`````"How lovely all,
```How calmly beautiful! Long shadows fall
```More darkly o'er the wave as day declines,
```Yet from the west a deeper glory shines,
```While every crested hill and rocky height
```Each moment varies in the kindling light
```To some new form of beauty--changing through
```All shades and colors of the rainbow's hue,
```'The last still loveliest,' till the gorgeous day
```Melts in a flood of golden light away,
```And all is o'er."
`````--Sarah Helen Whitman.=
[Illustration: 9414]
OWARD the decline of a brilliant afternoon, I left Annapolis for
Washington City. The air was as balmy as spring; "December as pleasant
as May." The west was glowing with radiant beauty at sun-setting when I
crossed the long bridge over the South River, and quaffed a cup of cold
water from a bubbling spring at the toll-house on the southern side.
The low, sandy country was exchanged for a region more rolling and
diversified; and my ride during the early evening, with a half moon
and brilliant stars casting down their mild effulgence, would have been
delightful, but for the provoking obstructions which a lack of public
spirit and private enterprise had left in the way. The highway was the
"county road," yet it passed, almost the whole distance from Annapolis
to Washington, through plantations, like a private wagon-path, without
inclosure. Wherever the division fences of fields crossed the road,
private interest had erected a barred gate to keep out intrusive cattle,
and these the traveler was obliged to open. Being my own footman, I was
exercised in limbs and patience to my heart's content, for, during a
drive of thirteen miles that evening, I _opened_ fifteen gates; who
_closed_ them I have never ascertained. The miles seemed excessively
long; the gates were provokingly frequent. I never paid tribute with
greater reluctance, for it was the exaction of laziness and neglect.
I crossed the Patuxent at seven o'clock, and halted at Queen Anne, a
small, antiquated-looking village, some of the houses of which, I doubt
not, were erected during the reign of its godmother. It is close to the
Patuxent, and for many years was the principal depot in the state for
the inspection and sale of tobacco. Flat-bottomed boats bore away from
it, in former years, heavy cargoes of the nauseous stuff; now sand-bars
fill the river channel, and the freight-boats stop eight miles
below. The tobacco business has ceased; the railway from Annapolis to
Washington has withdrawn the business incident to a post-route, and
every thing indicates decay. There was no tavern in the plaee, but
I procured a supper and comfortable lodgings at the post-office. We
breakfasted by candle-light, and, before "sun up," as the Southerners
say, I was on my way toward the Federal city, twenty-three miles
distant.
I had hardly left the precincts of Queen Anne before a huge red gate
confronted me! I thought it might be the ghost of one I had encountered
the night before, but its substantiality as a veritable gate was made
manifest by the sudden halt of Charley before its bars. I was preparing
to alight, when a colored boy came from behind a shock of corn, and
kindly opened the way. "How far is it to the next gate?" I inquired.
"Don't know, massa," said the lad; "but I reckons dey is pretty tick,
dey is, twixt here and Uncle Josh's." Where "Uncle Josh" lived I do not
know, but I found the gates more than "pretty tick" all the way until
within a short distance of Bladensburg.
First View of the Capitol. Rainbow at Noon. The Federal City, Capitol,
and Congress Library from Annapolis to Washington, I passed through
fifty-three gates! Unlike the doors and windows of the people of the
South, I found them all shut.
From the brow of a hill, eight miles from Washington, I had the first
glimpse of the Capitol dome, and there I opened the last gate; each
a pleasing reminiscence now. I passed to the left of Bladensburg, *
crossed the east branch of the Potomac, and entered Washington City,
eastward of the Capitol, at one o'clock. For thirty minutes I had
witnessed a rare phenomenon at that hour in the day. Dark clouds, like
the gatherings of a summer shower, were floating in the northeastern
sky, and upon them refraction painted the segment of quite a brilliant
rainbow. I once saw a lunar bow at midnight, in June, but never before
observed a solar one at mid-day in December.
Our national metropolis is a city of the present century; for before
the year 1800, when the seat of the Federal government was permanently
located there, it was a small hamlet, composed of a few houses. The
selection of a site for the Federal city was intrusted to the judgment
of the first president, who chose the point of land on the eastern bank
of the Potomac, at its confluence with the Anacostia, or east branch of
that river. A territory around it, ten miles square, was ceded to the
United States by Virginia and Maryland in 1788. The owners of the land
gave one half of it, after deducting streets and public squares, to
the Federal government, to defray the expenses to be incurred in the
erection of public buildings. The city was surveyed under the chief
direction of Andrew Ellicott, and was laid out in 1791. The Capitol was
commenced In 1793, but was not yet completed on the original plan, when,
in 1814, (a) the British troops, under General Ross, burned it, [[
a August 24]] together with the library of Congress, the president's
house, and all the public buildings except the Patent Office. The city
then contained about nine hundred houses, scattered in groups over an
area of three miles. The walls of the Capitol remained firm, though
scarred and blackened. The present noble edifice was completed in 1827,
** more than a quarter of a century after the seat of government was
located at Washington.
* Bladensburg is in Prince George county, Maryland, six miles northeast
of Washington. It is made memorable in the history of the war of 1812
from the circumstance of a severe battle having taken place there on the
24th of August, 1814, between a small body of Americans and a portion
of the British army, then on its way to destroy the Federal city.
Bladensburg had, for a long time, the unenviable notoriety of being the
cock-pit for duelists who congregated at Washington City. There, on the
22d of March, 1820, Commodores Decatur and Barron fought with pistols.
The latter was mortally wounded, and died in the arms of his distracted
wife that night, at the early age of forty years.
** The Capitol is of the Corinthian order, built of white freestone. It
is upon an eminence almost eighty feet above tide-water, in the center
of a large square. It is composed of a central edifice, with two wings
The north wing was commenced in 1793, and finished in 1800, at a cost of
$480,202. The corner stone was laid by President Washington. The apron
and trowel which he used on that occasion, as Grand Master of the
Masonic Order, are preserved, and were used by Grand Master B. B.
French, at the recent (1851) ceremonies of laying the corner stone of
another enlargement of the Capitol. The south wing was commenced in
1803, and finished in 1808, at an expense of $308,808. The central
building was commenced in 1818, and completed in 1827, at a cost of
$957,647. The whole edifice covers an area of one and a half acres,
exclusive of the circular inclosure for fuel, which forms an elegant
area and glacis on the west front. The length of the front, including
the two wings, is 352 feet; the depth of the wings is 121 feet. A
projection on the east, or main front, including the steps, is 65 feet
wide, and another, on the west front, 83 feet wide. There is a portico
of 22 columns, 38 feet high, on the east front, and on the west front is
another portico of 10 columns. The whole height of the building to the
top of the dome is 120 feet. Notwithstanding the spaciousness of the
Capitol, it is found to be insufficient for the use of our growing
republic, and another addition is now (1852) in process of erection.
* The British set fire to both wings of the Capitol, and the president's
house, a mile distant, at the same time. The government officers and
the people fled on the approach of the strong force of the enemy. The
library of Congress, the furniture of the president's house, with other
articles of taste and value, were destroyed. The bridge across the
Potomac, the public stores, and vessels and buildings at the navy-yard,
were consumed; and, not content with this destruction, they mutilated
the beautiful monument erected in front of the Capitol in honor of the
naval heroes who fought at Tripoli. The library of Congress was replaced
by the purchase of that of Mr. Jefferson, in 1815, for the sum of
$23,000. It contained 7000 volumes, many of them exceedingly rare and
valuable. A large portion of this library, which had been increased
to 55,000 volumes, was destroyed by fire on the morning of the 24th of
December, 1851. It was the result of accident. About 20,000 volumes were
saved. The original portrait of Peyton Randolph, from which the copy
printed on page 267 of this work was made, and also that of the Baron
Steuben, by Pine, on page 341, were burned, together with a large
collection of ancient and modern medals, presented by Alexander
Vattemare, and other precious things, which can not be replaced. The
original Declaration of Independence was again saved from the flames.
[[[The National Institute.--The Widow of General Alexander
Hamilton.--Washington's Camp Chest]]]
{406}Washington City has no Revolutionary history of its own; but in the
library of Congress; the archives of the State and War Departments; in
the rooms of the National Institute, * and the private collection of
Peter Force, Esq., I found much of value and interest. The city was full
of the life and activity incident to the assembling of Congress, and I
passed four days there with pleasure and profit. My first evening
was spent in the company of the venerable widow of General Alexander
Hamilton, a surviving daughter of General Philip Schuyler.
[Illustration: 8416]
Mrs. Hamilton was then ninety-two years of age, and yet her mind a
December, seemed to have all the elasticity of a woman of sixty. A sunny
cheerfulness, which has shed its blessed [[ a December 1848.]] influence
around her during a long life, still makes her society genial and
attractive. Her memory, faithful to the impressions of a long and
eventful experience, is ever ready, with its varied reminiscences,
to give a charm to her conversation upon subjects connected with our
history. With an affectionate daughter (Mrs. Holly), she lives in
elegant retirement in the metropolis, beloved by her gers, venerated by
all. She is, I believe, the last of the belles of the Revolution--the
last of those who graced the social gatherings honored by the presence
of Washington and his lady during the struggle for independence--the
last of those who gave brilliancy to the levees of the first president,
and, with Lucy Knox and others, shared the honors and attentions of the
noble and refined of all friends, honored by strangers[[ a December,
1850.]][[ b January, 1852.]]who crowded to the public audiences of the
venerated Pater Patria, when chief magistrate of the nation. Two years
later, I was privileged to enjoy her hospitality, and again to draw
instruction from the clear well of her experience. She still lives, at
the age of ninety-four, with the promises of centenary honors impressed
upon her whole being. May Time, who has dealt so gently with her, bear
her kindly to the goal of a hundred years!
In the rooms of the National Institute (a portion of the Patent Office
building) are a few of the most interesting relics of the Revolution now
in existence, carefully preserved in a glass case. Upon the floor stands
Washington's _camp chest_, an old fashioned hair trunk, twenty-one
inches in length, fifteen in width, and ten in depth, filled with the
table furniture used by the chief during the war. The compartments are
so ingeniously arranged, that they contain a gridiron; a coffee and tea
pot; three tin sauce-pans (one movable handle being used for all); five
glass flasks, used for honey, salt, coffee, port wine, and vinegar;
three large tin meat dishes; sixteen plates; ** two knives and five
forks; a candlestick and
* The National Institution for the Promotion of Science was organized at
Washington City in 1840. The President of the United States is patron;
the heads of the Departments constitute the directors on the part of the
government, and an equal number of literary and scientific citizens are
directors on the part of the institution. Its collections (to which
have been added those of the United States Exploring Expedition, and the
Historical Society and Columbia Institute of the District) are in the
great hall of the Patent Office building, a room 275 feet long and 65
feet wide.
** These are the dishes alluded to in the following letter, written by
Washington, at West Point, to Dr. John Cochran, surgeon general of the
northern department of the Continental army. It is dated "August
16, 1779." The original is in the present possession of the New York
Historical Society, where it was deposited by Dr. Cochran's son, the
late Major Cochran, of Oswego. See page 221, vol. i.
[[[Washington's Letter to Dr. Cochran.--Pomp of Ancient Generals.--"The
Sword and the Staff."]]]
{407}tinder-box; tin boxes for tea and sugar cane, bequeathed to the
hero by the sage. ** ode called and five small bottles for pepper and
other materials for making soup. Such composed the appointments for the
table of the commander-in-chief of the American armies, while battling
for independence, and laying the corner stone of our republic.
[Illustration: 9417]
What a contrast with the camp equipage of the heroes of other times and
other lands, whom history has apotheosized, and whom the people of the
earth call great! * With all the glitter and the pomp of wealth and
power, which dazzle the superficial eye, the splendor which surrounds
them is but dimness compared to the true glory that haloes the name and
deeds of Washington, appreciated by the consequences of his career.
* Standing near the camp chest is Washington's war sword, and with it
Franklin's. Of these relics Morris has sweetly sung, in his
'The Sword and the Staff.
"The sword of the Hero!
The staff of the Sage!
Whose valor and wisdom
Are stamp'd on the age!
Time-hallowed mementoes
Of those who have riven
The scepter from tyrants,
'The lightning from heaven.'
