In October 1837, nearly four decades after George Washington’s death, his remains were briefly removed from the family vault at Mount Vernon and placed in a new marble sarcophagus. A recently surfaced letter, written in 1863, offers a rare eyewitness account of what was seen inside the casket that day.
The story begins with John Struthers, a Philadelphia merchant of Scottish descent, who crafted a marble coffin and donated it to the Washington family. Major Lawrence Lewis, a nephew of George Washington, commissioned Struthers to oversee the transfer of the remains from the old family tomb.
Details of the exhumation were preserved in a private letter dated February 25, 1858, which was later quoted in full within the 1863 letter. The 1858 letter appears to contain the firsthand testimony of Struthers himself, describing the events of Saturday, October 7, 1837.
According to the account, when the vault door was opened, Lewis and his son entered along with others. Washington’s coffin sat at the far rear of the vault, requiring the removal of several coffins placed in front of it.
The outer wooden case had decayed significantly. Beneath it, the inner lead coffin had collapsed noticeably from head to foot. The sagging metal had caused a seam to split near the top, wider portion of the coffin.
At Lewis’s request, the broken section of the lead lid was turned back. What the witnesses saw in the dim candlelight was startling. Washington’s head and chest appeared largely unaffected by the passage of time.
The eye sockets were described as large and deep, and the forehead and temples seemed unusually broad. No trace of a burial shroud remained. The chest was wide, and the skin had a dark, dried appearance, clinging tightly to the bones.
No hair was visible, and there was no foul odor from the body. One person placed a hand on the head briefly, then withdrew it. The lead cover was replaced, and six men carried the remains into the marble sarcophagus.
The heavy lid was set in place and sealed with cement. The transfer was completed on that Saturday in October 1837, more than 38 years after Washington’s death in December 1799.
Among the relatives present were Major Lawrence Lewis, Lorenzo Lewis, John Augustine Washington, George Washington, the Reverend Johnson and his wife, and Miss Jane Washington. All returned to the family mansion after the reburial.
The 1863 letter was signed by B. Silliman, dated December 8. Benjamin Silliman was a chemist, a professor of science, and the founder of the American Journal of Science.
A contemporary newspaper account also surfaced, first appearing in the Philadelphia Gazette and later reprinted in The Madisonian of Washington, D.C., on December 28, 1837. That article described Washington’s body as being in a remarkable state of preservation.
The report noted the calm expression on his pale, high forehead and described his lips as still holding a solemn, dignified smile. The man tasked with moving the remains was reportedly overcome with emotion, placing his hand on the broad forehead that had once led armies and borne the weight of a young nation.
The newspaper piece leaned heavily into reverence, calling Washington immortal and nearly divine. The image of the hand resting on the forehead echoes the earlier eyewitness account, suggesting Struthers was the source of both versions.
The timing of the 1863 letter adds another layer. December 1863 placed the nation deep in the Civil War. Gettysburg had been fought, the Confederates were in retreat, and Vicksburg had closed the Mississippi River.
Washington’s legacy was a contested idea. Both the United States and the Confederate States claimed his memory. Virginia, home to Mount Vernon, was a slaveholding state, and Washington himself had owned enslaved people.
The question of who owned Washington’s memory was a live and heated debate. The 1863 letter suggests that argument remained very much alive, occupying the thoughts and imaginations of those living through the war.