Читать книгу Footprints of Famous Men: Designed as Incitements to Intellectual Industry - John G. Edgar - Страница 5

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The name, which this truly great and good man rendered for ever illustrious and venerable, is of thoroughly English origin, and was assumed, from a manor in the county of Durham, by one of the proprietors, during the dynasty of the Plantagenets. The family continued, for successive centuries, to produce men distinguished in their day and generation as knights, divines, lawyers, and agriculturists; and during the Protectorate two of its cadets, more adventurous than their predecessors, fared forth from a hereditary grange in Northamptonshire, took shipping for Virginia, sailed into the bay of Chesapeake, and settled, in the midst of silk grass and wild fruit, under the shade of the tall, bulky trees on the banks of the Potomac.

The grandson of one of these emigrants, a colonist of industry, enterprise, and repute, flourished in the earlier part of the eighteenth century. He seems to have been fully alive to the inconvenience, and steeled against the temptations of celibacy; for he was twice married, and blessed with several children, of whom George Washington—the eldest son by the second wife—was born on the 22d of February, 1732. Shortly after this joyous event, the worthy and prosperous planter removed to an estate he possessed in Stafford county; and there, on the east side of the Rappahannoc river, the childhood of the future general and statesman was passed. He soon gave indications of a natural disposition to lead and govern; and showed an innate inclination for military pursuits and athletic exercises. When at play, he took infinite delight in forming his youthful comrades into companies, which he drilled, marched, and paraded with due order and formality. Sometimes they were divided into two armies, and fought mimic battles—he acting as captain-general of one party. Then, as in maturer years, he was much given to such feats as running, leaping, wrestling, throwing bars, and others of a similar character. Moreover, he was held in great respect by his more volatile companions, who looked up to him as an extraordinary lad; and thus he was often privileged to arbitrate on and settle their casual disputes, always, it is stated, to the satisfaction of the parties concerned.

YOUNG WASHINGTON’S MILITARY ASPIRATIONS.

It has been remarked that, in general, persons attain with credit, and fill with dignity, the positions which might have been anticipated from their juvenile indications. Some, indeed, afterward display talents of which, in their first stages, they gave no sign, and others put forth a blossom not destined to bring forth the promised fruits: but most frequently the man is such as might have been predicted from the characteristics exhibited in early years. Washington can hardly be regarded as an exception to the general rule; though it is unnecessary to add, that he more than realized any hopes that could reasonably have been entertained from his puerile performances. The seminary at which he received his very scanty education was by no means of the highest class. The pupils were not even initiated into the rudiments of classical learning. Enough was taught the urchins to fit them for conducting the practical business of a planter—at that time the pursuit of nearly all gentlemen whose progenitors had left the comfort and security of merry England to encounter the toils and hardship of a colonial life. The teachers seem to have acted rigidly on the precept of a Spartan king, that the boy should be instructed in the arts likely to be useful to the man. If, on leaving school, the hopeful youths could read with decent correctness, write a tolerable hand, and keep accounts intelligibly, what more was wanting to capacitate them for growing tobacco and shipping it, to be disposed of by the commercial magnates who, arrayed in scarlet cloaks and flowing periwigs, paced, with haughty step and unvailed pride, the arched Exchange of Glasgow? Young men destined for learned professions were, it is true, generally sent to be educated in England; for others a private tutor was sometimes engaged; but in most cases the juvenile Virginians shouldered their satchels, and, picking up the wild grapes in their path, marched to the nearest hamlet to make the best of such tuition as it boasted of. Such, at all events, was the fortune of Washington. Under these disadvantageous circumstances, he pursued his simple studies with unusual vigor and exemplary diligence. At the age of thirteen, he strangely occupied much of his attention with the dry forms used in mercantile transactions. He practiced his skill in the writing of bonds, indentures, bills of exchange, and other deeds, compiled for his own use and guidance a code of rules for behavior in company and conversation, and transcribed such pieces of poetry as touched and charmed his fancy. From a boy, he was peculiarly careful to polish his manners, to cherish the heart’s best affections, to do to others as he would be done to, and to exercise such a habitual control over himself, that he might restrain his constitutional ardor and hold his natural susceptibility in check. His early compositions were not, from the imperfect nature of his education, distinguished by grammatical correctness; but, by reading and perseverance, he gradually overcame these defects, and learned to express himself with force, clearness, and propriety. He had a decided turn for mathematical studies; and the last years of his school career were devoted to the mysteries of geometry, trigonometry, and surveying. For the last he felt a singular partiality; and he gratified the taste by measuring the neighboring fields and plantations, entering all the details and particulars in his note-books. This was done with systematic precision; he used his pen with the most scrupulous care, and acquired habits which were of inestimable value when he ascended to posts of peril and responsibility.

