrait opposite 118. Morgan, Daniel. 13. 14, 24. 59. 76. 112, iiS. 177, 182, portrait opposite 118. Morgan, J. Pierpont, 210. Morris, Gouvemeur, 144. Morris, Robert, 144. Morris, Robert H., 55. Morris, Samuel, 54, 56. Morrison. Martin A., 338. Morrow, J. H., 237. Mortimer. Chs., 87. Morton, Jacob. 270. Morton, John, 102. Moss, Alfred. 208. Moss, Jedediah, 148. Moss. William, 298. Mossom. David. 73. Mountjoy, Edward, 87. Mountjoy, John. 87. Mountjoy, Thomas. 87. Mountjoy. William J.. 87, Moxley, Alvin, 87. Moylan, Stephen, 131. Muhlenberg, John Peter Gabriel, 182. Muir. James, 193. 289, 293, 298. Muir. John. 96, 301. Mumford, George W.. 208. IMunn, 192. Murat. C. L- N. A.. 248, 249. Murat, Caroline. 249. Murat. Mrs. Catherine Willis. 248. 249. Murch. Ben W., 338. 339. Murdock. Joseph. 87. Murray. John .104. Murray. William Vaus, 183. Muse, Adjutant. 47. Napier, George M.. 338, 340. Napoleon, Eugenie. 249. Napoleon. Louis, 201. 248, 249. Neale. Joseph, 298-300. Nelson. Thomas, 113, 114, 122, portrait opposite 123. Newman, Robert, 256. Newton, John, 87. Newton, William, 186. Nicholas, Robert Carter, loi, 108, 114. Nickols. 192. Nichols, William H., 332, 333. Norfolk, Duke of, 253. Ober. George C, 333. Odell, William H. L., 334. 338. 339- Ogden, Aaron. 258. O'Hara. Charles. 124. OUver. Daniel, 276. Ord, George. 282. Orme, Robert, 54, 56. Orr, John, 87, 293. Osborne, Richard, 23. Osborne, William, 282. Otis. James, 79. 255. Oxnard, Thomas, 253. Paca, William, 102. Pagan, John, 23. Page, John. 114. Page. Thomas Nelson, 238, Page. William Byrd. 298, 300. Paine, Robert Treat, 102. Parker, Cornelius B., 338, 339, Parker, Richard, 87. Parsons, Samuel Holden, 130, Pasco, Samuel, 334. Patterson, John, 267. Patterson. William, 144. Patton, Robert, 301. Payne. Edward, 94, 95. Payne, William, 94, 95, 193, 288, 293, 299. Peake, Humphrey, 192, map 90-91. Peckham, 267. Pendleton, Edmund, 81, loi. 103, 108, 114, 214, 264. Penet. P., 131. Perrin, Susanna, 195. Peter, Thomas. 191-193. 229. 300. Peterkin. Thomas. 298. 299, 300. Peters, Richard, 156, 220. Petrie, Lord. 253. Pettus. William H., 312, 336. Phillips. William. 120. Piatt, 267. Pickens, Andrew, 118. INDEX TO PERSONAL NAMES. 375 Pierce, Henry, 28S, 293. Pierce. Joseph, 87. Pierce. William, 87. Piercy, Henry, 1S5, 186, 298, 30a Pike. Albert, 318. Pinckney, Charles. 144. Pinckney, Charles Cotesworthy. 144. iSi. 182. Pinckney, Thomas, iG+. Pitt, William, S3. 104. Pomeroy. Seth, no. Pope. Anne, 3. Pope, Nathaniel, 42, Pope, Thomas, 6. Posey, John, 94, 95, Potts, 216. Poulson, Captain, 57. Prevost. Samuel, 159. price, Henry. 253, 259. Price, William Boothe, 338, 339. Pringle. Mrs. J. J., 246. Proctor. 275, 281. 282. Putnam, Israel, no. 118, 130, portrait opposite no. Putnam, Rufus, 258. Ralfrey, William, 131. Ramsay, Dennis, 155, 2S5, 288, 293, 298, 299. Ramsay, William, 23, 96, 209, 283. 298, 300. Ramsey, Nathaniel. 193. Randolph. Edmund, 114. 131, 139. I43. I59. 160, 255, 259. 260, 263. 286-288, portrait opposite 160, 263. Randolph, Harrison, 254, 264. Randolph, John, 260. Randolph. Peyton, 81, 103. 109, 150, 253. 254, 255, 258, 260, 262, 263. 264. portrait opposite 103, 263. Ransdell. Edward, 87. Rathbone. Mrs. E. B. A., 246. Rawlins. Albin, 183, 189. 