WASHINGTON AND THE REVOLUTION.
=197. Boyhood and Youth of George Washington.=--During the infancy of our
nation there were many staunch and noble patriots; but far above all
stood, and stands to-day, the majestic figure of George Washington. He
came upon the stage at just the right time to give the vigor of his
manhood to the military service of his country, and the maturity of his
judgment to the formation of the new government and later to the
presidency. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732.
In those days the country was thinly settled, good schools were rare,
and even the rich planters did not find it easy to have their children
well disciplined in learning. The future president had only a plain
education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his childhood he
showed a martial spirit. While at school he was often the captain of a
little military company with paper hats and wooden swords, and even in
their marches and sham battles the boy exhibited somewhat of the
soldierly bearing and honorable character that distinguished him later
in life.
He took an interest in study and enjoyed reading good books. He wrote an
excellent hand, and some productions in his superior penmanship have
been kept to this day, showing remarkable neatness and accuracy. They
comprise lessons in geometry, forms of business papers, and even some
neatly written extracts in verse. He studied by himself book-keeping and
mathematics, especially land surveying, which was much needed in that
new country. These studies proved of great value to him in after years.
=198. Boyhood's Sports.=--Washington when a lad was robust, fond of
athletic games, running, jumping, and wrestling. In these healthful
sports he outdid his comrades. He could surpass them all in throwing a
stone across the Rappahannock. The boys all liked him, for he was
generous and open-hearted, and they used to make him a judge in their
disputes.
He was especially given to horsemanship, and delighted to break in the
dashing young colts, and even to train dangerous horses.
=199. Washington's Love for his Mother.=--When Washington was about eleven
years old his father died, and the family was broken up. George's
mother, like the mothers of most great men, had a strong, upright
character and brought up her children exceedingly well. Like all worthy
boys, he dearly loved his mother and was willing to be guided by her
wishes.
When about fourteen, he had a great longing to go to sea. Ships of war
sometimes anchored in the Potomac River, near his home. The officers
used to visit his brother's estate at Mount Vernon, and the boy no doubt
listened eagerly to their stories of naval battles and adventures.
He passionately desired to become a sailor. His mother at last gave an
unwilling consent. His trunk was packed and all was ready. But when the
hour for parting came, the quiet entreaty of his mother, "Don't go,
George," with tears running down her cheeks, changed his purpose.
This good mother lived until 1789, when she died at the age of
eighty-two. Her lot was a rare one. She lived to see her son the most
illustrious of living men, with a spotless fame, and as much admired for
the purity of his character as for the greatness of his deeds. It is
said that she used to listen to praise of him in silence, and only
answered: "Yes, George was always a good boy!"
=200. His Faithful Work as a Surveyor in the Virginia Wilderness.=--It
seems strange now, as we look back on his early life, to see how
Washington unconsciously prepared himself for his great future. He
employed a trainer and took a severe course of lessons in skillful
fencing and sword drill, and, besides, he made a careful study of
military science and tactics.
[Illustration: GEORGE WASHINGTON.]
He became prominent as a young man of superb vigor, fond of study and
work, and full of promise of great achievements. So Lord Fairfax, an
eccentric nobleman, who was a great fox hunter and who much admired his
young friend's bold riding, selected him to survey the thousands of
acres of forest land that the king had granted to him beyond the Blue
Ridge. This was a pretty large undertaking for a boy of sixteen! But the
youngster was enough of a man to do it. He and his assistant took each a
horse, a gun, an axe, surveyor's tools, and camp outfit. They spent
months in the vast forests and among the mountains; cutting their paths
through woods, fording rivers, facing the drenching storms, surveying
and measuring by day, and writing out the notes in the light of
camp-fires by night; living on the game they shot,--wild turkeys,
squirrels, rabbits, and deer; often meeting Indians.
All this was just the school to prepare him for coming duties and for
the great career he never then dreamed of. Here he gained in a high
degree the hardy virtues of courage, self-reliance, promptness in
danger, quick and prudent foresight, and unflinching endurance under
difficulties.
On his return, young Washington had done his work so well that the
Governor appointed him public surveyor. It was a prominent office, and
he filled it honorably. His surveys were so correct that it is said they
are used even to this day.
