December 23, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
On December 23, 1783, George Washington ceded power by resigning his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army. In the State House in Annapolis, Md., Washington gave an address to the Continental Congress and other spectators. Eager to be home, Washington returned the next day to Mount Vernon where he intended to resume the life of a private citizen and farmer, ending his public tour of duty. Fate, of course, would have it otherwise for the future president.
Washington’s voluntary resignation of power is a moment of epic proportion in American history, an instant in which an individual who could have easily usurped power, instead deferred to Congress and the citizens of a nascent nation, leaving America in good, capable and democratic hands.
Category: On This Day
October 4, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
On October 4, 1777, George Washington’s troops led a pre-dawn attack on the British encampment at Germantown, Penn. By mid-morning, the battle was over, in large part due to a substantial fog, and heavy losses were felt by both sides. Washington and his troops retreated and retired to winter quarters at Valley Forge, while Sir William Howe and his British troops set up shop for the winter in Philadelphia, a mere 20 miles away.
Despite the retreat, the skill that Washington demonstrated at Germantown, coupled with the subsequent American victory at Saratoga, gave France the confidence to recognize and support America, proving a turning point in the war.
Category: On This Day
September 11, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
On September 11, 1777 George Washington was not having a good day. In the afternoon British generals Sir William Howe and Charles Cornwallis, who had split up their 18,000 troops under a veil of fog, began a full-on attack of Washington’s encampment from two directions. Washington and his troops, who were stationed at an outpost on Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, were forced to retreat.
By the end of the battle more than 1,100 Americans were either killed or captured while the British suffered only 600 deaths and injuries.
Afterward the Continentals marched to Germantown, Pennsylvania and set up camp. Rather than chase them, the British headed to Philadelphia and easily took over the capital city, forcing Congress to flee.
Category: On This Day
August 12, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
On August 12, 1787 George Washington, who was then busy at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, wrote home to his nephew, Augustine Washington, who was tending to Mount Vernon in his uncle’s absence.
Although the two had already corresponded about the weather vane that was to go atop the cupola, Washington penned a letter on August 12 that gave a few additional specifications, which can still be noted today. The purpose of the letter was to be sure everyone understood how Washington wanted the dove to look and how he wanted the weather vane mounted on the cupola.
“The spire (if it is not the case already) must have that of black; the bill of the bird is to be black. and the Olive branch in the mouth of it, must be green,” he wrote.
He also specified that great pains “must be taken to fix the points truly; otherwise they will deceive rather than direct.”
This sort of detail was typical of Washington’s management; even while founding a country, few points back home were too trivial for his attention.
Category: On This Day
August 4, 2011
by Becca Milfeld
From the Library of Congress, which writes:
“On August 4, 1753, George Washington became a Master Mason, the highest rank in the Fraternity of Freemasonry, in his hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. The twenty-one-year-old young man would soon hold his first military commission.
“Derived from the practices and rituals of the medieval guild system, freemasonry gained popularity in the eighteenth century, particularly in Great Britain. British Masons organized the first North American Chapter in 1731. Masons aroused considerable suspicion in the early American republic with their mysterious rites and closely held secrets. These fears mushroomed in response to the suspicious death in 1826 of William Morgan, who was said to have been murdered on account of his threat to reveal the secrets of freemasonry.
“For George Washington, joining the Masons was a rite of passage and an expression of civic responsibility. Members were required to express their belief in a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul. Masons were also were expected to obey civil laws, hold a high moral standard, and practice acts of charity.”
Category: On This Day
