Re-dedication of the Monument at the New Windsor Cantonment

The Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York will preside over a re-dedication of the Monument at the New Windsor Cantonment on the 225th commemoration of the speech by General and Masonic Brother George Washington to be held at 3:00pm, Saturday March 15, 2008.

Grand Master Neal I. Bidnick and his Grand Line and brother Masons will lay a wreath at the base of the monument. The plaque on the monument reads,:

This tablet is inserted by the Masonic Fraternity of Newburgh in memorial of ----- Washington ----- and his Masonic compeers under whose direction and plans the Temple was constructed and in which communications for the Fraternity were held --- 1783.

On March 15, 1783, General Washington called a meeting to be held in the New Building - The Temple - to be chaired by General Gates. The discontent at Newburgh where the Continental Army was camped, was because the end of the war was near and therefore the dissolution of the Continental Army. The officers and men had not received the back pay promised them. Many of the officers were talking of a coup and then setting up martial law to secure these payments.

When the meeting was called to order, General Washington, much to the surprise of all, came in.

He asked to speak to the officers, and the stunned Gates relinquished the floor. Washington could tell by the faces of his officers that they were quite angry and did not show the respect or deference that they had in the past toward him.

Washington then gave a short speech about the precarious finances of the new nation. He then took a letter from his pocket sent by a member of the Second Continental Congress. Instead of reading it immediately, he gazed upon it and fumbled with it without speaking. He then took a pair of reading glasses from his pocket, which few of the men had ever seen him wear.

He then said: "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country."

This caused most of the men to realize that Washington, too, had sacrificed a great deal, maybe more than most of them, for this glorious cause. These, of course, were his fellow officers, most having worked closely with him for several years. Many of those present were moved to tears, and with this, some say theatrical, act, the conspiracy collapsed. He then left the room and General Henry Knox (also a Mason) and others offered resolutions reaffirming their loyalty acceptable to the group. A major crisis for the brand new country had been avoided.

The ceremony will take place at the Monument in front of the Temple at New Windsor Cantonment on the grounds of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, 374 Temple Hill Road, Vails Gate, New York. (845)845-561-1765.

Admission to the ceremony is free. A donation box is located within the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and is a must see during your visit.