Washington Custis had been at St. John’s College just over four months when GW received a letter from him asking whether he should pack only for the coming vacation or to come home to stay (21 July 1798, CUSTIS description begins George Washington Parke Custis. Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington. New York, 1860. description ends , 109). GW was astonished and outraged and wrote young Custis that “it would seem as if nothing I could say to you made more than a momentary impression” (24 July 1798, CUSTIS description begins George Washington Parke Custis. Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington. New York, 1860. description ends , 110). It was by this time evident, however, that sending the boy back to school would serve no useful purpose. After some correspondence with David Stuart on the subject (GW to Stuart, 13 Aug. 1798, PHi: Dreer Collection; Stuart to GW, 22 Aug. 1798, DLC:GW), GW decided to keep Custis at home and have him tutored by Tobias Lear, who at this time was acting as GW’s military secretary (GW to Stuart, 10 Sept. 1798, WRITINGS description begins John C. Fitzpatrick, ed. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745–1799. 39 vols. Washington, D.C., 1931–44. description ends , 36:435; for correspondence regarding Custis’s college career see CUSTIS description begins George Washington Parke Custis. Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington. New York, 1860. description ends , 73–116). GW’s final attempt to solve the problem of what to do with Washington Custis was made in December of this year: he had the young man appointed a cornet in a troop of horse (GW to David Stuart, 30 Dec. 1798, ViMtvL; CUSTIS description begins George Washington Parke Custis. Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington. New York, 1860. description ends , 51).