V. 1758. CHAPTER frontier inhabitants, requesting them to take out provisions to the men at the fort, who would be in great distress if not immediately supplied, and promising a liberal compensation for every thing that should thus be furnished. He then proceeded by way of Mount Vernon to Williamsburg. The remainder of his troops marched to Winchester, where they went into winter quarters. Resigns his commission, from the army. For some months it had been his determination, if this and retires campaign should prove successful, to retire from his command at its close. By gaining possession of the Ohio, the great object of the war in the middle colonies was accomplished; and, as he had abandoned the idea of making any further attempts to be united to the British establishment, there was no prospect of rising higher in the military line; so that neither his duty as a citizen, nor his ambition as a soldier, operated any longer to retain him in the service. The one had been faithfully discharged; the other had yielded to the force of circumstances, and to the visions of the tranquil enjoyments of private life, which now opened upon his mind. After settling all his public accounts, therefore, he resigned his commission the last week in December, having been actively and almost uninterruptedly engaged in the service of his country more than five years. Address to him by the officers. His military services and On this occasion he received from the officers, who had served under him, a testimony of their attachment, which must have been as grateful to his feelings, as it was honorable to his character. They sent him an address, written in camp, expressive of the satisfaction they had derived from his conduct as commander, the sincerity of his friendship, and his affable demeanor; and of the high opinion they entertained of his military talents, patriotism, and private virtues. "Nor was this opinion confined to the officers of his character. regiment. It was common in Virginia; and had been adopted by the British officers with whom he served. The duties he performed, though not splendid, were arduous; and were executed with zeal and with judgment. V. The exact discipline he established in his regiment, when CHAPTER the temper of Virginia was extremely hostile to discipline, does credit to his military character; and the gallantry the troops displayed, whenever called into action, manifests the spirit infused into them by their commander. The difficulties of his situation, while unable to cover the frontier from the French and Indians, who were spreading death and desolation in every quarter, were incalculably great; and no better evidence of his exertions, under these distressing circumstances, can be given, than the undiminished confidence still placed in him by those, whom he was unable to protect. The efforts to which he incessantly stimulated his country for the purpose of obtaining possession of the Ohio; the system for the conduct of the war, which he continually recommended; the vigorous and active measures always urged upon those by whom he was commanded; manifest an ardent and enterprising mind, tempered by judgment, and quickly improved by experience." The events of this war had a more important influence on the life and character of Washington, than might at first be supposed. They proved to him and to the world his mental resources, courage, fortitude, and power over the will and actions of others. They were in fact a school of practical knowledge and discipline, qualifying him for the great work in which he was to be engaged at a future day. The duties of his station at the head of the Virginia troops, and the difficulties he had to contend with during an active warfare of five years, bore a strong resemblance to those, that devolved on him as Commander-in-chief of the American armies in the Revolution. They differed in magnitude, and in the ends to be attained; but it will be seen, as we proceed, that they were analogous in many striking particulars, and that the former were an essential preparation for the latter. * Marshall's Life of Washington, 2d ed., Vol. I. p. 27. Influence of preparing the war in him for fu ture events. CHAPTER VI. 1759. to Martha Custis. CHAPTER VI. Washington's Marriage. — For many Years a Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. His Pursuits and Habits as a Planter. — A Vestryman in the Church, and active in Parish Affairs. His Opinion of the Stamp Act. Takes an early and decided Stand against the Course pursued by the British Government towards the Colonies. - Joins heartily in all the Measures of Opposition. His Services in procuring the Lands promised to the Officers and Soldiers in the French War. - Performs a Tour to the Ohio and Kenhawa Rivers for the purpose of selecting those Lands. Takes an active Part at different Times in the Proceedings of the Virginia Legislature in defending the Rights of the Colonies. His Opinions on this Subject. Chosen to command several Independent Companies of Militia. A Delegate to the first and second Virginia Conventions. A Member of the Continental Congress. In the course of the preceding year, Colonel Washington had paid his addresses successfully to Mrs. Martha Custis, to whom he was married on the 6th of January, His marriage 1759. This lady was three months younger than himself, widow of John Parke Custis, and distinguished alike for her beauty, accomplishments, and wealth. She was the daughter of John Dandridge. At the time of her second marriage she had two children, a son and daughter, the former six years old, the latter four. Mr. Custis had left large landed estates in New Kent County, and forty-five thousand pounds sterling in money. One third part of this property she held in her own right, the other two thirds being equally divided between her children. Accession to his fortune. By this marriage an accession of more than one hundred thousand dollars was made to Colonel Washington's fortune, which was already considerable in the estate at Mount Vernon, and other lands which he had selected during his surveying expeditions and obtained at different times. To the management of his extensive private affairs his thoughts were now turned. He also took upon himself the guardianship of Mrs. Washington's two children, and the care of their property, which trust he dis |