The life of George Washington

Front matter

THE HISPANIC FOUNDATION

Class Book.

FROM THE

Chapter I

Origin of the Washington Family. — John and Lawrence Washington emigrate to America. — Birth of George Washington. — His early Education. — His Fondnesi fcr mathematical Studies and athletic Amusements, and his methodical Habits . . .

Chapter II

A Project formed for his entering the British Navy as a Midshipman. — He becomes a practical Surveyor. — Engages in the Employment of Lord Fairfax. — Continues the Business of Surveying for three Years. — Appointed Adjutant of one of the Districts in Virginia. — Voyage to Barbadoes with his Brother 14

Chapter III

The French make Encroachments on the Western Frontiers of Virginia. — Major Washington is sent by the Governor of Virginia to warn the Intruders to retire. — Crosses the Allegany Mountains. — Meets Indians on the Ohio River, who accompany him to the French Garrison. — Indian Speech. — Interviews witli the French Commander. — Perilous Adventures during his Journey, and in crossing the Allegany River. — Returns to Williamsburg and reports to the Governor . 25

Tl CONTENTS.

Chapter IV

Troops raised for a western Expedition, and put under the Command of Major Washington. — Governor Dinwiddie.

— Military Preparations. — Washington appointed Lieutenant-Colonel. — Marches to the Allegany Mountains. — Joined by Parties of Indians. — Skirmish with a French Detachment under Jumonville. — The chief Command devolves on Colonel Washington. — His generous Sentiments respecting the Terms of Service 43

Chapter V

Fort Necessity. — Indians. — Movements of the Army. — Battle of the Great Meadows. — Vote of Thanks by the House of Burgesses. — Washington disapproves the Governor's Measures and resigns his Commission 63

Chapter VI

Engages in the Expedition under General Braddock. — DifBculties encountered by the Army in its March. — Battle of the Monongahela. — Its disastrous Results. — Bravery and good Conduct of Colonel Washington in that Action. — His prudent Advice to General Braddock 77

Chapter VII

Colonel Washington appointed Commander-in-chief of the Virginia Forces. — Distresses of the Frontier Inhabitants.

— DiflBculties with an Officer holding a King's Commission concerning Rank. — Washington visits General Shirley at Boston upon this Subject. — His Claim confirmed. — Returns and repairs to his Head-quarters at Winchester. — Embarrassments of his Situation. — Testimonies of Confidence in his Character and Ability 9

CHAPTER VIII. Occurrences of the Campaign. — Incursions of the Savages

— Plan of Fortifications for the Interior. — Fort Cumber-

CONTENTS. Vll

land. — Memorial presented by Colonel Washington to the Earl of Loudoun on the State of Military Affairs in Virginia. — Governor Dinwiddie sails for England. — An Expedition against -^o"^^ Duquesne planned by the British Ministry, to be under the Command of General Forbes. — The Virginia Army augmented, and united with the Regular Troops in this Enterprise 106

Chapter IX

Colonel Washington marches to Fort Cumberland. — Acts in Concert with Colonel Bouquet. — Joins the main Army at Raystown under General Forbes. — Forms a Plan of March suited to the Mountains and Woods. — Commands the advanced Division of the Army. — Capture of Fort Duquesne. — He returns to Virginia, resigns his Commission, and retires to private Life 118

Chapter X

Washington's Marriage. — For many Years a Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. — His Pursuits and Habits as a Planter. — A Vestryman in the Church, and active in Parish Affairs. — His Opinion of the Stamp Act. — Takes an early and decided Stand against the Course pursued by the British Government towards the Colonies. — Approves the JNon-importation Agreements 135

CHAPTER XL

Joins heartily in all the Measures of Opposition. — His Services in procuring the Lands promised to the Officers and Soldiers in the French War. — Performs a Tour to the Ohio and Kenhawa Rivers for the purpose of selecting those Lands. — Takes an active Part at different Times in the Proceedings of the Virginia Legislature in defending the Rights of the Colonies. — His Opinions on this Subject. — Chosen to command several Independent Companies of Militia. — A Delegate to the first and second Virginia Conventions. — A Member of the Continental Congress 1^0

Viii CONTENTS.

