‘Tis Well
On this day, in December of 1799, George Washington had only a week to live. The General was outside in inclement weather on December 12th and came down with a sore throat that worsened rapidly. As Martha Washington and their family gathered around the dying Washington, he is said to have whispered these last words: “’Tis well.” I have been pondering what our first President meant by this phrase. Was he speaking of his very full and successful life? Had he perhaps been thinking about the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown? Initially, I thought Washington may have meant our country had achieved freedom and was on its way to becoming a successful republic, but recently a new thought occurred to me. I was doing research on the slaves at Mount Vernon and realized that Washington’s servant, Christopher, stayed in the bedroom through the many long hours of that last fatal illness. Perhaps Washington’s eyes fell upon Christopher and he thought of his solution to the only “unavoidable subject of regret-slavery” (to paraphrase Dr. Peter R. Henriques in his book “Realistic Visionary”). The General decided to free his slaves in his will. Perhaps in Washington’s last moments, he believed his example would inspire other slave owners to follow his lead, thus our country would be “well” because we all would be truly free. If anyone has another idea about what Washington was thinking when he uttered, “’Tis Well,” please respond with your impression.
December 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Dying men think of eternity, and I am eternally persuaded that he spoke of his soul, Tis Well. His heart was fixed, it was right with God. Christian families,(ie his wife) and friends,are comforted by these dying affirmations.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I believe he was content. And had accepted his coming death. He was surely satisfied with his accomplishments and experiences in life. And being at home, with his family.... it was a comfort to him.
June 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
While it is nice to think "Tis Well" was carefully chosen final words, in fact Washington was worried about being buried alive and wanted to be sure that he was not buried for two days. When his secretary, Tobias Lear, only nodded. Washington added, "Do you understand me?" [he had trouble speaking]. Lear said he did and Washington then said, "Tis Well."