This was our favorite stop of the whole trip. In the museums, you get a broad, sweeping view of an event or time period in history. A sword from a guy's time in battle, his trunk he carted around when fighting the Lobster backs. But when you go to Mount Vernon, you get a behind the scenes look of a single guy (and his stellar wife) and what his interests were when he put down that sword and battle-worn trunk.
George Washington was an amazing man. It's redundant to say that there aren't many like him. An sad understatement. He has almost an entire library of books written about him. And for good reason, his was an interesting time and what he did with his circumstances was even more phenomenal. I left here wanting to grab one or two of those books and learn a little more than I did during our brief visit to his estate. One of my favorite stories is one that my Dad told me a long time ago. George Washington got wind that many of the elite Officers of the Army was tired of waiting for their pay promised to them by the new Congress. They were literally on the verge of storming up to the sitting Congressmen and take over operations of the new Country...but Washington and his glasses saved our Nation. (I was fuzzy on details, so I looked it all up here: http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/fall97/wshngton.html Great article on how "Washington and his spectacles saved the Republic". It said Congress had power to maintain Army...which they were doing until all British troops finally left, and supposedly they were waiting perhaps till negotiations were done in Paris between the States and England...so Congress can have an Army, but not pay for it since that power to levy the taxes for it was given to the States. They currently had $125,000 out of the $6 million they needed to pay all the promised wages and pensions of the soldiers. Some of them had 6 years back-pay due. They did not want to disband and go home in fear they would never receive their pay and when they got home, they would be imprisoned for not paying their own taxes. There had been previous threats of mutinies before, but this one was different in that it was initiated within the Officers...the elite of the Military...to conspire to undertake a coup d'eta. When George was first asked to head such a cause, he understood their grievances, but said that they "could not have found a person to whom such a scheme could be more odious".
Then tension soared when their allowance for meals was reduced and there was talk in the statehouses of abolishing the army...which they feared would abolish their obligation to pay the officers their due. Congress was unwilling to give promissory notes of pay, to top it all off. Their rations are getting cut, talk of sending them home, and no sure promise of pay...after YEARS of service without anything to show by it, it's not hard to see why they were doubting the effectiveness of the Congress that they just fought to protect.
The Officers formed a committee and sent their list of grievances to Congress. It didn't work. They did not get promised pay. Even with the threat of "extreme action". They almost had it pushed through, but with the states not being able to pay their own debts and a failure to produce some requested evidence of deteriorated morale made the legislators suspect that they were being used to push something through. When that effort didn't work, and Henry Knox said no to leading the next step, saying, " 'I consider the reputation of the American army as one of the most immaculate things on earth.' In his estimation, the officers should suffer almost any wrong rather than bring discredit upon the Army in any form."
This next part brings even more tension. When they couldn't find a leader in Henry Knox, they found the weak link in Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates. He had previously tried to oust George Washington, was still angry from that defeat, and a few men had met at his private residence "scathingly critical of both Congress and Washington. These zealots longed for a sympathetic senior officer to come forward and lead the army in an open rebellion." Gates agreed. They made plans to remove Washington and a military take over of Congress. And a date was set for the meeting.
But someone else was in charge of all this: "However, Gates, along with several others, was being deceived and used. The devious Federalist faction in Philadelphia was fanning the fire of rebellion with one hand and trying to douse it with water with the other. What they wanted was an unsuccessful uprising of the army, enough to secure their will in Congress but stopping well short of complete anarchy or military dictatorship. They were playing a dangerous chess game in which Gates, Washington, Congress and the army were to be the pawns."
Washington got word of this from friends in the army as well as in Congress. He decided to investigate himself. And it was worse than he thought. Gates had received promises from some in Congress who would back him up, a letter was circulated to gather for the meeting and that they had plenty of support that this was going to work...they were finally going to get their pay! The letter also hinted that Washington was in favor of such a move, but that his position did not allow him to publicly make it known. The letter ended with, "If you have sense enough to discover and spirit to oppose tyranny, whatever garb it may assume, awake to your situation. If the present moment be lost, your threats hereafter will be as empty as your entreaties now. Appeal from the justice to the fears of government, and suspect the man who would advise to longer forbearance."