217, 219. Reacumm, 267. Read, Geo.. 102, 144. Reid, Joseph, 131. Revere, Paul, 256, 25S, 276. portrait opposite 256. Rhoads, Samuel, 102. Rhodes, James Ford. 226-228. Richards. George, 288. Richards, Mrs. J. G. K., 246. Richards. John, 87. Richardson, Forest, 298, 300. Richardson, James D., 315, 331, 333, portrait opposite Ricks. Mrs. Francis Jones, 246. Riddick, Lemuel, 108. Riddle, Joshua, 298, 300. Riggs, Miss Jane A., 246. Roane, Thomas, 87. Roane, W.. 86 Roberts. John, 306. Robin, 35. Robinson, Beverly. 64, 73, 81, 82. Robinson. John, 31. Robinson. Max, 87. Robinson, William, 87. Rochambeau. J. B. D. de V.. 121-123, 125, 135, 184. Rodney, Cesar. 102. Rogers, Mrs. Henry W.. 246. Rogers. Robert, 267. Rogerson. Thomas. 300. Roland. Kate Mason, 116. Roosevelt, Theodore, 315. Ross, George, 102, 239. Ross, Henry H.. 332-334- '^- Rowsey, John, 254. Rumney, John, 293. Rumsey, James. 151, 152. Russell, WilUam, 264. Rust, Peter, 87. Rutherford, Alexander, 2S2. Rutledge, Edward, 103. Rutledge, John, 103, 144, 159, portrait opposite 159. Ryan, Michael, 2S1, 282, 285. Sachse, Julius F., 334, 338. Saddler. 275. St. Clair, Arthur, 15c. St. Clair, John. 13, 156, 158. St. Pierre, Chevalier de, 25. St. Simon. Claude Henri, 124, Sanford, 267. Sanford, Edward, 87. Sanford. James. 87. Sanford, Richard, 94, 95. Savage, 267. Schley. Winfield Scott. 315. Schuyler, Philip, no, in, 114, 267, portrait opposite no. Scott, David Wilson, 298, 300. Scott, R. G., 262, 268. Scott, Winfield. 225. Selden, Samuel. 87. Seldon, Eleanor Love, 236, 241. Seldon. Wilson Carey, 236. Seton, John C. 393. Sharp. Alexander. A., 334. Sharpe, Horatio, 51. 55. Shaw, 146. 147, 267. Shaw, Thomas, 95, 239. Sherburne. Henry, 267. Sherman, Allton H., 333. Sherman, Roger, 102. 117, 144, 15S, portrait opposite n7. Shinn, J- Edward. 335. Shirley, WiUiam. 63. Shryock, Thomas J., 304, 331, 333.335- 337. portrait opposite 335. Simms, Charles. 149, 193, 20S, 286. 2SS. 293. 297, 299, 306- Simms, Thomas, 305. Slaff, 267. Slaughter, Philip, 11. Smith, 267. Smith, Augustin J., 300. Smith, J. B., 273. Smith, Meriwether, 87, 114. Smith, Richard, 102. Smith, William, 275. Smith, William Moore, 275. Smith, WiUiam Stephen, 130, 131, 182, Snickers, 147. Snyder, G. W., 278. Somers. 267. "Southern Matron," 238-251, Spaight. Richard Dobbs. 144. Spanbergen. Frederick, 288. Sparks, Jared, in. Spear, 267. Spencer. Joseph. 1 10. Spencer, Nicholas, 3, facsimile of original grant oppo- site 3. Spots wood, 45. 376 INDEX TO PERSONAL NAMES. Spotswood, Alexander, 123. Stanwix. John, 65. Stark. John, 118. Stephen, Adam, 63. Stephens. Stephen, 301. Steuben, F. W. A. H. F. von. 118, 121. 123, 158. Stevens. Adam, 108. Steward' John Ainsworth, 192, 298. Stockton, Robert C. 334. Stoddert, Benjamin, 182. Stokes, Wyndham. 334. Stone, Thomas, 139, 140. Story, Joseph. 234. Stuart, David, 145, 146, 149, 289. 292. Stuart, J. E. B.. 42. Stuart, John. 57, 63. Stuart, Nancy. 192. 193. 300. Stuart. Sally, 192. 193, 300. Suggett, Edgcomb, 87. Suggett. John, 86. Sullivan, John, 102. no. 118, 257. portrait opposite 118. Sumter. Thomas, 118. Sush, Jer., 87. Swan, Thomas, 304. Swanson. Claude, 341. Swift, G Roscoe, 312, 334, 336, portrait opposite 339. Swift, Jonathan. 186, 293. 298, 300, 311. Sydnor, William, 87. Taft, William H.. 312, 315. 336, 340. Talleyrand, iSr, 183. Talliaferro. Francis. 