George Washington Successes and Failures
Constructing a Thesis
As the person taking command of the American troops during the American Revolution, Washington was successful because he was brave, was keen on detail, and believed a good leader should utilize their qualities. Moreover, he used his failure as learning points and hence emerged stronger.
What Each Article Says About the Thesis
The thesis for this paper is further supported by various scholars touching on the life history of George Washington. According to Ferling (17) Washington’s confidence was evident in the many battles that he won when he was a commander. At the initial stages of the American Revolution, Washington struggled with the small number of troops that he had (Mann 36). Despite Britain having more troops, he was not afraid to face them where he won various battles. Like many other successful people, mistakes or failure should not make one to give up but should instead be used as a learning experience (Chadwick 26). In support of this Miller (29) notes that Washington lost in several battles but he eventually emerged victorious.
His Exposure to Smallpox and the Importance of it during the Way
In 1751, when George Washington was only 19 years old, he accompanied his brother Lawrence to Barbados. His brother was seeking treatment for his cough due to tuberculosis. George Washington was only able to travel outside the United States only once in his lifetime. The trip was quite memorable because he was attacked by smallpox in Barbados as they visited a merchant who had family ties with the Washingtons (Ferling 27). This incident was quite important because smallpox only attacks an individual once in life. For this reason, the exposure to smallpox in Barbados meant that Washington would be immune to such attacks in future especially during the American Revolution. During the war, smallpox was prevalent and spread at a very high rate among the American army. Smallpox was not common in America until it was brought from Europe. For this reason, the British troops were at an advantage because most of them had been exposed to smallpox earlier and therefore had a lifelong immunity. When Washington was an army commander during the American Revolution, he oversaw the administration of some of the earliest vaccinations against smallpox to protect his army against the disease. He went further to order for an inoculation for all the new recruits in the army who had not experienced the disease before. Although the inoculation was supposed to protect the soldiers from smallpox, some of the soldiers succumbed to the disease after inoculation and it became a major concern for Washington. There was a main fear of the disease spreading through the ranks. To deal with this, Washington ordered all the new recruits to be quarantined in camps and inoculated before they were dispersed to take part in the war. All this had to be done in secrecy to prevent the enemies from talking advantage of the situation.
Washington’s Successes and Failures on War
During the American Revolution, George Washington had managed to build a large army that he held together harmoniously. He also ensured the army was in a maneuverable condition and that they were prevented from defeat. His tactics in war were also successful because he kept the army closer to the British who were by then a force to reckon (Mann 47). Due to the wide knowledge he had about American people on how they lived and fought, George Washington exploited the British methods of fighting that were not suited for the American Environment. Since he was aware of how superior the British Navy was, Washington made use of the French troops to emerge victorious at Yorktown in 1781.
During the 1750’s, France and Britain had made a decision to occupy the upper Ohio Valley. Virginia’s governor, Robert Dinwiddie, sent Washington as the commander in 1753 to boost security at the British fort in Ohio. He was quite furious to learn that the French chased away the builders of fort Virginia and hade proceeded to erect their own fort named Fort Duquesne (Ferling 31). After he erected Fort Necessity, Washington led the ambush of a French troop in May 1754 where the commander and nine more people were killed. During this ambush, there were other French people who were captured by Washington. In reality, this ambush marked the start of the French and Indian War. However, Washington later surrendered when the French force attacked Fort Necessity and demolished it on July 3, 1754 (Chadwick 52). When the Congress formed the Continental Army on 1775, Washington was appointed as the general and commander in chief due to his experience in war.
During emergencies, Washington used his authority to make decisions and ensured that such decisions were not in conflict with the Congress’ expectations. Washington believed that for him to win the war there was a need for the British colonies to become independent. In addition, he emphasized those American soldiers who were captured by the British to be treated as prisoners of war and not as criminals as it was the case. In order to deal with the British ships, Washington formed a navy of six vessels that captured the British ships that were bringing their supplies to Boston. It was during this period that Washington continued his campaign of independence for the British colonies. In this regard, Washington was successful in influencing the independence campaigns in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. As a result, the Declaration of Independence was accepted on July 1776.
