Existing comment:
"His voice faltered and sunk, and the whole house felt his agitations."
On January 22, 2007, the Maryland State Archives acquired the original draft of George Washington's resignation speech as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. In addition, the Archives acquired the letter than James McHenry wrote to his future wife, Margaret (Peggy) Caldwell describing the ceremony. It is most appropriate that these two documents will be displayed in the State House, within sight of where this historic event took place. Until this acquisition, Maryland had not owned any documents or artifacts related directly to Washington's resignation. The display of these documents will add immeasurably to the interpretation of the State House and to visitors' understanding of the role that Maryland played in the formation of our nation.
James McHenry (1753-1816) emigrated from Ireland to Philadelphia in 1771 and studied at the Newark Academy in Delaware before pursuing a career in medicine under the tutelage of the renowned Dr. Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia.
During the American Revolutionary War, McHenry initially served a military surgeon. In 1776, while on the staff of the 5th Pennsylvanian Battalion, the British captured McHenry at Fort Washington, New York. He was later released and in March, 1778, he joined the Continental Army at Valley Forge and was quickly chosen by General George Washington to be his assistant. McHenry continued to serve with Washington until 1780 when he joined the staff of America's great French ally, the Marquis de Lafayette.
In 1781, McHenry resigned his military command to enter political life. As a member of the Federalist Party, he served in the Maryland Legislature (1781-1783, 1787-1796), Continental Congress (1783-1786) and as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. In 1796, President Washington appointed McHenry as Secretary of War and he remained in this post during the presidency of John Adams. Due to political differences with Adams, McHenry resigned his cabinet position in 1800 and retired to his estate in Maryland.
James McHenry served the nation and the state of Maryland as a solider [sic], statesman and physician. In his honor, a fort in the design of a five-pointed star was constructed in 1798 at the opening of the Baltimore Harbor to protect the vital port city of Baltimore. |