* "Dear Doctor,--I have asked Mrs. Cochran and Mrs. Livingston to dine
with me to-morrow; but am I not in honor bound to apprise them of their
fare? As I hate deception, even where the imagination only is concerned,
I will. It is needless to premise that my table is large enough to hold
the ladies. Of this they had ocular proof yesterday. To say how it is
usually covered is rather more essential; and this shall be the purport
of my letter. "Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham,
sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace the head of the table; a piece
of roast beef adorns the foot; and a dish of beans, or greens, almost
imperceptible, decorates the center. When the cook has a mind to cut
a figure, which I presume will be the case to-morrow, we have two
beef-steak pies, or dishes of crabs, in addition, one on each side of
the center dish, dividing the space and reducing the distance between
dish and dish to about six feet, which without them would be nearly
twelve feet apart. Of late he has had the surprising sagacity to
discover that apples will make pies; and it is a question if, in the
violence of his efforts, we do not get one of apples, instead of having
both of beef-steaks. If the ladies can put up with such entertainment,
and will submit to partake of it on plates, once tin but now iron (not
become so by the labor of scouring), I shall be happy to see them; and
am, dear doctor, yours," &c.
* Montfaucon, in his Antiquity Explained, gives an account of the
splendid processions of the conquerors of Persia, and the gold and
silver vessels used in the tents of the generals. After mentioning the
vast number of gold and silver vessels, chairs, tables, couches, &c.,
in the magnificent tent of Ptolemy Philadelphus, he thus describes the
triumphal procession of Antiochus Epiphanes: "First came twenty thousand
Macedonians, the greatest Part of which had brass Shields, and others
silver Shields. Then three thousand Horsemen of Antioch, most of whom
had gold Collars and gold Crowns. Two thousand Horsemen more, all with
gold Collars. Eight hundred young Men, each wearing a gold Crown. A
thousand young Men, each carrying a silver Vase, the least of which
weighed a thousand Drachms. Six hundred young Men more, each carrying
a Vase of Gold; and two hundred Women, each with a Gold Vase to scatter
Perfumes. Eighty Women carried on Chairs, the feet of which were Gold;
and five hundred other Women, carried on Chairs with silver feet. This
pompous Procession would appear very magnificent, were it not put after
the former [Ptolemy Philadelphus], which surpasses every thing that can
be imagined."--Supplement, tome iii., book v., p. 323. I refer to this
parade as an example of the contrast alluded to.
** Doctor Franklin, in the codicil to his Will, wrote as follows: "My
fine crab-tree walking-stick, with a gold head curiously wrought in
the form of the cap of liberty, I give to my friend, and the friend of
mankind, General Washington. If it were a scepter, he has merited it,
and would become it. It was a present to me from that excellent woman,
Madame De Forbach, the dowager duchess of Deux-Ponts, connected with
some verses which should go with it."
"This weapon, O Freedom!
Was drawn by thy son,
And it never was sheath'd
Till the battle was won!
No stain of dishonor
Upon it we see!
'Twas never surrender'd--
Except to the free!
"While Fame claims the hero
And patriot sage,
Their names to emblazon
On History's page,
No holier relics
Will Liberty hoard,
Than Franklin's staff, guarded
By Washington's sword."
[[[Revolutionary Relics.--Franklin's Press.--History of its Importation
to America]]]
{408}The war sword of the chief is incased in a black leather sheath,
with silver mountings. The handle is ivory, colored a pale green, and
wound spirally with silver wire at wide intervals. *
[Illustration: 8418]
It was manufactured by J. Bailey, Fishkill, New York, ** and has the
maker's name engraved upon the hilt. The belt is white leather, with
silver mountings, and was evidently made at an earlier period, for upon
a silver plate is engraved "1757."
[Illustration: 9418]
Washington's commission, signed by John Hancock, and the suit of clothes
which he wore when he resigned that instrument into the custody of
Congress, at Annapolis, are also there, together with a piece of his
tent, and the portable writing-ease represented in the en graving, which
he used during all of his campaigns. The case is of board, covered with
black leather, ornamented with figured borders. But the most precious
relic of all was the original Declaration of Independence, written upon
parchment, and bearing the autographs of the signers. In the year 1818,
this priceless document was allowed to go into the hands of Benjamin
Owen Tyler, a teacher of penmanship, for the purpose of making a
fac simile of it for publication. By some process which he used for
transferring it, it narrowly escaped utter destruction. Many of the
names are almost illegible, while others are quite dim. This document
(which was since removed to the Congress Library), with other precious
things, was saved when the public buildings were burned by the British
in 1814. In another part of the rooms of the Institute, which is devoted
chiefly to the scientific collections made by the exploring expedition
a few years ago, is the printing-press with which Franklin labored
in London, when a journeyman printer, in 1725--6. *** It is carefully
preserved in a glass case. It is an exceedingly rude apparatus, and
presents a wonderful contrast to the printing machines of Hoe, of the
present day, from which twenty thousand impressions may be thrown each
hour. The _platen_ is of wood, the _bed_ of stone. Its construction is
in the primitive style universally
* Upon the thigh of the chief, in Leutze's picture of Washington
Crossing the Delaware, is a perfect representation of this sword.
** Sec note on page 122.
*** In 1841, John B. Murray, Esq., of New York, being in Liverpool, was
informed that this press was in the possession of Messrs. Harrild and
Sons, of London. Mr. Murray visited their establishment, and proposed to
purchase the press for the purpose of sending it to America. The owners
informed him that they had thought of presenting it to the government of
the United States, and assured him that they would not part with it for
any other purpose. After some negotiation, the Messrs. Harrild agreed to
let Mr. Murray have it, on condition that he should procure a donation
to the Printers' Pension Society of London. The press was forwarded
to Liverpool, and there exhibited. It attracted great attention; and
finally the Reverend Hugh M'Neile, of Liverpool, was induced to deliver
a public lecture on the Life of Franklin, the proceeds from admission
tickets to be given to the society above named. In November, Mr. Murray
had the pleasure of remitting to the treasurer of the Printers' Pension
Society $752, to be appropriated to the relief of one pensioner, a
disabled printer of any country, to be called the Franklin pension. Mr.
Murray brought the press to the United States, and it now occupies an
appropriate place among the historical relics of our country at the
Federal metropolis. The lecture of Mr. M'Neil was published, with a fac
simile of a letter written by Franklin in 1756, to the Reverend George
Whitefield, and also a page containing an engraving of the press, which
was printed upon the identical machine thus honored.
[[[Character of the Press.--Franklin's Remarks in 1768.--Peale's Picture
of Washington.--Its History.]]]
{409}used before the improvements made by the Earl of Stanhope; the
power being obtained by a single screw, like a common standing-press,
instead of a combination of lever and screw, as applied by that
nobleman, or the combination of levers alone, as seen in the _Columbian_
press invented by our countryman, George Clymer.
[Illustration: 9419]
Upon I brass plate affixed to the front of the press is the following
inscription:
"Dr. Franklin's remarks in relation to this press, made when he came to
England as agent of Massachusetts, in the year 1768. The doctor, at
this time, visited the printing-office of Mr. Watts, of Wild Street,
Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, and, going up to this particular press (afterward
in the possession of Messrs. Cox and Son, of Great Queen Street, of whom
it was purchased), thus addressed the men who were working at it:*
Come, my friends, we will drink together. It is now forty years since
I worked, like you, at this press, as a journeyman printer.' The doctor
then sent out for a gallon of porter, and he drank with them,
_SUCCESS TO PRINTING._
"From the above it will appear that it is one hundred and eight years
since Doctor Franklin worked at this identical press.--June, 1833."
Upon the wall of the room is a full-length portrait of Washington,
painted by Charles Wilson Peale, * under peculiar circumstances. Peale
was a remarkable man. Possessed of great versatility of talent, he
brought all his genius into play as circumstances demanded. He was a
sturdy patriot, and entered the army at an early period of the contest.
He commanded a company at the battle of Trenton, and also at Germantown;
and he was with the army at Valley Forge. He employed the leisure hours
incident to camp duty in painting, and it was at Valley Forge that he
commenced the picture in question. When the army crossed the Delaware
into New Jersey in pursuit of Sir Henry Clinton, and fought the battle
of Monmouth, Peale went with it, taking his unfinished picture and his
materials with him; and at Brunswick, a day or two after the Monmouth
conflict, he obtained the last sitting from the commander-in-chief. The
picture was finished at Princeton. A distant view of Nassau Hall, at
that place, with a body of British prisoners marching, compose a portion
of the back-ground. The picture of the sword hanging upon the thigh of
Washing-
* Charles Wilson Peale was born at Charlestown, in Maryland, in 1741,
and was apprenticed to a sad-ller in Annapolis. He beeame also a
silver-smith, watch-maker, and carver. Carrying a handsome saddle to
Hesselius, a portrait-painter in his neighborhood, he begged him to
explain the mystery of putting colors upon canvas. From that day his
artist life began.
[Illustration: 8419]
*He went to England, where he studied under Benjamin West in 1770
and 1771. He returned to America, and for fifteen years was the only
portrait painter of excellence in this country. By close application he
became a good naturalist and preserver of animals. Mr. Peale opened a
picture gallery in Philadelphia, and also commenced a museum, whieh,
in time, became extensive. He delivered a course of lectures on natural
history, and was very efficient in the establishment and support of the
Academy of Fine Arts. He lived temperately, worked assiduously, and was
Greatly esteemed by all who knew him. He died in February, 1827, aged
eighty-five years. I once saw a full-length portrait of himself which he
painted at the age of eighty--a fine specimen of art.
[[[The Senate and House of Representatives.--Greenough's Statue of
Washington.--The Rotunda and its Contents.]]]
{410}ington is an evidence of the truthfulness of the costume, for it is
an exact representation of the real weapon just described and depicted,
which stands in a case on the opposite side of the room.
Leaving the room of the National Institute, I went up to the Capitol,
and peeped in upon the sages of the Senate and House of Representatives,
who seemed busily engaged in preparing to do something in the way of
legislation.
[Illustration: 9420]
It is a practice quite too common for our writers to speak disparagingly
of members of Congress, with the apparent feeling that they being the
_servants_ of the people, every scribbler has a right to exercise his
freedom of utterance, censuring them to the fullest extent. Doubtless
some of our representatives are entitled to much censure, and _some_ to
ridicule; but, as a body, they generally appear to the candid visitor
as a collection of wise and honorable men. An English gentleman who
accompanied me to both chambers, assured me that he had often sat in the
gallery of the House of Commons of England, of the Chamber of Deputies
of France, and of the Diet of Frankfort and other Germanic Legislatures,
and not one of them could rival in apparent talent, wisdom, decorum, and
faithfulness to their constituents, the members of the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States, in listening to whose delegates
he had spent many weeks during three consecutive sessions. Being more
interested in the historical pictures in the Rotunda of the Capitol,
and in the books in the library of Congress, than in the preliminary
business of the Legislature, I repaired thither, and occupied the
remainder of the day in making sketches of portraits contained in
Trumbull's celebrated pictures, which adorn four of the panels of that
spacious room. *
Early on the following morning I again went up to the Capitol, and
sketched the statue of Washington, by Greenough; the group of Columbus
and the Indian Girl, by Persico; and the elegant monument erected to
the memory of the naval heroes who fought at Tripoli. The first is
a colossal statue of the Father of his Country, sculptured in Parian
marble by Greenough, draped In classic style, and seated upon an
elaborately-wrought chair, the whole supported by a granite pedestal.
In his left hand the chief holds a Roman short sword, in the act of
presenting the right hand, with the index finger extended, is lifted
toward heaven. The chair has a filagree scroll-work back On the left is
a small
* The Rotunda is under the dome, in the middle of the center building.
It is 9 feet in diameter, and of the same height. Just below the
cornice, at the base of the dome, are four basso relievos, representing
Smith delivered from Death by Pocahontas; The Landing of the Pilgrims;
Conflict of Daniel Boone with the Indians; and Penn's Treaty. The
Rotunda has eight panels, in four of which are pictures by Colonel
John Trumbull, representing The Presentation of the Declaration of
Independence to Congress * The Surrender of Burgoyne; the Surrender
of Cornwallis; and Washington resigning his Commission to Congress
at Annapolis. Besides these is a representation of the Baptism of
Pocahontas, by John G. Chapman; The Embarkation of the Pilgrims, by
Robert W. Weir; and The Landing of Columbus, by John Vanderlyn. One
panel remains to be filled.
* According to Colonel Trumbull's circular, now before me, the picture
of The Presentation of The Declaration of Independence. so familiar
to every American, was begun in Europe in 1787. It contains faithful
portraits of thirty-six members, who were then living, and of all others
of whom any correct representation could, at that early period, be
obtained. These, with others which have since been obtained, to the
number of forty-nine, are faithfully given in the frontispiece to this
volume. There are two heads among them who were not signers of the
Declaration: John Dickenson and Thomas Willing, of Pennsylvania.
Trumbull's picture was engraved by A. B. Durand, the now eminent
painter, in 1820-1. The paper on which it was printed was made by
Messrs. Gilpin, at Brandywine, and the printing was executed in New
York. It was first published in 1822, and is the original of the
millions of copies of all sizes which are in circulation. The portraits
of the officers of the French army in America, delineated in the picture
of the Surrender of Cornwallis, were painted from life, by Colonel
Trumbull, at the house of Mr. Jefferson, at Paris. Copies of these
portraits, fourteen in number may be found in another portion of this
work.
