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ML_washington_bkp.htm
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Sketch of George Washington at Monmouth. (National Archives)
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Gen. George Washington
Only This Very Determined Virginian Could Turn A Motley Crew Of Fighters Into The Continental Army
By Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Military.com Columnist
At the Second Continental Congress in May 1775, George Washington appeared in his blue and tan Fairfax County militia uniform. One of the tasks facing the new Congress was to unify the army gathered about Boston and to give it a leader. Washington, a seasoned militiaman and Virginia planter -- whose "skill and experience as an officer... independent fortune, great talents and excellent universal character," John Adams said, would "command the approbation of all America" -- was chosen as the infant republic's first commander-in-chief.
Washington was elected unanimously for two reasons. First, he commanded respect through his military abilities, his selflessness, and his commitment to the cause of colonial freedom. Second, patriot leaders hoped that appointment of "a gentleman from Virginia" would bind the Southern colonies more closely to the rebellion that began in New England. On July 3, 1775, Washington halted his horse under an elm on the Cambridge green, drew his sword, and took command of the Continental Army. "It is to be hoped that all distinction of colonies will be laid aside, so that one and the same spirit may animate the whole," he told his troops.
The American soldiers were still in high spirits due to the heavy losses they had exacted from the British at Bunker Hill on June 17. Otherwise, the group that stood before Washington that day was a rag-tag mix of farmers, workmen, artisans, and ruffians without discipline or organization. Most of these men had soon-to-expire terms of enlistment, meaning Washington would have to try and train one army while raising another. One can imagine the easily angered Washington (who once threw his hat upon the Senate floor in a fit of pique) simply swearing a blue streak, turning on his heel, and reporting back to Congress that the nascent army was unfit for command.
But Washington had learned, through sound experience, to curb his temper. He had come to see the element of endurance in conflict and used this knowledge to play "the fox more often than the lion," according to one historian. Washington understood better than anyone else that "nothing but disunion can hurt our cause." He set out to lengthen terms of enlistment, to equip his men with ample ammunitions, and to mold rebels into professional soldiers. Without George Washington's calm, determined sense of duty, the Continental Army could not have proceeded in its revolutionary course. In Washington, the United States came to recognize the symbol of its freedom. |
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