George Washington
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Here George Washington reviewed militia from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, rendezvoused at Carlisle, October 1794, before marching to the Western part of State to quell the Whiskey Rebellion.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In October 1794, President George Washington came to Carlisle to review militia gathered from Pennsylvania and New Jersey before marching west to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion. The tax revolt among frontier distillers had become the first serious challenge to federal authority, and Washington's personal appearance at the head of an army was a deliberate show of resolve. It remains the only time a sitting American president has commanded troops in the field.
Why it matters
It marks the young republic's first proof that the federal government could — and would — enforce its laws, a defining moment for the Constitution's authority.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Appalachian Trail Museum13.1 mi away
- Ye Olde Sulphur Spa Historical Society13.8 mi away
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Related people
- · George Washington
Related events
- · Whiskey Rebellion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle, PA · est. 1982
Standing since 1757, Carlisle Barracks is the oldest active Army post in the United States, born on the colonial frontier during the era of the French and Indian War. Its ground records nearly every chapter of American conflict: a stone powder magazine raised by Hessian prisoners during the Revolution still survives, and Confederate troops put the post to the torch on July 1, 1863, as the Gettysburg campaign swept north. From 1879 to 1918 it housed the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a nationally significant and deeply controversial experiment in forced assimilation, before becoming home to the Army War College in 1951.
PERRY COUNTY MEMORIAL WALL
Marysville, PA
This memorial wall honors the sons and daughters of Perry County who served in uniform, and especially those who gave their lives in that service. Rural Pennsylvania counties like Perry sent generations of young people to the nation's wars, and communities gathered to inscribe their names so they would not be forgotten. The wall draws that shared sacrifice into one place of remembrance.
Russell Tavern
Butler Township, PA · est. 1947
In October 1794 President George Washington rode west at the head of nearly 13,000 militiamen to put down the Whiskey Rebellion, an armed revolt against the federal excise tax on distilled spirits. On the march he lodged at Russell Tavern, whose original building still stood within sight of this spot. It was the only time a sitting president personally led troops in the field.
Thomas Butler
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
About 1764, Thomas Butler set up his home and gunshop on this lot, the workshop still standing behind the house. When war came, Butler and his five sons all served as officers in the Revolution, earning the family its lasting nickname, the "Fighting Butlers." Their gunmaking trade tied the household directly to the arming of a rebellion.