Today was George Washington’s birthday, and it is a day to be recognized, even though we’ve rather unsuccessfully, I think, merged both George Washington and Lincoln’s birthday into “President’s Day”. This really detracts from the singular individual and tremendous contributions that each of these men have given our great nation. With the restrictions that time puts on me as of late, it’s a miracle that I even have time to do things like erect this blog and look after email, so indulge me as this is posted late.
I’ve always had a certain feeling about the countenance of this great man, and particularly the way he was written about by other men of his time. What he wrote on different subjects in letters and personal papers is very compelling, too, though.
He had a personal relationship with God and was the one who called out to have a day of Thanksgiving. Although he spoke of God in his final address when he was stepping down as President, the following is a story told by Reverend Snowden through his personal writings about his observations of George Washington’s faith. There has been some controversy about whether or not George Washington prayed in the woods when he was Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces battling for The Independence of the American Colonies. Even though we’ve seen many of the famous paintings depicting the “Prayer of Valley Forge”, here is a link to some authentication of what we’ve seen in those paintings, which have clearly romanticized the man. After having read about his life, though, you can hardly imagine that he wouldn’t have been romanticized, he was bigger than life when he entered a room.
In the “Diary and Remembrances” of the Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, an ordained Presbyterian minister, graduate of Princeton with a degree from Dickinson College, we see more evidence that the story behind the famous paintings we’ve seen of him kneeling in the snow praying to God is very true and real. The original of this is owned by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Born in Philadelphia, Snowdon’s birthday was on January 17, 1770 and he died on November 12, 1851. His writings cover a period from youth to 1846. In his records may be found these observations, in Mr. Snowden’s own handwriting:
“I knew personally the celebrated Quaker Potts who saw Gen’l Washington alone in the woods at prayer. I got it from himself, myself. Weems mentioned it in his history of Washington, but I got it from the man myself, as follows:
“I was riding with him (Mr. Potts) in Montgomery County, Penn’a near to the Valley Forge, where the army lay during the war of ye Revolution. Mr. Potts was a Senator in our State & a Whig. I told him I was agreeably surprised to find him a friend to his country as the Quakers were mostly Tories. He said, ‘It was so and I was a rank Tory once, for I never believed that America c’d proceed against Great Britain whose fleets and armies covered the land and ocean, but something very extraordinary converted me to the Good Faith!” “What was that,” I inquired? ‘Do you see that woods, & that plain. It was about a quarter of a mile off from the place we were riding, as it happened.’ ‘There,’ said he, ‘laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man. In that woods pointing to a close in view, I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling & went quietly into the woods & to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis, & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world.‘Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying.
‘I went home & told my wife. I saw a sight and heard today what I never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen & heard & observed. We never thought a man c’d be a soldier & a Christian, but if there is one in the world, it is Washington. She also was astonished. We thought it was the cause of God, & America could prevail.’ “He then to me put out his right hand & said ‘I turned right about and became a Whig.’”
To emphasize his point, Snowden wrote he often saw Washington, that he accompanied seventy other clergyment to visit him on his birthday. Then Mr. Snowden adds:
“I felt much impressed in his presence and reflected upon the hand and wonderful Providence of God in raising him up and qualifying him with so many rare qualities and virtues for the good of this country and the world. Washington was not only brave and talented, but a truly excellent and pious man of God and of prayer. He always retired before a battle and in any emergency for prayer and direction.”
“When the army lay at Morristown, the Rev. Dr. Jones, administered the sacrament of ye Lord’s supper. Washington came forward at ye head of all his officers and took his seat at ye 1st table, & took of ye bread and wine, the Symbols of Christ’s broken body and shed blood, to do this in remembrance of ye L J C & thus professed himself a Christian & a disciple of the blessed Jesus.”
Today, leftists try to portray our founders as slave owners and men who had children out of wedlock and who frequented whorehouses. I can’t imagine, with what I know of George Washington and the strict religious constructs of society of the early 1800’s, taking into consideration the fact that he was raised a gentleman, that this would have been the case.