[[[Description of Greenough's Statue.--Tuckerman's Poem.--A Chippewa's
Speech.--Persico's Group.]]]
{411}figure of an aged man, with flowing beard, covered by a mantle;
on the right stands an Indian of similar size, and both are in a
contemplative attitude. On the left side of the seat, in low relief, is
an infant Hercules, holding a serpent in one hand. Near him is another
infant, prostrate, with its hand over its face. On the other side is
Phoebus, with "his coursers of the sun." On the back of the seat, below
the filagree work, is a Latin inscription, in raised letters.' This
statue was originally intended for the center of the Rotunda. Too large
for that room, it was placed upon the open grounds facing the east front
of the Capitol, where, exposed to the sun and storm, its beauty, except
in form, must soon pass away. It is a noble work of art, and, as I gazed
upon the features of the great chief in the solemn grandeur of the inert
marble, the beautiful lines of the poet came like a gushing stream from
the deep well of memory, and the heart chanted,=
```"O, it was well, in marble firm and white,
````To carve our hero's form,
```Whose angel guidance was our strength in fight,
````Our star amid the storm!
```Whose matchless truth has made his name divine,
````And human freedom sure,
```His country great, his tomb earth's dearest shrine,
````While man and time endure!
```And it is well to place his image there,
````Upon the soil he bless'd;
```Let meaner spirits, who our councils share
````Revere that silent guest!
```Let us go up with high and sacred love
````To look on his pure brow,
```And as, with solemn grace, he points above,
````Renew the patriot's vow!"
`````Henry T. Tuckerman.=
Eloquently did one of the chiefs of the Chippewa delegation address this
statue, while standing before it a few years ago. "My Great Father," he
said, "we all shake hands with you; we have traveled a long way through
the great country that you acquired for your people by the aid of the
Great Spirit. Your people have become very great; our people have become
very small. May the Great Spirit, who gave you success, now protect us,
and grant us the favor we ask of our Great Father, who now fills the
place first occupied by you." What orator or sage ever expressed more in
so few words?
The group of _Columbus and the Indian Girl,_ by Persico, is a good
specimen of that sculptor's skill. It is in white marble, and is
intended as a representation of the idea of the discovery of America.
This group is on the south side of the steps of the eastern portico
of the Capitol. In the Discoverer's hand is a globe, appearing to the
spectator, at first, like a simple ball. The relative position of
this figure to the statue of Washington, whose right hand is elevated,
impresses the beholder, at first sight, with the ludicrous idea of the
Navigator and the Patriot engaged in tossing a ball at each other. The
naval monument is upon the highest terrace on the western front of the
Capitol. It is of white marble, with
* The following is a copy of the inscription: "Horatio Greenough made
this effigy, for a great exemplar of freedom, and one destined only to
endure with freedom itself." Upon the granite pedestal are the following
words, in large eameo letters: South side.--"First in Peace." North
side.--"First in War." West side.--"First in the hearts of his
countrymen."
[[[Tripoli Monument.--President Polk.--Arlington House.--Mr. Custis and
the "Washington Treasures."]]]
{412}a brown stone pedestal, and is about forty feet high. It stands
within a large basin of water, eight or ten feet deep, and supplied by a
fountain in which gold fishes in abundance are seen sporting. The basin
is surrounded by a strong iron fence. Upon one side of the pedestal, in
low relief sculpture, is a view of Tripoli and the American fleet, and
upon the other the following inscription:
"To the Memory of Somers, Caldwell, Decatur, Wadsworth, Dorsey, Israel."
*
This monument, although too small to appear grand, is a fine
embellishment, and commands the attention of every visitor to the
Federal Capitol. [[ a December, 1848]]I passed the morning of the
library of Mr. Force, preparing from old maps a plan of my
Southern route. Toward noon I went up to the presidential mansion, and
enjoyed the pleasure of an hour's interview with the chief magistrate,
the late Mr. Polk. It was not a visit prompted by the foolish desire to
see the exalted, but for the purpose of seeking information respecting
an important movement in North Carolina at the commencement of the
war of the Revolution, in which some of the family of Mr. Polk
were conspicuous actors. I allude to the celebrated _Mecklenburgh
Convention_, in May, 1775. The president readily communicated all
the information in his possession, and kindly gave me a letter of
introduction to the grandson of the secretary of that convention, then
residing in Charlotte, where the meeting was held. This matter will be
considered in detail hereafter.
[Illustration: 8422]
At meridian I crossed the Potomac upon the mile-long bridge, and rode to
_Arlington House_, the seat of George Washington Parke Custis, Esq. His
mansion, wherein true Virginian hospitality prevails, is beautifully
situated upon high ground overlooking the Potomac, Washington City, and
Georgetown, half surrounded by a fine oak forest, and fronting broad
lawns. Mr. Custis received me, though a stranger, with cordiality, and
when the object of my visit was made known, the "Washington treasures of
Arlington House" were opened for my inspection. As executor of the will,
and the adopted son and member of the immediate family of Washington,
Mr. Custis possesses many interesting mementoes of that great man. He
has several fine paintings. Among them is the original three-quarter
length portrait of his grandmother (Lady Washington), by Woolaston, from
which the engraving in Sparks's Life of Washington was made; also the
original portrait of the chief by Trumbull; of the two children of Mrs.
Washington (the father and aunt of Mr. Custis); of Parke, an ancestor,
who was aid to the great Marlborough in the battle of Blenheim, painted
by Sir Godfrey Kneller; crayon profile sketches of Washington and his
lady, made in 1796; a beautiful painting on copper, in imitation of a
medallion, of the heads of Washington and La Fayette, executed by the
Marchioness De Brienne, and presented to Washington in 1789; and a
number of other fine family portraits, choice engravings, and sculpture.
Mr. Custis is himself an amateur artist, and has painted several
historical subjects, among which is a cabinet picture of Washington
wherein the figure of the chief is truth-
* This monument was wrought in Italy, by Capelano, in 1804, by order of
the surviving officers of the siege of Tripoli, and paid for by them.
It was erected in the navy-yard at Washington City in 1806, where it
was damaged by the British in 1814. This fact was kept in
perpetual remembrance by the inscription put upon it, "Mutilated by
Britons, August, 1814." When the monument was placed in its present
position, that record was generously erased.
** The head of Washington is from a bust by Houdon, in possession of Mr.
Custis.
[[[Alexandria.--Its Museum.--The Hessian Flag captured at
Trenton.--Anecdote of Washington.]]]
{413}fully delineated. A copy of his battle of Monmouth is printed oil
page 361. With books and pencil, in the bosom of an affectionate family,
Mr. Custis, the last survivor of Washington's immediate household, is
enjoying the blessings of a green old age. He has been present at the
inauguration of every president of the United States (now numbering
thirteen); and he has grasped the hand in friendly greeting of almost
every distinguished personage who has visited our national metropolis
during the last half century. For many years he communicated to the
National Intelligencer his _Recollections of Washington_. These are
graphic pictures of some of the most eventful scenes in the life of the
patriot chief, described by eye-witnesses, and it is hoped that they
will yet be arranged and published in a volume by the author.
It was almost sunset when I left Arlington House and returned to
the Federal city. Before breakfast the next morning I rode down to
Alexandria, an old town on the Virginia side of the Potomac, seven miles
below Washington. It is quite a large place, and was once a commercial
mart of considerable importance.
[Illustration: 9423]
The town is handsomely laid out in rectangles, and is said to be
remarkably healthy. It has but little Revolutionary history, except such
as appertains to the personal affairs of Washington, whose residence, at
Mount Vernon, was near. * In its museum, which is closed to the public,
are many relics of the war for independence, of exceeding rarity and
value, most of which belongs to Mr. Custis. I procured permission to
visit the museum from Mr. Vietch, the mayor of Alexandria, under
whose official charge the corporation has placed the collection; and,
accompanied by an officer, I passed an hour among its curiosities. Among
them is the flag which Washington took from the Hessians at Trenton,
mentioned on page 229. It is composed of two pieces of very heavy white
damask silk, on which the devices are embroidered with silk and gold
thread. The lettering is all done with gold thread. On one side is an
eagle, bearing in its talons a scroll and olive branch. Over it, upon a
ribbon, are the words Pro principe et patria;
"For principle and country a curious motto for the flag of mercenaries.
Upon the other side is a monogram, composed of the letters E. C. T. S.
A., and supposed to be that of the general commandant of the Anspachers.
Under it are the initials M. Z. B., and the date 1775. The whole is
surmounted by the British crown. This flag was probably wrought in
England, while the German troops were awaiting embarkation for America,
toward the close of 1775. It is four feet square.
The tassels, made of silver bullion, are suspended to a plait of silver
tinsel.
Near the Hessian flag was the royal union stand-
* The following anecdote is illustrative of the generous and noble
character of Washington in his early manhood: When colonel of the
Virginia troops in 1754, he was stationed at Alexandria. At an election
for members of Assembly Colonel Washington, in the heat of party
excitement, used offensive language toward a Mr. Payne. That gentleman
struck the colonel a blow which prostrated him. Intelligence went to
the barracks that Colonel Washington had been murdered by a mob. His
soldiers rushed to the city to avenge his death. Joyfully they met
him, and, being quieted by an address, they returned peaceably to
their barracks. Next day, Mr. Payne received a note from Washington,
requesting his attendance at the tavern in Alexandria. Mr. Payne
anticipated a duel, but, instead of pistols in the hands of an irritated
man, he saw wine and glasses, and was met with a friendly smile by his
antagonist. Colonel Washington felt that himself was the aggressor, and
determined to make reparation. He offered Mr. Payne his hand, and said,
"To err is nature; to rectify error is glory. I believe I was wrong
yesterday; you have already had some satisfaction, and, if you deem that
sufficient, here is my hand--let us be friends." And they were so.
[[[Washington's Bier, and other Relics.--Departure for Mount
Vernon.--The Mansion.]]]
{414}ard which Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown. A
picture of this flag will be given when considering that last great
triumph of the Americans.
[Illustration: 9424]
The Hessian and the British flags are labeled, respectively, _Alpha_ and
_Omega_, for they were the "first and the last" captured by Washington.
A flag which belonged to the _Commander-in-chief's Guard_, printed
on page 120, and one that belonged to Morgan's rifle corps, were also
there; and in the midst of common curiosities, covered with dust and
cobwebs, stood the _bier_ on which Washington was carried to the tomb
at Mount Vernon. It is of oak, painted a lead color, and is six feet in
length. The handles, which are hinged to the bier, had leather pads on
the under side, fastened with brass nails. Hanging over the bier was the
letter of Washington, printed in a note on page 115; and near by laid a
napkin said to have been used on the occasion when he was christened.
[Illustration: 0424]
The museum contains many other things of general and special interest;
but, being closed to the public, they are quite useless, while neglect
is allowing the invisible fingers of decay to destroy them. I was glad
to learn that the precious relics above named, which belong to Mr.
* This view is from the lawn in front, looking down the Potomac. The
mansion is built of wood, but so as to resemble stone, like Johnson
Hall, at Johnstown, in New York, and is two stories in height. The
central part was built by Lawrence Washington, a brother of the chief.
The wings were added by the general. Through the center of the building
is a spacious passage, level with the portico, and paved with tesselated
Italian marble. This hall communicates with three large rooms, and
with the main stair-way leading to the second story. The piazza on the
eastern or river front is of square paneled pilasters, extending the
whole length of the edifice. There is an observatory and cupola in the
center of the roof, from whence may be obtained an extensive view of the
surrounding country. The Mount Vernon estate was inherited by Lawrence
Washington, who named it in honor of Admiral Vernon. He bequeathed it
to George, and it passed into his possession on the death of Lawrence,
which occurred in the mansion we are now noticing, on the 26th of July,
1752.
[[[Approach to Mount Vernon.--The Library and its Associations.--Key of
the Bastile.--Destruction of that Prison.]]]
{415}Custis, are about to be transferred to the rooms of the National
Institute, where they may be seen by the thousands who visit the
metropolis.
Toward noon I rode to Mount Vernon, nine miles below Alexandria. It
was a mild, clear day, almost as balmy as the Indian summer time. After
crossing an estuary of the Potomac the road was devious, passing through
a rough, half-cultivated region, and almost impassable in places on
account of gulleys scooped by recent rains. Leaving the main road
when within about three miles of Mount Vernon, I traversed a winding
carriage-way through partially-cultivated fields, over which young pines
and cedars were growing in profusion; the unerring certifiers of that
bad husbandry which many regions of the Southern States exhibit.
