George Washington
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You know of my involvement as a General of the Army when we fought the British for our freedom. Much has been written of my crossing the Delaware River to do battle with Lord Cornwallis and his troops, but did you know it was the third crossing? Another occurred on Christmas Day.
I am not writing to review my life and times as a General or as the first President of the United States. I have come to give a glimpse of my time before those written in great lengths by historians throughout several generations.
I am here to show you my life, begun in simple trappings in a small community in West Moreland County Virginia. My father, Augustine Washington married my mother after his first wife died, leaving him with two sons. He was not a man of wealth and prestige; he was a simple planter. It would not be said he was a gentleman farmer, nor the lord of a plantation, but a man with some land, which he managed and earned a living for his family.
Born a year after their marriage, I was very fond of my mother, Mary Ball. She was an austere, self-disciplined woman who often seemed to lack sentimentality towards any of her six children. As the eldest, I was quite aware of her sensibility, and also aware of her loving heart, hidden beneath the veneer of her stoic courage.
We moved from Westmoreland County twice before my father died when I was eleven, eventually settling near Fredericksburg. I am sad to report my education was quite limited. Unlike children of the gentry who could afford tutors, I was taught by my mother and my older, half-brother Lawrence, whom I greatly admired. I had some schooling in the local schoolhouse, but my formal education ended when I was fourteen.
I was not only limited in formal education but in social skills as well. I have a great indebtedness to Lawrence, who was the epitome of social graces and charm and was most anxious to teach me when I visited him at his home, Mt. Vernon.
In spite of my humble and limited education, I was quite good at mathematics and learned some of the basics of surveying. Eventually, at the age of seventeen, I became a surveyor and was quite content in that field. I was able to make a substantial living and even buy some land, hoping to someday become a gentleman farmer.
Alas, I was most saddened when my dear brother and mentor died of tuberculosis. For a long time, I was morose, in deep sorrow, grieving as I had not even grieved with the passing of my father. To ease the pain, I took on a great deal of work, neglected my personal life, and almost became a recluse. That was all turned about in two years when Lawrence’s daughter died and I inherited Mt. Vernon. I vowed I would finish the dream of my brother to embellish the home and lands and make it one of the great plantations in Virginia.
I was not granted much time to fulfill the dream. Because I had also inherited his rank as Major in the Virginia militia. In less than a year I was ordered by Governor Dimwiddle to deliver a message to the French, who were occupying the land near an area that is known today as Pittsburgh. At that time, it was part of the Virginia western frontier. It was a very long and arduous journey of 900 miles during freezing weather and many hazards.
A few months later, the Governor advanced my rank to Lt. Colonel and sent me with 150 men to do battle with the French in the Ohio territory. Sadly, and with great humiliation, I lost the battle. It has been noted in history that this skirmish was what started the French and Indian War.
Unfortunately, it was not my only defeat in battle. I regrettably recall the battle of New York City when General Howe’s army defeated us at Long Island. But, I am not here to speak of my life during those times. Historians have noted it in great detail.
I returned to Mt. Vernon after my defeat by the French, resigned my military position, and again endeavored to become a successful landowner and farmer. It was at this time I met and married Martha Dandridge Custis, a handsome and appealing widow, mother of two children who became very dear to me. The gossip-mongers insisted I married my Martha for her wealth and estate near Williamsburg. I shall give no credence to this tale.
After two defeats, I was finally elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, a group of landowners who met regularly in Williamsburg to form laws that could be approved or not by the Governor, his council of six well-known citizens, or directors in London. At that time, we were still a colony of the English Crown.
While politics was not one of my main concerns of the day, I did enjoy the rapport and idea exchange with the likes of Jefferson and Patrick Henry. Through them, I became concerned about the increasing disputes between the Colonies and Great Britain.
I had mixed emotions. After I had resigned my commission in 1755, I volunteered to be an aide to General Edward Braddock, who was sent by the King to oust the French from the Ohio Country, if you recall, it was the area of my defeat as a military commander.
However, because of my commitment to helping send the French out of the territory, I was given command of Virginia’s entire military force, and, with a few hundred men I was dispatched to protect 350 miles of the frontier. Once the British took full command, I returned to my beloved Mt. Vernon.
It was memories of my time with the British commander that I had hesitant thoughts about breaking with our mother country. Those thoughts were eventually dispelled after I was selected to be one of the six Virginia delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
As unrest increased among the delegates and their constituents at home, the thoughts of breaking with the King and possible war became apparent. At that time, I was commissioned to take command of the Continental Army. It was a frightening position as I had only seen battle along the frontier. Never did I feel worthy to be in this esteemed position; however, my military experience was more than any other who had been considered.
I had written to Martha telling her I did not expect the time away to last too long. It was eight years before I returned to Mt. Vernon and my family for good.
As I said earlier, I’m sure you have read or heard of my time as a military leader, eventually as president of the new United States of America. I caution you, do not believe all that you read.
Did I actually chop down the cherry tree, or was that merely a tale embellished upon by one of my first biographers, Mason Locke Weems?
Did I have wooden teeth? With your modern technology, it has been learned my teeth, which I began losing at an early age, were carved from Hippopotamus ivory.
Was I as austere, straight-laced, and serious as my mother? No, I loved to dance and much to Martha’s annoyance, I liked to pay attention to the ladies. You would call it flirting.
How about throwing the silver dollar across the Potomac? Anyone who has seen that river in our Capital knows it is impossible; however, I had a cousin who swore I threw one across the narrower Rappahannock. Actually, I don’t recall the incident.
I am hesitant to dispel any of the misguided historic tales about my life and times. I would like to leave you with this.
M.Bradley McCauley ã 2012 All Rights Reserved No part of this Blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of M. Bradley McCauley, author, publisher.
All photos of the 'greats' are from Wikipedia Commons unless otherwise specified
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