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CHAPTER III
DURING GOVERNOR TELF AIR'S ADMINISTRATION, PRESIDENT WASHINGTON
VISITS GEORGIA—TRADITIONS OF His SOJOURN STILL FRAGRANT IN
MANY HOMES—LEAVES PHILADELPHIA ON MARCH 21, 1791, FOR A
SOUTHERN TOUR, ACCOMPANIED BY MAJOR JACKSON—REACHES GEOR
GIA ON MAY 12—DIARY OF THE PRESIDENT'S VISIT, PRESERVED IN His
OWN HAND-WRITING—NINE DAYS A GUEST OF THE STATE—How HE
WAS GREETED AT SAVANNAH—FETES AND BALLS—LEAVES FOR
AUGUSTA—EN ROUTE, HE STOPS AT WAYNESBORO—RECEPTION AT
THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT—GIVES A NUMBER OF PRIZES TO THE BOYS
AT THE RICHMOND ACADEMY—ONE OF THESE WAS AWARDED TO
AUGUSTIN S. CLAYTON, AFTERWARDS A NOTED CONGRESSMAN AND
JURIST.
During Governor Telfair's administration an event occurred the
delightful memories of which have lingered, for more than a century,
like incense in a vase of roses: the visit of President Washington.
Revered as the victorious commander-in-chief of the American armies
in the great struggle for independence and as the first chief magistrate
of a nation destined to take its place among world powers, the illustrious
statesman and soldier was received with marked demonstrations of
respect. Savannah and Augusta—the principal towns at which he
stopped—are still fragrant with the recollections of his sojourn. Tradi
tions cherished in many of the homes of our state tell of the brilliant
rounds of social gaiety, of the rare old laces worn, of the rare old wines
uncorked, of the splendid figure made by the Georgia Continentals on
dress parade, of the festive scenes and gala events, associated with this
visit from the nation's first citizen. Nor let us forget to mention the
dazzling ballrooms where
"bright
The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men."
Washington himself was a starched aristocrat; and to meet him all
the tiaras of the commonwealth sparkled at these elegant receptions,
all the ancient pedigrees were there, some of them reaching back to Eng
lish manor-halls and French chateaus. Remembering how prone we
are, in dealing with a remote past, to exaggerate the tinsel on our family
crests and to impute an imaginary value to our ancestral heirlooms,
some of the stories which have percolated down the years are, of course,
subject to a liberal discount; but with all due allowance for the magni
fying spell of time and distance, Washington's visit was an event singu
lar in its uniqueness. It holds to this day a place apart, an isolated
niche all its own, in the historic background; and for all time to come its
influence will doubtless be felt upon our civic annals.
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