Washington Reviewing the Western Army, at Fort Cumberland, Maryland, after 1795

Attributed to Frederick Kemmelmeyer (German, ca. 1755–1821) Oil on canvas
On October 16, 1794, Washington called upon the militia at Fort Cumberland, Maryland, to suppress a rebellion in western Pennsylvania. The conflict was precipitated by the 1792 excise laws regarding the sale of distilled spirits. The Scottish-Irish immigrants who made their living from the sale and barter of whiskey deemed the laws discriminatory and their protests turned into full-scale riots. Upon Washington's arrival to review his troops, the resistance vanished. The episode went down in history as one of the crucial early tests of central government and as a reminder of Washington's power. Source:Attributed to Frederick Kemmelmeyer: Washington Reviewing the Western Army, at Fort Cumberland, Maryland (63.201.2) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art