Meantime, his father had been cut off in the prime of life; but this early deprivation was, in Washington’s case, almost counteracted by the character of his surviving parent, who, being a woman of sense, tenderness, vigilance, a strong mind, and prudent management, reared her family with the utmost discretion and success. She had the satisfaction of living to witness the splendid position to which the abilities, conduct, and energy of her son ultimately elevated him.

Washington went no longer to school after his sixteenth year. His relations had previously entertained the intention of entering him as a midshipman in the navy; and with this view had successfully exerted their influence to procure him a warrant. It appears that the future hero of a continent joyfully acquiesced in this scheme for his advancement in life; and had it been persisted in, he would no doubt have borne himself with credit and distinction. This was unquestionably a critical juncture in his career, and in the history of America; but it was terminated, imprudently in the opinion of his friends, by the interference of his widowed mother, who little relished the thought of her darling being sent “to rough it out at sea.” She therefore authoritatively forbade his departure. Perhaps the incipient hero was not altogether disconsolate at the maternal veto being thus exercised; for about this date he proved himself not insensible to the magic power of female grace, and became vehemently enamored of some rural beauty. He celebrated her perfections in love-ditties, and confessed his pangs in letters to a confident; but, with a modesty surely rare under such circumstances, he ventured not to reveal the state of his agitated heart to the fair being whose image was stamped on its tablets.

At this period, Washington was fortunate enough to go on a visit to his eldest brother, Lawrence. That gentleman was intelligent and accomplished. He had served with honor in the expedition made, in 1740, against Carthagena; and secured the esteem and intimacy of the high-spirited Admiral Vernon. On returning home he had, in compliment to that gallant officer, named his property Mount Vernon; and they still continued in friendly communication. He had, moreover, become a member of the Colonial legislature, and connected himself by marriage with Lord Fairfax, who, having in earlier days proved his capacity by writing papers in the “Spectator,” had just crossed the Atlantic to explore and examine the immense tract of land that belonged to him in the New World. Thus the company in which the elder Washington moved was by no means deficient in literary culture or patrician refinement; and his sagacious brother, in mixing with it, had opened up to his view aspects of society with which he might otherwise have remained unacquainted. He was too wise not to avail himself of the advantage in this way presented to his opening mind. Slow to speak, ready to hear, and anxious to understand, he used it to counterpoise the partial training his mental faculties had undergone, and thus laid the foundation of the mild dignity and scrupulous politeness which, in other days, made Sir Robert Liston declare, that he had never conversed with a better-bred sovereign in any court of Europe.

Lord Fairfax, on reaching his wild and uncultivated possessions, found that settlers were quietly making their way up the rivers, selecting the most valuable spots, and occupying them without leave or license. It was, therefore, deemed necessary that his seignorial rights should be asserted; and with that object he determined on having the lands properly lotted and measured, preparatory to claiming rents and giving titles. The destined victor in the War of Independence had already been presented to this clever, but eccentric, representative of the renowned Parliamentary general; a favorable opinion had, in consequence, been formed of the youth’s merits and ability; and Washington being intrusted with the responsible duty, and attended by a kinsman of his lordship, sallied forth on his first surveying excursion in the beginning of 1748. The task was arduous and fatiguing; he was frequently obliged to pass whole nights under the cold sky, or in tents which afforded little shelter against the wintery wind and rain: but the expedition was not without beneficial results. He became conversant with localities then little known, but afterward the field of his military operations; he saw something of Indian life, witnessed an Indian war-dance, and acquired some acquaintance with the habits of the race upon which the spirit of civilization was bearing so hard. Besides, he executed his task with so much success, as not only to give complete satisfaction to his noble employer, but to establish his character as an excellent surveyor; a matter of considerable consequence, as there were then few in the district, and the emoluments were temptingly high. He therefore procured a commission, which gave authority to his operations, and entitled him to have their results entered in the provincial registers. By activity and diligence his occupation was rendered very lucrative; and on attaining the age of nineteen he had achieved so enviable a place in public esteem, that a most honorable military appointment was bestowed upon him by the Government on the approach of danger.

