Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-14
: - George ". Sumthei''
Speech Of Of Fairfax County IN
the House

e d;schareing an Office l;oe Of a
OIL u l,s;th the ordinary business skiing
ed WIN e assembly. Yet, IN ASSENT asanf
leglsiasi;rn to interrupt, for Q monls ~
permlssiJ1nar order of parlla,nehtaaeoy !
the regular oIu can not doubt tha'
proceedlngs2;f,; ION which l have to sup.
NIT viii prove as gra'iiS
may ~ Df Samuel u T. WashingtonaSS az Com el1,-
ION Of Kanawha County, N ,me # nv
zneennnwealth Of Virginia, ana one !,,ith the
instruments aust;tnents. has honored me WIN his his
cons sa;ss;on of presenting, IN con-.
communist ond on his behalf, to the c ",d
name any nf u the United States ai of
g ress " that body to the people +o ~
through od"s States. two most inter-
the oi anJ valuable relics connec.e .,.
with the past history Oh acJb ie
end with men whose ae tao cabinet
It, in the field and IN ta Inc canals annals.
bst illustrate and adorn o s,, George
ps Ono is the sword worn by G y, he
Vs o shinpton, first So co 1n i, i'm IN
Wasn ;ni '0 service Of Virginia u,
eolul,s campaign against the frei ;n
foID Gna;ans and afterwards DURING
alo ,nhole period of the war Oh IN II
the w. Sanne &c commander in CHIEF OF
the American Army, ,,,naar
lhg 81 e q plain cutleau, or mango
~; ~ =. u Green hilt and silver guaro; !.
On the upper ward OF the :,S se {, II IS !;
e Um 81. Bailey Fishklll: ~ hs, =
accompanied by a puc :1h,. buckle
."bich is seured by silver Duc me-
and clash. whereon are engrayen rns
alt4 HG. W." and the tlguae ss
n17s7n These are all of the planes; >,
,,,orlnoanship. but substantial ana - ~
, mot with the man and with 'he
t;n,es F. which they belonged.
''' The history of the sword IS perez s,,. ~
lne eh n,1 and leaves no shadow OF
doubt as to its Identity. e
The last will and testament o.
George Washington, bearing GO aa'e eo ~
the 9th day of February. ll9'' g 'b be-
tains. among a great variety u .t Dr.
o ua the following clause: ~ -
asch Of nv nephews, William Au
r,st;na Washington, George Lewis;
sseorge steploe Washington, Busnroo
No s5;nrton, and Samuel Washington
7 aive one of the swords or cutleauS
af which / may die possessed; ana
thev are to choose in the order theS
~ namd. These swords are accom-
nanied with an injunction not to uh:
/. shaathe them for the purpose .!
Shedding blood, except 1t De lor n So.r
defense or in defense OF their coua a,.o
and it's rights; and, in the latIer ea s",,
to keep them unsheathed ana plc H.
falling with thin in their hands 10 INC
REIMBURSEMENT thereof.
In the distribution of the SWORDS to
hereby devised, among the liso Nv
nephews therein numeratd( the one
now presented fiji to the lot OF Sam
mol Washington, the devisee iast
named in the clause OF the VIII "iii'''
| have just read. ~, fo,,,
This gentleman, who dleo -"
wears since. in the county OF Ma
nawha, and who was the father Oh
Samnel T. Washington, the donor; 1
Ihew we'll. I have often seen TINS
sword in his possession, and received
from him the following account Oh
the manner in which it became ms
nroperty, in the division made among
the devisees: $780,, :. 80 have
during the Revolutionary "ar-nos
that used on occasions OF parade anu anu
review. but the constant service
sword of the great chief-that ne haa
himself seen Gen. Washington wear
this Identical sword--he presumed
for the last time-when, in l794, ne
,.o,,;a,,,ed tho Virginia and Maryland
forces. then concentrated at Cum
berland, under the command oil zen.
Lee. and destined to cooperate with
the Pennsylvania and New J is
troops, then assembled at Bedford;
in suppressing what has been cal4eo
'the whisky instruction"
Gen. Washington was at that time
President of the United States, anc.
as such, was Commander in Chief OF
the Army 1t is known that it was
his intnetion to lead the Army IN
person on that occasion, had ne
found it necessary; and he went to
been the side arm of Gen. Washington
Bedford and Cumberland prepared
for that event, The condition OF
things did not require it, and he re-
turned TO MS civil uuI!so az ''1
phia. -,
Mr.. Samuel Washington held the
commission Of d captain at that time
himself, and served in that cam
paign, many Of the incidents OF winch
he has related to me.
He was anxious to obtain this par
ticular sword, and preferred it to
all the others, among, which was the
ornamented and costly present iron,
the great Frederick.
At the time of the division among
the ncphws. without intlmatlng
what his preference was, he iocoscly
remarked, that, inasmuch as he was
tn only one Of them who had par
ticipated in military service, they
ought to permit him to take choice.
This suggestion was met in tho SAME
spirit (which it was made; ant
the choice being awarded him. III
chose this, the plaincst and intrlnsi
cally the least valuable OF any, sImp
~ because it was ''the battle sword.
h rwnttlotiad odfw mod ON do oh I
l am also in possession of the mos
satisfactory evidence, furnished b.
Col. George Washington. Of George
town. the nearest relative OF Gen
NFashinrton now living as TO tn