Chapter XII

Meeting of the second Congress. — Washington chosen Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. — Repairs to Cambridge, and takes the Command. — State of the Army. — His Intercourse with Congress. — Numerous Affairs devolve on him 168

Chapter XIII

Correspondence with General Gage. — Councils of War respecting an Assault on Boston. — Organization of a new Continental Army. — Difficulties in procuring Recruits. — Militia called out. — Maritime Affairs. — Armed Vessels.

— General Howe takes Command of the British Army. — Condition of the American Army at the End of the Year.

— Washington's Arrangement of his private Affairs. . . . 189

Chapter XIV

Plans for an Attack on Boston. — Condition of the Army. — Dorchester Heights fortified. — Evacuation of Boston. — Troops march to New York. — AVashington repairs to Congress. — His View? in Regard to the State of the Country.

— Machinations of the Tories, and Measures taken to defeat them. — Declaration of Independence. ...... 208

Chapter XV

Arrival of Lord Howe, with Proposals for a Reconciliation with the Colonies. — Mode of addressing Letters to Washington attempted by the British Admiral and General. — Strength and Condition of the two Armies. — Battle of Long Island. — Remarks on the Battle 228

Chapter XVI

New York evacuated, and the British take Possession of the City. — The American Army posted at Haerlem Heights and Fort Washington. — Situation and Prospects of the

CONTENTS. IX

Army.— Its new Organization. — The British land in Westchester County, and march into the Country. . . . 244

Chapter XVII

Washington advances to White Plains and forms an Encampment. — Battle of Chatterton's Kill. — Part of the American Army crosses the Hudson. — Capture of Fort Washington and Fort Lee. — General Washington retreats through New Jersey, and crosses the Delaware at Trenton,

— Conduct and Character of General Lee. — Reduced State of the Army 260

Chapter XVIII

General Washington invested with extraordinary Powers by Congress. — His Manner of using them. — He recrosses the Delaware. — Battle of Trenton. — Battle of Princeton.

— The Army goes into Winter Quarters at Morristown. — Remarks on these Events 277

Chapter XIX

General Washington's Proclamation — His Preparations for the next Campaign. — Exchange of Prisoners. — Condition of the American Prisoners in New York. — Military Operations in New Jersey. — The Army crosses the Delaware and encamps near Germantown. — Washington's first Interview with Lafayette 294

Chapter XX

Sir William Howe lands at the Head of Elk. — Battle of the Brandy wine. — New Powers conferred on Washington by Congress. — Battle of Germantown. — Skirmishes at Whitemarsh. — Sufferings of the Army. — Winter Encampment at Valley Forge 311

^Q

LIFE

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

Chapter I

Origin of the Washington Family. — John and Lawrence Washington emigrate to America. — Birth of George Washington. — His early Education. — His Fondness for mathematical Studies and athletic Amusements, and his methodical Habits.

The name of Washington, as applied to a family, is proved from authentic records to have been first known about the middle of the thirteenth century. There was previously a manor of that name in the County of Durham, in England, the proprietor of which, according to a custom not unusual in those days, took the name of his estate. From this gentleman, who was originally called William de Hertburn, have descended the branches of the Washington family, which have since spread themselves over various parts of Great Britain and America.

Few individuals of the family have attained to such eminence in the eye of the public, as to give perpetuity to the memory of their deeds or their character ; yet, in the local histories of England, the name is frequently mentioned with respect, and as denoting persons of consideration, wealth, and influence. Among them were scholars, divines, and lawyers, well known to their contemporaries. Several received the honors of knighthood... Sir Henry Washington is renowned for his bravery and address in sustaining the siege of Worcester against the Parliamentary forces during the civil wars, and is commended by Clarendon for his good conduct at the taking of Bristol. For the most part it would appear, however, from such facts as can now be ascertained, that the heads of families were substantial proprietors of lands, residing on their estates and holding a reputable station in the higher class, of agriculturists. Proofs of their opulence may still be seen in the monuments erected in churches, and the records of the transfer of property.

