Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-24
GEORGE WASHINGTON
What His Staff 011srS and Intimate
Friends Said Of Him.
NOT 4 GENIUS IN ANYTHING.
His Greatness Lay in His Admirable Self
Poise-Posscssed the Power TO Gov
ern and Influence Men.
Richmond letter in New York Times.)

throw any new light upon the character
OF General Washington becomes more
deeply interesting. IT is not Of Washing
ton. the first President, that the world
now wishes 10 know; II Is Washington
the man-who is most interesting. Inc
writer has known several gentlemen whose
fathers or near relatives were intimate
friends of General Washington. ana even
some who knew him IN person.
In 1851 "A gentleman, who had beeh MS
nelghbSr at Nit. Vernon, and whose ia'her
was Joint owner with the General In
ferry and an enormous seine for taking
shad and herrings in the Potomac died.
aged s.. He was p years old when WASH
ington died. This was son OF Coiohei
Ramsey. Of General Washington's military
STAFF during the revolutionary war Then
from Charles Carter Lee. eldest brother
Of General II. Z. Lee. and 'Light-horse
Harry. Lees eldest son. some very inte-
resting incidents were obtained. a near
relative Of Colonel Smms. who was the
commander Of the Sixth Virginia Regl-
mont Of the line. in the Continental army
has furnished some valuable data.
ncphow OF Colonel ToIch Tighlman. Gene
raj Washington's military secretary gave
much important information that mas
never been published until now; from n
grandson OF Major Piercey. senior a'de "'
camp TO General Washington from 'ne
time he took command Of the Conuheh'ai
army until the close OF the war; VINO was
with him in every engagement, except
the final one at Yorktown. when an usiS
wound kept him from the side OF ms
nlustrious chief i'm the hour or ms etedt'9'
triumph. and from several vencraOle
rinia ladies facts about WdshihsloH-'''
man-havc been obtained.
The first question always asked ol any
body who had known-Or known OF -''H-
cral Washington well was: w nat VIZ
his real intellectual measure? 10" tt'dl
a mind did he have or, IN our iu"N.
variance. how big was his BRAIN IN lhe
r.plios 10 this question there has been "
singular unanimity of opinion
NOT 4 GENUS.
Colonel Tighman said: Il have often
asked nv grandfather that very question:
He always answered that General WASH
irrton was not genius in anything Il,'
greatness consisted In his admirabIe sen
roise. Each Of his intellectual qnai'Iea
was very much above the ordinary am
never were characteristic ltIlucHN''9 "'''
admirably Blended ,,.,
Ne had the stuff i'm him and the Kind
OF mind that enables a man TO govern anu
influence other men," said General WIN.
q RutI,r-a son of one Of the four famous
..fivhting BUFFERS" of the IeNolutl"h'
himself a maior-genoral in the Mexican
yar and canddata for the Nice-pr-sl-
dercv. who barely missed being 'leCIt"'
"Nfv father knew General washington as
Intimately as did any of his stan salI
General Butler. when the writer NlSited
him i'm 1S.1. He was then very ora man.
In, his mind was as clear as a bell.
III. ALWAYS said that General Washing
TON possessed more Of the qualities that
90 t0 make up "a great man than any OF
tn leading figures of the Revolution.
Green. cam. next 10 Washington he
Thought. i'm force and ability. No other
man could have done what he did.
Modern historians have but little ldea OF
IN. difficulties Washington experienced.
Outside of his position as general III chiel
thor. was SO many things TO worry anu
arr,v him. Tho chief military trouble
was with his own intimate friends re-
l3tine t. questions a. rank. specially nm
c,1t WAS &C. raj Washington position
when Iafa, ittc came To our ala, ana
congress. as sou know. made nm Il
ufior-geu,Ial at once. This acuoh Siea'
lv offended the older officers hot-htaue'
fellows. sturdy dashing fighters Sth'l'iS
- tric,J.e. and colon Is who had made
the continental line what 1t was anu -
tn.v had 10 take their orders from man
lf, I'd
under fire. and was even unable at hIst
10 communicate with his Officers. except
through an ib,hrpreter.'
I'm tho pacincation Of these oflcers
General WASHINGTON shows the greatest
t,ct" said both Colonel IteIcey anu
..,.,,I Butler yes, gentleman h'
cai1 TO Them. it is true that Lafayette -
Inn ~. that ne was made major r ne
raj by Congress upon my recomM -N'diloi'.
I,ut what else could / do? lie broush'
~ - n0n stand Of the best muskets Europe
ND urodilcp Uhe French musket OIL u'"'
d,v weighed nine pounds, was very ,"l
T,il,. made. had a particularly eoOd locN'
,,.hila the English fre-lock weighed eieN, j
,,,,,n1s and its lock was clumsy odulS
r,ted and very prone to mss HIe)' an"
r ooD sabres. 2.OoO pairs or mih'dtS P'a'o'@,
III itts for brides, and the StrTuPS an
otber iroa-work for saddles pes'uc9 49, 49,,
cavalry carbines or musketooilS'
,hese arms We could never nave oqu'-5F
our army. Then he brought anu cdu1eu
hr sent TO us about 100000 III solu' II - ''H'
foo much to say that but Tor LaldS e.., :
aid lust at the time 1t came oui q, -,
must have been disDahueu i'i "
equipment and arms ,
CAIMED THE STORM.
titpg soon uultlCu Nut
,aetv and hot-blooded continental 6Vhv-
,als when they were made In his iorcluie
,,.,, hv General Washington. II calIheu
,he storm. But said my grandnhcie'
.,houeh | saw General Washington dalII
d,,rins, the seven years war, ana pasStu
Two hours out of each twenty-lour III
taking his personal orders, except Wheii
I was twice wounded, there Was some
thing about him that no man have ever
known possessed. il compelled the re-
spect Of every one whom he met. Iheh'
too. though he was always most courte-
Gus 10 the members Of his taft ana very
kind TO me personally, he was hedged
about with a dignity, a something that no
living mortal ever broke through. 1t was
not mannerism. II was not STIFFNESS
nor hautcur. / cannot define it, But TINS
/ do know, that he inspired feeling In
every one of his generals more akin 10
awe than any other mortal ever created.
We. his old staff officers, felt it just as
deeply in the last days Of our service
with him as we did when we went upon
his staff
washington was an admirable judge Of
men and their fitness for duty of any
kind. AS illustrating this peculiar power
take the instance OF Baron Steuben. He
was the most accomplished officer in Eu-
rope when he came to us, and the best
drilled He spoke English badly always,
but very bad, indeed, when he first joined
the army. We had number of young
officers from New York. who understood
Dutch. Steuben spoke that language as
we'll as he did German. Under General
Washingtons orders Steuben formed an
officers corps from these young Knicker-
bockers. and taught them the 'Prussian
drill. the best then in Europe. They.
speaking English as well as Dutch, taught
this drill TO the continental line. When
tho war closed our army was as well
drilled as any in the world"
INSPECrOR-GENERAL.
Speaking OF Baron Steuben." continued
General Butler. 'our genration has very
little appreciation or understanding of
what II owes TO this officer. General
Washington made him the Inspector
General OF the Continental army at first
with the rank OF brigadier-general, then
ajor-general In that capacity. he or
ganized. drilled, and mustered into SER
vice the entire force of Continentals. and
rendered services that were invaluable
in thus putting our little army upon n