His taste for martial affairs had, indeed, been adhered to with resolution, and cultivated with assiduity. Since acting as a surveyor, he had resided chiefly with his brother, whose house was more conveniently situated for his exertions than was the home of his infancy; and he had, from this cause, been brought more into contact, than he would otherwise have been, with men versed in military matters. Under their instruction he had industriously practiced himself in sword exercise, and become not inexpert. Besides, he had eagerly studied books treating of the art of war. The early aspirations of great men are generally met with ridicule. “Obsta principiis” is too often the motto of jealous dunces. When the author of “Marmion” proposed in youth to compose his “War-Song of the Edinburgh Light Dragoons,” the idea of his attempting such a thing raised coarse laughter, and was regarded as a piece of absurdity; and, in like manner, it is not difficult to imagine the brisk tittering excited by the efforts of the young colonial surveyor to initiate himself into handling the weapons and understanding the theory of war.

But however that may have been, it came to pass that, in 1751, when there appeared a prospect of encroachment on the part of the French, and it was deemed prudent to embody the militia to defend and protect the frontiers, Washington received a commission as Adjutant-General of one of the districts into which Virginia was divided. This entitled him to rank as major; and his duty was to assemble and exercise the local troops, inspect their arms, and maintain fitting discipline; no unworthy training for that military genius which subsequently accomplished so much for the land of his nativity. Then, as afterward, candor, sincerity, and straightforwardness were the characteristics of his noble mind. He had been eminently endowed by Nature with the qualities which form a ruler of men; and perhaps the training which he now underwent was, in reality, more favorable than any of a more regular and systematic kind would have been to the working out of his peculiar destiny.

About this period, Washington was withdrawn for a brief season from the sphere of his new duties. The health of his brother became so precarious, that medical advisers recommended an excursion to a different climate; and the company of some kind friend being required to cheer and sustain the invalid on his voyage, the fraternal affection of the boy-major prompted him to undertake the office. The atmosphere of a West India island being considered most likely to act as a restorative, Barbadoes was fixed upon. During the voyage thither, Washington busily occupied himself with making observations and increasing his knowledge; and on an October day they arrived at their destination.

Hardly could any prospect be more pleasing than that which arrested the eyes of the travelers, as, after being confined for five tedious weeks to the narrow limits of a trader, they anchored in the bay, the stillness of whose waters was only broken by the sailing of the dreaded shark, or by the tropical breeze which played lightly around, and gratefully modified the warmth of the sun, as it descended with merciless glow upon their strawy head-pieces. Before them lay the chief town, circling around the silver strand, and shrouded in palm trees that fringed the blue waters of the ocean. In the background, fields of the sugar-cane, planters’ airy mansions, the tall windmills, and the negro-huts bosomed in the evergreen and luxuriant foliage of the tropics—having the appearance of scattered villages—presented a scene, picturesque, attractive, and promising delightful journeys to the curious stranger. Nor was Washington disappointed in that respect. Every thing came under his notice, and enlisted his sagacious reflection. The soil, methods of culture, and the agricultural productions, engaged his attention no less than the manners of the inhabitants, their military force, their form of government, and their municipal institutions. While thus profitably employed he was laid prostrate by a sharp attack of small-pox, which confined him to the house for weeks; but with skillful medical treatment he was released from this doubly-dull durance, and enabled to resume his habits of gaining experience and collecting information.

Meantime the health of his brother had, at first, improved rapidly. Change of air and novelty of scene had produced a salutary impression; they invigorated his frame and revived his spirits: but the symptoms of decay speedily re-appearing he proceeded to Bermuda. Washington then embarked for Virginia, to execute the kindly duty of conducting his sister-in-law to her expiring husband; but ere arrangements could be made for that purpose, the latter was on the sea, and he soon after breathed his last under his own roof. The melancholy task of attending to the affairs of a departed relative, so near and dear, now devolved upon Washington, and for months he applied to the estate the sound sense and accurate investigation which ever characterized the great self-taught soldier and statesman in dealing with weightier affairs.

In the interval the sphere of his public duties had been enlarged and extended. The colony had, for purposes of defense, been divided into four grand districts; Washington’s commission was then renewed, and the northern portion was confided to his steady care and untiring vigilance. This included several counties, each of which he had to visit periodically. The duties were quite in harmony with his taste and temper, and he discharged them with an energy and an enthusiasm which were not lost on those over whom he was appointed to exercise control, and among whom he had to insure discipline. Still he had not arrived even at that time of life when the generality of mortals are charitably supposed to have reached “years of discretion.”