Washington read the letter, had Knox keep him informed about what was being planned within the Army and sent word to Congress about what exactly was happening. Then he made preparations on what he was going to say when he showed up to the meeting. But, he was also smart. He told the conspirators that he would send a letter to be read by a high ranking official; that he would not be present. He hoped that the conspirators would relax their guard and "become bold, openly showing themselves and making themselves vulnerable."
"By late morning of March 15, a rectangular building 40 feet wide by 70
feet long with a small dais at one end, known as the Public Building or
New Building , was jammed with officers. Gen. Gates, acting as chairman
in Washington's absence, opened the meeting. Suddenly, a small door off
the stage swung open and in strode Gen. Washington. He asked to speak to
the assembled officers, and the stunned Gates had no recourse but to
comply with the request. As Washington surveyed the sea of faces before
him, he no longer saw respect or deference as in times past, but
suspicion, irritation, and even unconcealed anger. To such a hostile
crowd, Washington was about to present the most crucial speech of his
career.
"Following his address Washington studied the faces of his audience. He
could see that they were still confused, uncertain, not quite
appreciating or comprehending what he had tried to impart in his speech.
With a sigh, he removed from his pocket a letter and announced it was
from a member of Congress, and that he now wished to read it to them. He
produced the letter, gazed upon it, manipulated it without speaking.
What was wrong, some of the men wondered. Why did he delay? Washington
now reached into a pocket and brought out a pair of new reading glasses.
Only those nearest to him knew he lately required them, and he had
never worn them in public. Then he spoke: "Gentlemen, you will permit me
to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost
blind in the service of my country." This simple act and statement by
their venerated commander, coupled with remembrances of battles and
privations shared together with him, and their sense of shame at their
present approach to the threshold of treason, was more effective than
the most eloquent oratory. As he read the letter to their unlistening
ears, many were in tears from the recollections and emotions which
flooded their memories. As Maj. Samuel Shaw, who was present, put it in
his journal, " There was something so natural, so unaffected in this
appeal as rendered it superior to the most studied oratory. It forced
its way to the heart, and you might see sensibility moisten every eye."
"Finishing, Washington carefully and deliberately folded the letter, took
off his glasses, and exited briskly from the hall. Immediately, Knox
and others faithful to Washington offered resolutions affirming their
appreciation for their commander in chief, and pledging their patriotism
and loyalty to the Congress, deploring and regretting those threats and
actions which had been uttered and suggested. What support Gates and
his group may have enjoyed at the outset of the meeting now completely
disintegrated, and the Newburgh conspiracy collapsed.
"In the long run, though, the Federalist cabal ultimately saw things work out as they had hoped. Washington had acted to suppress the incipient rebellion. The Newburgh incident did scare the Congress into adopting such actions as giving officers who were eligible for half-pay for life five years of full pay and enlisted men four months' pay upon separation. This in turn led to the confirmation of a taxation measure to be administered by the central government." "Washington did not dwell upon the Newburgh incident, but he was apparently aware that certain members of the Congress had taken prominent roles in abetting and encouraging the discontents, and he let them know as much, admonishing Hamilton that the army was a "dangerous instrument" to play with."
Not only was George good with the sword, but he also knew how to touch the men in a deeper way that inspired action from within, instead of complete external force. What a guy. He really was Indispensable.
Washingtons and Sorensens
We had to remind the kids that these flowers were not for picking. Luckily they were obedient. George might turn in his grave if we made off with a few of his petunias.
This is the Women Slave Quarters.
In this room alone, it says 10-15 women and possibly their children lived here.
You might want to be sure to be extra nice to Billy Lee...if he's going to give you your one pair of shoe each fall.
