Never Caught: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

On Christmas Eve of 1783, George Washington returns home from his post as commander of the Continental Army, having led more than 100,000 men to victory against the British. Washington has witnessed terrible things in the Revolutionary War—now a man of 50, his experiences have aged him. He longs for a quiet life, yet he is in high demand to be the leader of the fledgling United States of America. In 1789, in spite of Washington’s hesitations, he agrees to ascend to the presidency—he has been unanimously elected. The election makes Washington even more weary: he will need to borrow money to keep Mount Vernon afloat as he travels to New York to live and serve in the nation’s capital.

Ona Judge, now 16, is among the seven slaves who are to accompany George and Martha Washington to New York. Washington, in his diaries, describes the departure as full of “anxious and painful sensations.” Upon his arrival in New York, Washington does his best to keep his head down and focus on his demanding and unprecedented new position. Life in New York is different than life at Mount Vernon—as the second-largest city in America, it is home to around 30,000 people and still growing. The city is home to both enslaved and free Black people—and its “northeastern” section is in the present-day Lower East Side.  

Martha Washington stays behind at Mount Vernon to settle affairs before joining her husband in New York—she even misses his inauguration on April 30th, 1789. On May 3rd, Tobias Lear—Washington’s trusted personal secretary—writes to a relative of Martha’s left in charge of Mount Vernon to urge the man to “hasten” Martha in traveling to New York. Martha, however, is reluctant to leave—and Ona, who is among the first lady’s favored house slaves, senses better than almost anyone else Martha’s deeply conflicted feelings. Ona’s own uncertainties and fears, Dunbar writes, likely mirror Martha’s—Ona has never left Mount Vernon, and, in traveling to New York alongside her mistress, she will be leaving behind her own family members to serve her owners.

Washington sends a nephew, Robert Lewis, to escort Martha and her slaves from Mount Vernon to New York. Lewis arrives at the estate to find things in disarray—both Martha and the “servants of the House” are agitated. Dunbar writes that Betty, Ona’s mother—who is sending not only Ona, but also Ona’s brother Austin, to New York—must have been one of the anxious individuals milling about Mount Vernon. This episode, Dunbar writes, no doubt reminded every Black person at Mount Vernon that under slavery, they had no rights, no power, and no say over their own destinies.  

At the same time, Dunbar writes, it is likely that there was some excitement among the slaves chosen to travel to New York—news of Northern emancipation, Dunbar suggests, would likely have reached Mount Vernon. The idea of traveling northward to a place where Black people could be free, she suggests, would have compounded the stories of runaway slaves that many of the enslaved Black people at Mount Vernon would have already been familiar with. The Washingtons, too, would have known that mores and public feeling about slavery were changing up north—and thus they’d likely have chosen to bring with them slaves whom they felt were especially “loyal.”

William Lee, George Washington’s body servant, is one of the slaves, or bondmen, traveling north. As Washington’s valet, Lee is responsible for dressing Washington’s hair and preparing the man’s clothing. Washington favors Lee heavily and often goes out riding with him. Fifteen years ago, Lee traveled with Washington to Philadelphia, a trip on which Washington purchased new shoes and garments for his trusted manservant. After the trip, William—who had previously been known as Billy—adopted the full name William Lee.

It is also significant to note, Dunbar adds, that on this previous trip, Lee met and fell in love with a free Black woman named Margaret Thomas—Thomas made the “dangerous” choice to move south with Lee and live with him at Mount Vernon. There is, however, no record of what became of Thomas after she moved south—Dunbar suggests that perhaps Thomas changed her mind about walking “into the mouth of the slave-hungry South” and ultimately chose to return north, where her freedom would not be threatened.

Now, as Lee prepares to travel to New York, he ignores his failing health—the result of two shattered kneecaps which have never fully healed, leading Lee to begin drinking heavily—in order to seem up for the job. On the road, Lee falls behind the caravan and splits off toward Philadelphia to see a doctor. He will join Washington months later in New York after being fitted for braces at Washington’s expense. Washington also makes sure that two of his other slaves—Giles and Paris, who work as drivers—are well-outfitted. Washington knows that his slaves’ appearances reflect upon him, and he is determined to make sure they look “handsome” as they arrive in the new city.

The only two bondwomen to travel to New York are Ona Judge and Moll, an older seamstress of about fifty. Together, Ona and Moll will serve Martha as housemaids and personal attendants. Ona is to be responsible for dressing, bathing, and readying Martha, while Moll is to look after the Washingtons’ grandchildren. Though the two women are domestics, their work is still grueling, and their private time is fleeting.

During a short rest in Philadelphia on the way to New York, Ona has her first experiences in a northern city. Though there are still hundreds of slaves living in the city, they are in the minority—there are nearly 2,000 free Black people living there, and antislavery activism is on the rise. The Pennsylvania Abolition Society is hard at work printing materials that indict the transatlantic slave trade and expose the brutality of slavery. Bolstered by the Quakers, many prominent Philadelphia statesmen actively oppose slavery and seek its end. Martha Washington, however, avoids contact with these prominent figures—including Benjamin Franklin—as she has no interest in releasing her slaves or exposing them to “the contagion of liberty.” After just a short time in Philadelphia, the first lady’s party moves on from Philadelphia toward New York—and a new life for Ona.