June 23, 1775
This note is one of few evidences we have of Martha and George Washington’s relationship – a love letter as romantic and tender today as it was in 1775.
Mount Vernon is privately owned and will remain open in the case of a government shutdown.
In early 1775, the Continental Congress began putting their rebel army together. In June, they appointed George Washington to commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
Washington arrived in Cambridge on July 2nd to take command of the newly-formed Continental Army. "The Village I am in," Washington observed, "is situated in the midst of a very delightful Country, and is a very beautiful place itself."
The army was ragtag, barely trained, half-starving and woefully unequipped. The group was also hardly united for too much of the war and led by generals often squabbling, undermining, or fighting with each other.
The ill-fated American invasion of Quebec was lost, in part, due to Congressional leaders' indecision and lack of organization which prevented Continental troops from receiving the financial and military support necessary to execute any sort of effective military strategy.
Smallpox was the first major threat to General Washington, endangering the lives of thousands, including military and civilian alike, the continued viability of the Continental Army, and the success of the war for independence from Britain.
This note is one of few evidences we have of Martha and George Washington’s relationship – a love letter as romantic and tender today as it was in 1775.