The Military Career of George Washington
Most people today think of George Washington as the first President of the United States. Perhaps they may remember that he was also the commanding general of the Continental Army. However, George Washington had much experience in the military before the Revolutionary War. Because of his experience, he was ideal for the responsibility of leading the new nation to victory over the British.
In 1752, George Washington was 20 years old. He had no military experience, but his brother Lawrence had served in the British militia and this motivated George to join up (George 74b). Before the Revolutionary War, George Washington actually worked for the British. He showed his natural leadership right away. At the age of twenty, he was assigned to train militias in Virginia.
The young Major Washington showed he was brave and ambitious. In 1753, he heard that a man named Robert Dinwiddie, who was the acting governor of Virginia, planned to send a message to the French troops that they needed to withdraw from the Ohio River Valley. The French wanted to hunt and trap there, but the British wanted the land for farming. Washington went to Dinwiddie to volunteer to be the messenger. Dinwiddie had enough confidence in the young soldier to let him go.
Washington did not go by himself. He took a frontier guide, an interpreter, and four frontiersmen. It was dangerous wilderness and it was the middle of November. The group traveled until the middle of December. It was a long and cold journey. The French rejected the British instructions. Washington had to make the journey back to Virginia in the bitter winter weather. Indians and other dangers surrounded him. He finally returned in the middle of Ja...
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...and had my commission taken from me, or in other words, my command reduced, under pretense of an order from home…I have been on the losing order ever since I entered the service…"(George 74d).
However, as a result of Washington’s early military career, he learned many skills and strategies that he would later need. He also won the respect and admiration of the colonists. When he resigned his commission in 1759, the House of Burgesses passed a resolution to grant Colonel Washington the "thanks of the House…for his brave and steady behavior" (Fleming 34). He was well on his way to becoming "first in war…and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
Works Cited
Fleming, Thomas, Liberty! The American Revolution, Viking, 1997.
Sellers, Charles and May, Henry, A Synopsis of American History, Rand McNally & Company, _ _ 1963.
The World Book Encyclopedia. 1994.
George Washington grew a huge reputation from his leadership in the war, he was the head of General of the Continental Army that fought in states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. He was the commander of his army, who so confidently trusted him, put an end to the fighting of the war after defeating and making General Charles Cornwallis’ army surrender in the Siege of of
It could be said that if Howe and the British continued the attack, this rebellion could have been put down right away. This will not be the first time that Howe fails to do this, and it will lead to him being replaced later in the war by Sir Henry Clinton. Even though his army was thoroughly defeated, Washington is able to get his troops off of Long Island back to Manhattan in the middle of the night, this will also not be the last time that Washington is able to get his &n The author briefly discusses the troubles at Kip’s Bay and Fort Washington. The next subject that Buchanan goes into is Washington’s retreat through the state of New Jersey. The key part of this retreat is when Washington crosses the Potomac River he collects all boats from both shores of the river.
...part of the Continental Army’s demise at Brandywine. It is unsure what maps were available at the time, possibly none at all. However, even without maps, General Washington could have sent men on horses to conduct reconnaissance of the area. This would have given him a better idea of the possible places that Howe may have crossed the Brandywine. The fact that Washington had no idea that the Brandywine was crossable just miles north seems hard to understand. If Washington had known this, he could have posted troops at those crossings as well. This would have forced Howe to either march further north, or give Washington more time to react to Howe’s flanking movement.
Charles Evans, Jr. was born in Indianapolis on July 18, 1890. His family moved to Chicago’s North side when he was three. Nearby was the former Edgewater Golf Club, which became an irresistible attraction for Chick. At the age of eight he was introduced to golf as a caddie. This contact launched him into eight decades of association with golf as a boy prodigy, national star, golf official, and finally the greatest humanitarian and benefactor the game has known (A look at the Evans Scholars Program). Golf was everything for Chick. From waking up each morning to caddy or playing a round of...
Morrison, Samuel E. The Oxford History of the American People, vol. 1. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1994. Sun Tzu.