Lord Fairfax lived many years after this. He was bitterly opposed to the
war of the Revolution. One day he heard the people shouting and cheering
near his home. He asked his old negro servant what it all meant, and he
was told that Lord Cornwallis had surrendered to General Washington. At
this the old man groaned, "Take me to bed, Joe; it is high time for me
to die!"
=201. His Work as an Army Officer.=--Washington was twenty-three years
old when he was appointed on the staff of General Braddock. We have read
in Chapter VIII the story of this disastrous campaign. The choice proved
the Governor's insight into Washington's remarkable character. His
surprising bravery, his insensibility to fear amid the whistling of
bullets, his coolness in danger, and his maturity of judgment, really
saved the whole campaign and rescued Braddock's shattered forces from
total ruin.
[Illustration: WASHINGTON CROSSING A RIVER ON A RAFT IN THE WILDERNESS
DURING MID-WINTER.]
Shortly afterwards Washington withdrew for a while from military life.
In 1759, he married Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow with two small
children and a large fortune. A short time after their marriage Colonel
and Mrs. Washington, or Lady Washington, as she was called, retired to
Mount Vernon, a fine estate of eight thousand acres which he had
inherited from his brother Lawrence. His many visitors who expected to
see a heroic figure could not have been disappointed in his personal
appearance.
Washington was a man of noble presence, six feet two in height, of
dignified and courtly manners and a noble military air. With health and
wealth, a happy home and all that makes life pleasant, he was enjoying
his honors and the comforts of rural life.
=202. Advancement in Political Honors.=--So high was the trust reposed by
all in Washington that he was now elected to the Virginia legislature,
the House of Burgesses, a signal proof of popular confidence. He always
studied the business of every day carefully, though he seldom made
speeches. When he first entered and took his seat, in 1759, the Speaker
of the House rose and in eloquent language returned thanks to him in the
name of the colony for his services during the war.
Washington stood up to reply; blushed, stammered, trembled, and could
not utter a word.
"Sit down, Mr. Washington," said the Speaker with a smile; "your modesty
equals your valor, and that surpasses the power of any language I
possess."
For the next sixteen years Washington's life passed quietly and
contentedly. Then was heard the distant thunder of the coming
Revolution.
We may be sure that Washington studiously watched the course of events,
and often went back to Mount Vernon from the public meetings with an
anxious mind.
=203. Becomes Commander-in-Chief of the American Army.=--Soon a problem
presented itself before the Continental Congress of which Washington was
a member. Who shall be chosen Commander-in-Chief of our armies? Who
shall be singled out for this most difficult task?
There was one man to whom all turned. On a motion of John Adams of
Massachusetts the choice was George Washington--"a gentleman from
Virginia who is among us, and very well known to all of us." The choice
was unanimous. It was a spontaneous tribute to his superior military
experience and skill; to the strength and purity of his character, the
ardor and unselfishness of his patriotism, and the perfect confidence
which his whole career had inspired.
Washington, in the course of his brief and modest speech of acceptance,
said his service would be freely given without salary, asking that only
his expenses be paid, and of which he would keep a careful record. His
expense-books, kept during the Revolution in his own neat handwriting,
are still carefully preserved.
With the promptness which was a part of his self-training, he began at
once his new duties. In a few days, as we have read in Chapter XII, he
took command of the patriot army at Cambridge.
We know how Washington's well-planned siege shut up the British army in
Boston all that summer and all the next winter until March, when his
admirable strategy compelled the proud Howe to sail silently away. This
achievement of the brave Virginia officer, and of his raw
farmer-soldiers against the much larger force of British regulars, well
deserved the gold medal given him by Congress.
=204. Takes Command in New York; his Masterly Retreat.=--Howe and
Washington, after the evacuation of Boston, moved their armies to New
York, each knowing the other would do so. The British plan was to take
and hold the Hudson River and thus to separate the troublesome New
England colonies from the others. The possession of New York was
therefore of vast importance.
Washington arrived first, and as the Brooklyn Heights opposite New York
controlled the latter city, he did well to occupy this position. But it
would have been very unwise to place all his army there. He stationed
about nine thousand men under General Putnam in Brooklyn. The rest he
used across the river in the city, and to hold Fort Lee and Fort
Washington.