Events were now speeding to a crisis. Intelligence arrived that the French had crossed the lakes from Canada, and were preparing to establish posts and fortifications on the Ohio river. On receiving these alarming reports, the Virginian governor, having resolved to send an officer commissioned to inquire by what right they thus intruded on the English dominions, selected Washington, as peculiarly fitted to execute the duty with faith, discretion, and delicacy. Accordingly, about the close of 1753, he departed with suitable credentials and the requisite powers from Williamsburg, the seat of government; and with a retinue of eight persons, two of whom were to act as interpreters, he, after much toil and trouble, arrived at the French head-quarters. There he was courteously received and entertained by the commandant, a Knight of the Order of St. Louis. Immediate attention was promised to the subject of his mission, and in due time an answer, indicative of firmness and hostility, was granted to the remonstrance of his excellency the governor. Washington then retraced his steps, through trackless forests, over rugged mountains, and by swollen floods; making several hair-breadth escapes by land and water. During the expedition he had found frequent opportunities of extending his knowledge of Indian manners and customs; and he had been escorted to the French camp by an influential personage, bearing the title of “Half King.” While returning, his journey was agreeably diversified by a visit to Queen Alliquippa, an Indian princess; no doubt, like the charming but hapless Yarico, appareled in beautiful shells, and possessed of wild graces. She maintained her state at the junction of two rivers, and had expressed her displeasure at the representative of the British king having failed to show her any proper mark of respect on his way out; but a polite apology and a substantial present soothed her wounded pride and ruffled dignity, and secured the young envoy a gracious dismissal. Twelve months later the dusky sovereign lady was under the necessity of placing herself and her son under his protection, when driven from her royal residence by the French troops.

After an absence of three months, Washington presented himself to the governor, and reported the result of his mission. In order to fire the patriotic enthusiasm of the colonists, the journal of his adventures was forthwith published. It appeared in all the provincial papers, and was reprinted in England by order of the government.

War was now imminent, and preparations were imperative upon the authorities. The governor was a wary Caledonian, and surrounded by a knot of his countrymen, who took care that in his appointments he did full justice to their claims; but, at the same time, he exhibited much zeal for the honor of the vice-regal office, and becoming ardor for the dignity of the British Crown. His schemes were, however, subject to be provokingly thwarted by the members of the local legislature, who manifested a republican spirit by no means agreeable to his loyal and patriotic sentiments. Hence he found considerable difficulty in making such arrangements for defense as he deemed necessary for the safety of English interests. Nevertheless, he succeeded in embodying a force to repel the invaders; and Washington having already, by his high courage and admirable conduct, proved his rare capacity for military business, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and nominated second in command. He immediately marched, with his new authority, to the Alleghany Mountains, and being joined by parties of those Indians who were favorable to the English, he commenced skirmishing with the enemy. In one sharp fray the leader of the hostile party was killed, and his men forced to yield. But in another encounter, at a place known as the Great Meadows, where he had thrown up an intrenchment, and called it Fort Necessity, Washington was, after a conflict of nine hours, obliged to capitulate. Then marching out, with flying colors and drums beating, he retreated to Williamsburg. His praiseworthy conduct during the campaign elicited high applause from the governor, and was rewarded with public thanks, conveyed through the House of Assembly. Next year he found himself in a somewhat awkward predicament. The forces being organized on a new system, he had to choose between being reduced to the rank of captain, and placed under officers whom he had previously commanded, or leaving the army. Without hesitation he resigned his commission, and spent the winter in retirement.

