Gen. George Washington is sometimes called the “father of the United States of America.” As a military commander he helped win the Revolutionary War. Washington became famous for being the first president of the United States of America; however, his military achievements have been overlooked by many professional historians.
His major military campaigns included: the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763 and the American Revolutionary war from 1775 to 1783. His principle combat engagements were the Battle of Fort Necessity in 1754, the Battle of the Monongahela in 1755, the Battle of Boston in 1775 and 1776, the Battle of Harlem Heights in 1776, the Battle of White Plains and Trenton in 1776, the Battle of Princeton in 1776, the Battle of Brandywine and Germantown in 1777, the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, and the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Additionally, Washington’s personal life, major achievements, military and political career, presidency and legacy demonstrated his significance in American political and military history.
WASHINGTON’S PERSONAL LIFE
On Jan. 6, 1759, George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy young widow. The Washington and his wife had no children of their own, but they raised Martha’s children from her previous marriage, Jackie and Patsy. The marriage began the relatively peaceful inter-war period in Washington’s life, during which he farmed tobacco and served on the House of Burgesses, the popularly elected chamber of the Virginia colonial legislature.
WASHINGTON’S MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT
On Dec. 25, 1776, Gen. George Washington led his troops in a surprise attack against the British, who had settled into winter quarters in New Jersey. The American forces crossed the Delaware River at night and defeated the British troops first at Trenton and then at Princeton. These victories, although minor, dramatically improved the morale of the American forces.
The Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania during the winter of 1777-1778 was the bleakest time of the American struggle for independence. Hunger and disease compounded the problems of inadequate shelter and lack of adequate winter clothing. More than 2,500 men died of typhus, dysentery and pneumonia. Washington made repeated appeals for aid and supplies, but the Congress was unable to move the states to provide them.
George Washington was instrumental in bringing about the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Elected as a delegate to the convention by the Virginia General Assembly, Washington was chosen its president. In that position, he avoided expressing his political opinions. Since it was likely he would be the nation’s first president, he understood the need for his impartiality.
WASHINGTON’S MILITARY AND POLITICAL CAREER
In 1749, he served as surveyor for Culpeper County, Virginia. In 1755, he became Commander in Chief of Virginia forces. In 1758, he was elected to the House of Burgesses, the legislative assembly of Virginia. In 1774, he served as a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress. From 1775 to 1783, he led the Continental Army in the American War of Independence. In 1787, he served as President of the Constitutional Convention. From 1789 to 1797, he served as president of the United States. In 1798, he was appointed by President John Adams as Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of all the armies of the United States.
WASHINGTON’S PRESIDENCY
As president, he made the first presidential veto, blocking a 1792 bill to increase the number of U.S. representatives. He issued a proclamation of neutrality in 1793 that kept the United States out of the French Revolutionary Wars. He laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Capitol building in the District of Columbia. He put down the Whiskey Rebellion, a 1794 tax revolt in Pennsylvania, by summoning the militia of several states. He prevented another war with Great Britain through an unpopular treaty negotiated by Chief Justice John Jay in 1794.
WASHINGTON’S LEGACY
Washington was a tall and imposing man. He stood about six feet two inches tall when many men were only five feet six inches tall in the 18th century. He was always cool during crisis; his unorthodox military tactics, techniques, and procedures prevented him from remaining an ordinary commander and encouraged his boldness during combat operations. Although he has been unfairly underrated as a military commander, he fought successfully against the greatest of British generals during the revolutionary war.
The framers of the United States Constitution refrained from being too specific about the of
RELATED SOURCES: African American History; Melba J, Duncan; 2003. American History; Alan Axelrod, Ph.D.; 2000. Native American History; Walter C. Fleming; 2003. The American Presidency; Alan Axelrod, Ph.D.; 2009. The American Revolutionary War; Alan Axelrod, Ph.D.; 2000. U.S. Military History; John C. McManus, PhD; 2008.