Against Putnam's force the British brought an army of twenty thousand,
stealing a night march, and with their greater number defeated our
troops. This severe reverse, which could not have been prevented by him,
Washington followed with a military success; for in the night, which
fortunately happened to be very foggy, he silently and safely withdrew
all our remaining troops across the East River from the overwhelming
British force. The boats were managed by companies of Marblehead
fishermen, who thus had an opportunity of doing a most signal service.
When Howe the next morning moved his victorious regulars again to the
attack, his enemy was gone!
This masterly retreat from the very sight and under the guns of the
enemy gave Washington a great reputation. He managed and watched it
personally, spending two days and two nights in his saddle, without rest
or sleep!
=205. Some of the Many Difficulties with which Washington had to
struggle.=--But now came the trouble that distressed Washington all
through the war--the lack of soldiers. The British government sent over
thousands of disciplined troops, and kept them well equipped.
The colonies were uncertain and irregular in furnishing soldiers. The
colonial money used to pay them rapidly lost its value; so that
Washington was continually distressed to procure and retain enough
troops. Besides, the terms of enlistment were usually short--six months
or even less--and thus his little army was constantly dwindling away. To
add to his anxieties, the supply of cannon, guns, powder, clothing,
food, and all needed equipments, was often painfully meager.
How then could Washington with his small and ill-furnished forces--his
"ragged continentals"--oppose successfully the much larger and
well-supplied troops of the enemy? To keep risking battles with an army
much stronger than his own would invite defeat and ruin.
But there were some things he could do--watch the enemy sharply, harass
and worry him by repeated small engagements, obstruct his plans, and
whenever possible attack a small separate body and defeat or capture it.
This is exactly what Washington did, and often with consummate skill. He
won his best moves because he first carefully fought over all his
battles in his own brain, and then fought them out with the guns of his
soldiers; for he had a faculty of inspiring his men with his own high
purpose. They admired him as a hero, trusted him as a friend, and loved
him as a father.
=206. The Brilliant Victory at Trenton.=--Washington had successfully
withdrawn the troops from Brooklyn, but he knew perfectly well that with
his scanty force of half-trained men he could not risk a battle with
four times as many of the well-drilled enemy--it would be certain ruin
to the patriot cause.
Our army now had to retreat across New Jersey, the British following
closely all the way! It was a distressing movement and it produced
general gloom. The country was discouraged, Congress was discouraged,
the army itself was becoming discouraged. The British said Washington
did not dare to fight, and that the war was about over.
In all this gloom there was only one ray of light: Washington never
despaired! Sorely tried, he yet kept up his faith and hope. Sick at
heart but ever resolute, he declared to his friends that if all others
forsook him, he would retire to the backwoods of Virginia and there make
a final stand against Great Britain.
Reaching the Delaware, the great commander crossed into Pennsylvania.
General Howe came up on the east side, and then spread out his army,
placing a thousand Hessians at Trenton.
See what Washington did. On Christmas night, 1776, he crossed the
Delaware to attack the Hessians. The river was so full of floating ice
that the Marblehead soldiers found it very hard to manage the boats.
After the crossing, the men marched nine miles through snow and hail,
sometimes marking the whitened ground with blood from their shoeless
feet.
[Illustration: THE NIGHT MARCH TO TRENTON.]
As they drew near Trenton, Washington, who rode in front, asked a man
chopping wood by the roadside:--
"Which way is the Hessian picket?"
"I do not know," was the surly answer.
"You may tell," said the officer at Washington's side, "for that is
General Washington."
"God bless and prosper you!" cried the man instantly. "The picket is in
that house, and the sentry stands near that tree."
The Hessians, who were celebrating Christmas with wild revelry, were
surprised, and soon forced to surrender.
Washington was in great danger from the superior forces of the enemy
close at hand, and was obliged immediately to recross the Delaware with
his tired troops and his prisoners. The weather was so severe that two
men were frozen to death that Christmas night. Notwithstanding
Washington's haste, he found time to visit the dying Hessian Commander,
Colonel Rahl, and speak kindly to him.
It was a battle of this kind that showed the courage and genius of a
great general who, in the midst of the most unfavorable circumstances,
could plan well, fight well, and outwit the enemy! It was such masterful
watchfulness and bravery as this that saved the country. Mighty applause
now rang all through the land! "Hurrah for Washington, and hurrah for
his ragged but plucky little army!"