[Illustration: 9425]
When within about two miles of the venerated mansion, I passed a large
stone upon the left of the road, which denotes a boundary line of the
ancient estate. It is in the midst of stately forest trees; and from
this land-mark to the residence, the road, unfenced and devious, passed
through a greatly diversified region, some of it tilled, some returning
to a wilderness state, and some appearing as if never touched by the
hand of industry. Suddenly, on ascending a small steep hill from the
edge of a wild ravine, the mansion and its surroundings were before me,
and through the leafless branches of the trees came the sheen of the
meridian sun from a distant bay of the Potomac. I was met at the gate
by an intelligent colored lad, who ordered another to take charge of
my horse, while he conducted me to the mansion. I bore a letter of
introduction to the present proprietor of Mount Vernon, Augustine
Washington, a grand-nephew of the patriot chief; but himself and family
were absent, and not a white person was upon the premises. I felt a
disappointment, for I desired to pass the time there in the company of a
relative of the beloved one whose name and deeds hallow the spot.
Silence pervaded the life-dwelling of Washington, and the echoes of
every footfall, as I moved at the beck of the servant from room to
room, seemed almost like the voices of intruders. I entered the library
(which, with the breakfast-room, is in the south wing of the building),
and in the deep shadows of that quiet apartment sat down in the very
chair often occupied by the patriot, and gazed and mused with feelings
not to be uttered. Upon brackets were marble busts of Washington and La
Fayette, and a small one of Necker, the French Minister of Finance
when the Revolution broke out in France. The first is over the door
of entrance into the library. It was executed by Houdon, from life, he
having obtained a mask, in plaster, and is doubtless the best likeness
extant.
Upon the walls hung the portraits of Laurence Washington, brother of the
general, and of several female members of the family. In the great hall,
or passage, in a glass case of prismatic form, hung the _Key of the
Bastile,_ and near it was an engraved view of the demolition of that
renowned prison. The large north room wherein Washington entertained his
political friends, with the furniture, is kept in the same condition as
when he left it. Upon the walls were pictures of hunting and battle
* This key of the old Paris prison known as the Bastile, was sent hy
La Fayette to Washington after the destruction of that edifice by the
infuriated populace on the 14th of July. 1789. This was the beginning of
the French Revolution. The Bastile was originally a royal palace, built
by Charles the Fifth of France in 1369. It was afterward used as a
state prison, like the Tower of London, and became the scene of dreadful
sufferings and frightful crimes. When the mob gained possession of it in
1789, they took the governor and other officers to the Place de Grève,
where they first cut off their hands and then their heads. With the key,
La Fayette sent a plaster model of the old building. The model, somewhat
defaced from long exposure in the Alexandria museum, is among the
collections of the National Institute, while the key retains its ancient
position at Mount Vernon. It is of wrought iron seven inches long.
La Fayette, in his letter to Washington which accompanied the key and
picture, dated "Paris, March 17th, 1789,' said, "Give me leave, my
dear general, to present you with a picture of the Bastile, just as it
appeared a few days after I had ordered its demolition, with the main
key of this fortress of despotism. It is a tribute which I owe as a son
to my adopted father; as an aid-de-camp to my general; as a missionary
of liberty to its patriarch."
* Thomas Paine, then in London, employed in constructing an iron bridge
which he had invented, was chosen by La Fayette as the medium through
which to forward the key to Washington. Paine, in his letter to the
general accompanying the key, dated "London. May 1, 1789," wrote, "Our
very good friend, the Marquis De La Fayette, has intrusted to my care
the key of the Bastile, and a drawing, handsomely framed, representing
the demolition of that detestable prison, as a present to your
excellency, of whieh his letter will more particularly inform you.
I feel myself happy in being the person through whom the marquis has
conveyed this early trophy of the spoils of despotism, and the first
ripe fruits of American principles transplanted into Europe, to his
great master and patron. When he mentioned to me the present he intended
you, my heart, leaped with joy. It is something so truly in character,
that no remarks can illustrate it, and is more happily expressive of his
remembrance of his American friends than any letters ean convey. That
the principles of Ameriea opened the Bastile is not to be doubted, and
therefore the key comes to the right place. I have permitted no drawing
to be taken here, though it has been often requested, as I think there
is a propriety that it should first be presented. But Mr. West wished
Mr. Trumbull to make a painting of the presentation of the key to you."
[[[Pictures at Mount Vernon.--Chimney-piece.--Monumental Eulogy.--The
Old Vault of the Washington Family.]]]
{416}scenes. Among them were prints of the death of Montgomery, and the
battle of Bunker Hill, but not one of any engagement in which Washington
himself participated. There hung the small portrait of the chief, on the
back of which an unknown hand wrote an admirable monumental eulogy.
* There, too, was a large painting--a family group--representing the
mother and children of the present proprietor. The fire-place of the
drawing-room is decorated with a superb Italian chimney-piece, made of
variegated Sienna marble, in which is sculptured, in bold relief, on the
tablets of the frieze, prominent objects of agriculture and husbandry.
It was presented to Washington in 1785, by Samuel Vaughn, Esq., of
London. One room is closed to the public gaze, and I honor the holy
motives which prompt the veiling of that apartment from the eyes of
prying curiosity; it is the chamber whence the spirit of the illustrious
Washington, departed for its home in=
````"The bosom of his Father and his God."=
[Illustration: 9426]
I passed out upon the eastern piazza (seen in the engraving), which
overlooks the Potomac. By the side of the door hung the spyglass often
used by Washington; and, prompted by curiosity, I drew its tubes, and
through them surveyed the hills of Maryland stretching away eastward on
the opposite side of the river.
From the mansion of the living I went to the dwelling of the dead, the
old family vault, situated upon the declivity of a dell in full view of
the river. It is about three hundred yards south of the mansion. Therein
the body of Washington was first laid, and remained undisturbed for
thirty years, when it was removed to a new tomb, erected in a more
secluded spot, in accordance with direc-
* It is supposed to have been written by an English gentleman. The
following is a copy:
* "Washington--The Defender of his Country--the Founder of Liberty--The
Friend of Man. History and Tradition are explored in vain For a Parallel
to his Character. In the Annals of Modern Greatness He stands alone; And
the noblest, names of antiquity Lose their Luster in his Presence. Born
the Benefactor of Mankind, He united all the qualities necessary to an
illustrious career. Nature made him great; He made himself virtuous.
Called by his country to the defense of her Liberties, He triumphantly
vindicated the rights of humanity, And on the Pillars of National
Independence Laid the foundations of a great Republic. Twice invested
with supreme magistracy, By the unanimous voice of a free people, He
surpassed in the Cabinet The Glories of the Field. And voluntarily
resigning the Scepter and the Sword, Retired to the shades of Private
Life. A spectacle so new and so sublime Was contemplated with the
profoundest admiration. And The name of Washington, Adding new luster to
humanity, Resounded to the remotest regions of the earth, Magnanimous in
youth, Glorious through life, Great in Death; His highest ambition,
the Happiness of Mankind; His noblest Victory, the conquest of himself.
Bequeathing to posterity the inheritance of his fame And building his
monument in the hearts of his countrymen, He Lived The Ornament of the
18th Century He Died regretted by a Mourning World."
{417}tions in his will. * The construction of this tomb was delayed
until many years ago, when an attempt was made to carry off the remains
of the illustrious dead. The old vault was entered, and a skull and some
bones were taken away. They formed no part of the remains of Washington.
The robber was detected, and the bones were recovered.
[Illustration: 8427]
The new vault is on the side of a steep hill, on the edge of a deep
wooded dell leading toward the river. The interior walls are built of
brick, arched over at the height of eight feet from the ground. The
front of the tomb is rough, and has a plain iron door inserted in a
freestone casement. Upon a stone panel over the door are inscribed the
words, "I am
THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME, THOUGH HE WERE
DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE."
Inclosing this tomb is a structure of brick twelve feet high. In front
is an iron gateway, opening several feet in advance of the vault door,
and forming a kind of ante-chamber. This gateway is flanked with
pilasters, surmounted by a stone coping, covering a pointed Gothic arch.
** Over this arch is a tablet, on which is inscribed,
"Within this inclosure rest the
REMAINS OF GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON."
I was much disappointed in the exterior appearance of the tomb, for it
seems to me that in material and design it is quite too common-place.
It justifies the description of it given recently by Lord Morpeth, who
visited it in 1811. "The tomb of that most illustrious of mortals,"
he said, "is placed under a glaring red building, somewhat between a
coach-house and a cage." ***
[Illustration: 9427]
Art should be allowed to contribute the best offerings of genius in
enshrining the mortal remains of George Washington.
In the ante-chamber of the tomb are two marble sarcophagi, containing
the remains of Washington and his lady. That of the patriot has a
sculptured lid, on which is represented the American shield suspended
over the flag of the Union; the latter hung in festoons, and the whole
surmounted, as a crest, by an eagle with open wings, perched upon the
superior bar of the shield. Below the design, and deeply eut in the
marble, is the name of Washington. This sarcophagus was constructed
by John Struthers, of Philadelphia, from a design by Washington's new
Family Vault.
* The following is the clause referred to: "The family vault at Mount
Vernon requiring repairs, and being improperly situated besides. I
desire that a new one of brick, and upon a larger scale may be built at
the foot of what is called the Vineyard Inclosure, on the ground which
is marked out, in which mv remains, and those of my deceased relatives
(now in the old vault), and such others of my family as may choose to be
entombed there, may be deposited."
** This exterior structure was made for the special accommodation and
preservation of the sarcaphagi inclosed within it, the vault being too
small and damp for the purpose.
*** Lecture on America, before the Mechanic's Institute at Leeds,
November, 1850.
**** This was placed in the family vault in the autumn of 1837. Mr.
Striekland wrote an interesting account of the transaction. While the
sarcophagus was on its way by water, he and Mr. Struthers repaired to
Mount Vernon to make arrangements for the reception. On entering,
they found every thing in confusion. Decayed fragments of coffins were
scattered about, and bones of various parts of the human body were
seen promiscuously thrown together. The decayed wood was dripping with
moisture. "The slimy snail glistened in the light of the door-opening.
The brown centipede was disturbed by the admission of fresh air, and the
moldy eases of the dead gave out a pungent and unwholesome odor." The
coffins of Washington and his lady were in the deepest recess of the
vault. They were of lead, inclosed in wooden cases. When the sarcophagus
arrived, the coffin of the chief was brought forth. The vault was first
entered by Mr. Strickland, accompanied by Major Lewis (the last survivor
of the first executors of the will of Washington) and his son. When
the decayed wooden case was removed, the leaden lid was perceived to
be sunken and fractured. In the bottom of the wooden case was found the
silver coffin-plate, in the form of a shield, which was placed upon the
leaden coffin when Washington was first entombed.
[Illustration: 7428]
* "At the request of Major Lewis," says Mr. S., "the fractured part of
the lid was turned over on the lower part, exposing to view a head and
breast of large dimensions, which appeared, by the dim light of the
candles, to have suffered but little from the effects of time. The
eye-sockets were large and deep, and the breadth across the temples,
together with the forehead, appeared of unusual size. There was no
appearance of grave-clothes; the chest was broad; the color was dark,
and had the appearance of dried flesh and skin adhering closely to the
bones. We saw no hair, nor was there any offensive odor from the body;
but we observed, when the coffin had been removed to the outside of the
vault, the dripping down of a yellow liquid, which stained the marble
of the sarcophagus. A hand was laid upon the head and instantly removed;
the leaden lid was restored to its place; the body, raised by six men,
was carried and laid in the marble coffin, and the ponderous cover being
put on and set in cement, it was sealed from our sight on Saturday, the
7th day of October, 1837.... The relatives who were present, consisting
of Major Lewis, Lorenzo Lewis, John Augustine Washington, George
Washington, the Rev. Mr. Johnson and lady, and Miss Jane Washington,
then retired to the mansion."
[[[Tomb of Lady Washington.--Narrative of the Re-entombing of
Washington's Remains.--Their Appearance.]]]
{418}William Strickland, and was presented by him to the relatives
of Washington. It consists of an excavation from a solid block of
Pennsylvania marble, eight feet in length and two in height.
[Illustration: 9428]
The marble coffin of Lady Washington, which stands upon the left of the
other, is from the same chisel, and plainly wrought. Both may be seen by
the visitor, through the iron gate.
[Illustration: 8428]
Who can stand at the portals of this tomb, where sleeps all that is
left of the mortality of the Father of his Country, and not feel the
outgoings of a devotional spirit--an involuntary desire to kneel down
with reverence, not with the false adulations of mere hero-worship,
but with the sincere sympathies of a soul bending before the shrine of
superior goodness and greatness?=
```"There is an awful stillness in the sky,
```When, after wondrous deeds and light supreme,
```A star goes out in golden prophecy.
