40 Ibid., vol. 11, 5-25-1778.
41 Ibid., vol. 24, 5-10-1782.
42 Ibid., vol. 4, 1-14-1776.
43 Ibid., vol. 13, 12-18-1778.
44 Ibid., vol. 18, 5-19-1780.
45 Ibid., W vol. 26. 2-6-1783.
46 Federer, America’s God And Country, pp. 639-40.
47 WGW, vol. 23, 10-20-1781. The General Orders said at the victory at Yorktown, “Divine Service is to be performed tomorrow in the several Brigades or Divisions. The Commander in Chief earnestly recommends that the troops not on duty should universally attend with that seriousness of Deportment and gratitude of Heart which the recognition of such reiterated and astonishing interpositions of Providence demand of us.”
48 American Minute with Bill Federer, January 17, 2006.
49 Ibid., vol. 7, 4-12-1777. See also, WGW, vol. 7, 4-15-1777.
50 Ibid., vol. 27, 11-2-1783.
51 Ibid., vol. 5, 7-2-1776.
52 Ibid., vol. 4, 3-6-1776.
53 Ibid., vol. 5, 5-15-1776.
54 Ibid., vol. 27, 6-11-1783.
55 Ibid., vol. 27, 8-25-1783.
56 Ibid., vol. 4, 3-1776, “Answer To An Address From The Massachusetts Legislature”, “That the metropolis of your colony is now relieved from the cruel and oppressive invasions of those, who were sent to erect the standard of lawless domination, and to trample on the rights of humanity, and is again open and free for its rightful possessors, must give pleasure to every virtuous and sympathetic heart; and its being effected without the blood of our soldiers and fellow-citizens must be ascribed to the interposition of that Providence, which has manifestly appeared in our behalf through the whole of this important struggle, as well as to the measures pursued for bringing about the happy event. May that being, who is powerful to save, and in whose hands is the fate of nations, look down with an eye of tender pity and compassion upon the whole of the United Colonies; may He continue to smile upon their counsels and arms, and crown them with success, whilst employed in the cause of virtue and mankind. May this distressed colony and its capital, and every part of this wide extended continent, through His divine favor, be restored to more than their former lustre and once happy state, and have peace, liberty, and safety secured upon a solid, permanent, and lasting foundation.”
57 Ibid., vol. 27, 11-27-1783: “Disposed, at every suitable opportunity to acknowledge publicly our infinite obligations to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for rescuing our Country from the brink of destruction; I cannot fail at this time to ascribe all the honor of our late successes to the same glorious Being.” Ibid., vol. 27, 8-4-1783: “Gentlemen: I accept with heart-felt satisfaction your affectionate congratulations on the restoration of Peace, and the formal recognition of the Independence of the United States. We may indeed ascribe these most happy and glorious Events to the Smiles of Providence, the Virtue of our Citizens, and the bravery of our Troops, aided by the powerful interposition of our Magnanimous and illustrious Ally.” Ibid., vol. 28, 4-10-1785: “And that my conduct should have met the approbation, and obtained the affectionate regard of the State of New York (where difficulties were numerous and complicated) may be ascribed more to the effect of divine wisdom, which has disposed the minds of the people, harrassed on all sides, to make allowances for the embarrassments of my situation, whilst with fortitude and patience they sustained the loss of their Capitol, and a valuable part of their territory, and to the liberal sentiments, and great exertion of her virtuous Citizens, than to any merit of mine.” Ibid., vol. 32, 1-27-1793: “Gentlemen: It has ever been my pride to merit the approbation of my fellow Citizens by a faithful and honest discharge of the duties annexed to those stations in which they have been pleased to place me; and the dearest rewards of my services have been those testimonies of esteem and confidence with which they have honored me. But to the manifest interposition of an over-ruling Providence, and to the patriotic exertions of united America, are to be ascribed those events, which have given us a respectable rank among the nations of the Earth.”
58 Ibid., vol. 23, 10-20-1781. Washington uses the word “gratitude” over 250 times and the word “thankful” 85 times and the words “thank” or “thanks” nearly two thousand times.
