geeky
Two days earlier, on Thursday December 12, 1799, Washington had spent several hours inspecting his farms on horseback. He did so in cold wet weather, with snow, hail and freezing rain. Later that evening Washington had his supper while still in the wet clothes he had been wearing earlier. The next morning, he awoke with a severe sore throat. Washington became increasingly hoarse as the day progressed.
Sometime around 3 am on the morning of Saturday, December 14th, he awoke his wife Martha and said he felt ill. Martha Washington became very concerned and sent for the family physician, Dr. Craik. Two other physicians were also called and came. All of that medical skill seemed to have no effect. Washington is reported to have said to his friend Dr. Craik: "Doctor, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go. I believed, from my first attack, that I should not survive it. My breath cannot last long."
The illness progressed and at sometime around 10 p.m. on Saturday December 14, 1799, Washington breathed his last breath. It was somewhat ironic for the man who had braved that harsh winter at Valley Forge to have died in this manner. His last words reportedly were "'Tis well."
The world mourned the loss of a great man. The news of Washington's death reached President John Adams at Philadelphia by a special courier, on the morning of the 11th of December. John Marshall announced it to the assembled Congress that day, when a public funeral was ordered. In France Napoleon ordered ten days of mourning throughout the nation. When the news reached England, the flags of the great English fleet of sixty vessels lying in Torbay were lowered to half-mast. Throughout the United States, thousands wore mourning clothes for months.
On December 18, 1799, Washington's funeral was held at Mount Vernon, where his body was interred. Washington's fellow soldier Major General Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III (father of Robert E. Lee) eulogized his comrade on December 26th with the words "first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."
Congress passed a joint resolution to construct a marble monument in the United States Capitol for his body. The measure was supported by Martha Washington. In December 1800, the United States House passed an appropriations bill for $200,000 to build the mausoleum, which was to be a pyramid that had a base 100 feet (30 m) square. Southern opposition to the plan defeated the measure because they felt it was best to have his body remain at Mount Vernon.
In 1831, for the centennial of his birth, a new tomb was constructed to receive his remains. That year, an attempt was made to steal the body of Washington, but proved to be unsuccessful. A joint Congressional committee in early 1832 debated the removal of Washington's body from Mount Vernon to a crypt in the Capitol, built by Charles Bulfinch in the 1820s. Yet again, Southern opposition prevented such a move. This ended any talk of the movement of his remains, and he was moved to the new tomb at Mount Vernon that was built there on October 7, 1837. After the ceremony, the inner vault's door was closed and the key was thrown into the Potomac. George Washington has rested there, in peace, ever since.
One of the great losses for historians was Martha Washington's decision to burn the correspondence between the couple. She did so to protect their privacy. Only three letters between the two of them have survived.