December 20, 1799
Dear Mrs. Washington,
I was so saddened to hear of General Washington's passing. May I please give you my most sincere condolences. I write this letter in hopes that it will give you some measure of comfort.
I know you are keenly aware of the love all citizens have for your dear husband. Tonight as I pen this letter, I shed tears for the love my family has for this great man. We love him not only for his greatness but also for his kindness and humility to one soldier, my son.
For six years my husband and my only son served under General Washington. Time and again I would receive letters from my boys telling me of their devotion to General Washington. They would tell me how he would fight right along side of them and never did he treat them with disdain (like some of the other officers did.) My son wrote once and told me of General Washington's great reliance on our Creator. He saw the General steal away from camp to find a secluded spot to pray for guidance. This impressed my son so much and I will be ever grateful. Both my husband and my son admired the General's great mind. His tactical genius saved them all on more than one occasion. They told me of his joyful sense of humor and how even when things were very bad he would always joke with the men, but never in an inappropriate manner. They would tell me that General Washington was ever the gentleman. This was very comforting to the men. Which brings me to my story.
It was the winter of 1782 and as I know you know things were very bad for our boys. My dear husband was very sick and needed medicine as did many men. It was bitterly cold and the men were deeply entrenched behind enemy lines. My son volunteered to run the line and "borrow" medicine from the enemy. During the years my son spent with his father and General Washington he grew into a great man. He was surrounded with great men, how could he not? He and another soldier left in the shelter of night. They were successful in obtaining the medicine and were almost back to camp when they were attacked. My son was shot. His companion fought valiantly to save him. They were close enough to camp that others came to their rescue. Unfortunately, the redcoats were very angry and heaped the indignity of stealing my sons shoes off of his body as he tried to crawl away. They did this for meanness, just to prove they were superior. There was a volley of fire and our men pulled my boy to safety. He was taken back to camp where the Dr. tried to save him. He retrieved the lead ball from my son's side but it was a bad wound and they put him on the ground next to his father. Somehow this story got back to the General. He knew my boys and had always treated them as family. He came quickly to be by my son's side. My husband has since told me the look on General Washington's face when he saw my son's bare feet made him want to cry. What followed will live in our family annuls forever. Your sweet husband took off his own boots and put them on my boy. Everyone there knew my boy wasn't long for this world. Some murmured that it was foolhardy to put boots ON a dying man, but dignity has no price. That day my son, who had fought with everything his precious soul had to give, died with dignity. This was a priceless commodity that your husband gave without a second thought.
Thank you Mrs. Washington for your sacrifice to our great Republic. I know you too gave a son for the cause of freedom from tyranny. I also know you gave your dear husband, time and again for the greater good. I know you will miss him (please forgive me being so intimate.) We will all miss him, but I feel quite sure as the years roll by history will remember you both with love and fondness.
Gratefully yours,
Mrs. D. Steward
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