The Real George Washington by Jay A. Parry and Andrew M. Allison
Publisher: The National Center for Constitutional Studies
Pages: 829
Copyright: 1991 (First Printing) 2009 (Seventh Printing)
"First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."
'Light-Horse Harry' Henry Lee uttered those words about George Washington at his funeral.
Out of the many eulogies given for General Washington, his were, perhaps the most fitting of them all.
I learned about George Washington in school. Doesn't everyone? But, after reading "The Real George Washington" I realize schools do not do the man justice.
Born on February 22, 1732, with a bloodline some genealogists have traced back through 55 generations to "Odin, heroic founder of the Viking kingdom of Scandinavia", his life was bent to public service.
His father died when he was 11. At 14 he wanted to enlist in the British Navy but his mother prevented him from doing so. At 15, he was a skilled surveyor, earning enough money to make small loans to family and friends. At 16, he joined a surveying expedition assigned to explore the South Branch of the Potomac River in northwest Virginia. At 17, he was appointed the official surveyor of Culpepper County. At 20, he was appointed the district adjutant general of the Virginia Militia with the rank of major.
He fought his first battle at the age of 22 against the French in what was the first engagement of the French and Indian War. At 23, he fought a major battle against General Edward Braddock on the Monongahela River. From 23 to 25, he served as commander of the Virginia forces assigned to protect settlers on the frontier against Indian attacks.
He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses at the age of 27 and served from 1759 through 1774.
At 42, he attended the First Continental Congress and during the Second Continental Congress, at the age of 43, he was appointed commander of the American army, a position he held for all eight years of the long, grueling war.
In 1787 he presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and then, on April 30, 1789 he was sworn in as the first American President.
After serving two terms as president, he retired from public service and spent the rest of his days at Mount Vernon, dying on December 14, 1799 at the age of 67
Those are the facts, but they don't come close to telling the story of George Washington. They don't convey how quiet and unimposing he was. Nor do they reveal how, when appointed to lead the fight against Britain, he felt himself inadequate for the task. They don't explain his brilliance in conducting a defensive war, nor do they come close to revealing how much America owes to him. There was never a time during the war that he had enough men, enough supplies, or enough support from Congress to do the job, yet he managed.
The facts also don't tell us that when pressed into service as the first man to lead the country he helped create, he again thought himself inadequate for the job. When again pressed into serving a second term, he wanted nothing more than to go home to Mount Vernon and live out his life in peace and quiet but he again answered the call of his country, at great personal sacrifice. They also don't convey his love of freedom, his deep faith in God, or his belief in the Republic he helped craft and bring into being.
Recommendation: There's no way for me to adequate sum up a book of this magnitude and length, so I won't even try. I couldn't do General Washington justice. I can say this: If you're interested in American history, one of the people you need to learn about is George Washington and this book is a comfortable read, well annotated, and referenced. It's also a good place to start.