In the year 1538, the manor of Sulgrave, in Northamptonshire, was granted to Lawrence Washington, of Gray's Inn, and for some- time Mayor of Northampton. He was probably born at Warton, in Lancashire, where his father lived. The grandson of this first proprietor of Sulgrave, who was of the same name, had many children, two of whom, that is, John and Lawrence Washington, being the second and fourth sons, emigrated to Virginia about the year 1657, and settled at Bridge's Creek, on the Potomac River, in the County ■ of Westmoreland. The eldest brother. Sir William Washington, married a half-sister of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Lawrence had been a student at Oxford. John had resided on an estate at South Cave in Yorkshire, which gave rise to an erroneous tradition among his descendants, that their ancestor came from the North of England. The two brothers bought lands in Virginia, and became successful planters.

John Washington, not long after coming to America, was employed in a military command against the Indians, and rose to the rank of Colonel. The parish, also, in which he lived was named after him. He married Anne Pope, by whom he had two sons, Lawrence and John, and a daughter. The elder son, Lawrence, married Mildred Warner, of Gloucester County, and had three children, John, Augustine, and Mildred.

Augustine Vv'ashington, the second son, was twice married. His first wife was Jane Butler, by whom he had three sons and a daughter ; Butler, who died in infancy, Lawrence,

LIFE OF WASHINGTON.

Augustine, and Jane, the last of. whom died likewise when a child. Bj'" his second wife, Mai'y Ball, to whom he was married on the 6th of March, 1730, he had six children, George, Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles, and Mildred. George Y/ashington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on the 22d of February, 1732, being the eldest son by the second marriage, great-grandson of John Washington, who emigrated to America, and the sixth in descent from the first Lawrence Washington of Sulgrave.

At the time of George Washington's birth, his father resided near the banks of the Potomac in Westmoreland County : but he removed not long afterwards to an estate owned by him in Stafford County, on the east side of the Rappahannoc River, opposite Fredericksburg. Here he lived till his death, which happened, after a sudden and short illness, on the 12th of April, 1743, at the age of forty-nine. He was buried at Bridge's Creek, in the tomb of his ancestors. Little is known of his character or his acts. It appears by his will, however, that he possessed a large and valuable property in lands ; and, as this had been acquired chiefly by his own industry and enterprise, it may be inferred, that, in the concerns of business, he was methodical, skilful, honorable, and energetic. His occupation was that of a planter, which, from the first settlement of the country, had been the pursuit of nearly all the principal gentlemen of Virginia.

Each of his sons inherited from him a separate plantation. To the eldest, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate near Hunting Creek, afterwards Mount Vernon, which then consisted of twenty-five hundred acres ; and also other lands, and shares in iron-works situated in Virginia and Maryland, which were productive. The second son had for his part an estate in Westmoreland. To George were left the lands and mansion where his father lived at the time of his decease ; and to each of the other sons, an estate of six or seven hundred acres. The youngest daughter died when an infant, and for the only remaining one a suitable provision was made in the will. It is thus seen, that Augustine Washington, although suddenly cut off" in the vigor of manhood, left all his children in a state of comparative independence. Confiding in the prudence of the mother, he directed that the proceeds of all the property of her children should be at her disposal, till they should respectively come of age.

This weighty charge of five young children, the eldest of whom was eleven years old. the superintendence of their education, and the management of comphcated aflairs, demanded no common share of resohition, resource of mind, and strength of character. In these important duties Mrs. Washington acquitted herself with great fidelity to her trust, and with entire success. Her good sense, assiduity, tenderness, and vigilance overcame every obstacle ; and, as the richest reward of a mother's solicitude tind toil, she had the happiness to see all her children come forward with a fair promise into life, filling the sphere allotted to them in a manner equally honorable to themselves, and to the parent who had been the only guide of their principles, conduct, and habits. She lived to witness the noble career of her eldest son, till by his own rare merits he was raised to the head of a nation, and applauded and revered by the whole world. It has been said, that there never was a great man, the elements of whose greatness might not be traced to the original characteristics or early influence of his mother. If this be true, how much do mankind owe to the mother of Washington.

