The Death of George Washington

(LoC) At 10:00 p.m. on December 14, 1799, George Washington died at his Mt. Vernon home after five decades of service to his country. His last words reportedly were: "I feel myself going. I thank you for your attentions; but I pray you to take no more trouble about me. Let me go off quietly. I cannot last long." Washington was sixty-seven years old. ... Henry Lee's eulogy for Washington —"first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen"—accurately and touchingly memorialized the man so often called the "father of our country." By the time of his death, Washington was admired throughout the world. As the news spread, Napoleon's armies and the British channel fleet paid homage to his memory. In this country, Gouverneur Morris delivered "An Oration upon the Death of General Washington" urging Americans to uphold the standards of wisdom and honesty set by Washington. Continued

Image: Life of George Washington The Christian death, painted by Stearns ; lith. by Régnier, imp. Lemercier, Paris, c1853 (Library of Congress).