```There is an awful stillness in the world,
```When, after wondrous deeds and light supreme,
```A hero dies with all the future clear
```Before him, and his voice made jubilant
```By coming glories, and his nation hush'd
```As though they heard the farewell of a God.
```A great man is to earth as God to heaven."
`````William Ross Wallace.=
I lingered long at the tomb of Washington, even until the lengthening
evening shadows were cast upon the Potomac; and I departed with
reluctance from the precincts of Mount Vernon, where the great and good
of many lands enjoyed the hospitality of the illustrious owner when
living, or have poured forth the si-
* This view is from the lawn, looking east; the buildings seen upon
each side, and connected with the mansion by arcades, are the servants'
houses.
[[[Departure from Mount Vernon.--Pohick Church.--Occoquan and its
Reminiscences.--Dunmore's Repulse at Occoquan.]]]
{419}lent eulogium of the heart at his grave. The sun was disappearing
behind the forest when I passed the gate, at the verge of a spacious
lawn on the western front of the mansion, and departed for Occoquan,
about twelve miles distant, where I purposed to spend the Sabbath. The
road was in a wretched condition. It passes through a series of small
swamps and pine barrens, where once fertile plantations smiled under the
fostering care of industry.
[Illustration: 8429]
At sunset I crossed a large stream at the Oceatunk saw-mills, where the
aspect of nature is grand and romantic, and at early twilight reached
the venerated _Pohick or Powheek_ Church, where Washington worshiped,
and Weems, his first biographer, preached. It is about seven miles
southwest of Mount Vernon, upon an elevation on the borders of a forest,
and surrounded by ancient oaks, chestnuts, and pines. The twilight
lingered long enough with sufficient intensity to allow me to make the
annexed sketch from my wagon in the road, when I gave my horse a loose
rein, and hastened toward Occoquan as fast as the deep mud in the
highway would permit. A thick vapor came up from the southwest and
obscured the stars, and when I heard the distant murmurs of the falls
of the Occoquan, the heavens were overcast, and the night was intensely
dark. As I approached the village, I perceived that I was upon the
margin of the waters lying deep below, for there came up the reflected
lights from a few dwellings upon the opposite shore. I had more
confidence in my horse's sight than in my own, and allowed him to make
his way as he pleased along the invisible road to the bridge; how near
to the precipice I knew not, until the next morning, when I traced my
wagon tracks, in one place, within a few feet of the brow of a cliff
scores of feet above the deep waters.
Occoquan is a small manufacturing village in Prince William county, near
the mouth of a creek of that name, and at the head of navigation up from
the Potomac. * The creek falls seventy-two feet within the distance of
a mile and a half. All around the scenery is remarkably picturesque, and
to the dweller and traveler, under favorable circumstances, it may be a
delightful place. To me, the remembrance of a night at Occoquan is the
most unpleasant reminiscence of my journey. There was but one tavern in
the place. It was kept by a kind-hearted woman, who seemed desirous of
contributing to my comfort, but her _bar-room_, where strong liquors
appeared to be dealt out with unsparing hand, was the source of all my
discomfort. There I could hear the ribald voices of loungers growing
more vociferous as the evening wore away; and in my chamber I was not
relieved. It was midnight before the revelry ceased, and then two or
three negroes, with wretched voices, accompanied by a more wretched
fiddle, commenced a serenade in the street. It was two hours
past midnight before I slept, and when I awoke in the morning the
dram-drinkers were again there, guzzling, and talking profanely. Greatly
annoyed, I determined to leave the plaee, and, contrary to my custom,
travel on toward Fredericksburg, rather than
* After Lord Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia, with his
motley force of whites and negroes, was driven from Gwyn's Island in
July, 1776, he sailed up the Potomac, and, with petty spite, laid waste
several fine plantations upon its banks. He proceeded as far as the
mills at Occoquan falls (where the village now is), and destroyed them.
He was repulsed and driven on board his ships by a few of the Prince
William militia, and then descended the river. This circumstance will be
noticed more in detail hereafter. It is supposed that Dunmore intended
to capture Lady Washington, and destroy the estate at Mount Vernon. A
heavy storm and the Prince William militia frustrated his design.
[[[Visit to Pollick Church.--Its dilapidated Condition.--Worship
there.--Rev. Mason L. Weems.--Washington's Pew.]]]
{420}spend the Sabbath there. Informed that the roads between Occoquan
and Fredericksburg were worse than those I had traversed the day before,
I concluded to return to Alexandria, and go down the Potomac to Aquia
Creek on Monday.
[Illustration: 9430]
I left Occoquan after a late breakfast, and rode as far as _Pohick
Church_, on the road to Alexandria, where I understood a Methodist
meeting was to be held that day. No person had yet arrived, but the
broad doors of the church stood wide open, inviting ingress. Within that
venerated fane I awaited the slow-gathering auditory for more than an
hour. When they were all assembled, men and women, white and black, the
whole congregation, including the writer, amounted to only twenty-one
persons. What a contrast with former days, when some of the noblest of
the Virginia aristocracy filled those now deserted and dilapidated pews,
while Massey or Weems performed the solemn and impressive ritual of the
Church of England! No choir, with the majestic organ, chanted the _Te
Deum_ or the _Gloria in Excelsis_; the Decalogue was not read, nor did
solemn, audible responses, as in other days, go up from the lips of the
people.
[Illustration: 8430]
Yet the glorious hymn, beginning "Come, holy Spirit, heavenly Dove!" was
sung with fervor; and, standing behind the ancient communion-table,
a young preacher in homely garb, with the eloquence of true piety,
proclaimed the pure Gospel of love, and warmed the hearts of all present
with emotions of Christian charity, the burden of his discourse.
I sat in the pew, near the pulpit, wherein Washington and his family
were seated, Sabbath after Sabbath, for many years, ** and I looked with
peculiar interest upon the Law, the Prayer, and the Creed, inscribed
upon the walls back of the chancel, on which, a thousand limes, the
eyes of the Washingtons, the Masons, the Fairfaxes, the Coffers, and
the Hendersons had rested. It was a melancholy sight to behold the
dilapidation of that edifice, around which cluster so many associations
of interest. *** A large portion of the panes of glass were
* Reverend Mason L. Weems was rector of Pohick Church for a while, when
Washington was a parishioner. He was possessed of considerable talent,
but was better adapted for "a man of the world" than a clergyman. Wit
and humor he used freely, and no man could easier be "all things to all
men" than Mr. Weems. His eccentricities and singular conduct finally
lowered his dignity as a clergyman, and gave rise to many false rumors
respecting his character. He was a man of great benevolence, a trait
which he exercised to the extent of his means. A large and increasing
family compelled him to abandon preaching for a livelihood, and he
became a book agent for Matthew Carey. In that business he was very
successful, selling in one year over three thousand copies of a
high-priced Bible. He always preached when invited, during his travels;
and in his location he was instrumental in doing much good, for he
circulated hooks of the highest moral character. Mr. Weems wrote an
attractive Life of Washington, which became so popular that it passed
through some forty editions. He also wrote a Life of Marion, which the
cotemporaries and fellow-soldiers of that leader disliked. They charged
the author with filling his narrative with fiction, when facts were
wanting to give it interest. He died at an advanced age, leaving a large
and well-educated family.
** A grand-daughter of Mrs. Washington, and sister of Mr. Custis
of Arlington House, writing to Mr. Sparks, in 1833, respecting the
religious character of Washington, said, "His pew was near the pulpit.
I have a perfect recollection of being there before his election to the
presidency, with him and my grandmother. It was a beautiful church, and
had a large, respectable, and wealthy congregation, who were regular
attendants."
*** Pohiek Church derived its name from a small river near it, called
by the Indians Powheek or Pohick. It is within old Truro parish, and its
particular location is ascribed to Washington. Mount Vernon was within
Truro parish, and in the affairs of the church Washington took a lively
interest. About 1764, the old church, whieh stood in a different part
of the parish, had fallen into decay, and it was resolved to build a
new one. Its location became a matter of considerable excitement in the
parish, some contending for the site on which the old edifice stood,
and others for one near the center of the parish, and more conveniently
situated. Among the latter was Washington. A meeting for settling the
question was finally held. George Mason, who led the party favorable
to the old site, made an eloquent harangue, conjuring the people not to
desert the sacred spot, consecrated by the bones of their ancestors.
It had a powerful effect, and it was thought that there would not be
a dissenting voice. Washington then arose, and drew from his pocket
an accurate survey which he had made of the whole parish, in which was
marked the site of the old church, and the proposed location of the new
one, together with the place of residence of each parishioner. He spread
this map before the audience, briefly explained it, expressed his
hope that they would not allow their judgments to be guided by their
feelings, and sat down. The silent argument of the map was potent; a
large majority voted in favor of the new site, and in 1765 Pohiek Church
was built.
[[[A Swallow's Nest.--Location of the Church.--Vestrymen. A curious
Document.--Last of Braddock's Men]]]
{421}broken out, admitting freely the wind and rain, the bats and the
birds.
[Illustration: 8431]
The elaborately-wrought pulpit, placed by itself on one side of the
church, away from the chancel, was marred by desecrating hands. Under
its sounding-board a swallow had built its nest, and upon the book-ledge
of the sacred desk the fowls of the air had evidently perched.
[Illustration: 9431]
I thought of the words of the "sweet singer of Israel,"
"Yea, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, _even thine altar_, O Lord of hosts!"' The
chancel, too, is disfigured; but the Law, the Prayer, and the Creed,
painted on a blue ground above it, are quite perfect. The pews are
square, with seats upon three sides, and painted lead color. Upon
the doors of several of them yet remain the initials of the former
occupants, among which I noticed those of George Mason and George
William Fairfax, who, with Washington, were the leading men in the
parish. ** The whole country around Pohiek seems to be degenerating
in soil and population, and the old church edifice is left without a
guardian, to molder into oblivion.
* Psalm lxxxiv., 3.
** Washington was a vestryman, in 1765, of both Truro and Fairfax
parishes. The place of worship of the former was at Pohiek, and of the
latter at Alexandria. Among the manuscripts in the library of the New
York Historical Society, is a leaf from the church record of Pohiek.
It contains the names of the first vestry, and a few others. By whose
desecrating hand it was torn from the records, or how it found its way
to its present resting-place. I know not. The following is a copy from
the original, from which I also obtained the signatures of Mason and
Fairfax, given above. The names were signed at different times, during
the summer and autumn of 1765.
"I. A B, do declare that I will be conformable to the
Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England, as by law
established.
"1765. May 20th.--Thomas Withers Coffer, Thomas Ford, John
Ford.
"19th August.--Geo. Washington, Daniel M'Carty, Edward
Payne, Thomas Withers Coffer, Thomas Ford, Edw. Dulin, John
Dalton, Dan]. French, Richard Sanford, Thos. Shaw, Thos.
Wren, Townsend Dade, Charles Broadwater,* J. W. Payne,
William Adams.
"20th August.--G. W. Fairfax, John West, William Lynton, Wm.
Gardner.
"16th September.--Edward Blackburn.
"17th September.--George Mason, Charles Henderson.
"October 21st.--John Possey.
"21st April, 1766--T. Ellzy."
* Captain Broadwater was the owner of a slave who drove a team with a
provision-wagon, belonging to his master, over the Alleghany Mountains
in the memorable campaign in which Braddock was killed. The slave's
name was Samuel Jenkins. He was in the battle at the Great Meadows,
but escaped unhurt. On the death of his master, when he was about forty
years of age, he was purchased by a gentleman, who took him to Ohio and
manumitted him. He settled in Lancaster, Ohio, where he resided until
his death, which occurred in 1819, when he was 115 years old. He was
probably the last survivor of Braddock's men.
[[[Return to Washington.--Thunder-shower in December.--Aquia
Creek.--Almost a Serious Accident.--Potomac Church.]]]
{422}The preacher told me that I might travel ten miles in any direction
from Pohick (except to Alexandria) and not find a school-house! A few
northern farmers are now redeeming some of the upper portions of Fairfax
county; and it is to be hoped that the circles of their influence
may enlarge until Pohick Church is included, and its walls saved from
destruction.
When I left the church, a slight drizzle omened an approaching storm,
and I hastened to Alexandria, where I ascertained that I could not get.
upon the Potomac steamer with my horse without going to Washington City.
[Illustration: 8432]
Damp, weary, and vexed, I gave Charley a loose rein, for the day was
fast waning. When within half a mile of the Long Bridge, a vivid flash
of lightning, followed by a loud thunder-peal, burst from the clouds,
and seemed to open "the windows of heaven," and set free all the
"treasures of the cherubim." Another flash and thunder-peal, with the
accompanying deluge, came while I was crossing the drawbridge, and I
reined up at the "Indian Queen," on Pennsylvania Avenue, at twilight,
with all the concomitants of a disappointed disciple of Isaack Walton. A
thunder-shower in December is a phenomenon so rare that I almost enjoyed
the misery.
