545 



WASHINGTON, GEORGE. 



WASHINGTON, GEORGE. 



646 



the British in New York was concerted by Washington and the 

 French commanders. The naval superiority of the English however 

 prevented anything being done, and the year wore away unmarked by 

 any incidents, except the treason of Arnold and the execution of 

 Andre". Congress, yielding at last to Washington's representations, 

 decreed that all troops to be raised in future should be enlisted to 

 serve during the war, and that all officers who continued in service to 

 the end of the war should be entitled to half-pay for life. The army 

 went into winter-quarters towards the end of November at the Penn- 

 sylvanian line near Morristown, the New Jersey regiments at Pampton, 

 aud the eastern troops in the Highlands, while the head-quarters were 

 at New Windsor, on the Hudson. 



The year 1781 opened with a mutiny in the Pennsylvania and 

 Jersey troops, which was subdued by the promptitude and self-pos- 

 session of Washington. He was now strengthened not only by a 

 French auxiliary army, but by liberal supplies from France. The 

 main source of his weakness was the utter want of a civil government 

 to support him. The Congress, which made war, declared inde- 

 pendence, formed treaties of alliance, sent members to foreign courts, 

 emitted paper currency, and pledged the credit of all the states for 

 its redemption, " ventured," says Mr. Sparkes, " only to recommend 

 to the states to raise troops, levy taxes, clothe and feed their naked 

 and starving soldiers." Tilly with the French fleet entered the 

 Chesapeake in February, but returned without injuring Arnold's 

 squadron. Lafayette, whom Washington had detached at the same 

 time with 1200 men to Virginia, held Cornwallis, who had advanced 

 from North Carolina, in check. Washington had repeated interviews 

 with the French commanders to concert a plan of campaign. On the 

 4th of July he encamped near Dobb's Ferry, and was joined on the 

 6th by the French army under Count llochambeau. A fruitless 

 attempt on New -York, and a letter intimating that De Grasse, who 

 commanded the French fleet, could not remain on the coast after 

 October, decided him to relinquish the siege of New York and 

 advance into Virginia with all the French troops and as many of the 

 American as could be spared from the defence of the posts on the 

 Hudson and in the Highlands. Washington and Rochambeau reached 

 Lafayette's head-quarters at Williamsburg in Virginia, on the 14th of 

 September. De Grasse had previously entered the Chesapeake and 

 landed 3000 men from the West Indies, who united with Lafayette. 

 Cornwallis took possession of York Town and Gloucester on the oppo- 

 site side of York River in Virginia. . The American and French 

 generals advanced from Williamsburg and completely invested York 

 Town on the 30th of September. Cornwallis proposed a cessation of 

 hostilities on the 17th of October, and signed the articles of capitula- 

 tion on the 19th. Two thousand continental troops were marched to 

 reinforce General Greene in the south; the French army remained 

 in Virginia, its head-quarters were at Williamsburg ; the American 

 forces were marched into winter cantonments in New Jersey and on 

 the Hudson. 



Hitherto Washington had to struggle against the apathy engendered 

 by fear ; now he had to check the remissness which sprung from an 

 over-estimate of success. " Whatever," he said, " may be the policy 

 of European courts during this winter, their negociations will prove 

 too precarious a dependence for us to trust to. Our wisdom should 

 dictate a serious preparation for war, and, in that state, we shall find 

 ourselves in a situation secure against every event." Congress con- 

 curred in these sentiments. The commander-in-chief addressed 

 circular letters to the governors of all the states, urging them to make 

 strenuous exertions for carrying on the war. In the middle of April 

 he joined the array and established his head-quarters at Newburgh. 

 Little progress was made by the states in filling up their quotas, and 

 on the 8th of May he was obliged to remonstrate with them in 

 energetic terms. Great discontent prevailed in the army, on account 

 of the treatment it had experienced, and a wish spread that Washing- 

 ton should establish a monarchy in the United States. In the mean- 

 time negociations for peace were commenced, the French army 

 withdrawn, and the American army, after an inactive summer, was 

 sent back into winter- quarters. The winter passed in an angry corre- 

 spondence between the officers of the army and Congress. An address 

 from Washington (15th of March 1783) was required to restore tLe 

 good temper of the officers. Having pacified them, he became their 

 advocate with Congress, and obtained the concession of their demands. 

 On the 8th of June he addressed his last official communication, a 

 circular letter to the governors of the states, urging upon them : 

 an indissoluble union of the states ; regard to public justice ; the 

 adoption of a proper military peace-establishment ; and mutual con- 

 cessions on the part of the different states. On the 25th of November 

 the British evacuated New York. On the 4th of December Washington 

 took a solemn farewell of the officers of the army. And on the 23rd 

 of December he resigned his commission to Congress. 