45. Tanner, W. E-. 263. Tarleton. Col. Banastre. 120, 121. Taylor. 146. Taylor, FannJe, 211, 213. Taylor, James, 293. Taylor, Jessie. 293. Taylor. Rosalie, 305. Thomas, Isaiah. 276. Thomas, John, no. Thomas. Joseph. 293, 298, 300. Thomas, Philemon. 207. Thompson, 267 Thompson, Rev., 146. Thompson, Charles, 103, 155. Thornton, Dr., 192. Thornton, Francis, 87. Thornton. J. B. T.. 208. Thornton. Mildred. 195. Thornton. Peter Presley, 131. Tibbs. Daniel. 87. Tilghman. Matthew. 102. Tilghman, Tench, 130. 131. Tomlinson, Robert. 253. Townsend. Amy, 246. Townsend, Mrs. Justine Van Rensselaer. 245. Tracey. Miss S. C, 247. Treat, F. H.. portrait opposite 341. Trent, William, 47. Triplet. Thomas, 300. Triplet, William. 192. map 90-91. Troupe. Mrs.. 215. Trumball. John, 131. Trumball, Jonathan, 131. Truxton, 183. Tucker, Benjamin, 267. Turberville. George, 87. Turner, Charles, 293. 298, 300. Turner, James. 298. Upshaw. James. 87. Upshaw, John. 87. Van Braam. Jacob. 47, 48. 265, Van Rensselaer. 267. Van Rensselaer. Mrs. Eugene, 246. Van Zandt. 267. Varlo. Charles. 135. Varnam. Joseph Bradley. 143. Varrick, Richard. 131. Vassauer, La, Auguste, 262. 304. Vernon, Edward. 14, 21, 22, Verplank, F. A.. 333. Viomenil, Baron de, 123. Vowell. John C, 304. Waddill. William. 254, 287. Wagener, Peter, 23. 76, map 90-91, 94. 99. Walker. Benj.. 130, 131. Walker. John. 131. Walker, Sarah. 30. Walpole. Horace. 80, 104. Walpole, Robert, 79. Ward. Artemus, portrait of 1 10. Ward, Samuel. 102. Waring, Francis, 87. Warner, Augustine. 7. Warner. Mildred. 7. 8. Warren. Joseph, 255, 256, portrait opposite 256. Warville. Brissot de. 216. Washington, Ann (Aylett). 15. 194. Washington, Anne, 3. 6. Washington, Anne (Blackburn), 233, portrait opposite 235- Washington, Anne (Fairfax) 14, 18. 22, 27, 30, 32, 53. 71. «94. Washington. Anne (Pope), 3. Washington, Anne Maria. 236. Washington. Augustine C1694) 7. 8, 21, 194. 195, 231. picture of bam he erected opposite 15. picture 01 house where he died opposite 13, picture of mill he erected opposite 13. Washington (1720). 15 17. 27, 61, 72, 194. Washington, Betty. 17. opposite 20. 178, 195, 231. Washington. Judge Bushrod. 71. 72. 137, 209. 220. 231. 232. 233. 234. 235, 239. portrait opposite 235. Washington, Bushrod, jr., 235. Washington, Bushrod C, 235. Washington, Butler, 194. Washington, Charles (1738). opposite 20. 27. 87. 195. 231. portrait opposite 231. Washington, Corbin, 235. Washington. Eleanor Love, 236. Washington. Elizabeth. 3. Washington, Fernando. 147. Washington, Frances, 147, 223. Washington, George, ancestors, 1-17. battle of Great Meadows. 50-51. ■ battle of Vorktown, 122-123. battles. 1 17-1 18. birth place. 9. birth record, facsimile opposite 20. Braddock, in campaign with, 53-59. opinion of, 55. INDEX TO PERSONAL NAMES. 377 Washington, George — Continued, character, 78-79. by Irving. 187. by C. Varlo, 135. church work, 92-96. civilian, 71-100. com man der-in-chief Virginia forces. 62. American army, elected, 109. resigns. 128. ContineDtal Congress, member, 103. Council of Governors, present at. 55. dancing, 78. death, 191-192. 297. hundredth anniversary, 319—325. defense of the valley of Virginia, 62-68. diary, 140. 141, 143. 