part I have acted in the cause of Liberty and Independence cannot fail

of adding pleasure to the other sweets of domestic life; and my sensibility of them is heightened by their coming from the respectable inhabitants of the place of my growing infancy[83] and the honorable mention which is made of my revered mother, by whose maternal hand (early deprived of a Father,) I was led to manhood. For the expressions of personal affection and attachment, and for your kind wishes for my future welfare, I offer grateful thanks and my sincere prayers for the happiness and prosperity of the corporate town of Fredericksburg.

GO. WASHINGTON.

The ceremonies of this gala day were closed with a ball at the market-house at night, which is known in history as the "peace ball." At the special request of the citizens, Mary, the mother of Washington, attended this ball and held a reception in company with her illustrious son. She "occupied a slightly elevated position, from which she could overlook the floor and see the dancers, and among them the kingly figure of the Commander-in-Chief, who led a Fredericksburg matron through a minuet."[84]

It will be noticed--and the fact will no doubt be treasured with pride--that Washington, in his reply to the address on this occasion, alludes to Fredericksburg as the place of his "growing infancy," which shows that, history and tradition to the contrary notwithstanding, he grew up in this town, where he was educated, and where the hand of that revered mother led him to manhood, and the address of Robt. Lewis, nephew of Washington, to Gen. Lafayette makes the same claim.

GEN. LAFAYETTE'S LAST VISIT.

On the 27th day of November, 1824, Gen. Lafayette visited the town and remained two days. He was Washington's right arm in the Revolutionary war, and was visiting for the last time the early home of Washington, where he took affectionate farewell of Washington's mother, in the early part of the year 1783, as he returned to France. The General's coming was known some days beforehand and a splendid mounted guard of honor was organized in town and country, who met him just above the "Wilderness Tavern." At that place hundreds of others joined the procession, including the volunteer companies from Fredericksburg, and thus he and his party--his son George Washington and Colonel La Vasseur--were escorted to town by hundreds of mounted men and men on foot, with martial music, amid the grandest display and wildest enthusiasm on the part of the people. He received a welcome to the town no less cordial and sincere than was accorded to Green and Washington, because the liberty, so highly prized and gratefully enjoyed by them, was not achieved by Green and Washington without the aid of Lafayette. A public reception was held during the day, when he was welcomed by Mayor Robert Lewis, Washington's nephew, and Lafayette's intimate friend, and thousands shook him by the hand and wished him a safe voyage home to his own beloved France.

At night a ball was given in his honor over the present market-house, where hundreds gathered to do him honor and contribute to his pleasure. The next day being Sunday he visited the Masonic Lodge, which was the mother lodge of his "bosom friend," Washington, enrolled his name as an honorary member, eulogized Washington and attended services at St. George's Episcopal church.

On the following morning, with the same mounted escort, with music and the booming of cannon, he departed for the Potomac river, on his way to the city of Washington, with the best wishes and earnest prayers of all the good people of Fredericksburg.

At the reception at the town hall were Mr. Lafayette Johnston and his good wife, Mrs. Eliza Johnston. Mr. Johnston was named for Lafayette, and having a son born to them during Lafayette's visit in this country, concluded to add a further honor to the General by naming their son for him, which they did and notified the General of it. Lafayette responded with the following letter, which is now framed and in possession of Mr. H. Stuart Johnston, a great-grandson:

WASHINGTON, _January 6, 1825_.

DEAR SIR--I am much obliged to the remembrance of my brother soldier when he gave you my name, and am now to thank you for an act of kindness of the same nature conferred upon me by his son. I beg your consort and yourself to accept my acknowledgement to you, my blessing upon the boy, and my good wishes to the family.

Most truly, yours, LAFAYETTE.

_To Fayette Johnston, Esq._

GEN. ANDREW JACKSON'S VISIT.

The next hero to visit the town, that we mention, was the "Hero of New Orleans," Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, who, with most of his cabinet, came on the 7th of May, 1833. The occasion was the laying of the corner-stone of the Mary Washington monument, which Mr. Silas Burrows proposed to erect to her memory. The civic and military display was very imposing and the crowd was well up into the thousands.

Military companies from Washington, Alexandria, Fauquier county, and United States marines, and our own military companies, were in line, under the command of Col. John Bankhead, of White Plains, chief marshal. Col. John B. Hill was chief architect of the monument. It was a great day in Fredericksburg.

DEDICATION OF MARY WASHINGTON MONUMENT.

The next occasion was the dedication of the Mary Washington monument, erected by the Ladies' Mary Washington Monument Associations, national and local, on the 10th of May, 1894, sixty-one years and three days after the laying of the corner-stone of the Burrows monument. A more beautiful day could not have dawned upon the city, and everything had been well planned and faithfully executed for the grand event of the day.