59 Ibid., vol. 31, 7-28-1791
60 The Reverend Dr. Donald Binder a rector for one of Pohick Church, where Washington worshiped. Here’s what Dr. Binder says about Washington and Providence when we asked him if our first president was a Deist:
It’s quite evident from Jefferson’s writings that he was a deist, and that’s sometimes laid at Washington’s feet because he was fairly quiet and introverted about his faith, but he had this great belief in Divine Providence and really saw, especially, the coming together—he called it a “concatenation of events”—-with the Revolutionary War. There was no way we should have won that war. The odds were so highly stacked against us that the very fact that they were able to sustain themselves for the longest war in American history, and then achieve a victory over the greatest force on the planet at that time, was for him a miracle. And he always attributed that to God’s Divine Providence. Now that clashes with one of the tenets of Deism, which [is that] God is sort of behind [the scenes and] sort of sets the world off and spins it into motion and doesn’t have any type of interactivity with it. But the whole notion of Divine Providence, which Washington espoused, clashes totally with that. He saw God’s hand in bringing him the victories and in sustaining him and his troops throughout the war.”
61 WGW vol. 27, 7-8-1783.
62 Ibid., vol. 30, 8-31-1788.
63 Ibid., vol. 30, 5-9-1789.
64 Ibid., vol. 4, 11-14-1775. General Orders: “The Commander in Chief is confident, the Army under his immediate direction, will shew their Gratitude to providence, for thus favouring the Cause of Freedom and America; and by their thankfulness to God, their zeal and perseverance in this righteous Cause, continue to deserve his future blessings.” Ibid., vol. 4, 12-5-1775. To Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler, “The Cause we are engaged in is so just and righteous, that we must try to rise superior to every Obstacle in it’s Support; and, therefore, I beg that you will not think of resigning, unless you have carried your Application to Congress too far to recede.” WGW, vol. 6, 12-18-1776. To the Massachusetts Legislature, “I wrote for Genl. Lee to reinforce me, with the Troops under his immediate Command. By some means or other, their Arrival has been retarded and unhappily on friday last, the Genl., having left his Division and proceeded three or four Miles nearer the Enemy, then 18.Miles from him; of which they were informed by some Tories, was surprised and carried off about 11 o’Clock, by a party of 70 Light Horse; I will not comment upon this unhappy accident; I feel much for his Misfortune and am sensible that in his Captivity, our Country has lost a Warm friend and an able officer. upon the whole our affairs are in a Much less promising condition than could be wished; Yet I trust, under the Smiles of Providence and by our own exertions, we shall be happy. Our cause is righteous, and must be Supported.”
Ibid., vol. 7, 4-23-1777. To Brig. Gen. Samuel Holden Parsons, “All agree our claims are righteous and must be supported; Yet all, or at least, too great a part among us, withhold the means, as if Providence, who has already done much for us, would continue his gracious interposition and work miracles for our deliverance, without troubling ourselves about the matter.”
Ibid., vol. 9, 10-3-1777. General Orders, “This army, the main American Army, will certainly not suffer itself to be out done by their northern Brethren; they will never endure such disgrace; but with an ambition becoming freemen, contending in the most righteous cause, rival the heroic spirit which swelled their bosoms, and which, so nobly exerted, has procured them deathless renown.”
Ibid., vol. 11, 4-12-1778. General Orders. “The Honorable Congress having thought proper to recommend to The United States of America to set apart Wednesday the 22nd. instant to be observed as a day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, that at one time and with one voice the righteous dispensations of Providence may be acknowledged and His Goodness and Mercy toward us and our Arms supplicated and implored; The General directs that this day also shall be religiously observed in the Army, that no work be done thereon and that the Chaplains prepare discourses suitable to the Occasion.”
Ibid., vol. 24, 6-30-1782. To the Magistrates and Military Officers of Schenectady. “Gentlemen: I request you to accept my warmest thanks for your affectionate address. In a cause so just and righteous as ours, we have every reason to hope the divine Providence will still continue to crown our Arms with success, and finally compel our Enemies to grant us that Peace upon equitable terms, which we so ardently desire.”
Ibid., vol. 27, 8-10-1783. To George Martin, “Your Congratulations to our happy-fated Country, are very agreeable, and your Expressions of personal Regard for me, claim my sincerest Thanks, as do your Exertions in favor of our righteous Cause, now so happily terminated.”
Ibid., vol. 27, 11-27-1783. To the Ministers, Elders, Deacons, and Members of the Reformed German Congregation of New York. “Disposed, at every suitable opportunity to acknowledge publicly our infinite obligations to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for rescuing our Country from the brink of destruction; I cannot fail at this time to ascribe all the honor of our late successes to the same glorious Being. And if my humble exertions have been made in any degree subservient to the execution of the divine purposes, a contemplation of the benediction of Heaven on our righteous Cause, the approbation of my virtuous Countrymen, and the testimony of my own Conscience, will be a sufficient reward and augment my felicity beyond anything which the world can bestow.”
