George Washington

History

George Washington

Born: 1732
Death: 1799

‘I will enter upon the momentous duty…’
George Washington remains one of the most beloved losers in history. Commanding General of the Continental Army during America’s War of Independence, the number of his victories can literally be counted upon the fingers of one hand, yet it was he that held the under-supplied, ragamuffin force together, through the agony of loss and countless hardships. In accepting the post given him by the Second Continental Congress, Washington declared, “I will enter upon the momentous duty, and exert every power I possess...for the support of the glorious cause,” yet professed his belief that, “I do not think myself equal to the command I (am) honored with.” The reluctant man of the hour: ‘twas a theme Washington would carry forward upon being notified of his victory in the nation’s first presidential election. “Although I ought not to conceal, yet I cannot describe, the painful emotions which I felt,” in determining, “whether I would accept or refuse the President of the United States.”

Nowadays, when the Presidency is a sought-after office, Washington’s reluctance contrasts starkly with the America of today. “My love of retirement is so great, that no earthly consideration, short of a conviction of duty, could have prevailed upon me,” to accept the post. George Washington had already served American Independence for eight years in the field of war; as President of the tumultuous convention in Philadelphia, he’d presided over the creation of the Constitution, and now, at 57, he was embarking upon a two-term career as President. Washington was duty-bound to serve, when called, and serve he did, despite the personal costs.

General and President
Washington encompasses many molds. President and General, slave master, and Founding Father. Yet there was no reason to believe this young son of Virginia farmers would reach the soaring heights of history, let alone surmount them. The eldest child of his father’s second marriage, Washington was a country boy, whose mother drilled discipline into his very soul from a young age. His father’s death obliged the adolescent George to grow up and bear the burdens of family, snuffing out the possibility of receiving the classical education of his elder brothers.

A relative nobody, Washington’s first steps onto the pages of history came through military service, and proved cataclysmic. Igniting a war with France, on his first foray into the contested Ohio River Valley, was not what Washington’s superiors had in mind when they commissioned him in the Virginia militia, and sent him off to build forts and keep an eye on Britain’s imperial enemies. In league with an adopted Iroquois leader named Tanacharison, the ‘Half King’ to the Virginians, Washington and a band of forty men fell upon a detachment of Frenchmen in a Pennsylvania glen, at the end of May 1754. “We were advanced pretty near to them,” Washington confided to his diary, “when they discovered us; whereupon I ordered my company to fire.” The French were slaughtered; their commander, Jumonville, was cruelly murdered by the Half King, as Washington stood stupefied, and did nothing. The shock of his first action had him transfixed. While his writings portray it as a skirmish, modern historians look at Jumonville Glen as a massacre, perpetrated by a young inexperienced officer, who completely lost control of the situation.

War erupted across the frontiers and, while Washington acquitted himself well in command of a regiment of Virginians, he resigned his commission before the war was over, sick and weary of its exertions. In the years to come, he married Martha Custis, a wealthy widow whose presence steadied him, even amidst the lowest days of the Revolutionary War. It was within his estate of Mount Vernon, along the Potomac, that Washington enjoyed his more tranquil moments. Like many in his position, Washington was a master of others, his estate worked and toiled over by the unfree. It was no surprise, then, that Washington’s constant companion, through seven grueling years as Commander of the Continentals, was his slave and valet, William Lee, a man Washington freed upon his death, “in testimony of my sense of his attachment to me, and for his faithful services during the Revolutionary War.”

Such services were necessary, as Washington rose to meet the greatest challenge of his life: meeting and withstanding the British army in the field. His war record is lined with defeats, one after the other. But when he won, he won big; his calculated risk-taking in crossing the frozen Delaware River, on Christmas night, 1776, gave life to a near-dying cause. In a week, Washington’s Continentals twice defeated their enemies, overwhelming the Hessians at Trenton, before sneaking off to beat back the British garrison at Princeton, New Jersey. But Washington’s true brilliance lies in his understanding of the war he fought. The army he commanded had to survive, for, without it, the American cause was dead. And survive it did, through battle, Congressional indifference, and the long weary years of war. By the time the French arrived, it was a well-honed weapon, capable and confident, held together by the iron resolve of its Commander.

But when one duty was done, another had only just begun. The new nation needed a leader, to guide it through the early years. Who better than the man who had willingly given up command of the army, ceding away all power for the pastoral cares of Mount Vernon? So, Washington took up the office of President of the United States. His presidency, like his time as commander of the Continentals, was not without trouble. Rebellion, over whiskey, prompted him to lead the militia out against the would-be rebels. An even more dire war was raging in modern Ohio, against a powerful tribal Confederacy bent upon halting U.S. expansion, while in Europe, the conflagration of the French Revolution threatened to push the infant U.S. into another war with Britain. Steering the ship of state, through such murky waters, taxed Washington’s skills to their very limits, and after two terms, he left office for the last time.

