The Life of George Washington, Vol. 4 (of 5)

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Before the detachment from the army could reach Philadelphia, the
disturbances were, in a great degree, quieted without bloodshed; but
General Howe was ordered by congress to continue his march into
Pennsylvania, "in order that immediate measures might be taken to
confine and bring to trial all such persons belonging to the army as
have been principally active in the late mutiny; to disarm the
remainder; and to examine fully into all the circumstances relating
thereto."

The interval between the treaty with Great Britain and his retiring
into private life, was devoted by the Commander-in-chief to objects of
permanent utility.

The independence of his country being established, he looked forward
with anxiety to its future destinies. These might greatly depend on
the systems to be adopted on the return of peace, and to those systems
much of his attention was directed. The future peace establishment of
the United States was one of the many interesting subjects which
claimed the consideration of congress. As the experience of General
Washington would certainly enable him to suggest many useful ideas on
this important point, his opinions respecting it were requested by the
committee to whom it was referred. His letter on this occasion, which
was deposited, it is presumed, in the archives of state, will long
deserve the attention of those to whom the interests of the United
States may be confided. His strongest hopes of securing the future
tranquillity, dignity and respectability of his country were placed on
a well regulated and well disciplined militia, and his sentiments on
this subject are entitled to the more regard, as a long course of
severe experience had enabled him to mark the total incompetency of
the existing system to the great purposes of national defence.

[Sidenote: Evacuation of New York.]

At length the British troops evacuated New York, and a detachment from
the American army took possession of that town.

Guards being posted for the security of the citizens, General
Washington, accompanied by Governor Clinton, and attended by many
civil and military officers, and a large number of respectable
inhabitants on horseback, made his public entry into the city; where
he was received with every mark of respect and attention. His military
course was now on the point of terminating; and he was about to bid
adieu to his comrades in arms. This affecting interview took place on
the 4th of December. At noon, the principal officers of the army
assembled at Frances' tavern, soon after which, their beloved
commander entered the room. His emotions were too strong to be
concealed. Filling a glass, he turned to them and said, "With a heart
full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you; I most devoutly
wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy, as your
former ones have been glorious and honourable." Having drunk, he
added, "I can not 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, being nearest, turned to him. Washington, incapable of
utterance, grasped his hand, and embraced him. In the same
affectionate manner he took leave of each succeeding officer. The tear
of manly sensibility was in every eye; and not a word was articulated
to interrupt the dignified silence, and the tenderness of the scene.
Leaving the room, he passed through the corps of light infantry, and
walked to White Hall, where a barge waited to convey him to Powles
Hook. The whole company followed in mute and solemn procession, with
dejected countenances, testifying feelings of delicious melancholy,
which no language can describe. Having entered the barge, he turned to
the company, and, waving his hat, bid them a silent adieu. They paid
him the same affectionate compliment; and, after the barge had left
them, returned in the same solemn manner to the place where they had
assembled.[16]

[Footnote 16: Gordon.]

Congress was then in session at Annapolis, in Maryland, to which place
General Washington repaired, for the purpose of resigning into their
hands the authority with which they had invested him.[17] He arrived
on the 19th of December. The next day he informed that body of his
intention to ask leave to resign the commission he had the honour of
holding in their service; and requested to know whether it would be
their pleasure that he should offer his resignation in writing, or at
an audience.

[Footnote 17: See note, No. II. at the end of the volume.]

To give the more dignity to the act, they determined that it should be
offered at a public audience on the following Tuesday, at twelve.

[Sidenote: General Washington resigns his commission and retires to
Mount Vernon.]

When the hour arrived for performing a ceremony so well calculated to
recall the various interesting scenes which had passed since the
commission now to be returned was granted, the gallery was crowded
with spectators, and several persons of distinction were admitted on
the floor of congress. The members remained seated and covered. The
spectators were standing, and uncovered. The general was introduced by
the secretary, and conducted to a chair. After a short pause, the
president[18] informed him that "The United States in congress
assembled were prepared to receive his communications." With native
dignity improved by the solemnity of the occasion, the general rose
and delivered the following address.

[Footnote 18: General Mifflin.]