Under the colonial governments, particularly in the southern provinces, the means of education were circumscribed. The thinness of population, and the broad line which separated the rich from the poor, prevented the establishment of schools on such a basis as would open the door of instruction to all classes, and thus prepare the way for higher seminaries of learning. Young men destined for the learned professions, whose parents could afford the expense, were occasionally sent to England. But the planters generally sought no other education for their sons, than such as would fit them to be practical men of business. In a few cases, this was derived from a private tutor ; in others, from a teacher of the common schools, whose qualifications would naturally be limited to the demands of his employers^ and who was seldom competent to impart more than the simplest elements of knowledge. When he had inculcated the m3''steries of reading, writing, arithmetic, and keeping accounts, his skill was exhausted, and the duties of his vocation were fulfilled. If his pupils aspired to higher attainments, they were compelled to leave their master behind, and find their way without a guide.

To a school of this description was George Washington indebted for all the aids his mind received in its early discipline and culture. How far he profited by these slender advantages, or was distinguished for his application and love of study, can only be conjectured from the results. Tradition reports, that he was inquisitive, docile, and diligent ; but it adds, that his military propensities and passion for active sports displayed themselves in his boyhood ; that he formed his schoolmates into companies, who paraded, marched, and fought mimic battles, in which he was always the commander of one of the parties. He had a fondness for the athletic amusements of running, jumping, wrestling,. tossing bars, and other feats of agility and bodily exercise. Indeed it is well known, that these practices were continued by him after he had arrived at the age of mature life. It has also been said, that while at school his probity and demeanor were such, as to win the deference of the other boys, who were accustomed to make him the arbiter of their disputes, and never failed to be satisfied with his judgment. Such are some of the incidents of his juvenile years, remembered and related by his contemporaries after he had risen to greatness.

There are not wanting evidences of his early proficiency in some branches of study. His manuscript schoolbooks, from the time he was thirteen years old, have been preserved. He had already mastered the difiicult parts of arithmetic, and these books begin with geometry. But there is one, of a previous date, which deserves notice, as giving an insight into the original cast of his mind, and the subjects to which his education was directed. It is singular, that a boy of thirteen should occupy himself in studying the dry and intricate forms of business, which are rarely attended to till the affairs of life call them into use, and even then rather as an act of necessity than of pleasure. But many pages of the manuscript in question are taken up with copies of what he calls Forms of Writing, such as notes of hand, bills of exchange, receipts, bonds, indentures, bills of sale, land warrants, leases, deeds, and wills, written out Avith care, the prominent words in large and varied characters in imitation of a clerk's hand. Then follow selections in rhyme, more distinguished for the sentiments they contain, and the religious tone that pervades them, than for their poetical beauties.

But the most remarkable part of the book is that, in which is compiled a system of maxims and regulations of conduct, drawn from miscellaneous sources, and arranged under the head of Rules of Behavior in Company and Conversation. Some of these are unimportant, and suited only to form the habits of a child ; others are of a higher import, fitted to soften and polish the manners, to keep alive the best affections of the heart, to impress the obhgation of the moral virtues, to teach what is due to others in the social relations, and above all to inculcate the practice of a perfect self-control.

In studying the character of Washington it is obvious, that this code of rules had an influence upon his whole life. His temperament was ardent, his passions strong, and, amidst the multiplied scenes of temptation and excitement through which he passed, it was his constant effort and ultimate triumph to check the one and subdue the other. His intercourse with men, private and public, in every walk and station, was marked with a consistency, a fitness to occasions, a dignity, decorum, condescension, and mildness, a respect for the claims of others, and a delicate perception of the nicer shades of civility, which were not more the dictates of his native good sense and incomparable judgment, than the fruits of a long and unwearied discipline.

He left school in the autumn preceding, his sixteenth birthday. The last two years had been devoted to the study of geometry, trigonometry, and surveying, for which he had a decided partiality. It is probable, also, that his friends, discovering this inclination, encouraged him in yielding to it, with the view of qualifying him for the profession of a surveyor, which was then a lucrative employment, and led to opportunities of selecting valuable new lands. During the last summer he was at school, we find him surveying the fields around the schoolhoase and in the adjoining plantations, of which .the boundaries, angles, and measurements, the plots and calculations, are entered with formality and precision in his books.