The steam-boat for Aquia Creek left Washington the following morning at
two o'clock. I was upon her deck in time, but a careless servant having
left a part of my baggage behind, I was obliged to return and remain in
Washington another day. It proved a fine one for traveling, and the very
reverse of the next day, when I was upon the road. The dawn opened with
sleet and rain, and a raw east wind. This was sufficiently unpleasant
for a traveler; yet a more vexatious circumstance awaited my debarkation
at Aquia Creek. From the landing to a plantation road leading to the
Fredericksburg _pike_, almost two miles, there was no wagon-track, the
rail-road being the only highway. I mounted my wagon upon a hand-car,
employed two stout negroes as locomotives, and, leading my horse along
the rough-ribbed iron way, finally reached a plantation lane on the edge
of a swamp. Where the rail-way traverses a broad marsh, deep ditches
cross it transversely. My horse, in attempting to leap one of these,
fell between the iron bars, with a hinder leg over one of them, which
prevented the use of his limbs in efforts to leap from the ditch. I
momentarily expected to hear the thigh-bone snap, for almost the entire
weight of his body rested upon it. The salvation of the animal depended
upon getting that leg free. I had no aid, for the negroes had neither
will nor judgment to assist. At the risk of being made a foot-ball,
I placed my shoulder in the hollow of the hoof, and with strength
increased by solicitude, I succeeded in pushing the limb over the
rail, and the docile animal, who seemed to feel the necessity of being
passive, stood erect in his prison of iron and soft earth. Within
a rectangle of a few feet, and a bank, shoulder high, he was still
confined. He made several efforts to spring out, but his knees would
strike the margin. At length, summoning all his energies, and appearing
to shrink into smaller compass, he raised his fore-feet upon the bank,
gave a spring, and, to my great joy, he stood safe and unhurt (though
trembling in every limb) upon the road. With a light and thankful heart
I traveled the sinuous pathway, through gates and bars, for five or six
miles, to the high road, the storm increasing.
The distance from Aquia Creek to Fredericksburg is fifteen miles. When
about halfway, I passed the ruins of old _Potomac Church_, once one of
the finest sacred edifices in Virginia. The plan of the interior was
similar to that of _Pohick_. The roof is supported by square columns,
stuccoed and painted in imitation of variegated marble The windows are
in Gothic style. The Law, the Prayer, and the Creed were quite well
preserved upon the walls, notwithstanding the roof is partly fallen
in, and the storms have free passage through the ruined arches. It is
surrounded by a thick hedge of thorn, dwarf cedars, and other shrubs,
festooned and garlanded with ivy and the wild grape, which almost
effectually guard the venerable relic from the intrusion of strangers.
With proper care, this church might have been a place of worship a
century longer, but like many other old churches, consecrated in the
appreciating mind of the patriotic American, this edifice is moldering
through neglect.
[[[The Rappahannock.--Fredericksburg.--Washington's Birth-place.--First
Monumental Stone.--Notables of Westmoreland]]]
{423}
```"They are all passing from the land;
````Those churches old and gray,
```In which our fathers used to stand,
````In years gone by, to pray.=
```Ay, pull them down, as well you may,
````Those altars stern and old;
```They speak of those long pass'd away,
````Whose ashes now are cold.
```Few, few, are now the strong-arm'd men
```Who worshiped at our altars then.=
```Then pull them down, and rear on high
````New-fangled, painted things,
```For these but mock the modern eye,
````The past around them brings.
```Then pull them down, and upward rear
```A pile which suits who worships here."
`````Elizabeth Oakes Smith.=
I crossed the Rappahannock* upon a long toll-bridge, and entered
Fredericksburg at noon. The city is old in fact, and antique in
appearance. A century and a quarter ago the settlers who had begun to
cultivate extensively the rich lands upon the Rappahannock, applied for
a town charter. It was granted; (a) and in honor of Prince Frederick,
the father of George III., and then heir-apparent to the British throne,
it was called Fredericksburg. At that time there was only a tobacco
warehouse on the site of the present, city with its four thousand five
hundred inhabitants. The town is regularly laid out. Many of the houses
are of brick, but few are in modern style, or of apparently recent
construction.
Fredericksburg is interesting, as connected with our subject, chiefly
from the fact that Washington passed his youthful days in its vicinity,
and that near the city, beneath an unfinished monument, repose the
remains of his beloved mother. The place of Washington's _birth_ was
about half a mile from the junction of Pope's Creek with the Potomac,
in Westmoreland county, the "Athens of Virginia." ** It is upon the
"Wakefield estate," now owned by John E. Wilson, Esq. The house in which
he was born was destroyed before the Revolution.
Upon its site, George W. P. Custis, Esq., placed a slab of free-stone,
(b) [[ b June, 1815.]]represented in the engraving on the following
page, on which is the simple inscription, "Here, the 11th of February
[O. S.], 1732, George Washington was born." ***
* The Rappahannock is one of the largest streams in Virginia. It
rises in the Blue Ridge, 130 miles northwest of its entrance into the
Chesapeake Bay, 25 miles south of the Potomac. It is navigable for
vessels requiring ten feet of water, to the Falls of the Rappahannock, a
little above Fredericksburg.
** This name has been given to Westmoreland on account of the great
number of men, distinguished in our annals, who were born there.
Washington; the two Lees, who signed the Declaration of Independence;
the brothers of Richard Henry Lee (Thomas, Francis, and Arthur); General
Henry Lee; Judge Bushrod Washington, and President Monroe, were all
born in that county. Richard Henry Lee's residence was Chantilly, on the
Potomac. Monroe was born at the head of Monroe's Creek. In Stratford,
upon the Potomac, a few miles above the residence of Richard Henry Lee,
is still standing one of the most remarkable buildings in this country.
I greatly desired to visit it, and portray it for this work, but
circumstances prevented. It was built by Mr. Thomas Lee, father of
Richard Henry Lee, who was president of the King's Council, and acting
governor of Virginia. While governor, his dwelling was burned, and
this edifice was erected for him, either by the government or by the
voluntary contributions of London merchants, by whom he was greatly
esteemed. There is no structure in our country to compare with it.
The walls of the first story are two and a half feet thick, and of the
second story, two feet, composed of brick imported from England. It
originally contained about one hundred rooms. Besides the main building,
there are four offices, one at each corner, containing fifteen rooms.
The stables are capable of accommodating one hundred horses. Its cost
was about $80,000.
*** The public career of Washington is illustrated in every part of
these volumes, for he was identified with all the important events of
the Revolution. His life is too well known to need an extended memoir.
I will here briefly chronicle a notice of his family, and the events
of his early life. He was descended from an old family of the English
aristocracy. The name of Washington, as a family, was first known about
the middle of the thirteenth century. Previously there was a manor of
that name, in the county of Durham, owned by William de Hertburne, who,
as was the custom in those days, took the name of his estate
[[[Washington's Birth-place.--His Ancestors.--Arms and Monuments.--First
Monumental Stone to the Memory of Washington.]]]
{424}The house in which his nativity took place was precisely the same
in appearanee as the family residence on the Rappahannock, delineated
opposite, being of the better class of plain gentleman have descended
the branches of the Washington family in England and America. The name
is frequently mentioned in the local histories of England as belonging
to persons of wealth and distinction. Sir Henry Washington was renowned
for his bravely at the siege of Worcester against the parliamentary
troops, and at the taking of Bristol. Monuments erected in churches
with the name of Washington upon them, are proofs of their opulence. The
ancient seat of the Washington family is said to be yet well preserved.
It is built of stone of great solidity. The timber is chiefly of
oak; and in several of the rooms, particularly in the large hall or
banqueting-room, are remains of rich carving and gilding in the cornices
and wainscoting. Over the mantel-pieces, elaborately carved, are the
family arms, richly emblazoned upon escutcheons.
[Illustration: 9434]
* The walls of the house are five feet thick. The entire residence is
surrounded by a beautiful garden and orchards. The old family monument,
erected to the memory of "Sir Laurence Washington, Nite," grandson
of the first proprietor of the name, of Sulgrave, and the ancestor of
General Washington, is in the cemetery of Gardson Church, two miles
from Malmsbury. It is of the mural style, and bears the family arms.
Sir Laurence Washington died in May, 1643. Two of his sons, John and
Laurence Washington, emigrated to Virginia about the year 1657, and
settled at Bridge's Creek, on the Potomac, in Westmoreland county. The
eldest brother of the emigrants, Sir William Washington, married a half
sister of George Villiers, duke of Buckingham. John Washington, soon
after settling in Virginia, engaged in military expeditions against the
Indians, and rose to the rank of colonel. He married Ann Pope, by whom
he had two sons, Laurence and John, and a daughter. Laurence married
Mildred Warner, of Gloucester county, and had three children, John,
Augustine, and Mildred. Augustine first married Jane Butler, by whom he
had three sons and a daughter. His second wife was Mary Bail, to whom he
was married on the 6th of March, 1730. By her he had six children;
the first-born was George, the subject of our memoir. He was the
great-grandson of the first emigrant to America, and sixth in descent
from the first Laurence of Sulgrave. He was born on the 22d (11th O. S.)
of February, 1732. His parents soon afterward removed to an estate in
Stafford county, near Fredericksburg, where his father died on the 12th
of April, 1743, and was buried at Bridge's Creek. To each of his sons
he left a plantation. To his oldest survivor he bequeathed an estate on
Hunting Creek (afterward Mount Vernon), and to George he left the lands
and mansion (pictured above) where his father lived. His mother had five
young children to nurture and prepare for active life. It was a great
responsibility, yet she performed her duty with entire success. To her
guidance the world probably owes much of the good which has emanated
from the career of her illustrious son. Washington received few
advantages from early school education. There were then few good schools
in the colonies. The wealthy planters sent their children to England
to be educated. The mother of George did not feel able to incur the
expense, and he was obliged to rely upon her, a neighboring school,
and occasionally a private tutor in mathematics, for his elementary
knowledge. His practical mind developed nobly under even this deficient
culture. He left school when almost sixteen years of age, pretty
thoroughly versed in mathematics, and fully competent for the
profession of a practical surveyor. When he was fourteen years old, his
half-brother, Laurence Washington, having observed in him a fondness for
military matters, obtained for him a midshipman's warrant, in 1746. That
gentleman had served under Admiral Vernon at the siege of Carthagena,
and in the West Indies, and kept up a friendly correspondence with his
commander. He regarded the British navy as an attractive field, where
his young brother might become distinguished. The mother of young
Washington partly consented; but when the time approached, and the boy
with buoyant spirits prepared for departure, her maternal feelings
were too strong to allow a separation, and the project was abandoned.
Laurence Washington married a daughter of the wealthy William Fairfax,
who was for some time president of his majesty's council in the colony.
When young Washington left school, he went to live with his brother
Laurence at Mount Vernon, and his intimacy with the Fairfax family led
to those initial steps in his public life which resulted so gloriously.
He was employed to survey the immense tracts of land in the rich valleys
of the Alleghany Mountains, belonging to Lord Fairfax, a relative of
William. When onlv sixteen years and one month old, he set out with
George W. Fairfax (whose signature, with that of George Mason, is
on page 421) to survey these immense tracts. They suffered great
privations, and encountered many dangers; but this expedition proved
a sehool of immense advantage to the future hero. He executed his task
very satisfactorily, and soon afterward received an appointment as
public surveyor. He devoted three years to this lucrative pursuit. His
talents, probity, and general intelligence attracted the attention of
the authorities of Virginia. The encroachments of the French on the
western frontiers of the state, caused the governor to divide the
province into militia districts, over which was placed an officer with
the rank of major, whose duty it was to drill the people in military
tactics. Over one of these districts young Washington was plaeed at the
age of nineteen, with the pay of $750 a year. He had just entered upon
this duty, when his brother Laurence, on account of failing health,
was advised by his physicians to make a voyage to the West Indies.
He desired the company of George, and they sailed for Barbadoes in
September, 1751. They remained there a few weeks; but hope for the
invalid faded away, and he resolved to go to Bermuda, and send George
home for his wife. While in Barbadoes, young Washington was sick three
weeks with the small-pox. As soon as he recovered, he sailed for home.
