A past whose memory makes us thrill: war-time scenes in Virginia associated with the father of his country
The picture below of
Washington's headquarters recalls his advance to fame.
He had proceeded with
Braddock as aide-de-Camp on the ill-fated expedition ending in the battle of the
Monongahela, July 9, 1755.
Owing to
Washington's conspicuous gallantry in that engagement, he was assigned the duty of reorganizing the provincial troops.
During this period his headquarters were in the little stone house by the tree.
In the church below, a second period of his life was inaugurated.
Here he was married on January 6, 1759, to
Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow with two children.
Already a member of the
House of Burgesses of
Virginia, he soon came to be recognized as one of the leading men in the colony.
Important trusts were frequently laid upon him, and he was often chosen as an arbitrator.
The statue at the top of the page, standing in Capitol Square in
Richmond, commemorates
Washington as leader of the colonial forces in the Revolution.
With a few ill-trained and ill-equipped troops he maintained a long struggle against one of the great military powers of the day and won American Independence.
Every Virginian has a right to thrill at the honored name of
Washington, be he Southerner or Northerner.
 | |
The Richmond statue |
| | |
