| George Washington - The Commander-in-Chief The following article was written in 1931 by the U.S. George Washington Bicentennial Commission. |
As the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, the
services and achivements of George Washington are unique in the
world's history. He was much more than the Commander-in-Chief.
He was the one necessary person, whose calm, unswerving,
determined sense of patriotic duty to country and ability, put real
backbone into the Revolution and kept it from collapsing or
merging into a civil conflict under the hardships and unexpected
privations encountered during the eight years of war. Without
General Washington at its head it could never have succeeded. His
faith in the cause and his devotion to the ideals it embodied made
him the symbol of America - the spirit of the Revolution.
Washington assumed service and responsibility in the Virginia
militia; and by the time he was serving as aide to British General
Braddock (French and Indian War) he made the assertion, "My
inclinations are strongly bent to arms." Each of the different tasks
that fell to his hand seemed to contribute to the store of
knowledge useful to him in the next one to follow. The Braddock
campaign taught him many of the weaknesses in the military
system of training British Regular officers and men.
Witnessing all of the horrors of Braddock's defeat, more of a
massacre than a battle, George Washington's personal courage
had its baptism of fire and bore the acid test of every experience
with honor. With two horses shot out beneath him and four bullets
through his coat, he not only continued his duties as aide but when
General Braddock was mortally wounded and most of the other
officers either killed or wounded, it was the young colonel
Washington that took command of the remnant of the brilliant
English Army and brought it and the wounded leader out of the
terrifying forest ambush of Indians to safety.
In the General Congress, Patrick Henry was asked to name the
greatest man in the congress. His reply, "If you speak of
eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest
orator; but if you speak of solid information and sound judgement,
Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on the
floor."
One of the first steps of the new Congress was to adopt the army
gathered about Boston, calling it the Continental Army to
distinguish it from that of England, which they called the Ministerial
Army. It then became necessary to choose a leader - a
commander-in-chief to handle it. Although there were several who
wanted the position, it was George Washington that they called
upon to lead. He was elected Commander-in-Chief on June 15,
1775.
The rigor and hardships of Valley Forge would have vanquished
any other man but George Washington. Owing to the inefficiency
of the commissary department, fully 2,898 soldiers in camp at
Valley Forge were unfit for duty because they were barefoot and
destitute of clothing. At times there were not three days provisions
for men or horses in camp and often not sufficient for one day. It
was in the midst of this poverty and privation that Baron von
Steuben began his work of drill and discipline. He aroused the
officers and the men.
The greatest task that fell so heavily on the Commander-in-Chief
was that of keeping his army actually in existence. Here his great
business training and ability showed itself. The British could and
did repeatedly beat the Continental Army but they could not beat
George Washington. Neither abuse, attack, defeat nor discontent
could make him resign, and as long as he was in the field he was
the rallying point for whatever fighting spirit could still be aroused.
The soldiers felt perfect confidence in the wise leadership of
their Commander-in-Chief. His splendid courage, foresight and
marvelous ability to endure won the final liberty of the long
suffering Colonies. The end of the long struggle for liberty came
on October 19, 1781, with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
On November 20, 1782, Great Britain acknowledged the
independence of the United States and on September 3, 1783, a
treaty of peace was signed at Versailles in France and America
was free.
General Washington, wise and unselfish Commander of a
tattered citizen soldiery, wrung victory from the seasoned legions
of Europe under discouragements that would have crushed any,
save an indomitable spirit. Of his leadership and skill Von Miltke is
quoted as saying in Berlin in 1784: "You have in American history
one of the greatest captains of all times. It might be said of him, as
it was of William the Silent, that he seldom won a battle but he
never lost a campaign."
services and achivements of George Washington are unique in the
world's history. He was much more than the Commander-in-Chief.
He was the one necessary person, whose calm, unswerving,
determined sense of patriotic duty to country and ability, put real
backbone into the Revolution and kept it from collapsing or
merging into a civil conflict under the hardships and unexpected
privations encountered during the eight years of war. Without
General Washington at its head it could never have succeeded. His
faith in the cause and his devotion to the ideals it embodied made
him the symbol of America - the spirit of the Revolution.
Washington assumed service and responsibility in the Virginia
militia; and by the time he was serving as aide to British General
Braddock (French and Indian War) he made the assertion, "My
inclinations are strongly bent to arms." Each of the different tasks
that fell to his hand seemed to contribute to the store of
knowledge useful to him in the next one to follow. The Braddock
campaign taught him many of the weaknesses in the military
system of training British Regular officers and men.
Witnessing all of the horrors of Braddock's defeat, more of a
massacre than a battle, George Washington's personal courage
had its baptism of fire and bore the acid test of every experience
with honor. With two horses shot out beneath him and four bullets
through his coat, he not only continued his duties as aide but when
General Braddock was mortally wounded and most of the other
officers either killed or wounded, it was the young colonel
Washington that took command of the remnant of the brilliant
English Army and brought it and the wounded leader out of the
terrifying forest ambush of Indians to safety.
In the General Congress, Patrick Henry was asked to name the
greatest man in the congress. His reply, "If you speak of
eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest
orator; but if you speak of solid information and sound judgement,
Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on the
floor."
One of the first steps of the new Congress was to adopt the army
gathered about Boston, calling it the Continental Army to
distinguish it from that of England, which they called the Ministerial
Army. It then became necessary to choose a leader - a
commander-in-chief to handle it. Although there were several who
wanted the position, it was George Washington that they called
upon to lead. He was elected Commander-in-Chief on June 15,
1775.
The rigor and hardships of Valley Forge would have vanquished
any other man but George Washington. Owing to the inefficiency
of the commissary department, fully 2,898 soldiers in camp at
Valley Forge were unfit for duty because they were barefoot and
destitute of clothing. At times there were not three days provisions
for men or horses in camp and often not sufficient for one day. It
was in the midst of this poverty and privation that Baron von
Steuben began his work of drill and discipline. He aroused the
officers and the men.
The greatest task that fell so heavily on the Commander-in-Chief
was that of keeping his army actually in existence. Here his great
business training and ability showed itself. The British could and
did repeatedly beat the Continental Army but they could not beat
George Washington. Neither abuse, attack, defeat nor discontent
could make him resign, and as long as he was in the field he was
the rallying point for whatever fighting spirit could still be aroused.
The soldiers felt perfect confidence in the wise leadership of
their Commander-in-Chief. His splendid courage, foresight and
marvelous ability to endure won the final liberty of the long
suffering Colonies. The end of the long struggle for liberty came
on October 19, 1781, with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
On November 20, 1782, Great Britain acknowledged the
independence of the United States and on September 3, 1783, a
treaty of peace was signed at Versailles in France and America
was free.
General Washington, wise and unselfish Commander of a
tattered citizen soldiery, wrung victory from the seasoned legions
of Europe under discouragements that would have crushed any,
save an indomitable spirit. Of his leadership and skill Von Miltke is
quoted as saying in Berlin in 1784: "You have in American history
one of the greatest captains of all times. It might be said of him, as
it was of William the Silent, that he seldom won a battle but he
never lost a campaign."
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