At Newburgh, New York, during the waning days of the Revolution, George Washington confronted one of the greatest challenges to his command. The disgruntled officers of the Continental Army, long unpaid, threatened to force Congress to meet their demands. Washington's eloquent address to his officers recalled them to their duty and quelled their agitation before it became an open revolt. He appealed to both their military honor and their sentimental attachment to him. Having "grown gray" in their shared service, Washington found that he was "growing bling" and could not read his own handwritten address without stopping to put on his spectacles.

Provenance: Gift of William A. Hayes, 1821.