09/28/2026
When George Washington died, even former enemies paid tribute to him.
Washington died at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799, at the age of 67.
News of his death spread across the Atlantic in the weeks that followed.
In Britain, a fleet anchored at Torbay lowered its flags to half-mast in honor of the man who had commanded the American forces during the Revolutionary War.
France responded with an even larger tribute.
Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France, ordered black mourning crape placed on the standards and flags of the French Republic for ten days.
France also held an official memorial ceremony in Paris honoring Washington.
Washington had fought against Britain for American independence and later served as president while relations with revolutionary France deteriorated.
Yet after his death, both nations joined Americans in honoring his memory.
