Four of Washington’s swords are shown: one he used during the Braddock campaign; his dress sword (damaged by rust); a sword made for him at the Solingen Armory in Prussia; the silver-mounted blade he wore when resigning command of the army (1783) and at his inauguration in 1789. In the case with the swords is the sash worn by General Braddock when he was wounded, and given by him to Col. George Washington, who was then his aide-de-camp.
By his will, Washington bequeathed to each of his nephews one of his five swords, with the following injunction: “Not to unsheathe them for the purpose of shedding blood except it be in self-defence or in the defence of their country and its rights, and in the latter case to keep them unsheathed and prefer falling with them in their hands to the relinquishment thereof.”
The clock on the stairs belonged to Lawrence Washington, the founder of Mount Vernon, and the hall lantern was given to him (1745) by Admiral Vernon, for whom the estate was named.
The marble top table belonged to Washington, and the engravings are reprints of originals. The restoration of the hall is due to the Vice-Regents for Michigan and Alabama.
West Parlor
The finish of this room—its wall panels, mantel and ceiling decoration—is a restoration of the original. Washington’s coat of arms is carved above the mantel, and his crest and initials are cast in the heavy fireback. An old painting empaneled over the mantel is said to represent a part of Admiral Vernon’s fleet at Cartagena, and was sent by the Admiral to Lawrence Washington in 1743 as an acknowledgment of Washington’s courtesy in naming the estate for him.
The rug in the room is particularly interesting. It was woven by order of Louis XVI, and sent by him as a present to General Washington.
The curtain cornices are original, also the mirror, now restored to its former position between the windows, and two rosewood stands for vases of flowers.