18 June 1775

GW in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress. He had dinner at Vauxhall, a tavern owned by Thomas Mullen near the Schuylkill River.

GW also wrote a letter to his wife Martha.  He first informed Martha that he was appointed to lead the entire army and, as a result, would have to travel to Boston. He wrote, “you may beleive me my dear Patcy, when I assure you, in the most solemn manner, that...I have used every endeavour in my power to avoid it, not only from my unwillingness to part with you and the Family, but from a consciousness of its being a trust too great for my capacity…” He explained that there was no way of rejecting it without being seen as dishonorable. GW advised Martha to move wherever she would be most comfortable. He also mentioned that he drafted his will with Col. Edmund Pendleton, which included the money he received from selling Ferry Farm to Dr. Hugh Mercer of Fredericksburg, Va. in 1774. In his postscript, he wrote that he had gotten for her “two suits of what I was told was the prettiest Muslin.”

Date: 
18 June 1775
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