“I hope it will not be conceived from these observations, that it is my wish to hold the unhappy people, who are the subject of this letter, in slavery.  I can only say, that there is not a man living, who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it; but there is only one proper and effectual mode by which it can be accomplished, and that is by legislative authority; and this, as far as my suffrage will go, shall never be wanting.”

Washington by no means restricted himself to slave servitors.  Early in life he took into his service John Alton at thirteen pounds per annum, and this white man served as his body-servant in the Braddock campaign, and Washington found in the march that “A most serious inconvenience attended me in my sickness, and that was the losing the use of my servant, for poor John Alton was taken about the same time that I was, and with nearly the same disorder, and was confined as long; so that we did not see each other for several days.”  As elsewhere noticed, Washington succeeded to the services of Braddock’s body-servant, Thomas Bishop, on the death of the general, paying the man ten pounds a year.

These two were his servants in his trip to Boston in 1756, and in preparation for that journey Washington ordered his English agent to send him “2 complete livery suits for servants; with a spare cloak and all other necessary trimmings for two suits more.  I would have you choose the livery by our arms, only as the field of the arms is white, I think the clothes had better not be quite so, but nearly like the inclosed.  The trimmings and facings of scarlet, and a scarlet waist coat.  If livery lace is not quite disused, I should be glad to have the cloaks laced.  I like that fashion best, and two silver laced hats for the above servants.”

For some reason Bishop left his employment, but in 1760 Washington “wrote to my old servant Bishop to return to me again if he was not otherwise engaged,” and, the man being “very desirous of returning,” the old relation was reassumed.  Alton in the mean time had been promoted to be overseer of one of the plantations.  In 1785 their master noted in his diary, “Last night Jno Alton an Overseer of mine in the Neck—­an old & faithful Servant who has lived with me 30 odd years died—­and this evening the wife of Thos.  Bishop, another old Servant who had lived with me an equal number of years also died.”  Both were remembered in his will by a clause giving “To Sarah Green daughter of the deceased Thomas Bishop, and to Ann Walker, daughter of John Alton, also deceased I give each one hundred dollars, in consideration of the attachment of their father[s] to me, each of whom having lived nearly forty years in my family.”