Washington’s reputation in the military was quite admirable. One of his most recognizable successes in war was on March 17, 1776 when the British left Boston. He managed to do this by surrounding them during a siege that had taken more than eight months. Washington had managed to do this by organizing for the training of the first and second American army. Actually, Washington managed to evacuate the British troops by intercepting their supplies and hence disorganizing them. This action made him a hero for proving that Americans could emerge victorious over British in such a contest (Chadwick 55). Washington experienced another major success during the second half of 1776 when he managed to avoid a defeat and kept his army together despite the challenges.
In July and August 1776, the British stormed southern New York with more than 34,000 troops. On the contrary, Washington only had approximately 7,450 men in his troop. The shortage in the number of troops had caused Washington to experience some defeats in the war. Some of these minor defeats included Brooklyn Heights on August 26th, Kip’s Bay on September 15th, Harlem Heights on September 16th, White Plains on October 28th, and Fort Washington on November 16th (Miller 29). To avoid more setbacks in New York, Washington decided to retreat through New Jersey. By this time, his army had been reduced to around 3,000 men and there were high chances of it disintegrating. This continued until it was evident that British troops were ready to invade Philadelphia. However, Washington did not give up but instead stormed Delaware in December 25th and captured more than 1,000 British prisoners. This enabled him to have a striking position in New York while the British stopped their operations and pulled away from New York. The success that Washington had experienced at Trenton had put him in a better position to defend Philadelphia. In this process, Washington suffered some war failures at Brandywine Creek on September 11 and at Germantown on October 4th. Due to the Washington’s strategies, British left New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When the British decided to strike Virginia in 1781, Washington got a chance to strike a blow that eventually brought the war to an end. This happened when French troops joined the American troops and hence increasing Washington’s troop.
The American-French army was large enough to advance from New York to Virginia while at the same time preventing British forces from escaping via the sea. Eventually, Washington’s army managed to capture Cornwallis at Yorktown who surrendered his troop of 7,000 men on October 19. By this time, the remaining British troops were exhausted due to the various defeats they had experienced from the Washington’s troops. This made them to resign in 1782 and Britain was willing to pacify the situation by granting independence to the United States (Chadwick 48). Due to the success that Washington had on war, he was unanimously elected the first president of the United States and was inaugurated on April 30, 1789 in New York.
A Nation in Mourning upon Washington’s Death
The death of Washington occurred on December 14, 1799. Mourning in response to his death reflected both private and public traditions as Americans from various backgrounds united together. When Washington’s death was made public, the Congress that was in session in Philadelphia was adjourned immediately. Furthermore, the Congress also allowed a publication of a presidential proclamation that required people to wear black armbands on left arms for a period of thirty days as a show of grief towards the death of President George Washington. For the delivery of the national Eulogy for Washington, the Congress chose Lee. The mourning extended to people of various cultural backgrounds including businessmen who closed their establishments to take part in the mourning (Ferling 37. To further portray their mourning, Major General Alexander Hamilton staged a mock funeral to show the military support for Washington. The members of the House of Representatives also wore black in the following day as they carried on with their session. His death was taken as a form of a crisis or omen since it had occurred towards the turn of the 19th Century. During the mourning period, most of the political leaders tried to enhance a sense of national unity as Americans shared the sorrow.
Thousands of mourners gathered at Mount Vernon for the funeral ceremony on December 18, 1799. Military officers and other Masonic brethren were the pallbearers during the funeral service. Moreover, the coffin had Washington’s sword and a Masonic apron. There were also two servants leading Washington’s horse and dressed in mourning clothes. Due to the burial of Washington, Mount Vernon was a famous tourist destination for Americans willing to show their last respect to Washington (Miller 19). According to some historians, every patriotic American was supposed to visit Mount Vernon as a form of filial pilgrimage. Following the custom, Martha Washington closed the master bedroom and took another room in the third floor. It is also important to note that the first messages of condolence were from women who were the closest friends to the widow.
Works Cited
Chadwick, Bruce. George Washington’s War: The Forging of a Revolutionary Leader and the American Presidency. Boston: Sourcebooks, 2005). Print.
Ferling, John. The First of Men: A life of George Washington. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Mann, Barbara. George Washington’s War on Native America. Nevada: University of Nevada Press, 2004. Print.
Miller, Brandon. George Washington for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2007. Print.
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