Washington and L'Enfant in George Town
SUCH was the town through which General George Washington passed in April 1789, on his way from Mount Vernon to his inauguration in New York as first President of the government which was trying out an experiment new to the world.
In the Times and Potowmack Packet, on April 23, is this insertion:
George Town. Last Thursday passed through this town on his way to New York the most illustrious, the President of the United States of America, with Charles Thompson, Esq. Secretary, to Congress. His Excellency arrived at about 2 O'Clock on the bank of the Patowmack, escorted by a respectable corps of gentlemen from Alexandria where the George Town ferry boats, properly equipped, received his Excellency and suit, safely landed them, under the acclamation of a large crowd of their grateful fellow citizens—who beheld his Fabius, in the evening of his day, bid adieu to the peaceful retreat of Mount Vernon, in order to save his country once more from confusion and anarchy. From this place his Excellency was escorted by corps of gentlemen commanded by Col. Wm. Deakins, Junr., to Mr. Spurrier's Tavern, where the escort from Baltimore take charge of him.
Colonel Deakins was Justice of the Peace, a very high office in those days, (there was no mayor) besides being a large landowner and shipowner.
Among the prominent men who probably formed this escort were many of Washington's former officers of the Revolutionary Army, for when he came to George Town he was amongst old friends: Colonel Forrest, Major Stoddert, General James Maccubbin Lingan, General Otho Williams, William Beatty (who had distinguished himself in the army and had attained the rank of Colonel), Thomas Richardson who, although a Quaker, was Captain of a company and won high repute; William Murdock, who had been a Colonel of militia raised for the defense of the Province of Maryland in 1776, and Lloyd Beall, who had been adjutant of the Staff of Alexander Hamilton, and General John Mason.
I quote freely from Dr. H. Paul Caemmerer's very interesting Biography of Pierre Charles L'Enfant. "Among the numerous problems of the first Congress in 1789, was the question of establishment of a seat of government or a National Capital. During the period of the Continental Congress and the subsequent period of the Congress of the Confederation, from 1774 to 1789, Congress had met in eight different town and cities—Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, York, Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton, and New York City, part of the time pursued by the enemy and part of the time attacked by disgruntled soldiers. It was found difficult for Members of Congress to find adequate quarters, and it was always a problem to move records and files. Thus it developed that Congress wanted a home of its own. The Constitution of the United States provided for a Federal District ten miles square (Art. 1, Sec. 8, Par. 17).
"On September 11, 1789, while yet the idea of locating a Capital City was still unsettled, L'Enfant wrote to President Washington asking to be employed to design the Capital of 'this vast empire.'"
"It might be inferred from this letter that L'Enfant knew more about the controversy in the Halls of Congress on the subject of location of the Seat of Government than we know today. It was at its height, that we know. The question of size of the Federal District had been settled by the Constitution—it was to be ten miles square. Now the question of location predominated—the question of 'exclusive jurisdiction' to be exercised by Congress had been generally conceded.