"Mr. President,

"The great events on which my resignation depended, having at length
taken place, I have now the honour 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
expectations; and my gratitude for the interposition of Providence,
and the assistance I have received from my countrymen, increases with
every review of the momentous contest.

"While 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 distinguished merits of the gentlemen who have
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
favourable notice and patronage of congress.

"I consider it as an indispensable duty to close this last act of my
official life, by commending the interests of our dearest country to
the protection of Almighty God, and those who have the superintendence
of them to his holy keeping.

"Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great
theatre 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 advancing to the chair and delivering his commission to the
president, he returned to his place, and received standing the
following answer of congress, which was delivered by the president.

"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 theatre 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
officers who have attended your person to this affecting moment.

"We join you in commending the interests of our dearest country to the
protection 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 can not give."

This scene being closed, a scene rendered peculiarly interesting by
the personages who appeared in it, by the great events it recalled to
the memory, and by the singularity of the circumstances under which it
was displayed, the American chief withdrew from the hall of congress,
leaving the silent and admiring spectators deeply impressed with those
sentiments which its solemnity and dignity were calculated to inspire.

Divested of his military character, General Washington retired to
Mount Vernon, followed by the enthusiastic love, esteem, and
admiration of his countrymen. Relieved from the agitations of a
doubtful contest, and from the toils of an exalted station, he
returned with increased delight to the duties and the enjoyments of a
private citizen. He indulged the hope that, in the shade of
retirement, under the protection of a free government, and the
benignant influence of mild and equal laws, he might taste that
felicity which is the reward of a mind at peace with itself, and
conscious of its own purity.

CHAPTER III.

General Washington devotes his time to rural pursuits.... to
the duties of friendship.... and to institutions of public
utility.... Resolves of Congress and of the Legislature of
Virginia for erecting statues to his honour.... Recommends
improvement in inland navigation.... Declines accepting a
donation made to him by his native state.... The society of
the Cincinnati.... He is elected President.... The causes
which led to a change of the government of the United
States.... Circular letter of General Washington to the
governors of the several states.

{1783 to 1787}

[Sidenote: After retiring to private life, General Washington devotes
his time to rural pursuits, to the duties of friendship, and to
institutions of public utility.]

When an individual, long in possession of great power, and almost
unlimited influence, retires from office with alacrity, and resumes
the character of a private citizen with pleasure, the mind is
gratified in contemplating the example of virtuous moderation, and
dwells upon it with approving satisfaction. We look at man in his most
estimable character; and this view of him exalts our opinion of human
nature. Such was the example exhibited by General Washington to his
country and to the world. His deportment, and his language, equally
attest that he returned with these feelings to the employments of
private life. In a letter to Governor Clinton, written only three days
after his arrival at Mount Vernon, he says, "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." "At length, my dear
marquis," said he to his noble and highly valued friend, Lafayette, "I
have become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac; and under
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 employments, 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."

But a mind accustomed to labour for a nation's welfare, does not
immediately divest itself of ancient habits. That custom of thinking
on public affairs, and that solicitude respecting them, which belong
to the patriot in office, follow him into his retreat. In a letter to
General Knox, written soon after his resignation, General Washington
thus expressed the feelings attendant upon this sudden transition from
public to private pursuits. "I am just beginning to experience the
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 until lately, I could get the better of my usual
custom of ruminating, as soon as I awoke 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,
or had any thing to do with public transactions. I feel now, however,
as I conceive a wearied traveller must do, who, after treading many a
painful step with a heavy burden on his shoulders, is eased of the
latter, having reached the haven to which all the former were
directed; and from his house-top is looking back, and tracing with an
eager eye, the meanders by which he escaped the quick-sands and mires
which lay in his way, and into which none but the all powerful Guide
and Dispenser of human events could have prevented his falling."

For several months after arriving at Mount Vernon, almost every day
brought him the addresses of an affectionate and grateful people. The
glow of expression in which the high sense universally entertained of
his services was conveyed, manifested the warmth of feeling which
animated the American bosom. This unexampled tribute of voluntary
applause, paid by a whole people, to an individual no longer in power,
made no impression on the unassuming modesty of his character and
deportment. The same firmness of mind, the same steady and well
tempered judgment, which had guided him through the most perilous
seasons of the war, still regulated his conduct; and the enthusiastic
applauses of an admiring nation served only to cherish sentiments of
gratitude, and to give greater activity to the desire still further to
contribute to the general prosperity.

