The Final Days

Mount Vernon. Aquatint by George Isham Parkyns, c.1795. Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.

The last three days of Washington's life were recorded, in some detail, by his friend and secretary Tobias Lear, and the following account is taken from that record. On Thursday, December 12th, 1799, Washington rode out to check his farms. He had not gone far before the weather changed for the worse, bringing a cold wind, accompanied by rain mixed with snow and sleet. Nevertheless, Washington remained outside, exposed to the cold for over five hours, until he had completed his rounds. Returning later than expected, he went directly to dinner, still wearing his wet clothes.

Let it go as it came.
—Washington

By Friday a heavy snow had fallen, keeping Washington from his usual rounds. He complained about a sore throat, but later that afternoon he went out on the lawn to mark trees for removal. That evening he sat in the parlor with his wife and Lear. Despite increasing hoarseness, Washington read aloud from the newspapers and discussed the recent political debates in the Virginia Assembly with Lear. Before retiring for the evening, Lear noticed that Washington's condition had worsened and urged him to take some remedy. Washington refused, saying that he never took anything for a cold, but preferred to "let it go as it came."

Title Page 1 | 2 | Foreword | Introduction | The Final Days | Deathbed Scene | The Funeral | Immediate Response
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