Evening star., 1942-03-08
Washington's Book Reveals 1875 War Costs

Years of Public Life" ran across this
reference to the meeting at sea among
the material he had gathered over many
years in preparation.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, the
more 1re kno,U OF nations past the bet
ter able lce are to take care of its pres
ent and prepare for its future. II we
learn nothing from history it is only be-
cause We do not read history.
In January, TIT, Congress began issu-
ing Continental dollars and paying
Washington in that currency against the
vouchers he submitted enumeratng his
expenses. He made his debit entries in
the Continental dollars when writing the
page We have reproduced in facsimile to-
day, but he still had to reckon their
value with the lawful currency set up by
Congress earlier in the war, which &C
counts for his entering his expenses in
two columns.
In the recapitulation of his accounts
for the entire war, Washington wrote
that while these Continental dollars were
credited 40 to many of them did not
fetch l for 100. One of the chief causes
of the rapid and early depreciation OF
these dollars. was the counterfeiting Of
them by the enemy and then paying
their bills to the Colonists with the
counterfeits, who in turn had to use
them to pay their taxes
Like the expression from a needle to
an anchor" Washington's purchases,
necessary to maintain his headquarters
and run the war, included everything
from milk to powder. One of his vouch-
ers for April l, 1776 shows the purchase
of red wine, soap, candles, 113 quarts Of
milk and the cost of baking bread. On
the same day he records the paying Of
expenses incurred by Emanuel Pliarne
and Pierre Penet on their journey from
Rhode Island to the Continental Con-
gress at Philadelphia. These two
French gentlemen had brought 20 tons
of powder to Washington. They had
been of great assistance to the Colonies
and before Penet returned to France he
was brevetted aide camp to Washing
ton, the only honorary aide ever appoint
ed to the commander in chief.
Washington paid for hundreds Of
things no modern-day general would
ever be called upon to pay. He even
paid for tailoring work, done for his serv-
ants attached to his headquarters. The
money he spent for this work and entered
in the page of accounts shown here, was
for pair of riding breeches for William,
one of his servants.
The entry he made near the bottom
of the page to John Likely, was for tea
purchased when the Army passed
through Philadelphia In September, 1881.
John Likely was a Philadelphia mer-
chant.
Washington's great regard for the pub
lie interests and the meticulous way he
administered the public's funds sent him
by the Congress when they had it, which
they frequently didn't very definitely
shows up throughout his entire account
book. One example of this appears on
the credit side of his ledger-opposite
the debit page reproduced here-when
he entered credit of % pounds as hav-
ing been received from Congress, but
which actually was the alue he placed
on various sundries brought from the
British stores captured in Yorktown.
Even the edible spoils of war, this great
general refused to accept without credit
ing the public with their monetary value.
In the concluding article about this re-
Gently discovered account book of George
Washington's appearing next week,
Washington personally tells why he hesi-
tated to include Mrs. Washingtons travel
expenses when she would visit him at his
headquarters between the close of one
campaign and the opening of another.
This item is the last item of expense
entered in his book and was made July
/, 1893, six months before he resigned his
commission as general and commander
In chief Of the Army.