146-149, 185-187. engagement to Mrs. Custis, 66-69. farewell address, 163, 165-176. farewell speech, 163. farewell to officers, 127. father, intercourse with, i6. foxhunting, 76~78. I45. I47. 148, 178, French commandant, mission to, 47-49. funeral, 297-302. General Assembly, member of, 73, 77, 80, 91. godfathers, 20. godmother, 8, ii. opposite 20. Green way Court, life at, 38, picture opposite 29, 43 . headquarters, Alexandria, Va., picture opposite 55. Cambridge. Mass,, iii. Cumberland, Md., picture opposite 68. Will's Creek, Md.. picture opposite 68. Winchester, Va., picture opposite 68 . horses, 75. hounds. 76. House of Burgesses, member, 73, 77, So. 91. inheritance, 17. justice at Fairfax Court House, 209. letter from Ancient York Masons No. 22, 295. Ancient York Masons of Pa.. 273. Erskine, 183. W. Fairfax. 64 J. Giles, 269. J. GilHs, 294. M. Gist, 271. Lodge No. 22. 294, G. Mason, 90. Robinson. 64. Watson & Cassoul. 268. letter to Alexandria-Washington Lodge. Ancient York Masons of Pa.. 273. Basset, 213. Clinton, 133. Martha Cjstis, 68. Francis Dandridge, 84. Dinwiddie. 63. Wm. Fauotleroy. 36. Mrs. G. W. Fairfax. 33. Grand Lodge of South Carolina, 271. B. Harrison, 154. King David's Lodge. 270. Knox, 136. 154. Lafayette, 181. Laurens, 119. Lodge No. 39, facsimile opposite 283. McHenry. 177. Mason. 88. Washington, George — Continued, letter to mother, 57. 58. Robin. 35. Snyder, Rev.. 278. Augustine Washington, 61. Lawrence Washington. 45-46. Watson & Cassoul, 269. wife, 1 12. love affairs. 36. 66-69. Major, 46. marriage, 73. mason, degrees taken, 253. recommended for Master, 285. elected Master, 28S. recommended for Grand Master, 259. Grand Master pro tem at laying of comer stone of Capitol, 290-293. midshipman, 18, portrait opposite 19. mother, last meeting with. 154. Mount Vernon, life at. 51. 53. 59, 6i, 65, 69. 7 4-77, 84, 125, 129. 130. 135. 145 148. reverts to him. 71. oath of oflSce, 158-159. portrait, frontispiece, opposite 19. by Peele. opposite 101. president, elected, 149, 154. second inauguration, 290. declines further service. 163. relations with Dr. Craik, 59. relations with Fairfax family, 33, 34. relations with Lawrence Washington, 27. reply to D. Ramsay. 15, 156. resolutions by Congress. 153. 200. resolutions to remove remains, 207. room in which he died, picture opposite 291 school days. 19. Stamp Act 80, 82, 84. surveyor, 35. 42-44. 46. toasts to. 295. 307. tomb, picture opposite 193. tribute by Lord Brougham. 187. Marshall. 197. John Adams, 199. Napoleon, 201. vestryman. 92-96. Virgi nia, non-importation resolutions, 91. will, 1S4. 207-209, facsimile opposite o-V4- will. schedule of property mentioned in, 345-349. Washington. George Augustine. 146, 147, 220 Washington, George C, 235. Washington, George Steptoe, 207. 313. Washington. Hannah (Fairfax). 8. 34. Washington. Hannah (Lee), 235. Washington, Henry, 37. Washington. Jane (Butler). 9. 194. Washington. Jane, 1722, opposite 20. :94. Washington. Jane Charlotte, 235, 236, portrait oppo- site 236. Washington, John. (16 — ,) 3-6. g, 38, 42, 72. 194, fac- simile of original grant to, opposite 3. Washington (1663), 3. 6. Washington, John (1692), 7-9. Washington. John Augustine (1736), 17, 20, 27, 71-73, 87. 195. 220, 231, 232, portrait opposite 72. Washington, John A. (1792), 207, 235. Washington, John A. (1820), 209. 236-23S, 241, 242, portrait opposite 236, 238. Washington, Katherine. 