65 Ibid., vol. 31, 2-1792. In a note entitled, “Errors of Government Towards The Indians” Washington wrote, “But, we are involved in actual War! Is it just? or, is it unjust?”
Ibid., vol. 1, in a an “Address To His Command”, Washington said, “You see, gentlemen soldiers, that it hath pleased our most gracious sovereign to declare war in form against the French King, and (for divers good causes, but more particularly for their ambitious usurpations and encroachments on his American dominions) to pronounce all the said French King’s subjects and vassals to be enemies to his crown and dignity; and hath willed and required all his subjects and people, and in a more especial manner commanded his captain-general of his forces, his governors, and all other his commanders and officers, to do and execute all acts of hostility in the prosecution of, this just and honorable war.”
Ibid., vol. 10, 11-30-1777. General Orders: “Forasmuch as it is the indispensible duty of all men, to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligations to him for benefits received, and to implore such further blessings as they stand in need of; and it having pleased him in his abundant mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of his common providence, but also, to smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defence of our unalienable rights and liberties.”
Ibid., vol. 23, 11-21-1781. To Mayor John Bullen, “That the State in general and this City in particular may long enjoy the benefits which they have a right to expect from their very spirited exertions in the prosecution of this just War is the sincere Wish of Sir Your etc.”
Ibid., vol. 24, 5-6-1782. To Gov. William Livingston, “I must beg you to make it known to all persons acting in a military capacity in your State that I shall hold myself obliged to deliver up to the Enemy or otherwise to punish such of them as shall commit any Act which is in the least contrary to the Laws of War. I doubt not of your doing the same with those who come under the Civil power.”
Ibid., vol. 3, 8-8-1775. To the New York Legislature, “You cannot but have heard that the Disstresses of the Ministerial Troops, for fresh Provisions and many other Necessaries, at Boston, were very great; It is a Policy, Justifiable by all the Laws of War, to endeavour to increase them; Desertions, Discouragement, and a Dissatisfaction with the Service, besides weakening their strength, are some of the Natural Consequences of such a Situation; and, if continued, might afford the fairest Hope of Success, without further Effusion of human Blood.”
Ibid., vol. 16, 8-19-1779. To John Beatty, “You are absolutely to reject every overture for exchanging those persons whom we do not consider as military prisoners of war. We do not hold General Clinton bound by any act of ours respecting this matter; but we reject their exchange solely on the principle that by the Laws and practice of war, we do not think they were proper subjects of military capture. From this we shall never recede.”
Ibid., vol. 24, 5-6-1782.
67 Ibid., vol. 29, 3-31-1787. Writing to James Madison, Washington says, “We seem to have forgotten, or never to have learnt, the policy of placing one’s enemy in the wrong. Had we observed good faith on our part, we might have told our tale to the world with a good grace.”
Ibid., vol. 28, 7-26-1786. Writing to William Grayson, Washington says, “It is good policy at all times, to place one’s adversary in the wrong. Had we observed good faith, and the western Posts had then been withheld from us by G: Britain, we might have appealed to god and man for justice, and if there are any guarantees to the treaty, we might have called upon them to see it fulfilled.” But this approach can be misapplied by individuals as
Ibid., vol. 24, 6-16-1782 shows, “Mr. Sands who yielding nothing himself requiring every thing of others and failing in the most essential parts of his Contract adopts, as is too commonly the Case with little minds the policy of endeavoring to place the adverse party in the wrong, that he may appear in a more favorable point of View himself.”
68 Compare, for instance, WGW, vol. 32, 1-27-1793. To the Members of the New Church in Baltimore, “Your prayers for my present and future felicity are received with gratitude; and I sincerely wish, Gentlemen, that you may in your social and individual capacities taste those blessings, which a gracious God bestows upon the Righteous.”
69 Appleton’s Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1889, vol. VI, p. 383; William Johnson, George Washington The Christian (Arlington Heights: Christian Liberty Press, 1919), p. 67. This letter nor either of the two listed sources are not cited nor referenced in “Worthy Partner”: The Papers of Martha Washington (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1994).
70 WGW, vol. 11, 4-12-1778.
71 Ibid., vol. 5, 7-9-1776.
72 Ibid., vol. 30, 4-30-1789.
73 Ibid., vol. 27, 9-2-1783.
74 Ibid., vol. 35, 12-19-1796. To his grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, he said, “...a proper sense of your duties to God and man....” Ibid., vol. 4, 12-18-1775. “The Law of Retaliation, is not only justifiable, in the Eyes of God and Man, but absolutely a duty, which in our present circumstances we owe to our Relations, Friends and Fellow Citizens.”