At first, an encouraging letter came from Laurence; the seeond was
desponding, and, giving up all hope of life, he returned home. He
lingered a short time, and died at the age of thirty-four years. His
estate of Mount Vernon, as I have elsewhere noticed, he bequeathed to
George, in the event of his surviving daughter dying without issue,
George was one of his brother's executors, and the duties incumbent
thereon occupied the principal part of his time. When Governor Dinwiddie
came to Virginia, he apportioned the colony into four grand military
divisions, over one of which he placed Major Washington. He exercised
the functions of his offiee with great skill and fidelity, and when the
continued encroachments of the Freneh and Indians called for a military
expedition, Major Washington was sent to reconnoiter, and collect all
possible information. In this perilous business he was successful,
and so pleased was the governor and council, that they appointed him a
commissioner to visit the French posts on the Ohio, and, in the name of
the King of England, to demand an explicit answer to the inquiry, "By
what right do you invade British territory?" The particulars of
this expedition will be noticed hereafter. Washington was then only
twenty-one years old. He not only faithfully executed the instructions
of the governor, expressed on the face of his commission, but obtained a
great amount of information respecting the numbers and resources of
the enemy. For eleven weeks he suffered great hardships with his few
companions, when he appeared at Williamsburg, and laid his report before
the governor and his couneil. War was deemed necessary, and arrangements
were made accordingly. The other colonies were called upon for aid.
Washington was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Virginia forces
destined for Ohio, and in April he marched toward the Alleghanies. Some
severe conflicts ensued, and finally, the expedition was defeated. The
conduct of Washington was highly approved. When Braddock undertook an
expedition against the enemy in the spring of 1755, Washington, at his
request, accompanied him as one of his military family. In the battle at
the Great Meadows which ensued. Braddock was killed. Colonel Washington
behaved with the greatest bravery, and by his skill the army was saved
from entire destruction. He returned to Mount Vernon, and continued in
the military service until 1759, when he was elected a member of the
Virginia House of Burgesses for Frederick county. He was married the
same year to Mrs. Martha Custis, widow of John Parke Custis. This event
is noticed elsewhere. The estate of Mount Vernon having come into
his possession, he established himself there three months after his
marriage. From that period until his election as a delegate to the first
Congress in 1774, his time was devoted to agriculture, and to the duties
of a state legislator. He early espoused the cause of the colonists in
their disputes with Great Britain, and when the crisis arrived, he was
appointed, as we have noticed on page 563, volume i., commander-in-chief
of the Continental army. From that time his life forms an important
portion of the history of our Republic. His final retirement to Mount
Vernon after the war, and his death, will be noticed hereafter.
* This, and the picture of the residence of the Washington family on the
Rappahannock, are from drawings by John G. Chapman, Esq. Under date
of August 21, 1851, Mr. Custis kindly furnished me with an interesting
account of the dedication of this first monumental stone to the memory
of Washington. In June, 1815 (a few days before the cornerstone of the
Washington monument at Baltimore was laid), accompanied by two gentlemen
(Messrs. Lewis and Grymes), he sailed from Alexandria in his own vessel,
the Lady of the Lake, for Pope's Creek. Arrived at the hallowed spot
with the inscribed tablet, they proceeded to deposit it in a proper
place. "Desirous of making the ceremonial of depositing the stone as
imposing as circumstances would permit," says Mr. Custis, "we enveloped
it in the 1 Star-spangled Banner' of our eountry, and it was borne to
its resting-place in the arms of the descendants of four Revolutionary
patriots and soldiers--Samuel Lewis, son of George Lewis, a captain in
Baylor's regiment of horse, and nephew of Washington; William Grymes,
the son of Benjamin Grymes, a gallant and distinguished officer of
the Life Guards; the Captain of the vessel, the son of a brave soldier
wounded in the battle of Guilford; and George W. P. Custis, the son
of John Parke Custis, aid-de-eamp to the commander-in-chief before
Cambridge and Yorktown. We gathered together the bricks of the ancient
chimney that once formed the hearth around which Washington in his
infancy had played, and constructed a rude kind of pedestal, on which
we reverently placed the first stone, commending it to the respect
and protection of the American people in general, and the citizens of
Westmoreland in particular." *
* The shield with the stars and stripes, on the right, forms the seal
of General Washington. A copy of it, taken from a death warrant, may be
found in the Appendix.
[[[Virginia Residence of the Washington Family.--Early Life of General
Washington.--Death of his Brother Laurence.]]]
{425}Virginian farm-houses. It had four rooms, with an enormous chimney
at each end, on the outside. The estate on the Rappahanuock was owned by
his father, Augustine Washington.
[Illustration: 0435]
[[[The Washington Farm.--Residence of the Mother of Washington.--His
early Military Career.]]]
{426}several years before his marriage with Mary Ball (daughter of
Colonel Ball, of Lancaster), the mother of the illustrious patriot.
It is nearly opposite Fredericksburg, in Stafford county, and when I
visited that city, (a) it was the property of the Reverend Thomas [[
a 1848]] Teasdale. The mansion-house, which stood near the present
residence of Mr. King, a short distance below the rail-road bridge, has
long since gone to decay and disappeared, and to the skillful pencil of
J. G. Chapman, Esq., I am indebted for the accompanying picture.
The storm continuing, and nothing of interest being left upon the soil
known as "The Washington Farm," I did not visit it, but contented myself
with a distant view of its rolling acres as I rode out of Fredericksburg
to pursue my journey southward.
On the northwest corner of Charles and Lewis streets, in Fredericksburg,
is the house (the residence of Richard Stirling, Esq ) where the mother
of Washington resided during the latter years of her life, and where she
died. There that honored matron, and more honored son, had their last
earthly interview in the spring of 1789, after he was elected President
of the United States. Just before his departure for New York to take the
oath of office, and to enter upon his new duties, Washington, actuated
by that filial reverence and regard which always distinguished him, *
hastened to Fredericksburg to visit his mother. She was then fourscore
and five years old, bowed with age and the ravages of that terrible
disease, a deep-rooted cancer in the breast. Their interview was
deeply affecting. After the first emotions incident to the meeting had
subsided, Washington said, "The people, madam, have been pleased, with
the most flattering unanimity, to elect me to the chief magistracy of
the United States; but before I can assume the functions of that office,
I have come to bid you an affectionate farewell. So soon as the public
business which must necessarily be encountered in arranging a new
government can be disposed of, I shall hasten
* It is related that on one occasion, during the Revolution, his mother
was with him at a large social gathering. At nine o'clock in the evening
the aged matron approached her son, placed her arm in his, and
said. "Come, George, it is time for us to be at home; late hours are
injurious." With the docility of a child the general left the company
with his mother; "but," as Mrs. Hamilton said to me, when speaking of
the circumstance, "he came back again."
[[[Washington's last Interview with his Mother.--Her Death, and
unfinished Monument.--Cornerstone laid by President Jackson.]]]
{427}to Virginia, and--" Here the matron interrupted him with, "You will
see me no more.
My great age, and the disease which is fast approaching my vitals, warns
me that I shall not be long in this world. I trust to God I am somewhat
prepared for a better. But go, George, fulfill the destiny which Heaven
appears to assign you; go, my son, and may Heaven's and your mother's
blessing be with you always." Washington wept; the great man was again
a little child, and he kissed the furrowed cheek of his parent with all
the tender affection and simplicity of a loving boy. With a full heart
he went forth to "fulfill the destiny" which Heaven assigned him, and he
saw his mother no more. She died in the autumn of 1789, and was buried
on a beautiful knoll upon the estate of her son-in-law. Colonel Fielding
Lewis, * within sound of the busy hum of the city.
[Illustration: 8437]
In the midst of the thickly-falling sleet, I made a pilgrimage to the
grave of the mother of Washington, and sketched the half-finished and
neglected monument which was erected over it a few years ago. It stands
near a ledge of rocks, where she often resorted in fine weather for
private meditation and devotion. Years before her death she selected
that spot for her grave. The monument is of white marble, and, even in
its unfinished state, has an imposing appearance. The corner-stone was
laid by Andrew Jackson, then President of the United States, on the 7th
of May, 1833, in the presence of a great concourse of people. He went
down the Potomac from Washington City on the 6th, ** and was met
at Potomac Creek, nine miles from Fredericksburg, by the _Monument
Committee_ of that city. He was also met by a military escort, and
conducted to the residence of Doctor Wallace, where he was entertained.
A large military and civic procession was formed the following day,
and proceeded to the grave, where the imposing ceremonies were to be
performed. Mr. Basset, in behalf of the citizens of Fredericksburg,
first addressed the president on the character of her whom they sought
to honor. The president made an eloquent reply; and, as he deposited an
inscribed plate in the hollow corner-stone, he said, "Fellow-citizens,
at your request, and in your name, I now deposit this plate in the spot
destined for it; and when the American pilgrim shall, in after ages,
come up to this high and holy place, and lay his hand upon this sacred
column, may he recall the virtues of her who sleeps beneath, and depart
with his affections purified, and his piety strengthened, while he
invokes blessings upon the memory of the mother of 'Washington."
Referring to this event, Mrs. Sigourney thus beautifully wrote for the
_Fredonia Arena_:=
```"Long hast thou slept unnoticed. Nature stole
```In her soft minstrelsy around thy bed.=
* Colonel Fielding Lewis married Elizabeth, the sister of Washington. He
was proprietor of half the town of Fredericksburg, and of an extensive
territory adjoining. During the war, in which his feelings were
warmly enlisted, he superintended the great manufactory of arms in
his neighborhood. He was a local magistrate for many years, and often
represented his county in the Legislature. He died in December, 1781, at
the age, of fifty-five years. His son George was at one time a captain
in the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, and his other three sons were active
public men. His daughter Elizabeth married Charles Carter Esq.
** While the boat was lying at the wharf at Alexandria on this occasion,
Lieutenant Randolph, who had lately been dismissed from the navy, went
on board, and proceeding into the cabin, where the venerable president
sat at table reading and smoking, made a brutal and cowardly attack upon
him. Randolph was instantly seized by the captain, when a number of his
friends, who accompanied him, rescued him, and bore him to the wharf.
A citizen of Alexandria hearing of the outrage, was so greatly incensed
that he said to the president, "Sir, if you will pardon me in case I am
tried and convicted, I will kill Randolph! for this insult to you, in
fifteen minutes." "No, sir," responded the president, "I can not do
that. I want no man to stand between me and my assailants, nor none
to take revenge on my account. Had I been prepared for this cowardly
villain's approach, I can assure you all that he never would have the
temerity to undertake such a thing again."
[[[The unfinished Obelisk for the Tomb of Washington's
Mother.--Departure from Fredericksburg.--General Mercer's Son]]]
{428}
```Spreading her vernal tissue, violet-gemm'd,
```And pearl'd with dews.
`````She bade bright Summer bring=
```Gifts of frankincense, with sweet song of birds,
```And Autumn east his reaper's coronet
```Down at thy feet, and stormy Winter speak
```Sternly of man's neglect. But now we come
```To do thee homage--Mother of our chief!--
```Fit homage, such as honoreth him who pays.
```Methinks we see thee, as in olden time--
```Simple in garb, majestic, and serene;
```Unmoved by pomp or circumstances: in truth
```Inflexible; and, with a Spartan zeal,
```Repressing vice and making folly grave.
```Thou didst not deem it woman's part to waste
```Life in inglorious sloth--to sport a while
```Amid the flowers, or on the summer wave.
```Then, fleet like the Ephemeron, away,
```Building no temple in her children's hearts,
```Save to the vanity and pride of life
```Which she had worship'd.=
`````For the might that clothed
```The "Pater Patria"--for the glorious deeds
```That make Mount Vernon's tomb a Mecca shrine
```For all the earth, what thanks to thee are due.
```Who, mid his elements of being wrought,
```We know not--Heaven can tell."=
Almost twenty years have passed away since the imposing pageant at
the laying of the corner-stone was displayed, and yet the monument is
unfinished,=
[Illustration: 9438]
````Still may Spring, and Summer, and
`````"Stormy Winter speak
````Sternly of man's neglect=
for the huge marble obelisk, as it came from the quarry, lies there yet,
defaced and mutilated by rude hands, and silently appealing to local
pride and general patriotism to sculpture its ornaments, and place it
where it was designed to be. Year after year the dust of the plain has
lodged upon the top of the half-finished pile, and the seeds of wild
flowers have been borne thither upon the wings of the zephyrs; and
where the base of the noble obelisk should rest, Nature, as if rebuking
insensate man, hath woven green garlands, and hung flowery festoons.
Upon the broad tablet whereon was to be inscribed the beautiful
memorial, "Mary, the Mother of Washington," dark green fungi have made
_their_ humiliating record instead.
