The Last Mount Vernon Heir

Learn about John Augustine Washington III "Gus" (1821-1861), the private heir of Mount Vernon. Selling timber, potatoes and herring from his Mount Vernon estate, Gus found it hard to manage the plantation and eventually decided to embrace visiting tourists. A great-great nephew of General George Washington (1732-1799), Gus was friends and relatives with General Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). Serving as Lee's aide-de-camp in 1861, Gus was gunned down in a reconnaissance mission and his death subsequently paraded as a Yankee victory. Oddly, it seems mentions to his Confederate service have been scrubbed from Mount Vernon.

Sources:

Collection: John Augustine Washington III and MVLA Collection, The George Washington Presidential Library, https://archives.mountvernon.org/repositories/3/resources/65

Robert McNamara, "U.S. Legislative Compromises", ThoughtCo, https://www.thoughtco.com/legislative-compromises-held-the-union-together-1773990 (Dec. 2020)

Mount Vernon, "Burials at Mount Vernon", https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/burials-at-mount-vernon/

Historic Prince William, "Waveland", https://historicprincewilliam.org/county-history/structures/waveland-estate.html

Ronald S. Coddington, "John A. Washington III", Military Images Magazine,
https://www.militaryimagesmagazine-digital.com/2023/11/14/blessed-martyr-vile-traitor-john-augustine-washington-iii-mount-vernons-last-family-owner-and-aide-to-gen-robert-e-lee/ (November 2023)

#mountvernon #johnaugustinewashingtoniii #johnwashingtoniii #waveland #wavelandplantation #georgewashington #marthawashington #mountvernontomb #georgewashingtondeath #uscivilwar #civilwardocumentary #civilwarhistory #confederate #confederacy #robertelee #rooneylee #mountvernondocumentary #washingtondocumentary #elkwater #cheatmountain #yankee #ftsumter #caningofcharlessumner