[Sidenote: Resolves of Congress and of the legislature of Virginia for
erecting statues in honour of him.]

It was not by addresses alone that his country manifested its
attachment to him. Soon after peace was proclaimed, congress
unanimously passed a resolution for the erection of an equestrian
statue of their general,[19] at the place which should be established
for the residence of the government.

[Footnote 19: "Resolved that the statue be of bronze: the
general to be represented in a Roman dress, holding a
truncheon in his right hand, and his head encircled with a
laurel wreath. The statue to be supported by a marble
pedestal on which are to be represented, in basso relievo,
the following principal events of the war, in which General
Washington commanded in person: the evacuation of
Boston:--the capture of the Hessians at Trenton:--the battle
of Princeton:--the action of Monmouth:--and the surrender of
York.--On the upper part of the front of the pedestal to be
engraved as follows: the United States in congress
assembled, ordered this statue to be erected in the year of
our Lord 1783, in honour of George Washington, the
illustrious Commander-in-chief of the armies of the United
States of America, during the war which vindicated and
secured their liberty, sovereignty and independence."]

The legislature of Virginia too, at its first session after his
resignation, passed the following resolution.[20]

[Footnote 20: This resolution has been carried into
execution. The statue it ordained now stands in the capitol
of Virginia, in a spacious area in the centre of the
building. A bust of the Marquis de Lafayette, which was also
directed by the legislature, is placed in a niche of the
wall in the same part of the building.]

"Resolved, that the executive be requested to take measures for
procuring a statue of General Washington, to be of the finest marble
and best workmanship, with the following inscription on its pedestal:

"The general assembly of the commonwealth of Virginia have caused this
statue to be erected as a monument of affection and gratitude to
GEORGE WASHINGTON, who, uniting to the endowments of the HERO, the
virtues of the PATRIOT, and exerting both in establishing the
liberties of his country, has rendered his name dear to his fellow
citizens, and given the world an immortal example of true glory."

Although the toils of General Washington were no longer exhibited to
the public eye, his time continued to be usefully employed. The
judicious cultivation of the earth is justly placed among the most
valuable sources of national prosperity, and nothing could be more
wretched than the general state of agriculture in America. To its
melioration by examples which might be followed, and by the
introduction of systems adapted to the soil, the climate, and to the
situation of the people, the energies of his active and intelligent
mind were now in a great degree directed. No improvement of the
implements to be used on a farm, no valuable experiments in husbandry,
escaped his attention. His inquiries, which were equally minute and
comprehensive, extended beyond the limits of his own country; and he
entered into a correspondence on this interesting subject with those
foreigners who had been most distinguished for their additions to the
stock of agricultural science.

[Illustration: The Old Senate Chamber at Annapolis, Maryland, Where
Washington Resigned His Commission

_The fate of the Republic was in the hands of Washington when he
resigned his commission to Congress, then sitting at Annapolis,
December 23, 1783, and retired to private life. Had he so desired, it
is probable that he could have founded a monarchy, sustained by his
army. Instead, as he wrote to Lafayette, shortly after his return to
Mount Vernon: "I have not only retired from all public employments 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."_]

Mingled with this favourite pursuit, were the multiplied avocations
resulting from the high office he had lately filled. He was engaged in
an extensive correspondence with the friends most dear to his
heart--the foreign and American officers who had served under him
during the late war--and with almost every conspicuous political
personage of his own, and with many of other countries. Literary men
also were desirous of obtaining his approbation of their works, and
his attention was solicited to every production of American genius.
His countrymen who were about to travel, were anxious to receive from
the first citizen of this rising republic, some testimonial of their
worth; and all those strangers of distinction who visited this newly
created empire, were ambitious of being presented to its founder.
Among those who were drawn across the Atlantic by curiosity, and
perhaps by a desire to observe the progress of the popular governments
which were instituted in this new world, was Mrs. Macauley Graham. By
the principles contained in her History of the Stuarts, this lady had
acquired much reputation in republican America, and by all was
received with marked attention. For the sole purpose of paying her
respects to a person whose fame had spread over Europe, she paid a
visit to Mount Vernon; and, if her letters may be credited, the
exalted opinion she had formed of its proprietor, was "not diminished
by a personal acquaintance with him."