Early in the spring, however, he emerged from his retreat, and consented, while retaining his former rank, to accompany General Braddock as a volunteer. He was received with flattering respect, and prepared to take part in the expedition against Fort Duquesne; when, unfortunately, he was prostrated by a fever, which rendered his consignment to the baggage-wagon and the physician’s care a matter of necessity: but he was sufficiently recovered in a fortnight to bear arms in the bloody battle of the Monongahela. Beautiful and impressive was the array of British troops on that memorable morning as the little army marched in order, with high hopes and ardent anticipations, the sun gleaming on their burnished arms. On one side was a flowing river, and on the other a shadowy forest. Suddenly, at noon, ere the rear had well crossed at a ford, they were attacked with fatal dexterity—the foe firing at a distance from behind trees, and practicing all the stratagems of Indian warfare. The general, disdaining to imitate such tactics, was mortally wounded; his two aides-de-camp were disabled; sixty-three out of eighty-six officers were killed and wounded; seven hundred private soldiers met with similar fates: but Washington seemed to have a charmed life. He rode about in all directions, and exerted himself with the utmost courage. He was a conspicuous mark for the enemy’s sharp-shooters, and four bullets went through his coat; yet, though his companions fell in heaps around, he escaped unhurt. The nut-brown riflemen, old and young, singled him out; but with as little effect as, at Torquilstone, the arrows of the English archers had on the Milan steel of the bold leader of free lances. The idea of preternatural protection occurred to their superstitious imaginations; and as the Scottish Covenanters believed that General Dalziel possessed a diabolical charm against steel, and that Claverhouse was guaranteed against lead by the enemy of mankind, so the Indian warriors concluded that Washington was under the especial guardianship of the Great Spirit, and they ceased their efforts to slay him. Thus, although the day was most disastrous, he gained much praise by the valor, energy, and resolution he had exhibited throughout. He was instanced, even in pulpits, as preserved by a wise Providence to confer some signal benefit on his country; his public reputation rose high; the Legislature voted him a sum of money for his services; and when the local regiment was increased to sixteen companies, he was nominated their commander-in-chief. Being now intrusted with responsible functions, he devoted himself to the fulfillment of them with much care and foresight; and he procured the passing of a law to insure proper regularity and discipline. While thus gravely occupied, he had a dispute concerning precedence with an officer holding King George’s commission; and in order to solve the difficulty, which was at once vexatious and perplexing, he had to undertake a journey to Boston, to obtain the opinion of General Shirley, commander of His Majesty’s forces in America, who unhesitatingly decided the point in Washington’s favor, and held serious and important conversation with him as to the plan of operations for the next campaign. Much curiosity was evinced, in the places through which he passed, to see the individual who had, at the early age of twenty-three, won so much renown for his bravery, and who was regarded as remarkable for the escape he had recently made. And there he was—a gallant and dignified cavalier, rather more than six feet in height, with long limbs, and a slender but erect and well-proportioned form—making an equestrian excursion of five hundred miles in the depth of winter, with two trusty comrades. He remained for some time at New York; and while there he had to encounter in a family circle—the most perilous of all arenas—a blooming damsel, whose charms, more effectual than the bullets of Indians, penetrated to his heart, and made so deep an impression that, after going to Boston, he returned and lingered till called away by the stern voice of duty. Doubtless reciprocal emotions fluttered in the gentle breast of the attractive nymph; but, as usual, the course of his love did not run quite smoothly: his hopes blossomed but to die. In a few months he was informed that a formidable rival was in the field, and the citadel in the utmost danger. Besides, it was intimated that, if he wished to save the coveted prize, he must make his appearance forthwith. Washington, absorbed with “the harsh duties of severe renown,” or despairing of success, failed to comply with this friendly suggestion; the fair lady—a “cynosure of neighboring eyes”—did not, perhaps, excessively relish his apparent coolness; and his lucky competitor, being thus in undisputed possession of the ground, marched onward, with flying colors, to a connubial triumph.

Our hero, however, was not idle. If, like the rival of young Lochinvar, he had been “a laggard in love,” he was no “dastard in war.” The army had, on his return, received a considerable augmentation; and though the nature of his operations was unfavorable to the acquisition of much martial glory, he excited respect and admiration by the signal ability and ingenious resource he constantly displayed. Yet in modern, no less than in ancient times, abuse and calumny are essential parts of triumph; and they were now busy with the character and career of the successful young soldier. Some vituperative rumors were, it is stated, finally traced to the intrigues of the wily Scots, who clustered in ambitious expectancy, and in a “dark impenetrable ring,” around their consanguineous governor. The excellent qualities of Washington’s heart, his sensible modesty and honest frankness, were the best antidotes to the poison; but the labors attaching to his office were so arduous, that his health gave way; his physician insisted on a temporary retirement; and betaking himself to his estate, he underwent a feverish illness, which preyed upon him for months.

On recovering his strength, Washington resumed his military career. The accession of Mr. Pitt, afterward the great Earl of Chatham, to the English ministry, had inspired life and vigor into the struggle; a new expedition against Fort Duquesne was planned; and the place falling into the hands of the British troops, was named Fort Pitt, in honor of the mighty War Minister. When this happened, Washington resigned his command and returned to Virginia, as he had previously resolved to do in case of the enterprise being crowned with victory.

