Mount Vernon estate on the Potomac, in accordance with the provisions
of the will of Laurence Washington, his half-brother. At that time the
house contained but eight rooms and an attic, four rooms on each
floor. There were twenty-five hundred acres in the farm.
As a boy Washington had tramped over every acre of the estate. When he
was sixteen he made a plot of the region around Mt. Vernon. The
original of the survey made at that time may be seen in the Library of
Congress at Washington.
The young owner looked forward to years of quiet on his estate, but he
was frequently called away from home for service in the militia of
Virginia. In spite of these absences, however, he managed to make the
acres surrounding the mansion give a good account of themselves.
When he responded to the call of the Colonies and became
Commander-in-Chief of the army, he turned his back on Mt. Vernon with
great reluctance, and for six years hardly saw the place he loved.
But when the independence of the Colonies had been won he returned
home, in the hope that he might be permitted to remain there in
obscurity, farming his land and entertaining his friends in the house
on the Potomac.
That he might have more room for his friends, he enlarged the house.
On July 5, 1784, he wrote to his friend, William Rumney of Alexandria,
asking him to inquire into the terms on which "a House Joiner and
Bricklayer" might be engaged for two or three years. To the house,
which dated from 1744, he made additions until it was three times as
large as when he inherited the property. The alterations were
completed in 1785. The completed house was ninety-six feet long, and
thirty feet deep, with a piazza fifteen feet wide. The building
material was wood, cut in imitation of stone.
While these alterations were in progress a visitor to Mt. Vernon was
Charles Vardo, an Englishman. When he returned home he wrote an
account of his visit, in which said:
"I crossed the river from Maryland into Virginia, near to the
renowned General Washington's, where I had the honor to spend
some time, and was kindly entertained with that worthy
family. As to the General, if we may judge by the
countenance, he is what the world says of him, a shrewd,
good-natured, plain, humane man, about fifty-five years of
age, and seems to wear well, being healthful and active,
straight, well made, and about six feet high. He keeps a good
table, which is always open to those of a genteel
appearance....
"The General's house is rather warm, snug, convenient and
useful, than ornamental. The size is what ought to suit a man
of about two or three thousand a year in England. The
out-offices are good and seem to be not long built; and he
was making more offices at each wing to the front of the
house, which added more to ornament than to real use. The
situation is high, and commands a beautiful prospect of the
river which parts Virginia and Maryland, but in other
respects the situation seems to be out of the world, being
chiefly surrounded by woods, and far from any great road or
thoroughfare.... The General's lady is a hearty, comely,
discreet, affable woman, some few years older than
himself.... The General's house is open to poor travellers as
well as rich, he gives diet and lodging to all that come that
way, which indeed cannot be many, without they go out of
their way on purpose...."
A visitor of January 19, 1785, was Elkanah Watson. In his diary
Washington wrote simply that Mr. Watson came in and stayed all night;
and that he went away after breakfast next morning. But Mr. Watson had
a fuller account to give:
"I found him at table with Mrs. Washington and his private
family, and was received in the native dignity and with that
urbanity so peculiarly combined in the character of a soldier
and eminent private gentleman. He soon put me at ease.... The
first evening I spent under the wing of his hospitality, we
sat a full hour at table by ourselves, without the least
interruption, after the family had retired. I was extremely
oppressed by a severe cold and excessive coughing, contracted
by the exposure of a harsh winter journey. He pressed me to
use some remedies, but I declined doing so. As usual after
retiring, my coughing increased. When some time had elapsed,
the door of my room was gently opened, and on drawing my
bed-curtains, to my utter astonishment, I beheld Washington
himself, standing at my bedside, with a bowl of hot tea in
his hand."
The following May Rev. Thomas Coke and Bishop Francis Asbury were
welcomed to Mt. Vernon. "The General's seat is very elegant," Mr. Coke
wrote. "He is quite the plain, country-Gentleman." After dinner the
visitors presented to their host a petition for the emancipation of
the Negroes, "entreating his signature, if the eminence of his station
did not render it inexpedient for him to sign any petition."
Washington told his guests that he was "of their sentiments, and had
signified his thoughts on the subject to most of the great men of the
State; that he did not see it proper to sign the petition, but if the
Assembly took it into consideration, would signify his sentiments to
the Assembly by a letter."