To these occupations, which were calculated to gratify an intelligent
mind, or which derived a value from the indulgence they afforded to
the feelings of the heart, others were unavoidably added, in the
composition of which, no palatable ingredient was intermixed. Of these
unwelcome intrusions upon his time, General Washington thus complained
to an intimate military friend. "It is not, my dear sir, the letters
of my friends which give me trouble, or add aught to my perplexity. I
receive them with pleasure, and pay as much attention to them as my
avocations will permit. It is references to old matters with which I
have nothing to do--applications which oftentimes can not be complied
with--inquiries, to satisfy which would employ the pen of a
historian--letters of compliment, as unmeaning perhaps as they are
troublesome, but which must be attended to; and the common-place
business--which employ my pen and my time often disagreeably. Indeed,
these, with company, deprive me of exercise; and, unless I can obtain
relief, must be productive of disagreeable consequences. Already I
begin to feel their effects. Heavy and painful oppressions of the
head, and other disagreeable sensations often trouble me. I am
determined therefore to employ some person who shall ease me of the
_drudgery_ of this business. At any rate, if the whole of it is
thereby suspended, I am determined to use exercise. My private affairs
also require infinitely more attention than I have given, or can give
them, under present circumstances. They can no longer be neglected
without involving my ruin."

It was some time after the date of this letter before he could
introduce into his family a young gentleman, whose education and
manners enabled him to fill the station of a private secretary and of
a friend.

This multiplicity of private avocations could not entirely withdraw
the mind of Washington from objects tending to promote and secure the
public happiness. His resolution never again to appear in the busy
scenes of political life, though believed by himself, and by his bosom
friends, to be unalterable, could not render him indifferent to those
measures on which the prosperity of his country essentially depended.

To a person looking beyond the present moment, it was only necessary
to glance over the map of the United States, to be impressed with the
importance of connecting the western with the eastern territory, by
facilitating the means of intercourse between them. To this subject,
the attention of General Washington had been directed in the early
part of his life. While the American states were yet British colonies,
he had obtained the passage of a bill for opening the Potomac so as to
render it navigable from tide water to Wills creek.[21] The river
James had also been comprehended in this plan; and he had triumphed so
far over the opposition produced by local interests and prejudices,
that the business was in a train which promised success, when the
revolutionary war diverted the attention of its patrons, and of all
America, from internal improvements to the still greater objects of
liberty and independence. As that war approached its termination,
subjects which for a time had yielded their pretensions to
consideration, reclaimed that place to which their real magnitude
entitled them; and internal navigation again attracted the attention
of the wise and thinking part of society. Accustomed to contemplate
America as his country, and to consider with solicitude the interests
of the whole, Washington now took a more enlarged view of the
advantages to be derived from opening both the eastern and the western
waters; and for this, as well as for other purposes, after peace had
been proclaimed, he traversed the western parts of New England and New
York. "I have lately," said he in a letter to the Marquis of
Chastellux, a nobleman in pursuit of literary as well as of military
fame, "made a tour through the lakes George and Champlain as far as
Crown Point;--then returning to Schenectady, I proceeded up the Mohawk
river to fort Schuyler, crossed over to Wood creek which empties into
the Oneida lake, and affords the water communication with Ontario. I
then traversed the country to the head of the eastern branch of the
Susquehanna, and viewed the lake Otswego, and the portage between that
lake and the Mohawk river at Cotnajohario. Prompted by these actual
observations, I could not help taking a more contemplative and
extensive view of the vast inland navigation of these United States,
and could not but be struck with the immense diffusion and importance
of it; and with the goodness of that Providence which has dealt his
favours to us with so profuse a hand. Would to God we may have wisdom
enough to improve them. I shall not rest contented until I have
explored the western country, and traversed those lines (or great part
of them) which have given bounds to a new empire."

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