Harvard University , Houghton Library
George Washington had a thing for Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree — legendary trees , that is . retrieve when he cut his dad ’s cerise tree down , then refuse to differentiate a Trygve Lie about his deed?The fib was a legendcreated by one of Washington ’s first biographers , but the cherry tree has forevermore been colligate with the first president ’s honesty . However , it plough out that Washington run withanotherlegendary tree , too : Hesupposedly take commandof the Continental Army beneath an elm tree in Cambridge , Massachusetts .
The elm tree itself was n’t simulated : It was one of six elm trees that lined Garden Street near Cambridge Commons . But the story that surrounded it almost for sure was . It went like this : Inspired by nationalism and inflamed by the anger of a crew , Washington seat on a horse beneath an elm tree diagram , pull out his sword , and made himself an army .
Just about everything in the caption appear to be false , asHarvard arboristJohn George Jacknoted in 1931 [ PDF ] . “ To clench the effect of [ the legend ] … ” he complained , “ the artists have permit their historical imaginations to pass amuck . Prancing steeds , dipping colors , dear little drummer boys , prospicient rows of troop aligned to a hair ’s largeness , gorgeously uniformed , and give glitter arms with fixed bayonet , shiver every youthful philia , while slap in the middle of the front rank stands the Elm , with just way for Washington , fly high his sword , to ride between it and the faultless warriors . ”
Washingtondid take control of his troopsin Cambridge , but the case is thought to have been anything but glamorous . His men did n’t have uniforms or enough to eat . It was n’t even a veridical army : It was a random motley of state militias with no authority of any sort . Once he admit dominance , Washington found that his troop were cheating and unruly and hadreally bad manners . For the future president , assuming control of the motley mob was taking an almost mirthful gamble — one that he magnificently won .
The legend of what became known as “ the Washington Elm ” may have taken root because of other famous Revolutionary War - epoch tree diagram . Boston’sLiberty Treewas an elmwood tree diagram where peoplehung their favored effigiesand met to complot against King George . Eventually , blank space all over the new nationplanted their own “ impropriety trees , ” and elms became known for their Revolutionary War connotations .
By the metre the centesimal day of remembrance of Washington ’s U. S. Army coup come in around , the tree where he purportedly did the deed was in terrible shape . “ It is not pleasant to view the disintegration of one of these Titans of primeval growth,”wrote one percipient , who noted that its branches had been mutilated and fall until only a bandage - swathe fiend remained .
Perhaps imagine that the end was near , a group of savvy businesspeople assume some of the debris of the dying Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and had it carve into commemorative books , like the one you see above . Housed in the collectionof Harvard University’sHoughton Library , the Word shows scenery of the tree itself and glimpse of Revolutionary War - earned run average soldier doing their matter .
In 1923 , the last mangy portions of the rotted Washington Elmfell down . The government activity of Cambridge had to rescue what remain from memento hunters eager to get their workforce on a slice of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . But its legacy did n’t stop there : Not only were the remnants made into gavel and charge all around the country , but other portions of the lousy forest were divvied up and transport to various notable people and unremarkable applicants . The tree even gotits own postage stampin 1925 .
Today , posterity of the treecan be incur throughout the land . But do n’t confuse them withotherso - called Washington Elms the president purportedly plantedor chilled out underin Washington , D.C. They ’re probably legend , too — although the memorabilia generated by the first chairwoman ’s connection with elms shows that Washington devotee were anything but fake .
