WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL

This week, way back in 1783, General George Washington issued his Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States near Princeton, New Jersey.  This event was a milestone in the demobilization of the armed forces that had been assembled for the Revolutionary War and followed the signing of the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

If this event in history grabs your interest, you'll want to stop by the Bullis Room and look at the collection's copy of Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington by George Washington Parke Custis. In case you're wondering about the author (we did!), he was President Washington's step-son. During his life he wrote and published a number of plays. Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington was published posthumously by his daughter in 1859.

We think you'll agree that this book gives a special look at our first president, George Washington, through the eyes of a close family member.