Well might the people shout, for this was the first real victory of the
continental army. Lord Howe was very angry and said it would never do,
and he sent Cornwallis to defeat this rebel general. Let us see what
Cornwallis did. The British general marched from Princeton with about
eight thousand men, and found Washington's army of some three thousand
with its rear to the river. At about dusk he planted his own army in
front, and then felt sure of his prey. "At last we have run down the old
fox," said the over-confident British general as he went to bed in high
spirits, "and we will bag him easily in the morning." The situation was
indeed a dangerous one for the patriot army.
[Illustration: WASHINGTON BEFORE TRENTON.]
=207. How Washington surprised the British at Princeton.=--During the
night Washington left a front line of camp-fires burning, and a few
soldiers noisily digging trenches and throwing up breastworks, while his
entire army made a circuitous march around Cornwallis, got in his rear,
attacked Princeton early, captured three regiments and a lot of
supplies, and moved on to Morristown, a strong place where the British
dared not attack him.
In this battle the commanding figure of Washington riding to and fro on
his white horse made a notable object for the enemy's marksmen.
These two battles brought Washington great applause all over this
country and through Europe. Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, said:
"This young American general opens a fresh chapter in the art of war;
England hasn't a man to match him."
=208. How Washington helped to defeat Burgoyne.=--During the next year,
1777, Washington was busy watching Lord Howe and keeping him confined
closely in New York. Although he lacked the army with which to fight any
great battle, yet he did the greatest service. The British planned this
year, as we have just read in the preceding chapter, a second effort to
occupy the Hudson and divide the colonies.
But, as we have seen, the plan was doomed to failure. Burgoyne was
wrecked by Schuyler and Stark, and the Mohawk force was defeated by
Arnold and Morgan. Then all depended on Howe's army which was to come up
the Hudson. But Howe could not come! Washington was skillfully blocking
his plans, so that the British general could spare no soldiers. And so
resulted the great surrender at Saratoga--the most cheering victory
during this period of the war.
Howe's army then went by sea to Philadelphia and wintered there.
=209. Sufferings at Valley Forge.=--Washington wintered at Valley Forge,
not far away. The winter was very severe. The patriot army was ill-fed,
ill-clothed, and unpaid. Hundreds of soldiers were barefoot, their
bloody steps tracking the snow. Hungry, shivering, and bleeding, they
keenly felt how much it cost to be a "ragged continental."
The money issued was almost worthless, fifty dollars of paper for one of
specie. It took six months' pay to buy a pair of boots; for England
counterfeited the continental money, brought over huge parcels of it,
and put it into circulation. Congress seemed neglectful. Discouragement
prevailed.
Washington seemed to have the care of the whole patriot cause on his
shoulders alone. He had everything to do,--appealing perpetually to
Congress for action; begging the Governors for aid; getting food, arms,
ammunition, and clothing; recruiting and drilling the army; planning
campaigns; and so working unceasingly in every direction.
=210. Help from France; the Battle of Monmouth.=--In the spring of 1778
help came. The French sent ships, soldiers, and officers, and again the
sun began to shine. Their help was of vital importance. Perhaps we could
never have got on without it.
Sir Henry Clinton, who had succeeded Lord Howe, fearing the approach of
a French fleet, now made up his mind to leave Philadelphia and march
across New Jersey to New York. Washington sent forward a division of his
army under General Charles Lee to pursue the British and give them
battle. The patriots, ready and eager to fight, came up with the enemy
at Monmouth. Unfortunately, the mischief-making Lee, now known to have
been little better than a traitor, ordered a retreat.
As Washington advanced with the main army, he was filled with surprise
and anger to learn from stragglers of Lee's treacherous action. He set
spurs to his horse and galloped to the front.
According to tradition, this was one of the very few times when
Washington was thought to have lost his self-control. With a fierce
oath he demanded of Lee what he meant by retreating. Washington's look,
according to Lafayette, was terrible.
"What is the meaning of all this, sir?" he repeated.
There could be no good answer. Lee quailed before his angry commander.
Having sent the apparently treacherous officer to the rear, Washington
showed at once his superb generalship. Like Sheridan at Cedar Creek,
about which we shall hear later, he inspired his men with fresh courage
and led them against the enemy. The continental army now showed the
results of the long winter's drill at Valley Forge. The lines were
re-formed, the main army was brought up, and the British were soon
repulsed.
Clinton retreated during the same night. He reached New York and the
protection of the fleet before the patriot army could overtake him.
