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George Who?

By Patricia Hall

He was born Feb. 22, 1732 to a tobacco farmer named Augustine in the woods of Virginia. Like many families of today, it was a blended family because Augustine’s first wife had died and left him with two teenaged sons; so George was born with older half brothers already in place. George’s mother, Mary, was rather cold and never developed a loving, happy relationship with her first born son. She was rather bossy and all of young George’s friends were afraid of her. When George grew up, he never even introduced her to his wife.
There was one whom George dearly loved, and that was his half brother Lawrence, who had been educated in England. Young George did not have the chance to go to school, so like many children today and then, he was home-schooled, probably by his father and Lawrence. They found that he was very good at numbers but spelling was hard for him.
Then when he was only 11, George’s father died and soon afterwards he was invited to move to Lawrence’s home on a lovely farm, also in Virginia. There he learned to love fox hunting and to mix in with a more elegant society. He took dancing lessons and fencing lessons; learned to dress nicely and in general became a young “gentleman.”
At some point during his youth, he compiled a book of manners, which would still do nicely today except for the admonitions against killing fleas and lice in the company of other people.
His love of the outdoors, his facility with math and need for money made him a perfect candidate for the job as surveyor. For weeks he tramped through the mountains and forests learning how to live and take care of himself in the wilderness, which made up most of the countryside in those days.
His father was long dead and then in 1752 when George was only 20, his beloved half brother died. Then George began his career as a soldier in the militia. That part of his life is remembered mostly for his bravery if not his skill in battle. At one point he had four bullet holes in his coat — his hat was shot off his head, and two horses were shot out from under him. George was unhurt!
After such excitement the life of a farmer began to look very appealing, so he moved back to the farm that by now, he had inherited from his brother. There he married his lifelong partner, Martha, a young widow with two children.
This growing tale may lead you, my gentle reader, to ask “So what?” The answer of course is that the George in the story is the one we Americans so dearly love and call the Father of Our Country. So let us go further in this tale and see him to the end.
George Washington took up the life of a gentleman farmer, raising Martha’s children, Patsy and Jacky, and regularly going fox hunting with one of his favorite hounds named “Sweet Lips.” George raised tobacco until it proved an unsatisfactory crop and then he changed to wheat.
Mt. Vernon was a plantation of 8,000 acres and was very much a large business enterprise. It took as many as 300 slaves to make it successful. (George freed his slaves only after the death of Martha.)
All of this pleasant rural life was disrupted by the onset of the Revolutionary War. Washington had been in sympathy with the rebels almost from the time of the tax on tea, which caused him to change to coffee.
Now at age 43, George was asked to head the new Continental Army but he was so concerned about his lack of skills that he bought five books of military tactics. Against the greatest army and navy in the world, how would that little band of soldiers ever win? The outcome was by no means certain but Washington and his men persevered against terrible odds and they won. They fought with little food, inadequate shelter in freezing cold weather, horses that dropped dead from starvation, uniforms that provided no warmth and shoes that quickly wore out and were not replaced.
For many generals this lack of provisions would have caused his soldiers to have no confidence. Instead, for Washington, they loved him with a love that transcended their hardships. He was called “Your Excellency,” was quiet and by no means “one of the boys.” There was no joking around with them but his respect for his men was always apparent. The troops felt a tremendous loyalty to him.
When the war was over it was almost inevitable that this strong brave man should be elected to lead the newly formed country.
He led us through those perilous first years as a nation — declining to be king or called by any regal designation saying “Mr. President” would be just fine. For two terms, he stayed as our leader when what he most desired was to return to Mt. Vernon and be a farmer. His unselfishness as a man helped set us on a proper course as a nation and for this we are always grateful.
His monument in Washington, D.C. is the tallest structure in town and it is right that it should be so. Our most fitting honor to him, however, would be to live the life he led, dedicated to making our nation and ourselves honorable and good.
PATRICIA HALL, publisher
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