His affections, twice baffled in their objects, were now to find the peace and repose not seldom, even in the case of men of strong minds, essential to the achievement of great and memorable actions. Mrs. Custis, a widow lady, at this time resided in the vicinity of the provincial capital. She was still in the bloom of youth, gayety, and beauty, distinguished by wealth, affability, and attractions, and dignified with the maternity of two children. Besides, she possessed in rare perfection the domestic graces and accomplishments which, in the opinion of persons whom experience has divested of glowing romance, constitute the true fascination of woman. This flower of the female sex was, indeed, a being too captivating not to have wooers; and amidst social life and festive enjoyments few, perhaps, could have perused her various charms without admiration. Washington’s noble bearing and sage conversation could hardly fail to make an impression on the gentle heart which her fair form enshrined. He came, saw, and conquered; and, in the beginning of 1759, they were happily united. Being now in possession of quiet leisure, Washington, with his matronly bride, settled at Mount Vernon, to which he had succeeded since the decease of his brother. The tranquil mansion-house was a most agreeable residence. In front was a spacious lawn, bounded by blossoming orchards and pleasant gardens, which reposed in the shade of thriving trees, and were watered by the broad and deep Potomac. The domestic habits of the owner of the domain were uniform, and characterized by a regularity from which he seldom deviated. He rose with the sun, and retired early to rest. His attention was chiefly given to agriculture, in which, in accordance with a strong natural inclination, he had always taken a lively interest. His land was devoted, for the most part, to the growth of tobacco, which he exported to be sold in the English markets. The life of an ordinary Virginia planter was, at that date, somewhat monotonous. He lived during the whole year on his own land, which, in most cases, lay so near some of the large rivers that ships sailed almost to his door, and received the produce of his farm to swell the imports into distant emporiums. In practicing hospitality, he was generally so profuse that inns were utterly useless. Weary wayfarers, even without introduction, had only to call at the nearest proprietor’s house, with the certainty of being heartily welcomed and cheerfully entertained. He might not indeed be, and seldom was, rolling in wealth; but that point the guest would soon hear explained with emphasis. Every colonist availed himself of his privilege as a British subject to complain loudly that British merchants, by some process or other, contrived to appropriate the better part of his just profits; and even Washington, however different from his neighbors in other respects, scrutinized accounts with a sharpness which shows that he was not altogether without his suspicions.

The hospitality of the great colonial soldier was displayed on a scale of magnificence which must have tended to relieve the dullness; and when at home, he seldom allowed a day to pass without having visitors of intelligence and distinction. Moreover, he had a keen relish for field-sports. He hunted, at the proper season, twice or thrice a-week; was fond of the excitement and recreation which a fox-chase afforded; was familiar with the use of his fowling-piece; signalized his expertness against the game which abounded in his preserved grounds, and fought as courageously in an affray with poachers as he had ever done in a battle with the French. He was always eager to be useful, and took a particular interest in the affairs of his parish. He was recognized by the people in his neighborhood as a man of extraordinary candor and judgment; insomuch that when they became involved in quarrels, which there appeared no prospect of otherwise settling amicably, they were in the habit of resorting to him as a last appeal, and submitting the case to his reason, justice, and decision, just as his school-fellows had done in other days:

“His doom contending neighbors sought—

Content with equity unbought.”

Indeed, his wish to act without fear, favor, or affection, when thus consulted, and to promote peace and concord, was so evident, that few uttered an audible murmur against his arbitration.

On relinquishing his military employment, he had been returned as a member of the House of Burgesses, and for a period of fifteen years was successful at each election. It was a rule with him through life to execute with unflinching diligence any duty he undertook; and as a representative his attendance was punctual and exemplary in the extreme. He seldom spoke; he had no longing for oratorical conflict, and altogether refrained from entering into stormy discussions; but his acute perception, earnest judgment, and sage prescience, gave him an influence in the assembly which his wordy, brawling, and disputatious compeers struggled and strove for in vain. He was in the habit of studying attentively, and forming opinions with scrupulous impartiality on the chief subjects under deliberation. In this respect, Nunquam non paratus might have been his motto. Thus, when the Stamp Act was imposed on the colonies by Mr. Grenville, he at once assumed a position of antagonism to the infliction, and concurred with firmness and determination in the measures of opposition adopted by America. From this, and his high reputation, he was chosen to command the independent companies of militia which the colonists had hitherto been privileged and encouraged to raise; he was sent as a delegate to the Virginia Convention, and afterward elected as a member of the general Congress, in whose proceedings he acted a prominent and influential part.

