There was perhaps no darker Christmas Eve in American history than in 1776.  The cause of American liberty and independence was on the very verge of disintegration.  General George Washington’s army (that had once had more than 20,000 soldiers) had melted to only about 3,000 fit for duty.  Of those soldiers, many of their enlistments would expire the following week on January 1.  The victorious British and Hessian soldiers had thrashed Washington’s army in nearly every engagement they fought.  Just a week before Christmas, Washington wrote that he “tremble[d] for Philadelphia” and that he thought “the game was pretty near up.”  The British were well known for their harsh treatment of rebels, and it was likely they would show no mercy to these colonial rebels.  Gloom and dread filled the minds and hearts of the patriots.  Writer Thomas Paine famously wrote that “these are the times that try men’s souls!”  General Nathanael Greene was hopeful some event would change their fortunes when he wrote “I hope this is the dark part of the night, which is generally just before the day.”

On December 22, Washington’s aide, Colonel Joseph Reed wrote to Washington that “our affairs are now hasting fast to ruin if we do not retrieve them by some happy event. Delay is now equal to total defeat.” Washington had to act.

On the night before Christmas, Washington met with his generals in the home of Samuel Merrick in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where General Nathanael Greene had made his headquarters.  Here, Washington laid out his final dispositions for what would be one of the boldest missions of the entire war.  The following night, his army would cross the Delaware River and march on Trenton, New Jersey and attack the 1,500 Hessian soldiers garrisoned there.  What exactly was said in this meeting we do not know, but there must have been major objections to such a dangerous and desperate action.  The demoralized army would have to cross an ice-choked river, march nine miles in a winter storm and defeat well-drilled and equipped German soldiers.  However, as Washington had written the day before: “Necessity, dire necessity, will, nay, must, justify an attempt.”  As Washington and his fellow generals left the Samuel Merrick house that Christmas Eve, they were given the password for this daring Christmas mission: “Victory or Death.”

The events that would follow would prove to be the most crucial in the history of the United States. To learn more about these events and what must have been the gloomiest night before Christmas, as well as have a field guide to see where these sites are today, I hope you check out my new book about this campaign: “Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton.”

George Washington died on December 14, 1799.  On December 12, 1799, the celebrated Revolutionary War general and former president rode around his beloved Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon.  Despite the fact it was snowing and sleeting, Washington spent five hours in the winter weather.  Washington had survived much worse winters before, and gave little thought to this particular storm, even as he sat for dinner that evening with snow still clinging to his hair.  Later that night however, he began to show signs of a sore throat.  The next day, he went out again in the miserable weather to mark some trees that needed to be cut down.  On the night of December 13, the sore throat had gotten worse.  He stayed up that night reading the newspaper with his wife, Martha, and his personal secretary, Tobias Lear.  As he headed to bed, Lear suggested he take some medicine for his cold.  Washington declined, saying he would “let it go as it came.”[1]

Around 3 or 4 in the morning, Washington awoke with a fever and his throat even more tender.  Martha was worried and wanted to go alert Tobias Lear, but Washington was afraid the cold air would harm Martha and decided to wait until the enslaved handmaid Caroline came into the room to start a fire at 7 in the morning.  At that time, Lear was alerted and he immediately called for doctors to come to Mount Vernon. Continue reading ““I die hard; but I am not afraid to go.” – George Washington’s Final Battle” →

In Baltimore, Maryland stands one of the first monuments erected to the memory of George Washington. The 180-foot monument was finished in 1829, before the Washington Monument in D.C. was even begun. The impressive stone pillar is topped with a large statue of the General. Unlike most other statues of George Washington, the statue in Baltimore does not depict the Revolutionary War hero on horseback with his sword drawn, or as the First President of the United States. Instead it shows Washington, in his military uniform, simply extending a hand holding a piece of paper. Despite the simplicity of the scene, it is representative of one of the most important moments in the founding of the American nation: Washington resigning his military commission.

On November 1, 1783, Washington learned that the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the Revolutionary War was over. On December 4, Washington bid an affectionate farewell at Fraunces Tavern in New York City to his officers and aides he had struggled and fought alongside for the previous eight years.

After the emotional farewell, Washington rode to Annapolis, Maryland where Congress was meeting at that time. He arrived at Annapolis on December 19 and was greeted as a hero. Congress agreed to accept his resignation on December 23, in a special ceremony.

The night before the ceremony, the town threw a celebratory ball for the General, complete with a dinner and dancing as well as thirteen cannon firings and thirteen toasts.

At about noon on December 23, 1783, George Washington entered the Old Senate Chamber in the Maryland State House. The importance of the moment was not lost on those who witnessed it, least of all, Washington himself. Washington is likely the only American who could have been made a king in America. In fact, in 1782, Colonel Lewis Nicola wrote a letter to Washington, suggesting that he should be king of America. Washington, quickly and emphatically crushed any notion of establishing a monarchy. More than a great general or leader, Washington believed in the ideals of American liberty and civilian rule.

In London, King George III remarked that if Washington gave up his power “he will be the greatest man in the world.”[1] Only a few times in human history before had a person at their zenith voluntarily surrendered all their power. Julius Caesar, William Cromwell, and Napoleon Bonaparte are prime examples of those who seized power at that same moment. Few men have been able to resist and became drunk with power. Washington was one of the few exceptions. One of the only precedents of rejecting the allure of that amount of power was in ancient Rome, when Cincinnatus gave up power after winning a war to become a simple farmer. Washington was about to become the American Cincinnatus.

Inside the chamber, Washington stood before the Continental Congress and its president, Thomas Mifflin, and read his concluding remarks. At one point, the power of the moment overtook Washington as he struggled through with a cracked voice the last few lines of his remarks. Washington finished his remarks: “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of action; and bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my commission and take my leave of all the employments of public life.”[2]

Those inside the chamber were overtaken with emotion and wept in the galleries. Concluding his remarks, Washington handed over to the Congress his commission dated June 15, 1775 and his remarks and left the building. And like that, Washington was once again a simple private citizen.

He rode from Annapolis and made it back to Mount Vernon the next day on Christmas Eve. It was the first time he had been home for Christmas since the beginning of the war. He could enjoy that Christmas with his family, but world history would never be the same again.

Today you can visit the location where this momentous event took place and see Washington’s hand written remarks on display at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. While the date of December 23, 1783 does not usually bring to mind a historic event, historian Ron Chernow described the event as “more extraordinary than any military feat during the war.”[3]

Washington would again be called back reluctantly to lead the nation as its first president in 1789. After serving two terms as president, Washington once again voluntarily gave up power in 1797. His disinterestedness in control and power set a precedent many have sought to emulate, and few have attained.

[1] Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life. New York: Penguin Books, 2010.  454.

[2] Ibid., 456.

[3] Ibid., 457.