The streets and houses were beautifully decorated all along the route of the march, and the private residences were adorned and made gay with national and State flags. It was a general holiday for town and country, and it appeared that everybody was present and intent upon seeing the dignitaries who were to be here and hearing the addresses and ceremonies. Besides hundreds of invited guests from different parts of the United States, distinguished men and ladies, President Cleveland and nearly the entire cabinet and their wives, Vice-President Stevenson and Mrs. Stevenson, United States Senators, Representatives in Congress, Governor O'Ferrall and his staff, two members of the Supreme Court of the United States--Chief Justice Fuller and Justice Harlan--were present. The crowd was so immense that the ground seemed to tremble under their tread. It was the biggest day Fredericksburg ever had in the memory of man.

FREDERICKSBURGERS EVERYWHERE.

Fredericksburg has one peculiarity that tradition gives her, which is worthy of a place in this sketch, and that is, that in every city of any size in the civilized world a native of Fredericksburg, or some one who has lived in Fredericksburg, can be found. This is said to have been an old saying of tourists, sailors, marines and naval officers, who candidly declared that they were always able to find a Fredericksburger in every place of any size they had visited.

Capt. George Minor, who was born and raised in Fredericksburg, and who was a captain in the United States navy, and afterwards in the Confederate navy, often related this curious fact, and stated that it was positively true as to him in all his travels both by land and sea. In connection with this singular fact he related this incident: Before the Civil war he sailed into the harbor of the city of Honolulu, on the Hawaii islands, which have recently become a part of the United States. He thought of this peculiarity of his old home town, but felt confident that no Fredericksburger could be found in Honolulu, situated as it was away out in the Pacific ocean. He made his way to the city, and, after some delay, procured a guide to conduct him about the place, who could speak English.

As they progressed on their rounds from place to place, the guide pointing out places of note, giving an interesting history of the place and people, their customs, habits and peculiarities, he found himself very much interested in his guide and his narratives, and wished to know something of his history. So he asked him: "Are you a native of Honolulu!" "No, sir," was the response of the guide. "Well," continued the Captain, "where are you from?" "I am from Fredericksburg, Virginia," answered the guide. "I learned my trade of printer under Timothy Green, in the Virginia Herald office." "I am from Fredericksburg, too, and know Mr. Green well," said Capt. Minor, and the two Fredericksburgers had a real love feast. After that experience Capt. Minor said he never expected to land anywhere that he did not find a Fredericksburg man.

THE SOCIETY OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC ENTERS TOWN.

The hospitality of the people of Fredericksburg is as well known probably as any other characteristic of her citizens. It has been thoroughly tested on many occasions, and has never failed to measure up to the demands and even exceeded the expectations of the recipients. It is gratifying, too, to be able to say that even our former enemies have been partakers of the hospitalities of the town, at our private residences and in our public halls, and have found language too poor to properly express their gratification of the warm welcome and the generous hospitality they received while in our midst. This was the case with the Society of the Army of the Potomac in May, 1900.

It had been suggested by some of the prominent citizens of the town that it would be a gracious thing, and would testify our kind feeling towards the members of that organization, for the City Council to invite the Society of the Army of the Potomac to hold its thirty-first annual reunion, in 1900, in the city of Fredericksburg, as guests of the town. The society had never held a reunion on southern soil, and it was deemed appropriate that its first meeting should be here, where they could meet and mingle with Confederate veterans, where so many bloody battles were fought between the two great armies of the Civil war.

It had been intimated that members of the society, and even officials of the organization, had expressed a desire to hold a session in Fredericksburg, which would give many old soldiers an opportunity to visit again the historic grounds, over which they had fought, and view the country in times of peace. The City Council caught the spirit and approved the suggestion, and on the 27th of July, 1899, unanimously passed the following resolution:

"Resolved by the Common Council of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, That his honor, the Mayor, be and he is hereby, authorized and instructed to extend a cordial invitation to the Society of the Army of the Potomac to hold its annual meeting for the year 1900 in this city, and to urge the acceptance of this invitation by said society, assuring its members that they will meet with a cordial and fraternal welcome by our citizens generally, and that every effort will be made on our part to make their sojourn here pleasant and agreeable to them."

While the resolution did not authorize it, it was understood that the Mayor would attend the reunion in September of that year, either in person or by a representative, and urge the society to accept the invitation of the city authorities. Mayor Rowe, being unable to attend the meeting of the body, requested Judge James B. Sener to represent him, which he did, and presented the resolution of the Council in an eloquent and patriotic address, which was well received by the society. The result was Judge Sener was elected an honorary member of the society and the invitation was unanimously accepted.

