Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-09-19
Washington's Farewell to His Army

Washington's Farewell to His Army.
Gan tyrants but by tyrants conquered he,
=, ana freedom find no champion ard no child
such as Columbia arise. when she
Sprung forth PallaS, arm and underlined:
Or must such minds lie nourishcd in the wild
Deep IN the unpruDed forests midst the roar
vi Cataracts, where nursing nature smiled
On infant Washington? Has earth no more,
such seed within her breast, Europe no such
shore:
The revolution was over. Eight years
conflict had ceased, and the warriors were
now to separate forever, turning their
weapons into ploughshares. and their
camps into workshops. The spectacle,
though sublime and glorious one, was
yet attended with sorrowful feelings: for
alas! in the remains of that gallant army
OF patriot soldiers, now about to disband
without pay, without support, stalked
poverty and disease. The country had
not the means to be grateful.
The details of the condition of manv
OF the officers and soldiers at that period,
according to history and oral tradition.
were melancholy in the extreme. Posses
sing no means of patrimonial inheritance
to fall back upon-thrown out of even
the perilous support of the soldier, at the
commencement of Winter, and hardly fit
for any other duty than that of the camp
their situation can be as well imagined
as described.
A single instance, as a sample of the
situation of many of the officers, as related
of Baron Steuben, may not be amiss.-
When the main body of the army was
disbanded at Newburgh, and the veteran
soldiers were bidding parting farewell
to each other, Lieutenant Col. Cochran.
an aged soldier of the New Hampshire
line, remarked with tears in his eyes, as
he shook hands with the Baron:
g For myself, could stand it: but nv
wife and daughters are in the garrct of
that wretched tavern, and | have no
means of removing them"
Come, come" said the Baron, "don't
give way thus. | will pay my respects
to Mrs. Cochran and her daughters. .
When TIE good old soldier left them,
their co.ntenances were warm with graft
tude-for he left there 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 pour negroes on the wharf at New
burgh, apparently in great distress.
" What is the matter, brother soldier 2"
Why, master Baron, [ want dollar
to get home with, now that Congress has
no further use for me-"
The Baron was absent for few mo-
ments, and then returned with a silver
dollar which he had borrowed.
''There, it's all ] could get. Take it."
The negro received it with joy, hailed
sloOp which was passing down the river
to New York, and as he reached the dock,
took off 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
view at the close of his farewell address
to the army at Rock Hill, in November,
1888:
''And being now about to conclude
these, his last public orders, to take his
ultimate leave in a short time of the mill
tary character,-and to bid final adieu
to the armies he has so long had the honor
to command, he can only again offer, in
their behalf, his recommendations to their
country, and his prayer to the God of
armies"
inlay ample justice be done them here,
and may the choicest of heavens favors,
both here and hereafter. attend those who,
under divine auspices, have secured innu-
merable blessings for Others
"With these wishes, and this bencdic-
tion, the Commander-in Chief is about to
retire from service. The curtain of sepa-
ration will soon be drawn, and the mill
tary scenes will be closed to him forever" :"
The closing of the military scenes" l
am about to relate.
New York had been occupied by Wash
ington on the 25th of November A few
days afterward, he notified the President
of Congress-which body was then in
session at Annapolis, in Maryland-tha
as the war had now closed, he should con-
slider it his duty to proceed thence and
surrender to that body the commission
which ne had received from them seven
years before.
The morning of the 5th of December,
1883, sad and heavy one to the remnant
of the American army in the city of New
York. The noon of that day was to wit
ness the farewell of Washington-he was
to bid adieu to his military comrades for