(19) George Washington Parke Custis (1826)
“General Washington, in the prime of life, stood six feet two inches and measured precisely six feet when attired for the grave. From the period of the Revolution, there was an evident bending in that frame so passing straight before, but the stoop is attributable rather to the care and toils of that arduous contest than to age; for his step was firm, and his carriage noble and commanding, long after the time when the physical properties of man are supposed to be in the wane.
“To a majestic height, was added correspondent breath and firmness, and his whole person was so cast in nature’s finest mould as to resemble the classic remains of ancient statuary, where all the parts contribute to the purity and perfection of the whole.
“The power of Washington’s arm was displayed in several memorable instances: in his throwing a stone from the bed of the stream to the top of the Natural Bridge; another over the Palisades in the Hudson, and yet another across the Rappahannock, at Fredericksburg. Of the article with which he spanned this bold and navigable stream, there are various accounts. We are assured that it was a piece of slate, fashioned to about the size and shape of a dollar, and which, sent by an arm so strong, not only spanned the river, but took the ground at least thirty yards on the other side. Numbers have since tried this feat, but none have cleared the water.”46
(20) Judge Gibson
Judge Gibson in his reminiscences of the Whiskey Rebellion relates: “The rendezvous of the northern division, by far the strongest, was at Carlisle, where the President joined it as Commander-in-chief. Passing through the town without dismounting at the quarters proposed for him, he proceeded at once, under an escort of New Jersey dragoons, to the plain at the south of it, where ten thousand volunteers, the flower of the Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania youth, were drawn up to be reviewed by him. Finer looking fellows were perhaps never brought into line; and their uniforms, arms and accoutrements were splendid. But the observed of all observers was Gen. Washington. Taking off his small revolutionary cocked hat, and letting it fall at his side with inimitable grace, he rode slowly along the front, receiving, with a puff of military pride, the salute of the regiments with drums and colors; of the officers with swords and spontoons; and of the private soldiers with presented arms. His eye appeared to fall on every man in the line; and every man in the line appeared to feel that it did so. No man ever sat so nobly in a saddle, and no man’s presence was ever so dignified. To a boy, as the writer then was, it was an impressive spectacle, that review.”47
III. DESCRIPTIONS OF WASHINGTON’S CHARACTER AND SERVICE BY HIS CONTEMPORARIES
Unless otherwise noted, all of these citations are also taken from Albert Bushnell Hart’s, Tributes to Washington, Pamphlet No. 3 (Washington, D.C.: George Washington Bicentennial Commission, 1931.) They are presented in chronological order.
A. As stated by Americans
(1) Delegate Patrick Henry (1774)
“When Patrick Henry was asked ‘whom he thought the greatest man in Congress,’ he replied: ‘If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest orator, but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonial Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor.’”48
(2) Delegate Silas Deane (1775)
“General Washington will be with You soon, possibly by the Time You receive This. His Election was unanimous, his acceptance of the high Trust, modest and polite, his Character I need not enlarge on but will only say to his honor, that he is said to be as fixed and resolute in having his Orders on all Occasion executed, as he is cool and deliberate, in giving them.”49
(3) President John Hancock (1775)
“The Congress have appointed George Washington, Esqr., General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. His Commission is made out and I shall Sign it to morrow. He is a Gentleman you will all like. I submit to you the propriety of providing a suitable place for his Residence and the mode of his Reception. Pray tell Genl. Ward of this with my Respects, and that we all Expect to head that the Military Movements of the Day of his Arrival will be such as to do him and the Commander in Chief great honour.…General Washington will set out in a few Days. …Pray do him every honour. By all means have his Commission read at the head of the whole Forces.”50
(4) Delegate John Adams (1775, 1776)
“I can now inform you that the Congress has made choice of the modest and virtuous, the amiable, generous and brave George Washington, Esquire to be General of the American army, and that he is to repair, as soon as possible, to the camp before Boston. This appointment will have a great effect in cementing and securing the union of these colonies.
“There is something charming to me in the conduct of Washington. A gentleman of one of the first fortunes upon the continent, leaving his delicious retirement, his family and friends, sacrificing his ease, and hazarding all in the cause of his country! His views are noble and disinterested. He declared, when he accepted the mighty trust, that he would lay before us an exact account of his expenses, and not accept a shilling for pay.
“I congratulate you, Sir, as well as all the Friends of Mankind on the Reduction of Boston, an event which appeared to me of so great and decisive importance, that the next Morning after the Arrival of the News, I did myself the honour to move, for the Thanks of Congress to your Excellency and that a Medal of God Should be Struck in commemoration of it. Congress have been pleased to appoint me, with two other Gentlemen to prepare a Device.”51
(5) General Nathanael Greene (1775, 1776)
“His Excellency, General, has arrived amongst us, universally admired. Joy was visible on every countenance, and it seemed as if the spirit of conquest breathed through the whole army. I hope we shall be taught, to copy his example, and to prefer the love of liberty, in this time of public danger to all the soft pleasures of domestic life, and support ourselves with manly fortitude amidst all the dangers and hardships that attend a state of war. And I doubt not, under the General’s wise direction, we shall establish such excellent order and strictness of discipline as to invite victory to attend him wherever he goes.