An attractive picture of the General was given by Richard Henry Lee
after a visit to Mt. Vernon in November, 1785:
"When I was first introduced to him he was neatly dressed in
a plain blue coat, white Casimer waistcoat, and black
breeches and Boots, as he came from his farm. After having
sat with us some time he retired.... Later he came in again,
with his hair neatly powdered, a clean shirt on, a new plain
drab Coat, white waistcoat and white silk stockings."
John Hunter, who was with Colonel Lee, added his impression:
"The style of his house is very elegant, something like the
Prince de Conde's at Chantilly, near Paris, only not quite so
large; but it's a pity he did not build a new one at once, as
it has cost him nearly as much as repairing his old one....
It's astonishing what a number of small houses the General
has upon his Estate for his different Workmen and Negroes
to live in. He has everything within himself--Carpenters,
Bricklayers, Brewers, Blacksmiths, Bakers, etc., etc., and
even has a well assorted store for the use of his family and
servants."
While the repairs were still in progress, the ship _Mary_ arrived at
Alexandria, having a consignment for Washington from Samuel Vaughan, a
great admirer in London. This was a chimney-piece, wrought in Italy
from pure white and sienite marble, for the use of Mr. Vaughan. When
the mantel reached England the owner learned of the improvements then
in progress at Mt. Vernon. Without unpacking the mantel he sent it on
to America. When Washington received word of the arrival of the gift,
he wrote, "By the number of cases, however, I greatly fear it is too
elegant and costly for my room and republican style of living."
Nevertheless the mantel was installed in the mansion and became a
great delight to the household.
Washington's days at Mt. Vernon were interrupted by the renewed call
of his country. For much of the time for eight years he was compelled
to be absent, and when, at length, the opportunity came to resume the
free life on his estate, he had less than three years left. But these
years were crowded full of hospitality in the mansion and of joyous
work on the estate, and when, on December 14, 1799, he died as a
result of a cold caught while riding on the estate, he left it to his
"dearly beloved wife, Martha Washington."
For many years Mt. Vernon continued its hospitable career. Then came
years of neglect, when the mansion was falling into ruins. But in
1853-56 Miss Ann Pamela Cunningham of South Carolina appealed to the
women of the nation, and succeeded in organizing an association that
took over the estate, restored it to its original condition, furnished
it with Washington relics gathered from far and near, and opened it
for the visits of the reverent visitors to the city of Washington, who
continue their journey sixteen miles down the Potomac that they may
look on the scene that brought joy to the heart of the Father of his
Country.
[Illustration: ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
_Photo by H. P. Cook_
See page 246]
LIII
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
FROM WHICH ROBERT E. LEE WENT TO BATTLE FOR THE SOUTH
After the death of George Washington the Mt. Vernon family was
gradually broken up, one after another going elsewhere for a home.
George Washington Parke Custis, Washington's adopted son, and grandson
of Martha Washington, decided to build a home on a hill overlooking
the Potomac, opposite Washington City. There were eleven hundred acres
in the estate of which Arlington, the mansion he built in 1802, was
the central feature.
It has been said that the stately house is an adaptation of the Doric
temple at Paestum, near Naples. The roof of the great portico rests on
eight massive columns. The rooms within are of a size in keeping with
the magnificent portal.
Perhaps the plan was too ambitious for the Custis fortune. At any rate
the rooms on the south side of the hall were not completed. But it
was a famous house, nevertheless. Guests were many. They delighted to
look from the portico across the Potomac to Washington, where they
could see the government buildings slowly taking shape.
One of the favored guests was Robert E. Lee. His frequent visits led
to his marriage, in 1831, to Mr. Custis' daughter. At this time Lee
was a lieutenant in the United States Army. Mrs. Lee remained at
Arlington, waiting for the husband whose military duties enabled him
to spend only brief seasons with her and the growing family there.
During the years before the war visitors to the Capital City thronged
to Arlington. Some of them were interested in the many Washington
relics in the house. Chief among these was the bed on which Washington
died. Others came to the picnic grounds at Arlington Spring, which Mr.
