31[Diary entry: 4 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
4. Set out for the Congress at Phila. Dind in Alexa. & lodgd at Marlborough. GW left Mount Vernon in his chariot, probably accompanied by Richard Henry Lee. He may have met several of the other delegates on the road between Mount Vernon and Baltimore, because GW, Lee, Peyton Randolph, Edmund Pendleton, and Benjamin Harrison of Virginia and Joseph Hewes and Richard Caswell of North Carolina all...
32[Diary entry: 5 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
5. Breakfasted at Mrs. Ramsays & Lodged at Baltimore. Although GW had traveled the Baltimore-Marlboro road on his return south in 1773, he still was unfamiliar with the route and paid 7s. 6d. for a guide to Baltimore ( General Ledger B General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of Congress, George Washington Papers, Series 5, Financial Papers. , folio 193). The roads in this part of Maryland ran...
33[Diary entry: 6 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
6. At Baltimore all day. Reviewd the Companies there & dind at an Entertainmt. given by the Townsmen. “Four companies of the town militia were drawn upon the Common, where they were reviewed by Col. Washington . . . accompanied by the other delegates. . . . In the afternoon the delegates, accompanied by the Rev. Clergy and principal gentlemen of the town, preceded by Capt. [Mordecai] Gist’s...
34[Diary entry: 7 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
7. Breakfasted at Cheyns’s. Dind at Rogers’s & lodged at Stevensons this side Susqueha[nna]. cheyns’s : probably the tavern located about 13 miles east of Baltimore at the head of Bird River, a tributary of the Gunpowder River. It was operated for a number of years by a series of different keepers, and at one time was called the Red Lion Tavern. John Rodgers (c.1726–1791), a Scot who came to...
35[Diary entry: 8 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
8. Breakfasted at Charles Town & Dined & lodged at Wilmington. Charlestown, a flourishing port on the Northeast River, was the county seat of Cecil County, Md., until 1786, when the courthouse was moved to Elkton (Head of Elk). The road followed by GW from Charlestown to Wilmington led him through Christiana Bridge, or Christiana ( General Ledger B General Ledger B, 1772–1793. Library of...
36[Diary entry: 9 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
9th. Breakfasted at Chester, & dined at the City Tavern Phila. Supped at Mr. Jos. Reads. The arrival in Philadelphia of the delegates from Virginia and other southern colonies was celebrated, according to Christopher Marshall, by a large reception and parade at the outskirts of the city ( Duane, Diary of Marshall William Duane, ed. Extracts from the Diary of Christopher Marshall, Kept in...
37[Diary entry: 10 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
10. Dined at Mr. Thos. Mifflins & spent the Eveng. at my lodgings. my lodgings : GW’s cash memorandum lists a payment of £17 13s. 3d. in Pennsylvania currency “By Mr. Randolph Bd. &ca.” on 22 June, the day before he left Philadelphia (Cash Memoranda, DLC:GW ). Benjamin Randolph was a cabinetmaker who lived on Chestnut Street between Third and Fourth streets. Thomas Jefferson also lodged with...
38[Diary entry: 11 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
11. Dined at Young Doctr. Shippens—spent the Eveng. at my Lodgings. In Congress the credentials of the delegates were read and the decision was again made to keep the proceedings secret. A letter was read from colonial agents in London reporting the rejection of the colonists’ petition to the king, the failure of the earl of Chatham’s plan for reconciliation, and the embarkation of more...
39[Diary entry: 12 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
12. Dined and Supped at the City Tavern. GW’s expenses on this day include 6s. 7d. in Pennsylvania currency for “Club at Smith’s” (Cash Memoranda, DLC:GW ). George Read, Delaware delegate, wrote his wife a description of these dinners at Daniel Smith’s City Tavern: “I then dine at the City Tavern, where a few of us have established a table for each day in the week, save Saturday, when there is...
40[Diary entry: 13 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
13. Dined at the City Tavern with the Congress. Spent the Eveng. at my Lodgings. This was Saturday, the day all members of Congress met together for dinner at the City Tavern.
41[Diary entry: 14 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
14. Dined at Mr. Willings, & Spent the Evening at my Lodgings.
42[Diary entry: 15 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
15. Dined at Burns’s & Spent the Evening at my Lodgings. In Congress a question was raised by the New York delegates on how the colony was to conduct itself in regard to the British troops expected there. Recommendations were made in Congress and a resolution passed for appointing a committee to consider what posts in that colony should be occupied and how many troops should be necessary to...