“Greater powers must be lodged in the hands of the General than he has ever yet exercised.…I can assure you that the General will not exceed his powers, though he may sacrifice the cause. There never was a man that might be more safely trusted, nor a time when there was a louder call.”52
(6) Delegate Robert Morris (1777)
“Remember, my good Sir, that few men can keep their feelings to themselves, and that it is necessary for example’s sake that all leaders should feel and think boldly in order to inspirit others, who look up to them. Heaven, no doubt for the noblest purposes, has blessed you with a firmness of mind, steadiness of countenance, and patience in sufferings, that give you infinite advantages over other men. This being the case, you are not to depend on other people’s exertions being equal to your own. One mind feeds and thrives on misfortunes by finding resources to get the better of them; another sinks under their weight, thinking, it impossible to resist; and, as the latter description probably includes the majority of mankind, we must be cautious of alarming them.”53
(7) Delegate Abraham Clark (1777)
“I believe the General is honest, but I think him fallible.”54
(8) An Officer (1777)
“Our army love their General very much, but they have one things against him, which is the little care he take so himself in any action. His personal bravery, and the desire he has of animating his troops by example, make him fearless of danger. This occasions us much uneasiness. But Heaven, which has hitherto been his shield, I hope will still continue to guard so valuable a life.”55
(9) Colonel Alexander Hamilton (1778)
“The general I always revered and loved ever since I knew him, but in this instance he rose superior to himself. Every lip dwells on his praise, for even his pretended friends (for none dare to acknowledge themselves his enemies) are obliged to croak it forth.”56
(10) Ex-Minister Governeur Morris (1779)
“Born to high destinies, he was fashioned for them by the hand of nature. His form was noble—his port majestic. On his front were enthroned the virtues which exalt, and those which adorn the human character. So dignified his deportment, no man could approach him but with respect—none was great in his presence. You have all seen him, and you all have felt the reverence he inspired.…His judgment was always clear, because his mind was pure. And seldom, if ever, will a sound understanding be met in the company of a corrupt heart…. In him were the courage of a soldier, the intrepidity of a chief, the fortitude of a hero. He had given to the impulsions of bravery all the calmness of his character, and, if in the moment of danger, his manner was distinguishable from that of common life, it was by superior ease and grace…. Knowing how to appreciate the world, its gifts and glories, he was truly wise. Wise also in selecting the objects of his pursuit. And wise in adopting just means to compass honorable ends.”57
(11) John Bell (1779)
“He has an excellent understanding without much quickness; is strictly just vigilant, and generous; an affectionate husband, a faithful friend, a father to the deserving soldier; gentle in his manners, in temper rather reserved; a total stranger to religious prejudice, which have so often excited Christians of one denomination to cut the throats of those of another; in his morals irreproachable; he was never known to exceed the bounds of the most rigid temperance; in a word, all his friends and acquaintances universally allow, that no man ever united in his own person a more perfect alliance of the virtues of a philosopher with the talents of a general. Candour, sincerity, affability, and simplicity, seem to be the striking features of his character, till an occasion offers of displaying the more determined bravery and independence of spirit. General Washington having never been to Europe, could not possibly have seen much military service when the armies of Britain were sent to subdue us; yet still, for a variety of reasons, he was by much the most proper man on this continent, and probably any where else, to be placed at the head of an American army. The very high estimation he stood in for integrity and honour, his engaging in the cause of his country from sentiment and a conviction of her wrongs, his moderation in politics, his extensive property, and his approved abilities as a commander, were motives which necessarily obliged the choice of America to fall upon him.”58
(12) Delegate Alexander Hamilton (1783)
“The Commander was already become extremely unpopular, among almost all ranks from his known dislike to every unlawful proceeding; that this unpopularity was daily increasing and industriously promoted by many leading characters; that his choice of unfit and indiscreet persons into his family was the pretext, and with some the real motive; but the substantial one, a desire to displace him from the respect and confidence of the army, in order to substitute General [not listed in source], as the conductor of their efforts to obtain justice. Mr. Hamilton said that he knew General Washing[ton] intimately and perfectly; that his extreme reserve, mixed sometimes with a degree of asperity of temper, both of which were said to have increased of late, had contributed to the decline of his popularity; but that his virtue, his patriotism and firmness, would, it might be depended upon, never yield to any dishonorable or disloyal plans into which he might be called; that he would suffer himself to be cut to pieces.”59
(13) William Paulett Cary (1789)
“A stranger to profusion, yet generous in every instance where liberality was a virtue; during the late troubles, his fortune was employed in succoring merit, rewarding bravery, promoting discipline in the soldiery, and subordination to the new established government, in the citizens. At a time when the calamities incident to a state of civil warfare, fell heavy on all ranks, but principally on the middle class of his countrymen, his beneficence, which seemed to shun the public eye, would in all probability be lost in oblivion, but for the voice of those whom he freed from the accumulated miseries of famine, sickness, and imprisonment.