8. 378 INDEX TO PERSONAL NAMES. Washington. Lawrence (i6 — ), 3. 37. 38. Waslungton. Lawrence (1661). 3. 6. 7^9. 72. I94- Washington. Lawrence (171S). 14. 16-19. 21-28. 32-35. 45-47.71, 72. 76.87. 194. 231. portrait opposite 23. Washington. Lawrence, viii. 237. 312. portrait opposite 238. Washington. Lawrence Augustine. 220. Washington, Lund 147. 209. Washington. Martha, 66-68. 73. 109. no. 112. 125. 129, 145. 147.159. »6s. 186, 188-192, 194.206.207,210- 224. 228, 229. letters from George Washington, no. 112. letter to J. Adams. 206. E- Calvert. 214. portrait opposite 218. visit by Mrs. Troupe and other Morristown ladles. 215-216. Washington. Mary. 9, 10, 16-20. 57. 125. I54. 194. 195. 231. alleged portrait opposite 9. home in Fredericks- burg. Va. opposite 126. Washington. Mildred (16 — ), 7 9. Washington. Mildred (1696), 7, 8, 11. Washington, Mildred (1739). 20, 195- Washington, Richard Blackburn, 236. Washington, Samuel, 17, 20. 27, 86, 87. 195. 207, 231, portrait opposite 231. Washington, Sarah, 27. Washington, Warner, 8, 34. Washington, Mrs. Warner, 187. Washington, Whiting, 187. Watson, 268. Watson, James, 293. Watts, John, 87. Wayne, Anthony, 118, 121, portrait opposite 118. Webb, Alexander Contee, 131. Webb, James, 87. Webb, Mrs. Mary P. Y., 246. Webb, Samuel Blackley, 131. Weeks, Charles, 87. Weems, Mason L-, 93, portrait opposite 93. Wentworth, General, 21. Westcott, James D., 301. West. John, 94, 95. 96, 209. West. Roger. 192. 289, 293. West. SubhUl. 209. Westlake. Mrs.. 216. Whitehead, James, 284. Whiting, Beverly. 20. Whiting. Katherine, 8. Wigginton. James. 301, Wilder. Mrs.. George P.. 246. Williams. 18. 267. 275. 304, 315. Williams, John, 86. 301. Williamson. Colin, 292. Williamson, Hugh, 144. Willis, Byrd C, 24S, 249. W illis, Catherine Byrd, 248. Willis. Henry, 8. Willis, Lewis, 87. Wilmott, 124. Wilson (groom), 193, 299. Wilson. 78. Wilson. James. 144. 159. 220, 232, 233, 239, 293, 300, portrait opposite 159. Wilton, Richard, poem by, 323. Wise, 2S9. Wise, George, 298. Wishner, Henry, 102. Withers, Robert E., 318. Wolcott, Oliver. 178. Wolcott. Mrs. Oliver. 177. Wood, James. 69. Woodberry, Charles 323. Woodcock, John S., 87. Woodward, 267. Wooster, David, no. 258. Wren. Thomas, 95. Wright, George W.. 320. Wythe. George, 81. 114. Young. 281. Young. Charles. 283. Young. Robert, 186. 293, 298, 300. Young, Smith, 87. Zachary, George W., 335. INDEX TO SUBJECTS. Abingdon, 145, 222, map 90-91, picture opposite 217. Ajax, Washington's horse, 75. Albert's Tavern. 295. Alexandria -Washington Lodge, charter, facsimile of op- pu:^ite 286. cornerstone of Capitol laid. 290-293. funeral of Washington, 193. 297-302. letters from Washington, 186, 295. letters to Washington, 294. name changed. 262, 2R6, 302. new lodge room, picture opposite 326. old lodge room, picture opposite 302. American Union Lodge, instituted, 256. at Reading. Conn., 266. at Morristown, N. J., 267. Andrew Jackson Lodge, 31S. Anoapolb Convention, 142. Arlington, 222-226. 228, map 90-91, picture opposite 229. Army, American in 1775. iii. Ball family. 265. Barn at Mount Vernon, 11. 14. picture opposite 15. Bastile, key of, 315. Battle of Great Meadows. 50-51. Battle of Yorktown. 122-123. Battles of Revolution, last, 124. statistics. 