*** Mrs. Washington arrived on the 11th of December, accompanied by her son, John Parke Custis, and his wife. Some persons thought her in danger at Mount Vernon, as Lord Dunmore was making the most determined hostile movements against republicanism in Virginia. It was feared that he might attempt to seize the person of Lady Washington, to be held as a hostage. As the commander-in-chief could not leave the army, she was requested to pass the winter with him at Cambridge. The expenses incurred by the occasional visits of Mrs. Washington to the camp during the war were charged to the government. Washington was careful to call attention to this fact, and in the rendition of his accounts for settlement he refers to it, and expresses a hope that the charges will be considered right, inasmuch as he had not visited his home during his time of service, a privilege which he was allowed by the terms of his appointment.
First unfurling of the Union flag.—Return of Colonel Knox, with heavy artillery.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
Among the several challenging issues with this two volume set were:
1. The duplication of the last eight chapters of Volume I. inserted at the beginning of Volume II.; and there given chapter numbers starting with Chapter I".
2. That the index in Volume I did not include any references to the last eight chapters. The index references to these duplicated chapters were however include in Volume II.