“In whatever light we view the character of this truly great man we are struck with fresh cause for esteem and admiration: we every moment discover new and shining traits of humanity, of wisdom, and disinterested heroism: we see united to him the distinguished virtues of a good citizen, an experienced general, an upright senator, and a wise politician; we behold him rising superior to every mean consideration of self-love, hazarding his fortunes in the cause of freedom, cheerfully submitting to bear the name of rebel, and braving an ignominious death, to which he would inevitably have fallen a sacrifice, had Britain triumphed in the contest: we behold him furnishing an example the most interesting to humanity, and capable of nerving the palsied arm of age, or even of cowardice itself…”60
(14) Jedidiah Morse (1789)
“It is hoped posterity will be taught, in what manner he transformed an undisciplined body of peasantry into a regular army of soldiers. Commentaries on his campaigns would undoubtedly be highly interesting and instructive to future generation. The conduct of the first campaign, in compelling the British troops to abandon Boston by a bloodless victory, will merit minute narration. But a volume would scarcely contain the mortifications he experienced and the hazards to which he was exposed in 1776 and 1777, in contending against the prowess of Britain, with an inadequate force. His good destiny and consummate prudence prevented want of success from producing want of confidence on the part of the public; for want of success is apt to lead to the adoption of pernicious counsels through the levity of the people or the ambition of their demagogues.”61
(15) Governor and Council of North Carolina (1790)
“We congratulate ourselves with equal sincerity in beholding you, Sir, in the high department which your virtues merited, and to which your country unanimously and gratefully appointed you. The importance of your situation receives additional dignity by the veneration your Country possesses for your character, and from a confidence that every power vested in you by the Constitution will be exerted for the happiness and prosperity of our country…. We have just received the happy information of your recovery from a disorder which threatened your life; a life we may truly say as necessary as dear to us:—With grateful hearts we return thanks to the great Disposer of event for this beneficent mark of his attention in preserving you. May it long be shewn in continuing you among us, and when the awful day comes which is to separate you from us, may you receive the reward of those virtues, which he only can give.”62
(16) William Sullivan (1797)
“The following are recollections of Washington, derived from repeated opportunities of seeing him during the last three years of his public life. He was over six feet in stature; of strong, bony, muscular frame, without fulness of covering, well formed and straight. He was a man of most extraordinary physical strength. In his own house his action was calm, deliberate, and dignified, without pretension to gracefulness, or peculiar manner, but merely natural, and such as one would think it should be in such a man. When walking in the street, his movement had not the soldierly air which might be expected. His habitual motion had been formed before he took command of the American armies, in the wars of the interior, and in the surveying of wilderness lands, employments in which grace and elegance were not likely to be acquired. At the age of sixty-five, time had done nothing toward bending him out of his natural erectness. His deportment was invariably grave; it was sobriety that stopped short of sadness. His presence inspired a veneration, and a feeling of awe, rarely experienced in the presence of any man. His mode of speaking was slow and deliberate, not as though he was in search of fine words, but that he might utter those only adapted to his purpose. It was the usage of all persons in good society to attend Mrs. Washington’s levee every Friday evening. He was always present. The young ladies used to throng around him, and engaged him in conversations. There were some of the well-remembered belles of that day who imagined themselves to be favorites with him. As these were the only opportunities which they had of conversing with him, they were disposed to use them. One would think that a gentleman and a gallant soldier, if he could ever laugh or dress his countenance in smiles, would do so when surrounded by young and admiring beauties. But this was never so; the countenance of Washington was never softened; nor changed in habitual gravity. One who had lived always in his family said, that his manner in public life was always the same. Being asking whether Washington could laugh: this person said, that this was a rare occurrence, but one instance was remembered when he laughed most heartily at her narration of an incident in which she was a party concerned; and in which he applauded her agency. The late General Cobb, who was long a member of his family during the war, (and who enjoyed a laugh as much as any man could,) said, that he never saw Washington laugh, expecting when Colonel Scammel (if this was the person) came to dine at headquarters. Scammel had a fund of ludicrous anecdotes, and a manner of telling them, which relaxed even the gravity of the commander-in-chief.”63
(17) President John Adams (1799)
“I have seen him in the days of adversity, in some of the scenes of his deepest distress and most trying perplexities; I have also attended him in his highest elevation and most prosperous felicity; with uniform admiration of his wisdom, moderation, and constancy.
