The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1845-01-04
WasLington's Farewell to his
Army,
DECEMBER a, 1888.


And freedom find champion and no Child
Such as Columbia saw arise, when she
Sprang forth Pallas, armed and undetiled'
Or must such minds be nourshed in the wild,
Deep in the upturnc forest midst the roar
Of cataracts where nursing Nature smiled
On infant Washington Has earth no more
Such seed within her breast, or Europe no such
shore, BYRON.
The Revelation was over. The eight
years. c"ntlics had ceased, and warriors
were now TO separate forever turning 'hr
weapons into plough shares, and their
camps into work shops. the spectacle,
though a sublime and glorious one, was
yet attended with sorrowiul feelings
for alas in the remains of that gallant
amy ofpa,rlot soldiers, now about TO dis
band wilhou, pay, without support stalk
ed poverty, want and dlsease-tie coun-
try had not The means 10 he grateful.
The details of the condition Of many
Of the officers aud soldiers al that period,
according to history aud lie oral lrad!
lion, were melancholy in the extreme -
Possessing no means OF pairimcnlal IN
heritance TO fall back npoD-thrown out
of even the perll"us support of the
soldier q. the commencement Of win err,
and hardly fit for any other duly than that
of the camp-ther situation can be ms
well imagined as described.
A single instance, as a sample o: the
situation of many OF tie officers, as rela
ted Of the conduct Of Baron Sienhen, may
not be amiss When the main body of
the army was dishanded al Newburg,and
the veteran soldiers were bidding par.
ting farewell TO each other, Lieut. Colo
mel Cochran an aged soldier of the New
Hampshire line. remarked, with tears
in his eyes, as he shook hands with the
Baron.
.'For myself, could stand i; but my
wife and daughters are in the garrett Of that
wrctched tavern, and have no means Of
removing them"
Gone, come said the Baron" don't
give way thus. | will pay my respects
to MIS-, Cochran and her taughrers."
When the good old man left them,
their counCnancCs were VAIN with gra-
titudc; for no left them all he had
in one OF the Rhode Island regiments
were several companies Of black troops,
who had served through the whole war,
and their bravery and discipline were un-
surpassed The Baron observed one of
these wounded negroes on the wharf, at
Newberg, apparently in grea, distress.
What's The matter brother soldler?n
"Why, Master Baron. want dollar
10 get home with. now Congress has no
further use for me-"
The Baron was absent few moments.
and returned with silver dollar, which
he had borrowed.
"rhere, it is all could gct--,ake it,"
The negro received il with joy. hailed
sloop which was passing down The riv-
er to New York, and, us he reached the
deck, took OF his hat, and said
God bless You Master Baron
These are only single illustrations Of
the condition Of the army, at the close Of
The war. Indeed, Washington had this
in view, at the close OF his farewell adj
dress 10 the army al York Hill, in Nov.
ember, 1888.
Sand being now about TO conclude
these, his last public orders, to make his
ultimate leave in short time of the mil.
iiary Character, and 10 bid final adieu tc
The armies he has so long had the honor
to command, he can only again offer, il
their behalf. his Communications TO theil
country, and his prayer to the God OF ar.
pies.
"May ample justice be done them here
and NAV the choicest of heavens favors
both tfre aud hereafter, attend those who
under divine auspices, have secured innu,
merable blessings for others.
"With these wishes, and this benedic-
lion, the commander.in-chief is abou, tc
retire from service. The curtain Of sepa
ration will soon be drawn, and the mill
lary scene to him will be closed for
ever"
The closing Of This "n,lilaty scene"
am about to relate,
New York had been occupied by Wash
ington on the 25th Of November. Aiew
days before, he notified the president o
Congress, which body was then in SEES
sion, at Annapolis, in Maryland, that q,
the war was now closed, he should con.
slider it his duty TO proceed thence, ant
surrender to that body the commission
which he had received from them more
than seven years before.
The morning of the 4th Of December
1883, was sad and heavy one to The
remnant Of the American army IN the city
of New York. The noon OF that day
was to witness the farewell Of Washington
he was to bid adeu to his military
comrades forever. The officers who hac
been with him in the solemn council. III,
privates who had fought and charged il
The "heavy fight" under hls orders, were