11 7-1 18. Bell Air, map 90-91. Bell Vale, map 90-91. Belmont, map 90-91. Belvoir, 35, 134. map S»o-9i. Blakely, 235. Blandford Lodge, 258. 259. Blue Skin. Washington's horse, 75. Botetourt Lodge 2,s3. Braddock's Campaign, 53-59. Brook Lodge, 299, 301. 30S. Cabin Point Lodge, 258, 259. Cabinet, portrait of first opposite 160. Capitol, corner stone laid 290,313. ruins in 1814, picture opposite 293< Carey family, 2. Carlyle House, picture opposite sg. Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia. Pa., picture opposite 103. Cedar Grove, map 90-91. Chamberlain House, picture opposite 67. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. 151. Christ Church, Alexandria, Va., picture opposite 185. Claims to lands of the Ohio, 25-26. Clinton family, 119. Constitution agreed to. 143. signatures. 144. Constttut'onal Lodge, Beverly, Eng., 323, 325. Continental Congress, 150. Cornerstone of Capitol laid. 290, 313. Cornerstone of District of Columbia laid, 289, 313. Cornerstone of Smithsonian Institution laid. 308. Cornerstone of Statue in Richmond laid, 308. Cornestone of Washington Monument laid, 308, 313. Craigie Mansion, xii. Declaration of Independence, facsimile opposite 366. portrait of commirtee opposite 1 17. Declaration of rights, Va.. 114. 141. iacsimile opposite 114- District of Columbia, cornerstone laid, 289. 313. Eltham. 125. 145. Episcopal Theological Seminary, map, 90-91. Hpping Forest. 9, picture opposite 9. Fairfax County. Va., map, 90, 91. Fairfax Court House, 209. map 90-91, picture opposite 209. Fairfax family, 29-40. 77. 192. Fairfax parish. 92. Falls Church, 95. map, 90-91. Farewell Address of Wasbingtoo, 163, 165-17 Federal Lodge No. i, 320. Federal Lodge No. 15. 399. 301. Fitzhugh family, 265. Fox hunting. 76. 78. 145. 147, 148. 178. Fredericksburg Lodge. 253, 25S, 259. 265. 299, 326. George Washington Masonic National Memorial Asso- ciation. 3z 1 , 329-342. portraits of members opposite 335. 339. 34i- Grand Masters of Virginia, portraits opposite 263. Grant to Colonel Spencer and Colonel Washington, facsimile opposite 3. Great Meadows, 50-51. Greenway Court, picture opposite 29. 43. Gunston Hall, 93, map 90-91. picture opposite 97 Harewood, 231. HaySeld, map 90-91. Henry family. 2. Hollia Hall, map 90-91. Horses of Washington. 75. Hounds of Washington, 76. Inauguration, first. 158. 159. Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Pa., picture opposite 109. Indian, last stand in tidewater, 4. Indian Life in pioneer days. 41-42. Jefferson family, 2. Johnston family, 209. Kenmore, picture opposite 141. King David's Lodge. 270. Knife, story of Washington's. 314. La Grange, map, 90-91. Lee family. 2, 209, 225. 264. Lewis family. 2. Liberty Lodge, 323, 325. Livingstone family. McCarty family. 209. Madison family, 2. 379 38o INDEX TO SUBJECTS. Magnolia, Washington's horse, 75. Martha Washington Chapter, O. E. S., 318. Mason family, 2. 192. Mason's Hall, Richmond, Va. Masonry in Colonial America, 253—264. Mercer family, 265. Mill near Mount Vernon, 12, 13, map 90-91, picture opposite 13. Monroe family, 2. Monument to George Washington. 206, 207. Moore House, Yorktown, Va., 123, picture opposite 121 Mordington, 231. Morris family, 1 19. Mount Eagle. 1S6, map, 90-91, picture opposite 39. Mount Vernon bequeathed to — ■ Bushrod Washington. 