WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
off by a severe storm, and D'Estaing was forced
to go to Boston to relit, thus obliging Sullivan to
retreat. A protest was addressed to D'Estaing b}-
all the American officers, and he sailed for the
West Indies, having accomplished nothing. Con-
gress suppressed tiie protest, and Washington set
to work to undo the mischief done. The lavish
issue of irredeemable paper by congress caused
discontent in the army, and in 1779 Washington
went to Philadelpliia, and appealed to congress
in person for good money to pay the troops. The
winter of 1770-NO in the north was uneventful,
except for the capture of Stony Point by Wayne,
and that of Paulus Hook by Harry Lee, the
active war being transferred to the south where
Gates, who had been appointed under protest
from Washington, was defeated at Camden, los-
ing the Carolinas. The condition of the army
during 1780-81 was unendurable, the subsistence
having given out. and the men having received
no pay for five months. In consequence a Con-
necticut regiment mutinied, and in January, 1781,
the Pennsylvania line rebelled and threatened
congress, and was pacified by a perilous com-
promise granted by the colony of Pennsylvania.
This caused a fresh mutiny in the New Jersey
line, and in order to hold his army together,
Washington was obliged to take a bold course
and hang two of the ringleaders. On October
14, Washington appointed General Greene to
succeed Gates as commander of the army in the
south. On Jan. 17, 1781, Morgan won his victory
at the Cowjjens, and united his army with Greene,
and on March 15, 1781, the battle of Guilford
Court House was fought, and resulted in an
orderly retreat by Greene, but Cornwallis had
suffered so heavily that he retreated on March
18 toward Wilmington with Greene in pursuit.
Hearing of the coming of De Grasse, the French
admiral, Washington effected a junction with
the French army under De Rochambeau and
moved against Clinton in New York, prevent-
ing that general from reinforcing Cornwallis. De
Grasse arrived with his fleet off Delaware, and
Washington immediately moved south, obliging
Cornwallis to fortify Yorktown and Gloucester.
Washington, in order to be ready for any con-
tingency, and to prevent the uniting of the Brit-
ish forces, planned three attacks on New York,
Yorktown and Cliarleston, respectively, and on
AugiLst 19, leaving Clinton unguarded, Washing-
ton marched his 2000 Continentals and 4000
Fren(^h from West Point to Yorktown. a distance
of 400 miles, arriving there Sept. 18, 1781, and com-
pletely hemming in Cornwallis, who surrrender-
ed Oct. 19, 1781. Thus virtually ended the war.
A general treaty of peace was signed March 23,
1787, and the British army evacuated New York,
Nov. 25, 1787. In 1792 Washington replied se-
verely to the Newhurgh address that hinted at
monarchy, and on December 4 he took leave of
his assembled officers at Fraunces' Tavern, New
York, and resigned Ins commission, Dec. 23, 1783,
Having now finished
washiaj<:ton statue
in the following words
the work assigned to
me, I retire from the
great theatre of ac-
tion; and bidding an
affectionate farewell
to this august body.
... I here offer my
commission and take
my leave of all the
employments of pub-
lic life." He returned
to Mount Vernon and
engaged in attending
to his estate and in
promoting the devel-
opment of the west.
On May 2, 1787, the convention to amend the
articles of confederation and perpetual union
adopted by congress, Nov. 15, 1777, assembled in
Pliiladelphia, and Washington was unanimously
elected its President. The convention remained
in session for about four montlis, and on Sept. 17,
1787, the Constitution of the United States was
drawn up and signed, and Washington was elect-
ed the first President of the United States of
America, under this constitution, with John
Adams as Vice-President. He received the oft^.-
cial notification of his election at Mount Vernon,
April 14, 1789, and on his journey through Mary-
land, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, great pub-
lic demonstrations greeted him. He was inaug-
urated in New York city, April 30, 1789. Chan-
cellor Livingston administering the oath of office,
after which Livingston exclaimed " Long live
George Washington, President of the United
States! " He formed a cabinet, composed of
Edmund Randolph, of Virginia, attorney -general;
Henry Knox of Massachusetts, secretary of war;
Alexander Hamilton of New York, secretary of
the treasurj'; and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia,
secretarj' of state. Samuel Osgood of Jlassa-
chusetts, was made postmaster-general, the posi-
tion not being a cabinet office until 1829. The
changes in the cabinet during his two terms as
President were as follows: Edmund Randolph
was transferred from the attorney-general's office
to the state department in 1794, William Brad-
ford of Pennsylvania becoming attorney-general:
Oliver Wolcott of Coiniecticut succeeded Alex-
ander Hamilton as .secretary of the tre:i5ury in
1795; Tliomas Pickering of Massachusetts having
succeeded Samuel Osgood as postmaster-general
in 1791. became secretary of war and of state in
1795, James McHenry of Maryland taking his
