The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-12-24
GENERAL WASHINGTON
SHEATHS HIS SWORD

ington handed back to the Continent
tai Congress his commission as Com
mander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary
Army and returned to Mount Vernon,
a simple American citizen. But the
mere statement of that fact conveys
little of the drama that lay behind the
act. Only few months before he
became George Washington, private
citizen, he might have become mill
tary dictator of America, and at the
lifting of finger. He put aside the
proposal in indignation, but had
George Washington been other than
the man he was, the history of the
United States might read very differ
emily from what it does.
While the surrender of CORVALLIS
at Yorktown in 1881 had virtually
ended the Revolution in victory for
America, desultory fighting still went
on, and Washington wished to keep
the army up to strength. 1t was new
ertheless preiod of inactivity, and
the officers and soldiers had plenty of
time to brood over their grievances
at the hands of Congress. Their pay
was long in Arrears. Numbers of the
officers had sacrificed their personal
fortunes to the cause of their coun-
ry. And now they faced the prospect
of being turned back into private
life, penniless and ignored by a coun-
try that appeared to be ungrateful.
This bitter sentiment reached eli
max while the army was stationed at
Newburg. 1t finally took shape in
an open hint to Washington that he
place himself at the head of this
movement in the army to take over
the government, and thus make him
self dictator of America. So impov-
erished was the country, and so feeble
had become the State and National l
governments that nothing could have
stood in the way of this move, had
Washington yielded. Instead he in
dignantly rebuked his officers for this
threatened stain on their patriotism,
promised once more to stir Congress
to take up the matter of payment, and
in this he finally succeeded.
Late in January, 1888, came news
that the preliminary peace treaty had
been signed in Paris. On April II,
Washington was informed that an
agreement for the suspension of hos
tilities had been signed. In due time
thereafter came the disbanding of the
army, the triumphal entry of Wash
ington and Governor Clinton into New
York City, on the heels of the depart
ing British, and the famous farewell
that the Commander-in-C Chief babe
his faithful officers at Fraunce's Tav-
ern. Immediately afterward, Wash
ington went to Philadelphia to present
an account of his personal expenses
during the eight years of the war.
This business being concluded, Gen.
Washington left Philadelphia for An
napolis, where Congress was sitting.
There he arrived on December 20 and
asked the president Of Congress as to
the manner in which he should resign
his commission. The 23d was named
as the day for his ceremony. At IL
o'clock the Maryland State House,
where Congress was in session, was
crowded for the occasion. The gal
leries and large part of the floor of
the Hall of Congress was filled with
ladies, functionaries of the State and
National governments, military men
and citizens.
Washington entered, conducted by
the secretary of Congress, and took
his appoined seat. After a brief
pause, General Mifflin, president of
Congress, announced that "the United
States in Congress assembled" were
prepared to receive his communica-
ton. In the course of his brief ad-
dress, Washington said; "The great
events on which my resignation de-
pended having at length taken place,
/ now have the honor of offering my
sincere congratulations to Congress,
and of presenting myself before them,
to surrender into their hands the trust
committed TO me, and to claim the in
diligence Of retiring from the service
of my country" A few words of
praise for his officers and the army,
solemn appeal for the blessing of God
on his country, and he had finished.
A newspaper of the time, the Mary
land Gazette, in describing the scene,
said, Few tragedies have ever drawn
so many tears from so many eyes as
the moving manner. in which his Ex-
cellency took his final leave of Con-
gress."
On the next morning, Washington
set forth from Annapolis and reached
Mount Vernon that same evening
Christmas Eve-to spend there per-
haps the happiest Christmas of his
life. Thus eagerly did the victor of
the War for our Independence forget
military glory and return to the ranks