I left Fredericksburg ** at two o'clock, with the intention of lodging
at Bowling Green, in Caroline county, twenty-two miles distant. The
post-road is one of the finest I ever traveled; broad, and in good
condition. It passes through a gently rolling, fertile country, and
apparently well cultivated. When within about twelve miles of my
destination I passed a farm-house, from which two men, with a span of
horses and a rickety market wagon,
* This is a sketch, from the original design of the monument, of the
obelisk and its surmountings, intended to be placed upon the present
structure. Why half-hewn marble has been allowed to remain so long
unfinished that Vandal relic-seekers have ruined it, I can not
comprehend. Is there not public spirit enough in Virginia to complete
this memorial of her most honored daughter? Independent of the reflected
glory of her son, she was a noble woman, because truly excellent in all
her relations in life; a sincere Christian; kind and benevolent; and
a mother who, like Cornelia, regarded her children as her jewels, and
cherished them accordingly.
** It is to me a matter of sincere regret, that when I was at
Fredericksburg, I was not aware that Colonel Hugh Mercer, the son of the
lamented General Mercer, who was killed at Princeton, was a resident
of that city. Educated at the public expense, by order of Congress, his
name and character belong to history. A portrait of this "foster-child
of the Republic" will be found in another part of this work.
[[[The Wrong Road.--Pamunkey River.--Hanover Court House.--The old
Tavern.--Anecdote.]]]
{429}were just departing for Richmond, whither I was making my way.
They, too, intended to lodge at Bowling Green, and offered to pilot me.
Their fresh horses tried Charley's speed and bottom to the utmost. We
crossed the Mattapony River, a tributary of the Parnunkey, at twilight,
over two high bridges. Night came on with sudden and intense darkness;
so dark that I could not see my pilots. At a fork I "lost my reckoning
they taking one branch and I the other. Charley neighed, and tried to
follow them. "I was wise in my own conceit," and reined him into the
other fork. I rode on for nearly an hour without passing a habitation,
and entirely unconscious of the nature or direction of the road I was
traveling.
[Illustration: 8439]
A heavy mist shrouded the country. At length the rays of a candle came
feebly from a window at the road-side. I hailed, and asked for and
obtained lodgings for the night. It was the hospitable mansion of Mr.
Burke, a planter, some seven miles from Bowling Green. I had wandered
four miles from the direct road to that village, but was not far
from the nearest highway to Hanover Court House, my next point of
destination.
I resumed my journey at daybreak, leaving Bowling Green on the left;
breakfasted at a small tavern, after a ride of six miles, and soon
overtook my pilots, who, in attempting to reach a point beyond Bowling
Green the night before, had broken an axle while crossing a swamp. We
journeyed on together to Hanover Court House, within nineteen miles
of Richmond. The appearance of the country changed materially after
crossing the Mattapony. It became more hilly, sandy, and sterile,
producing dwarf pines in abundance. We crossed the Parnunkey a little
below the confluence of its branches (the North and South Anna), and, at
a mile distant, reached Hanover Court House in time for a late dinner.
The village now (a) consists of the ancient court-house and tavern, one
brick house, several negro huts, and a jail. The latter was in process
of reconstruction [[ a 1851]] when I was there, having been burned a
few months previously. Here was a flourishing town before Richmond, now
containing thirty thousand inhabitants, was an incorporated village. The
Parnunkey was then navigable for sloops and schooners; now the channel
is filled with sand. Hanover was a place of considerable business.
Sixteen hundred hogs-heads of tobacco were annually exported from it,
and it was regarded as an eligible site for the state capital. When the
House of Burgesses were deliberating upon the subject of removing the
Capitol from Williamsburg, they came within a few votes of deciding upon
Hanover instead of Richmond. Where the populous village once stood I saw
traces of a recent corn crop, but not a vestige of former habitation.
The old tavern where I lodged, and the court-house, are objects of much
interest, from the circumstance that in the former Patrick Henry was a
temporary _bar-tender_, * and in the latter he made those first
efforts at oratory which burst forth like meteors from the gloom of his
obscurity. He had passed his youth-
* The Marquis de Chastellux, who visited Hanover in 1781, mentions this
tavern as "a tolerably handsome inn, with a very large saloon, and a
covered portico, and destined to receive the company who assemble every
three months at the court-house, either on private or publie affairs." I
slept in the "large saloon," and under shelter of the "covered portico"
mentioned bv the marquis, I sketched the court-house. The general
external appearance of the house. I was informed, has been changed. The
marquis relates the following anecdote respecting the passage of the
English through that county: "Mr. Tilghman, our landlord, though he
lamented his misfortune in having lodged and boarded Cornwallis and his
retinue, without his lordship having made the least recompense, could
not help laughing at the fright which the unexpected arrival Tarleton
spread among a considerable number of gentlemen who came to hear the
news, and were assembled in the court-house. A negro, on horseback, came
full gallop to let them know that Tarleton was not above three miles
off. The resolution of retreating was soon taken: but the alarm was so
sudden, and the confusion so great, that every one mounted the first
horse he could find, so that few of those curious gentlemen returned
upon their own horses."--Travels, ii., 13, 14.
** This view is from the front, looking east-northeast. The 'building is
of imported brick, with an arcade in front. It was erected about 1740.
An addition has been made to the rear, wherein is the judge's bench.
[[[Early Years of Patrick Henry.--The "Parsons's Cause."--His Début as
an Orator, described by Wirt]]]
{430}ful days in apparent idleness, and, lacking business tact and
energy, he failed to succeed in mercantile pursuits, in which he was
engaged. He became bankrupt, and no one was willing to aid him. He had
married at eighteen, and yet, in the twenty-fourth year of his age, he
had done little toward supporting a wife. They lived most of the time
with his father-in-law (Mr. Shelton), who kept the tavern at Hanover,
and when the proprietor was absent, young Henry took his place behind
the bar. As a last resort, he studied law. He applied himself diligently
for six weeks, when he obtained a license, but for nearly three years he
was "briefless;" indeed, he hardly knew how to draw a _brief_ correctly.
At the age of twenty-seven, he was employed in the celebrated _Parsons's
Cause_; and in Hanover court-house, on that occasion, his genius was
first developed. The case was a controversy between the clergy and the
Legislature of the state, relating to the stipend claimed by the
former! A decision of the court in favor of the clergy had left nothing
undetermined but the amount of damages in the cause whieh was pending.
Young Henry took part against the clergy, and in his plea his wonderful
oratory beamed out, for the first time, in great splendor. Wirt has
vividly described the scene in his life of the "American Demosthenes." *
* "The array before Mr. Henry's eyes was now most fearful. On the bench
sat more than twenty clergymen, the most learned men in the colony, and
the most capable, as well as the severest critics before whom it was
possible for him to have made his _début_. The court-house was crowded
with an overwhelming multitude, and surrounded with an immense and
anxious throng, who, not finding room to enter, were endeavoring to
listen without in the deepest attention. But there was something still
more awfully disconcerting than all this; for in the chair of the
presiding magistrate sat no other person than his own father. Mr. Lyons
opened the cause very briefly; in the way of argument he did nothing
more than explain to the jury that the decision on the demurrer had put
the act of 1758 entirely out of the way, and left the law of 1748 as the
only standard of their damages. He then concluded with a highly-wrought
eulogium on the benevolence of the clergy. And now came on the first
trial of Patrick Henry's strength. No one had ever heard him speak, and
curiosity was on tiptoe. He rose very awkwardly, and faltered much
in his exordium. The people hung their heads at so unpromising a
commencement; the clergy were observed to exchange sly looks with each
other; and his father is described as having almost sunk with confusion
from his seat. But these feelings were of short duration, and soon
gave place to others of a very different character; for now were those
wonderful faculties which he possessed for the first time developed,
and now was first witnessed that mysterious and almost supernatural
transformation of appearance, which the fire of his own eloquence never
failed to work in him; for, as his mind rolled along, and began to
glow from its own action, all the exuviæ of the clown seemed to shed
themselves spontaneously. His attitude, by degrees, became erect
and lofty. The spirit of his genius awakened all his features. His
countenance shone with a nobleness and grandeur which it had never
before exhibited. There was a lightning in his eye which seemed to rivet
the spectator. His action became graceful, bold, and commanding; and in
the tones of his voice, but more especially in his emphasis, there was a
peculiar charm, a magic, of which any one who ever heard him will speak
as soon as ever he is named, but of which no one can give any adequate
description. They can only say that it struck upon the ear and upon
the heart in a manner which language can not tell. Add to all these his
wonder-working fancy, and the peculiar phraseology in which he clothed
its images, for he painted to the heart with a force that almost
petrified it. In the language of those who heard him on this occasion,
'he made their blood run cold, and their hair to rise on end.'
* "It will not be difficult for any one who ever heard this most
extraordinary man to believe the whole account of this transaction,
which is given by his surviving hearers; and from their account, the
court-house of Hanover county must have exhibited, on this occasion, a
scene as picturesque as has been ever witnessed in real life. They say
that the people, whose countenances had fallen as he arose, had heard
but a very few sentences before they began to look up, then to look
at each other with surprise, as if doubting the evidence of their own
senses; then, attracted by some strong gesture, struck by some majestic
attitude, fascinated by the spell of his eye, the charm of his emphasis,
and the varied and commanding expression of his countenance, they could
look away no more. In less than twenty minutes they might be seen,
in every part of the house, on every bench, in every window, stooping
forward from their stands, in death-like silence, their features fixed
in amazement and awe, all their senses listening and riveted upon the
speaker, as if to catch the last strain of some heavenly visitant. The
mockery of the clergy was soon turned into alarm, their triumph into
confusion and despair; and at one burst of his rapid and overwhelming
invective, they fled from the bench in precipitation and terror. As for
the father, such was his surprise, such his amazement, such his rapture,
that, forgetting where he was, and the character which he was filling,
tears of ecstasy streamed down his cheeks, without the power or
inclination to repress them.
* "The jury seem to have been so completely bewildered that they
lost sight not only of the act of 1748, but that of 1758 also; for,
thoughtless even of the admitted right of the plaintiff, they had
scarcely left the bar when they returned with a verdict of _one penny
damages_. A motion was made for a new trial; but the court, too, had
now lost the equipoise of their judgment, and overruled the motion by
a unanimous vote. The verdict, and judgment overruling the motion, were
followed by redoubled acclamation from within and without the house. The
people, who had with difficulty kept their hands off their champion from
the moment of closing his harangue, no sooner saw the fate of the cause
finally sealed, than they seized him at the bar, and, in spite of his
own exertions and the continued cry of 'order' from the sheriffs and the
court, they bore him out of the court-house, and, raising him on their
shoulders, carried him about the yard in a kind of electioneering
triumph."
[[[New Castle.--Road from Hanover to Richmond.--Birth-place of Henry
Clay.--Virginia Market wagons.]]]
{431}We shall meet Patrick Henri again presently in more important
scenes.
Upon the Pamunkey, a few miles below Hanover Court House, is New
Castle, once a flourishing village, but now a desolation, only one house
remaining upon its site.
[Illustration: 8441]
That is the place where Patrick Henry assembled the volunteers and
marched to Williamsburg, for the purpose of demanding a restoration of
the powder which Lord Dunmore had removed from the public magazine, or
its equivalent in money. Of this I shall hereafter write.
I lodged at Hanover, and, after an early breakfast, departed for
Richmond, the rain yet falling. Between three and four miles from
Hanover Court House,
I passed the birth-place of Henry Clay. It stands upon the right of the
turnpike to Richmond, in the midst of the flat piny region called the
slashes of _Hanover_. * It is a frame building, one story high, with
dormer windows, and two large chimneys on the outside of each gable.
Here the great statesman was born in 1777. The roads through this
desolate region are wretched, abounding in those causeways of logs known
as _corduroy roads_. Within ten miles of Richmond the scenery becomes
diversified, and the vicinage of a large town is denoted by the
numerous vehicles upon the broad road, consisting chiefly of uncouth
market-wagons, drawn by mules, frequently six or eight in a team, as
pictured in the sketch below. The negro driver is usually seated upon
one of the wheel mules, and without guiding lines, conducts them by
the vocal direction of _haw_ and _gee_. To the eyes of a Northern
man looking upon these caravans for the first time, they appear quite
picturesque.
I reached Richmond at meridian, (a) where I tarried with esteemed
friends for[[ a Dec. 14, 1848.]] several days.
[Illustration: 0441]
* The word slashes is applied to tracts of fiat clay soil, covered with
pine woods, and always wet. The clay is almost impervious to water, and
as evaporation goes on slowly in the shadow of the pines, the ground is
seldom dry. "The mill-boy of the slashes" was an electioneering phrase
applied to Henry Clay some years ago, when he was a candidate for
the presidency of the United States. Mr. Clay, who is now (1852) a
representative of Kentucky in the Senate of the United States, is the
last survivor of the Commissioners who negotiated the treaty at Ghent in
1815, with the representatives of the British government.
[[[Early Settlement at Rockett's and Powhatan.--Captain
Smith.--Abandonment of "Nonesuch."--Fort Charles.]]]
{432}