George Washington

Born: 1732
Death: 1799

‘First in war, first in peace…’
The martial painting of the Delaware Crossing has George Washington stoically standing at the prow of his boat, fist on thigh, gazing resolutely at the far shore, as his men navigate the icy river waters. It is mythology at its finest, for, in reality, Washington sat among his men, quiet and shivering, as the Continental Army hurried across the icy swells, readying to attack the Hessians at Trenton. In the week after Christmas, Washington ran amok on the British side of the river, rousing them from their winter quarters to march aimlessly about the New Jersey countryside, while Washington bloodied their noses before slipping off to safety, his army intact, and his reputation restored.

George Washington’s boldness on the Delaware came at the end of a momentous year. Independence had been declared, the declaration pronouncing it to the world. A month later, the wrath of King George fell swiftly upon Washington’s army, outside New York City. Three months later, the Continentals huddled on the banks of the Delaware River, the British confidently settling down for a New Jersey winter. They would destroy Washington in the thaw, or let time do it for them. Enlistments were up at the end of the year, and it was already Christmas Eve. The rebel army would wither; Washington would become a fugitive. Attacking then was the only choice, and Washington struck with all his might.

It is easy to portray such a man, in such a moment, in heroic terms. For in his nation’s darkest hour, the tall Virginian proved equal to the task. But he was not always so. George Washington came to military life a younger son of a wealthy Virginia farmer. His was a world of discipline and toil; a militia officer’s commission could provide opportunity for advancement. So it was, that an unprepared Washington led a band of Virginians into Ohio, in the spring of 1754, in order to build a fort, and challenge the French presence in the area. Exceeding his orders with all the youthful vigor of his twenty-two years, Washington, his men, and their Iroquois allies, fell upon a band of Frenchmen, in a Pennsylvania glen. Their commander was slaughtered, while wounded upon the ground; his death ended a personal vendetta that the Iroquois leader, Tanachrison, held against the French. Washington had done nothing to stop his ally; blood was on his hands. But, in his diary, he made no mention of the massacre of wounded Frenchmen.

Washington’s first action was a massacre, seemingly unprovoked, in which the young Commander lost control of the situation. It sparked the French and Indian War that led to British dominance of North America, and the first of the dreaded taxes that hurtled its colonies towards revolution. For his part, Washington acquitted himself well after his initial stumbling, but resigned his commission before hostilities had ended. He was homeward bound. Marriage to Martha Custis, a wealthy widow, with lands and slaves of her own, followed swiftly, dramatically increasing Washington’s holdings. Slavery was quite common in eighteenth-century Virginia. As a landowner, Washington’s Mount Vernon estate was a vast estate, home to hundreds of slaves. One of them, William Lee, followed his master through the long years of the Revolution, to the heady days of the Presidency. Washington would not forget William’s devotion, freeing him in his will, “in testimony of my sense of his attachment to me, and for his faithful services during the Revolutionary War.” Such services were vital.

Seven years as commander of the Continental Army, in the war against Britain, was enough to try any man’s soul. Washington came to the command because of his experience in arms among the delegates of the Continental Congress. Reluctantly, he took up the post, declaring, “I do not think myself equal to the command I (am) honored with.” His many defeats seemed to strengthen his own opinion, but Washington knew well the war he was fighting. He had to keep his army intact, at all costs. Without it, the war for independence was over and done. Washington maintained his fighting force through defeat and retreat, a constant lack of supplies, and in the face of jealous officers constantly seeking his command. Washington forged a fighting force, capable of standing up to British regulars and when, at last, French aide came, he led an allied army to victory at the climactic siege of Yorktown.

Independence was secured, and with it, Washington astonished the world by relinquishing his hold upon the army. He longed for home, but his country had other ideas. It needed a President, to guide its youthful strokes through uncertain waters. “I cannot describe, the painful emotions which I felt,” in determining, “whether I would accept or refuse the [position of] President of the United States,” Washington wrote. The next eight years were every bit as trying as the long years of war. European war threatened; France was smoldering in revolutionary fires that threatened to drag the U.S. into conflict with Britain. No such war could be won; the President secured an unpopular peace that put him at odds with Thomas Jefferson, his Secretary of State. It was but one of many trials of the first presidency; the birth pangs of the nation, ever his to endure.

Washington left office after two terms. Worn out by an active life, he would be mythologized as the first among the pantheon of the founding generation. A General, who lost more than he won; a President, who entered office to universal acclaim and left to the joyful chorus of his critics. Too often encased in marble, George Washington was but a man. The reluctant man of the hour.