235. John A. Washington. 235. 236. Lawrence Washington, 6, 17. Mildred Washington, 7. Mount Vernon, Miss Cunningham works for, 238-251. first mistress, 22. first residence, 14. furniture from Belvoir house, 34. grant. 3. Indian, last stand of, 4. inventory of articles at, 350-364. life at. 53. 74-77, 130, 135. 136. 145. 148. map 90-91, 177, 184. name given, 22. pictures opposite 145, 165, 249. reverts to George Washington, 71. river front, picture opposite 153 school of arms, 47. title, abstract of. 364-366. tolling of bell on passing boats, 339. visitors, increase in. 326. Mount Vernon Convention, 140, 142. Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 34, 238, 239, 243-247. Mount Vernon, Memorial Service at, 318. Navy, Washington appointed midshipman. 18, 19. Nelson House. Yorktown. Va.. picture opposite 123. Newington, map 90-91. Non-importation resolution, 91. Norfolk Lodge, 258, 259. Ode to Washington, 157. Old Dominion Commandery, 318. Old North Church, picture opposite 2.^6. Page family. 2. Payne family, 77, 265. Payne's Church. 95, map, 90-91. Pendleton family. 2. Philadelphia Convention, 143. Philadelphia Lodge 299. Pine Grove. 19, picture opposite 13. Pohick Church, 33. 93, 96. 97, map, 90-91. picture opposite 93. Pope family. 265, Port Royal Lodge, 258, 259. Potomac Company, 139, 150. Randolph family, 2. Relics of Alexandria- Washington 'Lodge, 311-316, pictures opposite 310, 314. Resolutions on Stamp Act, 81. Resolves of Patrick Henry, 106-108. Richmond Lodge. 262. Richmond-Randolph Lodge, 262, 263, 307. Rippon Lodge, 233, map, 90-gi. Rose Hill, map, go-91. Round Hill, map, 90-91. St. Andres' Lodge, 256. St. John's Lodge. 270. St. Peter's Church, picture opposite 67. St. Tammany Lodge, 258. Signatures to Constitution, 144. Smithsonian Institution, cornerstone laid, 308. Song to Lafayette, 305. Spotswood family, 265. Springfield, map 90-91- Stamp Act. 80-82. 84-88. 99. Steam boat, invention of, 151-152. Supreme Court, portrait of first opposite 159. Toasts to Washington, 295, 307. Treaty of Paris, 126. Truro Parish, 11. 12, 15, 17 33, 92-95. Valiant, Washington's horse, 75. Virginia Declaration of Rights, facsimile opposite 114 Virginia Consistory, 318. Virginia Lodge No. 9. 267, 293. 13, 262, 291. 19. 307. 39, 281-286 Virginia Non-Importation Resolutions, 91. Wakefield, 3. 6. 7, 10, 15, 17, 18. 21. Warner family. 2. 265. Washing ton -Alexandria & Mt. Vernon Railway Com pany, 326. Washington family, 2, 20, 36. Washington Lodge. 267. Washington Monument, cornerstone laid. 308, 313. Washington Society of Alexandria, 186. Weedon family. 265. Wellington, 220, map, 90-91. West Grove, map, 90-91. Westmoreland resolves. 85-87. White Chapel, 5. Widow's Son Lodge. 307. Will, facsimile of Washington's, opposite 344. Williamsburg Convention and resolves. 113. Williamsburg Lodge. 253. 255. 258, 259, 260. Willis Family, 265. Woodlawn. 220-222, 228. 235. map 90-91, picture opposite 221. Yorktown, battle of. 122 125. Yorktown, Va.. picture of street opposite 124. Yorktown Lodge, 258. S '' r> ri ^ • .K>. ^ '\t V l< \. '^'^ •■^j \ ,V^>-^'--'^ ■^f&^vk^^ ^v'v •^ K UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. ± juWW URL JUL0gi98E (^ 1 ( ! Aa ^/\i r -^ -««■ VfV ^.^ te^- ■■V--*;-" ,*!■ '-^ \> A *4 *■-*« X ■^ \i ^ V