43[Diary entry: 16 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
16. Dined at the City Tavern & Spent the Evening at Doctr. Shippens.
44[Diary entry: 17 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
17. Went to the Commencemt. at the College and dined at Mr. Saml. Griffins—after wch. attended a Comm[itt]ee at the Conistoga Waggon. GW attended the ceremony at the College of Philadelphia in his role as a member of the Continental Congress, which attended as a group. For a description of the commencement, see Pa. Packet , 15, 22, 29 May 1775. The Conestoga Wagon was a small inn on Market, or...
45[Diary entry: 18 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
18. Dined at the City Tavern, and attended a Comee. afterwards at the State House. The president of Congress on this day gave Congress news of the capture of Ticonderoga, which he had received by messenger the evening before. Congress resolved to recommend to New York that the cannon and stores be removed from Ticonderoga to the south end of Lake George, where a strong post should be...
46[Diary entry: 19 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
19. Dined at Mr. Allans. Spent the Evening in my own lodgings. The committee of Congress to consider the defense of New York, which had occupied much of GW’s time for two days past, brought in its report. The report was read and referred to the committee of the whole, which made its resolutions regarding New York’s defense on 25 May (see JCC Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of...
47[Diary entry: 20 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
20. Dined at the City Tavern & Spent the Evening at my Lodg.
48[Diary entry: 21 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
21. Dined at Mr. Richd. Willings and Spent the Evening at my Lodgings. Richard Willing (1745–1798) was a captain in the Philadelphia Associators during the Revolution ( WALKER [3] Lewis Burd Walker. “Life of Margaret Shippen, Wife of Benedict Arnold.” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 24 (1900): 257-66, 401–29; 25 (1901): 20-46, 145-90, 289-302, 452-97; 26 (1902): 71-80, 224-44,...
49[Diary entry: 22 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
22. Dined at Mr. Griffins & spent the Evening at my Lodgings.
50[Diary entry: 23 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
23. Dined at Mr. Jno. Cadwalladers & spent the Evening in my own Room.
51[Diary entry: 24 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
24. Dined at Mr. Andw. Allan’s & Spent the Evening at the Gov[e]r[nor’]s Club.
52[Diary entry: 25 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
25. Dined at Mr. Tilghman’s, & Spent the Evening at the City Tavern.
53[Diary entry: 26 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
26. Dined at Mr. Meridiths and Spent the Evening at the City Tavern.
54[Diary entry: 27 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
27. Dined at the City Tavern & spent the Evening at my own Lodgings. GW, Philip Schuyler, Thomas Mifflin, Silas Deane, Lewis Morris, and Samuel Adams were named a committee to “to consider of ways and means to supply these colonies with Ammunition and military stores and to report immediately” ( JCC Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 . 34...
55[Diary entry: 28 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
28. Rid out to the Provence Island & dind there in Compy. with sevl. other Gentlemen.
56[Diary entry: 29 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
29. Dined at the City Tavern. Spent the Evening in my own Room.
57[Diary entry: 30 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
30. Dined at Mr. Mease’s, & after setting a while with the Boston Gentlemen retird to my own Room. boston gentlemen : GW is referring to the Massachusetts delegates to Congress.
58[Diary entry: 31 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
31. Dined with Mr. Jno. Rutlidge. Spent the Evening in my Chambers. John Rutledge (1739–1800) was the elder of two Rutledge brothers representing South Carolina in the Continental Congress at this time. He had served in the South Carolina House of Commons for a number of years and in the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. During the Revolution Rutledge was president of South Carolina 1776–78,...
59Acct. of the Weather in May [1775] (Washington Papers)
May 1st. Exceeding hot. Wind southerly. 2. Also warm, but not so hot as yesterday. 3. Again warm & clear. Wind Southerly. 4. Very warm indeed with but little wind & clear. 5. Again very Warm with a violent Gust abt. 5 Oclock in the Evening. 6. Somewhat Cool. Wind Easterly. 7. Cool & pleasant. Wind Northerly. 8. Still Cool & lowering with Rain now and then. 9. Clear & pleasant. Wind Westerly....
60[Diary entry: 1 May 1775] (Washington Papers)
May 1st. Exceeding hot. Wind southerly.