We must pass briefly over the interval which separates the epoch of 

 Washington the soldier from that of Washington the statesman the 

 few years which elapsed between the resignation of his command in 

 December 1783, and his election as first president of the United States 

 in February 1789. It was for him no period of idleness. In addition 

 to a liberal increase of hospitality at Mount Vernon, and indefatigable 

 attention to the management of his large estates, he actively promoted 

 in his own state schemes of internal navigation, acts for encouraging 



BIOG. DIV. VOL. VI. 



education, and plans for the civilisation of the Indians. He acted as 

 delegate from Virginia to the Convention which framed the first con- 

 stitution of the United States. We now turn to contemplate him as 

 president. 



Washington left Mount Vernon for New York, which was then the 

 seat of Congress, on the 16th of April 1789. His journey was a 

 triumphal procession. He took the oath of office on the 30th of April, 

 with religious services, processions, and other solemnities, which the 

 ultra-republican party have since done away with. 



The new president's first step was to request elaborate reports from 

 the secretary of foreign affairs, the secretary of war, and the com- 

 missioners of the treasury. The reports he read, and condensed with 

 his own hand, particularly those of the treasury board. The volumi- 

 nous official correspondence in the public archives, from the time of 

 the treaty of peace till the time he entered on the presidency, he read, 

 abridged, and studied, with the view of fixing in his mind every 

 important point that had been discussed, and the history of what had 

 been done. 



His arrangements for the transaction of business and reception of 

 visitors were characterised by the same spirit of order which had 

 marked him when a boy and at the head of the army. Every Tuesday, 

 between the hours of three and four, he was prepared to receive such 

 persons as chose to call. Every Friday afternoon the rooms were open 

 in like manner for visits to Mrs. Washington. He accepted no invita- 

 tions to dinner, but invited to his own table foreign ministers, officers 

 of the government, and others in such numbers as his domestic estab- 

 lishment could accommodate. The rest of the week-days were devoted 

 to business appointments. No visits were received on Sunday, or 

 promiscuous company admitted ; he attended church regularly, and 

 the rest of that day was his own. 



The organisation of the executive departments was decreed by act 

 of Congress during the first session. They were the departments of 

 foreign affairs (afterwards called the department of state, and including 

 both foreign and domestic affairs), of the treasury, and of war. It 

 devolved upon the president to select proper persons to fill the several 

 offices. Jefferson was appointed secretary of state ; Hamilton, secre- 

 tary of the treasury; and Knox, secretary of war. Randolph had 

 the post of attorney-general. The appointments to the supreme court 

 cost him much anxious scrutiny. Jay was made chief-justice. After 

 making these appointments he undertook a tour through the eastern 

 states, and returned to be present at the opening of Congress, in 

 January 1790. 



In his opening speech he recommended to the attention of the legis- 

 lature a provision for the common defence ; laws for naturalising 

 foreigners ; a uniform system of currency, weights, and measures ; the 

 encouragement of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures ; tha pro- 

 motion of science and literature ; and an effective system for the 

 support of public credit. The last topic gave rise to protracted and 

 vehement debates. At last, Hamilton's plan for funding all the 

 domestic debts was carried by a small majority in both Houses of 

 Congress. The president suppressed his sentiments on the subject 

 while it was under debate in Congress, but he approved the act for 

 funding the public debt, and was from conviction a decided friend to 

 the measure. The foreign relations of the country, though not com- 

 plicated, were in an unsettled condition. Washington despatched 

 Gouverneur Morris as a private agent to ascertain the views and 

 intentions of the British ministers. He reluctantly commenced an 

 Indian war, which lasted during the greater part of his administration. 

 For the first year of his presidential term however he was chiefly 

 engaged in ascertaining the actual position of the United States in the 

 system of nations. 



The second session of Congress was mainly occupied with debates 

 on the erection of a national bank. The two great sections of public 

 opinion, which have under different names divided the Union since 

 the constitution of 1788, had in some measure taken up their respective 

 grounds on the question of funding the debts. Their organised hos- 

 tility became more apparent in the debates on the project of a national 

 bank. Both parties were represented in the cabinet : Knox and 

 Hamilton advocated the establishment of the bank; Jefferson and 

 Randolph denounced it as unconstitutional. The contest ended in the 

 establishment of a bank, with a capital of ten millions of dollars, of 

 which eight millions were to be held by individuals, and the rest by 

 government. Again the president avoided showing a leaning to the 

 one or other party, although friendly to the creation of a bank. He 

 requested from each member of the cabinet a statement of his reasons 

 in writing, examined them attentively, and affixed his signature to 

 the act. 



The session of 1791 produced the laws for apportioning the repre- 

 sentatives, establishing a uniform militia system, and increasing the 

 army. It now became apparent to the most unreflecting that two 

 great parties were in the process of formation. The opponents and 

 supporters of the measures enumerated were, with few exceptions, the 

 opponents and supporters of the funding system and the national 

 bank. The opponents were jealous of anything that might encroach 

 upon democratic principles; the supporters were distrustful of the 

 power of institutions so simple as those of the United States to pre- 

 serve tranquillity and the cohesion of the state. Jefferson was the 

 head of the democratic, Hamilton of what was afterwards called the 



2N 