"His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order; his penetration strong . . . Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed; refraining if he saw a doubt, but, when once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed." (Thomas Jefferson, as cited in "George Washington," 2006, para.19) George Washington is one of the most recognized and famous leaders in all history of the United States of America. He contributed greatly to the establishment of this prosperous country, from leading the Revolutionary armies into battle, to running the country as the first president, Washington has set precedence and example for all who have and are yet to follow. He was a noble man who demonstrated characteristics one would expect from a hero figure. He was not power-hungry, but did things and played his role for the good of the country, for patriotic purposes, to help America become the success it is today. In March of 1783, the soldiers of the American military were restless, bored and in a terrible state of doubt and distrust concerning the newly formed congress of the country. When these soldiers joined the army, they were promised a certain amount of money according to their service, but by the war's end, congress was nearly broke and not in a position to pay them all they had earned. The soldiers planned a rebellion against congress for their unjust treatment, and attempted to hold an unauthorized meeting of the officers on the matter. Washington forbade the meeting, but called for one a few days later, in which he gave his speech concerning the Newburgh Conspiracy ("The Rise and Fall," 2006, para.2). General Washington was a highly respected man among his peers, soldiers, and fellow men. His opinions, approval, and presence alone were enough to validate many plans, documents, and meetings throughout his life, so it is no wonder that even simple words or acts performed by General Washington were respected, and more often than not, taken to heart by his audience; perhaps this is why it may seem surprising that one of the most important speeches he ever gave fell on relatively deaf ears, leaving the audience hesitant, confused, seemingly unaffected by his powerful use of diction, and emotional appeal.
He surrendered and was allowed to return to Virginia. This foolish mistake made by Washington started the French and Indian War. This was one of the few mistakes George Washington made during his military career. Washington knew the Ohio Valley well because he was hired by the wealthy Fairfax family, as a land surveyor. This knowledge was valuable to General Braddock, because he was unfamiliar with the American territory.
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.”
Washington understood that what lies ahead would be difficult, considering he would be facing the most powerful country in the world. But he probably didn't expect his worst problems to come from his own army, which was an undisciplined and untrained group that would eventually tamper with his great patience. Through it all, he would stay determined and always try to stay one step ahead of the enemy. In the summer of 1775, the Americans prepared to attack the British in Boston. But Washington was informed that they were shorthanded on gunpowder.
Many suspect that they were with Washington only to maximize the hate on both sides of the battle. They went against Washington’s orders to not be the aggressors. Soon large units of British and American soldiers were sent to settle what should have been small battles. The French however were prepared to fight back and even had the Indians as allies to help with upcoming battles. In July, Braddock’s army which consisted of over 2000 British soldiers rode west with George Washington and came upon 250 plus French soldiers with over 600 Indians allies. Nearly 1000 British were killed, unlike George Washington who was unhurt during the battle was soon promoted to commander of the Virginia army for his bravery. (Roark 146)
The following six years Washington led the 13 colonies together. It was hard as he had to build up an army from untrained and unpaid men and was also appointed unskilled officers. He never had a big enough army to directly attack in battle and sometimes he was close to being defeated. He used skills that would drain the British and then attack and then force them out of the area. Washington had help from the French also that made winning the Revolutionary War possible. In 1781 the fighting was over.
After more than ten years of persistent counterinsurgency (COIN) conflict and multiple simultaneous responses to several natural disasters, the United States Army is at a crossroads regarding professional education for its officers and enlisted force. Considering overseas contingency operations in Iraq are due to conclude in December 2011 and by 2014 for Afghanistan, it is plausible that strategic planners are considering the future make-up of what will constitute the Total Army Force to include new educational criteria for what could be a smaller force than was needed for present day operations. While this may be “peace dividend” speculation, there is precedence for the Army to reevaluate its force structure and personal qualification requirements after every major conflict over the last century. . Even though defense budget reductions should redoubt army equipment priorities, training deferrals because of persistent contingency operations have inhibited enlisted professional development despite that counterinsurgency operations require refocused soldiers training to improve their sense of situational understanding and application of observable operational ethics through conceptual enlisted leadership evaluation efforts.
...he surrender. Even if he would have arrived much sooner, a British defeat was inevitable. He left the colonies in 1782. The colonies had become the newest nation, and named itself the United States of America. The hero of the war, George Washington went on to become the first president of the United States. Many wanted him to become the king, but he refused because he didn’t want all the power just like their tyrant cousins.
This proposal is designed to address the need for professional development of which can be utilized in assisting teachers within our institution mature and grow educationally for the purposes of becoming better instructors for the purposes of education our students academically and assisting them to succeed within their academic goals and objectives. The proposed plan of action of which can ultimately assist bot our facu...
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