Giles

Giles was likely born in the late 1750s.¹ He first arrived at Mount Vernon in 1765, enslaved by Lund Washington, the plantation manager and a cousin of George Washington. Washington purchased Giles in 1771 for 76 pounds.² He was a trusted member of Washington’s household and served as a messenger, coachman, and postilion, or person who rides a harnessed horse pulled by a coach. As a messenger, he accompanied Washington on several trips, including to the Constitutional Convention in 1787.³ 

When Washington became president in 1789, Giles worked as a coachman and postilion in the presidential households in New York and later Philadelphia. These could be very dangerous roles with great risk of injury. Giles wore livery, a uniform including a woolen coat, vest, and breeches in the colors of Washington’s coat of arms, white and red.4 In addition, Giles may have earned a small amount of money from the Washingtons. A household expense account from March 1790 indicates that Giles received five dollars per month.⁵ He likely lived in quarters near the stables in both New York and Philadelphia. Giles also worked closely and likely roomed with Paris, another enslaved postilion from Mount Vernon.⁶ In the spring of 1791, Giles accompanied President Washington on a tour of the southern states, driving the baggage wagon. However, during the journey he suffered either an illness or an injury, with Washington noting, “the incapacity of Giles for a Postilion [footman], who I believe will never be able to mount a horse again for that purpose.”⁷

 Giles returned to Mount Vernon where he died sometime in the next few years. He did not appear in the slave inventory recorded in 1799, and vanished from letters and accounts after August 1791.⁸