The young officer called first on the Secretary of War; but as soon as the Secretary realized the importance of the information he had it conveyed to the President.  Washington was at dinner, with some guests, and was called from the table to listen to the tidings of ill fortune.  He returned with unmoved face, and at the dinner, and at the reception which followed, he behaved with his usual stately courtesy to those whom he was entertaining, not so much as hinting at what he had heard.

    Washington’s Wrath.

But when the last guest had gone, his pent-up wrath broke forth in one of those fits of volcanic fury which sometimes shattered his iron outward calm.  Walking up and down the room he burst out in wild regret for the rout and disaster, and bitter invective against St. Clair, reciting how, in that very room, he had wished the unfortunate commander success and honor and had bidden him above all things beware of a surprise. [Footnote:  Tobias Lear, Washington’s Private Secretary as quoted by both Custis and Rush.  The report of an eyewitness.  See also Lodge’s “Washington,” p. 94.  Denny, in his journal, merely mentions that he went at once to the Secretary of War’s office on the evening of the 19th, and does not speak of seeing Washington until the following morning.  On the strength of this omission one or two of St. Clair’s apologists have striven to represent the whole account of Washington’s wrath as apocryphal; but the attempt is puerile; the relation comes from an eyewitness who had no possible motive to distort the facts.  The Secretary of War, Knox, was certain to inform Washington of the disaster the very evening he heard of it; and whether he sent Denny, or another messenger, or went himself is unimportant.  Lear might very well have been mistaken as to the messenger who brought the news; but he could not have been mistaken about Washington’s speech.] “He went off with that last solemn warning thrown into his ears,” spoke Washington, as he strode to and fro, “and yet to suffer that army to be cut to pieces, hacked, butchered, tomahawked, by a surprise, the very thing I guarded him against!  O God, O God, he’s worse than a murderer!  How can he answer it to his country!” Then, calming himself by a mighty effort:  “General St. Clair shall have justice ... he shall have full justice.”  And St. Clair did receive full justice, and mercy too, from both Washington and Congress.  For the sake of his courage and honorable character they held him guiltless of the disaster for which his lack of capacity as a general was so largely accountable.

    The Blame for the Disaster.