A certain Mr. Christian conducted a dancing school which met at the homes of the patrons, and the Custis children, John Parke and Martha, were members, as were Elizabeth French of Rose Hill, Milly Posey and others of the neighborhood young people.  In 1770 the class met four times at Mount Vernon and we can not doubt that occasionally the host danced with some of the young misses and enjoyed it.

An established institution was the election ball, which took place on the night following the choice of the delegate to the Burgesses.  Washington often contributed to the expenses of these balls, particularly when he was himself elected.  No doubt they were noisy, hilarious and perhaps now and then a bit rough.

Much has been written of the dances by which Washington and his officers and their ladies helped to while away the tedium of long winters during the Revolution, but the story of these has been often told and besides lies outside the limits of this book, as does the dancing at New York and Philadelphia during his presidency.

There is much conflicting evidence regarding Washington’s later dancing exploits.  Some writers say that he never tripped the light fantastic after the Revolution and that one of his last participations was at the Fredericksburg ball after the capture of Cornwallis when he “went down some dozen couple in the contra dance.”  It is certain, however, that long afterward he would at least walk through one or two dances, even though he did not actually take the steps.  One good lady who knew him well asserts that he often danced with Nelly Custis, and he seems to have danced in 1796 when he was sixty-four.  But to the invitation to the Alexandria assembly early in 1799 he replied: 

“Mrs. Washington and myself have been honored with your polite invitation to the assemblies of Alexandria this winter, and thank you for this mark of your attention.  But, alas! our dancing days are no more.  We wish, however, all those who have a relish for so agreeable and innocent an amusement all the pleasure the season will afford them.”

Nor was he puritanical in respect to cards.  From his account books we find that he ordered them by the dozen packs, and his diaries contain such entries as “At home all day over cards, it snowing.”  To increase the interest he not infrequently played for money, though rarely for a large amount.  “Loo” and whist seem to have been the games played, but not “bridge” or draw poker, which were then unknown.

From entries in his cash memorandum books it is evident that he loved a quiet game rather frequently.  Thus in his memorandum for 1772 I find the entry for September five:  “To Cash won at cards” L1.5.  Four days later he writes:  “To Cash won at Cards at Mrs. Calverts” ten shillings.  But on September 17th he lost L1.5; on September 30th, L2, and on October 5th, six shillings.  Two days later his luck changed and he won L2.5, while on the seventh he won L12.8.  This was the most serious game that I have found a record of, and the cards must either have run well for him or else he had unskilful opponents.  The following March, when attending the Burgesses at Williamsburg, he got into a game, probably at Mrs. Campbell’s tavern, where he took his meals, and dropped L7.10.