The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories
Page 35
GENERAL WASHINGTON'S NEGRO BODY-SERVANT
A Biographical Sketch
The stirring part of this celebrated colored man's life properly beganwith his death--that is to say, the notable features of his biographybegan with the first time he died. He had been little heard of up tothat time, but since then we have never ceased to hear of him; we havenever ceased to hear of him at stated, unfailing intervals. His was amost remarkable career, and I have thought that its history would makea valuable addition to our biographical literature. Therefore, Ihave carefully collated the materials for such a work, from authenticsources, and here present them to the public. I have rigidly excludedfrom these pages everything of a doubtful character, with the object inview of introducing my work into the schools for the instruction of theyouth of my country.
The name of the famous body-servant of General Washington was George.After serving his illustrious master faithfully for half a century, andenjoying throughout this long term his high regard and confidence, itbecame his sorrowful duty at last to lay that beloved master to rest inhis peaceful grave by the Potomac. Ten years afterward--in 1809--fullof years and honors, he died himself, mourned by all who knew him. The_Boston Gazette_ of that date thus refers to the event:
George, the favorite body-servant of the lamented Washington, died inRichmond, Va., last Tuesday, at the ripe age of 95 years. His intellectwas unimpaired, and his memory tenacious, up to within a few minutes ofhis decease. He was present at the second installation of Washington asPresident, and also at his funeral, and distinctly remembered all theprominent incidents connected with those noted events.
From this period we hear no more of the favorite body-servant of GeneralWashington until May, 1825, at which time he died again. A Philadelphiapaper thus speaks of the sad occurrence:
At Macon, Ga., last week, a colored man named George, who was thefavorite body-servant of General Washington, died at the advanced ageof 95 years. Up to within a few hours of his dissolution he was in fullpossession of all his faculties, and could distinctly recollect thesecond installation of Washington, his death and burial, the surrenderof Cornwallis, the battle of Trenton, the griefs and hardships of ValleyForge, etc. Deceased was followed to the grave by the entire populationof Macon.
On the Fourth of July, 1830, and also of 1834 and 1836, the subject ofthis sketch was exhibited in great state upon the rostrum of theorator of the day, and in November of 1840 he died again. The St. Louis_Republican_ of the 25th of that month spoke as follows:
"ANOTHER RELIC OF THE REVOLUTION GONE."
"George, once the favorite body-servant of General Washington, diedyesterday at the house of Mr. John Leavenworth in this city, atthe venerable age of 95 years. He was in the full possession of hisfaculties up to the hour of his death, and distinctly recollected thefirst and second installations and death of President Washington,the surrender of Cornwallis, the battles of Trenton and Monmouth, thesufferings of the patriot army at Valley Forge, the proclamation of theDeclaration of Independence, the speech of Patrick Henry in the VirginiaHouse of Delegates, and many other old-time reminiscences of stirringinterest. Few white men die lamented as was this aged negro. The funeralwas very largely attended."
During the next ten or eleven years the subject of this sketch appearedat intervals at Fourth-of-July celebrations in various parts of thecountry, and was exhibited upon the rostrum with flattering success. Butin the fall of 1855 he died again. The California papers thus speak ofthe event:
ANOTHER OLD HERO GONE
Died, at Dutch Flat, on the 7th of March, George (once the confidentialbody-servant of General Washington), at the great age of 95 years. Hismemory, which did not fail him till the last, was a wonderful storehouseof interesting reminiscences. He could distinctly recollect thefirst and second installations and death of President Washington, thesurrender of Cornwallis, the battles of Trenton and Monmouth, andBunker Hill, the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence, andBraddock's defeat. George was greatly respected in Dutch Flat, and it isestimated that there were 10,000 people present at his funeral.
The last time the subject of this sketch died was in June, 1864;and until we learn the contrary, it is just to presume that he diedpermanently this time. The Michigan papers thus refer to the sorrowfulevent:
ANOTHER CHERISHED REMNANT OF THE REVOLUTION GONE
George, a colored man, and once the favorite body-servant of GeorgeWashington, died in Detroit last week, at the patriarchal age of 95years. To the moment of his death his intellect was unclouded, and hecould distinctly remember the first and second installations and deathof Washington, the surrender of Cornwallis, the battles of Trentonand Monmouth, and Bunker Hill, the proclamation of the Declaration ofIndependence, Braddock's defeat, the throwing over of the tea in Bostonharbor, and the landing of the Pilgrims. He died greatly respected, andwas followed to the grave by a vast concourse of people.
The faithful old servant is gone! We shall never see him more untilhe turns up again. He has closed his long and splendid career ofdissolution, for the present, and sleeps peacefully, as only they sleepwho have earned their rest. He was in all respects a remarkable man. Heheld his age better than any celebrity that has figured in history; andthe longer he lived the stronger and longer his memory grew. If he livesto die again, he will distinctly recollect the discovery of America.
The above resume of his biography I believe to be substantially correct,although it is possible that he may have died once or twice in obscureplaces where the event failed of newspaper notoriety. One fault I findin all the notices of his death I have quoted, and this ought to becorrected. In them he uniformly and impartially died at the age of 95.This could not have been. He might have done that once, or maybe twice,but he could not have continued it indefinitely. Allowing that when hefirst died, he died at the age of 95, he was 151 years old when he diedlast, in 1864. But his age did not keep pace with his recollections.When he died the last time, he distinctly remembered the landing of thePilgrims, which took place in 1620. He must have been about twenty yearsold when he witnessed that event, wherefore it is safe to assert thatthe body-servant of General Washington was in the neighborhood oftwo hundred and sixty or seventy years old when he departed this lifefinally.
Having waited a proper length of time, to see if the subject of hissketch had gone from us reliably and irrevocably, I now publish hisbiography with confidence, and respectfully offer it to a mourningnation.
P.S.--I see by the papers that this infamous old fraud has just diedagain, in Arkansas. This makes six times that he is known to have died,and always in a new place. The death of Washington's body-servant hasceased to be a novelty; it's charm is gone; the people are tired ofit; let it cease. This well-meaning but misguided negro has now put sixdifferent communities to the expense of burying him in state, and hasswindled tens of thousands of people into following him to the graveunder the delusion that a select and peculiar distinction was beingconferred upon them. Let him stay buried for good now; and let thatnewspaper suffer the severest censure that shall ever, in all the futuretime, publish to the world that General Washington's favorite coloredbody-servant has died again.