LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.' [MOUNT VERNON, Saturday, December 14th, 1799. This day being marked by an event, which will be memorable in the history of America, and perhaps of the world, I shall give a particular statement of it, to which I was an eye witness.] On Thursday Dec. 12 the General rode out to his farms about ten o'clock, and did not return home till past 3 o'clk. Soon after he went out, the weather became very bad, rain hail and snow falling alternately, with a cold wind.-When he came in I carried some letters to him, to frank, intending to send them to the Post Office in the evening. He franked the letters; but said the weather was too bad to send a servant up to the office that evening. -I observed to him that I was afraid he had got wet, he said no, his great coat had kept him dry; but his neck appeared to be wet, and the snow was hanging on his hair. He came to dinner [(which had been waiting for him)] without changing his dress. In the Evening he appeared as well as usual. 1 Two versions of Tobias Lear's account of the last illness and death of Washington have passed under my notice. The one, printed by Mr. Sparks, was transcribed from Mr. Lear's original manuscript." This manuscript appears to be lost, and was probably in the hands of Mrs. Lear when Sparks had access to it. What has become of the Lear papers I have been unable to learn. Richard Rush made some extracts from Washington's letters to Lear, and printed them in Washington in Domestic Life, Philadelphia, 1857; but in so scrappy a fashion as to make them of little value. The second version of Lear's account is a manuscript now in the possession of Mr. William F. Havemeyer, of New York, whose Washington manuscripts are as valuable in content as they are extensive in number. It was sent by T. Law (who married a granddaughter of Mrs. Washington) to Mrs. Barry of Baltimore. I have taken this latter version as the basis of the text, and inserted in brackets the additional sentences contained in Sparks' printing of the Lear manuscript. A heavy fall of snow took place on Friday, which prevented the General from riding out as usual. He had taken cold (undoubtedly from being so much exposed the day before) and complained of having a sore throat-[He, however, went out in the afternoon into the ground between the house and the river to mark some trees, which were to be cut down in the improvement of that spot.] he had a hoarseness, which increased in the evening; but he made light of it, as he would never take anything to carry off a cold, always observing, "let it go as it came."-In the evening the papers having come from the post office, he sat in the room [parlour], with Mrs. Washington and myself, reading them, till about nine o'clock, [when Mrs. Washington went up into Mrs. Lewis's room, who was confined, and left the General and myself reading the papers. He was very cheerful ;] and, when he met with anything which he thought diverting or interesting, he would read it aloud [as well as his hoarseness would permit].—He desired me to read to him the debates of the Virginia Assembly, on the election of a Senator and Governor; which I did.-[and, on hearing Mr. Madison's observations respecting Mr. Monroe, he appeared much affected, and spoke with some degree of asperity on the subject, which I endeavored to moderate, as I always did on such occasions.] On his retiring to bed, he appeared to be in perfect health, excepting the cold before mentioned, which he considered as trifling, and had been remarkably cheerful all the evening.' About [Between] 2 or 3 o'clk on Saturday morning he awoke Mrs. Washington & told her he was very unwell, and had had an ague. She observed that he could scarcely speak, and breathed with difficulty-and would have got up to call a servant; but he would not permit her lest she should take cold.-As soon as the day appeared, the woman (Caroline) went into the room to make a fire-[and Mrs. Washington sent her immediately to call me] & he desired that Mr. Rawlins, one of the overseers who was used to bleeding the people, might be sent for to bleed him before the I The Sparks version is different: "On his retiring I observed to him, that he had better take something to remove his cold. He answered: No; you know I never take anything for a cold. Let it go as it came.'" Doctor could arrive-And the woman (Caroline) came to my room requesting I might go to the General, who was very ill.-I got up, put on my clothes as quick as possible, and went to his chamber. Mrs. Washington was then up, and related to me his being taken ill about 2 or 3 o'clk, as before stated.—I found him breathing with difficulty-and hardly able to utter a word intelligibly. I went out instantly-and wrote a line to Dr. Craik, which I sent off by my servant, ordering him to go with all the swiftness his horse could carry him,-and immediately returned to the General's chamber, where I found him in the same situation I had left him. A mixture of Molasses, Vinegar & butter was prepared, to try its effect in the throat; but he could not swallow a drop, whenever he attempted it he appeared to be distressed, convulsed, and almost suffocated.-Mr. Rawlins came in soon after sun rise -and prepared to bleed him. When the Arm was ready-the General, observing that Rawlins appeared to be agitated, said, as well as he could speak, "don't be afraid," and after the incision was made, he observed, “the orifice is not large enough." However, the blood ran pretty freely.-Mrs. Washington, not knowing whether bleeding was proper or not in the General's situation, beg'd that much might not be taken from him, lest it should be injurious, and desired me to stop it; but when I was about to untie the string, the general put up his hand to prevent it, and as soon as he could speak, he said "more" [more].-Mrs. W. being still [very] uneasy lest too much blood should be taken, it was stop'd after about half a pint was taken from him.-Finding that no relief was obtained from bleeding, and that nothing would go down the throat, I proposed bathing the throat externally with salvolitillata, which was done, and in the operation, which was with the hand, and in the gentlest manner, he observed "'t is very sore." A piece of flannel [dipped in sal volatile] was then put round his neck. His feet were also soaked [bathed] in warm water. This, however, gave no relief.-In the meantime, before Dr. Craik arrived, Mrs. Washington requested me to send for Doct. Brown of Port Tobacco,' whom Dr. Craik had recommended to be called, if any case should ever occur that was seriously 1 Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown. See Hayden, Virginia Genealogies, 172. |