The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-08
Card from Don Piatt-GeOrGe Wash.
InStOn.
From the Cincinnati Commercial, 9th.

From the Cincinnati Commercial, 9th.
Editors Commercial, Your Delaware
correspondent does me (unintentionaily
doubtlesS) some injustice in his report Of
nv remarks on the night of the 22d. was
invited to deliver an address upon the oc-
casion at Delaware, and, not meeting the
committee sent with the invitation, | was
not made acquainted with the programme
and found myself in the ludicrous position
Of being the fifth speaker of the evening
with q written address of twenty-toul
foolscap pages on my hands. What made
it worse was that my four predecessors
held the audience for two hours with as
beautiful, finished, and eloquent efforts as
/ ever listened to. 1t was 9 o'clock before
took the stand, and then | threw myself
upon the mercy of the audience, stated my
case, and, amid roars of laughter, threw
aside my written address and proceeded to
give the doxology impromptu briefly as
was capable IF doing.
/ did not severely initiate the ad.
dresses ofthose who had preceded me y; at
least, ] had no such intention. ! began,
commenting, of course, upon the day we
celebrate, and in that connection made a
few remarks upon the uncertainty Of his
tory. / said:
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
No man has suffered more in the hands
of standard historians than George Wash
ington. They have passed him beyond
popular understanding and popular sympa-
thy. He has ceased to be man and be-
come q god. / was never more startled
than once when came Unexpectedly upon
a pamphlet, written and published by Tom
Paine, attacking George Washington. II
was powerful dissection Of the Father OF
his Country by that brutal, coarse, ye,
able writer. While rejecting the summing
up Of the celebrated infdel, the mere fac,
that the great Virginia colonel could thus
be assailed by contemporary awakened
the suspicion that We did not know George
Washington.
7 investigated for myself, and discovered
that Washington had been born Of woman.
That he had once been young, danced with
the girls, and rode after the fox. That he
was vain of his person, proud of his horses,
passionate in his temper, and aristocratic
in his feelings. / learned that he bowed
in a dignified manner, with his hands be-
hind him, TO his guests at levees, and when
demonstrated with by Tom Jefferson,
who suggested Misunderstanding, he replied /,
"Shake hands no, sir! should catch the
itch!" 'Gs
i remember being told by my grand
father, old Colonel Piatt, of Boone county,
Kentucky, who was wounded ut Brandy
wine, that he happened to be present when
Washington met his army in full retreat,
and then the great commander swore ter
ribly. ST.
In word, learned to love the man
LOT ms weaknesses, as ! admired him for
ms strength. AS he ceased to be impossi-
Die, and grew to be human. nv heart went
out IN sympathy for his struggles and AID :
miration for his success.
The story of his life in brief is that
with powerful foe in his front and nar
row, mean, csrping jealousy in h;s ra Nc. !.
with Congress that feared him ara Co o. ;
nerals who hated him; with reserves t he,
could scarcely be drilled before thew w 1aa'
disbanded; without supplies and ., meie
destitute Of support, he held his l.,,a almost
OF iaif,staryed, ragged patriots ~ TINY tha;y
work until success greeted opr a .loii
and the great Republic was am o"a s'es'
piisned fact. Approaching the gen;ns -
ms age aud the results Of the war be 70 y
Tired, after a brief service in civil life r.
I'VE and die In quiet dignity, upon ths
psoks OF the Potomac, the greatest mar
humanity was ever blessed with"