The Glorious Cause - Jeff Shaara [3]
Though the British army has sailed away from Boston Harbor, Washington will not celebrate his victory and moves his army rapidly to the one logical place the British might yet appear, New York City. He fortifies the city as much as possible, but it is nearly an indefensible position. When the British fleet arrives, Washington understands that the Declaration of Independence will have no meaning if he cannot win what is now an inevitable war.
GEORGE WASHINGTON
Born 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, grows up with a love of the land around him, develops considerable skills as both a farmer and surveyor. When he is twenty years old he inherits the estate of Mount Vernon upon the death of his brother, Lawrence.
Joining the Virginia Militia soon after, Washington receives the traditional officer’s commission due a prominent landowner. Without any military training, Washington commands a column of militia assigned to confront a settlement of French trappers who, according to the British royal governor, are trespassing on British soil. Washington marches his men into a confrontation, and when the French do not obey his demands to leave the area, he fires on them. The incident sparks enormous outrage in both England and France, and marks the beginning of the French and Indian War.
Though chastised for his unwise and costly show of force, Washington is allowed to retain his commission as lieutenant colonel, and in 1755, is assigned to accompany British general Edward Braddock on a campaign to confront the French, who have secured a strong outpost at the head of the Ohio River. Braddock’s expedition is ambushed by a well-hidden force of French troops and their Indian allies, and the result is the first great British disaster on American soil. Braddock and most of his officers are killed, and only through the efforts of George Washington do any of the British force survive capture. Washington’s heroism erases the stain of his earlier blunder, and he is promoted to full colonel of militia.
He yearns for a commission in the regular British army, but when he is repeatedly denied, he retires from the service, frustrated by the arrogant British prejudice toward colonial officers. He returns to Mount Vernon and attempts to settle into the peaceful life of a gentleman farmer.
In 1759, he marries a widow, Martha Dandridge Custis, whose wealth far exceeds his own. The marriage thus produces a couple who rank among the wealthiest in Virginia. Together, they charm Virginia society with their grace and quiet affection, and though Martha has two children of her own, Washington hopes to rear his own offspring. But their marriage produces no children.
By his status alone he is expected to participate in Virginia politics, and eventually is chosen to attend the Continental Congress. Though he has been ignored and insulted by the British, he harbors no particular hostility toward King George. As the British abuse turns from matters of policy to matters of violent confrontation, Washington leans closer to the voices favoring independence. Never one to speak out, he is nevertheless a strong presence in the congress, and by his experience is a natural choice to lead the new army.
His success in holding the army together in Boston stems from his quiet and stoic demonstration of authority, though he will occasionally display a fierce temper. He is a large man by any standards, and his size alone gives him a martial presence that commands attention, if not outright respect. Though still seen by many of the New Englanders as an outsider, he demonstrates considerable talent for choosing capable senior officers, notably Charles Lee, Israel Putnam, and Nathanael Greene. He does much to weed out the incompetent and local political bigwigs