Such labor required eternal vigilance. The
negro, himself property, had no respect for it in others. He
stole when he could and worked only when the eyes of a master
were upon him. If left in charge of plants or of stock he was
likely to let them perish for lack of water. Washington's losses
of cattle, horses, and sheep from this cause were enormous. The
neglected cattle gave so little milk that at one time Washington,
with a hundred cows, had to buy his butter. Negroes feigned
sickness for weeks at a time. A visitor noted that Washington
spoke to his slaves with a stern harshness. No doubt it was
necessary. The management of this intractable material brought
training in command. If Washington could make negroes efficient
and farming pay in Virginia, he need hardly be afraid to meet any
other type of difficulty.
From the first he was satisfied that the colonies had before them
a difficult struggle. Many still refused to believe that there
was really a state of war. Lexington and Bunker Hill might be
regarded as unfortunate accidents to be explained away in an era
of good feeling when each side should acknowledge the merits of
the other and apologize for its own faults. Washington had few
illusions of this kind.
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