Upon the information that its invitation had been accepted, and that May 25th and 26th, 1900, were the days fixed for holding the reunion, the Council appointed a reception committee of fifteen--five of its own body and ten from the citizens, which was increased by the committee itself to twenty--to make all the necessary arrangements and see that the members of the society, and the visitors on that occasion, were properly received and entertained. Those appointed of the Council were Col. E. D. Cole, John T. Knight, Wm. E. Bradley, H. B. Lane, George W. Wroten. Those from the citizens were Capt. S. J. Quinn, Major T. E. Morris. St. Geo. R. Fitzhugh, H. F. Crismond, John M. Griffin, Isaac Hirsh, James A. Turner, H. H. Wallace, Thos. N. Brent and James P. Corbin.

The committee met and organized, with Col. E. D. Cole, chairman, and Capt. S. J. Quinn, secretary, and the following gentlemen were associated with the committee: Capt. M. B. Rowe, A. T. Embrey, Judge John T. Goolrick, Capt. T. McCracken and George W. Shepherd. The committee was then divided up into sub-committees and assigned to necessary and appropriate duties, which were well and faithfully discharged.

To assist at the banquet and lunch on the occasion, the committee requested the services of the following ladies, who responded cheerfully and did so nobly the parts assigned them that they merited, and received, the hearty thanks of the committee and visitors: Mrs. James P. Corbin, Miss Mary Harrison Fitzhugh, Mrs. Wm. L. Brannan, Miss Mary Shepherd, Mrs. Vivian M. Fleming, Mrs. H. Hoomes Johnston, Miss Lula Braxton, Mrs. L. L. Coghill, Mrs. E. Dorsey Cole, Miss Corson, Mrs. H. F. Crismond, Miss E. May Dickinson, Mrs. Wm. F. Ficklen, Miss Goodwin, Mrs. John T. Goolrick, Miss Alice Gordon, Miss Sallie Gravatt, Mrs. John M. Griffin, Miss Louise Hamilton, Miss Roberta Hart, Mrs. David Hirsh, Mrs. Henry Kaufman, Mrs. Harry B. Lane, Mrs. H. McD. Martin, Miss Annie Myer, Miss Eleanor McCracken, Miss Carrie Belle Quinn, Mrs. Wm. H. Richards, Miss Lena Rowe, Mrs. Edward J. Smith, Mrs. R. Lee Stoffregen, Miss Bertha Strasburger, Miss Sallie Lyle Tapscott, Mrs. W. Seymour White, Miss Nannie Gordon Willis and Mrs. Mary Quinn Hicks.

The presidential party was met at Quantico by a sub-committee consisting of Hon. H. F. Crismond, Hon. A. T. Embrey, Postmaster John M. Griffin, Major T. E. Morris, James A. Turner and S. I. Baggett, Jr., and escorted to Fredericksburg.

At half past ten o'clock on the morning of the 25th of May, most of the members of the Society of the Army of the Potomac having arrived, the procession was formed at the courthouse, the society, under command of Gen. Horatio C. King, secretary, with the reception committee, Confederate veterans and citizens generally, headed by Bowering's band, proceeded to the depot to meet the presidential train. Col. E. D. Cole, chief marshal, with his aides, Capt. Dan. M. Lee, John T. Leavell, A. P. Rowe, Jr., and W. J. Jacobs, with a cordon of mounted police, had charge of the line.

At the depot an immense crowd of people had collected, and when the train arrived there was a vociferous greeting to the President and cabinet and Fighting (General) Joe Wheeler. The presidential party consisted of President McKinley, his private secretary, Cortelyou, Secretary Hay, Secretary Root, Attorney-General Griggs, Postmaster-General Smith, Secretary Long, Secretary Hitchcock--every member of the cabinet except Secretary Wilson--Gen. Nelson A. Miles, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, his aide, Col. Michler, Lieut. Robert S. Griffin, secretary to Secretary Long, Gen. Henry E. Tremain, Gen. W. J. Sewell, Gen. J. W. Hawley and Gen. Joseph Wheeler.

Headed by the celebrated Marine band, of Washington, sixty strong, the line of march from the depot was up Main street, to George, thence to Princess Ann and thence to the courthouse. All along the march the streets were thronged with citizens and visitors, and the waving of handkerchiefs and cheering kept the President constantly bowing to the right and left.

When the courthouse was reached the presidential party filed in, followed by the Society of the Army of the Potomac, visitors and citizens. The courthouse was densely packed and hundreds were turned away, being unable to get even standing room.