George Washington

Born: 1732
Death: 1799

An Active Life

George Washington comes down to us in marble statues, or in great paintings showing him as the hero of the moment. The real man, behind the scenes, tends to get lost. A tall man - the biggest in the room, many said - he was given command of the army that fought for American Independence, because he was an experienced soldier. “I do not think myself equal to the command I (am) honored with,” was his reply. Washington wasn’t the kind of guy to seek power. It was often thrust upon him.

His first taste of it came when he was twenty-two years old. As a young officer, Washington was sent to Ohio, and charged with building a fort to keep an eye on French soldiers in the area. Ohio marked the frontier between British North America and New France. Here, in the spring of 1754, Washington would take his first big steps onto the pages of history. Working with a band of Iroquois, Washington led a party of men through the night, to surround a French army camp. With the enemy before them, Washington’s men opened fire, shooting down the French, who were unprepared for the surprise attack. This massacre sent shock waves throughout North America. It was Washington’s first battle, and he quickly lost control of his men. The wounded Frenchmen were killed by the Iroquois, while Washington looked on. Killing prisoners wasn’t what he’d had in mind; their blood was on his hands, because he was the man in charge.

This incident kickstarted a full-scale war between Britain and France, one that saw the downfall of France’s empire in North America, and set the stage for the American Revolution. His time as a young officer gave Washington valuable experience as a General in the war of independence. But commanding an entire army against Britain wasn’t an easy job.

Throughout the war of Independence, he lost far more battles than he won; but when he did win, he won big. His army had to remain in fighting shape. Without it, independence would be lost. So, Washington kept it together, through defeat and many other hardships. When France decided to join the American cause, they found an experienced Continental Army, ready to fight beside them. With the war won, Washington gave up his command, ceding power back to Congress. He longed for home.

That home was Mount Vernon, a large estate along the banks of the Potomac River. Here, Washington lived with his family, the master of many acres and many slaves. This was common for a Virginia landowner, with a lot of land and a wealthy wife. But Washington’s home life was put on hold, as the nation came looking for its first President. Washington was universally beloved, so he was a natural choice. His sense of duty didn’t allow him to refuse.

No one knew what being the President of the United States would be like. Washington had no guide; he was figuring things out as he went, and not every decision he made was liked by everyone. But Washington has endured disagreement and criticism before. He could handle it again, but only for so long. After eight years, he kissed power goodbye, and retired for the final time. He had given the United States more than enough.

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Mythologizing history is an age-old pastime. Glorifying a seminal event so crucial to a people’s national narrative, however, tends to mar the reality behind all the finery of later interpretations. One such event is the Continental Army’s crossing of the Delaware River, on Christmas night, 1776. A fanciful artistic recreation has since taken over the imagination of what the actual crossing was like, but it is ridden with historical, and common-sense errors. What are they? Look upon the image provided, and point out its inaccuracies. While a martial painting, it’s just plain bad history.

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Citations

Address to the Continental Congress, 16 June, 1775. The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, Volume I, 16 June, 1775 - 15 September 1775, ed. Philander D. Chase. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1985). Founders Online (Accessed January 7, 2021) https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-01-02-0001; From George Washington to the Mayor, Corporation, and Citizens of Alexandria, 16 April 1789.The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, Volume 2, 1 April 1789 - 15 June 1789, ed. Dorothy Twohig. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1987). Founders Online (Accessed January 7, 2021) https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-02-02-0059.
Washington to the Mayor, etc. Washington Papers, Pres. Series, Vol II.
Expedition to the Ohio 1754: Narrative. The Diaries of George Washington, Vol. 1., 11 March 1748 - 13 - November 1765, ed. Donald Jackson. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1976). Founders Online. (Accessed January 8, 2021) https://founders.archives.gov/?q=Volume%3AWashington-01-01&s=1511311112&r=46.;George Washington to Robert Dinwiddie, 29 May 1754. The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, vol. 1, 7 July 1748 – 14 August, 1755, ed. W.W. Abbot. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1983). Founders Online (Accessed January 8, 2021) https://founders.archives.gov/?q=Volume%3AWashington-02-01&s=1511311112&r=54.
Anderson, Fred. Crucible of War. The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of the Empire in British North America 1754 - 1766. (New York: Vintage Books, 2000) 50 -59.
Chernow, Ron. Washington: a Life. (New York: Penguin Books, 2011), 109 - 113.
George Washington’s Last Will and Testament, 9 July 1799. Founders Online. (Accessed January 8, 2021). https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001.

1732 - 1799

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