Custis had opened for the pleasure of the people, building for the use
of all comers a great dining-hall, a dancing pavilion, and a kitchen.
One of these visitors told his impressions of Arlington:
"In front of the mansion, sloping toward the Potomac, is a
fine park of two hundred acres, dotted with groves of oak and
chestnut and clumps of evergreens; and behind it is a dark
old forest, with patriarchal trees bearing many centennial
honors, and covering six hundred acres of hill and dale.
Through a portion of this is a sinuous avenue leading up to
the mansion."
At the time of the secession of Virginia, Robert E. Lee was a colonel.
Duty seemed clear to him. It was not easy for him to take up arms
against the United States Government, but he considered himself first
of all a citizen of his native State. To respond to the call of the
Confederacy meant ruin. His beautiful home, he feared, would be
destroyed. But he did not hesitate. A desire to retain possession of
his slaves had nothing to do with his decision. His own slaves had
already been freed, and provision had been made in the will of Mrs.
Lee's father that all his slaves should be freed in 1862.
When, in 1865, General Lee was urged to prolong the conflict by
guerilla warfare, he said: "No, that would not do. It must be
remembered that we are Christian people. We have fought the fight as
long and as well as we know how. We have been defeated. For us as a
Christian people there is but one course to pursue. We must accept the
situation. These men must go home and plant a crop, and we must
proceed to build up our country on a new basis."
But he could not return to Arlington. The government had taken
possession of the estate for a National Cemetery. For a time he lived
in obscurity on a little farm. Then he became President of Washington
College, later Washington and Lee University. With his family he lived
on the campus at Lexington, Virginia, and there he died, October 12,
1870.
In the meantime the National Cemetery at Arlington was becoming a
pilgrimage point for patriotic Americans. The slopes of the beautiful
lawn were covered with graves. The stately white mansion, with its
eight great pillars and its walls of stucco seemed a fitting
background for the ranks of little white tombstones.
For years the title to the property was in dispute. In 1864 the United
States bought it for $26,800, when it was sold at auction for
delinquent taxes. In 1882 the Supreme Court decided that G. W. C. Lee,
son of General Lee, was entitled to the property, and the following
year the government paid him $150,000 for eleven hundred acres,
including the mansion.
[Illustration: CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VA.
Photo by H. P. Cook
See page 249]
LIV
CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
WHERE WASHINGTON HAD A PEW "AT THE UPPER PART OF THE CHURCH"
George Washington was chosen one of the vestrymen of Fairfax parish in
1764, when this was formed by the division of Truro parish, although
he was already a vestryman in Pohick Church at Truro.
The records of the new parish show that in 1766 it was decided to
build Christ Church at Alexandria, and a second church at the Falls of
the Potomac instead of the old church there. The members of the parish
were asked to pay thirty-one thousand pounds of tobacco for the
purpose of construction.
James Wren, the architect of Christ Church, is said to have been a
descendant of Sir Christopher Wren. While the building was well
designed, no one ever thought of it as a masterpiece. But it has
answered the purposes of the worshipper for more than a century and a
half, and it promises to last at least a hundred and fifty years more.
The original contract called for the expenditure of L600. Colonel John
Carlisle, who was bondsman for the contractor, James Parsons, in
1772, agreed to complete the building on payment of L220 additional,
since Parsons failed to fulfil his agreement.
The church was built of brick, and was sixty by fifty feet long. The
work was carefully done, but the structure was ready for the vestry to
take possession early in 1773.
At the first sale of pews, of which there were fifty in all,
Washington paid L36 10 s. for pew number five. He had already made a
generous gift toward the building fund, but asked the privilege of
giving the brass chandelier which still hangs from the ceiling.
When the Church and State were separated in Virginia, after the
Revolution, Washington subscribed five pounds a year to the rector's
salary. By act of the legislature the glebe lands of churches in the
State were confiscated, but, through the influence of Washington and
Charles Lee, Christ Church "and one other" (probably Falls Church)
were allowed to retain their lands.