Such was the battle of Monmouth, fought on a very hot and sultry Sunday
in June, 1778. It was the last battle in the north, and practically
closed the campaign for the control of the Middle States.
=211. The Story of Mollie Pitcher.=--The account of this battle would not
be complete without the oft-told story of Mollie Pitcher. During the day
a soldier having charge of a cannon was shot down at his post. His
newly wedded wife, a young Irish woman, was at the time bringing water
for the thirsty men from a neighboring spring. She saw her husband fall
at the cannon he was serving, and heard his commander order the piece to
be removed from the field. Instantly dropping her pail, Mollie seized
the rammer and, stationing herself by the gun, performed her husband's
duty with skill and courage all through the battle.
[Illustration: MOLLIE PITCHER TAKES HER HUSBAND'S PLACE AT MONMOUTH.]
The soldiers gave her the nickname of Major Mollie, and being presented
to General Washington the day after the battle, she received a
sergeant's commission, and Congress gave her half-pay for life! Some of
the French officers, it is said, were so delighted with her courage that
they presented her with a hat full of gold pieces and christened her "La
Capitaine"!
=212. Washington plans the Yorktown Campaign.=--In the spring of 1781,
Washington was still hemming in Clinton at New York. In the south, where
there had been severe fighting for two years, General Greene had driven
Cornwallis from the Carolinas up to Virginia, and our generous friend,
Lafayette, had helped push the British general to the point of land at
Yorktown. Washington, learning this, arranged that the French fleet
should sail there and prevent the escape of the enemy by sea.
Then Washington planned what has been regarded as the proudest
achievement of the war. He decided to hurry his own army to Yorktown,
and with it and the southern forces and the French fleet finish the
seven years' struggle.
Yes; but if Clinton should hear of it, he would sail from New York and
checkmate the plan. How could Washington do all this and keep Clinton in
the dark? Everything turned on that. He kept up a lively show of
activity around New York, and had decoy letters written to his distant
generals to come and help him capture Clinton's army. Very strange, but
those letters reached the British general!
When the right moment came, leaving a small force at New York for show,
Washington by a swift and skillful movement moved his army of six
thousand through New Jersey. The Commander-in-Chief was unsurpassed at
keeping a secret. His own generals did not know where they were going.
They marched to Elkton, at the head of the Chesapeake, and took ships
for Yorktown.
The hour for the final success of the patriot cause had now come.
Cornwallis was shut in by sea and land. Washington with his own hand
fired the first cannon of the attack. This was on October 9, 1781.
By night and by day the sound of the heavy guns was incessantly heard.
The shells of the besieged and besiegers crossed each other in the air.
At one time during the siege Washington, with many officers about him,
was watching an assault with intense interest. Those who stood near him
were afraid he would be hit by a chance shot, and one of his aids
ventured to say that the situation was very much exposed.
"If you think so," replied he gravely, "you are at liberty to step
back."
A little later a musket ball hit a cannon near the group and fell at
Washington's feet. General Knox grasped his arm.
"My dear general," exclaimed he, "we can't spare you yet."
"It is a spent ball," answered the Commander-in-Chief quietly; "no harm
is done."
When the redoubts were taken, he drew a long breath and said to Knox,
"The work is done, and _well done_!" During the battle, a famous
Virginia officer, Governor Nelson, who had raised troops and supplied
money at his own risk, was asked what part of the town it would be best
to fire upon. He pointed to a large, handsome building, which he thought
was probably the enemy's headquarters. It was his own house!
=213. The Superb Victory at Yorktown.=--After a few days of fighting,
Cornwallis found himself in so hopeless a condition that he made an
unsuccessful attempt to escape. Shortly afterward he was forced to
surrender with eleven thousand men, a hundred and sixty cannon, a huge
amount of camp supplies, and ten thousand dollars in money. Five days
after the surrender, General Clinton arrived with ships and heavy
reinforcements. Too late, Sir Henry, too late!
When the news of the capture of Cornwallis reached London, Lord North,
the British Prime Minister, walked up and down his room, wringing his
hands and crying out, "O God! it is all over! It is all over!"
How unspeakably the great leader's heart must have rejoiced at this
famous victory; the labors, anxieties, and sufferings of seven years
ending at last in glorious triumph! The whole country gave way to
transports of joy. Congress appointed a day of general thanksgiving and
prayer, and voted special thanks to the distinguished generals and many
other officers. It was felt that a death-blow had been given to
England's efforts to crush the colonies.
