George Washington: A General without an Army
If George Washington helped to shape America, what shaped George Washington? Historian Edward Lengel explores Washington’s early history: the events that defined him and ultimately made him America’s “indispensable man.”
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Script:
When the American colonies went to war in 1775 against Great Britain, the greatest military power on earth, they did it without an army.
There were local militias here and there, but no army in any organized sense.
But… the Americans did have a general.
His name, of course, was George Washington.
What possessed this man, a prosperous Virginia farmer, to take on such a dangerous, seemingly hopeless mission?
Washington fervently believed in the cause of independence.
He was willing to risk everything to make this ambition a reality.
And, he believed there was a chance America could win.
He believed it because, ironically, he had fought for the British. He knew their strengths — certainly—but he also knew their weaknesses.
Washington’s “education” began in 1753 at the tender age of 21.
Ambitious for a military life, Washington volunteered to deliver an ultimatum from the royal governor of Virginia to the commander of the French forces in the Ohio River Valley. The ultimatum said this to the French: This is our colonial territory not yours. Vacate or face the consequences.
Although military command was completely new to him, Washington already displayed the intangibles of leadership: decisiveness, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and physical courage. What he lacked in sound judgment—he was 21—he made up in sheer determination. He endured extreme hardships without complaint; facing near-death experiences without flinching. Almost freezing to death and nearly drowning in an icy river were only two examples. That the French commander scoffed at the Virginia governor’s demands was disappointing, but that wasn’t Washington’s fault.
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