George Washington’s Expense Account

First published by the Treasury Department in June 1833, Washington’s expense account has long been neglected by serious students of American history. Now, at last, the priceless document is made available to every reader. Here, item by authenticated and padded item, is the General’s bill for the eight years he led the bedraggled Revolutionaries — starting with the deluxe carriage he bought in Philadelphia (at a price that would equal a dozen Cadillacs in today’s currency) en route to taking control of the troops, right up to the stylish spread he provided on the eve of victory at Yorktown. No mere wallet’s-eye view of the hostilities, the richly footnoted expense account evokes more than the rattle of sabers, the roar of muskets, and the smell of defective gunpowder foisted off on the army by privateers. It evokes, too, the aromas of good food steaming in the special dining hut the General orderd built for his wife’s visit to Valley Forge, the rustle of clean sheets in countless inns during eight years of enforced bachelorhood, and the romance and mystery of such far-off places as Perth Amboy, the Paris of New Jersey. – Back cover.