The victory at Yorktown practically ended the war. It took several years
for the country to recover from the wreck and ruin wrought, to frame the
machinery of our new government, and to lay the solid foundations of
this grand edifice of constitutional liberty. In all this work of
nation-building Washington was a prominent actor, no less sagacious as a
statesman than as a skilled warrior.
=214. Washington, the First President of the United States.=--When it came
to the choice of a first president, all eyes turned to that one stately
figure--to him who had saved his country in war, and who in peace could
best carry its precious interests safely in his great brain and heart.
He was unanimously elected--not a vote for any other person--an honor
never paralleled. With his usual modesty he would have declined; but his
sense of duty and his willingness to serve his country made him accept.
His journey to New York was one continued ovation. Bells were rung,
cannon fired, and eloquent addresses made. All the vessels in New York
harbor were gayly decked with flags. When the dignified President-elect
landed, the salutes of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the shouts of
the crowd were multiplied tenfold.
On April 30, 1789, Washington took the solemn oath to perform the duties
of the President of the United States.
On this important occasion he was dressed in a suit of dark brown cloth
of American manufacture. He wore white silk stockings, silver buckles
and a steel-hilted sword. His hair was powdered and tied behind,
according to the fashion of that time. The day was given up to
rejoicings; and in the evening there were illuminations and fireworks.
Washington was reelected, and served his country honorably for two terms
of four years each. His administration was worthy in every way of his
great ability, his statesmanship, and his exalted patriotism.
=215. Washington retires to Private Life.=--Beloved and honored by a whole
people, but weary of public life, Washington at last retired to his
beautiful and beloved Mount Vernon to enjoy a well-earned repose. He
took up his former manner of living. He began to repair his buildings
and to improve his estate. His good wife, Martha, said that she and the
general when he left the presidency felt like children just released
from school, and she spoke of her satisfaction in settling down again to
the "duties of an old-fashioned Virginia housekeeper, steady as a clock,
busy as a bee, and cheerful as a cricket."
[Illustration: MARTHA WASHINGTON.]
Washington was a model farmer. He gave personal attention to every
detail. He rode on horseback ten or fifteen miles every morning, looking
after his estate and its servants. Two o'clock was the dinner hour;
three o'clock if there were guests of importance. The general would not
wait more than five minutes for any guest, however distinguished. So
much time he allowed for the difference of watches. "My cook," said he,
"does not ask whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour
has."
Washington's dress and appearance were very simple. "How shall I know
him?" asked a gentleman who was about to ride off in search of him.
"You will meet, sir," replied his friend, "an old gentleman riding alone
in plain drab clothes, a broad-brimmed white hat, a hickory switch in
his hand, and an umbrella with a long staff attached to his saddle-bow.
That person, sir, is General Washington."
A pleasant story is told by a gentleman who was a guest at Mount Vernon.
It seems that he coughed much during the early part of the night. "After
some time had elapsed," said the guest, "the door of my room was gently
opened, and, on drawing my bed curtains, I saw Washington himself,
standing at my bedside, with a bowl of hot tea in his hand."
No wish for power, or regret at being no longer before the eyes of the
world, ever disturbed the happiness of Washington in his retirement. A
little over two years now passed happily at the great mansion, with its
generous living and its gracious hospitality.
=216. Sickness and Death; Universal Sorrow.=--One day in December, 1799,
while taking his usual ride on horseback Washington was exposed to rain,
hail, and snow, with a raw wind blowing. The next day his family noticed
that he had a slight cold, but he paid no heed to such trifling
ailments.
The next day he was much worse, breathed with difficulty, and could
hardly speak. His mind was perfectly clear, and he believed he should
not get well. He was never unprepared for death. The same night he
passed away.
Mourning spread over the whole country. In foreign lands as well as at
home the news was received with sincerest sorrow. The American people
felt that they had indeed lost their protector, the Father of his
Country.
[Illustration: MOUNT VERNON, THE HOME OF WASHINGTON.]
To Americans his memory will always be precious. His birthday is
celebrated every year throughout our broad land; and the bell of every
steamer that glides along the quiet Potomac tolls as it slowly passes
Mount Vernon, the last resting-place of George Washington!