Many changes have been made in the building. The gallery was added in
1787, that twenty-five pews might be provided for the growing
congregation. The west aisle was built in 1811, and the next year the
chimneys were built, for stoves were placed in the church at that
time. The bell was hung in 1816. The pews were later divided,
including that which Washington occupied, but this pew has since been
restored to its original condition. Since 1891 the high pulpit and
sounding board have been replaced as they were at first.
Washington's diary tells of his attendance at service on Sunday, June
2, 1799. Perhaps it was of this Sunday a visitor to Alexandria wrote
in a letter to a friend, which was quoted in "The Religious Opinions
and Character of George Washington," published in 1836. The writer
said:
"In the summer of 1799 I was in Alexandria on a visit to the
family of Mr. H.... Whilst there, I expressed a wish to see
General Washington, as I had never enjoyed that pleasure. My
friend ... observed: 'You will certainly see him on Sunday,
as he is never absent from church when he can get there; and
as he often dines with us, we will ask him on that day, when
you will have a better opportunity of seeing him.'
Accordingly, we all repaired to church on Sunday.... General
Washington ... walked to his pew, at the upper part of the
church, and demeaned himself throughout the service of the
day with that gravity and propriety becoming the place and
his own high character. After the services were concluded, we
waited for him at the door, for his pew being near the pulpit
he was among the last that came out--when Mrs. H. invited him
to dine with us. He declined, however, the invitation,
observing, as he looked at the sky, that he thought there
were appearances of a thunderstorm in the afternoon, and he
believed he would return home to dinner."
[Illustration: MARY WASHINGTON'S HOUSE, FREDERICKSBURG, VA.
_Photo by H. P. Cook_
See page 251]
LV
THE MARY WASHINGTON HOUSE, FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA
WHERE WASHINGTON'S MOTHER SPENT HER LAST YEARS
The first property mentioned in connection with the name of Mary Ball,
who became the mother of George Washington, was on the tract of four
hundred acres "in ye freshes of Rappa-h-n River," bequeathed to her in
her father's will before she was six years old. Her father, Colonel
Joseph Ball of Epping Forest, Lancaster County, thought he was about
to die, but he lived some years longer.
Ten years later an unknown writer spoke of Mary Ball in pleasing
terms:
"WmsBurg, ye 7th of Octr, 1722.
"Dear Sukey, Madam Ball of Lancaster and her sweet Molly have
gone Hom. Mama thinks Molly the Comliest Maiden She Knows.
She is about 16 yrs old, is taller than Me, is verry
Sensable, Modest and Loving. Her Hair is like unto Flax, Her
Eyes are the color of Yours, and her Chekes are like May
blossoms. I wish You could see Her."
This "Belle of the Northern Neck," as she came to be called, continued
her conquests of young and old until, at twenty-two, an orphan, she
left Epping Forest to live with her brother, Joseph Ball, at
"Stratford-by-bow, Nigh London." There, on March 6, 1730, she became
the second wife of Augustine Washington, the second son of Laurence
Washington, who was visiting England at the time.
Less than two years later, at Wakefield, on the Potomac, in
Westmoreland County, Virginia, George Washington was born. He was not
three years old when the mansion was burned.
The new home was at Pine Grove, in Stafford County, on the
Rappahannock River, opposite Fredericksburg. For eight years the
family circle was unbroken, but on April 12, 1743, Augustine
Washington died. Laurence Washington, Mary Washington's stepson, then
became the owner of Mt. Vernon, while to George Washington was
bequeathed Pine Grove, though the estate was to be managed by Mrs.
Washington until the son became twenty-one.
With wonderful skill Mrs. Washington directed the plantation and with
firm purpose she devoted herself to the care of her five fatherless
children.
A picture of this capable woman at this period was recorded by
Laurence Washington, a nephew of George Washington's father. He wrote:
"I was often there [at Pine Grove] with George, his playmate,
schoolmate, and young man's companion. Of the mother, I was
more afraid than of my own parents; she awed me in the midst
of her kindness; and even now, when time has whitened my
locks and I am the grandfather of a second generation, I
could not behold that majestic woman without feelings it is
impossible to describe."
The death, in 1752, of Laurence Washington of Mt. Vernon made George
Washington the owner of that property. Thereafter the twenty-five
hundred acre estate became known as the home of the eldest son, while
Mrs. Washington remained at Pine Grove with her younger children.
