George Washington died on this date (December 14) in 1799 at his Mt. Vernon, Virginia estate after a brief illness. Of all the men responsible for winning our independence from Great Britain and then creating this nation, George Washington stands head and shoulders above the rest. Without his presence as the commanding General of the Continental Army the army probably would have ceased to exist in 1777. Elected unanimously the first President of the United States he set the example for all others to follow. In this day and age he is not given enough credit as one of our greatest Presidents. (In my mind he tops the list of all American Presidents).No finer epitaph exists for him, I believe, than the words delivered by fellow soldier and Virginian Henry Lee in his eulogy for George Washington, "First in War, first in Peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen..."
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