Nor was his skill confined to the more simple processes of the art. He used logarithms, and proved the accin-acy of his work by different methods. The manuscripts fill several quires of paper, and are remarkable for the care with which they were kept, the neatness and uniformity of the handwriting, the beauty of the diagrams, and a precise method and arrangement in copying out tables and columns of figures.

These particulars will not be thought too trivial to be mentioned, when it is known, that he retained similar habits through life. His business papers, daybooks, legers, and letter-books, in which before the Revolution no one wrote but himself, exhibit specimens of the same studious care and exactness. Every fact occupies a clear and distinct place, the handwriting is round and rcrrlai. ■s.^-nhnut

Ik

12 LIFE OF WASHINGTOiN.

interlineations, blots, or blemishes; and, if mistakes occurred, the faulty words were so skilfully erased and corrected, as to render the defect invisible except to a scrutinizing eye. The constructing of tables, diagrams, and other figures relating to numbers or classification, was an exercise in which he seems at all times to have taken much delight. If any of his farms were to be divided into new lots, a plan was first drawn on paper; if he meditated a rotation of crops, or a change in the mode of culture, the various items of expense, labor, products, and profits were reduced to tabular forms; and in his written instructions to his managers, which were annually repeated, the same method was pursued.

Except the above branches of the mathematics, his acquirements did not extend beyond the subjects usually taught to boys of his age at the common schools. It is even doubtful whether he received any instruction in the principles of language. His earliest compositions were often faulty in grammatical construction. By practice, reading, and study, he gradually overcame this defect, till at length he wrote with accuracy, purity of idiom, and a striking appropriateness of phraseology and clearness oT style. In the choice of his words, to express precisely and forcibly his meaniDg, he was always scrupulous. In this respect his language may be said to have reflected the image of his mind, in which candor, sincerity, and directness were prevailing traits.

No aid was derived from any other than his native tongue. He never even commenced the study of the ancient classics. After the French officers had joined the American army in the Revolution, and particularly while the forces under Count de Rochambeau were in the country, he bestowed some degree of attention on that language ; but at no time could he write or converse in it, or indeed translate any paper.

CHAPTER 11.

A Project formed for his entering the British Navy as a Midshipman. — He becomes a practical Surveyor. — Engages in the Employment of Lord Fairfax. — Continues the Business of Surveying for three Years. — Appointed Adjutant of one of the Districts in Virginia. — Voyage to Barbadoes with bis Brother.

While at school a project was entertained by his friends, which, if it had been matured, would have changed his own destiny, and perhaps have produced an important influence upon that of his country. His eldest brother, Lawrence, had been an officer in the late war, and served at the siege of Carthagena and in the West Indies. Being a well informed and accomplished gentleman, he had acquired the esteem and confidence of General Wentworth and Admiral Vernon, the commanders of the expedition, with whom he afterwards kept up a friendly correspondence. Having observed the military turn of his young brother, and looking upon the British navy as the most direct road to distinction in that line, he obtained for George a midshipman's warrant, in the year 1746, when he was fourteen years old. This step was taken with his acquiescence, if not at his request, and he prepared with a buoyant spirit for his departure ; but, as the time approached, the solicitude of his motlier interposed with an authority, to which nature gave a claim.

At this critical juncture, Mr. Jackson, a friend of the family, wrote to Lawrence Washington as follows. " 1 am afraid Mrs. Washington will not keep up to her first resolution. She seems to dislike George's going to sea, and says several persons have told her it was a bad scheme. She offers several trifling objections, such as fond, unthinking mothers habitually suggest ; and I find that one word against his going has more weight than ten for it." She persisted in opposing the plan, and it was given up. Nor ought this decision to be ascribed to obstinacy, or maternal weakness. This was her eldest son, whose character and manners must already have exhibited a promise, full of solace and ■ hope to a widowed mother, on whom alone devolved the charge of four younger children. To see him separated from her at so tender an age, exposed to the perils of accident and the world's rough usage, without a parent's voice to counsel or a parent's hand to guide, and to enter on a theatre of action, which would for ever remove him from her presence, was a trial of her fortitude and sense of duty, which she could not be expected to hazard without rehictaiice and concern.