Only a few months later he stopped to see his mother, as he was on his
way to the West to carry out a commission laid upon him by Governor
Dinwiddie. As Mrs. Washington bade her son good-bye, she urged him to
"remember that God only is our sure trust." Then she added, "To Him I
commend you."
Her words were remembered. In 1755, when General Braddock asked
Colonel Washington to accompany him to Fort Pitt, Mrs. Washington
hurried to Mt. Vernon and urged him not to go. He considered her
objections, but said:
"The God to whom you commended me, madam, when I set out on a
more perilous errand, defended me from all harm, and I trust
He will do so now; do you?"
One by one the children left Pine Grove. In 1750 Betty Washington was
married to Colonel Fielding Lewis, who built for her the stately house
Kenmore, not far from her mother's home, but across the river, on the
edge of Fredericksburg. This house is still among the show places of
the old town.
In the early days of the Revolution Colonel and Mrs. Lewis tried to
persuade Mrs. Washington that she was getting too old to live alone at
Pine Grove, and urged her to make her home at Kenmore. At the same
time Colonel Lewis offered to take over the management of the
plantation. To both entreaties she turned a deaf ear; she said she
felt entirely competent to take care of herself, and she would manage
her own farm.
However, she consented to make her home in a house purchased for her
in Fredericksburg, because "George thought it best." The dutiful son
had time to help in the flitting to the new home before he hurried to
the North. He was not to see her again for seven long years.
A member of the family described later the days of waiting when Mary
Washington directed her household in the preparation of clothes,
provisions, and other comforts for the General and his associates:
"During the trying years when her son was leading the Continental
forces, the mother was watching and praying, following him with
anxious eyes," the story is told. "But to the messenger who brought
tidings, whether of victory or defeat, she turned a calm face,
whatever tremor of feeling it might mask, and to her daughter she
said, chiding her for undue excitement, 'The sister of the commanding
general should be an example of fortitude and faith.'"
It was November 11, 1781, when the victorious commander next saw
Fredericksburg, on his way to Philadelphia from Yorktown. George
Washington Parke Custis has described the meeting with his mother:
"She was alone, her aged hands employed in the works of
domestic industry, when the good news was announced, and it
was told that the victor was awaiting at the threshold. She
bade him welcome by a warm embrace, and by the
well-remembered and endearing name of George.... She inquired
as to his health, for she marked the lines which mighty cares
and toils had made in his manly countenance, and she spoke
much of old times and old friends, but of his glory not one
word."
When the Peace Ball was given in Fredericksburg she was an honored
guest. Her son walked with her into the gaily decorated ballroom. She
remained for a time, but after a while, from the seat where she had
watched the dance, she called him to her side. When she was near she
said, "Come, George, it is time for old folks to be at home."
Lafayette visited Fredericksburg in 1784, that he might pay his
respects to Mrs. Washington. He found her in her garden, dressed in a
short linsey skirt, working among her flowers. After his visit he
declared, "I have seen the only Roman matron living at this day."
She still went frequently to her plantation across the river, but as
she became more feeble her son gave her a phaeton in which she could
cross the ferry in comfort. Her great-granddaughter has written of her
appearance when she rolled in the phaeton down the village street:
"In summer she wore a dark straw hat with broad brim and low
crown, tied under her chin with black ribbon strings; but in
winter a warm hood was substituted, and she was wrapped in
the purple cloth cloak lined with silk shang (a present from
her son George) that is described in the bequests of her
will. In her hand she carried her gold-headed cane, which
feeble health now rendered necessary as a support."
One of the last visits paid by George Washington to his mother was on
March 7, 1789. A Fredericksburg paper of March 12 said, "The object of
his Excellency's visit was probably to take leave of his aged mother,
sister, and friends, previous to his departure for the new Congress,
over the councils of which, the united voice of America has called him
to preside." On March 11 Washington's account book shows that the
expenses of the trip were L1.8.0. He also noted that he advanced to
his mother at the time "6 Guineas."
At New York, on September 1, 1789, President Washington was dining
with friends when a messenger brought word of the death of Mrs.
Washington. The notice of her death, as given in the _Gazette of the
United States_, on September 9, read: