Maryland buys Washington speech

BALTIMORE, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Maryland officials have obtained the original copy of a speech by George Washington that scholars say laid the groundwork for civilian control of the military.

It took two years of negotiations and $1.5 million for the state to purchase the 350-word resignation speech delivered by the man who became American's first president, The Washington Post reports.

The manuscript in Washington's ornate handwriting includes crossed-out lines and penned-in additions showing how he searched for just the right words to formally resign as commander in chief of the Continental Army after defeating the British.

Maryland archivist Edward Papenfuse and others believe Washington wrote the speech in Annapolis a few weeks after British soldiers withdrew.

When Washington delivered it to the Continental Congress, an account of the event by Maryland congressman James McHenry says most members and spectators wept.

Five years later, Washington was called to serve as the first president of the United States of America, becoming once again the commander in chief of the armed forces.