good cup of tea how much we all took it for granted before the war all of the
embargoes and the events leading up to our quest for independency found us
now without these luxuries we had so much grown to enjoy how soon we would
see that they were little importance as the war began and the efforts of our men
I've long thought about those years of the war in the 40 years that I have
known at the general side those eight years were the greatest for I was able
to go and to be with him at every single one of our military camps indeed before
the war I had never traveled north never from Virginia ever journeyed most people
in the colonies never went far from where they were born indeed we thought
of ourselves as 13 separate countries in those years but soon we would grow to
think of ourselves as one United of states all the way up to Boston I went
and met there the soldiers in their camps never once during all those
winters did I ever see any but bravery but I saw great want as well I always
think of those years and I found this stocking that I had knit in those days
they were always so short of supply those poor men it was all we ladies
could do to keep our fingers going to knit to make shirts and stockings for
them many people have asked me of the winter of the valley of the forge was it
true they ask were the soldiers really barefooted
in the snow and i can tell you yes they were those brave men always lined my
path when i came into camp that year the snow was so deep i had to be drawn in by
a sleigh but the soldiers had a ritual they called shouting lady washington in
i was the generals lady and they always shouted god bless you Lady Washington
for coming god bless our soldiers always and forever all those years at the
headquarters I was in my home spun I found this checkered apron recent too I had
been wearing it when some ladies came to visit and expected the generals wife to
be all done out in finery and what they found was the generals lady as they
wrote in a checkered apron knitting away for the soldiers when I would go out to
nurse them I always brought in my basket what I consider the most useful of all
more than even my medicines my old book of common prayer and I would read to
them from the Psalms to give them comfort twas then they began to refer to
me as Lady Washington the soldiers best friend and that I will ever be recently
he has decided to have a special award made for soldiers who have shown as he
has said extraordinary bravery and they asked me to work to stitch what he calls
a badge of Military Merit it is a heart in the color purple with merit across it
to be awarded from henceforth for all time to those showing the greatest
bravery and gallantry but in my mind they each one
deserve this award of merit and I hope their bravery will never be forgotten by
their countrymen