You also might want to sign up for duty in the Stove room when the assignments went around. Being able to sleep in a warm place, constantly fueled by fire, would be nice during the winter.
Seems like George was always looking for a way to improve the things around him. Even the design of a plow. Talk about detail oriented.
George had an Overseer for each of his 5 farms. And they submitted weekly reports. A man who knew how to run his business both abroad and at home.
Very nice compared to the other houses.
Even ol' George made his home look more Rustic back then.
I stayed in line to get into the home while Trent played with the kids on the front lawn. I was lucky to capture the shot through the trees of Kyleigh flying high.
In case you ever wondered how our first President choose his Gardener:
Quite proud of what he could grow in his garden.
Instead of hitting up your local Lowes or Home Depot, you had to import your paint in powder form and then mix it yourself with linseed oil.
Not much fresh meat in the winter.
Dinner.
You can't take any pictures inside Washington's home, so when we got outside on his back porch, I took this one. Stunning view he had of the Potomac River.
Martha happened to be at home the day we visited. Nice lady.
Her granddaughter was also there (the one in white). And Martha told Kyleigh to grab a satchel of lavender seeds in the basket on the floor between herself and her granddaughter. She said something about never having idle hands and showed us the corset for a toddler about Kyleigh's age that she had made. Ouch, can you even imagine fitting your toddler into one of those suffocating things? This Martha was very pleasant and I want to believe that she had studied up on the exact verbiage and manner of speaking that Martha employed back then, including her manners, because this one was very close, very authentic in what she would talk about.
We spent some time in George and Martha's backyard.
After checking out all the outlying buildings, we went down to see the tombs.
The new Tomb where George and Martha currently lay. (The plaque on the wall behind them is a scripture from the Bible regarding Resurrection).
He preferred the private life, so it is fitting that he is buried on his own property alongside his wife instead of among thousands in Arlington.
After visiting the tomb, you walk down this path to the wharf and his other vegetable gardens.
George could grow and make his own produce and textiles and sell them right here. No need to run to the nearest FedEx, just walk down to the bottom of your hill in your backyard and meet the next ship that comes.
You knew George liked to farm. Did you know he also was a Fisherman? Perhaps he did not catch the fish himself, but he knew a good thing when he saw one. In a couple weeks, he could pull in 1.5 million fish to eat and sell. Again, from his backyard.
Lofty goals.
When you have 8,000 acres, it helps to make your own map to decide how to best utilize it all. And that's just what George meticulously did.
After you walk through all the houses to see how self-sufficient George was, then go through his house and see where he slept, ate and entertained, and finally where he was buried, it is hard to describe being surrounded by so much natural beauty and think this is where George most liked to spend his time.
It wasn't very hard to see why.
We did not mean to spend so much time at Mount Vernon, but there was no way we were going to make it a hasty trip to run through the grounds. I think this is the place the kids enjoyed the most as well.
Brenden was fascinated with the sheep shearing demonstration. These girls could only use the instruments that George's slaves would have used. Some crazy looking scissors. At first the two girls had a hard time lifting and turn the sheep over on its side so that one could hold the feet while the other pushed the head down and used her other hand to shear. They have to try to keep the wool in as big of a clump as possible. Not a bunch of solitary snips to chop off the wool, but one big chunk of wool.
George experimented with plow designs, different types of manure, and a wheat processing barn.
When you are done touring the grounds, they have a large museum just on George Washington with a great section for hands on things for the kids. He was a surveyor. I think this was his first occupation.
To top off an already great day, we swung by the Washington DC Temple on our way home and they just happened to be performing a bunch of Polynesia dances that night.
He was looking at these pictures with me and said this dance was his favorite one.
In August there was an earthquake and one of the top gold spires fell off. It's fixed now.
Kyleigh really likes pointing out the Angel Moroni on top of the Temples.
These kids have now been to temples from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic-they saw the Portland temple (here) and now the DC. As well as every state inbetween. And the younger one is only 2 years old.
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