When the second Congress assembled, in 1775, it presented an array of “fierce faces threatening war.” Blood had already been shed; at Lexington had commenced that contest which, with few intermissions, lasted for eight years. The English crown was, at a perilous crisis, found without competent advisers; Wisdom cried aloud in public places, without being regarded; and American senators openly and boisterously invoked the God of battles. Civil strife, fierce and bloody, was inevitable; and in this emergency Washington was chosen Commander-in-chief of the forces raised to carry on the momentous struggle. Yet it can not be supposed that this great man contemplated a separation from the mother-country without a pang. Even Jefferson, at this date, declared that in the whole empire there was no individual who more cordially loved the union with Great Britain than himself; and hardly any one competent to form an opinion on such a subject can conceive that Washington, who had given such tokens of patriotism, was less loyal in his sentiments. His forefathers had fought on famous fields, and in walled cities, for the crown of England; he himself had won his laurels under her lion-flag against her hereditary enemies; and he was, moreover, a man of faith, breeding, and refinement. With such a person, considerations of such a nature are not readily banished or suppressed, and there can be little doubt that his patriot soul was often tossed with contending emotions; like the Saxon nobles whom the Conqueror, with fire and sword, drove into the Scottish territory, who felt no respect for the Norman line of kings, but whose hearts lingered about the scenes where their progenitors had held sway and created civilization. The tastes and associations of Washington might well have led him, had an option been granted, to side with the imperial cause. But the course pursued by Lord North, who, as a statesman, ever displayed more wit than wisdom, and whom neither the sagacious warnings of Burke nor the vehement declamation of Chatham could awaken from a sleepy stupidity, left him no choice. He believed that his native plains must either be drenched in blood or inhabited by slaves; he regarded it as a sad alternative: but he did not falter or hesitate in his course. With engaging diffidence in his own powers he accepted the responsible position offered; and repairing to Cambridge, where the insurgent army lay, he proceeded to remodel and improve it to the best of his ability. In the interval Bunker’s Hill had been fought. The victory remained with the Loyalists; but the engagement had convinced them that the foe was not to be despised. Subsequent events fully confirmed this opinion; and General Howe being under the necessity of abandoning Boston, Washington was received by the inhabitants with significant enthusiasm.

Soon after, the Declaration of Independence was published; but events inauspicious to the cause of the colonists now came onward in rapid succession. The defeat at Long Island filled their ranks with such dismay and consternation as put their general’s invincible resolution to a severe test. New York was straightway relinquished by them, with considerable loss; a defeat was sustained at Chatterton’s Hill; Fort Washington was lost; and General Lee was taken prisoner. This was a period to try the souls of those who had taken up arms against taxation without representation. Their operations had proved unexpectedly disastrous; their army had melted away till it seemed but a shadow of its former self; pardon had been proclaimed in the King’s name to all who would return to their allegiance. Many persons of wealth, consideration, and respectability, especially yeomen of strength and substance, had accepted it on the offered terms; but Washington remained firm and decided. His fortitude might not inaptly be compared to that house against which the waves beat, and the rain came, and the winds blew, but which fell not, for it was founded on a rock. He calmly represented to Congress the plight to which he was reduced; and the crisis being such as to silence all querulous opposition, neither the whisper of envy nor the voice of discontent was heard. Even timidity was overcome by fear. Indeed the members appear to have been animated by views similar to those which the elder consul, “an ancient man and wise,” is made to express when the thirty armies are described as on their way to Rome:

“In seasons of great peril

’Tis good that one bear sway;

Then choose we a Dictator,

Whom all men shall obey.”

And, accordingly, Washington was wisely invested with supreme authority and dictatorial powers. The army was completely reorganized; and its dauntless, but firm and prudent leader, resolved to cross the Delaware, and attack the foes on their own ground. On a December night he assailed and defeated them at Trenton; and pursuing his advantage, he gained an important victory at Princeton. Next year, however, the fortune of war again changed, and Washington fought unsuccessfully at the fords of the Brandywine and at the village of Germantown. In the former of these actions Lafayette, inspired with burning zeal for the American cause, displayed his courage as a volunteer, and was wounded in the leg while dismounting to rally the retreating troops by his voice and example.

Ere long the French king recognized the independence of the United States by a formal treaty; a battle was fought at Monmouth with partial success; and a French squadron arrived to aid the new allies of the Bourbons. Nevertheless, an assault made by the combined forces on Rhode Island proved a failure; and a projected expedition against Canada came to naught. An intended attack on New York had a similar termination, and a mutiny among the troops filled the public mind with alarm and consternation. Still the clear spirit of Washington rose superior to adversity, and his deep determination was not to be shaken by disaster.

Affairs, indeed, seemed now to be hastening to a crisis; but as the year 1781 advanced, they began to wear a more favorable aspect. The cheering news was brought by a French frigate that powerful assistance might be calculated on; and a combined attack was planned against New York, but relinquished owing to intelligence in regard to the sailing of the promised auxiliaries from St. Domingo. When they at length arrived, York Town, in Virginia, was besieged by the allied forces, and Lord Cornwallis obliged to surrender.

It now became evident that the unhappy war was approaching its termination; and the American army, with a prospect of being disbanded, began to complain of grievances. Besides, many of the officers looked with so little favor on republican institutions, that, wishing for some more vigorous form of government, they deputed one of their number to convey to Washington the suggestion, that they were not averse to his thoughtful brow being begirt with a diadem. He rebuked the idea with stern indignation, and requested that it might never again be alluded to.

