As someone who has studied GW quite a bit, I can say with virtual certainty
that this is not an accurate quote - although it would be nice if it were.
If you want to be doubly sure, you could check with Mary Thompson, the
research historian fro MVLA.
Peter Henriques, Author of Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of GW
In a message dated 2/16/2010 8:42:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Greetings all.
I am writing an article about gambling in Fredericksburg, Va., in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. (In particular, I am writing about
George Carter (d. 1802), Landon Carter's grandson, and how he lost
everything in a single card game.)
As is well known, George Washington (GW) played cards now and again for
small stakes bets.
According to John T. Goolrick, GW made the following note in his diary:
"Evening at the Rising Sun [Tavern]. Lost money as usual. The boys at
Fredericksburg are too smart for me." (Goolrick, Old Homes and History
Around Fredericksburg [Richmond, 1929], 27-28).
Since part of my argument is that Fredericksburg was infested with card
sharps during this period, I would love to use this quote, but only if
it can be substantiated, of course.
Jon Meacham, in his American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the
Making of a Nation (NY, 2007), repeats the statement word-for-word but
cites only Goolrick as the source (314, n. 83). (One would think someone
writing about GW in the 2000s would have used the long-since published
GW Writings.)
I have tried to verify this quote in the digital edition of GW's diaries
and other writings, but am coming up empty. I even tried truncated
versions of the quote, such as "too smart for me" and "lost money," but
still I find nothing.
Does anyone have any suggestions? My understanding is that all of GW's
diaries have been transcribed in the UVA print and digital editions of
his writings, but perhaps I am overlooking something?
Many thanks.
Thomas Katheder
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