Soon after leaving school he went to reside with his brother Lawrence, at his seat on the Potomac River, which had been called Mount Vernon, in compliment to the admiral of that name. The winter was passed in his favorite study of the mathematics, and in the exercise of practical surveying, merely with the view of becoming famiUar with the application of principles and the use of instruments. At this time he was introduced to Lord Fairfax, and other members of the Fairfax family, established in that part of Virginia.

Lawrence Washington had married a daughter of William Fairfax, a gentleman of consideration on account of his wealth, character, and political station, being many years a member and for some time president of his Majesty's Council in the Colony. His seat was at Belvoir, a short distance from Mount Vernon. He had an interesting family of several sons and daughters, intelligent and cultivated, with whom George associated on terms of intimacy, and formed attachments that were ever after valuable to him. In the father he found a friend and adviser, as well as a man skilled in affairs, of wide experience, and of an en-

LIFE OF WASHIISGTON. 17

lightened uacierstaiidiiig. To his fortunate acquaintance with this family he was mainly indebted for the opportunities of performing those acts, which laid the foundation of his subsequent successes and advancement.

Lord Fairfax, a distant relative of William Fairfax, was a man of an eccentric turn of mind, of great private Avorth, generous, and hospitable. Possessing by inheritance a vast tract of country, situate between the Potomac and Rappahannoc Rivers, and stretching across the Allegany Mountains, he made a voyage to Vn-ginia to examine this domain. So well pleased was he with the climate and mode of life that he resolved, after going back to England and arranging his affairs, to return and spend his days in the midst of this remote territory.

The immense tracts of wild lands, belonging to Lord Fairfax in the rich valleys of the Allegany Mountains, had not been surveyed. Settlers were finding their way up the streams, selecting the fertile places, and securing an occupancy without warrant or license. To enable the proprietor to claim his quitrents and give legal titles, it was necessary that those lands should be divided into lots and accurately measured. So favorable an opuiion had he formed of the abilities and at-

VOL. I. 2 tainmeiits of young Washington, that he intrusted to him this responsible service : and he set off on his first surveying expedition in March, just a month from the day he was sixteen years old, accompanied by George Fairfax, the eldest son of William Fairfax.

The enterprise was arduous, requiring discretion and skill, and attended with privations and fatigues to which he had not been accustomed. After crossing the first range of the Alleganies, the party entered a wilderness. From that lime their nights were passed under the open sky, or in tents or rude cabins affording but a treacherous shelter against the inclemency of the weather. The winds sometimes beat upon them, and prostrated them to the ground. Winter still lingered on the summits of the mountains ; the rivers, swollen by melting snows and recent rains, were impassable at the usual fords, except by swimming the horses ; the roads and paths through the woods were obstructed by swamps, rocks, and precipices. The lands surveyed by him lay on the South Branch of the Potomac, seventy miles above its junction with the other branch of that river.

The task was executed in such a manner, as to give entire satisfaction to his employer, confirm the good opinion of his friends, and establish his reputation as a surveyor. On other accounts it was beneficial to him. It inspired a confidence in himself, kindled fresh hopes, and prepared the way for new successes. He had moreover acquired a knowledge of parts of the country hitherto little known, which were to be the scene of his first military operations ; and had witnessed modes of life, with v/hich it was necessary for him to become familiar in fulfilling the high trusts that awaited him. During this expedition he was also present at an Indian war dance, ^i^ had his first interview with a race, on whose condition in peace and war he was to have a wider influence than any other man.

Having received a commission or appointment, as a public surveyor, which gave authority to his surveys and enabled him to enter them in the county offices, he devoted three years to this pursuit, without any intervals of relaxation except the winter months. Portions of each year Vvere passed among the Alleganies, where he surveyed lands on branches of the Potomac River, which penetrated far in a southern direction among the lofty ridges and spurs of those mountains. The exposures and hardships of these expeditions could be endured only for a few weeks together. As a

20 LIFE OF WASHINGTOJVf. [1751.

relief, he would come down into the settled parts, and survey private tracts and farms, thus applying himself to the uninterrupted exercise of his profession.