In The Service of My Country- Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy
In the final days of the Revolutionary War, a handful of senior officers of the Continental Army considered a coup against the Continental Congress.
This would have left the door open for George Washington to install himself as dictator.
Instead, the General put his glasses on…
“Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for, I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.”
-George Washington
Newburgh
By March of 1783 a year and a half had passed since the Victory at Yorktown.
General Washington and his Continental Army were stationed at Newburgh, New York.
They were waiting for the final peace treaty to end the war, at which point the British would evacuate New York City (which they had been occupying for seven years).
Unfortunately, there were uncomfortable talks among the American officers.
The Unpaid Army
The officers of the Continental Army had not been paid for months.
They were nervous the Continental Congress might never pay them.
The men in Congress had careers to fall back on, most of them being lawyers, doctors and merchants.
The officers, however, were military men. If there was no war, and no standing army, they had little income.
Something had to be done.
The Conspiracy
An anonymous letter circulated through the American camp at Newburgh.
The letter called for a meeting to decide what should be done.
General Washington caught wind of that letter and informed his Generals that they were allowed to hold the meeting.
On March 15, 1783, they came together and discussed what to do.
Should they use the army as a political tool and threaten to storm Philadelphia?
Suddenly, a surprise visitor arrived.
George Washington.
Here Comes the General
No one expected Washington to attend the meeting.
The point was to have an open discussion, and that is hard to do when the man you are supposed to defer to is in the room.
Washington walked to the podium with a letter from Congress which begged the soldiers to be patient (they simply didn’t have any money).
In the Service of My Country
The General looked down at the letter and squinted.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out an object. Then, he did something none of the men had ever seen before...he put on his glasses.
As he did this, he said one of the most important lines in American History:
“Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for, I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.”
A Republic of Laws
Washington read the letter from Congress and exited the room.
Many of the battle hardened warriors in the room openly wept.
They had forsaken the ideals the Revolutionary War had been fought for.
They were to be a republic of laws, not of men. Certainly not of the army.
The officers quickly decided to follow Washington’s lead and defer to Congress (well, except Timothy Pickering).
Declining The Throne
Ten months later, the British had left New York.
The army had been disbanded.
General Washington, who had the opportunity to lead a coup against the Continental Congress and be installed as an American dictator, went to Philadelphia and resigned his commission.
George returned home just in time for Christmas with Martha, a luxury he had not enjoyed for the previous eight years.
Do you want to read more articles about GEORGE WASHINGTON?
Here you go:
George Washington and the Rules of Civility
The Inauguration of George Washington
George Washington: The Early Years
Do you love this story?
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“You will permit me to put on my spectacles,” might seem like a silly quote from George Washington, but it is actually taken from one of the most important speeches in American history.
Washington spoke these words during the Newburgh Conspiracy and essentially used them to reject absolute power. With this phrase, he was able to prevent his Officers from threatening Congress.
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