In the spring of 1783, intelligence arrived that a treaty of peace had been signed at Paris, and that the independence of the United States had been acknowledged by the British Government. Shortly afterward, a cessation of hostilities was announced, and arrangements were made for the evacuation of New York. On a November morning, the English troops finally embarked; a long procession, with Washington at its head, made formal entry and took possession of the city. At his side—followed by the provincial functionaries, officers, senators, and citizens—rode the governor, who closed the proceedings of the memorable day with a costly banquet. Yet, however flattering to their pride as a new nation, the ceremony was not altogether unsuggestive of melancholy considerations. The chief, the greatest, the most conspicuous actor in it, must have been conscious of mixed feelings; and it was natural that, a few days later, when parting with his warlike associates, his emotion should have been visible. He had conducted a great civil war; he had triumphed where the most sanguine might, without reproach have despaired; and he had throughout, without an interval, exhibited high mental dignity. He had earned the position of a prince, and the proud title of “Father of his country;” won for himself glorious renown, and achieved national independence for millions. But it was impossible to look for a moment to the future, enveloped as it then was in uncertainty, without recollecting—perhaps not without a sigh—that America was no longer a portion of that mighty empire on which the sun never sets; reared by Saxon sagacity, and sustained by Norman valor; constituted by the toil of the wise, and consecrated by the blood of the brave; and to whose immemorial institutions he had lately been as much attached as the inhabitants of Kent or Northumberland.

When Washington resigned the command of that army with which he had outmanœuvred the tactics of successive generals, and brought a war with the most powerful nation in the world to a triumphant issue, he was still in his fifty-first year; but he had a right to believe that his long and continuous services entitled him to repose. He had affluence and station; he did not covet power; and he looked forward to the enjoyment of calm, contemplative retirement, till, in God’s appointed time, he should sleep with his fathers. He therefore went to Mount Vernon, devised schemes of internal navigation for developing the resources and extending the commerce of the country, and seems even to have indulged in prophetic visions of that vast trade which has since crowded the docks of Liverpool and stocked the warehouses of Manchester. It was then that he had the satisfaction of welcoming the visit of Lafayette, whose friendship he highly esteemed, and whose former services he duly appreciated. They parted with mutual regret; never to meet again.

While planting his grounds, pruning his fruit-trees, improving his property, receiving complimentary visits, answering courteous congratulations, and preparing peacefully to descend the pathway of life, under the shadow of his own vine and fig-tree—envious of none, and determined to be pleased with all—Washington became painfully aware that the system of government then existing did not meet the wishes and requirements of the American public. Indeed, some were so apprehensive of fatal consequences, that they were gradually inspired with the desire of receiving, from among the royal families of Europe, a prince who should wear a crown, exercise sovereign sway, and control the conflicting elements then making themselves felt for evil. To pour oil on the troubled waters, a Convention was appointed to devise a form of government calculated to give general satisfaction. Washington was chosen chairman; and, as such, affixed his name to the new constitution, which, though not coming up to the perfection of ideal theories, was ratified by the States and adopted by the people.

This scheme—in regard to which Franklin said, “I consent to it, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure it is not the best; the opinions I have of its errors I sacrifice to the public good”—provided for the election of a President. On this being known, all eyes were turned toward Washington, as the personage in every respect best qualified, by rank, station, and dignity, to occupy the eminence. His mind was, indeed, so tinged with the old leaven of aristocracy, that, in respect to military officers, he had requested that none but gentlemen should be considered qualified; but experience had taught him confidence in the aspirations of a free people. Every thing conspired to fit him to appear as the representative of various parties, to check the prevalence of extreme opinions, and to “stay the plague both ways.” When the day appointed for the important business arrived, he was unanimously elected; and yielding with unfeigned reluctance to the public voice, he became the first President of the United States. In this trying situation, his singleness of purpose and stainless integrity shone forth with unparalleled lustre. He ruled in truth and sincerity—not to aggrandize himself, but to benefit his country. Though ungifted with the brilliant qualities which dazzle an ambitious people, and disdaining the demagogic arts too often employed to mislead them—his sound judgment, steady mind, and powerful understanding, enabled him to deal with the difficulties he had to encounter, and avoid or remove the obstacles that came in his way. He piloted the vessel he had launched through troublous times. With a firm hand and a bold heart he maintained the balance between the contending factions, exhibited a resolution not to be overcome or overawed, and in 1796 retired from the position to which he had imparted dignity with the respect, sympathy, and veneration of all parties and all nations.

This great, intrepid, and admirable man, went down to his grave in peace and honor in the year 1799, leaving to his country and mankind a glorious heritage, in a name unsullied by crime or rapacity, and an example to be held in everlasting remembrance by all future generations.