George Washington
Visited his mother
Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Washington was longing to return home after spending just 10 days at Mount Vernon out of 8 1⁄2 years of war. He arrived on Christmas Eve, delighted to be "free of the bustle of a camp and the busy scenes of public life". He was a celebrity and was fêted during a visit to his mother at Fredericksburg in February 1784, and he received a constant stream of visitors wishing to pay their respects to him at Mount Vernon.